GRAPEVINE
ongoing support of the school. The Community Bank supports many local organisations and their work to develop local initiatives should be lauded.
Remaining with the theme of support for the school, primary classes would like to share their heartfelt thanks with P&F for the newly arrived sports equipment they have supplied for each of the classrooms. Each class has received a new sports bag containing a soccer ball, basketball, football, netball, a frisbee, cricket bat, tennis balls, and a dodgeball, all for use in the playground at recess and lunch. The students will enjoy using this new equipment and will hopefully also enjoy returning it to the bag once they are finished!
P&F is also looking at larger projects to support the school’s development and plans are underway to develop the Melliodora Hall by building a stage and hanging theatre curtains. These initiatives are only possible through the support of the school community and class reps. The Spring Fair is our next major community event, the proceeds of which will go towards P&F and a new stage!
Finally, I would like to acknowledge the work of those members of our school community involved in the Mansfield Soccer Club. Chris Nealon and the rest of the team of
volunteers create a great balance of inclusiveness and competition which is appreciated by the many children that attend. I know they are keen for volunteer coaches and general child wranglers so get involved next season.
Six of our Year Ten students are leaving this week on exchange to France. We are very excited for their adventures over the next six weeks and look forward to hearing their stories.
Glenn Hood
Guling - Orchid Season (Aug)
During this season, plants such as Guling (orchids) are blooming and Muyan (Silver wattles) are starting to f lower. The Ae-noke (caterpillars) of Common Brown butterfly feed on grasses at night. Bulenbulen (Superb Lyrebird) males perform their last courtship displays. Gurrborra (Koalas) starts mating. Male Koalas bellow (deep roaring sound) at night. The cold weather is coming to an end and starting to warm up a little.
The star Arcturus is seen on the northwestern horizon soon after sunset
MORNING STAR Sandi Valerio
The Morning Star children are enjoying the new songs and verses in our morning circle. We are singing of the seasonal change that is beginning and welcoming the warm days that are part of this. Water runs are a big feature on Nature days. The children are learning to work together and co-operate as they design spectacular dams and causeways with different paths of water running into them to fill them. Shelters are being constructed both indoors and in our garden, and the children enjoy connecting up the houses to create villages where they can visit neighbours and have tea parties together. Our stories have been ‘Father sun’s holiday’ and ‘How the snow became white’. The children always embrace story time and we are beginning to see stories being made by the children in play, recalling what they have seen earlier. Our gnome tea party is almost upon us as we say goodbye to Winter and welcome Lady Spring into our garden.
ROSA MUNDI Jack Finegan
Rosa Mundi have been busy preparing for spring and keeping warm through the cold Winter mornings. Out in the yard we have been creating our own garden beds and planting seeds in anticipation for the coming of Spring. We have started our late Winter circle which will see us through to spring, singing songs of warm woolen vests and cups of tea and keeping our hands busy finishing off our library bags in craft and starting our threading block in woodwork.
CLASS 1 Liz Morrell
Class 1 have been busy working on number facts and strategies in the new Main Lesson. Doubles facts; near doubles and number friends to 10 are now becoming automatic. Students have also been partitioning numbers into place value parts, deepening their knowledge and understanding of number concepts. A focus on addition and subtraction facts along with skip counting practise will continue this term. Spanish lessons with Vanya have involved learning numbers, days of the week and months of the year. The students thoroughly enjoyed the skiing days and developed skills quickly across the 4 days which culminated in a Class Olympic games to finish.
CLASS 2 Amy Burns
This week, Class 2 are diving into our Class Play for the year, ‘The King of Ireland’s Son’. We’ve been incredibly fortunate to learn Celtic dances with Leith during the last few terms and the students have been busily learning new patterns and partner dances to include in the play in Week 8 of term. We’re even more lucky to have had Danielle come along and play her fiddle for us to dance to during some of our rehearsals! Students have been carefully listening for each count of eight in the music, as well as trying their hardest to keep their quick feet moving in time with the music. By the end of this week, students will have their own scripts to bring home that will help them to practice their characters’ lines, having had many turns playing different roles during rehearsals. The play will be performed on Thurs 5th September, at 12pm for younger Primary classes and at 4:30pm for Class 2 families and friends.
