The beauty of all things, radiant and fair,

How it pours through my heart; how it fills me with gladness!

In the people I meet this same beauty is here;

It reflects in their eyes, both in joy and in sadness.

And when our eyes sparkle or twinkle or shine,

When warm love is flowing in the way that we live,

Then the water of life in ourselves becomes wine,

And to God this can be the great gift that we give.

Dear GHSS Families,

Greek Olympics It was such a pleasure to attend the Greek Olympics at Perth Waldorf School last Friday.  Class 5 students from Steiner Schools across WA gathered to compete in discus, javelin, long jump, sprints, relay, marathon and chariot races.  This is the culmination of main lessons on Ancient Greece.  Students compete in the city state teams of Athens, Corinth, Delphi, Thebes and Sparta comprised of students from each of the 7 Steiner schools. It was a wonderful opportunity for the children to consolidate and celebrate their learning and create connections with peers from other Steiner schools. 

A huge thank you, as always to the staff and parents who contributed to the success of the day - Sam for supporting their training ahead of the big day; Ashley Schipp, for the training ahead of the Olympics and all the organising that goes into running a successful camp - and for 2 nights sleeping on the kindy floor; Lynn Willson, for driving and also staying over on the kindy floor; to Holly Carruthers and Lynn Willson who joined me in baking goodies for the children to enjoy; Haikam Sshi and Steve Suttie and Tyrone for their catering and Steve for playing the role of Zeus; Lesley Wybenga and Rebekah Henderson for being a support vehicle up and back to assist with managing luggage overflow, helping out with food on the road, and keeping parents updated on our arrival time.  And to those parents who were able to come along on the day to cheer on the students and lend a hand.  Thanks!

Djilba Festival will be celebrated this Thursday.  The festival will conclude at 12.30pm.  Please see additional details further in the newsletter.  Families are encouraged to take their children home immediately after the festival as staff will be engaging in professional learning that afternoon.  For those students for whom there is no alternative arrangement, supervision will be provided at school. 

School holidays This Friday, September 22nd is a Pupil Free Day.  Staff will gather to engage in professional learning, which they will begin on Thursday afternoon, at the conclusion of the Spring Festival.  This afternoon is in lieu of the hours families are asked to contribute on Saturday November 18th, attending the Spring Fair to help out.

We look forward to welcoming families back on Monday October 9th. 

Spring Fair & Open Day is scheduled for November 18th from 10am - 2pm.  Class carers wil be in touch in relation to the ways that families are able to contribute to the day.  Your committment will count towards your Family Participation hours.  We do ask that all families commit to attending and helping out on Open Day.

2024 Withdrawal A reminder to parents that if your child will be attending a school other than Golden Hill Steiner School in 2024, your withdrawal needs to be lodged by 3pm on Monday October 9th at the latest to avoid incurring Term 1 2024 costs.  This includes Class 6 students and students currently enrolled in High School.

Jacqui Hollingworth

Principal

Dear Parents and Carers,

We will be celebrating the end of term with our Djilba Festival on Thursday 21st September, for Classes 1-6.

(Kindy have their own celebration and Class 7 will have an alternate program instead of the Spring Games on the oval).

The festival will begin at 8.40am and finishes at 12.30pm.  Parents are welcome to come and watch the festivities and bring a picnic to share.

There will be;

* Garland Making (please bring greenery in the morning)

* Singing

* Dances

* Maypole

* Spring games on the oval

The school day will finish at 12.30pm and students are to be collected by 1pm.

We look forward to seeing you there to enjoy this memorable event with your children.

As the days grow warm my seeds are sprouting, The earth sends forth her flowers so fair.

So life springs forth after cold dark winter, Mother Nature’s perfume is in the air.

The golden yellow flowers of the bush are blooming, They fill our hearts with warmth and cheer.

So life springs forth after cold dark winter, The season of the sun is almost here.

Paul Lawrence

Ngaangk dookaniny (Here comes the sun)

Ngaangk dookaniny (Here comes the sun)

Ngany warangka (I say)

Ngany moorditj (It’s alright)

Kambarang dookaniny (Kambarang’s coming)

Each newsletter we will be sharing a virtue that will be the focus in our school over the following three weeks.  

What is Understanding? Understanding is thinking clearly.  It is using your mind so that you can see the truth about things.  It is paying careful attention and thinking about things in order to see their meaning.  Understanding is also having empathy and showing compassion.  Understanding gives us the power to think and learn and also to care.

