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28 Ringwood Waldorf School A Centre for Steiner Education Spring Term 2010
28
Ringwood Waldorf School
A Centre for Steiner Education
Spring Term 2010
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Contents 1 Front Cover: Columbus’
Santa Maria sets sail, by Ben Dickenson-Bampton
2 - 3 Editorial and Contents,
College News 4 Seasonal Musings 5 Working in an Inner City
Kindergarten 6 - 7 To be a King and Wear a
Crown 8 – 9 The Age of Discovery 10 - 11 Introducing the Upper School Team 12 -13 Observation and Creativity
in Class 9 14 - 15 News and Reviews 16 - 18 Old Scholar News 19 New Building’s Appeal 20 - 21 Cartography in Class 10 22 News and Reviews cont. 23 Warm Welcome 24 Office Notes 25 -27 Advertisements 28 Back Cover: Water colour
studies from Class 5 The term ‘Main Lesson’ refers to a study block of three to four weeks, for the first 2 hours of the day, in which all the main subjects are taught.
The Magazine Group Christine Polyblank, editor; Paul Naidu, design; Keith Hewland, scanning art work and help with printing; Elizabeth Webb, advertisements & distribution; Nancy Urry, final edit.
Editorial Dear Parents and Friends, As Christopher Columbus and his crew cast off into the unknown in the Santa Maria, so too have we cast off into open waters this year with our Upper School. We have now been sailing for some seven months, and the seas have been relatively calm so that progress has been good. In this issue we introduce the intrepid team who are steering this ship and who mean to continue, through waters stormy or calm, into the future! You will see work done in a Workshop (from a real skull through to a plaster cast of the mask) by Class 9, and work from a Main Lesson study in Cartography by Class 10. Our urgent need to house our new classes is described on page 19 - how we are seeking planning permission to extend a building we already have and also raising the funds to enable us to do this. We will invite anyone who wishes to support our courageous new venture, to do so. Class 5 are showing work from their Ancient Civilizations Main Lesson which includes some freehand Geometry, and Class 7 offer work from their recent Age of Discovery studies. As always, we share news and reviews from in and around the school, as well as some news of old scholars. But to start us off, some seasonal musings, and news of how one of our ‘old’ teachers is continuing her task as teacher in a pioneering situation on the rough streets of Cork in the Republic of Ireland. May the spring sun shine on all of you and enliven your spirits. Wishing you a good read, a festive Easter and, for those who can, a restful break, Christine Polyblank for the Editorial Team
Class 1 ages 6-7
Class 2 ages 7-8
Class 3 ages 8-9
Class 4 ages 9-10
Class 5 ages 10-11
Class 6 ages 11-12
Class 7 ages 12-13
Class 8 ages 13-14
Class 9 ages 14-15
Class 10 ages 15-16
‘The hills are alive …’ from our Variety Show 2010 – see page 22
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College News Julian Coxon-Aristizabal: Chair of College
As we reach the half-way mark in
the school year and witness the earth renewing itself, it is a time to
look back on our successes and achievements and to cast our
gaze forwards to the vision we have for the future.
The baton of chairing the College has been passed on to another
teacher and it is perhaps pertinent at this time to remind ourselves
why Waldorf schools operate with the College at the heart
of its management.
At the founding of the first Waldorf school in 1919, Rudolf Steiner warned against regimentation, targets and a monarchical form of school government. He envisaged that each school would have its ‘own management run on a republican basis and…not (be) managed from above. We must not lean back and rest securely on the orders of a headmaster, we must be a republic of teachers and kindle in ourselves the strength that will enable us to do what we have to do with full responsibility. Each one of you, as an individual, has to be fully responsible.’ At the meetings, before tackling business issues, we call on the spiritual powers which, working through Imagination, Inspiration and Intuition, stand behind us as we take on the tasks. We ask for the strength, courage and wisdom that we need to carry out this work in co-operation and harmony. Tasks are entrusted to individuals or mandated groups and decisions taken by consensus. On a visit to Torquay in 1924 Steiner said, ‘The real purpose of the College Meeting is to study human development so that a real knowledge of human nature is continually flowing through the school.’
This emphasis on self-education and experiential study, and the sharing of classroom experiences, has been largely taken over by the Teachers’ Meeting attended by the whole faculty of teachers on Thursday afternoons. At the moment we are working through Steiner’s ‘Study of Man’ to deepen our understanding of child development. Parents too take part in this deepening of their understanding with weekly study groups and weekend events. Last year a study group of teachers and parents together visited Chartres Cathedral, and a trip to the ‘holy island’ of Iona is coming up soon. Recently the teachers welcomed 25 parents and visitors to a one-day conference on the theme of practical activity as a path to intellectual understanding – how to engage the will in education. This same impulse is at the heart of our new Upper School. At our recent School Community Meeting a robust report was given on some of the ways that Class 9 and 10 pupils are engaging both will and intellect in their learning: a Maths ‘Trigonometry’ main lesson led naturally over into an afternoon Surveying Worshop in Class 10; a Physics study of Heat main lesson led into a Copper Work Workshop in Class 9. Other examples are given later in this issue. The Upper School is operating in temporary classrooms and everyone longs for the day when they have their own building. That day is coming nearer: plans are in final preparation for submission to the Dorset Planning Authority with a view to starting the building work in the summer of 2011 so that we can have our full Upper School of four classes on site by September 2012. Members of the New Buildings’ Appeal Group will be visiting Parents Evenings shortly to ask for support in this exciting venture.
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Seasonal Musings Candlemas as a Threshold Dr Hugh Gayer, parent and school doctor
Little by little the days grow longer - still, it can be very cold, and we know it will be weeks, months, before the weather really warms us. Reflecting back to Michaelmas1, when we celebrate the gifts of the earth, both we and nature have been on a shared, more inward path. The outer life of nature withdraws: all becomes bare, even skeletal in its forms. We spend less time outside and become more introspective. In November we even take into our thoughts and hearts those who have died. Through the two darkest months, with a prelude at Martinmas2, we can, if we choose, suffuse our lives with candlelight. The calm, quiet, gently growing glow of the Advent Garden is followed by the one, then two, three and four candles of the successive weeks of Advent and, on Christmas Eve, the blaze of the Christmas Tree. This accompanies us through the stillness of the Twelve Holy Nights until Three Kings Day, Epiphany3. From here the red, green and blue candles of the Three Kings, whose wisdom predicts the sacrifice and rebirth of Easter, enlighten us until Candlemas4 when, in celebration, we offer transformed light to the slowly awakening earth with an earth candle. Through these darkest months this outer, celebratory light is accompanied by inner warmth: of family life and social activity, of inwardness. The centrepiece is Christmas with, for us adults, perhaps the image of the birth of the inner ‘spirit child’, the birth of our own ‘higher egos’, which are self, but above self-centredness, - the mark of our humanity. They are fragile and need nurturing! The verses of Rudolf Steiner’s ‘Soul Calendar’5 herald a transition at Candlemas. For the week before (26 Jan – 1 Feb) we have:
The true being of the spirit Makes warmth in winter’s depth,
And gives the world of appearance The power to be through strength of heart;
Defying the world’s cold, The fire burns brighter in the human soul.
