​There is nothing like the smell of crisp mountain air and the sound of skis and boards carving through fresh snow – at the start of this term, Year 7 finally made it to their snow camp!

For most of the students, this was their first experience in Australia’s alpine region of the Snowy Mountains, and they certainly made the most of the opportunity. After plenty of warnings of cold and icy weather, we were met by blue skies and beautiful sun shining down on us throughout our days on the snow.

All the students skied or snowboarded at Thredbo, strapped on some snowshoes and cross country skis at Perisher and succumbed to fits of uncontrollable laughter during the daily snowball fights.  There is nothing like seeing pure joy radiate from the faces of our students with the Snowy Mountains as their background.

On our return journey, we visited Parliament House for a tour and education session.  We arrived the day before the current sitting of Parliament so there was plenty of activity in and around the building.  We were even treated to members of the armed forces practising their marching in formation in preparation for the ceremonies.

One of the highlights of the Year 7 camp is the opportunities it provides for the students to come together as one class and spend time with their new Guardians, who will guide them through their five years of High School. We would like to thank April, Sarah and Tom for all their support and the care and warmth they showed to the kids throughout the camp.


Penny Martin and Anja Grapentin
Class 7 Teachers

​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

PICS by Jala and Endre


Pele Moments by Ellen Bartlett
The boat sits low in the water. Low enough to make us feel like we are sitting in the gentle lap of the sea. The deep, quiet thrum of the motor, constant and reassuring, reminding us that we are dry, safe, and privileged. Pushing us forward to new places yet to be experienced. A random handful of people, happy, satisfied, and on the start of their journey to contentment.
 
Today we danced. We danced at dusk on the sand, feeling the weight of the night slowly sink over us. Heat emanating from the center of the circle, warming over our bodies and our spirits. Taking us to a place of familiar unknown, bringing back nostalgia and filling in the empty slots with new dance. Movement compact with decades of culture and centuries of warm-hearted generosity. Different people from every way the wind blows brought together by the warm light of the fire that the soil is always craving. Sparks of joy flying, crackles of curiosity flickering and our energy slowly, slowly, burning.

Children by Finn Morris and Yanik Scheffers
 The kids are full of energy and quickly grow attached to you, they are often bustling with excitement from the moment you wake to even late at night. Each family has at least two children who are introduced to us as our siblings.

The family we stayed with was large and we had many younger siblings between us. Ronny our eight-year-old brother was constantly demanding attention and always wanted to play a game, Jaylene our youngest sister, somewhere between the age of five and six, was extremely shy and would attach herself to Yanik and I, then cling for as long as she could. Rex, our smallest brother was hands-down the cutest kid on the island. He spent the first few days with us but soon left for the mainland with his father.

Taz and Ariel’s house was a hub for the younger kids and was nearly always surrounded, which at times did get irritating. Due to the language barrier, it was sometimes difficult to communicate boundaries and ask them questions but the majority of the time it wasn't a huge problem.
 
Hard at Work by Finn Morris and Yanik Scheffers
The first days on the worksite, consisted of trips down the island shorelines collecting coral for the wall; mixing concrete; constructing the framework for roofs and putting together the window frames. The first half of the day, most of the class would come and go between the worksite and their bungalows, although some worked constantly, only resting when lunch came around. After lunch, there was usually a solid hour before everyone would have to return for the afternoon meeting. At these meetings there was often a firm pep talk from Nick, followed by a solid 15 minutes of hard work from the class before everyone would scatter across the island.

When the building was nearing completion more kids jumped on board to help finish off the building - carvings were engraved into the coral walls, patterns were chiseled into the wooden support beams and the final nails were hit into place.

Banners, flowers, and ribbons decorated the building when it reached completion, the islanders laid out an enormous feast of traditional meals along a huge centre table. After a two-hour ceremony of appreciation for the community's new meeting place, the feast commenced. The class lined up first and tried to fill their plates with the most recognisable foods. After us, the entire island began to gather around and form long spiraling lines.

