​Our Year 9 class is currently enjoying the wonders of Far North Queensland. Our campsite on the edge of Lake Tinaroo is beautiful and we have the whole place to ourselves. We walked through rainforests, saw turtles and swam in the crystal blue waters of a volcanic crater lake and drove through misty mountains and the highest town in Australia to see a big waterfall and enjoy some hot springs. 

After leaving the Atherton tablelands and it’s lush cool climate the class headed out to Laura and it’s dry and hot weather where we have seen some amazing rock art. After spending a night sleeping under the stars we rose early and drove down to Mossman where we spent the day immersed in local indigenous culture and visited the shoreline and Mossman Gorge.

With the solstice upon us we prepared a winter festival for the Far North Steiner School and the students  helped the little ones with a beautiful spiral walk accompanied by some singing.

We are off to the Daintree today. Spirits are high and everyone is stepping up to support each other and make the most of this wonderful adventure.


Luke Wigmore
Year 9 Guardian

Class 4T was introduced to fractions in their second main lesson of Term 2. We looked at fractions in a holistic way, as parts within a whole. From an anthroposophical perspective, fractions is taught to Class 4 as the children go through the 'nine year change'. During this time, the children begin to conceive of themselves as separate from the world — an emerging individual, traversing a new emotional landscape. This can be a difficult time for the child, as she navigates new feelings of separation and aloneness. The study of fractions supports the children's understanding that while they are an individual they remain a part of a greater whole. 
 
In Fractions World, we learnt about the parts of the fraction — the numerator the denominator and the vinculum. We folded paper circles to create different fractions of the whole circle. The fractions tree was an artistic way to experience the number patterns within fractions. We also cut fruit into fractions and dehydrated it for a tasty snack. Finally we ended our main lesson work by making pizza and cutting it into fractions to eat!

Tiffany Jones
Class 4 Teacher

As winter solstice draws near, the in-breath is completed. The earth soul has drawn its forces down beneath the soil. The earth elementals (gnomes) have become intensely active underground, moving at will through the layers of rock and mineral.

In the winter night, the moon rises high in the sky, staying for about fifteen hours above the horizon, while the day time sun is gone after only nine or so hours. The moon, which regulates the ether body of the earth, now has a greater influence than the sun.

Our own consciousness is intensified in winter when our thinking life, which is connected to the gnomes, becomes active. It is especially in the activity of thinking that our ego manifests itself. It is in these times that we are being asked to stay conscious and free from despair and loss of hope—to remember the light in the darkness.

The source of energy we need is the “inner” light, the sunlight that was absorbed into the earth during the spring and summer and that is now, in winter, present beneath the ground and transformed into the spiritual light within.                   
 
We will gather together and walk the spiral one by one (parent and child) and light our lantern in the centre. We will be singing our songs the children have learned. The spiral-walk and lighting the candle represents our journey within and finding our inner light. Winter solstice has been regarded as especially sacred and a time to remember to bestow love and light on all living beings on the planet.
 
Warm wishes to all,
Carina Halliday
Playgroup

Local Bookshops – Local Authors

I popped in to The Book Room Collective in Byron Bay this week. What a wonderful bookstore with helpful staff who are very knowledgeable about children’s books. The Library now has some new books that will soon be ready to be borrowed!

I was very excited to also bump into a local author, Sarah Armstrong. Sarah’s new book Big Magic is now published and on the shelves! Sarah was kind enough to sign a copy for the Shearwater Library.  While Sarah has written other books, Big Magic is her first children's book. Have a look at her website to read more about Sarah. The Northern Rivers is home to talented children’s authors and illustrators!

Yvonne Barrett
Shearwater Library

In Term 2, our Rainbow Lorikeets have welcomed a new family, and our Sunny Sunflowers three new families! We are also very happy to welcome Brigid, our new gardener, who is helping us to weed, plant, prune and grow. Recently, on one of our first sunny days, Sunny Sunflowers and our Star Daisy neighbours stirred and sprinkled a biodynamic preparation to nourish our plants that give us their fruits, flowers, vegetables and shade.