This, and the preceding verses which accompany the cold, dark month of January, speak much of heart and warmth. The verse for Candlemas and the following week (2 – 8 February) heralds a different quality:
Seizing each new sensation And mindful of the spirit’s birth fulfilled,
My soul’s lucidity imbues The whirling tumult of the world’s becoming
With my thinking’s own creative will. In this still chilly season of slowly growing light, with green shoots pushing above the soil and snowdrop, crocus and other spring flowers beginning to blossom (rather late this year!), this, and the subsequent verses speak of the reawakening of the senses and the clarity of consciousness. This time of the year can often be difficult for people, with a tendency for low spirits and even depression, perhaps just because growing outer light is not accompanied by outer warmth. We can be helped by the memory of last summer’s warmth which turned inward from Michaelmastide and was transformed at Christmastime, and we can be minded that our inner warmth can hearten and sustain us, so that we can greet the unfolding of nature with newly awakened clarity. 1 29th September 211th November 3 6th January 42nd February 5Rudolf Steiner’s Soul Calendar is a collection of meditative verses for every week of the year ‘whose purpose it is to awaken a feeling of unity with nature and at the same time to stimulate a discovery of self’. A lovely edition, with excellent translations by John Thompson and beautiful paintings by Anne Stockton, is ‘The Illustrated Calendar of the Soul: Meditations for the Yearly Cycle’, published by Temple Lodge, ISBN 1 902636 62 7 (Editor’s note)
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Working in an Inner City Kindergarten by Marijke McCartney*
Working in an urban housing estate in Cork, the second biggest city in the Republic of Ireland, is a new, exciting and overwhelming
experience. There are several bleak and grim- looking Council estates on the North side of the river Lee. Vandalism and anti-social behaviour go hand in hand with high unemployment, poor education, low income jobs, and reduced prospects of improving quality of life. As part of a regeneration programme, Cork City Council built a new Community Resource Centre and a new housing scheme, with houses for rent as well as low-cost affordable social housing for buying, with a pre-school childcare facility. Two influential people in the childcare sector were very impressed with Steiner Education and helped the Kindergarten through the process of applying for the use of the building. It was considered that Cork Steiner Kindergarten could play a role in this regeneration process, strengthen the Community and provide a valuable pre-school service. The new community has a large immigrant population, with people coming from a wide variety of cultures - which we hope to explore in the future. We plan to involve the neighbourhood in our Easter festival. Being the one and only teacher in this Kindergarten, I feel a lot of responsibility and a lot of opportunities and challenges. I have attended and hosted residents’ meetings and helped to set up a Residents’ Association. I met the Community Outreach Workers, the Community Police Officer, the Head Teacher of the local Primary School, the Council Liaison Officer, as well as representatives from Cork City Childcare. I am still dealing with issues around the new building and contacting the Architect, the Clerk of Works, electricians, fire safety officers, landscape designers and so on. We are awaiting a capital grant for , 250.000 Euros to equip the space. Filling in all the forms for this Funding Application was in itself a challenging job. My next big job will be to actually buy and order all the furniture, toys, kitchen equipment and so on. I will have to decide where I want shelving and cladding with the carpenter, and discuss requirements for office equipment.
Going to work in the morning means opening the metal shutters before unlocking the front door and seven other locked doors! I, my Assistant and two European Volunteers, have to sign in and out and have to make sure the parents do this for their children as well. We have an Intercom system and security cameras all around the building and in various places in every room. We have only one playroom, a large kitchen and an office. The garden outside is small, but we can take the children to a large park nearby for a long walk first thing in the morning, and you would not believe the rubbish we pass on the way! People throw out anything and everything on the footpath and often set fire to it. We pick up some of it and take a brush for the glass. Inside this beautiful building, quite a regular Kindergarten session is taking place. I am enjoying being with the children. I love to watch them play, building houses, trains, aeroplanes, being princesses or horses, or mummy, daddy and baby. I enjoy doing crafts, baking, painting and all the other things like ring-time, puppet shows, telling stories. We have German and French volunteers who do finger-games and songs with us in their own languages. The Irish language is very difficult for me, but my Irish assistant is teaching us some. We have a lovely, lively group of fifteen children and their parents are very positive and cooperative. We have a great Board of Governors, and a Committee which looks after the wellbeing in general and especially the financial side of the Kindergarten. There is also a study group with local Anthroposophists which I enjoy attending. There is no school for the children to move on to, but there is a wish to establish one in the future. Steiner Education is not well known here and people seem generally quite happy to send them to a local primary school. The plan is to first establish a Parent and Child group and another Kindergarten on the South side. When I visited Ringwood recently I realised that, although I miss the Community and the Colleagues, I carry the Ringwood Waldorf School right inside me all the time and that I could never do my present job without my experiences there. I learned so very, very much in RWS and I am so very, very grateful to all the children, staff, and teachers. I am looking for someone to share my job from September. Anyone interested? Cork is a lovely city, come and visit us. Lots of Love, Marijke.
*Marijke spent 22 years in the school. She came as a parent with her three children, but her enthusiasm, enormous energy and love of her fellow man led her into teaching where she soon became an inspirational and tireless teacher and colleague. We miss her still, so I thought you might like to know what she’s up to now. This article has had to be slightly abbreviated. (Editor)
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‘To Be a King and Wear a Crown...’ Elizabeth I, 1601
Class Teacher Elaine Holt
In Class 5, the ‘heart’ of childhood, we study the Ancient History of the Middle East, from the Iranian Plateau to the shores of the Eastern Mediterranean. Here we find the ‘cradle’ of the complex societies that now cover the Earth. Here traces have been found of the first Cities, States and Empires.
On the fertile plains of Mesopotamia ‘the land between the rivers’, mankind began to change his world, using the clay of the riverbank to build permanent houses and protective walls; diverting rivers to irrigate vast field systems with canals and ‘sweeps’. The food produced could support many thousands. The surplus could be traded. But this new expansion required careful managing, for as the Sumerian proverb says: ‘In a city without watchdogs, the fox is master’. And so, here we also find the need for kings.
So it is for the child who, in his or her twelfth year, comes into that easy balance of awakening potential to act within their world and begin to shape it. But this potential can be helpful or hurtful. With thinking and actions still feeling-led, there is need for the child to be ‘king’ of their own inner kingdom – to be master of themselves. Then comes the question: ‘What kind of king shall I be?’
Through the study of freehand geometry of the circle, first recorded in Sumer, we explore the balance to be found within. Through the play ‘The Epic of Gilgamesh’ we look at the egocentric despot, and the limits of the mortal, physical world. Discussions follow about power and responsibility ‘In these my hands lie your trembling lives’, and how creatures such as the Class’ tropical fish might look upon us ‘as we to gods’ (Epic of Gilgamesh).
The fruits of this work are some of the most beautiful and will last a lifetime. To be a King in Mesopotania by Mani Hayward-Goyal To be King of Mesopotania I would recommend to listen to these tips: be just; be fair; judge everyone the same; be physically strong as well as mentally strong; be positive; take your responsibility seriously; be wise; help those in need; be confident; be polite; have strength of purpose; keep the city safe and don’t be proud. Those are my tips to be a good King in Mesopotania that everybody trusts and loves. To be a Queen by Onna Borbely-Bartis To be a queen is very hard work and has lots of responsibility, such as to be fair. But if I were a queen I would try and keep the city safe, and the poor people in proper houses. Being confident or positive is another vital responsibility, because, if your queen was always crying and being negative or apathetic your city would just be chaotic, but if your queen was always happy and ruled properly then your city would be peaceful. Tchem and his patterned bowls by Georgia Sait One day Tchem got bored. He found his mum’s basket. Tchem took the basket outside with him and pressed clay into it. After that Tchem made a small fire and put the basket into it accidentally, and when he took the basket out....the wicker had burnt away. He was astonished to find it. All that was left was a perfect clay bowl with the lovely pattern of the basket on. When he saw the bowl and the pattern he showed his mum and made more. One day a rich man came by and saw the beautiful bowl. The man said ‘How much do you want for that beautiful bowl? So Tchem sold the bowl to the man. After the man had gone the next day more and more people came to see and buy his bowls, so Tchem made more and more money. People came from distant lands like herds of horses to buy the wonderful patterned bowls. The Creation by Bethany Barfoot While he lay unconscious, Ahura Mazda began Creation. He made the seven Immortals and the angels. Then he made the sky, water, earth, tree, cow and finally the man, Gayomart. Ahriman awoke and broke through timid sky to destroy the Good Creation. His demons and vile creatures crawled over the face of the Earth until every part was contaminated. The Tree, the cow and even Gayomart became deseased and died. But when Ahriman, gloating, went to triumphantly return home, he found the sky god and the souls of men yet to be born blocking his way. He was trapped! What he had thought was a victory, was actually the seeds of his own destruction. Waters from Sirius washed the vild creatures into the holes of the Earth and angels battled the demons.