Why Practice it? Without an understanding mind, there would be no learning.  People who don't practice understanding don't use their minds fully.  Life is dull and boring because they just do the least amount of learning or thinking.  People who use their heads to understand and solve problems, have great insights and wonderful ideas.  People who use their hearts to understand show compassion and forgive people for their mistakes.

How do you practice it? To practice understanding, you pay close attention.  Look, listen and think.  When faced with a difficult problem, you reflect and reason it out until the answer becomes clear.  You resist distractions.  You concentrate your mind to help you see the whole picture and to understand the meaning of what you see.  You open your heart to understand how people feel and put yourself in their shoes.  You understand that we all make mistakes.  You are willing to be forgiving.

Signs of Success Congratulations!  You are practicing Understanding when you...

• Concentrate and pay close attention.
• Reflect on the meaning of things.
• See the whole picture.
• Resist distractions.
• Put yourself in other people's shoes.
• Forgive others and yourself when you make mistakes.

"Understanding a person does not mean condoning: it only means that one does not accuse him as if one were... a judge placed above him."  Erich Fromm

Class 7 completed their major Algebra main lesson this term, which represented a significant conceptual leap, combining the world of logical rules with abstract ideas and unknown variables.  Our main lesson began with a focus on integers and working with the concept of negative numbers, which caused a few head scratches.  This led into the establishment of several important rules and processes of Algebra with students developing their understanding of expressions, brackets and order of operations.  As we moved into more challenging concepts, it was great to see students supporting each other and developing their resilience in working through challenges. 

The class then had the opportunity to select a famous pioneering Mathematician who has shaped our knowledge and understanding of Algebra.  Each student completed a short biography including some excellent portraits. 

This brought us into our final exploration of equations.  Here students learnt about the golden rule of balancing equations and began to use their knowledge of algebra procedures to solve practical real-world problems.  The Class 7 Algebra main lesson begins a three-year journey into a new world and language of Mathematics.  I am proud of how our pioneering high school class has taken on this journey, and the steady improvements made across the unit.  

To finish the term, we have been enjoying a dive into the world of Physics and Electricity.  This main lesson has taken the class on a fantastic journey back in time to the accidental crossover of frog anatomy and static electricity.  This of course led to the discovery of the battery!  Students really enjoyed creating and testing their own 6 cell batteries out of lemons, kiwifruit, Powerade and salt water.  Last week children learnt about the connection between magnetism and current electricity and made their own electromagnets.  We will continue this main lesson next term with an exploration into the electric motor before moving into simple machines and our physics car challenge.

To begin Term 3, Class 7 began with the Age of Discovery main lesson.  We learnt of Viking Leif Errikson and his discovery of the Scandinavian Countries.  This led us to the discovery of Europe and all it has to offer.  Thanks to the persistence of the sea faring Spaniards and Portuguese, Africa was discovered and with it came an awareness of the world around us.  Logic and navigational skills overcame superstition and the fear that they would literally sail off the end of the earth.  The brave and illustrious Vasco de Gama discovered Asia followed by the adventurous Christopher Columbus who unknowingly discovered the Americas.  However, Amerigo Vespucci took Columbus’s claim to the rights for many years.  Finally, Ferdinand Magellan masterminded the first expedition to circumnavigate the world.  

There were many twists and turns in the historical recall of the discovery of the world in which we live.  A great match for our Class 7 students.  The main lesson was also a wonderful geographical journey as each continent was mapped, countries labelled, grid referenced, and bodies of water noted.  This has led to our Monday morning Geographical Quiz, much to the delight of myself!

Below are some examples of the beautiful bookwork, geographical presentations and individual written main lesson tasks.

In our art sessions each Monday we began the term looking at perspective drawing using different mediums.  Water colour work was also included in our main lesson bookwork tasks, and to finish we are reviewing portrait drawing as we have begun our Renaissance main lesson.

Class 7 are industrious hand workers, and it has been wonderful to watch their skills progress each year.  I have always enjoyed our handwork sessions and as we begin to sew the bodies of our Waldorf dolls their stitching is quite amazing and always under the watchful eye of Jewels, our handwork teacher.  Below are their embroidered craft bags made earlier in the year.  Just beautiful!

