Always Was, Always Will Be was the overarching theme for NAIDOC Week 2020 – an opportunity for us to share with the children and young adults in our care that First Nations people have occupied and cared for this continent for over 65,000 years.

The Shearwater school community came together to acknowledge that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to be spiritually and culturally connected to this country.

What does culture mean for us today was the question posed by our guides, Mudjai and Djuaan. Key themes emerged based on connection to the land and the seasons, our shared caring for place, and a deepening of the understanding that the very first footprints on this continent were those belonging to First Nations peoples. With these themes as a thread, the entire school embarked on a week of creativity, sharing in the realms of painting, singing, storytelling and dance.
 
A whole school gathering at the beginning of the week set a reverent and respectful tone, as a rainbow serpent of children, led by the Shearwater Kinship group, weaved through the School bringing everyone together. A fire  lit in the amphitheatre would burn for the entire week until the whole school gathered again on Friday to present their artistic offerings and dance up the energy shared over a week of creative collaboration.
 
Children from early childhood through to the young adults of Year 11 honoured the First Nations custodians of this place as misty rain added to an atmosphere of respect and hope. Finally, the rain, the seasons, the water ways, the ocean and the creatures sustained by these sacred systems unique to this place were celebrated in dance and song in a cacophony of rhythm and exuberance.
 
With respect, 
​Shearwater Mirrabooka Group

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