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Ruby Manners
Jarne Wilmar Frances Lynn James Doherty
Indya Score-Owens
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The Age of Discovery in Class 7
Class teacher Patrick Morrow
Introduction by Ben Dickerson-Bampton In our recent history main lesson we had a look at the incredible
Age of Exploration. As new inventions rapidly changed the world, men journeyed into the unknown and discovered whole
kingdoms of vast wealth and riches. As the Feudal System crumbled, people began to fight for their freedom and a real sense of individuality was established.
In this massively important era, people began to look at the world with a fresh perspective, and were
able to progress and develop.
A Native South American by Edan Turner
A Native South American in the style of Gauguin by Bernard A medieval town by Lawrence Couch
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Columbus’ Santa Maria off the American coast by Jago Cremer-Roberts
Some creative writing from the study -
A different perspective by Edward Cowen A king of men once said to me ‘In time of Aztec we were free But now my race is almost gone’. And no more army that once was strong. He also told me to think straight And not to bend my mind with hate. But he is gone and can never return For white man pulled him off his throne They left his flesh to rot to the bone And took the gold from his people’s home.
Joan of Arc by Kitty Schneider Crashing Hooves hard on the ground spraying earth through the air. The thud of men falling down. People losing hope. But Joan of Arc still has faith even when she burns in flames. God will help her with tear stained eyes.
African Slaves by Auryn Liddiard Waves of water flowing by, singing to the Africans who are condemned to die. Seagulls at the seashore cawing, children crying, ever crying. Now the sunlight shining, as if to tell the Africans hope is coming. But no hope is coming, night is coming, and the light is fading. With the African spirit decaying.
A Bright New Star by Jad Stephens When you look one way and then another There is nothing to see, nothing to discover. But with the dawn *he spies from afar The land of America, a bright new star. *Christopher Columbus
The Natives by Alex Elderfield They were rich, or so we were told, So off we went in search of gold.
The seas were wild, and the waves were high It took so long, we thought we might die!
But land we found and a calm bay it was At last on the shore we proudly trod.
From the local tribes we took their treasure To take back to Spain for our own pleasure.
We stole all their gold so then they were poor The natives then died, joyous no more.
America by Hazel Frost To a land where no-one has been to a land that no-one has seen across the waters we go to see the Americans who are free. We battle with them and kill all their men. They are rich, we are told so we steal all their gold. They are joyful no more for now they are poor. But we have discovered a vast new place and we will make it our own base. This is the land noone had seen, this is the land where no one had been.
Short passages from essays:
Magna Carta by Liam Callebout Very soon the people united together against the evil king. The knights and barons of the land met together and wrote the Magna Carta. The Magna Carta was a list of rules that the king must abide by; the king could not start a war without consulting the people nor could he raise taxes without the consent of the people. They took this to King John...... and when he saw their steely gazes he realized they would kill him if he did not. This was the first step in human rights.
The First Cities by Hazel Frost Cities were a very great idea because it was the only way for a peasant or a serf to become free....... Cities were always cramped because they couldn’t be
extended due to a big wall around the edge. They were so dirty because everyone threw their rubbish out of their windows. In the middle of the cities was always a cathedral. This was the only place that was clean and colourful in the city, and people would go there to get some peace and quiet.
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Introducing the Upper School Teaching Team
Andy Smith – Geography, Biology, Class 10 Guardian Originally from London but brought up in rural south-east Hampshire Andy has a degree in Environmental Science and after initially pursuing a career in nature conservation as a research ornithologist he switched to teaching. He attended the London Waldorf Teacher Training Seminar in 1988-1990 and then taught for five years as a class teacher at Coleenbridge Waldorf School (now Raheen Wood) in County Clare in the Republic of Ireland and for two years as upper school biology
and geography teacher at Wynstones (Steiner School) in Gloucester. More recently (2004-2009) Andy was one of the founders and principal teachers at the Aquila Project at Sturt's Farm which effectively acted as an upper school for Ringwood Waldorf School. At Aquila he again taught biology and geography plus history and some drama. Andy has always had a very strong interest in birds, wildlife and wild places and in between his teaching he has, for the last 15 years, worked as a tour guide leading bird and wildlife watching groups abroad. This work, which is ongoing, has taken him to over 40 countries in five continents and acts as an inspiration and counterpoise to his work in the classroom. Andy teaches biology and geography and organises trips and expeditions in our new upper school. He looks forward to prosperity and expansion and the prospect of teaching classes 11 and 12! Andy has four children of his own (the youngest now 16) and one very new grandson (of whom he is very proud).
Axel Keim - Crafts I was born in Ludwigsburg (nr Stuttgart), Germany, of German parents. At the age of 2 ½ my parents emmigrated to the US and settled in Detroit, Michigan where I spent my childhood. At the age of 18 I travelled across America, then returned to Germany in 1971. I began a formal apprenticeship as an ecclesiastical wood carver, doing church fitting such as altar screens, religious sculptures and the like. I met Michele - now my wife of 34 years - in 1973, finished my training in ‘75, got married in 1976, then moved to England after the first child of 5 was born, in 1977. I worked in London as a picture frame
carver, carving frames for the National Gallery and the royal family. We then moved to Salisbury where I continued to work as a wood carver, working on historic buildings as a restorer. (I spent one year working on a ceiling at Windsor Castle after the fire.) We joined Ringwood Waldorf School (then Folly Farm School) in the early ‘80’s, and all our children have been students here. In the past 10 years I have been developing educational programmes for children with learning disabilities at the Sheiling School, mainly in the outdoor classroom, introducing traditional crafts. I have also been teaching woodwork at the school.
Sandy Kennedy – Art, Art History, Class 10 Guardian Sandy was born in Ireland and moved to England to attend Michael Hall* school. After leaving she worked at a great variety of interesting jobs including cleaning aircraft, nursing, massage, catering, farming and finally being a mother to two boys. She spent several years in South Africa and Ireland where, after completing her Waldorf Teachers training, she became a class teacher. She also taught painting, form drawing and religion. She and her boys then teamed up with Andy Smith and his
children and moved to Wynstones School* in Gloucester where the older children could attend the upper school.
After two years they all moved to Hampshire, the children went to state school and Sandy did a five year part time Bothmer Movement training and then went on to train in Bothmer therapy in Hungary. She also completed a BA in Visual Art. This coincided with the founding of The Aquila Project which was being set up by a group of class eight parents from Ringwood Waldorf School at Sturts Farm and Sandy was invited to join to teach art and subsequently art history. This brings us to here and now at Ringwood where she has been glad to have been welcomed into the new group of upper school teachers. * both Steiner schools Sibylle Egle-Gleed My name is Sibylle Egle-Gleed and I am the German teacher for the Upper School. I am from Germany but have been living here in Ringwood with my husband and two children for over 7 years now. I studied International Business Management and have worked for several years at Ernst & Young in Basel, Switzerland. When we moved to England I did my PGCE with Greenwich University and have been working ever since at Brockenhurst College teaching German adult courses, AS, A-level and International Baccalaureate.
Tony Andrews – History, Metalwork, Evaluation Development Tony teaches History, metalwork and PHSE in the Upper school. Although new to upper school teaching, Tony has been at RWS as a Class Teacher for 14 years, having taken two classes through to Class 8, and is at present undergoing upper school teacher training.
After leaving school at sixteen, Tony studied engineering in a traditional 4 year City and Guilds apprenticeship before working for a time as an engineering instructor, toolmaker and lathe turner.
After his time in engineering, Tony spent many years working as a bus driver before returning to full time education studying Politics and Education at York University. He undertook his Waldorf teacher training on the North of England Steiner Teacher Training course in York, Botton and Michael House Steiner/Waldorf schools form 1992 to 1994.
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Roy Allen – Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Metalwork, Class 9 Guardian I am married to Charlotte who is a Homoeopath; we have a daughter and three sons, all of whom are now quite grown up.
