The combination of midterm and the beautiful quickening in the air of the glorious spring coming our way is certainly making for a vivifying time on the grounds! Dusting off the maypole has been a real moment amongst colleagues after 3 years of storage - she is ever so happy to be seeing the light of day! The children are beginning to learn spring songs, recorder tunes and Class One maypole dancing is beginning to rehearse. We've certainly planned for a beautiful day. The morning will be an Open Day moment for you to see a display of your child’s class work and an opportunity to see their individual work too. We will then gather on the Meadow and open with a very special sacred smoking ceremony by local Indigenous members. This will be followed by the Maypole and Community Bush Dancing. With a bumper afternoon of family connections and Fair Activities for the children to be able to enjoy. Finally, yet another one of the many, much-loved traditions we've had to adjust to living without, can be redeemed into the community!

Amidst this sense of new beginnings are the many other normalcies resuming. We’ve just had Class Three enjoy their first school camp to Mowbray Park, we have a number of class plays in the making and a wonderful whole school excursion on Thursday. As we re-commence and renew these long, deeply held traditions within the school, we also look forward to beginning some meta reflections as an organization for our next five-year Board led strategic planning process. More information will be coming soon but this week all staff and Board Directors began the journey with an exceptional launch pad provided by Jennifer Gidley, Educational Psychologist, founder of another Steiner school in Australia and futures researcher. Jennifer’s work gives opportunity to really reflect on the grand global challenges our world now faces and what that means within the tradition and evolution of Steiner education.

We look forward to inviting you all to celebrate this incredible time of renewal both in the natural world and in our personal and community lives in this coming Spring Festival. 

Please note on Saturday the 10th of September at 10am, Kamaroi will open its doors to the public to showcase all the beautiful work the children have done this year. The Open Day will also include a school tour. We encourage our community to invite their friends and any prospective families to join and visit our beautiful school.

Visitors can register HERE

Warmest,

Vanessa Snaith

Principal

Photo above: Our Kindergarten Peach Blossom is in full bloom now!

Each year, Kamaroi sets aside a portion of its revenue to offer a limited number of means-tested partial bursaries to families who would not otherwise be able to afford a Steiner based education for their children at Kamaroi. Bursaries are available for students from Class 1 onwards.

Specifically, Kamaroi School’s Bursary Fund supports continuing enrolment for children of community members who are experiencing financial hardship, which impacts their ability to meet tuition fee obligations.

Applications for bursary support during 2023 are now open and must be submitted by September 30th, 2022. To request an application form please email the school’s Business Manager, Michael Twigg michaelt@kamaroi.nsw.edu.au

Kind regards,

Michael Twigg

Business Manager

Spring Festival and Kamaroi Family Fun Day

Friday September 9, 2022

Open to the Kamaroi Community & Families

Dear Parents,

Thank you for your patience as Class 4 and the PA have taken time to plan this unique day that we hope will be fun for all!  It has been 3 years since we’ve been able to hold our much-loved annual Kamaroi Fair which we look forward to resuming in May 2023. In the meantime we’re very grateful to the school that we’re able to jump in after the morning Spring Festival celebrations to hold an afternoon of Fair-like Family Fun!

WE NEED YOU!

The afternoon will offer a selection of popular Fair activities and, like the Fair, can only happen with the support of our parent community. With the Fair every year, every parent is asked to do a shift on an Activity. (Circle Sunday May 17 2023 in your diary – it’s all hands on deck!). With our Family Fun Day, while it is a scaled-back event, it will still require the support of as many parents as possible to make it fun for the children!

We understand that being on a Friday this may be difficult, or not possible, for some. So, we would very much appreciate that all of you who are able to, please scroll through the list of volunteer shifts that we need filling and CHOOSE ONE! (Sign Up Roster below) We’ve made each shift as short as possible with most running for 75 minutes only so that you still have plenty of time to relax, eat, catch up with friends etc

FUN AND FUNDRAISING:

For those new to Kamaroi, our annual Fair is traditionally the PA’s primary fundraising event of the year.  This year the September 9 Family Fun Day (including Raffle, info below) will be that fundraiser, with all proceeds going to the Parents’ Association (PA). All PA funds have helped the school community and our children for many years through contributions to Parent Ed, Music Ensembles, the building of the PA Room, Kitchen upgrade, Water Feature in the Piazza, new playground equipment and more. The more we raise, the more we can do for the children and our Kamaroi community!

