Bulletin

Hello everyone,

Our very busy term has come to a lovely end with many special activities happening in and around the school in the last two weeks. Our Winter festivals have been lovely celebrations of this very special part of our annual journey. In the High School, our Year 9 and 10 students beautifully showcased their elective work this week and tonight is our annual Bush Dance (organised by our hard-working Class 5 and 6 parents).

In addition to this, we have had the very great privilege of having Valentine Wember in our school this week. Valentine Wember is an extremely highly experienced Steiner Teacher who has spent many years deeply researching in relation to Steiner Education. He has published a number of wonderful books and is a very gifted speaker. Valentine has given talks, joined our study group, met with teachers, the Chairs of the College of Teachers and the leadership team and has even found the time to work with a couple of our teachers individually. Next week, Valentine will be the keynote speaker at the National Steiner Teachers’ Conference, which is a booked-out event being held in our school next week. We are so very lucky to have had time with Valentine this week.

On another night, an absolute highlight this week was when two of our wonderful art teachers, Denis and Eleni came to present the school with the magnificent artworks they have created in recognition of 100 years of Steiner Education. Eleni created a magnificent charcoal portrait of Rudolf Steiner, capturing the love and wisdom that Steiner brought to the world. Denis created a sculpture of Rudolf Steiner which deeply evokes Steiner’s wisdom, authority and great will in creating the foundations for Steiner Education in the world. The sculpture of Steiner contains the beautiful quote, “Teachers are Sculptors of Souls.”
I was moved to tears by the beauty of these two magnificent works of art and they will take pride of place down in the hall whilst the conference is on.

I wish you all a safe and enjoyable term break and look forward to seeing all our students back bright, healthy and well-rested next term. (Our teachers will all still be here next week, attending the conference – their rest is still just a little way off.

Peace, Nerrida

Hello everyone,

(Written on Friday) As I write this, preparations are underway for our Winter Festivals. These are always very special festivals in the school calendar and mark an important moment in the yearly cycle. On this “darkest night” we take a moment to pause quietly an experience this inner moment of stillness. In Australia, our experience of the winter dark is a little more subtle than that felt by our European friends where mid winter can mark days of very little light at all. Here, we need to sense a little more keenly to feel the quiet and stillness of being “with ourselves” at this time of the year. I know that our teachers have been planning for a beautiful, reverent festival and I hope you are able to sense into the moment.

This will be the first Winter Festival I have missed in my years at the school, however my healing from recent surgery is not yet at a point when I can venture out into the community. Please know I will be with you all in spirit.

I was talking with some parents recently and they asked me about my own teaching background. I realised that I am now in my 7th year at the school and many parents have arrived in our community since then – so it is probably timely for me to re-introduce myself to our community. I am a teacher (both State and Steiner trained) with over 20 years of teaching experience, teaching from Kindergarten through to Year 10. I have worked in Steiner schools in Victoria and New South Wales (where I also took on leadership roles including as the Chair of the College of Teachers and member of the Management Team) and spent several years in Papua New Guinea, teaching and training local teachers. I have been a Director on the Board of Steiner Education Australia for 5 years now and assisted with the writing of the National Steiner Curriculum (English). I have delivered workshops and lectures on Steiner Education around Australia and at the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland. I am absolutely passionate about Steiner Education and our amazing and beautiful school at Cape Byron. I very much miss my role in the classroom, but now enjoy supporting teachers and our community to ensure our school continues to thrive.

I welcome communication with members of our school community. If you have not yet had the opportunity to say hello to me, please do come and introduce yourself to me at school, call or send me an email to say hello. (As I am not yet able to be back at school – an email is the best way to say hello at the moment). I welcome your feedback and suggestions.

Peace
Nerrida