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Term 1 2025
Wednesday 5th February - Friday 11th April
Pupil Free Day – Friday 28th February
Public Holiday – Monday 3rd March
The full 2025 calendar is available via this link: Calendar - Parkerville Steiner College
Being Seen
At the end of term Graduation Dinner, a parent highlighted his own experience of a parent teacher meeting that for him typified why he had sent his daughter to our school. He said that at the other school his daughter had attended, those meetings were often dominated by discussions of his daughter’s deficits - what she isn’t doing well and what she must do to achieve more. He explained that when he came to his first meeting with a teacher at our school the high school teacher spoke of her qualities and strengths with an emotional connection to her. He believed his daughter was truly being “seen” and appreciated for the first time in a school. This vignette reflects the striving of the people who work with our children and we can be proud and deeply grateful they offer this education to the world. Each of us has a chance to “see” the other and offer gratitude for all their strengths. Thank you to everyone who works to develop and strengthen our children to live in the world.
Budget Matters
At the last School Council meeeting, the main item was the 2025 budget. Fiscal stewardship is a major task of the governing body and much detail is provided about the finances of the school to the Council so that they are both aware and also can act responsibly, in the best interests of business continuity and growth.
A bit of history:
In 2006, the School council decided to restart a Steiner high school in Bibra Lake.
In 2014, the School council made a decision to ensure there were enough places for Steiner school Class 6 graduates from PWS, West Coast and Silver Tree and we started double streaming our high school in 2015.
In 2019, the council doubled down on that decision and our school triple-streamed the high school from 2022, via the new campus called Parkerville Steiner College. Next year, at Parkerville, Class 7 has waitlists to get in and all other classes have higher than expected numbers. It has been a successful decision supported by government grants and low interest loans for the buildings needed.
Current Situation:
As of this moment there is a forecast change in our headcount from 637 students in 2024 to 687 in 2025. More than 50 new souls will enter our school in 2025. We are one of the largest Steiner schools in Australia with high quality graduates each year. More than that though, we are stable, well governed and managed and we have a strong anthroposophical underpinning via a staff body that has access to quality professional development. For example, many of our teachers and assistant teachers have been attending fully funded anthroposophical studies for 1.5hrs each week this year, to ensure our ethos is being supported and strengthened.
From a moral and ethical point of view, we are supporting the growth of this wonderful education and meeting the needs of the three other Steiner primary schools in Perth. From a financial point of view we have been able to provide these extra places while still paying our staff equivalent to state school teacher salaries and ensuring that there are enough resources and support for teachers and students, as required or requested. For example, the staff to student ratios across the classes is high. Also, we continue to offer a holistic curriculum that covers everything from craft to camps to physics, phys ed and philosophy. There is no scrimping on the curriculum to keep costs low.
Outcome: As part of the budget approval process the school council has approved a wage rise that will keep salaries competitive with state school counterparts and it has also approved a tuition fee increase of 6%. This annual increase in fees recognises the cost pressures that are affecting everyone but it keeps the increase below the Education CPI. In order to support families in need, our bursary programme for short term relief will continue to be offered. Our ongoing aim is to remain a low fee paying school while punching above our weight by providing an excellent, student centred, holistic, Steiner education.
This is the final Pabulum for the year. Thank you for the contributions of many people who have made it a great “go-to” source of information but even more so, a wonderful and entertaining record of the life of our school. The science teachers in particular have excelled at keeping us abreast of the latest main lessons with dynamic photos as well. Special thanks to Debbie-Lee Sorensen who has often been behind the graphic art and copy and to Fiona Peters who publishes the Pabulum each week. It’s a complex task with many late entries and missed deadlines to submit and she manages to distribute it weekly, without rancour. Thank you.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New year
May Advent provide opportunities for us all to reflect on the gifts we have and how we can use our talents and our humanity to make a positive difference within our circle of influence as well as to the world. Peace be within you and may we all have a safe and prosperous 2025.
With gratitude
Bruce Lee
School Administrator
The waves of warmth
That strongly through the land are radiating, spreading,
Proclaim that we
To glorious, golden days of summer-sun are heading.
“Be filled with light!“
My spirit understands these words which Nature everywhere is showing.
“Let thoughts take flight!“
My heart is told; "Be never earthbound but be always changing, growing!“
by Michael Hedley Burton / verse no. 9
Term Four has been a busy and creative term for our English subject lesson students. Class 8 spent time looking at the layout and skillset behind crafting graphic novels. Students experimented with the layouts with comic strips to get a feel for a different way of creative story telling. Then, with inspiration from a range of graphic novels, students crafted their own characters with an antagonist and protagonist who undergo a series of changes as they progress through the story.
Students drafted story arcs with introductions, rising action, climax, falling action and a strong resolution. Then, after careful planning and consideration of the genre and tone of their ideas, some wonderful graphic novels emerged with some impressive imagery, in-depth characters and enthralling story lines. We had exciting action, combat, some rouge and comical “grannies”, fantastical worlds, mythical creatures, love stories, stories and fables of self worth and morality, and inspiring heroines and heroes.