At last, our outside spaces are firming up after all the wet, and this week we are once again able to use our grassy area for games and play. Thank you, Sunny Sun and Brother Wind! Our sandpit sees many wonderful creations in play, from whole villages to lakes and bridges, bakeries, pottery studios and more, individually, with a friend or in larger groups.
 
We’ve walked to The Farm and had lovely conversations with our cow friends there, as well as exploring, with delight, the properties of mud and puddles, and connecting with the wider environment around our Preschool home.
 
We are now busily preparing for our Winter Festival, learning new songs and making lanterns and candles, to remind us of our inner spark of light that sees us through the cold and dark of winter.
 
Each week, the children bake bread and help to prepare their own morning teas. Apple crumble is a favourite — using the ‘apple twirler’ to peel and cut the apples, and measuring and stirring the crumble, as well as making birthday cakes for our birthday celebration days and chopping juicy fruit for our morning teas.
 
In this cooler weather, cosy cubbies are a regular feature of play; using tables, chairs, play-stands and large cloths, the children create the cosiest homes imaginable, then live out many scenarios in our cubby villages.
 
Both groups of parents came together recently for an evening, connecting, sharing and learning together. We experienced the children's morning circle and spent nourishing time chatting and tie-dyeing, along with open conversations about how our roles as educators and parents support the children’s development.

Joanne Owens
Little Shearwater Preschool

​How delightful to be filled with the sun’s rays after grey days and heaving skies. The children in Class 5 are so happy to stretch out on the field again, playing soccer, becoming adept with the basketball and practising amazing gymnastic feats.

It’s a year of action, grace and honing skills as these young people discover how capable they are, both physically and mentally. With warm hearts they greet their buddies in Rin’s Class 1 each week, eager to share and care with the little ones as they grow accustomed to big school.

In class, we have been learning about Australia’s history, from thousands of years of First Nations to the exploration of the north west by our close neighbours in Indonesia, then the Dutch and French visits to the west coast and on to Captain James Cook’s exploration in 1770 on the east coast, and settlement in Botany Bay with the First Fleet.

Aunty Delta Kay shared her family history at the Pass in Byron Bay, and we listened to her childhood experiences and stories. We celebrated Reconciliation Week with a deeper understanding of time and place, understanding our history in the light of the past and the future of our nation, and our responsibility to be inclusive and considerate of others.

We worked diligently carving beautiful wooden bowls with Jazzy, our versatile new woodwork teacher. Our weekly geometry lessons, following a Main Lesson, are producing amazing outcomes from thoughtful mathematicians and skilled artists.

This group of children will bring much to the world in the future — passion, kindness and great skills to work together in many capacities.

Linda Mayer
Class 5 Teacher

The 2021 Marine Studies class, as part of the Marine Craft Construction module, planned, designed and built a new school boat. The design is a flat-bottomed punt with a glass panel in the floor for benthic (seafloor) survey work, and perfect for diving, fishing and snorkeling. So we now have our old school boat, Kylam, for boating skills training, skurfing and towing the underwater manta-board (fun), and our new research vessel for all things Marine Studies. Big thanks to our current Year 12 marine students.
​
Greg Shanahan and Nick Thorne
Marine Studies

​

The Shearwater Library is a hive of activity! Primary classes are immersed in the culture of stories as they listen to and enjoy reading and borrowing during their weekly library sessions. Our Fairy Wrens Preschool class also visited the library recently to listen to stories read by the Class 5 students, who individually selected picture books that would engage the younger children.

This term Classes 3 to 6 are learning about academic honesty, copyright and how to write simple bibliographies, learning in context - I know, I care, I act - to be ethical users of information.
 
New fiction and nonfiction books have arrived! These are based on student suggestions and selected to support the curriculum, with an added  focus this year on building diverse and inclusive voices in the library collection for both Primary School and High School.
 
'There will be times when you walk into a room and no one there is quite like you until the day you begin to share your stories.'
— Jacqueline Woodson, The Day You Begin

Students need to hear and see their own voices and stories in books as well as to be introduced to stories that reflect different perspectives and experiences. Books provide the opportunity to build community and increase our understanding and empathy.
You may like to watch this video by Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop who discusses her 'Mirrors, Windows and Sliding Glass Doors' analogy to highlight the importance of diversity in books, or watch any of the videos by the authors in this article: Why Diverse Books Matter: Mirrors and Windows.

