Class 3M have had a productive and fulfilling year. As we prepare for our first off-site camping experience to Broken Head, we relish all we have experienced together; from overnight classroom sleepovers to completing our craft project and all that lies between!
 
For craft, each child made a beautiful wooden clock to conclude our Time Main Lesson. These clocks represent the timeless qualities of beauty, love and craftsmanship, with which they have been imbued. I personally hope they will adorn our homes for decades to come, if not a lifetime. 

Recently, we completed our Money Main Lesson, in which we explored the bartering systems of earlier civilisations and the complex introduction of the decimal point dividing the dollar from the cent. We finished the lesson with our very own cafe, when we enjoyed the rewards of calculating change in dollars and cents and filling our bellies with good food and homemade lemonade. 

Our weekly gardening lessons have been an integral part of the curriculum this year. Lindsey brings to the children such a warm, calm wholesome experience, for which we are truly grateful. Recently we were blessed to have an excursion to Conscious Ground in Myocum. Here we learnt the importance of regenerative farming techniques within both agricultural and horticultural spheres. During lessons at School we have prepared and distributed biodynamic horn manure formula, stirring magic into the potions which will increase plant immunity, strengthen photosynthesis, and enhance ripening. We have also harvested fresh ingredients and made rice paper rolls.

Our class play Esther Queen of Persia was another highlight of the year. The experience of rehearsing and refining a production can be a challenging yet utterly rewarding experience. We certainly experienced both polarities!

As I review the amazing pastimes of our year together, I am in awe of the gifts these children bring. We achieve so much and experience such beauty here at Shearwater. How lucky we are to spend our days here on magical Bundjalung Land.

Maria Moston
Class 3 Teacher

Working towards a sustainable future is one of our School's strategic goals and children are never too young to start learning how to care for our planet. Recently we began a project to replace all of our disposable sponges with knitted reusable cleaning cloths. Parents and grandparents have enjoyed learning to knit and supporting us to minimise our footprint and the children are proud to use the new cloths for all their busy work.

Daily house duties are very important at Playgroup. These very first steps are an integral part of our educational program. We sweep and scrub the table after baking our bread together. Some children are very focused on their tasks and others need a little more motivation by being brought in gently by their parents or myself. Having the same routine every day helps the children to know what is coming next.

It is wonderful to see so many fathers and grandparents bringing the children to Playgroup, bringing a welcome diversity to our mornings. 

Some of the older children will be heading off to Preschool next year and their play has become more engaging and interactive with each other. It is very exciting to watch their tea parties and creative dressing up becoming richer and more imaginative.

Some of our youngest children have just attempted their very first wet on wet painting; some are making little blue-banded bees out of banksias and fleece and others are painting their completed clay work. What will we do next? Well I’ll keep that as a surprise!
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Carina Halliday
Playgroup Coordinator

The buzz is building at Shearwater and it's not just the bees! With just a week to go until curtains up on WAVE 2022, the high school has hit Term 4 running! Tickets are on sale now for this year's Wearable Arts performance event - the school's 22nd, titled 'Horizons’.
“Amidst all the disruptions of COVID, students and staff pulled off two incredible events over the past two years,” says WAVE Director Josh Rushton. “But in 2022, eyes firmly on the horizon, we look forward to welcoming our audiences back on site to experience WAVE in all its transcendent glory.”

For the first four weeks of Term 4, every year, the Shearwater high school begins to look and sound like an episode of 80s TV drama Fame (or Glee for our milennials).

A highlight of the school’s performing arts calendar, WAVE is embedded in the curriculum  (and also a ton of fun!), with around 200 students taking on roles as dancers, musicians, actors, writers, filmmakers and editors, lighting and audio technicians, carpenters, tailors, set and prop designers and builders, choreographers, photographers, stage hands, models and caterers.

“It's always an exciting moment when the competition garments, created by students, staff and the wider creative community, begin arriving at the school,” says Rushton. 

“In this sense, Shearwater’s Wearable Arts event has built, over more than two decades, a true artistic interface between high school and world. A competition that goes out to the community; a high school production that builds an incredible show around an inspiring theme; and finally the integration of competition entries that brings the show to life.”

The performances will take place in the Shearwater Hall from November 2 to 5. Wed, Thu and Sat performances will commence at 8pm, with refreshments available from 6.30pm. The Fri performance will commence at 6pm. Winners will be announced on opening night. 

Tickets are $35 for adults and $20 for school students, with family options available (not suitable for children under eight years). Book early to avoid disappointment!

Book your tickets via the WAVE website at shearwaterperformingarts.com. All ticketing enquiries to wavetickets@shearwater.nsw.edu.au or phone Shearwater on (02) 6684 3223.​

Congratulations to Year 9 dancer Amani Wiriyanjara, who recently performed the role of Hermia, in the Byron Ballet company's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare. The performance featured Amani's first pas de deux, opposite Zac Healy. She also performed as one of Tatania's fairies for the other two performances.