Winter Festivals

It was lovely to celebrate with the Primary and High School last week. Many thanks and photos have been included in this edition. Special thanks to Kevin Mazzer for all his leadership, facilitation, inspiration and hard work to coordinate the Winter Festival Committee and its work. He holds the impulse of the Winter Festival with a loving, guiding vision and makes manifest an event that is supportive of our soul and ongoing evolution individually and as a school community. Thank you.

Parkerville Steiner College and many of the kindy classes are holding their Winter Festivals this week and we look forward to hearing of those.

Class 8 Play

Round out the term with a night at the theater! Class 8 will perform The Tempest on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Intermission food is available.

AGM

Last night, 24th June, the school held its AGM. This mandated annual event provides the school with a chance to pause, reflect, celebrate and look to the future:

The evening provided insights into a diverse range of matters and attendees left with a clearer picture of the school as a place of education and community backed by financial resources and strong governance.

Brett Kranz-Little, Naomi Chapman and Kevin Mazzer were warmly thanked for their contributions to the Council as they stepped off the Council and we welcomed two new nominees Gosia (current parent and teacher at PWS) and Samantha (current parent at PSC).

Thank you to all involved in the AGM and especially thank you to our Chairperson, Dr Peter Finlay who will start his 3rd year as Chair and 8th year on the Council.

The following people were elected for the following year:

Office Holders:

Peter Finlay (Chair), Mark Edwards (Vice-Chair), Linda Baldwin (Secretary), Lisa Joy (Treasurer). 

Ordinary Councillors:

Samantha Robson, Gosia Winter, Mee Cheng Wong & Mark Phillips (College of Teachers appointment) 

School Break

While families will keep their children home from school over the next three weeks, before school resumes on 21st July, many of our staff will be working or attending Professional Development Opportunities.

• Mid year Conference at PWS: Next week, the high school staff from both campuses (50 people) will gather for three days for a series of workshops by Mike Dyson focusing on engaging students in meaningful conversations, and by Mark Phillips on the development of thinking.

• National Teachers’ Conference by Steiner Education Australia: A number of staff are attending this high impact conference in Noosa, Queensland.

We look forward to seeing everyone back and refreshed next term. Stay very safe and hopefully spend time with your kids, in nature, at some point - the creeks are flowing in the Hills, winter beach walks are invigorating….

Please note that from next term the Pabulum will be published every second week (even weeks).

With much gratitude

Bruce Lee
School Administrator

A Rose of pure white blooms in mindnight's dark hour.
The spell of the darkness is broken and torn.
In my heart there's a bursting of magical power
For the heavenly Child on earth has been born!

He is pure as the snow. With my heart's love aglow
I shall nourish this Child, and he surley shall grow!

by Michael Hedley Burton / verse no. 38

Class 2 Craft

Class 3 Craft

Class 5 Craft

Class 6 Craft

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

Class 10 Kalbarri Adventure – A Week of Challenge, Connection & Natural Beauty

While the Z Bend campsite didn’t quite match the seclusion of Four Ways, exploring the surrounding gorge without backpacks brought plenty of laughs and lighthearted moments.

The physical and mental demands of carrying heavy packs and hiking through Grade 4 and 5 trails were no small feat. But what shone through was the incredible resilience of the students. They pushed through discomfort and fatigue, and in doing so, discovered a new strength within themselves and their peers.

Physical Education – End of Semester Wrap-Up

Class 12 Colour and Light Main Lesson

The Winter Festival is a time of celebration where we reflect on our relationship with light across the changing seasons. For the Class Twelve students it also holds special significance as they have the responsibility of bestowing the gift of light to the Class Seven students and from there, the entire school community.

In the six weeks leading up to this event, the two Class Twelve splits have encountered the Colour and Light Physics Main lesson, exploring both the lawful nature of light and the deep emotional responses it can evoke in humans through colour. After completing blacking out their classroom to ensure the best environment for their experiments, the class examined light and colour from the perspectives of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Sir Isaac Newton. Both great minds investigated the phenomenon of light, each bringing their unique understanding of the natural world.

By replicating Goethe’s method of immersion and several of the experiments he conducted, students gained an appreciation for the impact that light and each of the colours has on humans. They made observations of light at sunrise and sunset and explored human temperaments and the use of colours in advertising.  This all contrasted with the Newtonian experiments, using light boxes with mirrors and prisms to formulate the lawful and mathematical rules of reflection, refraction, chromatic dispersion and lenses. Finally, they reflected on the emotional impact of studying light and colour from each of the Newtonian and Goethean perspectives and considered how each view helped to shape their personal connection to these phenomena.

Their Main Lesson culminated with the creation of their final Winter Festival lantern, designed to both honour their Steiner school journey and showcase their understanding of light and colour. Class Twelve could be seen joyfully carrying their lanterns on their final spiral walk, before exchanging them for the spectacular fire sticks that they passed onto Class Seven.