With new books arriving, the library is looking for volunteers to help with covering books. Training and a cuppa will be provided. Please email library@shearwater.nsw.edu.au if you are interested :)

Our Year 6 students are also embracing their community service as library helpers. They are learning how to shelf read (making sure books are in shelf order), help with loans and return books, tidying the library and helping with book displays. It is wonderful to see I know, I care, I act in practice!

Finally, a reminder for our younger readers in Classes 2 to 4 to please bring a waterproof library bag each week for borrowing.

Yvonne Barrett
Shearwater Library

Award-winning filmmaker and Shearwater alumni Jahvis Loveday brought his new short film, Bangay Lore, to our High School students (and some of our upper Primary School classes) last week, as part of our National Reconciliation Week activities. The screening of Jahvis' film, which explores his connection to culture and country, is one of a number of activities taking place across the School.

​Today we marked National Sorry Day by listening to the Apology made to First Nations Australians by then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in 2008, also known as the Sorry Speech. Many classes have also been discussing the Uluru Statement from the Heart and taking part in artistic activities.

National Reconciliation Week is a time for all of us to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

The dates for National Reconciliation Week remain the same each year — 27 May to 3 June. These dates commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey — the 1967 referendum which finally gave First Nations Australians the right to vote, and the historic High Court Mabo decision, on 3 June 1992, when the High Court of Australia overturned the doctrine of terra nullius and recognised the land rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 

For reconciliation to be effective, it must live in the hearts, minds and actions of all Australians as we move forward, creating a nation strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider Australian community, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We all have a role to play when it comes to reconciliation, and in playing our part we collectively build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures, and futures.
The National Reconciliation Week 2022 theme, Be Brave. Make Change. is a challenge to all Australians — individuals, families, communities, organisations and government to tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation for the benefit of all Australians.
This year we all have the opportunity to make change beginning with brave actions in our daily lives – where we live, work, play and socialise. Here at Shearwater we embrace this opportunity and thank Jahvis for coming and sharing his important film. 

Sarah Ndiaye
High School Teacher

Although we have been seeing a lot of grey, rainy days this autumn, in Kindy we know that a cloudy day is a chance to search for rainbows!
 
Rainbow Glow shines so bright, she fills our hearts with love.
A warm glow shines within us all when a rainbow shines above.
 
We started our term with busy fingers, as the Kindy children wove their own autumn rainbows, made rainbow crunchy buns and tie-dyed rainbow Kindy shirts as well as rainbow starry craft bags.
 
Last week our school celebrated IDAHOBIT Day. In Kindergarten, 'Rainbow Day' was a day to celebrate the diversity of people in our wonderful community and world. In the words of one of the Kindy children, “We celebrate that all people are different and all people are beautiful”.

Kara Mallory
Hummingbee Kindergarten

​As our region has experienced the great trauma and tragedy of these last weeks, the silver lining has undoubtedly been the unification of our community. Strangers and friends came together to lend whatever they could offer to a cause greater than themselves.

This tendency to rise above our own needs to meet the needs of another is one of our highest human qualities. But is it an inherent nature of our souls or one which is learnt over time, aided by our own unique human experience?

In Class 2 we have been working on building this quality. Caring for our friends is not only a feeling, it is an action and a choice. We have been practicing compassionate and attentive listening to our peers, showing them our kindness and letting them know we care. We have been learning how to allow our friends to feel loved and heard. We have been learning how to express what we are feeling and move through our troubles without blaming and accusing others. 

It is a long haul, but part of a lifelong journey to develop the social and emotional skills we all need, to be present and attentive human beings in our community and our world.

Belinda Kelly
Class 2 Teacher

​After the floods, some of our High School students were left with feelings of powerlessness and a lack of purpose. Many had been helping with the clean-up in Mullumbimby and Lismore and felt conflicted by coming to school, when there was still so much work to be done in the community. We came up with the idea of an exhibition fundraiser, to be held tomorrow night in the School Hall.