I read engineering at university and after some research work in the steel industry I soon turned my back on the dirty noisy steel works and urban living. Having taken a PGCE we headed for rural Montgomeryshire in darkest Mid Wales where I taught maths, physics, engineering drawing and
metalwork in a local comprehensive school, we renovated our first cottage and became parents. When the education of our four children became an issue we discovered, in quick succession, Steiner-Waldorf Education, the Hereford Waldorf School and the Waldorf Science Teacher Training Course at Wynstones. We left Mid Wales for Herefordshire, became Waldorf parents and I enrolled on the Science Teacher Training Course. On completing the course I joined the teaching staff at Hereford and became one of founding Upper School teachers. After 13 years teaching at Hereford I left the school in 2003 to join the Fellowship Advisory team as an Upper School Advisor and to work as an independent visiting Main Lesson teacher. It was in this new roll that I came into contact with the Aquila Project and the Ringwood Waldorf School. I have been a visiting ML teacher at Aquila since 2005 and at RWS for the past two years. In September I joined the Staff at RWS as the Upper School Coordinator to help pave the way toward the opening of an Upper School in September 2009.
Mireille Jackson – French I came to Britain about twenty years ago. I qualified as an interpreter and worked for several years for the Forestry Commission. I also was the "official" interpreter for the American war veterans, on their yearly European Tours to London, Brussels and Paris. I equally taught French to business people, as a private venture. I decided about twelve years ago that I really wanted to teach and obtained all necessary
qualifications. At the present time I teach AS/A2 level at Bournemouth and Poole College. I also teach adults in the evenings and twice a week I teach children from 5years old to 11 years. I live in Bournemouth and I have two children. My eldest son lives in Argentina and my youngest son lives in Dubai.
Sandi Weir - Choir and Ensemble Sandi has been the music teacher for the Middle School for the past 12 years, building up her ensemble and choir work. Before joining the staff here and doing the Steiner Waldorf Training, she had organised music workshops for the County Council, worked with special needs children and worked as an accompanist. In the early days following her discovery of the school, she ran a Parent and Toddler Group; she has played for the Eurythmy lessons, given piano and recorder lessons - and her daughters both went through the school .
Moray Dubree-Carey – IT Although originally from a Sales Management and Marketing background, I have worked for many years for various Colleges and Government Agencies explaining the mysteries of Information and Communication Technology, working with families and in adult learning situations, hopefully in a motivational way! I am a qualified Tutor and Subject Coach working in e-learning. I am organised by a wife and two children, and we have lived in Mudeford for over 20 years.
Juliet Hurner - Eurythmy I had a rather unimaginative government schooling in Cape Town, South Africa, and was intrigued - when I discovered the Eurythmy School there at age 21 - that you could study art, music, philosophy and movement altogether. I completed the four year training during which time I was also introduced to Waldorf education and I decided that when I had children they would go to a Waldorf School, and so they did – all three of them.
I never dreamt I’d be a teacher but when a eurythmy teacher was needed in my children’s school, I took up the challenge and, in fact, taught from Kindergarten through to Class 12 for fourteen years. I also taught at Imkanyezi Waldorf School in Alexander Township. I have worked in eurythmy with people of all ages with special needs and I have worked with artistic groups, performing widely. I then decided to study Eurythmy Therapy, completing the training and then working in various hospitals and clinics in Switzerland and Germany both with patients and doctors. I then took a break - went travelling and learned to paint pictures in oils and water-colours, before deciding that I missed my vocation and applied for the post at Ringwood Waldorf School. I teach from Class 5 to Class 10, run a parents’ group and work with the teachers. I enjoy it all very much and am building up the Eurythmy Therapy as well.
Nancy Urry – English, Drama
Nancy read Philosophy and Anthropology at the University of Wales, Swansea. She came to the school originally as a parent, then did her Class Teacher training at Emerson College and began to teach various ages of children in the school. She is now one of the group of founding teachers of our new upper school. Her greatest passion now is for English Literature, but other special interests include nature, walking, bird-watching and, of course, reading.
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Observation and Creativity in Class 9 Clay Modelling, Mask making and Mould making with Axel Keim and Sandy Kennedy by Axel Keim
We started with the introduction of the Golden Section in terms of relationships in proportion. Drawing boards were made by the students using the Golden Section - height to width. Our first drawings were actually pre-exercises to our main drawing or observation task. It
consisted of drawing a series of dots on a large piece of paper and drawing straight lines between any two. This was done by placing a pencil on a dot and focussing on the dot you wish to get to, clearing the mind of all else, and letting the pencil travel to that dot. If done correctly it will be a straight line. The second pre-exercises were tension drawings. Drawing an S-like line on the left side of the paper, then drawing another S line next to it but at no point must they run parallel. This was repeated until the paper was filled; the apex of the curves may never run on the same horizontal line. A good exercise in eye and hand control. Our main task was to draw the human skull. Here we were fortunate to have a real skull. (The students drew this with reverence.) The objective was observation, spending more time with your eyes on the skull than on the drawing paper. As this proved to be difficult, after 10 minutes we changed positions - meaning the drawing stayed in the same place but the students moved two places on, which gave them the chance to observe the drawing and the skull and to make corrections, until they arrived at their original place. This exercise helps to free up ‘I can’t draw’ or ‘I know everything’. We then started the modelling of the skull in clay, thus addressing the third dimension. Here we also followed a similar pattern of moving places. This time it didn’t come as so much of a shock as there was not a feeling of ‘this is mine’. These exercises were very demanding and, for some, really very difficult. They did extremely well.
Once the skull modelling was complete, we began to form our masks over the top of the skull structure. At this point the students were free to express their creativity, creating their own characters, which was quite challenging. When the masks were complete they had a real three-dimensional presence about them which came from all the background work which was done. The clay masks were painted with latex in preparation for mould making. This helps to understand positive and negative forms. Once the moulds are finished, the students will be able to take castings of their original masks.
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Some of the masks made by Class 9 students
Yasmin Stephens Katie Macleod
Sophie Baker Johanna Koester
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News and Reviews
FILM SCREENINGS & TRANSITION GROUP by parent Stef Kling
In January I organized a series of film screenings for the school community looking at the issues of Peak Oil and the current Economic Situation. They were very thought provoking and were followed by lively discussions. Leona Kling interviewed Lynette Baskett (Oak Tree KG parent) to find out what she thought of the film screenings. Leona: Lynette, you have seen all 4 films, what did you think of them? Lynette: I thought they were enlightening. It really expanded my view about how society is living and how unsustainable our current lifestyle is. Leona: What had the biggest impact on you? Lynette: Firstly, thinking about the fact that oil will run out, and how our world will be when it eventually does, whether that is in 10, 20 or 30 years. As highlighted in the screenings, oil would be better used for materials rather than fuel.
Secondly, I was inspired by the positive example of how the Cuban people reacted when they had their oil and economic crisis. Leona: Has anything changed for your family since seeing the movies? Lynette: We have a renewed focus on what we need to do, rather than something that is in the back of our minds. Also it was an eye opener to see how the financial markets work, based entirely on credit! It made us realize how unsustainably people in this country are living at the moment, ourselves included. Leona: Have you taken any actions so far? Lynette: Yes, we have rethought our financial situation regarding the property market and have taken practical steps to safeguard ourselves against a potential banking crisis. Also we have a renewed enthusiasm for growing our own vegetables which we feel will be so important in the future.
TRANSITION GROUP As a result of the film screenings a Transition Group has been formed that aims to:
• help parents to become more self-sufficient and sustainable;
• look at how the school can become more self-sufficient and sustainable. Some things we plan to organize or inspire are, for example: gardening workshops for parents,
garden plots for each class at school. More details will follow in the regular weekly school newsletter. Please contact Stef Kling or Wendy Morrow for any enquiries.
