Andrew Hill, Head of School

Annual Appeal

We end the term and the financial year at almost exactly the same time this year. The COVID-19 crisis has made this term unlike any other term in memory, and, at same time has put many families under extreme financial pressure. Having come through the term and managed our remote learning above and beyond expectations, we now face the task of how we can support those families who need it.

Our EOFY Annual Appeal this year is aimed very specifically at supporting those families who need financial help to maintain their enrolment in the school. You can help by donating to the Glenaeon Foundation.

Your donation to the Glenaeon COVID-19 Bursaries Scholarship Fund will help fund the continuing education of COVID-19 affected students. Our ask is only of families who can support, to help those that can’t. Your little bit goes a long way and if everyone gives what they can afford, we can keep our children learning together.

This year we are aiming to raise $100,000 to help our families. We have already raised approximately $87,000 and if you are yet to give, we ask that you consider a donation before the end of the financial year. All donations of $2 and over are Tax Deductible.

Please make your donation at www.glenaeon.nsw.edu.au/donate by June 30, 2020.

For donations by credit card over the phone, EFT or cheque, please contact Clare Gordon 02 9417 3193 or clareg@glenaeon.nsw.edu.au

Thank you for your solidarity, support and generosity to help our own in 2020.

Café Canteen

Term 3 will see a return to more normal school operations in most activities, and one of those returning activities welcomed by students and staff alike will be the reopening of our café in the trees at Middle Cove.

The café has been a real joy over the past four years. As the founding café managers, Sharon and Lorna have established and built a wonderful atmosphere around the café, providing healthy, nourishing food for students, staff and parents in a lively and friendly atmosphere. But all good things must come to an end, and Sharon has let me know that due to personal and health reasons she and her husband Peter, and Lorna, will not be continuing in 2021.  We are seeking a new operator, or team, to take over the café and you will find an Expression of Interest in this Newsletter. There will be time to identify a new manager, and effect a handover during Term 3 and 4.

Annual Report 2019

Our Annual Report for 2019 is now complete and will be available on the website from Wednesday July 1st, with hard copies available at each of the school campus offices. It feels like Ancient history after our recent crisis, but 2019 despite its challenges in Term 4, was a very productive and successful year for Glenaeon. You can read the full story in the Annual Report.

This Newsletter will be the last for Term 2, and what a term it’s been. But we’ve come through! Time to refresh and regenerate, and so I wish all families, staff and students a restful winter break and look forward to seeing everyone again in more normal circumstances in Term 3.

We are happy to announce that our holiday care program will be available Monday to Thursday from 6-21 July.
The government relief package will apply until 12 July 2020 so this means that the first week of holidays will be FREE!
Come and try our service. Fees will apply from 13 July (Normal CSS rebates resume).

For bookings please go to http://www.glenaeonoosh.com.au/holiday-care-bookings.html

PLEASE SUPPORT US BY FORWARDING THIS FLYER TO FAMILIES / GROUPS OUTSIDE OF Glenaeon School.

All welcome. Thank you and look forward to fun times with the children.

Kind Regards,
Margaret & The OOSH Team

Baked goodies at the Gentle Cafe

We are seeking an experienced Kitchen/Canteen Manager who is able to work within the Glenaeon ethos to ensure healthy and sustainable practices in the delivery of the above services. The position will ideally be an independent contractor.  Download the EOI document and for further information, please contact Chris Scrogie or Rohan Wijesinghe on +612 9932 2305 or +612 9932 2315.

Please forward your expression of interest via email by 5:00pm on Friday 31/07/2020 to rohanw@glenaeon.nsw.edu.au

Grassroots Eco Store at Castlecrag seeking new owner

Seeking a new owner/operator for Grassroots Eco Store and the beautiful retail store conveniently located on the Castlecrag campus. Felicity has thoroughly enjoyed her association with the Glenaeon community and has been grateful and honoured to run her store at Castlecrag since October 2015. However, she is now seeking to transfer the ownership of her business to a member of our community and is offering the unique opportunity to purchase and operate Grassroots Eco Store.