During our time on Pele Island, it was clear to see just how much the building meant to the community. From the workers' dedicated enthusiasm to the project to the sheer joy expressed when the building reached completion - they saw the entire experience as a gift. In 12 days our class helped to create a building that would serve the community and bring joy for years to come.
 
 

​This year marks the centenary of Steiner education and more than 1100 schools around the globe are marking the occasion with a range of projects and initiatives.
 
As part of the Waldorf 100 celebrations, 12 students from Shearwater, the Mullumbimby Steiner school will be unravelling the big questions of our times at a national youth conference, hosted by Brisbane’s Samford Valley Steiner School, this week.
 
The conference will bring together senior students from Steiner schools around Australia, to explore social renewal, with a focus on racism and prejudice; divisions and world conflict; indigenous perspectives; minority groups; Australian and world-wide responses to refugees; the environment and sustainability; education and imagining the future; and the role of the arts, money and ethical business.
 
The students will spend three days immersed in workshops as diverse as moral technologies, living with bees, pliable ethical urbanism, refugees and art, indigenous perspectives, mural painting and song writing.
 
Year 10 students Hanini Schembri and Elzie Bambach who have just returned from a two-week camp to Vanuatu said they were all about expanding their horizons.
 
“My intention for this year is to take every opportunity that’s given to me,” said Elzie.
 
Hanini, who plans to become a Steiner teacher when she finishes school, said Steiner education may have its roots in the past but its focus is strongly on the future and preparing students for the world beyond school. “I would have to say the camps are a highlight – getting out of your comfort zone and having these amazing experiences with your class.”
 
“It’s like being part of a family,” added Elzie.
 
The first Steiner school opened in 1919 in the German city of Stuttgart. It was built at the Waldorf-Astoria cigarette factory, and its students were the children of the factory workers seeking a new approach to education following the devastation of World War 1.
 
With its emphasis on social renewal, it’s no surprise that Mullumbimby is home to one of Australia’s biggest Steiner schools. Shearwater will be celebrating 100 years of Steiner education at its annual Spring Fair on Saturday between 10am and 3pm. The fair will feature live music and entertainment, delicious food stalls, and crafts and activities for the whole family, including candle making, Sideshow Alley, spring garland weaving, a Wearable Arts showcase, Monster Raffle and one of the event’s highlights, the Spring Fair Busking Competition, which will again bring some of the most exciting emerging musical talent, from high schools around the region, to the stage.

Some of the most distinctive memories from school life for most students are their class camps. Hopefully, Class 6 will remember their wonderful trip to Fraser Island and all that they experienced and learnt there.

Camps provide students with increased self esteem, independence, resilience and social learning. Students become more actively engaged in their education when they have the opportunity to learn in the real-world context of a camp.

Class 6 participated in a wide variety of activities including horse riding, bush tucker walks, raft building, hiking, archery and sea kayaking as well as eco-tours and educational talks from the rangers. They visited Kingfisher Bay, Lake McKenzie, Eli Creek, Central Station, the Maheno Shipwreck and the coloured sands at the Cathedrals. One of the many highlights for them was seeing a pair of young dingoes stealing beach towels from tourists and running away with them through Eli Creek.

Since our return to school the students have created a camp book with recounts of each day. They have also written a report about Fraser Island based on all the things they saw, heard, experienced and learnt. Most of them have also completed either a persuasive essay or a discussion on whether Fraser Island should have its name changed back to K’gari. This was the original name given to the island by the Butchella people and it means paradise.

Here is an example of a short discussion piece written by Otto:
 
Mist and haze surrounds the debate on whether Fraser Island should be actually called K’gari. There are different viewpoints about this potential change. K’gari is the traditional name given by the Butchella people of the island. Our “white” name for K’gari is Fraser Island and it was given this name because of Eliza Fraser who was stranded on the island with her husband in the early 1800’s. Her husband died on the island and she was taken by the Butchella people.