CLASS 3 Ariel Stava
Class 3 have had a busy three weeks learning about speech and punctuation in their Grammar Island Main Lesson. They have had a great time imagining that they are travelling in good old ship Punctuation with Captain Capital, Cannonball Bob, Co-Captain Comma with the parrot that talks on and on and on and on and the unidentical twins Question Mark the cartographer and Exclamation Mark the ships lookout. Once they landed on Grammar Island they met a funny fellow named Noun who taught them about nouns, a little girl named Adjectiva who allowed the children to add labels to their maps with adjectives like vicious shark infested waters. On the other side of the island they met a cheeky boy named Merv the Verb and the King of Grammar Island himself Adverbian. They ended the Main Lesson back on the ship with Con the Cook adding conjunctions to their sentences after learning about 4 different types of sentences: the statement, the order, the question and the exclamation. This week we return to Hebrew stories and will work with stories of Jacob, Joseph and Moses over the next few weeks.
CLASS 4 Lou Pullar
This week, Class 4 are knuckling down to bring you their Norse play, Loki and Sif’s Hair. They have had a lot of fun with the story and are looking forward to sharing it with you on Wednesday at lunchtime for the school students and in the evening for family and friends. As part of their Norse work, they are making Viking shields and swords in craft inscribed with secret Runic messages from the Gods. Thanks to Linda and Class parents for helping with these activities. We had a fantastic four weeks of skiing this year taking to the trails from day one with wonderful Estonian ski instructors guiding and teaching the students and patient parent helpers picking up their pace to keep up with the students!
CLASS 5 Clare Bennetts
We have come to the end of our ski program and were so lucky to time the four weeks with the peak of the season. Last week we had to hike quite a way to the snow line but had lots of fun once we got there. The running program in Term 2 ensured students were fit and ready for the challenges of cross-country skiing in Term 3 and we will continue to work on our outdoor skills and fitness leading up to camp on November 18th – 20th, in which we plan to hike up Mt. Timbertop and along the Howqua River. Please let Sally know if you are able to help out on this local camp. Our Ancient Egypt Main Lesson has come to an end and Sam will work with the students to read, analyse and enjoy ‘Wonder’, followed by a Main Lesson on Geometry. Thank you to Sam who will work full time over the next five weeks while I am away and thank you to all the parent helpers who have made it possible for us to ski, plant trees and participate in other activities throughout the year, so far.
CLASS 6 Jacinta Walker
A huge thank you to Tash and Andrew for coming along on the Class 6 snow camp. A great time was had by all and luckily they went before the rain washed any more snow away. Now back at school, we have finished with Rome (for the time being) after meeting Tarquin the Arrogant, the last king of Rome, and then Brutus, the first consul. We had a look at some of the laws the consuls introduced – which were the same or similar to current times and which were quite different. We certainly don’t have the death penalty in Australia which seemed like the favourite punishment in those times! We will now return to physics and have a look at Magnetism. Starting with some fun magnet play, we will look at the historical aspects of the discovery of electricity and then move on to electrostatic forces.
YEAR 7 Nicholas Koschitzke
This Main Lesson has seen Year 7 tackle Indigenous Societies and Cultures, diving into the rich history of Indigenous Australia. So far they have looked at how the different biomes in this country can affect how indigenous societies might live and the longevity of songlines to pass on information through the generations. As they delve further, they will research indigenous cultures beyond our shores and learn about a unique culture from around the world.
YEAR 8 Dion Hall
In Year 8 Main Lesson Landforms, Processes and Origins we are exploring how our planet and its rocks, rivers, valleys and plains were formed. Exploring concepts of weathering and erosion, compaction, cementation, and geological time, we are looking at the landscape around us with a new understanding. Critically, we are peeling back the layers to understand the stories of the creation of Uluru and Kata Tjuta through both scientific and indigenous perspectives in anticipation of our Northern Territory school camp in Week 7.