The exhibition includes artworks by Year 10 and 11 students to be auctioned, with all proceeds going to flood relief. The title ‘Ground’ refers to the longing for stability and healing after the experience of chaos and upheaval. Doors open at 5pm, followed by the High School music showcase, Shearwater Live, at 5.30pm. Cakes and coffee available. We very much look forward to seeing you there to support our wonderful and talented High School students.

Siobhan Hungerford-Gerth
High School Teacher

Our first painting for the year used the colours Lemon Light and Golden Bright, in which the children experienced the expansiveness of yellow, filled with sunlight. Now for our autumn experience we are exploring the warmer tones of carmine, vermillion and golden. Painting has therapeutic effects, regulating the children’s rhythmic systems and allowing them to breathe in harmony, when they can immerse themselves fully into the painting experience.

It is wonderful to see how the children are slowly getting more familiar with each other, making connections and building friendships. Sharing a swing in the hammock is a lot of fun!

Taking care of our guinea pigs, feeding them, holding and cuddling them is such a wonderful way of learning to love and respect non-human beings.

It amazes me to see the little ones already imitating and re-enacting our puppet story; with great sincerity they are replaying and digesting the content of the story through making it their own.

We love our food at Playgroup and making Crunchy Buns is the highlight of our morning. The children are encouraged to help with the daily tasks and carrying the basket for our Juicy Fruit time is a team effort. We always have some happy helpers to serve the fruit to each other. These are all wonderful learning experiences that strengthen the children's will forces and build their thinking capacity.

So much joy in learning!

Carina Halliday
Playgroup Coordinator

​Lachie's Year 8 Science class has been learning all about energy. They have been investigating the different types of energy, energy transformations, energy efficiency and the law of the conservation of energy, and investigating the advantages and disadvantages of renewable and non renewable energies, within the context of solving real world problems. For their major assessment task the class attempted to solve the problem of heat loss by applying their knowledge of heat transfer to the construction of a homemade thermos, with several students succeeding in keeping water at 75 degrees celsius for 20 minutes.

​Lachie's Year 10 Science class has started a unit on genetics by investigating how traits are passed from one generation to the next. The students obtained DNA by performing an experiment that allowed them to extract it from the nucleus of strawberry cells.

​After a week away from school, we are back! Returning felt very natural and welcomed. Stories started to flow from the children about what they had heard and what they had lived through. As a teacher, I felt the importance of being at school with the students and continuing our learning journey. However, there was also a sense of guilt to be leaving the squeegee and mop in the hands of other community members in order to return to Shearwater.  

Over the last week our class has been busy making cards that we would like to circulate in Mullumbimby. We feel that now is a perfect time to remind people that they are loved. The cards include comments such as “we want you to know that you are loved and needed”, “you are a legend and we are lucky to have you”. These comments have come from the children. Each card has been given a touch of love and beauty. 

Now we just have to work on getting these into the hands of people in our community who might appreciate a reminder of how much they are valued and appreciated.

Chicken Vuorinen
Class 6 Teacher

​​Last month, Louka McAllister received an HSC ATAR of 97 - the highest ever awarded to a Shearwater graduate, with two Band 6 results (indicating a mark over 90) and five Band 5s, or equivalent. 

After two years immersed in the full spectrum of academic subjects - Physics, Chemistry, Advanced and Extension Maths, and Advanced and Extension English 1 and 2, as well as Business Studies “just for fun”, Louka is enjoying a big breath out this year - getting his hands dirty, working for a friend’s roofing business and saving some money for travel, before starting a university Science degree in “Physics, Maths or both”.

He laughs when I ask about the roofing and admits he learnt a thing or two apart from advanced calculus, during his 15 years at Shearwater.

"I’m probably not the most handy person but I know my way around a little bit. I definitely enjoyed subjects like metalwork and woodwork in the younger years of High School. Even though I didn’t end up pursuing those subjects, it was a good opportunity to explore them and get some more skills."

With offers of places into Bachelor of Science degrees at his two universities of choice, Louka is pleased with his HSC results. “The only thing I was a bit disappointed about was that I had really high Band 5s, just missing out on a Band 6, in three subjects,” he says.

Like so many before him, Louka says “the camps!” when asked about his best memories of Shearwater. “They were just amazing life experiences,” he says. “And at the end of the day, I don’t think I was worse off for missing out on time in the classroom.”