When Eliza went back to England after being rescued she apparently made money by telling horrific stories about how the Butchella people treated her. So the press dubbed K’gari Fraser Island. Many believe that K’gari should not be named after the Fraser family because they did nothing for the island and maybe Eliza lied to get money. But maybe in Eliza’s eyes she really was treated badly by the Butchella and they killed her husband so she deserved the money.

Also, Fraser Island is known for tourism, so changing the name would affect this and the island may lose money.
So, all in all, whatever we call this beautiful island we need to protect it no matter what and care for it.

Our Year 9s have recently returned from an epic three-week journey around the Northern Territory. The first four days were spent travelling on the bus, stopping only to eat and sleep. It was a character building time, often arriving at in the dark, setting up camp, cooking for 55 people, eating, washing up, sleeping, waking before dawn, packing up and leaving. The first night we stayed at a free camp site where we set up camp in the dark not realizing that it was a day picnic area. At 1am the sprinklers went off soaking all the tents. There was much moving of tents and ducking and weaving the fountains of water - luckily most of us saw the funny side.

Our first actual destination was Bitter Springs at Mataranka (pictured above). We stayed for two days in a beautiful camp spot a short walk away from most wonderful hot springs. A crystal clear stream that carried you down stream to a bridge, where you got out and walked back to either do it again or soak in it’s nutrient rich warm waters. The students loved it!

A couple of days later we headed off to Litchfield National Park where we spent two days. During this time we swam at Buley Rock Waterhole and had a talk from the rangers about crocodiles and termite mounds. Later in the day, we walked to Florence Falls where we also swam, getting the students to buddy up for safety in the large swimming hole.

We then headed up to Darwin, stopping at Berry Springs, yet another beautiful swimming hole. In Darwin, we went to the War Museum and the Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory, where we had a excellent talk from the curator and saw the stunning Yidaki exhibition.

The following day, we all enjoyed the Big Buoy Water Park, before heading to the Trailer Boat Club for a great dinner overlooking the beach sunset.

Our next destination was Kakadu. In Ubirr we took in the magnificent rock art sites as well as the incredible view from the escarpment over Kakadu wetlands. One of the highlights of the camp was the Wetlands tour where we saw huge crocodiles and many varieties of birds. The students participated in workshops with a local indigenous  family. The boys made didgeridoos and clap sticks under the guidance of Travis, while the girls learnt how to make bangles with Mandy, beginning with harvesting pandanus palm leaves to make thread and learning how to dye the thread using natural dyes. Later we enjoyed some excellent damper that they had brought and shared our lunch with them.

After Kakadu, we headed to Katherine Gorge and the Nitmuluk National park. We swam at Edith Falls, stopped at Katherine Thermal pools, and went to the Cutta Cutta Caves (meaning place of many stars). We took a ferry through the gorge and some of the students did a challenging walk back to camp.

The camp was amazing and such a journey of growth for the students and staff alike. One we will remember for the rest of our lives with gratitude and wonder.
 
April and Tony
Year 9 Guardians

Last week, our Year 12 students took a break from school and their busy schedules and spent three days together, down at Lennox Head, participating in workshops on stress management and relaxation, as well as time management and study skills. There were a range of speakers, who all had words of wisdom to share. A highlight was hearing stories from previous Shearwater graduates. It was inspiring to hear proof that if you work hard and follow your passion you can achieve anything you want.
 
There were sunrise beach walks, chess challenges, lake swims, a movie under the stars and even a puppet show. A lot of delicious food was eaten, as students lovingly took turns to cook for their peers.
 
We returned to school with increased enthusiasm and motivation for what lies ahead - ready to commit to trying our best over the coming months, and remember to enjoy the journey.
 
Anna Delzoppo and Oren Shemesh
Year 12 Guardians

Year 8 has just returned from a magical camp on beautiful North West Island, surrounded by pristine turquoise waters and an amazing reef. We observed turtles nesting, walked around the island, snorkelled and went tubing and skurfing behind the school boat. The students created wearable art garments from nature and the recycling bin. Billy ran 120 kms - 25 times around the island in one day! We saw tiger sharks, lion-fish and octopi and swam with stingrays and turtles, and we discovered many other species of fish.