Brett Kranz-Little
HS Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy Teacher

Class 12 Projects

Cedar Adams Practical - Invitation to participate

Esteban Parker-Holland

Hi, my name is Esteban Parker-Holland, and my project question is

“What environmentally sustainable design and eco-friendly materials available in Australia are best for passive home design?”

My project began in December 2024, when I started thinking about a topic for Year 12 as the year was coming to an end. I chose my topic within a month and began organising visits to see shipping containers so I could understand them inside and out. I wanted to build a tiny home out of a sea container, as I was also looking into the current housing crisis we are facing today.

However, I ran into some problems.  I didn’t have a property to support my plans, so that entire idea had to be set aside. At this point, I felt a bit panicked, as I had no idea what to do next. I had a meeting with my mentor, Matt Wallwork, and he mentioned an insulator called SIPs (Structurally Insulated Panels), which are panels that function as both insulation and wall in one. That sparked a new idea: I would design a passively built house.

Passive design basically means using ecological materials and techniques to make living as cost effective and comfortable as possible. So, designing homes with these techniques in mind, for example, the orientation of your building, the location of your windows and doors, the framing of the building, what the walls and floors are made of.

Over the year I have been to conferences, show rooms and design offices.  I’ve also been to the SIPS factory in Bibra Lake where I met Rob Vis, the owner. The reason I am invested in this topic so much is because I’ve always been taught not to use air conditioning because it is a luxury item. It can get very expensive, so I was taught not use it if possible. However, after moving to Geraldton in 2020, the heat was sometimes unbearable, and we were forced to use the air conditioner. What I now know is that if I still lived in Geraldton in a passive house, I’d only need a fan to stay cool, as the SIP panels act as excellent insulators against both summer heat and winter cold.

I’m quite excited to get started on the next phase of the project, creating my own passively designed model house, and bringing my ideas into reality. Thanks for reading.

Layla Cowan

Growing up I have always loved music; I began playing guitar around the age of six and I started singing when I was nine. From there my love of music grew. Towards the end of year 10 I started writing a lot of music and I had this dream of releasing an album. So naturally, when it came time for me to start my year twelve project, it had to be about music.

My project has been practical based from the start, as I knew I wanted to record and release music, so I had to build my question around it. After being in between ideas for weeks and weeks, I eventually came to the question:

“How do we record and release music now in the digital age, and how does social media influence this?”

As I have always been passionate about music, I thought that this would be a breeze of a topic. But the more I researched, the more I found that I really didn’t know that much at all. Looking into the music industry I found a lot of mistreatment of artists, some of which made me question whether or not this is the industry I want to get into as a future career. I found that majority of record labels treat their artists as money makers rather than actual people. They are viewed purely as a product that brings them the money the record companies are so hungry for. This seriously made me rethink how I want to go about recording music in the future. I know now that I would rather stay an independent musician rather than get signed by a big music production company.

For the practical component of my project, I will be recording and releasing a five-song EP, featuring original music written entirely by me. This is a lengthy process that involves writing both the lyrics and instrumental parts—including piano, guitar, percussion, vocal harmonies, and other necessary sounds. Each element will be recorded separately, then mixed, edited, mastered, and ultimately released on Spotify

For the social media part of my topic, I will evidently be starting up a social media page on Instagram and possibly TikTok, on which I will be posting covers, originals and the process of creating my EP. As the last component of my practical, I will be doing a live performance of a few of my originals.

I am very excited to be sharing all of this, as it is something I have dreamed of doing for years. Being able to do this as part of a school project is an opportunity I am very happy to have been involved in over the last number of months.

Running Club

We had a great turn out last week and recorded our highest distance for the term with just over 27km. Such a great effort from our eager participants. We will be back at it next term same time, same place. Bibra Lake Fun Run will take place next term and it would be great to get our community on board. Last year we took out 2^nd place for the largest school and I think we could go one better this year. Keep an eye out for more details next term.

Milestone Achievements:

5km – Ellie Stevenson (Class 3)

50km - Jobe Collins (Class 5) and Hamish Whyte (Class 5)

Interschool Sports Opportunities

We had a great term for interschool sport and are looking forward to what next term holds. There will be opportunities for our High School students to represent Perth Waldorf for Basketball and Surfing.

SCHOOL SPORT WA

Congratulations to Vivian Jackson-Weller in Class 6 who has been selected in the 20-person squad for the School Sport WA 12 and under Girls Soccer team. Good luck in the upcoming trials Vivian.

After School Sports Program

A big thank you to all the students involved in the Ulti-mates program this term. We had excellent numbers to finish the final to two weeks of the program. We learnt backhand throws, crocodile catches, crab catches and forehand flicks.

It was fantastic to see the progression in skills as we progressed and how well the children used these in games. The game play developed really well and the team spirit was a highlight.

A big thank you to two of our wonderful Class 9 students Shosh and Hari who volunteered their time to assist as coaches. Another successful program.

Next term we will run a 4-week orienteering program, stay tuned for more details regarding days and dates.

