Gumnut Bulletin 2, 2024

Education Manager

Dear Families

This week we waved farewell to our Prospect Class as they headed off to Monkey Mia for their annual camp. There was much excitement among the students as the bus, trailers and cars were packed. I thank Anita for all the time and effort she has put into preparing the camp. I also thank the volunteers in Claire, Jasmah, Kris and Michael who are attending to help with supervision.

It was lovely to see the array of costumes displayed at our Harmony Day parade last Friday. There was also much yummy food to be shared in the classes as the bring-and-share lunch was enjoyed. Our students are busy preparing for the Michaelmas festival to be held on Tuesday 19^th. I am looking forward to the Lighthouse Class play and the Dragon’s special appearance. I would also like to congratulate the children on their behaviour and participation during the annual swimming lessons held at the Aquarena.

Clear and open communication is very important to us. It has been fabulous to see the formal parent-teacher interviews taking place last week and this. If you have any questions at all, please remember that you can contact the teachers at any time to arrange a time to meet. It is important that we work as partners in your child’s education.

Remember that the final day of the term is Wednesday the 27^th March. The staff will be attending a presentation on Restorative Practice hosted by Gabrielle Lawlor from Restorative Practice WA. The staff will also be attending the Mandatory reporting Training presented by AISWA on Monday 15^th April. The students will return to school on Tuesday 16^th.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a refreshing and relaxing term break and look forward to seeing you back next term for another fantastic term.

Yours

Mike

Community Manager

Dear Families,

As our favourite time of the year approaches, with its cooler days, dewy mornings, and the sight of rainbows and dragonflies hinting at the upcoming rain, we're filled with anticipation!

We want to express our gratitude to everyone who took part in the Steiner education presentations, whether online or in person. It was a wonderful experience to gather in the evening, discussing and reflecting on what we learned.

The Strategic Surveys have been completed across various areas of our school community, including Governance, EMT, staff, and families. Now, we eagerly await the results and anticipate planning for the future!

Recently, we've been busy behind the scenes professionally filming and taking photographs to update our school marketing resources, which has been a delightful endeavour. Additionally, we're in the process of incorporating some cultural elements around the school grounds in line with our school Reconciliation Action Plan. We're incredibly grateful to be collaborating with a team of Indigenous families from our community on this initiative.

Parent Representatives 

We are still seeking two volunteer Parent Representatives for the Sunflower and Voyager Rooms.  Parent Representatives play a vital role in enhancing communication and cooperation between the class teacher and the parent body. By becoming involved, you will be contributing to the positive development of our school and helping create a supportive environment. Parents Reps so far for this year are:

• Starflower Room: Taylor N
• Sunflower Room: still searching...could it be you?
• Jilinbiri Room: Amanda B
• Seabreeze Room: Nicole Mc
• Rivergum Room: Amanda R
• Lighthouse Room: Amanda B
• Voyager Room: still searching...could it be you?
• Prospect Room: Erfana

Please let your teacher or myself know if you would like to volunteer to become a Parent Representative. This school service acquits all of your Family Commitment hours...too easy!

  📅 Upcoming Community Events and Reminders 📌    

• We are thrilled to announce an exciting weekly lunch service brought to you by Mumma Duha's Kitchen. Use the link emailed to you each week to order by MONDAY for WEDNESDAY delivery.
  
• Last day of school, free dress and Maundy Wednesday 27th March: from 8.45 am, foot-washing and reflections of gratitude. 
• Pupil Free: Thursday 28th March.
• Holidays Friday 29th March to Sunday 14th April.

Have a wonderful holiday break and if you celebrate Easter...don't forget to leave out a fresh apple for the Easter Bunny.

Kind regards,

Ally                                                               

Thank you P&F

Crazy Hair Day raised $67.85c and monies raised were put toward purchasing the ingredients for the free, fresh fruit ice creams that students enjoyed after swimming lessons were completed.

Parent & Friend Action Group

Hello everyone!

We welcome our active P&F members for 2024:

• Jess L,
• Verity O,
• Sonja P,
• Miya H,
• Taylor N,
• Yvette D,
• Nina G,
• Yvette P,
• Amanda B,
• Amanda R,
• Stef S and 
• Narelle T.

Upcoming Fun P&F Initiatives!

• Friday Coffee Cart: The P&F would love to once again roll out the coffee cart at the Friday Gatherings, however would love some volunteers to help. Everything is supplied and will send out instructions and a roster in Term 2. Please put your name down if you can assist.
• Friday 24th May: Movie night onsite presented by Shinema. More details to follow soon, so save the date!
  

You are warmly encouraged to join the P&F action team; the next meeting will be held onsite at school at 3.15 pm on Wednesday 1st May.

Your P&F

Starflower Kindergarten/Pre-primary

Dear Starflower families,

Blessings on the blossom,

Blessings on the roots,

Blessings on the leaf and stem,

Blessings on the fruits.