We tried to save some of the shearwater birds from the pisonia or "birdcatcher" tree (the seeds of which are so sticky they are known for fatally entangling birds seeking insects that feed on the fruit) and nursed chicks blown out of the nest after a windy night.
 
We were accompanied by a excellent team of teachers and parents, who shared their skills and knowledge with the students. Greg, one of Shearwater’s maintenance crew, who also happens to be a marine biologist, shared a wealth of information about marine life and currents, as well as information on the reef and the changes brought about by climate change. Josh organized an epic treasure hunt, which sent the students running all over the island to find clues. Grant shared his knowledge of turtles and sea birds and engaged the students in a guessing game as to how many loggerheads and green turtles nested on the island each night. Emma brought a wealth of outdoor education skills to the camp, from sun safety to snorkeling to volleyball and cricket and the ‘Ooga Booga’ game! (You had to be there!). Anna fed us sumptuous camp food from sushi, curry, dips and crackers to pancakes, rice paper rolls and cacciatore. Nick was the man who had everything camping and fishing (and a sewing kit) and Margaret and Luke were a gentle but firm support throughout and always there when we needed them.
 
A hearty thank you to all our remarkable students and our wonderful team.

​April Galetti and Tony Van den Driest
Year 8 Guardians

Class 7 formally graduated from Primary School last week, with a ceremony to hand students from both classes over to their new High School Guardians, Gabrielle and Justin, who will guide, mentor and be responsible for their pastoral care for the next five years. The event celebrated the completion of the Primary School journey and acknowledged and witnessed the passage of these students from Primary to High School.

Fresh from a combined camp to Moreton Island, the two classes enjoyed plenty of opportunities to build new connections, alongside their Class Teachers and new Guardians. One of the camp's highlights was the Island Wearable Art challenge where groups worked to create garments made of found items from nature, exhibiting astonishing creativity, terrific team work and great care and attention to detail. A blazing catwalk and guest judges completed the occasion.
 
A wonderful year group full of bubbling potential, we wish them well on their forward journey and thank their Class Teachers Heather Peri, Julieanne Ralph and Sally Davison. Heartfelt thanks also to the parents, staff and students who contributed to making the Class 7 formal an event to remember.

Going to Central Australia with my class was a once in a lifetime experience. It was amazing! I still can’t believe how big and beautiful Uluru is. I think it should be a compulsory journey for everyone to have. People probably think that the long bus trips every day would be the worst part, but surprisingly they were one of the highlights about the camp. I talked to so many more people that I wouldn’t usually talk to and made so many more close friendships with people I would never have expected to connect with. This trip really brought us all together. There were some hard times as well. For example staying overnight by the side of the highway with no running water or toilets. Then in the middle of the night there was a dust storm. At the time it was horrible, but now, looking back at it, its just a funny story to tell everyone. Going on this camp made me realise how we take the little things in life for granted.
I loved seeing different parts of Australia that I hadn’t seen before and all of the different cultures. It has inspired me to travel more of Australia! This camp was amazing! I am jealous of the year 9 class that get to go on this camp next year. I would love to do it again.
Daisy (Year 9)

From sandstorms to 9 hour bus trips, camp was really all about overcoming challenges and obstacles each day. It created opportunities to build existing friendships and to to make new ones which helped to bring different people in our class together. A big part of it was experiencing new parts of the country which many had known about and seen pictures of, but never actually been to. Once we began to get further out west it became quite a shocking reminder of how lucky we are in the Northern Rivers to have clean water, as a large percentage of communities we visited didn’t have that luxury. Over all I think everyone benefited greatly from the experience and although many were glad to be home there were abundant memories made that won’t be forgotten.
Éan (Year 9)
    