LIBRARY GIFTING/ ACQUISITION 

The Library will also be open with books to purchase and donate to the Library. We invite families to buy a book that is then gifted to the Library. All donations will have the family's name attached to the book, so the children will remember the books they donated throughout the years.

SCHEDULE:

• 10.20am-11am:  Open Classrooms Viewing
• 11am-12pm: Festival and Community Bush Dance/ Lilly Pilly- Class 6 
• 12pm Festival Pack Up: Class 5
• 12-1pm Picnic Lunch - There will be numerous stalls for purchasing delicious food onsite to support PA fundraising. 
• 1-3pm Fun Activities

- Mouse House

- Games on the Meadow

- Face Painting

- Flower Wreaths

- Apple Shy

- Silent Auction  

- Coffee/Tea/Cake Stall

- PA Market Stall

SIGN-UP FOR ACTIVITIES SHIFTS

All who are able to contribute your time, please sign-up for the activity/time of your choice.

Your help is very much appreciated, thank you!

Link: https://signup.zone/kamaroispringfair-2022

TOKENS

Tokens for the Activities will be pre-sold after school, 3-3.30pm, every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon from next week: 23 & 25 Aug, 30 Aug & 1 Sep, 6 and 8 Sep. You’ll see us as you walk in, outside Lilly Pilly/Library.

FOOD TICKETS

Food tickets will also be pre-sold on the above days. We will have a variety of food options available!

CAKE STALL

We are grateful for all kinds of cakes, muffins, biscuits or slices and ask that each family make one contribution to the Spring Festival Family Fun Day Cake Stall. These can be elaborate or simple, traditional, gluten free, vegan or anything in between. Every offering is greatly appreciated and all money raised goes directly to the Parents' Association to support our children’s school experience.

For some extra fun this year we will also be having a Kamaroi Bake Off! Entry is $5 with a prize awarded to the most interesting cake and most interesting baked good (slice/cookie/muffin).

We will be sending one cake box home to each family next week. If you feel that you are able to contribute more than one cake please contact Renee or Rob for extra boxes. Please label your cake ingredients on the form provided with your box and indicate if you’d like to enter the Bake Off. A reminder that all contributions must be nut free (including nut meals and flours).

Please bring your cake to the ‘Cake Receiving’ table that will be outside the library on the morning of Friday September 9. For those entering the Bake Off, you can pay your $5 entry fee when dropping off your cake to us. Thank you!

Any questions please contact Renee: 0431 956 006 or Rob 0405 132 941.

FLOWERS AND VINES

Flower Wreaths are the perfect spring headband…. but we will need many flowers and vines!  Please start having a look at what you have around you - perhaps in your garden, your neighbours or that gorgeous Jasmine vine you drive past. Get spotting! They are best picked on the day (Friday Sep 9) and brought in on the morning, or a day before if that’s easier for you. Leave them by the sandpit outside class 1.

RAFFLE TICKETS

Next week each family will receive 2 books of Raffle Tickets to sell. To allow you more time and breathing space we have extended the ‘tickets due back’ date to Week 1 of Term 4, and have invited Vanessa to draw the Raffle on Monday of Week 2. The school community will then be advised of the lucky winners!

We are deeply grateful to everyone who has made donations toward a wonderful selection of Raffle Prizes, as well as those who have donated for the Silent Auction. We will provide specific thanks and mentions to the generous people and businesses in a later Bush Telegraph.

Thank you all for your contributions, in any and all ways, to what will be a wonderful day of community fun and connection!

Warm regards,

The Spring Festival Family Fun Day Committee and Coordinators, Class 4 and the PA

Please direct any questions to: kamaroifair22@gmail.com

We understand that there is a desire within the community for Kamaroi to offer After School Care. Please know that the school has put much effort into trying to arrange a solution to this need. Unfortunately, over recent years we have been unable to gather sufficient commitment from enough families to make this viable through Kamaroi. As an alternative measure, we have arranged access to the after-school facility operated on site at our neighbouring school, Christian Covenant.

We will continue to work towards a solution on site at Kamaroi and have put together a short survey so that we may better understand the level of interest and requirements from our families. Included in the survey are questions around the alternative provision of after school activity classes.

If you are genuinely interested in utilising an after school care facility at Kamaroi, please complete the survey below. 