Boys run for Haiti Arthur Verrept and Alfred Joy, both from Class 6, ran 15 miles to raise money for the victims of the Haiti earthquake. This is what Arthur writes: ‘We did the run because we had to help Haiti. When we started to run we said that we needed to finish for Haiti. The thing that kept us going was thinking of saving lives for children without houses and who had lost their families. And our friends cheering us on was a big help to keep us going to finish the 15 miles with time to spare.’ The boys raised the splendid sum of £200 – well done!
Our Annual One Day Conference of 6th March
‘Practical Activity as a Path to Intellectual Understanding – Engaging the Will in Education’ The school invited parents and professionals to ‘a stimulating and thought-provoking day offering insights into experiential learning as practiced in the lessons at school’, to give them an opportunity to experience
what their children do in school, and how taking part in practical activities can actually deepen understanding of intellectual content. After an introductory talk, there were workshops in Kindergarten ring-time, handwork, movement, clay modelling, painting, projective geometry, eurythmy, felt-making, creating a puppet show and more, and a delicious lunch was provided. Parents Naomi Klug and Tami McFadden had this to say: ‘At registration time it was good to have the opportunity to meet with people attending from outside the school community. Guus Antonie’s introductory talk really inspired everyone as to the true meaning of education 'Steiner Waldorf style'. The various workshops that followed were insightful, and we learnt not only more about the school but also about ourselves. The day flew by and left us all wanting more.
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5-day sponsored horse rides in aid of Goderich Waldorf School in Sierra Leone by Lucy Mills-Taylor* Over the last two summers a close friend and I went on two long distance horse rides. In 2008 we rode from just outside Tollard Royal to Sway, some 100 miles, spread over 5 days, and in 2009 we rode from just outside Struminster Newton, which was nearer 125 miles and again, it was spread over 5 days.
The rides tested us and our horses, particularly as, in typical English fashion, the weather was not very summery: it rained very hard and we got soaked! There
were some very difficult moments as well as some funny ones. A couple of times we got stuck in bogs and other times, when we took wrong turnings, we probably did a lot more miles than we had intended. Nevertheless, the horses and ourselves thoroughly enjoyed doing the rides!
We wanted the money we raised to go to a safe and reliable charity. The Sierra Leone project is not only close to my heart but I know I can be confident that our money will go directly to help the Goderich Waldorf School. We raised £125!
*Lucy left Aquila in 2009 and is doing her ‘A’ levels at Brockenhurst at the moment.
We had another very successful Variety Show this year with lots of fun and merriment - see photos on page 22.
‘Roma Amor’, a Roman comedy, was performed by Class 6, as part of their Roman studies. It is a charmingly funny play and the cast, with some very strong players, were able to carry it off with wit and panache. Well done, Marcus and Class 6 - we could really sense the amount of keen work you had put into this and admired the way you supported each other throughout. Class 5 meanwhile are in the last stages of rehearsal for their play ‘Gilgamesh and Enkidu’ which will be performed at the Spring Festival. This epic story, one of the oldest known to man, is developed out of their study of Mesapotamia (see pages 6 & 7).
Our Valentine’s Ball, with its Medieval theme, offered delicious food, live music on genuine medievel instruments and a night of energetic, life-enhancing dancing for us all.
Together these events raised £2,300 for our new Upper School buildings. Many thanks to the
all the parents who arranged these splendid events.
Look out for old scholar Denzil Keim who will be appearing in Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice
and Men’ at Poole Lighthouse April 20th to 24th.
Classes for Parents and Friends Weaving hedgerow baskets - A Workshop with handwork teacher Gitta Cooper On a cold and damp Sunday morning a small group of parents came to learn basket making. It was a one day workshop for beginners, not that you would have thought so looking at the end result! Being a small group it was very intimate and cosy. Participants learned to make two different styles of baskets. ‘It is so relaxing and just nice to be quietly working’, was the reply when I commented on the silence. The baskets are made from ivy and a little willow or hazel. Once you have learned the technique you have free baskets for life; materials are sourced for free when on a family walk in the forest. Once the basket gets a bit 'past it', you just make another one! Need a new handbag for summer? There will be a Felting Technique Course starting soon, and a Doll Making workshop, as well as a morning Handwork Class for Parents - which is planned to start straight after Easter.
Guus Antonie’s ever popular Biography Workshops and Study Groups for parents and friends continue and the participants will be going on a trip to the Scottish ‘holy island’ of Iona, home of St Columba, in May this year. Eurythmy Classes, led by Juliet Hurner, and twice weekly Art Classes, led by Sandy Kennedy, are ongoing and parents and friends can join at any time. Early Years Parents’ Circle meets regularly in Little Kindergarten. Our friends at Sturts Farm offer an informal study group for those interested in Biodynamic Gardening. For dates and times for all the above, and for other classes and groups, please see page 24 and keep a look out for notices in our weekly Newsletter.
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Book Review Where on Earth is Heaven? by Jonathan Stedall. Published by Hawthorn Press ISBN 978-1-903458-90-7 Recommended by Class 7 teacher Patrick Morrow What interested me most about this book was the array of deeply interesting human beings that Jonathan Stedall has met over the course of his life. As a distinguished and well respected documentary film director for the BBC, Jonathan has met and worked with all sorts of people. From John Betjemin and Laurens van der Post to people working out of Rudolf Steiner’s educational initiatives including Thomas Weihs - one of the founders of Camphill in Scotland, (and, as it happens, Christine Polyblank’s father). In his book, with much humour and humility, Jonathan explores the question, ‘Where on Earth is Heaven?’ As a young man he encountered the work of Rudolf Steiner, and drew much nourishment from this. However, in reading this book I particularly enjoyed the sense of Jonathan shaking the dust off Anthroposophy! Alongside his appreciation of Steiner stands his openness to the work of many other great people such as Jung, Gandhi, T.E. Lawrence, Tolstoy, and E.F. Schumacher. This is a big book, yet it is full of insight into beautiful lives. I highly recommend it. Who knows, we may even find heaven in our own homes, or even in our very own school. The Editor’s choice too: Young as the year is, I can already, without hesitation, pronounce this rich, fascinating and spiritually nourishing book my read-of-the-year. If you are on a quest for a meaningful life, or even for the meaning of life, there is everything to inspire you here. Buy it now! and keep it for a long, long time.
Roger Cameron who died in December 2009 Some may remember seeing Roger about the school campus; a particularly tall, robust carpenter who passed over in December of last year, after a short fight with cancer. He, with Paul Webb, his then assistant, came to the school building site in 1993, to begin carpentry on the roof of the two storey block, and they continued throughout seventeen years, erecting roofs, balconies, making all the external doors and windows, occasionally moving to the other Trust Activities to carry our projects there. The Sheiling School's Raphael Therapy building is a monument to Roger’s skill with timber. I shall particularly miss him as my 'prop' in design work, always with a diffident questioning of some error I'd made in a drawing, which I quickly learnt to take note of. He was one of those diminishing group of tradesmen who took a real interest in any project where he was respected, bringing the right level of professionalism; neither hasty corner-cutting nor time wasting over-detailing.
Although retiring four years ago, Roger couldn't keep away, and had just completed the eight 'Cameron' sound screens, used in the hall, before finally stepping back in September.
Keir Polyblank, Council Chair, and Project Manager of all our new buildings to date
Old Scholar News
Dryden Goodwin, an artist, was commissioned by Art on the Underground to make portraits of Jubilee line staff as part of a series of projects for the Jubilee line, exploring time and its value. The result is Linear for which Dryden drew 60 pencil portraits and created 60 films recording the drawings being made. As he sketched, sitter and artist talked. The portraits can be seen at London Bridge, Southwark and Stanmore stations.
The interviews can be seen at [email protected] where we are invited to unlock the drawing. ‘Each drawing concentrates on a person’s face and head. The films show the accelerated progression of the dawings accompanied by fragments of the conversation.... revealing a multitude of personal exchanges and stories. Together they form an intimate and diverse social portrait of this community of workers.’