The school is looking for a candidate to maintain the present standard which includes the following criteria:

• An existing connection to the school, the community or Steiner inspired education;
  
• Experience in, and the wherewithal to own and operate a small retail store;
  
• Affinity with and support of Steiner parents and Glenaeon staff in their needs for supplies in accordance with Rudolf Steiner’s educational impulses;
  
• A knowledge of, or strong desire to provide, ethical buying choices that support the school’s ethos;
  
• An ability to provide consistent opening hours in accordance with Glenaeon’s requirements; and a
  
• Working with Children Check

In submitting your written Expression of Interest, please provide no more than two pages that address how you meet, or propose to meet the above criteria, by 5pm Friday 31 July and email both Rohan Wijesinghe - rohanw@glenaeon.nsw.edu.au and Felicity Cutts - felicity@grassrootsecostore.com.au

Glenaeon's private bus services run from the Eastern Suburbs, Northern Beaches, Inner West and Balmain/Lane Cove areas to our Middle Cove and Castlecrag campuses. Bus bookings for Term 3, 2020 will soon be open.  Route information can be found on GLO 's Charter Bus Bookings Page  If your child hasn't yet ridden the bus this year, you must register with reception before using the bus service. For inquiries not answered on GLO please email reception at your campus. Thank you.

There are still some parents who have not yet completed the 2020 annual Photo/Video consent form. If this is you, please action now by clicking on this LINK. This is an annual requirement. If your child is aged 15 years and over, they will need to sign the form too. Thank you for your support and understanding, and much appreciation to those parents who have signed and submitted already.

The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD) takes place every year. Please see attached letter from Head of School, Andrew Hill and a fact sheet. If you have any questions, please contact the school.

• Letter to Parents re NCCD
• NCCD Fact sheet

Parents can find the latest information regarding COVID-19 news and announcements on GLO.
For non-parents in our community, you can access COVID-19 information via our website.

Kindergarten children celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival today. The origins come from China thousands of years ago and many countries today have taken up dragon boat racing, as did Big Kindy this afternoon with our own Dragon Boat race with our drums beating the time. Kindy Assistant Sara Tan created some beautiful origami Rainbow Dragon Boats for all the children to take home and wish their parents a Happy Dragon Boat Festival Day. She also told us the story of this special festival.

Kindergarten collects wood, builds and enjoys a fire each Thursday together. The methodical and careful collection of kindling, sticks and wood, and the building of the fire takes time, patience and perseverance. Once the coals are ready, children make 'doughies' on sticks and toast them over the warm fire. Pulling them off leaves a steaming hole, which is filled with honey and butter and enjoyed on the logs by the fire. It is a deliciously warming 'Bread Day' enjoyed in our Winter Kindy!

Kindergarten children engage in meaningful work alongside their play, and in Winter this involves collecting and cutting the wood for the fire. Children collect wood and with help, cut it to size. Kindergarten teacher Catherine Pilko also demonstrates the art of chopping wood, splitting great logs into fire-sized pieces. Following this, the children enjoy herb tea made from the garden herbs, before sitting together for a warming winter soup. The children know a story called 'Stone Soup', and in each pot is a magic stone that finds its way into one of the children's bowls.

The chill of Winter is well and truly here. Children have been making beautiful winter lanterns, snowflakes and paintings. King Winter has graced the nature tables as the Winter Solstice was celebrated this week at Castlecrag.

Classes 1 & 2 held their Winter Festival spiral in the darkened hall at Castlecrag last Friday. Greenery formed the spiral into the centre, at which a single lit candle rests in the dark. The children walk with unlit candles resting in apples to the centre and light their candle. As they make the journey slowly out, they place it on their chosen point on the spiral. The candles transform the darkness of MidWinter into a glowing spiral of lit candles. Three Class 4 children played lyre, the children sang their winter songs and gentle piano and recorder formed the music that accompanied this most reverent and special event. This would normally be held at Middle Cove, but due to COVID-19 restrictions, was held at Castlecrag.

Classes 1 & 2 have been very creative at lunchtimes in the sandpit lately. Castles, cascades, drop towers, waterfalls, tracks and ponds have been built and played with by many children. Here are some of their recent beauties in action.