As part of our digital technologies learning area, in Semester 1 Class 7 students, under the instruction of Matt Sivyer from Denmark FM, learnt many aspects of presenting on radio.  If you tune in to 99.7 you will hear our students.  One of the main tasks was writing and presenting their own podcasts.  Each week on Denmark FM, from 3.30 to 4pm, you will be able to recognise some of our students in the school zone project in association with other local schools.  The experience has been most enriching, and we hope to offer an elective of sorts in radio in the future as we grow our high school.

This week we have begun stage 2 of our digital technologies curriculum and have begun using laptops in class.  To begin our IT journey, we are all learning to touch type and then will move onto word processing skills.  It has certainly been an exciting week in Class 7.

Robyn

x

I nervously took on the role of Playgroup Leader earlier this year.  And my, I can’t imagine my week without it anymore!  We have SO much fun!

Term 2 saw us growing quite considerably, and so in Term 3 we added in a second playgroup, specifically for our budding 3/4 year olds. 

It has been such a blessing and honour to be forming close connections with the children and deepening my relationship with the families. 

Our open playgroup for 0-5 year olds on Thursday has us sharing in morning circle with seasonal songs, offering a moment for reflection on the blessings each season brings and noticing the changes in nature around us.  We all delight in the richness and smell of sourdough bread baking.  This is a favourite for all - the baking as well as the enjoyment of it! 

Our 3/4 year old playgroup is a smaller group with children committing to the term.  This has allowed for a predictability within the cohort of the group.  It has warmed my heart beyond measure to see our shyer children begin to open up and blossom.

Here, as well as the occasional bread baking day, we explore other seasonal craft and activities.  We have baked Denise’s much loved Apple cake, created our own little nut people, explored painting and the colour blue and crafted barky boats and floated them in the neighbouring pond of the earth station. 

Our morning circle begins to incorporate more body geography with rhymes and games, fostering connection to ourselves and our bodies. 

Below are some pictures of some of our creations. 

If you’d like to join in our fun, or know someone who would, please contact either the office staff or myself at laura@goldenhill.wa.edu.au.

In blessings, 

Laura

On Thursday our wonderful Class 4 teacher Lisa celebrated her birthday and her class and other staff took the opportunity to show her just how much she is appreciated!

Medieval History is one of the main lessons in Class 7 - the period in European History from the collapse of Roman Civilisation to the beginning of the Renaissance period, depending on which region you were in - 500 to 1500 century.  A barbaric and feudal era without a stable political structure was often confusing and chaotic.  Out of medieval times came the invention of the printing press, drama performances, reading glasses, underwear and buttons. 

Many of our Class 7 families went to Balingup to attend the festival.  It was wonderful for the students (and adults) to bring some aspects of the main lesson to life and spend a day in Medieval times.  

Such a great weekend!!!

Many hands make light work!

This is a great opportunity to complete your Family Participation Hours and promote our wonderful school.

Please email office@goldenhill.wa.edu.au if you can assist with the Spring Fair & Open Day this year.

Your support is essential to make this event successful.

Feeding a crowd?  Please enjoy the following soup recipe from the book - The Waldorf School Book of Soups.

Big Soup

1 stick butter

3 onions, chopped

3 sticks celery, sliced

6 large carrots, sliced on the diagonal

4 cloves garlic

6-8 cups split peas, brown lentils or red lentils, rinsed and drained

16 cups water, brought to a rolling boil

sea salt

tamari

tomato paste

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp oregano

1 bay leaf

grated cheese for garnish

Heat a large pot of water.  Saute vegetables until tender.  Add the small beans to boiling water.  Add vegetables and seasoning, except for salt.

Reduce temperature, and simmer until beans are tender, stirring often.

Add sea salt.  Check for seasonings.  Add more butter, or olive oil, if more richness is called for.

Serves 10-12

Our school calendar can be found here - 

GHSS Calendar

Primary school

Enrolments are now open for VacSwim swimming lessons during the summer school holidays.  VacSwim offers fun lessons at beach or pool locations.  They are a great school holiday activity and they teach valuable safety skills to help keep your child safe in the water.

Enrol at education.wa.edu.au/vacswim

Secondary school

If your child has turned 14 years old, or will be turning 14 years in the same calendar year of the course, you can enrol them in VacSwim so they can get their Bronze Medallion during the summer school holidays.  They’ll learn advanced survival, rescue and resuscitation skills to help keep them and others safe in the water.