Visit the site - it is fascinating and absolutely worth every moment spent on it. Christine Polyblank
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Letter from Old Scholar Emma Cullen nee Stent (slightly abridged)
If my memory serves me correctly, after leaving Folly Farm* I 'opted out' of school for a year or so before returning to Michael Hall (Steiner School). They finally had enough of me when I was around 15 and asked mum 'not to return her daughter to school the following term' and that was the end of formal education for me!
I left home the day after I was 16 and took myself off to London where I waitressed, ran a wine bar in Fleet Street, worked at a music hall in Brick Lane, ran a department for a recruitment consultancy and ended up running the front office for a firm of solicitors in Lincolns Inn (I had to be creative about my age at each interview otherwise I'd never have got anywhere!)... which takes me to the ripe old age of about 22. After 6 months travelling around South East Asia, I moved down to Sussex where I ran a pub/ restaurant/hotel and settled down with the new man in my life, Nick. Nick was a very keen sailor and tried hard to teach me to love it too but I was more of a 'gin and tonic on the foredeck' type! He set out to put this to rights by applying for me to take part in a round the world yacht race without my knowledge and when it all came to light I
reluctantly went for the interview and was miraculously offered a place on the race. Two months later Nick died very suddenly from cardiac arrhythmia. I gave up my place on the race and buried my head in work for a few months. The race organizers contacted me 3 months after Nick died and said that they had kept my place open for me. This
gave me a bit of a wake up call so I put my mind to completing what Nick had started on my behalf and set about raising the £30,000 I would need to take part in the race. I wrote over 4,000 letters, held fundraising dinners and auctions, and, with a lot of help and support from his family, finally made it to the start line of the Clipper 96 Round the World Yacht Race in Plymouth.
The race was organized by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first man to circumnavigate the world single-handed, and comprised of 8 identical 60 foot boats with a maximum crew of 15 on each boat. We raced from Plymouth to Fort Lauderdale, through the Panama Canal, Galapagos, Hawaii, Yokohama, Shanghai, Hong Kong just before the handover - and where Nick's ashes were scattered - Singapore, Seychelles, Durban, Cape Town, Brazil, The Azores and finally back to Plymouth in second place overall. We had covered 33,700 nautical miles and it was the most challenging and brilliant year of my life. During the race I met David - known to most as Beau - who was crewing on another boat in the race and we have been together since. Neither of us wanted to go back to what we had done before the race so rented a house in Hampshire and waited to see where life would take us... I started freelancing in the events industry which has taken me all over the globe, from dull medical conferences in Sardinia to more interesting projects like the Sydney Olympics and the shore-side operations of various yacht races in Cuba, the Bahamas & Rhode Island and two Land Rover G4 Challenges (similar to the Camel Trophy) which took me firstly to New York, South Africa, Australia and back to the US in the Nevada Dessert, then to Thailand, Laos, Brazil & Bolivia. I ended up specializing in the automotive industry (cars are another interest of mine and I love to race) and Beau and I teamed up together to set up our own events company about 5 years ago - ‘Another Perspective Limited’ - specializing in automotive press launches for clients such as Mercedes, Jaguar, Land Rover & Toyota. We bought a couple of old cottages in dire need of total renovation in Hampshire. It’s taken us 10 years and a lot of battling with the planning department but Woodland Gate is finally finished and only vaguely resembles the ramshackle heap
we bought 10 years ago. But we have a love of houses and couldn’t stop there so 4 years ago we sold our flat in London and bought a fully staffed 5-bedroom riad (darleila.com) in Essaouira on the Atlantic coast in Morocco, a fabulous oasis in the midst of the bustling medina. Flushed with our Moroccan success we are now in the process of renovating two houses in the hill town of Rezzo, Liguria, above the Italian Riviera half way between Nice & Genova. Beau and I married in 1999 and waited for what seemed like an eternity for the arrival of Miss Tilly Daisy Ayrton Cullen in 2005. Tilly is now 4-1/2 and currently goes to Wildflowers Kindergarten, a Swedish-style outdoor kindergarten close to where we live. Until Tilly was born I kept up my sailing but her arrival has meant no sailing for the last 5 years. But as she gets a little older we may put the rest of our life on hold for a few years and take to the oceans – who knows?
* the name of the school when it was very young
Emma, second from left
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Tim McCartney, after taking a degree in Politics and History at Southampton, went on to do a Masters in International Relations at Bristol, which he passed with an apparently very rare and difficult to get distinction. His wish has always been to become a diplomat in the Foreign Office (his teacher Katrina Moore always said he was the diplomat in the class!) or to work with one of the big charities. However, it is very difficult to get into either of these. In the meantime, he works for Camden City Council. Seona nee McCartney began with a Fine Arts degree at Falmouth University and then went on to take a Masters in Human Resources. Her perfect job would bring Art and Business together, however she now works with the huge, multi-national Sunguard Corporation. The coming into her family of a lovely baby girl has been the highlight of the last two years. Selina McCartney recently completed her degree in Sociology with a 2/1 at Cardiff University and has begun her Masters in Occupational Therapy at Norwich. She is, at the moment, doing a placement at a residential home for autistic adolescents near Hereford.
Joe Thom returned from travelling in Asia with Lowry Cremer-Roberts in November (see last Magazine) and said the experience was wonderful: he had learnt to become more independent and importantly it had focused him on what he really did want to do with his future. Although talented at graphic design, Joe wants to pursue his first love… a music career. He is applying to the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance in London to study singing and general music skills. (Some of us will remember him as Tony in his Class 9’s fabulous performance of Bernstein’s ‘West Side Story’ and may not be surprised that this is the direction he has chosen for his future.) Joe spends most of his time at the moment composing songs and music, recording and fine tuning. He is hoping to move up to London in the summer, ready for college in October. We wish him all the luck in the world!
Letter from Ruth Avison - Dang From a letter to the Editor, who was Ruth’s French teacher (!) I have been in Geneva since 1996. I came to work at Aigues Vertes*. They needed someone who spoke German which was lucky because as you know, I didn't speak French at that time! (I remember making a conscious effort not to learn French at school. Sorry about that! I did regret it though, as I had to start from scratch.) It was good for me though as I have to use the 3 languages daily and I really like French now! I then went to university and did English Literature and Education and am now an A-level teacher and teacher trainer. I didn't mean to follow in my parents' footsteps, in fact I tried to put it off until I recognised what I wanted to do. I really enjoy teaching, despite the unbelievable amount of work involved, and am always coming up with new ideas. I find my Steiner education helps me no end, I use it so much in my teaching. Since having my daughter Ellia, who's 4, I no longer teach at college but have started my own small language school. It's mainly for students who need to take Cambridge exams to enable them to get into English or American universities. It's going well and I can make my own hours so I am always here to pick Ellia up from school and spend the rest of the day with her. I met my Swiss Vietnamese husband here and we got married 6 years ago. He's an architect. We are settled here. I love being in Geneva, it's so cosmopolitan and in the middle of everything. It's so easy to go off to France for the weekend or Italy. I come back to England quite a bit for visits and my parents come over a lot especially as Ellia is their only grandchild so far. She adores them. Ellia is very bright, totally bilingual and really happy and loving, I feel extremely blessed. I am not sure whether you have seen Joseph** recently but he got married to a lovely lady last year. He works between London and America developing marketing strategies for American universities. He travels a bit too much though, I think, but enjoys it. *a Camphill Community for adults with special needs ** Ruth’s brother, also an old scholar
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Raising Funds for our New Upper School Building Having successfully completed the building of our whole lower school premises: Kindergartens, classrooms and hall, over three phases, we are now on the brink of what may be our final great project: accommodation for our recently opened (September 2009) Upper School.
How our building will look. Model by Keir Polyblank
The accommodation we plan to build is modest but aesthetically in keeping with the rest of our buildings. On the ground floor it is a remodelling of our present 4 craft-workshops to convert one into a library and one into a music room but keeping two as craft workshops, and to add a laboratory extension. A new second storey will consist of 4 classrooms with lobbies, an art room and staff room. The constructional details are specifically designed as a self build, low-cost, ecologically innovative project, and we will use the existing foundations and services, also reusing the roofing materials from the present workshops.