Dear Starflower families,

It is hard to believe that Term 1 is drawing to a close. The little Starflower children are now familiar with the rhythm of our Kindergarten days and merrily sing along with our songs and blessings. Autumn mornings are beginning to have a slightly cooler feel to them, but the days are still bringing plenty of heat and humidity. Such extremely hot days have sadly led to Wave Music being postponed until later on in the year. However, there is still plenty to keep us as busy as little bees in our Kindergarten.

Service to others is woven through many of the daily tasks and activities in our lovely school and even the youngest little Kindergarten children have been doing their part in helping others. Recently, we have been busily tie-dyeing the craft bags for the Pre-Primary children and any new Primary children starting at the school.

Firstly, we counted out and tied elastic bands around the cream calico bags, and then the fun began. We washed the tied bags in our water trolley until they were nice and wet, singing “ swish, swish, little fish swimming in the sea, swish, swish, little fish swimming in the sea ”,  then we used our strongest muscles to squeeze all the water out before getting our gloves on to poke them into the coloured dye with a long spoon. Once the bags had soaked in the beautiful blue dye, it was time for us to squeeze them out once again and peg them on our washing line along the fence. The next part of the fun was undoing the elastic bands to see the patterns we had made! They were amazing and we were happy to send a big bundle of blue bags to Lisa S our Hand Craft Teacher for all the new Leaning Tree students.

Now our Kindergarten is abuzz with Easter craft activities as we paint, cut, bake and craft. I trust that you and your family will spend time at Easter enjoying some rest and relaxation with those you  love.

 Easter Blessings to you all,  

Kathy, Helen and Sophie

Starflower Room

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Sunflower Room Class 1

Above my head a rainbow bright 

Where colours form from dark to light 

From indigo and purple fair 

To blue and green, a joyous pair 

To golden yellow next we flow  

And orange and red complete the bow.

Author Unknown

The Sunflowers continue to grow and deepen their understanding of feelings along with all the shades of emotions that can arise. We have brainstormed what it means to be kind, friendly, caring, compassionate and respectful.  We have also made feelings books and created some beautiful wet-on-wet watercolour paintings exploring different emotions. Learning how to regulate our emotions so we can be in the right mindset (ready to learn) will continue to be a focus throughout the year. 

Sunflowers have been receiving Virtue Leaves at whole school Gatherings each Friday. Virtue Leaves are like a merit certificate however they honour and celebrate students for displaying virtuous behaviours. Our school is part of the worldwide ‘Virtues Project’ –

“Virtues are the content of our character. The Virtues Project nurtures our children in the skills and qualities they need to be successful in school and in life.”

(https://www.virtuesproject.com/education)

Sunflowers have been recognised for displaying the following Virtues this term: Friendliness, Responsibility, Honesty, Peacefulness, Thankfulness, Determination, Moderation, Creativity and Courage. I have been very proud of the Sunflowers as they have had many new and exciting challenges to face this term including catching a bus and attending swimming lessons. Sunflowers have had to grow in independence, resiliency, and determination to tackle lots of new experiences.

They have also started their Alphabet Main Lesson and I have been delighted by their ability to retell a story. The children have been enjoying such stories as ‘The Fisherman and his Wife’, ‘King Thrush-beard’ and ‘The Four Skilful Brothers’ to name a few. Their favourite letter page was the letter P as they were asked to draw a Prince and Princess. They also took a fancy to the letter J for juggling and jumping Jester.

Soon they will learn the story of ‘George and the Dragon’ in time for our Michaelmas Festival which is celebrated with dragon-bread baking, drumming, singing, and kite flying. Sunflowers have been eagerly working on their kites for weeks and they will look wonderful floating in the wind. I can’t wait for the children to see the ‘summoning of the dragon’. I’m sure their eyes will be lit with awe and wonder. The Michaelmas Festival if a wonderful time to celebrate Autumn in this windy town. We can’t wait!

Warm Autumn Wishes,

Susan 

Sunflower Room

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Jilinbiri Room Class 2

Dear parents,

It has been a very busy end to the term for Jilinbiri as we continue to learn about mini-beasts, exploring insect behaviour and lifecycles. We have also been diligently collecting and testing recycled materials to build our boats, which we will be testing this week!

In math, we have been focusing on number sentences, the commutative property of addition, number families and place value. In literacy, we have been practicing sounding out words using our desk mats and endeavouring  to write sentences independently. Our reading has really improved through participating in regular home reading

We have also enjoyed listening to tales from around the world, retelling them, and learning poetry related to the tales. Our Tuesdays are filled with cooking and fun ways to learn maths and science. It's safe to say, we all love school and the exciting learning experiences it brings!

Thank you for your continued support in your child's education. We look forward to sharing more exciting learning experiences with you in the coming weeks.

