Shearwater, the Mullumbimby Steiner School
Ph (02) 6684 3223
349 Left Bank Road, Mullumbimby, NSW 2482
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Year 8

27/2/2020

 
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​Mandatory Technology – Engineered Systems

The Year 8 students have been experimenting with the fundamental forces of motion, energy and force in their Technology class. In order to get a hands on approach to engineered systems the students have designed and made working models of ancient trebuchets (catapults). The students refined their designs to gain the
maximum force and energy (velocity) from their machines, and have graphed the distances in a table to identify the most energy efficient design.

The students were invited to demonstrate the trebuchets to the Class 6 students who are currently studying the Ancient Roman Epoch.

Tony Van den Driest
High School Technology

Year 10 Science

26/2/2020

 
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In Year 10 our students study the chemistry of the transformation of plant sugars. In a very practical way, this is started with the age-old process of wine making.

The students use their body weight to break the cellular structure of the grapes and to extract as much of the juice as possible. The volume of juice relative to the weight of the grapes crushed is measured, and the sugar content of the juice is also measured. Once the juice has fermented the students will extract ethanol from the wine, compare it to the initial sugar content, and use it in further chemical processes such as the production of esters.

Ethanol’s versatility as a solvent will be used to help develop a healing hand cream made from local beeswax, essential oils extracted by the students, a good oil and a calendula tincture. 

Gerard Braithwaite
Science KLA Coordinator

Preschool

26/2/2020

 
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​We have had a lovely start to the year as the children settle into our Preschool rhythm. We welcome our new families and welcome back those who are returning to Little Shearwater!

New friendships are developing and established friendships are being strengthened, with very harmonious play both inside and outside. The children have been enjoying sand play and sailing on our boat, the Friendship, caring for the dollies, constructing train tracks and puzzles, playing dress-ups, floor play with blocks and story props, as well as drawing, looking at books, and caring for our Preschool environment by helping with jobs and packing away.

During our circle time we have been hearing stories and singing songs about the Rainbow Horses and all their friends, who live on Farmer Ben’s Farm, as well as Dipple and Dopple the little raindrops. The children are enthusiastically joining in with the songs and gestures, and absorbed in the stories. It is such a delight to see their joyful engagement and to see how the stories and songs flow on into their play.

We have been very fortunate to have some new indoor furniture made over the holidays. Also, you will notice in our outdoor space that we have new shade over our fort, a mud kitchen, new shade sails and some additions to our boat. We also replenished the sand in both sandpits. Our gardens continue to grow and provide a beautiful natural space for the children's play.

Our Preschool team and other staff across the School have contributed to all of these improvements. A big thank you to Alex and his team from Bare Hands Carpentry, for dealing with the sweltering heat to accomplish some of the large construction work. 

Our group leaders for this year are Gabe, Susan, Suze and Karen. Our assistants include Antoinette, Maria, Jess and Eryn. Other support staff are Elendel, Julie and Danni. Maria is our new Preschool team member who will be assisting Gabe at the start of the week.

Our aim is to walk alongside families on this journey. On behalf of the whole staff team, we are looking forward to sharing a wonderful year together.

Craig d'Arcy
Preschool Coordinator

Class 6

24/2/2020

 

​There is quite a contrast between the grace and beauty of a Class 5 student and the sudden physical and emotional changes in the 12-year-old child. The transition from Greece to Rome (logos to logic) is such an apt example of Rudolf Steiner's insight into child development, and the parallel between the developing consciousness of the human being and the evolution of society and culture throughout history, which is reflected in our curriculum.

Whereas the Greeks epitomised balance and beauty, the Romans succeeded through incredible forces of will, co-operation and strict adherence to rules (which were literally etched in stone).

We started the year with Roman history and, to engage their will, students beat copper into coins with etched profiles and made desk and bag-hook name plates out of beaten copper or aluminum. Marching together as a class demands precision in rhythms and togetherness. Hand drumming is another strong rhythmic will and co-operation activity practiced regularly.
 