See below for some opportunities to get involved in and try some great community initiatives.

Manning Park Trail Runners

Where: Manning Park, Azelia Road Spearwood. Meet at the Manning stairs.

When: Every Thursday. 5-6pm for kids group. 6-7:15pm for adults group.

It’s FREE! All ages and abilities welcome.

Thanks,

Jade Collins
Phys. Ed Coordinator

2025 Building Levy 

A late payment fee will apply to all accounts not paid by the due date. This does not apply if you have a payment plan arrangement in place.

Family Participation Scheme Forms

It's time to send in your Family Participation Scheme forms. Please drop them into the Front Office as soon as possible or email to: pws@pws.wa.edu.au

This is the link to the form on our school website.

Family Participation Scheme Form

Or you can download the form here:

PWS Vacancies

Please visit Work with us - Perth Waldorf School for the latest job vacancies.

Class 1 Teacher 2026

Canteen Assistant - Casual

Groups/Classes

Participating in any of these activities goes toward Family Participation Hours. 

These groups for parents are run or led by teachers or parents. Members of the school community are encouraged to join any of the groups and enjoy the experience of personal growth and learning in this beautiful environment - a great inspiration for our children!

Community Notices are for members of the school’s community only and may consist of: Business adverts, producers, services, items for sale (non-school related), etc. keeping in mind that they need to be consistent within our schools’ ethos. Please try and keep your notice short (this is free of charge). All Community Notices will appear in this section for two weeks only.  If you would like a ¼ page advert, a $10 fee is required and will only appear in Week 2 and Week 8.

Housesitter Available

❄️✨ Winter Warmer Day Retreat ✨❄️

A soulful, hands-on journey into creativity, connection, and winter wellbeing.

As the days grow colder and darker, take time to nurture yourself from the inside out. This Winter Warmer Day Retreat is a heart-crafted collaboration by a group of passionate women—each bringing their gifts to create a day of learning, making, relaxing, and sharing.

Join us for a full-day immersive retreat filled with natural beauty, gentle practices, and inspiring hands-on sessions that will leave you feeling nourished, grounded, and deeply connected.

What to Expect:

✨Nourish Your Mind & Body

• Learn from naturopath Conny Wehland, who will share her gentle wisdom for winter wellness—herbal tips, seasonal nourishment, and ways to honour your body during the colder months.

✨ Craft Magic & Light

• Tap into your inner child and creativity with a delightful needle felting session. Guided by Sandy A Koelliker from NOLI by Sandy, you’ll craft a beautiful matchbox cover to light a candle to hold the light through long, cold winter nights.

✨ Create with Nature

• Be guided by artist and teacher Yolanda Millar from Yol Creative in a meditative woodcraft session. You'll sand and shape locally sourced wood, transforming it into a one-of-a-kind pendant imbued with your intention and care.

✨ Awaken Your Senses

• Let Monica Witsch take you on a journey into the sensual and healing world of essential oils. Learn how to use these powerful plant essences to uplift, soothe, and energise your winter self-care rituals.

✨ Soothe Your Soles

• Sink into a warm footbath while reflexologist Jill Lisson shares her knowledge. Learn simple, effective techniques to support your health through the feet—tools you can take home and use all season long.

For bookings see:

https://events.humanitix.com/winter-warmer-day-retreat

General Canteen Information 

Pixie Stott Canteen - Perth Waldorf School 

Can you Help?

The canteen is looking for Slushi return cups and any donations of forks and spoons.

Thank you

You can set up an account with the canteen using the form below:

CANTEEN MENU

Reusable stainless steel straws Silver just $1 cleaners 50c
Banister Downs milk full cream and lite $2.50 per litre.
Tammy sourdough bread whole meal $6.50 or fruit $8.50 available every day.
Breadtime story handmade sourdough Spelt $12 fruit and nut $14 4 seeds $13 preorder for Friday delivery.
Fresh Raw Local Honey $14/kg refill your own jar prepacked glass jars $9
Local Organic Olive oil $16.00/litre refill your own bottle or prefilled bottles available.
Grounded Pleasures chai $12.50 200g box
Grounded Pleasures Chocolate $11.50
Karvan coffee #3 $13/ 250g whole beans or Swiss water Decaf Ground $13.00/ 250g Tally Ho farm biodynamic tempeh $9.50

New nudeherbs drinks available $4.50 

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Volunteers are welcome in the Canteen!

Food Handling Training Link https://www.cockburn.wa.gov.au/Health-Safety-and-Rangers/Public-Health/Safe-Food/Food-Handling-Training

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If you would like to volunteer please take the course above. For free access use the code FSCBURN315. The course takes approximately an hour to complete. You will receive a certificate upon completion. Once you have acquired the certificate we can arrange a time that suits you to come in. All hours can be used towards the Parent Participation Scheme including the online course. If you would like more information, please contact Megan in the Canteen or via email canteen@pws.wa.edu.au 
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Megan Harry
Canteen Manager