Class 5 Greek Olympics

26 Oct 2023

What an absolute triumph of resilience, teamwork, and skill we witnessed on Monday at the 2023 Class 5 Greek Olympics.
Glenaeon were thrilled to host Kamaroi Rudolf Steiner School at our Middle Cove campus for a great day building on their exploration on the origins of the early Olympic Games. After an Opening Ceremony conducted by Zeus and athlete parade, the Games were officially opened! Students took to discus, javelin, sprint, long jump and traditional Greek wrestling, as well as 400m and relay events. The students cheered each other on all day and huge thanks goes to Lucy, Sarah, Jamie, Kim and Michelle and parent volunteers who organised the sporting events, sewed costumes, made chariots (!) Our sincere thanks and acknowledgement to all these staff for honouring Jonas’ memory and creating a wonderful day for the Glenaeon and Kamaroi children. 

Class 1 - 4 Winter Lantern Festival

25 Jul 2024

To round out the Winter festivities of last term, our Class 1 - 4 children and their families gathered at our Middle Cove campus after dark for a special lantern festival. Teachers lead our gathered community down the campus trail, holding their lanterns, towards the oval. Our parents and carers made their way through the curtains first, then each class entered onto the oval in single file. They formed a spiral with their lanterns and celebrated the longest night and the returning of the sun the following day. The children were guided by their teachers as they performed songs and verses with a motif of a whale. Inspired by the children's stories of whales our Parent Craft members have recently made felted whale artworks. This was a Winter festival event that really brought our community together to reflect and celebrate this season.

Primary Playground Fun

29 May 2024

In 2019, a study was conducted to evaluate the impact of nature on children's learning. The largest study of it's kind, 451 children participated in outdoor activities. The findings were incredible. 79% of children reported increased feelings of confidence, 84% of children felt more capable of trying new things, 79% reported better relationships with classmates (Reference: Institute of Child Psychology). 
In the Primary School playground at Middle Cove, nature is at the forefront. Fresh air, green space, natural materials (like rocks!) allowed these Class 3 students' imaginations to run wild.

Class 2 Art Lesson with Jamie Loftus

02 May 2024

At Castlecrag we were delighted to welcome back Class 3 Teacher Jamie Loftus to teach our Class 2 an art lesson. Jamie told a story and led the children to draw an reflected sunrise, with the golden sun surrounded by shining rainbow bands of coloured light. Jamie taught the children to use various techniques and sides of the crayons to achieve different results. Thank you Jamie!

Easter Celebrations

04 Apr 2024

Easter was celebrated in so many lovely ways at Castlecrag. The kindergarten rooms were bursting with Easter surprises the children had made – eggs, painted baskets, fresh grown Easter Grass, wax apples and lovely nature tables popped up everywhere on campus! Class 2 parent Carolina baked a traditional ‘Baranek' or 'Easter Lamb Cake’ – a Central European tradition that is a symbol of rebirth and fertility as Easter occurs in Spring, not Autumn like here in Australia! Some people could afford real lamb, but other families were only able to bake cake or butter shaped as a lamb. This amazing cake was baked with a very heavy mould brought to Australia from Carolina’s nearly 100-year old Aunt! Apples were found around the place here at Castlecrag – woven pom-poms in Kindy, wax apples and felted as Easter this year also coincided with our apple picking weeks!

Making, Baking and Donating for Harvest Time

04 Apr 2024

Class 1 & 2 students host the entire Primary School for the Michaelmas Festival – preparing over 200 bread rolls and 60 cobs of corn as a delicious Harvest meal after the play. Enthusiastic early risers from Classes 2 and 4 start making the bread – kneading and rolling 10kg of flour and set it to rise! Class 2 parents and children spend the morning rolling and baking the delicious bread – using the famous “Kindy Bread” that all children remember and look forward to! Cobs of corn are boiled and served after the performance and it is healthily enjoyed by all! The Harvest Display is created Class 1 and 2 parents using the abundant produce donated by our families. The woven ‘Horn of Plenty’ and corn husk dolls made by Class 6 are included in the beautiful display.

Our generous families donated such beautiful produce for our Harvest Festival, and we always give this to OzHarvest to distribute to charity kitchens and those in need. Children enthusiastically helped pack and carry the produce to the truck with strong muscles and big smiles. Thank you to all of our lovely families who donated such great produce this year.

Primary Assemblies

03 Apr 2024

Class 6 have stepped into their role as leaders in our Primary School by leading our assemblies. This term, we have had musical performances from Classes 5 and 6 and have thought about having the courage to listen to the quiet voice that whispers in your ear or from your heart, telling you what actions are right and true.   

Beware the Dragon!