You can complete the survey HERE

This week, as part of their Operation Wattle project the children went on an excursion to Sydney Harbour National Park. This was a beautiful way for them all to immerse themselves in the natural world and see the Sunshine Wattle in person. They went on a lovely bushwalk and learnt how to identify them in their natural habitat. As they have been busy propagating the seeds of this very special and important tree, they were all very excited to get to experience and see first-hand the long journey from seed to tree. 

We need weekly volunteers to run the Kamaroi Market Stall. If you are available to help for an hour on Wednesdays please sign up for a shift!

You can sign up HERE

‘Hemingway would fail Naplan’ – an interesting research project published in The Age recently which gives strong context to our methodology.

You can read more about that HERE

When it comes to children’s safe use of technology, the best tool we have is knowledge and conversation. In order to have conversations with our children about using technology, it is best to understand both the subject and the language that is current. There are many sites to assist with this – one that is generally helpful is the e-safety parents’ page: https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents

The other day I came across this page which I found to be quite informative about Snapchat, currently a very popular social media platform for young people. This will help you understand what this platform is, some of the things to be aware of and general language that will enable you to have a conversation with your children:

https://www.safeonsocial.com/download-snapchat-guide

Corey Flynn

Digital Technology Teacher Classes 5 & 6

Another interesting article from the Sydney Morning Herald on students in relation to phone use- enlightening info for parents to be aware of!

You can read more HERE

Click on the event title to register!

The Transition From 6 To 7 Years  - with Susan Laing

Thursday 25th August

ZOOM EVENT

Inviting Harmony Workshop - With Raphael's Rooms Practitioners 

Thursday 1st September

ONSITE - Kamaroi School, 220 Forest Way, Belrose

Inviting Harmony Workshop (Weekend) - With Raphael's Rooms Practitioners

Saturday 3rd September

ONSITE – Kamaroi School, 220 Forest Way, Belrose

All Parent Education Information can be found on the Kamaroi What's On Page

Reminder with warmer weather that all children should be wearing hats in the playground from August.

Please no ‘crop tops’, all T-Shirts need to fully cover the children’s midriff please! Children who come to school in crop tops will be provided with a Kamaroi t-shirt to wear over the top.

OPPORTUNITY:

Call out for any interested after school kids classes.

In the spirit of supporting our parent community in a way that is aligned with the schools ethos - we would like to be able to offer a suite of nourishing after school classes for those families who need a longer day.

If you or anyone you know might be interested in offering an after school activity that is ‘Steiner aligned’ from our school site please register a short description, your bio, cost and available days. This would be run as an independent business. You would manage your own bookings and admin, and you could hire out school hall at a nominal fee.

What you would need;

• Current working with children check
• ABN
• Public Liability Insurance

Please register your interest at registrar@kamaroi.nsw.edu.au

We ask for your help and cooperation in our upcoming Spring Festival Celebrations and Open Day. As we have a significantly different format this year we need to carefully consider logistics to ensure we are still managing our duty of care and safety of all the children. Therefore, we request that after attending your child's class for open classrooms, or the Kindergarten / Lilly Pilly Festival, that all younger siblings stay in their classrooms with their class and teacher until the bell rings to join the whole school on the Meadow at 11am. All children will sit in their class groups. Those parents going to multiple classrooms please leave your other children with their respective classes. We expressly ask please that younger siblings do not join parents in classroom tours for older siblings. All students, Lilly Pilly - Class 6, will have their own tours of all the classrooms in the school with their classes on the following Monday morning before displays are taken down. All children will need to be signed out by a parent/ family member after the Meadow activities at 12 noon. If you do not have a family member present you will need to confer with your Class Teacher and nominate another family who will sign your child out and be responsible for them for the afternoon.

