Our Class 6 students recently completed the Yellow Lantern public speaking program, culminating in the presentation of their speeches last week - a wonderful display of courage, insight and humour. Yellow Lantern is a national provider of public speaking school programs and speaking clubs for kids, with an emphasis on positive self talk, empowered speech and celebrating personality.

There was a good variety of topics, from animal rights, climate change, bullying and the empowerment of women to model trains, making tiramisu, wave pools, and why we should not fear sharks. There were philosophical speeches about the power of friendship, the bridge between astronomy and astrology and why money can’t buy happiness.

This year, because of crowd restrictions, parents were unable to attend the speeches at school, but the event still carried enough excitement and anticipation to test the nerves of most of the students. They certainly rose to the occasion and presented beautifully written speeches. With thanks to Gemma West from Yellow Lantern who was the facilitator this year.

William Keyte
Class 6 Teacher

​Spaghetti Circus has been at the School this term for some fun skills-building workshops with our Primary classes. We also had Nash Campbell, from Byron Beez, providing basketball sessions which inspired lots of lunch-time ball play.

These additional sports experiences were funded by the federal government's Sporting Schools grant, which will be spent on swimming lessons in Term 4.

The Athletics Carnival results have now been finalised and I am pleased to announce that more than 30 records were broken from classes 4 to 11. Well done Shearwaters! Thanks also to the cheerleading group for their energetic opening of the event and to Year 12 student Bodhi Hallas, for gracefully sharing her experience and enthusiam with the Class 6 student cheerleaders.

In Term 4, Shearwater will participate in two regional sports activities, with tennis in Grafton in October and basketball in Coffs Harbour at the start of November.

Watch this space for more exciting news on the inaugural Shearwater Olympics 2021!

Wishing all our students, families and staff a happy and active school holidays.

Magnum Brotto
PDHPE Teacher

​As the nine-year-old child begins to develop an awareness of the wider world and forms opinions and ideas on the way they see the world, we bring them into the development of mankind through farming, creation stories, deeds and misdeeds, human values and more.
 
In their third year of Primary School, the children work by using their hands to mould and form that which is within reach. Working with the elements to nurture seeds; watching them unfold into shoots and moving forward into blossoming and fruiting is fulfilling in their yearly cycle. Using the fruits to turn the harvest into a meal completes this and the children have made turmeric powder, planted wheat, cared for chickens and ducks, weeded and planted gardens, and enjoyed the citrus that grows around the School.

The use of wool, fleece, fabrics, clay, wood and wax allows the children to experience the development of home industry. The beautiful reality of creating something helps develop their sense of will and, with encouragement, they achieve to the best of their ability.

Stories of creation from around the world have allowed the children to see the world from different perspectives whilst noting the connections we all share in our history.

The children are currently writing their own newspaper called Dreams and Scenes, using their English skills to present an insight into their weekends and other events in their lives. This was inspired by our sister class who have been writing for some time, and we hope to move into other areas of classic newspaper writing soon, including a sports section and some advertising.

Class 3 have also been learning about the history of measurement, punctuation, times tables, Indonesian, Eurythmy, painting, form drawing, crochet, choir, the science of air and have begun their strings ensemble lessons.  Our days are full. They are busy with industry and as each day closes, we stand together in completion knowing there is always a new adventure beginning tomorrow.

Julie Marx
Class 3 Teacher

This term, the children of Class 5A are exploring the world of the Ancient Greeks. We began with the mythology, in which the gods play out the whole pantheon of human experiences – being powerful or powerless, being hateful or loving, being generous or exploitative. We also researched the geography of Greece and how this shaped the Greek culture and the Greeks' interactions with other cultures.

The children then delved into the refined art of mapmaking. A reflection on the art of Greece, most prominently found in sculptures, and a comparison with the representations of Ancient Egyptians, brought an admiration of their dynamic and expressive gestures.

The Greeks loved coming together to celebrate athletic competition and sportsmanship, and beauty and grace were held in high regard at these events. In this spirit, the children are preparing for the Greek Olympics that is traditionally held with Class 5s from other Steiner Schools. This is a joyous pathway into athletics which is empowering for both boys and girls alike.

The practical arts have complemented our theme as the children made amphoras with Ben in the clay workshop. Here they showed their individual approach, which they typically apply to any project. Some worked the clay the fast and furious way (with some amphoras collapsing). Some liked thick and sturdy walls, whereas others preferred slender shapes. The individual strokes and the moulding of the material brings out not only creativity but also a new self-awareness about one’s preferences and strengths.