Class 9 explored the Diary of a Young Girl, written by the teenager Anne Frank as she was in hiding in Amsterdam during the Holocaust of Word War II. Anne commenced writing in her diary in 1942 on her 13th birthday, and it chronicles her experiences, inner most thoughts and feelings until she was 15 years old; even detailing D-Day in the hope it signified the end of the war. Despite this, Anne, her family and her family friends were captured and all but her father, passed in the concentration camps. Confronting themes, motifs and symbols were explored in regards to Anne’s writing, which the students rose to with maturity and a strong sense of justice. In particular, the similarities in age to the Class 9 students and 15-year-old Anne were explored in their written work. Students reflected on approaching adulthood, confronting our fears and the social relationships and introspection which being in hiding offered, compared to socialising in the broader world. The students then examined concepts of goodness and humanity philosophically in regards to the larger context of the holocaust and what these implications are in our lives today.
In the final week, students presented a range of creative responses to the text, including; sampling the favourite dish of Anne Frank (potato and carrot mash!), learning about Anne’s love of cats and what happened to pets of the holocaust, some profound poetry, presentations on the annexe and the use of space in which she hid, the context of the war as a whole, music inspired by the ordeals that holocaust victims and survivors endured, beautifully symbolic embroidery, a replica of the diary, a treasure box of Anne’s possessions and fashion designs of the 1940s and portraits of the Frank family. The insights and creative responses shared by the Class 9s from this unit were moving and inspiring.
Alisha Watkins
English & Humanities Teacher
Blitz Workshop
On Monday of Week 9, the class 7-9s participated in the NRL WA Blitz program. They practiced the basic skills of rugby league and enjoyed some match play. The session was made even more exciting by one of the coaches, who had played in the NRL and competed in three Rugby World Cups! The students had a “ball” giving the new skills a “try,” making it a fun and memorable day for all.
Term 4 Sports
This term in Physical Education, the students engaged in activities tailored to their developmental stages and upcoming challenges:
- Class 7s concentrated on sailing and swimming, building water confidence in preparation for camp. They worked on improving their technique and comfort in the water.
- Class 8s participated in basketball sessions offsite at Mundaring Arena and engaged in team-building activities on campus, emphasizing collaboration and sportsmanship.
- Class 9s focused on camp preparation, including a day of surfing and completing an off-site Water Safety unit. This unit provided them with valuable life-saving skills and basic rescue techniques.
Each group demonstrated enthusiasm and resilience while honing their physical skills and teamwork abilities. It has been a very busy year in Physical Education and I’m looking forward to doing it all over again in 2025!
Siobhan Jones
Physical Education Coordinator
Lead Outdoor Education Teacher
On the final Thursday of the school year, students and staff celebrated their achievements with a fun-filled day at Adventure World. This much-anticipated excursion provided the perfect opportunity to unwind and enjoy a mix of thrills and relaxation. Groups of students eagerly embraced the park's daredevil rides, chasing excitement on roller coasters and high-speed attractions. Others took a more laid-back approach, cooling off in the pool or soaking up the sun in the vibrant atmosphere.
Among the staff, Mary-Jo stood out as the team’s daredevil, fearlessly joining the students on the most thrilling rides and sharing in their excitement. Her adventurous spirit inspired others to step out of their comfort zones and added to the lively energy of the day. Meanwhile, the other staff members were just as content supervising the fun from afar or joining the students for friendly competition on the go-karts.
The students' behavior throughout the day was exemplary, demonstrating respect and cooperation that reflected positively on the school. Their enthusiasm and maturity ensured the day ran smoothly, creating wonderful memories for everyone involved. It was a fantastic way to end the school year, with students and staff alike representing the college with pride and leaving Adventure World with big smiles and cherished experiences.
Siobhan Jones
Physical Education Coordinator
Lead Outdoor Education Teacher
On Thursday week 8, with some help from the East Metropolitan Regional Council, the class 9 Ecology class created and ran a clothes swap event.
As we finished off the year by looking at the impact and sustainability issues within the textiles industry, the initiative was aimed at giving new life to some pre-loved clothes and negate the need to buy new items.
The event was an overwhelming success as many students donated large amounts of clothes, this ensured that all students were able to come away with something new.
We will be doing this again next year so please keep this in the back of your mind when sorting out your wardrobes.
Simon Griffiths
Design & Technology Teacher
The Red Tails Coffee Shack lunch service will be returning in 2025 on Wednesday 12th February, providing a wholesome school lunch service to PSC families.
Lunch Service will be available Wednesday and Fridays in 2025.
All orders will need to be placed through the below site preferably the night before or by 8am on lunch order days.
Please take time to peruse the site below: Canteen-Parkerville Steiner College (square.site)
Password: steiner
Please make sure you put your childs name, class and order day/date in the 'Add a note for the seller' section of the website at the checkout.
We were very excited to be provide this to our families this term and have found a wonderful service in Red Tails, thank you for your support.
Please follow Parkerville Steiner College Facebook page for updates, notices and events happening around the school.
Please join our Friends of Parkerville Steiner College group for current families and staff, prospective parents, graduates and former staff of Parkerville Steiner College to keep in touch, communicate and to support the school.
Please join our PSC Buy/Sell/Swap School Equipment group for parents & caregivers of students who attend Parkerville Steiner College and wish to buy/sell/swap within the school community. This page is only to have advertisements of books, school jumpers/shirts and camp equipment, other items outside of this will not be approved