Shearwater's Class 6 students have recently undertaken an educational tour of the national capital. Students were given the opportunity to participate in a variety of educational programs with a focus on Australia’s history, culture, heritage and democracy.
The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their civics and citizenship education. To assist the School in meeting the cost of this camp, the Australian Government contributed funding for students under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program. The rebate is paid directly to the School upon completion of the excursion.
We visited the War Memorial, Old Parliament House and the Parliamentary Education Office at Parliament House where the class passed a mock bill for a sustainable alternative energy car and fuel rebate. We then ventured onward to the Snowy Mountains and had an incredible week of skiing where we experienced many different kinds of snow, including fluffy, light snow flakes that landed on eyelashes; small round polystyrene snow flakes;
sleet; icy dagger flakes and stinging and wind-driven icicle flakes!
As well as the snow, we had two lovely days of clear blue skies with deep, soft, easy to ski snow. Everyone (except for one with a sprained ankle), learned to ski or snow board or both, and enjoyed the experience.
Many thanks to everyone who helped make this a memorable journey.
Cathy Jones
Class 6 Teacher

Dawn, and a stunning sunrise on Pele, a small island off the north east coast of Efete, in Vanuatu. Here  to help build a community amenities block and see what we could learn from the local people, our Year 10s arrived by boat in the dark, to a warm welcome.
A well-concealed look of concern from Luke, our parent builder, as he surveyed the work site - a bare patch of sand, as opposed to the promised slab and concrete blocks, albeit with a spectacular view of the neighbouring island of Emoa, to our east, with its extinct volcano and crater lagoon. A clean slate so to speak.
But after church and a fun-filled weekend meeting local families, playing with the young children and orientating ourselves to the village and “suburbs”, John Alfred’s call went out to the young fellows of the village, to extract themselves from their relaxed weekend of World Cup football, and assemble for work.
The concrete work began with the collection of coral sand from the beach, a chemistry lesson in itself, and with much laughter and graceful shovelling (inspired by our years of eurthmy), the slab was poured, blocks made and construction commenced.
While a small but enthusiastic crew rotated on the building site, others did a beach clean up and collected shells and glass for a decorative mosaic on our building.
Afternoons with Anna the local Preschool teacher, were spent weaving baskets and mats from coconut fronds and pandanus and hearing stories of how island life can be affected by the weather, especially extreme events likes Cyclone Pam in 2015 which resulted in food shortages and wiped out the pandanus, thus no woven mats for wedding business.
We helped our host families with food preparation - making lap-lap (grated cassava, yam or banana combined with coconut cream) and grating coconuts for making coconut oil. Apart from the few extras included to cater for our fussy Australian tastes, the people of Pele consume very little in the way of processed food, with the average household only spending around $12 a week on groceries - an eye-opening experience for the students, in comparison to our more extravagant lifestyles. House gardens of island cabbage, papayas, bananas and cassava supplied many of our meals. 
Some of the class set out to try and map the village of Lounamoa, to help our orientation process in this new environment. Offers of gardening trips up the hill manifested into a series of excursions to harvest yams, plant cassava (manioc), kumara (sweet potato) and some advanced coconut seedlings, and before we had the chance to think about being exhausted, there was the standard offer of green coconuts to drink, tops sliced off as quick as they could be picked. Young machete-wielding children offered us ‘navel nuts’ displaying skill and dexterity, mastered from an extremely early age. 
The students spent a couple of days out on a trimaran, scuba diving under the watchful eye of Gerard, Loaki and Peter, off the coast of Efete and Hat Island, where fabled 13th century leader Roymata was buried with his entourage.
Coral regeneration projects at Worisiviu involved making wire cages and concrete pads coated in sand to secure coral shoots for rejuvenating parts of the reef decimated by the crown of thorns starfish - inspiration for further research projects for some students.
Exposed to the south-east trade winds which blow at this time of year, we sought shelter some days on the lee of the island at Piliura where we drank the odd coconut and trained our hermit crabs for racing, gazing across at neighbouring islands and contemplating extending our travels (if only we had more time). Lots of walking, eating largely unrefined foods, exposure to fresh salt air, and plenty of time talking in groups had the class back to a nearly normal social standing.
Another wonderful camp, measured not only by what we take and give, but by what we can learn from these gracious, generous and welcoming people. Thanks once again to all those who support this form of education.
Robert Sutherland
​Year 10 Guardian