03 Apr 2024

“It’s easy to be kind to people we love, and it’s easy to be kind to people we like, but sometimes we need to find the courage inside to be kind even when it’s not the easiest thing to do”. With that sentiment from Primary Faculty Coordinator, Katherine Arconati, Classes 1 – 6 began our 2024 Harvest Festival, and the story of St Michael who courageously faces a fierce dragon to save the villagers and their crops from his fiery breath. The children lived fully in the experience with hearty singing, clear narration, and a truly terrible dragon (courtesy of Class 5). Our warmest thanks to the parents of Classes 1 and 2 who created our harvest display and made bread and corn for us to enjoy after the play.

Class 2 Playground Performance

21 Mar 2024

Class 2 enjoyed hearing about St. Michael and the Dragon in preparation for their Harvest Festival, and spent many creative hours  making a short play of a similar story - a knight who meets a princess, falls asleep and wakes to slay a dragon. Played out in the sandpit at lunchtime, the students were rapturously engaged! Thank you Class 2! They also created and performed the story as a wax character puppet show and had everyone glued to their performance!

Class 2 Times Tables with Ida Spider

14 Mar 2024

Class 2 have been learning their times tables with the help of a special friend called Ida Spider! Each day, Ida weaves a secret pattern in her beautiful web as she helps the Class 2 students learn their times tables. When each number is woven onto a 10-pegged web board, a new pattern emerges! This simple geometry shows there are underlying patterns in numbers, many of which come out to play in times tables!

Class Meetings

29 Feb 2024

It has been ‘back to the classroom’ for parents in Primary School as we have held our Class Meetings over the first weeks of this term. Each Class Teacher addresses parents about the developmental stage of the class and how the curriculum meets all that their children are experiencing.

In Class 4 (below) the children displayed their favourite page of their Main Lesson book, for their parents to see. And Class 1 Teacher, Emily Watts (also, below) had her class of parents engaged. It is wonderful to see parents supporting their children’s education and being involved in our wonderful community!

Celebrating Monique

28 Feb 2024

Our lovely Assistant and Learning Support teacher Monique Anderson is leaving Glenaeon to become a Class Teacher at Warrah Specialist School in Dural for students with specialist needs, and also the organic farm and source of the amazing Veggie Coop that delivers to Glenaeon. See (https://warrahspecialistschool.nsw.edu.au/ ) This is a beautiful opportunity for her in line with her studies in special and inclusive education. We shared a lovely outdoor circle with parents and children and they gifted her a bag made by the Class 1 families last year, a beautiful bonsai fairy garden and sang songs together with teachers. The staff at Castlecrag then shared a farewell afternoon tea with some more lovely gifts for her as a teacher, sharing their experiences and well wishes for Monique. We have all been lucky to have worked alongside Monique in the three years she has been at Glenaeon. She is looking forward to the next stage of her teaching journey and has been treasured by the children and families alike!

Class 1 – Craft and Counting Bag Embroidery

28 Feb 2024

Class 1 first learned to embroider in Kindergarten, when they hand-stitched their own craft bags with their name and a native animal shape. They will use these bags all the way through Primary School! Now they are learning more complicated stitches and shapes – embroidering their initials with running and whip stitch, as well as backstitch to make their counting bags for their upcoming mathematics lessons. They have also embroidered a spiral, one of the shapes and forms they explored in their first Main Lesson “The Straight and Curved Line”. They made spirals in the playground and also walked the shaped in the playground to explore form and contour as they learned to write the shapes of the letters with Class teacher Emily Watts.

Class 1 Dye Chair Bags

14 Feb 2024

Class 1 hand-dyed their own chair bags with teacher Elizabeth Ellean. Assistant Meg and parent helpers. Taking a sewn calico bag, they painted their own designs in warm colours, which will be set and then dried. These bags will hang on the backs of their chairs and hold their books, pencils and other useful things! They are so bright and beautiful – thank you to our parent helpers and well done Class 1!

Class 1 Handwork - Christmas Baubles

08 Dec 2023

Handwork Teacher Elizabeth Ellean made Christmas baubles with Class 1. Thank you to the parent and grandparent helpers for supporting the children with their creations.

Birthdays at Castlecrag

07 Dec 2023

Birthdays are a special time at Castlecrag and this week was no exception.... except we were celebrating Class 1 teacher Jonathan and Class 1 assistant Monique's birthdays! Wearing their birthday crowns and capes -just like the children do - parents gave them the most beautiful cakes, children sang and we warmly celebrated this is special occasion together.