Enrol now at education.wa.edu.au/vacswim

2023 MAD HATTER TEA PARTY

Headspace Abany is excited to invite you to the 2023 Mad Hatter Tea Party which looks bigger and better than ever!

Featuring stalls, live entertainment, Zumba, the Hat Competition, and of course cake!  Mad Hatter is an annual community event to celebrate and raise awareness for mental health, reduce stigma and create connections in the Albany community.  And it's FREE!

Headspace Albany is proud to be working alongside sponsors Youth Focus, AYSA, Amity Health Albany, Palmerston Association, Albany Pride, Albany & Regional Volunteer Service, Albany Halfway House Association and Neami National to bring you this year’s celebration of mental health wellness which kicks off Mental Health Week in the local community.

Find out more here: 2023 Mad Hatters Tea Party | Facebook

Denmark Surf Life Saving Club

Denmark SLSC 2023/2024 Season Registrations Now Open!

Come join the Denmark Surf Lifesaving Club for another exciting year of surf, sun, and lifesaving adventures. Join us to learn essential water skills, gain confidence in the surf, and acquire life-saving techniques at one of Denmark's best known clubs.

Registrations are now open for new and returning members and are available online at www.denmarksurf.com.au

Kidsport vouchers are available for eligible members and the club is a welcoming place for anyone wanting to get involved in beach activities and lifesaving, no matter your skill level or experience.

Come down and join us for the Registration Day on Sunday 8 October from 2pm at the clubrooms at Ocean Beach.

Registrations are now open for a new national ‘Learn to Ride’ program called AusBike for Term 4.  The fun cycling program is being hosted by local cycling club - Denmark Mountain Bike Club.

The program has been designed for 5-12 year olds who are just getting started in their cycling journey.  They will learn how to ride safely, with confidence under the guidance of an AusCycling accredited coach.

The Term 4 program is offered on Thursday afternoons and will commence on October 26.  The cost of the program is $90 which is for the whole 6 week program and to be paid for upfront at the beginning of the program.

Here is the link to the registration page where you can find more information.

Please see below for Outdoors Great Southern programmes happening in the near future.

Denmark Cricket Club Junior registration for this coming season is now open. 

Please see attached flyers for age groups and how to register.

Develop your game and elevate your skills with WAFFA!

At the West Australian Female Football Academy, our aim is to help female footballers evolve their football knowledge and abilities at all levels of the game. 

Our programs are designed to assist in the development of female footballers from beginners to elite level.

Registration is now open for our Future Stars 2-day Super Clinic which will be running during the September school holidays.  This time we’ll also be at the home of the West Coast Eagles!

Our participants have the opportunity to be coached and learn AFL skills firsthand from some of the West Coast Eagles AFLW coaches and players including; Jess Sedunary, Jaide Britton, Shanae Davison, Charlie Thomas, Krstel Petrevski and Lauren Wakfer!

Clinic details:

• Location: Mineral Resources Park, Lathlain – West Coast Eagles HQ*
• Date: Tuesday 26th & Wednesday 27th September 2023
• Time: 10am - 2pm
• Ages: For girls aged 8yo - 15yo
• Duration: 4 hours each day 
• Cost: $195

Registration Link: https://www.waffa.com.au/future-stars-super-clinic-september-holidays-metro

*Note: This is subject to change as the club may resurface the ovals at some stage after the season.  If that is the case we will be back at Scotch College.

Please feel free to circulate this email and the attached flyer to your physical education departments and any students who may be interested in joining us.

If you have any queries, please feel free to contact us at communications@waffa.com.au

Thank you for assisting us in growing female football in WA.

Kind regards,

WAFFA Communications Team

communications@waffa.com.au

www.waffa.com.au

Major Sponsor

Alternative Contacts:

Ryan Turnbull

Co-Founder & Academy Coach

M: 0419 995 472 E: ryan@waffa.com.au

Chad Morrison

Co-Founder & Academy Coach

M: 0416 115 815 E: chad@waffa.com.au

This year the Go for 2 &5 Albany Kite Fiesta  will be held at Anzac Peace Park, Albany from 10am to 4pm Sunday 24 September 2023.

This free, popular event includes the spectacle of giant kites being flown as well as kite making workshops where families can make their own kites.

This annual, public event, supported by Healthway and the City of Albany,  is attended by many hundreds of families each year, and provides a fun, educational outing during the September long weekend for young people, their parents and grandparents who live in or are visiting Albany.