At the beginning of each gardening class for Classes 1 & 2, Sandra Frain offers the children a cup of warming tea that is made from various herbs freshly picked from the gardens at Castlecrag campus. Leaves of thyme, sage, oregano, four types of mint, lavender and lemongrass make a delicious brew with hot water added to a large teapot. Herbs can help refresh, stimulate, soothe, protect and cleanse the human body. The children have planted, watered and harvested these herbs. They can all show you where these herbs grow and how you too can 'brew your own tea'. Sandra also helps the Kindy children choose their herbs for fresh herbal tea. Ahh... now we are ready to garden!

Thanks to a kind donation, Castlecrag is enjoying a beautiful new shed extension, built by our Carpenter/Maintenance man Sonny. He extended the shed to include a new balcony and steps, which greatly improves the space and use of the shed in all weather. Kindergarten children really enjoyed his industrious presence as the shed was built, and in the nature of imitative play, became builders themselves along the way.

MID WINTER FESTIVAL - Call out for greenery to build the Winter spiral 
On Monday 29 June we will be making the Winter spiral in the Sylvia Brose Hall at Middle Cove campus for the upcoming Class 3-6 and High School Winter Festivals. We need your greenery to make the spiral.  Please help/ask your children to gather your ivy, pine boughs, cotoneaster branches, jasmine vines and bring it to school. Children can drop it off at the outside the Hall's main entry door on Monday morning before class begins, so that we can build the spiral from lunchtime. 

Class 3 students enjoyed some construction work with Industrial Design & Technology Teacher Anthony Fiore this week. The children used wood, nails, a screw driver, shovels, a spirit level and other tools to create a barn frame in the Primary School playground. Students learned about measurement, creative thinking, and also improved their hand-eye coordination and problem solving skills. The students were very proud of their work.

Class 3 have enjoyed a Homes of the World Main Lesson this term and currently have a building project happening in the yard.  There was also a separate large scale, unauthorised excavation/mining project that was thoroughly enjoyed and required ‘rediversion’.  It was a great, impromptu engineering feat!

Class 4 has been fully immersed in learning the history of writing going back to its origins as far back as 3500 BC! Teacher, Katherine Arconati, even built a cave so her students could experience cave drawing. The class also studied pictography, a form of writing which uses representational, pictorial drawings.  They used a stylus to write in cuneiform on clay and even made their own paper. Having explored these historical writing methods, the children then received their fountain pens yesterday with much excitement. We can’t wait to see what they write next!

Handwork Teacher Elizabeth Ellean took Class 4 through a paper making session as a part of the History of Writing Main Lesson. Students used recycled paper pulp from plant fibres strelitzia (bird of paradise leaf stems) to make the paper. Students used moulds and deckles to make the shape of the paper by hand, pressing and drying it, by pressing it to the window. They also pressed the paper onto patterned brickwork and the bark of a tree to dry. With the plant fibres students tried to simulate what the Egyptians would have done with the papyrus, which is layering the fibres one on top of the other and pressing them together. Class 4 had lots of fun with this activity. The History of Writing is one of the most activity based Main Lessons in the syllabus. The children also made ink and a quill and soon in Handwork the children will be making a cross-stitch fountain pen holder for their new pens.

When you are stuck at home, isolating from the world, there is a rather magical uplifting of spirit that overtakes when creating art that literally takes you places….for example, Rome in the 1500s.  

During the COVID lockdown period, our Year 8 students created some inspired renaissance streetscape drawings and our Year 9s got a kick out of utilising a ball point pen in these footwear artworks.  These COVID artworks are now on display to see up close in the senior library at Middle Cove.

David presenting at a school assembly

David Alami has been a Teacher at Glenaeon for almost two years. He educates students enrolled in a number of subjects at the High School including Business Studies and Modern History.  His classes are always near full with these subjects attracting many pupils.

Business Studies

Have you ever wondered how the economy works? What the world of business, finance and marketing really is all about?