Class 3 Trade Treasures and Treats

07 Dec 2023

Class 3 are just finishing their final Main Lesson for the year. It's all about money! Learning the history of money and trade they have journeyed from old currencies and forms of trading to current practices. They've already hosted two lemonade and popcorn fundraising stands, had a wonderful trading day in their classroom where they traded goods and services with each other, exchanging treasures, crystals, toys, massages, portraits. And, you could even get your bags carried for three days as a service! A parent brought in an amazing foreign money collection of colourful notes and wonderful coins, as well as, old Australian notes for the children to search through. There was also a real gold antique Austrian Kronor coin from 1915 that is now worth $4,500! The children were amazed!

Class 3 Build a Cob Cubby

05 Dec 2023

As part of the Building Main Lesson Class 3 have been building a cob cubby this semester. Every Wednesday a group of students have been mixing the required amount of soil, sand, straw and water to make a good consistency, laying the cob on the wall and then compacting it with their hands. Slowly but surely the wall has grown with many hands building it. Our wonderful class parents Nick and Vincent have helped bring this project to life and a special thanks to Scottie for guiding us through it. Many parents have given their time to come and help our class build something lasting. It has been a real group effort. During the time there have been side projects instigated by the children such as weaving and measuring and weighing grains, inspired by the measurement Main Lesson.

Class 2 Play – St. Francis

30 Nov 2023

Class 2 performed their end of year play 'St Francis' to Kindergarten, Class 1, parents and friends. It was a powerful story from their 'Saints' Main Lesson and followed the life of St Francis. Born to wealthy textile merchants, he grew up in great comfort, before giving up his fine life for simple robes, for service and devotion. The children sang, danced and played recorder as they told the moving story of his life, rebuilding a church, befriending the beds and saving a town from a ferocious wolf.  It was a profound and beautiful play with Class Teacher Jamie Loftus. Well done Class 2!

Class 6 Play – Aladdin

29 Nov 2023

Class 6 performed their play 'Aladdin' for family and friends and the school community and we were blown away by the performances. The students worked as a team to bring the much loved story to life and we thank Class 6 teacher Cathy Bower and all the parents, carers, volunteers and staff who brought the play together. Well done Class 6!

Class 2 Welcome to Middle Cove

29 Nov 2023

Our Class 2 children made the exciting journey to Glenaeon's Middle Cove campus, where they will be based for the next chapter in their school story. Class 2 Teacher Jaime Loftus accompanied the students, as he will next year too!

Parents and carers were invited for a morning tea on the deck and a campus tour.

The Class 2 children were thrilled to explore the Class 3 classroom and playground.

We look forward to seeing their bright faces at Middle Cove in 2024 and beyond!

Class 2 String Games

22 Nov 2023

Class 2 have been learning complicated string games at play and are having a wonderful time playing them! They have even been making up their own ones and creating them in pairs! Japanese Teacher Junko Nicholas helped them with some of the tricky.

Class 4 Outdoor Education

22 Nov 2023

Class 4 enjoyed their first taste of Glenaeon's award-winning outdoor education program with a camp out on the Middle Cove campus oval. The students were supported by Outdoor Education Teachers Scottie and KG, and Class Teacher Rodney and Class Assistant Michelle and  The students had a blast eating alfresco and watching the sunrise over the beautiful bushland. Each year they grow in confidence and add skills a gentle entry into the outdoor education. So many exciting adventures that lay ahead.

Class 6 Ancient World Main Lessons + A Visit to Parliament

08 Nov 2023

In Class 5 and 6, our students learn about the birth of Democracy in the Ancient World of Greece and Rome. This year, our studies in Australian history culminated with the story of the birth of Australian nationhood, with our Federation, in 1901. So, to celebrate our Australian Democracy, Class 6 visited the NSW Parliament and experienced through role play, how our democratic institution works. We also visited the Royal Botanical Gardens and learned about Indigenous Knowledge and Culture and how the wisdom and knowledge of the past can help us care for our people and the land by reading the signs of nature.

Following our two Ancient Rome Main Lessons, Class 6 students were asked to provide an independent research project on a topic of their choice. Their work was very impressive as evidenced by just a few samples here. The students were also involved in multiple mosaic projects over terms 3 and 4, including decorating a terracotta pot, our tree stump-table contributions to the Silent Auction and a Birdbath that will be given as our gift back to the school.

Class 6 Mosaic Tiled Wooden Stumps

08 Nov 2023

The wooden stumps came from our own Middle Cove campus, and were from a dead bloodwood tree designated to be cut down during 2023 Term 1 school holidays. Our school Bush Regenerist & Groundsperson, Lindsay Sherrott, was happy that part of the tree could be recycled and used by Class 6, and ensured that the right lengths of wood were cut and put aside.