As part of the Rome Main Lesson, we began a study of Latin. Mother of the Romance languages (Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Romanian), Latin is also a key influence in the development of English. The students have been delighted to recognise this. As one student exclaimed, "This is amazing! I can actually (understand) this!". Anyone who speaks more than one language knows that each language has its own genius, or feel, allowing the speaker to think differently in different languages. What better way to understand the Romans than to speak, read, recite and sing in their language, with the side benefit of understanding our own language better, and increasing our vocabulary by doing so!

Class 6 also began black and white drawing this term, such a great metaphor for their pre-adolescent mindset.

Our next Main Lesson is a study of Minerology/Geology which we will combine with Platonic Solids. Such riches to be fossicked!

William Keyte
Class 6 Teacher

Class 7 Bush Regeneration

24/2/2020

 
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Huge thanks to Maximo Bottaro, Tashi Maizey, Matthew Stanley and Michael Martin from Reforest Now (pictured above), who made the planting a hole lot easier with their augers!

With the arrival of the rain, our Class 7 students began a month-long gardening block, in which they will plant close to 2000 native shrubs and trees – part of a 20-year bush regeneration project that has transformed the School's degraded creek-side and agricultural land into a wildlife refuge.

"The students are learning how to address climate change by increasing the carbon-capturing capacity of the soil," said project coordinator and bush regenerator Nadia de Souza Pietramale. "We are using the school grounds as a giant class room, in which computers and books are replaced with wheel barrows, and shovels."
The students get out their gumboots and gloves every afternoon after lunch, for more than an hour of planting with the help of their teachers and the School bush regeneration team.

Students Thea and Amy said planting trees made them feel good. "It makes us feel like we can make a change and, by being proactive regarding climate change, we can give ourselves and others hope for our future environment." These same students had previously expressed their despair for the future. "Right now at 12 years of age we already don’t want to envision our future. We are afraid that its already too late. So we are begging you to listen and more importantly take heed of what we say."

This year, the School’s bush regeneration focus will be on extending the flood plain plant community, which is swamp sclerophyll forest - an important habitat for koalas and many other local wildlife species. This project is part of the development of a wildlife corridor across the campus from the east to the north-west, where it will join established plantings on the western boundary of the property. When completed in the next few years, this wildlife corridor will be almost 2km long. 

This year, the students will also add understory plants to areas planted in previous years. These will include indigenous bush food species such as Davidson's Plum, Small-leaved Tamarind, Native Ginger and Midginberry.
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Sourcing our Trees
But trees are not for free. The 2020 Shearwater tree planting project has been made possible with incredible community support including the following donations: 1000 trees from Reforest Now (who also came in with four augers and dug all the holes for the project!); 230 plants from Burringbar Rainforest Nursery; six trucks of mulch from Rainforest 4 Foundation, and a grant from the NSW Government’s Biodiversity Conservation Trust that will buy another 250 trees and fertiliser; with additional support from Mullumbimby Rural Cooperative. Shearwater's Primary School children, who propagate bush food plants in the school nursery, have grown another 250 trees to go in the ground.

The ongoing management of the reforestation of the School grounds is a huge job that is supported by the school administration. "All planting and maintenance of the trees follows sustainable, organic and biodynamic land management principles," said Nadia.

"We will cover all the gaps between the trees with biomass, such as pruned branches and palm fronds - resources abundant in the School grounds. This organic material will suppress grass growth. It will also feed soil micro-organisms such as the mycorrhizal fungi which make minerals and other nutrients available to the plants in exchange for the sugars produced by the trees through photosynthesis. Nature is cooperation in action!"

"We hope that this becomes a model for managing young forests, where waste biomass covers the forest floor, feeding the soil, reducing waste burning, and controlling weeds. As we cover the grounds with biomass, we increase the capacity of the soil to hold water, which also increases carbon storage. For some species such as bandicoots this ground cover will create habitat.

"The process of returning biomass to the earth also restores the intelligence in the soil, assisting the trees to catch carbon to their full capacity, helping to restore the solar balance on earth and reducing the risks of climate change."

Focus on Sustainability

13/2/2020

 
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The excitement of returning to school was evident in the happiness and anticipation bubbling over in the High School corridors and classrooms last week. A renewed enthusiasm for learning was evident to their teachers, as was the growth and change that the summer holiday break brings.
 