If you were thinking of studying human resources, marketing, commerce, accounting, finance, management or business at university then Business Studies is the subject for you. Even if you are not, chances are you are going to be working or be involved in business for a majority of your life, and the knowledge you need to succeed in these endeavours are taught in Year 11 and Year 12 Business Studies.

Business Studies is an interesting course in which the details of the nature of business, management and planning are covered in Year 11. With an emphasis on small and medium businesses, it is a course that many students (and parents) will have some reflections and ideas that will be relatable!

The HSC course looks at large businesses and we look at specific case studies to support the theory. At Glenaeon, we look at teach giant Apple and the national airline Qantas and how they put in practice the main areas of the HSC syllabus: operations, marketing, finance and human resources.

Take note, this is a popular subject and with the recent events affecting our economy, it is a subject choice that will benefit the student long after Year 12 is over.

Modern History

“To understand where we are or where we are going, we must understand the past”. While variations of this statement have been quoted over the years, in times like today, it is of vital importance to really understand how the world we live in, came to be.  In Modern History, students learn to understand history through different perspectives. By presenting a well-rounded examination of certain events and personalities, the student in turn will build their own interpretation of the events. 

In Year 11, the course starts by looking at some interesting and controversial events in recent history; the assassination of JFK and the reasons behind the Pearl Harbor attacks. While these topics will definitely generate plenty of discussion, most students fall in love with “The Fall of the Romanovs”, where we analyse the fall of the Russian royal family leading up to the Russian Revolution. As well in Year 11, the students conduct a historical investigation in which they will select whatever modern history topic/event/personality/theme that interests them and then study it for their Main Lesson. This year, we round it off by looking at World War I and the effects of the battles on both the Eastern and Western front.

This is all leading to the HSC course, which undertakes a look at “Power and Authority in the Modern World” – How, after World War I most of Europe headed towards dictatorships, particularly Germany and Italy. This is followed by a continuation of the Bolshevik revolution in Russia concentrating on Stalin’s Soviet Union leading up to and including World War II. Finally, we look closer to home, to see how China evolved from Mao’s Cultural Revolution through to the reforms of Deng and Tiananmen Square.

If any of this sounds like it interests you, or your parents have an interest in the world (because history runs in the blood!), then Modern History is for you.

After COVID-19 lockdown and with choir not happening for the Year 12s at the moment, there was a window of opportunity for a one-off PE lesson to be slotted in for the keen Year 12 students stressed out academically due to their HSC preparations. 

Student Tim Bacon was instrumental in rallying the group, and helping organise the day by talking to relevant Main Lesson teachers who had since used the choir session for Main Lesson teaching. Once all agreed and the green light was given by Deputy Head of School (Years 7-12) Liz Nevieve, we went ahead last Friday - a bright and sunny morning, perfect for doing exercise!

We were a big group of around 30 students eager to get moving! We began with a push up challenge before splitting the class and engaging in some heavy duty tug-of-war which was convincingly won by one group three times! Then came the heavily requested and all-time favorite ‘Mac Ball’, an individual dodgeball game to remind everyone of the good ol’ times at the beginning of many PE sessions in years gone by.

To calm us down and relax us a bit while being focused on one another we got into four circles to play a game called ‘The Juggler’ in which increasingly more balls will be passed (thrown) around the circle and be returned to the original thrower in quick and quicker succession. Good attention, eye contact, readiness and accuracy all needed in equal measures for a circle, a tribe, to succeed. It was interesting to observe how well the students worked together as they successfully navigated through an activity that creates more havoc in younger year levels. The Year 12s maturity shone and an illustration of the bonds formed by our students over many years together.

The centerpiece of the session was an ultimate Frisbee game, a sport that relies on self-refereeing as all disputes must be resolved between the parties themselves. We used both the courts and the grass area to create a larger playing field that allowed for the Year 12s to have ample playing area and for the game to have enough room with two end zones. The final score was 4:3 in a very tight and even contest.

After a short reflection on what had been experienced and a recognition that ‘we need more of this’ we all came away with a feeling of achievement, happiness and satisfaction. It again reiterated by so many how much they miss regular physical lessons with their mates here at school. 

