THE MESSENGER Term 3 Week 7 Tuesday 15 September 2026
Spring exists To remind us that Everything can Begin Again.
We must have experienced the divine within ourselves, before we can discover it in our environment. - Rudolf Steiner
Dear School Community, I hope you are looking forward to the school holidays and are able to spend some time together over the break. Congratulations to all the students and music staff for their excellent work with the solo concerts. They are a feature of the music program that allows each child, regardless of where that are at with their music journey to be supported by the community to undertake a performance in front of their friends and family and learn to experience and manage all the emotions that go along with this. Thanks to parents and staff that attended multiple nights. Our Year 12 students are now very close to their final exams and will be working hard over the break as the end of their secondary schooling begins to loom large. We encourage them to maintain their effort and focus and wish them the best in this exciting final stretch. Our Year 10 exchange students have been in France almost a month and will hopefully beginning to settle into a routine. We look forward to hearing their stories when they return midway through Term 4.
The seven Year 10 & 11 students that have been in Timor-Leste for the past 3 weeks have experienced immersion in a climate, culture, and standard of living completely different to that they are familiar with. They will have opportunities to share their thoughts and experiences when they return. It may take time for these experiences to sink in so I will not attempt to preempt their thoughts and feelings. As an adult, who has traveled to places with similar standards of living before, it has been a reminder of the discrepancy between developed and developing nations’ share of resources (globally speaking) and all the issues that accompany this reality. I shared with the students, Australian philosopher, and proponent of ‘effective altruism’, Peter Singers 1972 thought experiment. ‘You are to imagine that you’re walking past a shallow pond when you see a child struggling in the water. There is nobody else around to help. Just before you wade in, you remember that you’re wearing your most expensive shoes. Unfortunately, there’s no time to remove them, and they’ll be ruined by the water’ What do/should you do?
the idea across greater distances. Put simply, despite our capacity to save the lives of distant people in terrible situations, given our relative wealth, often we do not. In our experience, people in TimorLeste are generous, friendly, kind and undoubtedly tough and resilient. Students walking an hour each way to school with minimal food, carrying water and subsistence living are just some examples. The experience has given the students plenty to consider, and we are grateful that Friends of Venilale in Mansfield and Friends of Mansfield in Timor-Leste have been willing to help make the trip possible. The students have engaged extremely well, and we hope to be able to visit again with another group. You will have an opportunity to support this year’s students to raise money for our Uai Laco (our partnership school) during Term 4 so please look for opportunities to contribute and find out more from the students about Timor-Leste and their experience. Glenn Hood | PRINCIPAL
While the answer is obvious. It becomes less obvious if you apply
ALL SCHOOL EVENTS AND DATES: www.mansfieldsteiner.vic.edu.au/calendar
REMINDERS: SPING FAIR Working Bee Saturday 10 OCTOBER 8.30am AND ... Please signup to help at Spring Fair. We ask for an hour of your time on the day to help it all run smoothly. Keep an eye on Sentral and the class Whats App for details.
Step into a world where trees whisper, rivers shimmer, and mountains come alive with ancient spirits…
A magical Sunday in the city with your 3-6 year old for just $15? Thousands of years ago, people believed that nature was teeming with spirits – from the Oreads of the mountains, to the Oceanids of the sea, and the Dryads hidden in the trees between. These playful nymphs crossed paths with gods and mortals alike, and appeared in some of the most well-known myths of ancient Greece. These spring holidays on Sunday 27 September and Sunday 4 October, the Hellenic Museum invites young explorers to discover this enchanted world at Dryad Drop-In, a flexible, story-led experience where children aged 3–6 can: * listen to magical tales of nymphs and dryads in ancient Greek mythology * get hands-on with ancient history, touching real and replica artefacts over 2,000 years old! * create their own dryad-inspired artworks using the ancient technique of frottage (texture rubbings) * see presenters in costume as nymphs! Drop in anytime between 11AM–2PM to explore at your own pace – wander the museum, visit the object handling station, settle in for some creative play – then tune in for storytime sessions at 11.30AM, 12.30PM and 1.30PM. The Hellenic Museum 280 William Street, Melbourne 3000 (corner of William and Latrobe street)