Term 3 Key Dates

Musica Viva

Tuesday 23rd August

The Transition From 6 to 7 Years Parent Education

Thursday 25th August

Class 2 Play

Week 31st August - 2nd September

Inviting Harmony Parent Education 

Thursday 1st September

Inviting Harmony Parent Education (weekend)

Saturday 3rd September

PA Meeting

Thursday 1st September 7:30pm

Pacifica Eurythmy 2022 Graduate Program 

Monday 5th September 6:30pm

Spring Festival / Kamaroi Family Fun Day

Friday 9th September

Spring Open Day

Saturday 10th September

Class 5 Play

Week 13 September - 16th September

Class 6 Camp

19th - 22nd September

Term Dates

Term 3:

Wednesday 20th July – Friday 23rd September

Term 4:

Wednesday 12th October – Wednesday 14th December

Tuesday 23 August

Morning Tea

Fresh dates, oats and cacao bliss balls (GF/DF) $1.5, Tahini Choc bliss balls (GF/DF) $1

Inari $1.5

Cheesy sticks $1.5

Dark choc chips sultana chia seed oats spelt biscuits $2

Spelt lemon biscuits $2

Apple blueberry turnover $3

Warm honey lemon drink $3

Fruits cup $3

Cheese tomato garlic pizza bread $3

Lunch

Inari $1.5

Assorted sushi $3.5

Lentil curry with Indian rice GF DF $5

Wednesday 24 August

Morning Tea

Spinach and feta quiche GF option $4

Quiche Lorraine GF Option $4

Cinnamon scroll $3

Yoghurt berry cup $3

Golden honey chino $2

Fruit $1

Lunch

Sausage roll DF, GF option $4

Spinach and feta gf option $4

Pumpkin soup mug GF, DF $5

Brown rice ball $3

Bread roll $1

Thursday 25 August

Morning Tea

Fresh dates, oats and cacao bliss balls (GF/DF) $1.5, Tahini Choc bliss balls (GF/DF) $1

Inari $1.5

Cheesy sticks $1.5

Dark choc chips sultana chia seed oats spelt biscuits $2

Spelt Anzac biscuits $2

Spelt apple cinnamon loaf $3

GF DF chocolate crackles $2

Fruits cup $3

Cheese tomato scroll $3

Warm honey lemon drink $3

Lunch

Inari $1.5

Assorted sushi $3.5

Vegetarian bean tacos GF $4

Mexican fried rice GF DF $4

Friday 26 August

Morning Tea

Cheesy pizza slice $3

Olive and basil pizza $3

Gluten free pizza $3

Apple Crumble EF + GF,DF available $4

Organic Hot Cocoa sweetened with maple syrup DF option $3

Fruit $1

Lunch

Organic chicken broth noodle cup DF,EF GF option available $5

Chicken dumpling bowl DF $5

Pumpkin soup mug GF, DF $5

Roll $1

Tuesday 30 August

Morning Tea

Fresh dates, oats and cacao bliss balls (GF/DF) $1.5, Tahini Choc bliss balls (GF/DF) $1

Inari $1.5

Cheesy sticks $1.5

Dark choc chips sultana chia seed oats spelt biscuits $2

Spelt Anzac biscuits $2

Apple blueberry turnover $3

Warm honey lemon drink $3

Fruits cup $3

Feta and herb bread rolls $3

Lunch

Inari $1.5

Assorted sushi $3.5

Chickpea curry GF DF $5

Wednesday 31 August

Morning Tea

HCT toastie on organic sourdough gf option $5

Cheese and tomato toastie on sourdough gf option $4

Baked bean and cheese toastie gf option $4

Cinnamon scroll DF, EF $3

Yoghurt berry cup $3

Golden honey chino $2

Fruit $1

Lunch

Sausage roll DF, GF option $4

Spinach and feta gf option $4

Minestrone soup Mug GF, DF $5

Brown rice ball $3

Bread roll $1

Thursday 1 September

Morning Tea

Fresh dates, oats and cacao bliss balls (GF/DF) $1.5, Tahini Choc bliss balls (GF/DF) $1

Inari $1.5

Cheesy sticks $1.5

Dark choc chips sultana chia seed oats spelt biscuits $2

Spelt Anzac biscuits $2

GF DF chocolate crackles $2

Vegetarian quesadilla GF available $3

GF DF banana cinnamon loaf $3

Fresh orange juice $3

Fruits cup $3

Lunch

Inari $1.5

Assorted sushi $3.5

Vietnamese noodle salad GF DF (with chicken or tofu) $5

Friday 2 September

Morning Tea

Cheesy pizza slice $3

Olive and basil pizza $3

Gluten free pizza $3

Apple Crumble (GF,DF available) $4

Organic hot cocoa sweetened with maple syrup (DF option) $3

Fruit $1

Lunch

Pesto pasta (GF option) $6

Indian Samosa (DF, EF) $4

Minestrone soup mug (GF, DF) $5

Roll $1