I couldn’t agree more!

Jonas Stoebe
PDHPE Teacher & Co-curricular Organiser

A reminder that the Gentle Cafe at our Middle Cove campus remains closed but will reopen for the start of Term 3. The students and the staff cannot wait!

COVID-19 has meant a lot of families have changed their holiday and travel plans. If anyone has booked student leave and have since cancelled their plans, please notify absence@glenaeon.nsw.edu.au. All leave must be updated on each student record, as this affects their attendance record.  Parents have a responsibility to keep the school informed with the correct information. If you are applying for leave, or changing dates of leave, or cancelling leave applications, please tell us via email, otherwise your child’s records will show them as absent. For health and safety reasons, we ask you to notify the school of any changes and keep our attendance rates accurate. Thank you.

We have a mountain of unlabelled lost property at Reception including clothing, umbrellas and water bottles. If your child is missing an item, please ask them to go to Lost Property and reclaim it.  We ask all parents to ensure your child’s clothing is labelled with their full name or stitched surname as anything properly labelled gets returned directly to your child in class, free express delivery. Sadly, 90 per cent is not properly labelled and ends up either being donated to our second-hand uniform shop or ends up in landfill. We do what we can to recycle the textiles however, a lot ends up in the bin.

Please help us reduce our environmental impact and eradicate the mountain. Thank you.

On mobile, access the Calendar from Quicklinks menu

Important dates are listed on the school calendar which can be accessed here: https://www.glenaeon.nsw.edu.au/calendar/ or via GLO.

Alternatively you can find it on the Glenaeon website via the Quicklinks (scroll to the bottom of the homepage on the desktop, and if on a mobile device, the Quicklinks menu will appear in the top left hand corner - click on the down arrow and select "Calendar")

This year's Northern Beaches Art Prize (formerly Warringah Art Prize) is adapting to current times of social isolation during COVID-19 and is being hosted online. 

The 2020 art prize invites artists and designers to submit digital artwork in the format of a digital postcard that responds to the theme Postcards from the Home, drawing on experiences and emotions connected to home isolation during COVID-19. Works can be across any art practice that is photographed and submitted as a simple postcard. 

The award is open to all level of artists and designers, from hobbyists to professionals. Free to enter.

The exhibition will include 60 chosen artworks, across Open and Youth categories, providing a snapshot of what 'home' means in the year 2020. 

For more information go to: https://www.northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/arts-and-culture/northern-beaches-art-prize

Following on from three recent very successful and well-attended online introductory webinars, we are now pleased to let you know of two additional webinar event dates.  

The first of these will run on Wednesday 1 July at 8pm and will provide a focus on our Kindergarten-Class 2 Castlecrag campus offering and Kindy entry. Register online here. The second, scheduled for Thursday 30 July will run at 9:30am and will focus on the Class 3-6 Primary and Year 7-12 High School experience at our Middle Cove campus. Register online here. Participants will meet our Head of School, Andrew Hill, view a presentation, and ask questions in a Q&A session with our Deputy Heads via Zoom.

If you have friends who are looking for a great school for their children, please suggest that they book in. Guests can alternatively register their interest by contacting our Enrolments Registrar, Chandra Kennedy.

The Community Noticeboard is a space where members of our community can share notices with others in the community. Please note that these listings are not official Glenaeon events or notifications but we are sharing them as a service to our community. If you would like to make a submission, please email newsletter@glenaeon.nsw.edu.au

See attached for the publishing schedule dates for 2020. Inclusion cannot be guaranteed. Please note there is a strict deadline of 5pm the day before publication, but it will help if you send your content in ahead of deadline. Your submission may be edited for clarity and length. Images should be provided in jpg format landscape size (800x533 pixels).

Download the 2020 Newsletter Publishing Schedule

Holiday reading in store now

Need new story, craft or parenting books for the holidays? Delightful storybooks and some beautifully illustrated favourites are back in the store in time for holiday reading. There are also craft and parenting books – resources full of engaging activities, stories and crafts that will inspire young (and young at heart) hands, hearts and minds. Also, if you or your child need wool yarn to complete a knitting, crocheting or weaving project, a rainbow of colours in 16ply pure wool yarn is available.  All yarn is hand dyed in beautiful bright colours or soft pastels. Come and see and feel inspired! Thank you for shopping locally at Grassroots Eco Store - a portion of every sale goes to support Glenaeon.