On the first day back, after gathering with their Guardians in the morning, the whole High School assembled in the Hall for a dynamic teacher-led presentation on sustainability in the School. The aim was to introduce new initiatives, promote the Enviro Club and to provide a potent reminder of our individual responsibilities to protect the natural world.
 
In this period of their development, adolescents respond positively when presented with aspirations and ideals that provide them with sustenance for their journey to adulthood. In this gradual development of sound judgement, founded on clear thinking, we must also ensure that accompanying actions are implemented to address change. This process assists our young adults to form a relationship between their inner lives and the outer world.
 
Shearwater has recently joined the Sustainable Schools Network and is participating in an environmental and film project recently launched by Steiner Education Australia. Expect further news and announcements on a range of sustainability initiatives for 2020!

Gillian Rogers
High School Coordinator

PDHPE

12/2/2020

 
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Term 1 started with some challenging weather for our physical activities at Shearwater - hot and wet! That didn't deter our competitors at the High School Swimming carnival, which saw some record-breaking swims. Twenty students will be attending the North Coast Independent Schools (NCIS) swimming regional competition on  March 5, at Alstonville, where we are hoping to see some qualifiers for the state event later this term.

Outside of the pool, most classes are working on their teamwork skills, with a variety of games in PE lessons, such as volleyball, Ultimate Frisbee, futsal, basketball and dodgeball. This has included discussion about the history, rules, technique, importance, social aspect, aims, similarities and differences of these games.

In the Primary School, we are looking forward to a year of cooperation, activity and movement in our PDHPE program. Students will be participating in the NCIS regional events for cross country and athletics, along with  Bothmer Gymnastics and Spaghetti Circus for upper Primary students.

The aim in the Primary School is to provide whole class activities that are developmentally appropriate and inclusive of all levels and abilities. The focus will be enjoyment, fitness, spatial awareness, balance and improving physical ability.

PDHPE Teacher Magnum Brotto and Primary School Coordinator Cathy Jones

Class 1 Crossing the Bridge Ceremony

12/2/2020

 
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The first day of the year for our Primary School is always busy and bustling with expectations and excitement. After each student reunites with their teacher and classmates, the whole Primary School gather together to welcome Class 1. This year, the strings teachers played while the Class 1 children crossed the bridge with their teachers Maria and Heather and their assistants Emma and Karin. Each Class 1 child was greeted by a Year 12 student who presented them with a rose and accompanied them to their classroom, where they were welcomed with songs by the rest of the Primary School. 

Shearwater's Crossing the Bridge ceremony brings the youngest and oldest students of our K-12 school together at the beginning of each year. The growth that takes place between these stages of development is remarkable to see. Many of the older students (as well as parents and teachers) remember back to their first day of school - the crossing of a threshold, and are able to reflect on how much they have grown and learned in the intervening years. 

We welcome all our Class 1 children and their parents to the Shearwater Primary School and we wish them well as they begin the next phase of the journey through their child's school life.

Catherine Jones
Primary School Coordinator

Kindergarten

11/2/2020

 
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​Birdsong and Hummingbee Kindergartens were buzzing with excitement last week, as the children and their parents enjoyed getting to know each other and their new Kindy environment, during our orientation week.
​The lovingly prepared spaces were filled with a mood of warmth and happiness as the children enthusiastically helped to fluff and puff the wool for their rest time pillows, and mums and dads leant their hands to some embroidery. Songs were shared and a lovely puppet story told. It  was wonderful to see the children recreating their own puppet show stories during their free play time, proof of the power of imitation!

In Kindergarten, the children are active 'doers' and over the coming weeks and months they will have the opportunity to participate in meaningful will-strengthening tasks such as cleaning, cooking, gardening, and woodwork.

The many artistic experiences offered, including painting, drawing, craft work, beeswax modelling, circle games, music, songs and stories, will all help to nurture and enhance the children’s own innate imagination. Creative free play both inside the Kindy rooms and outside in the playground will provide plenty of opportunities for developing social skills and individual expression.

All of these activities form strong daily, weekly, and seasonal rhythms helping the children to feel secure and participate with joy and a growing sense of confidence in themselves and the world around them.
 
We warmly welcome all our Kindergarten families and are very much looking forward to sharing a wonder-filled year with you all!
 
Jane Michaelis
Early Childhood Coordinator


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