Keep up-to-date with your child’s learning with these short weekly updates from their teachers. Click on the buttons below to go straight to your child’s class, or find out what others are up to!
Preschool
“Hold it in your hands, keep it nice and warm.
Thank you to the bees for the gift of wax.”
This tune has been ringing in my head ever since I wandered through the Preschool room on Tuesday. The children were smiling at each other and waiting patiently for their beeswax, some with their eyes closed and hand raised up in anticipation. The wax, freshly warmed from the oven, is slightly soft, and the children set about engaging their Will to form the wax squares into something special. On cooler days, the wax cools faster, meaning the children must work harder to get it malleable. Modelling with beeswax is a wonderful tactile experience to strengthen the sense of touch and the will forces in the hand. It also strengthens the child’s sense of Life/Warmth. Not to mention, it smells absolutely delightful! On a beeswax day, take the time to stop and experience the beeswax as your child might – with your own senses.
Just a reminder for those that may not have seen this yet, Ebba Bodame will be presenting a free Parent Talk on Festivals and Celebrations. We have a QR code on the Preschool Noticeboard to reserve your space or you can look up the following link: https://events.humanitix.com/festivals-and-celebrations-in-family-life
We would love to see you there!
Lesley and the Preschool Team
Boronias
This week we have begun to very slowly introduce finger knitting. We sing a special tune to help remember the steps. Not all children have learned this song yet, as I will teach them when I introduce the experience to them, one at a time. Each child gets to pick three colours of wool; this makes their finger knit chain chunky enough for them to grip. Rudolf Steiner speaks directly about the significance of developing handwork skills in young children. “Activities of this kind performed by the hand lead to an enhancement of the faculty of judgement.”
It develops attentiveness to the world around, through a “turning with heart and feeling to the things of the world.” What a beautiful life skill to develop.
-Jasmine and the Boronias
Kindergarten/Boronia Room
Next Friday 21 March is Harmony Day. Children can wear something orange to school in acknowledgement of the day. We will be celebrating the day with the help of Kiran Shah, Cultural Storyteller. Harmony Day aims to invite conversations about our diverse cultural backgrounds, heritage, uniqueness, and commonalities as people sharing life together.
We thank Natalie Choo for telling the story of the “Little Red Hen” as well as sharing her morning circle with us this week. Natalie has also brought us some beautiful new songs and played the lyre for the children at rest time. Natalie has completed her practicum with us this week. We wish her well with her continued interest in Steiner Early Childhood Education and her work with leading Playgroups at Glenaeon Rudolf Steiner School.
The children planted another 6 small native bushes in the play ground across from the library on Wednesday. The rain has been a blessing for all our recent plantings and all the little shrubs look very happy in their new surroundings.
Warm wishes for a good weekend.
Francine
Class 1/2
Warimi! Ngiyini budyari?
Hello beautiful families, I hope everyone is well! We have been loving our Tuesday Dharug language class with Amy. Playing games and singing songs is a fun way to immerse and familiarise our children (and grown-ups!) in language.
We have been enjoying the lovely Autumn weather this week, jumping in puddles, playing gaga ball and building cubbies!
We’ll soon be farewelling fairytales and fables and beginning our new Main Lesson. Class Two had a sneak peak this week exploring two-dimensional shapes. Our little meteors have walked, skipped, wound wool and drawn the five-pointed star!
Our bread this week featured fennel seeds harvested during our gardening lesson with Annie. I’m so impressed with the children’s willingness to try new flavours in our cooking adventures.
Enjoy the weekend!
Warmly,
Kath and Class 1/2 Assistants
Class 3/4
Class 3/4 have had a very productive week.
In visual arts we have been making things from paper. On Friday it rained so much we started to feel a bit like mushrooms, so we spent the afternoon making mushrooms inspired by French artist Vincent Floreder from tissue paper. This was tremendous fun.
On Monday we made paper feathers inspired by the local Blackheath paper artist James Gordon. Another huge success. It is lovely to see children go from apprehensive and doubtful to confident and proud during these tasks.
We also did free choice wet-on-wet watercolour, which made their eyes open wide with sheer delight at the possibilities. The results are sublime.
In Mathematics we have been squeezing in sessions of 15-minute mentals and going deep into the 4 operations. This week we have been looking at Multiplication or as we call it when we become good friends with it, “times or groups”. I have observed and the class confirmed, multiplication is where they feel least confident and least at ease. At the beginning of the week even mentioning it brought an air of tension in the room.
However, we have gone back to the beginning of the concept and every day the children are gaining in understanding, and joy fast. I am loving teaching this class maths, which is surprising since it is my least favourite subject, and I always try hard to only bring positive and exciting energy towards it, so no one suspects that. The magic has worked itself on me!
Our main lesson has brought some unusual stories from the North American First Nations people. Wednesday’s lesson involved the land being created by the bald eagle spirit from mud, including man. Then the woman was crafted from a feather. The sister slapped the brother with a fish every week until the eagle spirit stepped in and said, “No more fish slapping.” So, then she agreed to only do it once a year! If you are in the need of being taken somewhere truly amazing, ask your child to retell you the story.
In spelling we have been looking at ch words and the enchanting children have been challenged to spell ch words with their eyes closed (after a quick fortifying peek at the board), they have been champions.
I am sure there is more but this feels long enough, and I am working on being succinct!
Have a lovely weekend, maybe a few swims in the heat… and see you at the festival next week.
Kindest regards
Jeneva and Meredith.
Class 5/6
This week we have ventured into money, both morally and philosophically, as well economically. The children have been adding and subtracting decimals equations in the context of dollars and cents and understanding the importance of maintaining the place of the decimal point. We all seem to agree that a world without money could be more equal and fairer… Which brings me to the stage of our 5/6 children. Fairness and equality are strong themes for this age group, both on the micro and macro levels…. Always an interesting discussion to have.
On other topics (though related) NAPLAN testing is underway for year 5s who have chosen to do it. These are busy days, on top of play practices and the general daily routine.
Our Autumn Play of St Michael and the Dragon is next Thursday 20th. Please send in clothes (see costume note that was sent out last week) by Wednesday so we can see them. Children need to be in their classrooms at 5:15pm on the day.
If you have any healthy non-perishable goods items that you could donate, please send into school the morning of the 20th or before. Every year, in keeping with the idea of the ‘harvest’ and abundance which are linked to the play’s context, we donate to various community organisations. This year the food will go to Junction 142 in Katoomba, who support people without homes or food and other support.
Donations (fresh fruit and vegetables) for our Harvest Table on the day of the play to be brought in the morning. The Harvest Table is always an exciting and lovely thing to see (an extremely mini version of the agricultural displays at the Easter show!).
Happy Birthday to Lohan, who turned 12 on Wednesday!
Life as a Hermit – by Lukas Paragalli
I chose to become a hermit so I could be a lot closer to God and be more connected to nature. I want to be more calm.
I know I would have to give up everything, even …
I have changed my mind, it is all too hard!
Have a lovely weekend,
Julie and Lee