Parent and designer maker Robbi Pittorino then prepared the stumps and allowed them to dry at his workshop over Term 2. Class 6 children decorated the stumps with the support of Art Teacher, Julia Byrne. The inspiration for mosaic tiling came from their Ancient Roman History Main Lesson. The mosaic designs depict the sun and moon, based on their Astronomy lesson and the rainbow swirl is connected to the light/Physics Main Lesson.

Well done Class 6, these pieces of art were a much sought after submission in the Glenaeon Family Fair 2023 Silent Auction.

Class 3 Crochet

18 Oct 2023

In class 3 the children have been actively making throughout the year. They build as part of their main lesson and they have made models of dwellings and geometric shapes. They cook and learn to clean up, they garden and learn to care and nurture.

More recently, the children have been busy crocheting for their contribution to the school silent auction for the Glenaeon Family Fair. They carefully carved their own crochet from a stick of Murraya hedge and they have experimented making their own stretchy rope from recycled T shirts. It has been a fun time especially when the tools they have made themselves, are put to good use immediately.

Elizabeth Ellean 
Handwork Teacher 

Class 1 & 2 Spring Festival

11 Oct 2023

Class 1 & 2 came together on the last day of Term 3 and held a Spring Celebration at the Castlecrag Campus with teachers Jamie Loftus, Jonathan Shaw and assistant Monique. They shared their beautiful Spring songs and a spring dance prepared with Eurythmy teacher Clair and pianist Linda. Parents helped create their beautiful Spring garlands and brought delicious food to share in a picnic following the festival. Thank you to all involved in this lovely event.

Class 4 Make Paper

20 Sep 2023

Late last term, Class 4 enjoyed an afternoon in the sunshine making paper lead by Hand Work Teacher, Elizabeth Ellean. After carefully observing a demonstration, they rolled up their sleeves and, in groups, made paper from scratch. 

They dipped and pressed and molded to make lovely pastel coloured paper with busy hands.

Thank you to Class Teacher Rodney Dean and Assistants for your support in this fun and creative session.

Big Kindy Father's Day Bushwalk and BBQ

13 Sep 2023

What a fabulous afternoon we had celebrating with our lovely Dads and Granddads for Father’s Day. We set out on our usual Friday bushwalk with extra dads in tow, down the bushy track to Warners Park where we found the rest of our dads and granddads waiting for us. Following a dad powered play, we gathered in a giant circle to share our blessing before enjoying a lovely BBQ lunch together.

A special thank you must go out to Arlo's Dad, James, for very generously providing all those yummy sausages. And of course, a huge thank you to Nevra's Dad, David, for not only lugging his own barbecue to the site, but also for organising and cooking those yummy snags and providing rolls, salads, sauces and watermelon. What a wonderful effort and afternoon, thank you everyone.

Melanie Harper
Kindergarten Teacher

Class 1 Perform the Play "Goorialla: Rainbow Serpent"

30 Aug 2023

On Friday 18 August, Class 1 performed their first ever class play for friends and family. The play was called "Goorialla: Rainbow Serpent" and was based on the children's book by Dick Roughsey. They dedicated their performance to the Cammeraygal people. The play was very beautifully performed and included choral speech, smaller group speech and singing. A warm thanks to Class Assistant Monique for organising all the costumes and the big 'Goorialla' held aloft at the end. Class 1 looks forward to our next theatrical performance! 

Kindergarten Craft Journey

30 Aug 2023

For many Big Kindy children the favourite activity of the week is craft. They start the year with some simple wool winding activities and progress to making pom pom apples, then finger knitting coasters for their cups and treasure bags. By this time, fine motor skills and focus are more proficient, so on to 4 finger knitting their own skipping ropes. Next comes French knitting for their rest time pillows. The final project of the year: the bags they take proudly to Class 1 for the continuation of their craft journey. 

Class 2 Bushwalking Adventures

16 Aug 2023

Class 2’s first bushwalk for this term took them down to the harbour foreshore below Stoker Playground with Class Teacher Jamie Loftus and parent volunteers. The sun was shining and the students were eager to explore down the many steps to the water - they counted the steps and found there was more than three hundred!

The children enjoyed a picnic lunch by the water before exploring - finding crabs, fishing with sticks and inventing fun games. A play cafe popped up, a hammock between the trees to swing with friends and climbing trees.

They were joined by Class 1 on their bushwalk with Jonathan Shaw with great excitement and joy. 

Class 1 Craft Recorder Bags

03 Aug 2023

Class 1 have been busy weaving their recorder bags with Handwork teacher Elizabeth Ellean and parent volunteers. Using a weaving board, they carefully filled the strings with threads, making the bag thick to protect their new recorders. They plait a handle using an 'Egyptian Plait' style with 8 strings and saw, and sand and attach hand-made button made from collected wood. The result is beautiful bags they will use all the way up until Class 5.