To shop by appointment during the school holidays, please call Felicity on 0416 035 173. Enjoy your holidays!

Opening Hours until the end of Term 2
Monday: 8.30am–9.30am
Tuesday: 8.30am–9.30am
Wednesday: 8.30am–9.30am & 2.30pm–4.00pm
Thursday: 8.30am–9.30am
Friday: 2.30pm–4.00pm

Download the PDF flyer.

Warrah Farm is now offering home delivery.

Warrah Biodynamic Farm in Sydney’s North-West, grows a wide range of certified biodynamic and organic seasonal produce, picked daily for sale to the public in the Warrah Farm Shop and for supplying Co-op boxes to Hubs around Sydney. Warrah grown produce is supplemented by fresh produce and other goods supplied by other certified organic producers. We endeavour to provide products that are from boutique goods producers.

A FOUR DAY WORKSHOP HELD OVER TWO WEEKENDS FOR PARENTS AND EDUCATORS WORKING WITH LITTLE-ONES.

As restrictions ease, we are pleased to host Renate Long-Breipohl’s course, The Art of Caring.

Run over two weekends, 10 – 11 October and 21 – 22 November 2020, this 4-day course provides an in-depth picture of Rudolf Steiner’s insight into the remarkable years of very early life. The Art of Caring looks closely at the highly significant and limited time-span between birth and age 3. Parents, early childcare educators and carers will find this course uplifting and inspirational.

In previous years this course has been held in Brisbane and Melbourne. 

One of the Melbourne attendees wrote:

‘Renate’s dedication to deepening carers’ understanding of the importance of this stage of life, and the appropriate practices needed to care for early life, is evident in this inspiring and detailed workshop. I very much appreciated the thoroughness of the content and materials provided. I will be sifting through these and digesting them over the next few years. I feel so lucky to have been able to attend and will be bringing much more awareness into my work with young children’.

Bookings are limited and participants are encouraged to book early. CLICK HERE TO ENROL.

Explore Your Life Story is a new course Sydney Rudolf Steiner College is running this year. A four-day course, students will gain anthroposophic insights into the patterns occurring in one's life, an awareness of the seven year cycles and new ways of appreciating transformative self-development brought about via life crises. Biographic study will be balanced with creative speech and clay sculpting sessions. 

This course is run over two weekends and bookings are limited.
Please reserve your place at https://sydneyrudolfsteinercollege.com/product/eco7c-explore-life-story

Sydney Rudolf Steiner House has ongoing talks and courses that are available, from short talks, to discussion evenings, workshops and members meetings.

If you would like to contact Sydney Rudolf Steiner College about any of our courses or other information, visit:   https://sydneyrudolfsteinercollege.com/

Address: 307 Sussex Street Sydney   

Phone: +61 2 9261 4001

Email: admin@sydneyrudolfsteinercollege.com

Located on the ground floor of Rudolf Steiner House in Sydney is the Rudolf Steiner Book Centre. 

The centre holds books by, about, and based on Rudolf Steiner in all the rich variety of his work, including:

• Spiritual development
• Health and nutrition
• Bio‐dynamic agriculture
• Parenting, education and child development
• Philosophy, natural sciences and much more 
• The arts ‐ music, speech & drama, visual arts, eurythmy

The Centre also stocks a range of beautiful children’s books and toys, as well as Stockmar paints, beeswax and crayons, Lyra pencils and other art and craft materials, plus Weleda and Dr Hauschka natural cosmetics and gifts. Many of the items can be purchased online.

Rudolf Steiner Book Centre
307 Sussex Street
Sydney, NSW 2000
Phone : +612 9264 5169

Opening hours:
Mon & Wed:10am to 3pm
Tue & Thu:10am to 7pm
Sat: 10am to 2pm