What a busy year Class 1L are having. The children returned to school for Term 4 with much joy and happy faces. It is always a pleasure to be greeted by their toothless grins, enthusiasm and growing bodies!
 
We began this term with an indigenous main lesson where the children enjoyed stories from the first peoples of this country. We had a visit from Mudjai (a Bundjalung parent from 5M), who told stories, made a fire with just sticks and taught us some special dances. The children were delighted and so engaged.
 
We have been doing lots of work on letters and sounds and writing whole sentences in our capital letters. We love our craft and making things with our hands.
 
We have been visiting the homes of all of our classmates over the past weeks. It has been a special time for the children, as they develop a deeper sense of where their friends come from and who their families are. This will likely be a point of reference in future years as they grow together. I have certainly appreciated seeing their special spaces.
 
Fridays continue to be a day of adventure at Crystal Creek where, sadly, we recently discovered no water. We desperately need Sister Rain. Always the children learn so much through play - a natural exploration of their world and relationships, that allows them to use their creativity, while developing their imaginations and their physical dexterity.
 
As we come to the end of a busy and happy year, we are all awaiting a long and well-deserved break!
 
Lindsey Gallon
Class 1 Teacher

Shearwater's tennis team headed down to the AIS regional carnival in Grafton this week, where 120 students from independent schools across the region (Tweed Heads to Coffs Harbour) enjoyed the perfect conditions and the friendly competition. 

It was a big day, with an early start and a long drive either end. The students played an average of five short matches each but their enthusiasm never flagged - losing or winning, they were having lots of fun! They were a joy to watch.

Congratulations to the whole team and a special mention to Dylan, who came in 3rd in the Open Boys, and Class 6 student Oliver Fernley, 2nd in the Primary Boys. 

Our next regional sporting event will be the Primary Basketball in Coffs Harbour at the start of November. Our basketball team is putting in lots of time on the court and we wish them luck.

Magnum Brotto
​PDHPE Teacher

 
Class 4P spent last term immersed in our Humans and Animals Main Lesson, in which we explored how the bodily form of land and marine animals is connected to movement and habitat. The limitations or specialisations expressed through the form were experienced through story, observation, poetry, drawing , painting, movement and drama. The children were fascinated to see how one aspect of the bodily form was specialised in many animals – for example the eye of the eagle or the stomach of the cow.

We saw how the balanced and harmonised body of the human being, with the adaptability of upright posture, free hands and the gifts of speech and reflective thought, allows us to adapt our environment and create tools.
 
After our classroom exploration we undertook a five-day camp to Mooloolaba and Hervey Bay, where we spent a night in an aquarium, with sharks and rays swimming overhead while we slept; experienced the great wonders of the sea, with whale watching in Hervey Bay and observed the native animals at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.

On our return, the children wrote haiku - Japanese poems of 17 syllables, in three lines of five, seven, and five, traditionally evoking images of the natural world. I gladly share with you their expressive and heartfelt thoughts on the wonders of the animal world.

Penny Martin
Class 4 Teacher

If you have practiced hard for Olympia
And if you have not been lazy or done
Anything dishonourable, then
Go forward with confidence.
We will judge before the gods
with truth and honour
All those who compete before us.
Judges' verse
​

Last Friday, athletes from the mighty city-states of ancient Greece (Shearwater, Cape Byron, Aetaomah, Casuarina, Chrysalis, Tallowood and Rainbow Ridge Steiner schools) came together, in the shadow of Olympus, to prove their strength, grace and agility before the gods. Irascible Zeus opened the proceedings, imploring the athletes to lift their efforts into the realm of truth, beauty and goodness. With gifts of song, strings, verse and gymnastics, let the games begin!
 
Mixed-school groups went around the pentathlon stations where rigorous standards of sportsmanship were apparent in each and every encounter. New friends encouraged each other to greater and more graceful efforts. 

Discus events aimed at 'floating' the discus aerodynamically; Running was approached as 'graceful technique.;
the Standing Long Jump employed 'coordination and weight shift', Wrestling worked on 'balance, strength and poise.; Javelin, demonstrated by Zeus with lightning bolts, required parabolic arcing and point-perfect landings.

Throughout the day, the athlete's inner qualities of determination, effort and sportsmanship were as highly valued as strength and skill.

After suitable midday repasts, Zeus called all athletes to relive the exploits of Pheidippides, the first Marathon runner. Mighty praise was showered on all athletes and medals presented. Athletes returned in glory to their city-states fulfilled and honoured.