Funds raised by the school community in the last 18 months: £19,746
Fund raising events such as the wonderful Christmas Bazaar, the delightful Variety Show, the romantic
Valentines Ball and the brilliant ‘Madrigals and all that Jazz’, offered by Steam Heat, have already taken place this year. Before the end of the year we will have welcomed BBC 2’s Chris Packham1, and Kevin Tomlinson’s Show ‘Seven Ages’2; we will have had our annual Fayres Fair Café in Glastonbury and held
our Easter and Summer Fairs. The school community is pulling out all the stops to raise the funds we need for a home for our new Upper School.
Chris Packham1 presents ‘Never Mind The Buzzards’ on Saturday 29th May 7.30pm
Chris Packham is the popular presenter of BBC 2’s Springwatch & Autumnwatch 2010, as well as The Really Wild Show, X-Creatures, Animal Zone, Nature's Calendar and Inside Out. His live show – Never Mind
the Buzzards - is an informative and entertaining illustrated talk taking his audience on a romp through some of the most peculiar, amazing or confounding aspects of the world’s wildlife. Using his own superb
photographs, Chris Packham relates his encounters with weird and wonderful creatures and their strange lives. This is a family orientated event to suit all with a curiosity toward nature. Tickets are £15 and can be
booked by contacting Wimborne Tourist Information Centre on 01202 886116.
Kevin Tomlinson presents his Comedy Show ‘Seven Ages’ on Friday 25th June at 7.30pm Kevin takes Shakespeare’s idea that we go through seven stages in life, and, using improvisation, and featuring masks and storytelling, he explores two important questions: ‘Why am I here?’ and ‘What’s
important in my life?’ Kevin is currently adapting his Seven Ages into a comedy show for the BBC. Tickets are £10 adults, £6 children (school recommends 15+).
Please phone the school office for more details on 01425 472664. We invite our friends - both old and new - to help us on our way with this courageous project by making a donation of time or money to help us ensure that this new phase of our development is as successful
as what we have already achieved.
Please contact our Office on 01425 472664 if you wish to help, or simply make a cheque out to ‘Ringwood Waldorf School New Development Appeal’ and send it to the school at the address on page
24. We will be most grateful indeed.
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Cartography in Class 10 with Andy Smith
These maps are a by-product of our class 10 geography main-lesson where we study world weather and climate systems. Although hypothetical, they bring together a range of cartographic skills, an understanding of latitude and longitude and the chance to apply some of our new-found climatic knowledge. First we made islands out of clay, mapped their coastlines and then sliced them up to create a contour map. We then coloured the maps according to cartographic convention, worked out a horizontal and vertical scale and added a full key. Finally we positioned them somewhere in the world that took our fancy, recorded their precise latitude and longitude and then, using our theoretical knowledge from the main lesson, developed an idea of their climate and vegetation and indulged a fantasy or two regarding their possible wildlife inhabitants. The Isle of Erusaert – Climate (see map opposite) Eruseart is a typical Outer Hebridean island. It is approximately 5km wide and sits roughly 40km south-west of Harris and 30km west of Taransay. It is positioned right in the North Atlantic Drift, and is surprisingly warm because of this. Warm, moist air comes in off the North Atlantic Drift, rising as it hits the west rocky coast, condensing and falling as rain. This creates a rain shadow over the east coast. It has an annual rainfall of 1000 to 1400mm. Erusaert has an annual average temperature of 5 to 15 degrees centigrade. Due to its position on the west side of the Outer Hebrides it is hit by the full force of the Atlantic Ocean and its westerly gales, leaving its west side jagged, rocky and ragged. However, the east coast slopes gradually down creating pleasant white beaches with warm blue waters. Beinn Mhor is covered by heather, providing an ideal habitat for the endemic Erusaert wren (Troglodytes Troglodites Erusaetiensis). Latitude 57 degrees 56’ 21”N Longitude 7 degrees 23’ 39” W The students in Class 10 returned recently from two weeks’ work experience where several of them had had very good experiences. Aidan Chitty spent his first week working on sets and lighting at Salisbury Playhouse and the second at a day-care centre for disabled children. Rosie Frost worked for the Conservative Party in Parliament and she was thrilled to be present at a debate featuring Gordon Brown and David Cameron. Madeleine Gorrel worked with 3 & 4 year-olds doing day-care at her old school. Patrick McGrath worked in Cyclex, a bike shop in Brockenhurst. Katie Mills-Taylor worked as a child-minder. Che Mitchel worked in Scoltocks Health Food Shop in Ringwood. Alec Morley spent the first week working for Bournemouth Country Parks, and the second doing outdoor maintenance work at the Sheiling School for Special Needs Children. Jasmine Newsome-Stone worked at the high end of fashion in London, spending time with Marc O Polo and also Wunderkind. Harley Rose-Strong worked for an architect. Zofia Smith worked in Ringwood Library. Thomas Verrept worked in the outdoor sports shop H2O, selling kite- and wind-surfing equipment.
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Thomas Verrept Harley Rose-Strong
Jasmine Newsome Stone
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The 2010 Variety Show
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We are very pleased to welcome all our new families
Nicola & Paul Yorke with Benjamin and Oliver in Silver Birch Kindergarten
Sarah & Adrian Clift with Ewan in Willow Kindergarten Oliver & Kate Room with Joseph in Willow Kindergarten
and William in Class 4 Ruth & Dan O’Neil with Holly in Oak Kindergarten
And welcome back to Roger & Jacky Carr-Jones with Othello in Class 4
Quite surprisingly - there are no new babies to welcome! Coming Events
Wednesday 31st March Spring Festival 2.15 in Keir Hall - all are welcome! Saturday 3rd April Easter Fair in the Furlong Come and buy your Easter goodies! Saturday 24th April Anthroposophical Group Meeting 10am in Tobias Hall, Sheiling School Saturday 1st May Open Morning, May Festival and Launch of our New Appeal
Looking forward to in the Summer Term
Monday 19th April Upper School classes resume Monday 26th April Lower and Middle School classes resumes Tuesday 27th April Kindergartens Resume Monday 3rd May Bank Holiday Monday Thursday 13th May Ascension Day Saturday 22nd May Busy Bee Day Saturday 29th May An Evening with Chris Packham Saturday 12th June Summer Fair
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Office Notes Activities for Parents and Friends. Contact the Office for other activities
Sturts Farm informal Study Group – based on Rudolf Steiner’sAgricultural Lectures for those interested in Biodynamic growing – next dates Monday 19th April, October 4th, November 15th. All 10.45am coffee for 11am start. Email Jill on [email protected] for further details.
Art For Adults 7.30-9.00/9.30pm at Aquila Building, Sturts Farm. There is an art class on Monday evenings led by Sandy Kennedy. This will be a series of skill building classes in drawing and painting. There is also an exsiting art class still running on Friday mornings, 9-11am at the same location. Cost: £6 per session to be paid termly. Telephone 01725 552865
Gitta our Handwork Teacher, runs a variety of handwork courses including felting and seasonal crafts. No experience is necessary and everyone is welcome. Please contact the school office for further details, or read our weekly Newsletters.
Stephanie Herman (ex-parent) is also available to help parents learn to sew, knit or crochet, - individual or group tuition. All ages, all abilites. Please call Stephanie on 01202 772293
The Gardening Group meets on Thursday mornings after drop-off, and usually about once a month, on a Saturday. This is a wonderful community event, with a shared lunch, - and every one is most welcome, including children. It is an excellent opportunity to meet other families in the school. Please call Jules Couch on 01425 472793 for further details.
Guus Antonie(Class 8 teacher) is leading a Study Group every Monday at 11am, for parents and friends. They are now studying ‘The Battle for the Soul’ by Bernard Lievegoed and you are most welcome.