“I did consider going to another school at the end of Year 10. The big thing that kept me here was actually the Vanuatu camp! And also the relationships. I think we have a much tighter-knit class community than a lot of other schools and I really enjoy that. And the relationships with teachers are a lot closer and more personal.”

Louka’s maths teacher through High School, Oren, described the class as “pure joy”. “There was a culture of diligence, hard work, laughter and friendship that deepened and grew,” he said. “By the end of Year 12, the class had achieved the best HSC maths result ever recorded at the School.”

“At Shearwater, you get a lot of education that’s not just in the classroom,” says Louka. “But you can also do really well academically here. If you’re willing to put in the work, you’ll get a lot of support from your teachers.

“I also definitely prefer the smaller class sizes. Most of my classes were around eight people, which, means you get a lot more one-on-one time."

With a well-trod trail between Shearwater and Melbourne, Louka says he’s likely to land in that southern city next year.

“The plan was always to go to Melbourne because that’s where I want to live. From Melbourne Uni you can walk to the MCG! Also Melbourne Uni is the best ranked for Science. But the Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Advanced Studies degree at Sydney Uni is also really good, so I still haven’t quite made up my mind."

His sights set on a career as a research scientist, with postgraduate study and possibly a PHD, Louka is nonetheless open to whatever the exciting world of acadademia sends his way. 

“I always thought I was interested in pure maths but there are a lot of new areas in maths that are really interesting. I found out the other day you can do mathematical biology, where they map tumour growth in brains…”

We will be sharing more stories from our Class of 2021 (and other Shearwater alumni) over the year, and we congratulate them all on their achievements, and wish them well on their onward journeys.

The shearwaters gathered and looked to the sky
On hearing their guide in the winds that swept by
They answered as one as their wings stroked the air,
And set out on a journey they all would share.

(From Shearwater’s school song, Shearwater Pacifica)
​

​This year, our High School students, from Class 7 to Year 11, will be engaged in a series of wellbeing programs, starting with a Talking Consent Workshop by Jane McGowen in Term 1. 

During the workshop students will be focussing on the understanding, defining, and negotiating of consent. This sensitive information will be delivered in a facilitated environment of cohesion and positivity. The workshop is designed so that young people should feel empowered to seek healthy relationships and look after each other, whilst also understanding and identifying risks. In addition, the aim is for students to become more self-aware so that they may have a sense of preparedness as they grow and change.

The understanding and knowledge provided by Jane's workshop will be utilised consistently and frequently in both Guardian time and the classroom. Jane will also be sharing the program with parents and carers, via a Zoom information session, details of which will be provided.

In Terms 2 to 4, students will be engaging in programs on social interactions and bullying, social media safety and becoming familiar with the law.

Marie Perry
High School Wellbeing Coordinator

Little Shearwater has welcomed many returning and new families for 2022. It has been a joy watching the children take ownership of their very own work space. They have quickly become familiar with the routines and rhythms of the day. They are very involved and engaged in self-initiated free play, which at this age is a large component of the children’s active learning. We are witnessing some wonderful activity and work. 
 
Our Preschool families may have noticed the educators busy in their own work as the children arrive. Young children learn through imitation and need the adults around them to be worthy role models. This is something we take very seriously at Little Shearwater. For it is the thoughts, attitudes, and imagination living in the adult who cares for the children, that lies behind their outer actions. The domestic work, such as gardening, that parents will often see educators engaged in, inspires the children to participate and can help a child settle into their Preschool day, not to mention sparking possibilities for the children’s own work and play.

Ellon Gold
Preschool Director

​
The faces of our Primary School's newest arrivals said it all last week as they "crossed the bridge" to big school, filled with a mix of excitement, nerves, pride and anticipation.

After a thanks-giving ceremony in the gunyah, the two classes travelled across the bridge in a Star Canoe, symbolising the threshold between Early Childhood and the formal learning environment of Primary School. Each Class 1 child was met by a student from our graduating class, bearing the gift of a flower and a native seedling, as the children's Kindergarten teachers, Kat and Kara, delivered them into the care of Class 1 teachers Rin and Lisa, to begin their journey together through the Primary School years.