Warm regards,

Leisl  and Ann-Marie

Jilinbiri

Seabreeze Room Class 3

Seabreeze News

The Seabreeze children are now used to our daily rhythm and our morning circle is peaceful and reverent. There is a warm and joyful vibe filling our space.

After completing our ‘Money’ main lesson, the children were very excited to begin learning all about ‘Grammar’ and the parts of speech. We have started reading through our class play which is full of poetry and excitement and we look forward to sharing it with our families next term.

In health lessons, the children have been reflecting on what a healthy lifestyle looks like to them. Writing diary entries about their daily food and drink choices not only helps them reflect on their own habits but also empowers them to make informed decisions about their diet. Understanding the concept of the food pyramid and identifying areas where they may need to make adjustments is a valuable skill that will serve them well in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Last week the Seabreeze children cooked some yummy treats to sell at our class bake sale. They decided on a price for their item and then calculated the change when other children purchased their goodies. We raised over $200 which we will donate to a charity that the children decide on.

The integration of morning fitness with our buddies from the Prospect room has been a fantastic way to foster relationships and leadership skills. The Seabreeze children are really enjoying this special time; and it is great practice for our middle school leaders to work on their confidence and skills when teaching the Year 3’s how to play games.

It has been a great start to the year, and Claire and I are looking forward to next term when we begin our favourite Main Lesson, Shelters. 

Here's to continued growth and learning for the Seabreeze children!

Warm regards

Tara & Claire

Seabreeze Room

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Rivergum Room Class 4/5

Dear Families

As we moved into the second half of Term 1, Rivergum students have been engaged in an exploration of freehand geometry, drawing inspiration from the timeless beauty of nature's cycles. The learning experiences have been shaped by the concept of circles, the seasonal transition into autumn, and a variety of creative activities exploring geometry.

In our Main Lessons on Freehand Geometry, students have embarked on a journey of discovery, exploring the elegance, symmetry and rhythms of circles and triangles. Like the seasons that come full circle, students have learned to draw circles freehand, understanding their properties and significance in the natural world. From the gentle curves of flower petals to the rhythmic motion of the sun rising and setting, circles serve as a constant reminder of nature's harmonious cycles. Much like the ever-present cycles of nature, students have embarked on a journey to understand the significance of triangles in our world. From the majestic peaks of mountains to the sturdy branches of trees, triangles abound in the natural landscape, serving as timeless symbols of strength and stability. Through their exploration of freehand geometry, students have not only learned to identify and draw different triangle types but have also gained insight into their properties and significance. Students have discovered that triangles play a vital role in shaping the world around us, from the balanced proportions of a butterfly's wings to the structural integrity of ancient pyramids. With each triangle drawn, students are reminded of the inherent harmony and balance found within nature's geometric patterns, sparking curiosity and appreciation for the world's endless wonders.

During our Make and Do sessions, students have unleashed their creativity by crafting string stories, painting, and using yarn to bring their imagination to life. From intricate lizards to delicate butterflies, their creations mirror the diversity and beauty of the natural world. Through these activities, students have honed their fine motor skills while gaining a deeper appreciation for the interconnectedness of all living things.

Circle time is a cherished moment of unity and rhythm in our school day. Rivergum have been learning new songs and rhymes that celebrate the transition into autumn, capturing the essence of crisp air and falling leaves. Paired with eurythmy exercises, students have explored the graceful movements that mirror the cyclical rhythms of nature, fostering a sense of connection and harmony with the world around them.

As we transition into autumn, our reflection table is adorned with treasures that reflect the splendour of the season. Pumpkins, autumnal colours, gnomes and beehives are reminders of nature's ever-changing beauty. This season also brought us a week of swimming lessons, where students not only honed their aquatic skills but also learned valuable lessons about teamwork, resilience, and the simple joy of splashing a lot of water.

In our mathematics lessons, students have been challenged with the concept of subtraction with exchanging. (the ‘old’ borrowing). Students are problem-solving and working to develop their subtraction understanding.

We have been preparing for The Michaelmas festival, which is celebrated around the autumn equinox, and marks the transition from summer to autumn and embodies themes of courage, inner strength, and balance. darkness. In the context of our Freehand Geometry Main Lessons, students explored geometric shapes such as triangles (representing strength and stability) and circles (symbolizing unity and wholeness), mirroring the natural rhythms of the changing seasons. Through the activities of the day, students deepen their understanding of the interconnectedness between seasonal cycles, geometric patterns, and the human spirit.

We wish you a relaxing and refreshing holiday break.

Kelly, Helen and Molly.

Rivergum Room

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Lighthouse Room Class 5/6

Dear Families

Lighthouse News

Autumn is upon us which means the heat should be lessening, the winds calming. Soon! The recent rains were a joy to behold, with hopeful green shoots springing up all around. Around our school, we noticed Acacias have dropped their seeds and around town the beautiful Illyarrie gums are flowering.

