Class 6 news
In Class Six Art lessons, the students have been learning how to use the contrast of light and dark to create form and depth without the use of colour.
Matt
Sunflower Kindergarten Winter Festival
The Sunflower Kindergarten has been busy the last few weeks preparing for our winter festival. We have sewn snug warm, woollen beanies; painted, cut, glued, twisted, sanded and oiled to shine up our winter lanterns; gone hunting pumpkins for warming winter soup, which we delivered to the canteen pixie; and gathered pinecones and wood for the fire. Such hard working hands, and warm hearts.
Kindy Rose Winter Festival
In the dark cold days,
There shines a light,
To make my heart,
So pure and bright.
The Kindergarten students attended and observed the beautiful Class 3 Spiral Walk. We entered into the darkness of the room where the spiral walk was to commence. We walked past the seasonal table and finally through to the wonder of the laid out spiral. In the centre of the spiral, a single shining light flickered adding to the mood felt by the students. The reverence we felt as we quietly entered and settled while watching and waiting for Class 3 to enter will forever remain with the students. As each Class 3 student walked very slowly and carefully through the spiral to light their candle, I glanced at each Kindergarten face transfixed on the slow inner journey of the Class 3 students holding their apple. It was truly very special and as the seeds in the apples that the students carried, I saw in the Kindergarten students at that moment the seeds of potential waiting for when it would be their turn to walk the spiral. We watched until Class 3 completed their spiral walk and left as quietly as they had arrived. The Kindergarten student then quietly walked around the outside of the spiral, past each flickering candle to the most remarkable music, leaving with the rain drizzling down, reminding us all that Winter is indeed on the way. Thank you Class Three for allowing us to share this moment with you.
A Kindy Perspective on Winter Festival
My son in Rose Kindy returned home from school last week full of wonder at what he had experienced that day, which was witnessing Class 3 do their spiral walk. The darkness of the room, the beauty of the violin, the foliage of the spiral, the candles lighting up one by one as each child took their turn to walk into the centre and return again to the circle of the class. He took it all in and enacted with slow steps and eyes closed what he observed in those just a few years above him. It was a big step for the youngest children in the school to be invited into the quiet of the Movement Room and to bear witness to another class’s festival, and now he cannot wait until he is old enough for it to be his turn. It is very precious as a parent to observe a spirit of reverence being cultivated in your child. Thank you to Jenny, Kim, Emily and Lizzie, and to Class 3 for giving them the opportunity to experience the quiet of Winter Solstice. – Alix
Class 6 News
Class 6 completed their studies of Astronomy this week with the presentation of projects to their classmates. Many of the projects were on planets from our solar system including Eris – a dwarf planet.
Other topics were drawn from a bank of questions that the students came up with at the beginning of the Main Lesson such as ‘What is Space?’ and ‘What is Gravity?’. Black holes, Time and Comets were other topics of interest.
Matt
Kindergarten Rose
As the season slowly emerges into early winter and quite suddenly turns cooler, we have been working together to bring the images of winter into our class. The children have made beanies and are currently making their lanterns. Even the gnomes have made an entrance with beards being created and enacted. The students each day have created a puppet play and we gather together to hear the story so carefully organised by the children and watch as it unfolds. The stories have all been of gnomes and fairies, which fits so snugly into all of the Fairy houses that have been popping up outdoors. Winter songs around the circle and stories of winter have also evolved, threading their way into students play and discussions. The students have created a song which they love to sing throughout the day.
Here it is:
Winter’s coming, winters coming,
Mushrooms coming through.
Can’t you feel the chill in the air,
Each and every day.
Class 5 News
The students of Class Five worked on individual projects during School at Home. The projects were a part of the “First Fleet” Main Lesson and are very diverse, reflecting the children’s area of interest.
The class have been presenting their work to their classmates during the week.
Prue
Class 3 News
Class Three have been hearing Old Testament stories at home and have been learning about measurement and construction at school. Here is some of their beautiful work, Naina
Class 5 news
The 18th Century returns for a day in Class 5. We have been learning about life in the 1800s as part of our Mai Lesson. Today we’ve had a lot of fun dressing up as people who lived in the time of the arrival of the First Fleet.