Transition Group – aiming to help families and the school become more self-sufficient and sustainable. Meeting regularly at school. Please call Stef Kling on 01425 473429
Eurythmy for Parents with Juliet Hurner meets every Monday morning at 8.30am in the Eurythmy Room. Please feel free to drop in on any session.
Teachers Julie Newnham Silver Birch Kgnt Basia Smith Oak Tree Kgnt Carole Broughton Willow Kgnt Fran Crichton Little Kgnt Jonathan Kitson Class 1 Julian Coxon-Aristizabal Class 2 Geli Patrick Class 3 Marika Bjerstrom Class 4 Elaine Holt Class 5 Marcus Johnson Class 6 Patrick Morrow Class 7 Guus Antonie Class 8 Gitta Cooper Handwork Annabel Newsome Handwork Stephanie Nerva French Ulrike Bright German Elizabeth Ruggles German Jessie De Sutter-Busbridge Eurythmy Juliet Hurner Eurythmy Colin Room Learning Support Louise Tiley Art/Cover/ Learning Spt Sandi Weir Music, Choir & Cover Slobodan Bobo Ijacic Games & Gymnastics Axel Keim Green Woodworking Olga Coxon - Aristizabal Spanish Xenia Goyal Kindergarten Assistant Leanne Manners Kindergarten Assistant Chloe Finn Kindergarten Assistant Stephanie Chisholm Kindergarten Assistant Tania Strauss Kindergarten Assistant
Upper School Teachers Sandy Kennedy Art, Art History Tony Andrews History, Metalwork,
OCN Administrator Nancy Urry English, Drama Andy Smith Geography, Biology Axel Keim Woodwork & Crafts Roy Allen Maths, Physics,
Chemistry, Metalwork Mireille Jackson French Sibylle Egle-Gleed German Moray Dubree-Carey IT
Administration Maggie Coello Administrator Carrol Muckersie Bursar Christine Polyblank Community Group
PR and Mentor Elizabeth Tomkins Admin/Office Linda Hilton Office Kirsty Clayton Office Caroline Doherty Office Sandra Elderfield Office Vanessa Innes Office Nigel Roberts Office/Computers Alan Bright Daily Maintenance This magazine has been printed in the RWS Office
Magazine Group: Christine Polyblank, Paul Naidu, Keith Hewland, Elizabeth Webb and Nancy Urry
COPY DEADLINE FOR THE NEXT ISSUE: Monday 7th June 2010
Thanks to everyone who contributed to this magazine. The views expressed are not necessarily those held by the school.
For more information contact the school office:
Ringwood Waldorf School Folly Farm Lane,
Ashley, Ringwood, Hampshire BH24 2NN tel: 01425 472664
www.ringwoodwaldorfschool.org.uk. email: [email protected]
An activity of the Sheiling Trust. Registered charity No. 292390
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The Sheiling School Ringwood
Horton Road, Ashley, Ringwood BH24 2EB Tel: 01425 477488
Email: [email protected] Website: www.sheilingschool.co.uk
Registered Charity No. 292320
Founded in 1951, The Sheiling School Ringwood is a Camphill Rudolf Steiner school for children who have learning difficulties. We offer an adapted Waldorf curriculum rather than the National curriculum which we feel encompasses everything within the National curriculum appropriate to our children & students. We also offer additional therapies. Lower school age range is from 7-16 yrs with a three year further education and life skills Seniors’ Programme from 16-19 yrs. Placements can be residential (38 weeks) weekly boarding or day provision. Our aim is to fill the gap where local and national special needs facilities are not appropriate and to provide a total environment in which children can be helped to reach their full potential. Although an independent school, children receive funding from their local authorities. Patrons: Baroness Cox, The Rt. Hon. the Lord Renton QC, Lord Pearson of Rannoch, The Hon. Mary Pearson, Jonathan Dimbleby
• 59 YEARS OF CAMPHILL EDUCATION in DORSET for children who have special needs. • An independent school funded mainly by local authorities. • An adapted Waldorf curriculum encompassing appropriate National Curriculum elements • Individual therapies eg. Speech, Music, Art, Colour Light & Eurythmy • Traditional Craft workshops. • Lower school age range is from 6 – 16 years • Three Year Further Education and Life Skills 16—19 years • Residential placements (38 weeks) plus weekly and day places. • We aim to provide a total environment to assist pupils to reach their full potential.
Patrons: Baroness Cox, Lord Pearson of Rannoch, The Hon. Mary Pearson,
Jonathan Dimbleby
Trevor Noble ITEC MET MCTMA MAR
Energy Therapist & Inspirational Teacher Facilitating the flow of life
Bodywork Reflexology
Reiki Master/Healer Vibrational Sound Healer EFT/Emo-Trance Trainer Relationships Consultant
Allowing you to be who youWANT to be Not who you think you HAVE to be
For more information or appointment 01725 513670 07713321207 www.passiontobe.co.uk
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State of the art vacuum technology – a vacuum is essential for performances in winter. Hot water all year for less than 1p per day.
Reduce your carbon footprint AND save money. 10 year warranty.
Daikin, Dimplex and Mitsubishi Air Source and Ground Source heat
pumps supplied, fitted and integrated with solar Please feel free to call Kevin on
01202 525056 for further information. Or visit our website at www.skyreachsystems.co.uk
MONDAY – SATURDAY 9.00 – 12.30
BIODYNAMICALLY GROWN
ORGANIC FRUIT AND VEGETABLES
Good Health & Vitality! Homeopathy
Create good health & vitality for you and your child naturally with homeopathy.
After school appointments Monthly Low Cost Children’s Clinic
Clinics Ringwood Natural Health Clinic
Not Just Backs, Osteopathy Clinic, Salisbury
Tel: 01425 657836 / 0793 197 529 www.ringwoodhomeopathy.co.uk
The Lantern Community is currently seeking new members to join its Council.
We are particularly interested in people who already have an understanding of Camphill or Waldorf education and who
would wish to expand their knowledge in a practical way by becoming involved in the governance of the Lantern
Community. This is not a prerequisite, as appropriate induction will take place before and after joining the Council.
Experience of Finance, the Care Sector and the Legal professions may be an advantage but not essential. Please note that successful applicants are required by law to be
CRB/ISA checked. Please apply in the strictest confidence by writing to the address below:
The Chair of the Lantern Community Council Lantern Office, Folly Farm Lane Ringwood, Hants BH24 2NN
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THE GREEN MANGarden Company
From pruning, planting and ponds, to decking digging and design.
Call Paul 01725 551216 07964 715 154 The difference is
in the detail
BSc Landscape Management Fully insured
We stock a wide range of organic and fairtrade foods and skincare
Specializing in vegetarian, vegan, gluten free and macrobiotic foods
Complimentary therapy practise upstairs and a homoeopathic drop-in clinic is open on
Wednesday mornings
SELF - CATERING HOLIDAY APARTMENTS IN TUSCANY
Old Tuscan organic olive oil farm peacefully situated on a hilltop with stunning views and all amenities close by,
offers comfortable self-catering accommodation, spectacular walks and fabulous opportunities for well-
earned relaxation.
Arcobaleno is perched on a neighbouring hill to Cortona, a famous old Etruscan town and well positioned to make
day excursions. It is about one hours drive to Florence, Siena, San Gimignano, Perugia, Assisi and Arezzo and
about two hours to Rome & Pisa. Additionally, the famous wine growing areas of Chianti, Montepulciano and
Montalcino are all within an hour’s drive.
Further details are on our homepage on the internet: www.arcobaleno-toscana.com or e-mail or call me
personally at: [email protected] Tel: 00 39 0575 612777. www.holidaylettings.co.uk.
Property numbers 85431 and 114354
Annie Macon R.G.N.
HOMEOPATH
Is now practicing at the Ringwood Natural Health Clinic, Ringwood
For an appointment please tel.
01202 482634 (home number)
I have now taken over Colleen Roy's patients.
01425 619090
Piano Tuning, Repairs, Servicing,
Reconditioning and Advice
Tel: (01425)
29
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Frances Lynn
Water colour studies from Class 5
Olivia Ayers