Lighthouse Year 6’s received their badges, marking them as role models to our younger students. I know they will live up to their role and wear their badges with pride. In class, we have been continuing our journey around the world, its oceans and continents. I hope this has helped students to create an inner picture of our earth, which they might anchor future learning to.

In addition, we have been busy working on our play, “The Four Dragons”. This is an ancient Chinese folk tale, which we will be performing at the whole school Michaelmas Festival. It isn’t the usual St George story, in which the dragons symbolise evil and obstacles. In China, dragons were seen as helpful and were revered for their attributes.

On Harmony Day, we shared delicious foods from around the world. Our table was set with flag placements and students wore cultural dress or orange, the symbolic colour of Harmony Day. We read and shared stories from children in other countries from, “A Life Like Mine”, learning how lucky we are to have clean running water, toilets, access to education, food, medicine and safe homes to live in.

Warm regards,

Lisa Keeffe

Lighthouse Room

Voyager Room Class 7

Dear Voyager families,

An adventurous past few weeks have met the Voyagers, with many different experiences greeted with enthusiasm and purpose. With swimming lessons, NAPLAN and our Light, Sound & Heat main lesson in the rearview mirror, we now look ahead to Michaelmas, Easter and our new main lesson based around Numbers and Algebra.

Although mathematics may hold fear for some, the Voyagers will be exploring the beauty and complexities of mathematics in a variety of interesting ways, hopefully breaking down any ‘spooky’ feelings this subject can sometimes evoke.

In addition to main lesson, the Voyagers have been showcasing some beautiful and skillful artwork recently (see below) which has highlighted their enormous potential in following instructions carefully to produce some incredible results.

I look forward to an equally enjoyable and interesting remaining weeks of Term 1 with the Voyager crew!

Warm regards and thank you,

David

Prospect Room Class 8/9

Dear Families, 

Being away has made it hard to get things finished, but thanks to Penny the Prospect class has done some Marine studies main lesson, ready for camp, this week.

Below are some main lessons from Penny’s Main lesson:

In Mathematics we are doing measurement and starting fractions, which the students are not so excited about! Haha

The students had an excursion to the Greenough Museum, which was so interesting and informative. Then we moved on to the town library to get some books for our mini projects. Please see below some photos of our excursion.

Kind regards,

Anita

Prospects Room

Handcraft

Hello everyone,

Handwork nurtures creativity and individual expression in every student making it a foundational component of our curriculum.

The handwork curriculum is designed to enrich the educational experience, enhancing the development of cognitive abilities with the nurturing of creative and practical skills.

Patience, along with fostering attention to detail and promoting creativity is just one aspect that it teaches. Children experience the satisfaction of creating something tangible from their own efforts.  This instils a sense of responsibility and perseverance whilst enhancing self-esteem.

Fine motor skills are developed whilst engaging in knitting, sewing, weaving, crochet and woodworking. Coordination and precision is demanded as children manipulate tools and materials with their hands and fingers – building a strong foundation for handwriting.

At this very moment we have:

Sunflowers engaged in sewing their hessian pencil tin covers and finishing!

Jilinbiri children learning to knit.

Seabreeze felting and sewing pencil rolls and making paper flowers for their Palm Sunday branches.

Rivergum embroidering their table centrepieces, making beeswax candles and a clay candle holder.

Lighthouse children crocheting some slippers for themselves and making some advanced gods eyes out of wool and sticks.

Through such diverse experiences, our students gain a balanced skill set that supports both their academic learning and personal growth.

Wishing you all a lovely Easter break with your families and happy holidays.

Lisa and Helen

Handcraft

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Music and Design & Technology

Hello for 2024!

Music

Sorry to miss the first newsletter, and a big thank you to Richard, who looked after all the music classes in my absence. We have been preparing for the Michaelmas festival, with all students learning a new song to the words of the "Villager's Autumnal Pledge". If you are musical at home and wish to encourage your children, the focus areas for each class this term are as follows:

• Sunflowers: Beat (keeping time to the music… clapping, tapping, etc.); Jilibiri: Holding the beat and expanding awareness of pitch;
• Seabreeze: Holding the beat, expanding awareness of rhythm, and focusing on pitch;
• Rivergum: Introducing singing in multipart rounds;
• Lighthouse: Introducing musical harmony.

Hello and a Happy Easter.

In D&T this term, the Voyagers have been learning to sew as they carefully construct their workshop aprons. There has been some great sewing and some that needed an unpick and a start again. However, everyone is progressing well and should complete aprons that they will be proud of. The Prospects class has been split, with half the class sewing pillowcases for the younger grades and half working on their woodworking skills. I am looking forward to seeing their finished products sometime early next term when they will switch roles.

Warm Regards

Paul Frick

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