Accurate Historic Account rendered by
Rheumatoid Pseudo Zeus the Imposter (aka Michael Lester)
Class 5 Teacher

Class 7J has recently completed their class play, 'Trystan and Essylt'. This tale of love and sorrow, woven into Arthurian history, was taken up by the students, and over a two-and-a-half week period, they brought the story together and performed for their peers and parents. 

This was an immense challenge for the students. Key actors fell ill. The script had to be extended and edited along the way, something many of the students worked upon, ensuring a connection with their characters. Costumes were created (and often re-created) as characters were developed. The drama room had to be set up to cater for the various scenes in the play, and the final touches of lights, music and backstage activity all combined to form the final piece in a very short amount of time.

As well as writing a number of scenes, two key students, Olive and Evie, took on the tasks of costuming and directing. Their interest and dedication to those roles supported the final production, beautifully.

Julie Marx
Class 7 Teacher

During the first three weeks of Term 3, Julie’s Class 7 students planted 530 trees. 208 of these were donated by Mullumbimby’s Rainforest 4, to coincide with a visit to Shearwater by an Indonesian delegation dedicated to saving orangutans  through education, conservation and plantings in their country. These trees were planted in a sharp bend of the creek beyond the music rooms and Grandfather Fig.
 
The other 322 trees were planted along the watercourse of our ephemeral wetland that was altered to facilitate the construction of the Kindergarten and Preschool.
 
Cathy’s Class 7 plantings from just six months ago behind the Kindy have absolutely thrived as a result of the wonderful wet weather that followed the dry hot summer.
 
These latest plantings behind the Preschool will have a harder time of it as we appear to be heading into another long, hot and probably dry spring and early summer.
 
As I am retiring after 19 years of  environmental restoration at Shearwater, this will be my last Class 7 planting and I congratulate this class on the magnificent effort they put in. There was no shade for this planting, just full sun and some very windy days. Thank you Julie for what you have given these bright young students.
 
The School received a for $6,600 grant from the Biodiversity Conservation Trust (you’ve seen their Land for Wildlife signs all around the shire) to cover this planting and the next two years of wetland restoration.
 
With the help of farmer Beau (who probably planted some of the more established trees when he was a student of the School), we have also managed to plant 150 trees along the road verge, beyond the Farm dam, with Classes 8, 9 and 10.
 
All told, we have planted over 20,000 trees at the School since 2001 - an epic project and one I will miss being a part of. But I am confident Shearwater will continue its environmental restoration well into the future.
 
Thank you Shearwater, for letting me be the guardian of our forest.
 
Ken Ohlsson
Coordinator Gardening and Bush Regeneration

Some of the most distinctive memories from school life for most students are their class camps. Hopefully, Class 6 will remember their wonderful trip to Fraser Island and all that they experienced and learnt there.

Camps provide students with increased self esteem, independence, resilience and social learning. Students become more actively engaged in their education when they have the opportunity to learn in the real-world context of a camp.

Class 6 participated in a wide variety of activities including horse riding, bush tucker walks, raft building, hiking, archery and sea kayaking as well as eco-tours and educational talks from the rangers. They visited Kingfisher Bay, Lake McKenzie, Eli Creek, Central Station, the Maheno Shipwreck and the coloured sands at the Cathedrals. One of the many highlights for them was seeing a pair of young dingoes stealing beach towels from tourists and running away with them through Eli Creek.

Since our return to school the students have created a camp book with recounts of each day. They have also written a report about Fraser Island based on all the things they saw, heard, experienced and learnt. Most of them have also completed either a persuasive essay or a discussion on whether Fraser Island should have its name changed back to K’gari. This was the original name given to the island by the Butchella people and it means paradise.

Here is an example of a short discussion piece written by Otto:
 
Mist and haze surrounds the debate on whether Fraser Island should be actually called K’gari. There are different viewpoints about this potential change. K’gari is the traditional name given by the Butchella people of the island. Our “white” name for K’gari is Fraser Island and it was given this name because of Eliza Fraser who was stranded on the island with her husband in the early 1800’s. Her husband died on the island and she was taken by the Butchella people.

When Eliza went back to England after being rescued she apparently made money by telling horrific stories about how the Butchella people treated her. So the press dubbed K’gari Fraser Island. Many believe that K’gari should not be named after the Fraser family because they did nothing for the island and maybe Eliza lied to get money. But maybe in Eliza’s eyes she really was treated badly by the Butchella and they killed her husband so she deserved the money.

Also, Fraser Island is known for tourism, so changing the name would affect this and the island may lose money.
So, all in all, whatever we call this beautiful island we need to protect it no matter what and care for it.