Anja Grapentin
​Class 5 Teacher

The Primary Well Being Coordinator is a brand-new position within Shearwater and one I am honoured to accept. As part of this new role, I aim to integrate a multi-dimensional social skills program within the Primary School that develops a variety of interpersonal and friendship-making skills. This will incorporate cognitive and behavioural activities and take into consideration specific child development stages. 
 
Having stepped into this new role, I felt my first task was to really get to know all the children within the Primary School. As a Class Teacher, I have the honour of knowing my class inside and out, yet feel that even though I know a lot of faces, it is now time to get to know names and personalities on a deeper level. By experiencing different environments, different friendship groups and dynamics within a class, I have more information at my fingertips to assist Class Teachers with any behaviour issues arising within a learning environment. 
 
The last few weeks has seen me step into most of the Primary classrooms to run sharing circles as an introductory session before beginning the above-mentioned program. It has been a real honour to not only meet all the children in a caring circle space but also to have the opportunity to step into the beautiful classrooms at our School. Not only are we blessed with a rich physical environment, but the love, warmth and support of the teaching staff is a delight to behold and I thank all my colleagues for their support with this new initiative. 
 
Penny Martin
Primary Well Being Coordinator

​What an excellent time of year in our curriculum as Class 3 explores farming with Nadia. About two weeks ago, with the new moon, we planted wheat grain for the year’s harvest at the end of September. Then we prayed for rain and lo – it rained for days. The following week, Nadia took us over to have a look and to our delight our (not so) straight lines of wheat were well under way, popping up and blowing in the wind already. You can imagine the delighted children. It truly is fantastic to put the energy in and see nature working with us. What a wonder-filled gift for the children to remember and carry through life.
 
At home, the children have made a diverse range of stunning dwellings that have just been presented in class over the past week. Yes, we’re busy! Not to stop there, our room is full of letter boxes as the children write and post notes to each other, excited to share their developing communication skills. It’s a beehive of joyful energy.

Our days end, if we’ve listened and worked productively together, with the children’s favourite game, Wave. I’m always the seeker and the children hide. If I see them and call their name, they follow me until someone waves to them and they run off to hide again. The shrieks when I turn a corner quietly and catch them unawares! I must admit, this is such fun for us all.
 
Warm wishes went to our dear assistant Djuaan on his 27th birthday. We celebrated with a birthday circle in class and, of course, his letter box was full that morning!
 
Linda Mayer
Class 3 Teacher

This year has certainly presented challenges and this is very much felt by the ten-year-old child. This is a time when the child feels the harmony and comfort of childhood slip away, and the realities of the broader world around them begin to fill their minds. This can be a lonely and difficult period for some children. Even for those not exposed to the news cycle, the events of 2020 have permeated their thoughts and dreams – the summer of fire and then a global pandemic that has thrown the lives of all those around them into chaos.
 
For Class 4D, the year began with a range of artistic and reflective activities based around the summer fires. The classroom became a place to consider what comes from fire – regrowth and renewal – and fire as a tool that when harnessed and respected is an integral part of the cycle of life. To help with the fear and concern many children carried, we made artworks to lift the spirits of those scarred by the harshest of summers.
 
The animal and human main lesson provided the children a wonderful respite, with an opportunity to delve into the diversity and wonder of life on earth. It was during this period that COVID-19 put a stop to face-to-face schooling, and again swept many of the children up in feelings of confusion and fear. Schooling went into the home and the children (and families) felt their way into how this new situation would work. Indeed it was a learning curve for all involved, but we as a class community did our best to ensure the children felt connected and that some normality remained in their shrinking world.
 
Class 4D enjoyed a shared autumn lunch (via Zoom) to create a feeling of seasonal festivity and shared experience. The Main Lesson moved into ancient Egypt where we were introduced to kings, pharaohs, new landscapes and animals, new crops and ways of writing, as well as monuments and tombs dating back 5000 years. We continued to explore the fascinating culture of ancient Egypt when we returned to our classroom last week.
 
The children returned with vigour, energy and engagement. Friendships were rekindled and stories shared. It was an absolute delight to see the enthusiasm and joy brought back to the classroom. We spent the first few days building shelters down at Grandfather Coolamon to really bring us back to our place.
 
The children of Class 4 passed on some of the wheat grain from last year's harvest to the Class 3 students last week, in a traditional handing over of the tasks of the ‘farmer’. This was a very poignant moment in a very unusual year, really bringing the children home to the embrace of our School community. It has been so important to model and share with the children that, although recent life may have been interrupted and difficult to understand, we can still share in the beauty and wonder of life that is all around us.
   
Dallas Hewett
Class 4 Teacher