Prue
Class 6 News
Class Six finished a Main Lesson on creative writing where we studied examples of great poetry, learnt about poetic imagery and wrote our own poems inspired by the natural world. Part of the main lesson was experienced at home and the rest was back here at school. It felt like a time of heightened sensitivity and awareness of nature’s beauty and our love and connection with the world.
Matthew Reynolds
The Sly Snake by Jasmine
Shadow by Elise
Fire by Ella
Class 6 News
A selection of Autumn watercolour paintings done by Class 6 with Eleni.
Class 5 news
Class 5 enjoyed a lovely morning with Deva Premal and Miten in support of their Ancient India lesson.
Our heartfelt thanks to Deva Premal and Miten.
Namaste!
Class 1 2020 Rose Ceremony
A lovely class 1 welcome ceremony.
Class 1 News
On Friday, Dec 6th James took Class One on a fun excursion to the Cape Byron Lighthouse and Wategos Beach. It was a lovely warm summer day and the class walked down from the lighthouse along the path and spotted turtles swimming and a pod of dolphins jumping in the waves. Two by two the children, James and a few parent helpers walked out to the most easterly point where we observed the breaking waves on the rocks and felt the enormous energy of the sea. We then ate lunch under the canopy of the trees at Wategos, had a skip along the beach, discovered rock pools and splashed in the waves on the shoreline.
Kindergarten
In Kindergarten, we have had the pleasure of hosting two work placement students, Annette and Henrietta from Norway. They are visiting the Kindergarten for five weeks. You may see them also visiting classrooms throughout the school. Annette and Henrietta have brought with them, Norwegian stories and verses which they are sharing with the children in Kindergarten during story and circle time. Annette and Henrietta have also been sharing songs and words in Norwegian. Both students have been helping in the routines of Kindergarten and enjoying our children and our wonderful community. Last week along with the children, they were fortunate enough to see a Koala visiting high up in a tree and also some chicks that visited Kindergarten.
Class 5 Play
Class Five presented their play ‘The Light of Isis & Osiris’ at the end of term three in an evening performance for families and friends. There were a number of children who stepped up to the challenge of a main role and everyone in the whole class shared their stagecraft and enjoyment of theatre throughout the entire play. The colourful set and bright costumes were very stunning and helped to create an atmosphere of Egyptian authenticity. The level of cooperation in the work behind the scenes helped it all run smoothly much to the enjoyment of the audience. Well done Class 5!
Matt – Class 5 Teacher
Class 1 News
To welcome the Spring, Class 1 held a Wattle Ball. We heard a story, sang, recited poetry and danced the “Wattle Polka” in order to celebrate the change in our local environment. The blooming of the wattle is important to Indigenous Australians and gives an indication for Bundjalung People
that hunting the Eastern Long Neck Turtle should cease as this is the time which marks the beginning of the turtle’s breeding season.
The children made wattle crowns and necklaces in preparation for the day and were accompanied on the violin by Ayla, Coco, River and Nina from Class 6.
What a beautiful way to welcome spring and the class will be performing this dance at the Spring Fair this Saturday.
James – Class 1 Teacher
Congratulations to CBRSS’ Class 5 Basketball Team
Primary basketball team ‘The Bandits’ featuring ten girls from Class 5 competed and won in the Byron Bay Basketball Association Finals at the local Cavanbah centre last Monday night.
This season was their first ever. They played well all season building a strong team relationship and having lots of fun.
Monday nights’ game started out well for the Bandits with a clear lead, but after half time their opponents ‘The Black Queens’ came back in full force and by the last quarter we were tied. As nerve racking as it was, our girls managed to pull themselves together and created a clear lead once again in time for the final buzzer (24:18). Congratulation girls! I am very proud and amazed to see such camaraderie so early in their development.
Coach Kasper Hagen
Go Bandits!!