YEAR 9 Suzanne McKay
It is a unique experience to sleep multiple nights on the snow and one only possible when you have finely honed your skills of self-care and camp routines through multiple outdoor experiences. Year 9 thoroughly revelled in their Bogong Backcountry cross-country skiing expedition. They explored Heathy Spur and the hills and gullies around Edmunson Hut. They built snow forts for mass snow ball fights, snow kitchens and snow thrones. Despite high nerves before departure, many students suggested it was their favourite trip of the year
YEAR 10 Leith Pierce
The Year 10s that plan to do Visual Arts in Years 11 and 12 have been exploring artistic movements from the latter nineteenth century (which will be extended towards the mid-twentieth century in art next term) for a short intensive before half the class leave for their French Exchange. A priority for Year 10 Art in the Steiner curriculum is to understand the relationship between human consciousness or our ideas and the creative works we make. Following experimenting with different practices across times and places from the past, students are developing their own work in response..
MUSIC Celeste Cleason
Last Tuesday we enjoyed sharing a musical day with Year 7 & 8 students from Little Yarra Steiner School. Our string players joined in a combined workshop where we shared songs and traded musical ideas. The afternoon, led by Seamus and Andrew, was filled with fun prehistoric animal obstacle courses and some pressure knitting tasks. Finella kindly cooked delicious curry for a shared dinner. To finish the day, we held an eclectic performance with both MRSSK and LYSS groups, concluding with a beautiful, combined rendition of Ghost Ship. It was a wonderful opportunity to connect and build relationships with our wider Steiner school community and a valuable educational experience for all.
Reminder: Solo concerts are fast approaching in Weeks 9 & 10. Please check the Sentral calendar for dates.
CRAFT
The Prep students have nearly finished their library bags, which means they’ll soon be able to borrow books during Library sessions. Class 1 is knitting animals like rabbits, chickens, and dragons, as well as scarves that stretch from nose to toes, using wool they’ve dyed themselves. Class 2 is hard at work on knitted gnome friends in preparation for their spring gnome party. Most Class 3 students have completed their music bags and are now learning to crochet, which, though challenging, is rewarding once mastered. Class 4 has completed their cross-stitch pen holders—a significant milestone as they now have a place for their fountain pen upon earning a pen license. Their new project involves making long stitch pencil cases, creating patterns with color and form. Class 5 is also working on long stitch pencil cases and beginning Fair Isle knitting. Class 6 has started an embroidery picture, which will be used as the top decoration for a wooden trinket box they will craft.
For the Mansfield Show on November 16th/17th, I encourage students to enter independently with their self-created projects. Lunchtimes on Thursdays and Fridays will be available for those who want to work on their entries, and I’m happy to help and support them. Entries must be made by the children and parents.
PARENT WORKSHOPS with Lou Harvey-Zahra
Please join us from 6.30pm on Monday the 2nd of September in Derran to view the work; a formal welcome from staff and sharing from the students will begin at 7pm.
We would like to extend an invitation to family, friends, members of the school community and the community beyond to join us for this culminative event, to hear from the students about their pieces and processes of development, as well as to stand with them in celebrating their efforts.
“Simple prescription for creativity: Be intensely yourself” – Rudolf Steiner
HIT PAUSE ON SMARTPHONES
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INVITATION
2024YEAR 12 IB DP VISUAL ARTS EXHIBITION 2ND SEPTEMBER 6.30PM
IB - ENGLISH AND FARSI AND GERMAN AND ITALIAN (FOOD) … IN MELBOURNE
Mackenzie Henderson
For a refreshing change of scenery, the IB students recently ventured into the city to enhance their studies of the arts, both literary and visual. A highlight was the theatre production entitled English, which poignantly depicted the challenges faced by Iranian students as they sought to find meaning in learning this foreign language – a sentiment many of us could relate to in our ongoing battle with grammatical exceptions in French. Our cultural exploration continued at a unique café dedicated to the work of German artist Joseph Beuys. However, this was no ordinary café – there was no food, drinks, or tables, as its purpose was to strip away the distractions, leaving only conversation a –priority Beuys insisted upon throughout his career. While to many (myself included) the building has the appearance of one long abandoned, the art students seemed to grasp its deeper significance. In addition to our artistic endeavours, like all good things in the IB, then comes writing; so we headed to the library to process our thoughts and impressions of the previous day onto the page.
