Thank You

Perth Waldorf School Community!

It is quite incredible to experience the school community participating with such reverence in the lantern walks, spirals and other aspects of the Winter Festival.

We really know how to celebrate the inner experience that mid-winter brings. Many people have commented on the mood of inner quiet that pervaded the evening. And wasn’t just politeness: one sensed that people were really taking a moment of inner reflection for themselves.

Other Thanks You’s-

Ngalak Nidja

The theme this year was Connection to Place. A highlight, as it has been for the past 3 years, was the Welcome to Country by Jayden Boundry and the traditional dancing by members of Ngalak Nidga. This is always a special, powerful occasion and we highly value the ongoing relationship we have with them. This year we also had the added experience of the traditional campfire by the large tuart tree.

At the other end of the school father and son duo, Nigel and Cormac, entertained with traditional Celtic music around the fire.

Bruce and Sunu warmly welcomed each community member at the front gate.

Music

Claire Williamson not only led the Winter choir and parent singing, but also prepared the Class 12s for their spectacular fire entrance. Michelle Guffie and Judith Schipkie worked with Claire to choreograph and rehearse movement for the Class 7s and 12s for their powerful fire lighting ceremony. Yesim Atila taught songs in the Primary school and co-led the singing at the bonfire.

And what a wonderful fire it was, created by Pete and the FGM team.

The Spirals

The two spirals were magnificent. Anita Staude did her annual neighbourhood drive-by flower-gathering, and then, with parent volunteers, adorned the spirals with incredible floral beauty. Parent and committee member, Adrian Vujcic, worked tirelessly on the spiral creation, as well as overseeing the prep of approximately 700 jars around the school. The admin staff lit each and every one of those 700 candles.

Thank you to the Class 5 and 6 children who helped prepare the jars and make the spiral respectively.

After learning about Archimedean spirals earlier in the year, Class 10 students, with support from Kelly and Brett Kranz-Little, created the magnificent HS spiral in the hall.

Jenny Cowley set the mood by playing atmospheric cello music at the High School spiral, and Sanshi and Fiorino played ethereal didge and pan drums for the Primary School. Bruce directed movement through the spiral so that people could feel unrushed and really savour the moment.

18 exquisite lanterns depicting birds and animals from our environment were created by volunteer students in Class 7 Wardong and Kulbardi students. These were laid out along the Primary lantern walk.

Other activities

Mark Phillips ran a meditation session for parents in Seekers place which helped parents to enter the reflective spirit of the night.

Julia Humphreys led parents in learning Winter songs in Jarrah Miah-preparing them for singing around the fire. Captivating music was played on the art deck by Nathan Ross (guitar and singing) and Sergey Volotovsky (didgeridoo).

Teachers and assistants prepared the children to participate creatively in the festival and held them beautifully on the night, as well as opened their rooms to welcome their class communities.

The FGM team-Pete, Francesco, Tessa, Sam, Tim, Jack and Ethan, in their calm and competent way, took care of many of the logistics for the night.

Deb Sorensen took beautiful photos of many aspects of the night.

The many strands were woven together by the Winter Festival coordinating committee- Michelle Guffie, Adrian Vujcic, Renae Fassom, Sonia Mcgillivray, Francesco Simoncini, Pete Kraayvanger and myself. Kelly Prosser kept everything on track with communications and timing on the night.

To all these people, and to the countless others who performed, made soup or compote, or simply participated in some meaningful way, on behalf of the committee I extend a huge-

Thank You!

Kevin Mazzer
Head of Primary School

Makuru: A Festival of Fire and Light

As we close another chapter of Djeran—the Noongar season of Adulthood, marked by cooler weather and shifting winds—we begin to welcome Makuru, the season of winter, rain, and storms.

As this was my first experience of the Winter Festival, I was truly amazed at how it all unfolded. In the lead-up, classes created lanterns and rehearsed songs. Class 6 co-wrote an original piece inspired by a visit to Bibra Lake, drawing on their sensory reflections of the natural surroundings. Their performance for parents on the night was nothing short of magnificent.

We then shared warm compote and soup before embarking on a lantern-lit walk through the school grounds. The trail  lined with tealights and flowers, and infused with the scent of bonfire smoke and fresh, wet air - was made even more magical by the accompanying Noongar music that enriched the atmosphere.

While every part of the evening held its own beauty, a particularly moving moment took place on the oval, where Class 12 students entered bearing flaming torches. They passed them to Class 7 students, who stepped forward to light the central fire—a powerful, symbolic handover from the eldest students to those journeying further into High School.

As I sat back and took in the fire and light, song and dance, warmth and beauty, celebration and community—a Winter Festival, designed to bring light and reverence to the darkest part of the year—I knew it was a moment I would never forget.

By Tamara Yousry
Class 6 Education Assistant