KINDERGARTEN NEWS
The Kindergarten children have just finished creating felted soap and wooden soap holders as gifts. The children have worked for many weeks on rasping, sanding and waxing their pieces of wood. The wood was sourced from the Melaleuca Trees near the Vegetable Garden. The trees were originally planted over ten years ago by students who are no longer at our school. After completing their gifts, the children visited the Melaleuca Trees to gather the paperbark to wrap their gifts. Whilst on our excursion to the trees, Gavin visited and shared his memories of the trees being planted.
We have had several parents visiting on Friday mornings to garden. The children were very keen and enthusiastic to help weed, dig and lay large rocks to shape the garden. Bricks were wheelbarrowed over to the garden and the children helped to bed them into a spiral design in preparation of a sensory garden. Mulch has been added and strawberries planted. The gardening project will continue over the next few Fridays.
Class 3 News
Earlier this term, Class 3 went on camp to Lamington National Park. The children enjoyed sitting around the campfire, bushwalking, seeing two thousand year-old Antarctic Beech trees, flying through the air on a forest flying fox, spotlight walking in the night to find nocturnal animals, walking blindfolded through the forest, seeing spectacular views and being in nature with friends for three days. What a wonderful adventure we had together!
Anna
Class 3 Teacher
Class 2 News
Class Two has just finished learning about people, who through their compassion and kindness during their lifetime, are now considered saints. There were big acts; such as giving away all their worldly goods to serve the sick and poor, and little acts; such as allowing a blackbird to build a nest in your hand. So often in the stories the animals came close, to serve (like the two otters who warmed St Columba’s cold feet), or to be close. The children responded beautifully to these examples of humaness and the call we all have within us.
Naina
Class Two Teacher
Class 5 News
In our current main lesson we are learning about the inland exploration of Australia, the history and geography of our land. Working in small groups, the children are researching a particular explorer and their expeditions. Each group is preparing a lesson to teach the rest of the class, and is working from a list of supplies to calculate how much food and water they are consuming and how the weight of it can be shared evenly in the packsaddles of their horses or camels.
This theme will continue in our upcoming camp at Gibraltar Ranges National Park where we will experience the landscape in a very practical way – walking, camping and exploring the landscape.
Matt
Class 5 Teacher
Class 2 news
Class Two went on their very first excursion out to Ann Poulson’s (Class 5 teacher) farm in Burringbar. The children drew from nature, fed a lovely herd of black and white show cows and observed, groomed and interacted with a small herd of horses. Watching how each child approached a horse, braving their fear, and experiencing their joy, when a large animal responded to them was fantastic! It was such fun to be out and about with the class. They were so respectful, well mannered, joyful and appreciative. Steiner teachers are one lucky group of professionals.
Naina
Class Two Teacher
Class 6 News
Class 6 Main Lesson
This year in term 2 and 3, Class 6 have been learning about Physics, Acoustics, Optics, Warmth and Magnetism. We have explored multiple different experiments including what hot and cold do to substances and materials, how heat travels and what creates heat. For the experiment showing what hot and cold do to substances we had 4 people. Two people put their hands in ice cold water and the other two in warm water. They all tried tying their shoelaces and had a race to see who could tie their shoelaces the fastest. The warm water team beat the cold team. The warm team’s time was 7-8 seconds and the other was 17-24 seconds.
Another experiment was when we poured some food dye into hot and cold water. The dye in the cold water kept its beautiful pouring shape and the dye in the hot water dissolved very quickly and evenly in the water.
Physics is fun!
Malia and Isla
The Writers Festival
Last week on the 31st of July we went to the Writers Festival. We listened to Isabelle Carmody and John Flannagan talk about their experiences as children’s authors.
Isabelle Carmody is the author of The Little Fur Series, stories about a loving little elf-troll who cares for her animal companions. Isabelle has also written many other books, one of which included 1000 pages!! Isabelle told us stories about her family and childhood. She talked about her daughter and how she inspired her for many stories. Isabelle Carmody was inspiring and interesting and I think the whole class enjoyed listening to her.
We also heard from John Flannagan the author of the well known Ranger’s Apprentice Series. He told us that his are published in 12 different languages in 25 different countries! We were all very impressed. It was a great day
River