Student reflection
Pele Island and all that this new experience embodied gave us precious life long gifts. As we learnt about the culture of the Ni-Vanuatu, our views on the world and humanity expanded. We accomplished this by creating connections, learning from and living with the villagers who inhabited the island. Being suddenly immersed into a completely different environment and culture has its challenges, but also its overwhelming opportunities for personal growth and discovery. As the steady flow of days passed by, each day brought us new insights into their culture, day to day lives, traditional foods, practises and their relationship with each other and the environment. 
One of the first and most significant things I noticed was the village’s incredible sense of community. The islanders all contribute to village life in their own way. From the moment of our arrival this shared characteristic of acceptance and belonging extended to us. We were joyfully welcomed into different families and cared for as if we were their own. This resulted in us sharing a strong bond with our families and their children over the two weeks. Despite the challenges of having a language barrier, we spent time together, getting to know each other, asking questions and sharing laughs. By the end, I can confidently say that many of us felt as if we were leaving a second family. 
Another significant highlight for me was experiencing various forms of traditional Ni-Vanuatu foods. Everyday, we were met with an abundance of paw paw, lap lap, pomela, cassasva, coconut, island cabbage, sweet yam, sweet potato and a range of other foods. Some I enjoyed; others not so much. We even had the opportunity to help them plant some of their root vegetables on a few occasions.
It was interesting to observe the simplistic way of life for people in the community of Pele Island, in the developing country of Vanuatu. It gave us a different perspective on our luxurious lifestyles in Australia. The local people were content with minimal technology (no wifi), locally grown foods from the island, fishing, cooking, looking after their kids, and going to church every Sunday. If anything, it introduced a sense of newfound appreciation and gratitude into our lives, as well as getting us to question what really is of value. 
The two weeks on Pele Island was a profoundly humbling experience, in which I learnt many life lessons from the culture and the islanders. I hope to bring aspects of their beautiful sense of contribution and simplicity into my day to day mindset and life.
​Grace Chance
​Year 10

Nature takes centre stage...
Beauty, simplicity and the power of nature can promote calm, peace and wellbeing. 
Year 7S recently ventured off the beaten track to immerse themselves for a good long week of walking with packs - brimming with supplies they had cooked and dehydrated during the four weeks prior to the camp, into the wilderness of the Guy Fawkes National Park.
Imagine as a 12 to 13 year old, walking for days beside a pristine river, rhythms lulling you into the natural world, where one can take the time to be alone with one's thoughts, and can feel both alive and free. 
The children soon fell in sync with nature. Half of any given day was spent walking, the remainder was about collecting firewood, swimming, exploring and setting up camp. Off to sleep when it was dark. Rising at dawn refreshed and ready to do it all again.
These are powerful experiences that we may have once taken for granted in previous generations. Yet opportunities like these find deep resonance with the youth of today; perhaps all the more pertinent in contrast with the overcrowded busyness of modern life.
Being totally immersed in nature provided opportunities for holistic, inclusive, accessible lessons for all learners -including the adults. Lessons in the bush can be multi-sensory, active, rich and varied, often disrupting the traditional indoor classroom hierarchies and limitations. Left in nature long enough I am sure this happens to us all - after only a few short days the children began to socialise and interact in new and different ways with peers and adults. Detoxing from our comfort zones we met the unpredictable, weathered the uncomfortable, shared songs and stories, forged new friendships and came back having had experiences which can be transformed into new faculties that will continue to unfold.
Many thanks to all our supporters - the families of the students who readied them and sent them off in trust; the adults who came along; the School - which has the courage to make these wilderness adventures possible; and the wider community who helped is with our camp preparation.
Sally Davison
Class 7 Teacher