The Grapevine
Summer Term 2014
Hinton Road, Fulbourn, Cambridgeshire, CB21 5DZ
www.cambridge-steiner-school.co.uk - 01223 882727
Registered Charity No. 1028116. Registered in England Company No. 2866985
Editorial
W
elcome to this year’s edition of The Grapevine – The
Cambridge Steiner School’s annual School magazine.
This magazine is produced annually to document some of
the beautiful and wonderful things that happen in our School
throughout the year, that Parents might otherwise not get
to see or hear about. Join us on a journey from Parent and
Child groups, through Kindergarten and into the Primary
School, to gain a deeper understanding of the elements that
comprise the Steiner Waldorf education that is offered here.
The education offered at The Cambridge Steiner School
takes account of the needs of the whole child – academic,
physical, emotional and spiritual. It is based on an understanding of the relevance of the different phases of child
development, and aims to develop a love of learning and an
enthusiasm for School. We endeavour to produce very able
young people, who have a strong sense of self and diverse
capacities that enable them to become socially and economically responsible citizens.
Our Kindergartens and Parent and Child groups aim to
create a peaceful atmosphere, allowing the children plentiful time for imaginative play with natural materials, and
Contents
offering craft activities such as weaving, painting and
finger-knitting. Formal learning begins in Primary School,
where teachers use creative methods to teach literacy and
numeracy against the backdrop of an extremely varied and
exciting curriculum, which includes knitting, music, French,
cooking, botany, myths, and legends, plus sports and games,
capoeira, and drama workshops.
A massive thank you to all the Staff at the School, whose
dedication and energy makes our School truly shine, and
also to all the Parent volunteers, whose work is vital. Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the School, to get to
know other staff and parents, and also helps to demonstrate
to our children what community is all about.
Thanks to Parveen Bird, John Bird and Paul Minett at The
Big Issue for helping to format this magazine (please do buy
a copy of The Big Issue next time you pass a vendor and
support the great work that they do.)
Have a great Summer holiday and see you all in September!
Trishna Shah
“Our highest endeavor must be to develop free
human beings who are able of themselves to
impart purpose and direction to their lives. The
need for imagination, a sense of truth, and a
feeling of responsibility—these three forces are
the very nerve of education.” Rudolf Steiner
2. Editorial
3. Contents
4. Word from The Administrator and
Primary School Team
5. Word from The Trustees
6 - 25. Class Updates
26 - 27. Craft Group Update and School Shop
28. Work party weekends
29. Volunteering at School
30. The May Fair
31. The Multicultural Festival
32 - 33. Empowered mothering
34. Image - Martinmas lanterns made by
Kindergarten children
35. Adverts
36. Watercolour painting from Class 1/2
2
3
Word from the Administrator and Primary School Team
Reflecting Back: The year has been marked out by the joyous celebration of our many festivals: we baked dragon
bread and made apple juice at Michaelmas; the children
created beautiful rangoli patterns with Trishna for Diwali;
we returned to the old people’s home and sang for Saint
Martin’s; we quietly walked our advent spiral by candle
light; the teachers (and other members of the community!)
brought the children their gift of the ‘Oberufer’ Christmas
Play; everyone got dressed up for Carnival, and, to finish
off the day, the children enjoyed a surprise visit from our
friends at the Cambridge Community Circus; the year drew
to a close with our Saint John’s celebration, complete with
beautiful flowers, a colourful and bountiful fruit salad, and a
crackling fire!
Looking outwards: This year the children took part in the
nationwide campaign ‘Jump Rope for Heart’ and collectively
raised over £800 for the British Heart Foundation!
Behind the Scenes: Ann Swain joined the Primary School
staff for a wonderfully insightful training day exploring the
different ways that children learn and how to address pupils’
special educational needs (SEN). The Primary School team
also attended a maths conference in London hosted by Jamie
Word from the Trustees
York, a Waldorf maths educator, teacher-trainer, and author
of Waldorf maths books in the Making Math Meaningful®
series. It was an inspiring and fun-filled day!
Looking forward: We are really excited about the future
developments we have planned for the Primary School next
year, and beyond. One of our ‘big five’ vision aims is the
pursuit of ‘excellence and quality of education’ based on
Steiner Waldorf principles and building on our strengths. As
well as working on developing and extending our school’s
core curriculum, we have been exploring ways to deliver
specialist subjects to the children, using the strengths and
skills already present within our community where possible. It has been wonderful to have Hellen working on
craft projects with the children this term (perhaps you were
lucky enough to catch a glimpse of their freshly washed
wool drying in the courtyard), and we are delighted that
she will be continuing to teach crafts with the children next
year. German will be returning to our weekly timetable, and
other specialist teachers will be joining our team, to teach
gardening and cooking, and to help lead and co-ordinate the
development of our Outdoor Curriculum. Finally, we are
very excited to welcome Saeko Soya back to the school as
our new Eurythmy teacher!
In the last Grapevine we said we were looking forward to
a relatively quiet period of consolidation and slow growth,
and we haven’t been disappointed: things have been going
so well that it sometimes seems the main purpose of Trustee meetings is to drink too much coffee and eat chocolate.
Which isn’t to say that we haven’t had our fair share of
problems over the past year, but, by and large, they’ve simply been dealt with and gone away.
Not that we can take all the credit for the smooth running
of the school, and nor would we wish to. Our teaching staff,
from Parent and Child at one end to Class 5 at the other,
4
have been as hard-working and dedicated as ever, both
inside the classroom and out. Our administrative team have
worked wonders with the budget and the development of
the Business Plan, which has already achieved many of its
short-term goals. And, of course, all of you, who make up
our community, have pitched in and helped: not just on the
big occasions, like festivals and work party weekends, but
in tackling the multitude of little jobs that constantly need
attending to throughout the year.
So now, thanks to you all, we’re looking forward to another
quiet year, and even more chocolate.
5
Class updates
Dandelions Parent and Child groups
I would like to thank all the wonderful families who have
come along to Dandelions this year with such enthusiasm
and commitment. We welcomed over 70 families to the
groups, with more than 80 children coming along. Many
Parents tell us that the children sing all the songs at home
and some of the older ones even tell the story too. The Parent’s favorite is the tidy up song, which many people are
using very successfully at home! They can’t believe the
magical power of singing a simple song and seeing the toys
being happily collected up and put away.
We have 5 groups this year, four thriving toddler groups for
children over 1 year old and their Parents or Carers, and a
wonderful new baby group for the very youngest children,
under a year old. Both types of group are an opportunity to
explore the principles and practice of Steiner Waldorf early
childhood education as well as parenting and wider educational issues in the company of other families with young
children. The groups are very diverse, with families coming from different areas and backgrounds. We enjoy a cup
of tea, seasonal activities that model a healthy engagement
with the world, wonderful organic home baked bread for our
snack, and some time to play in our large peaceful garden.
The topics of conversation are very varied, ranging from our
favorite flavours of tea, how to make bread, what Bryony is
having for lunch, to breast-feeding, weaning, child behavior,
discipline and then on to the political issues; how to run a
successful business in a recession, careers advice, returning
to work after having a child, and so on and so forth. There
is nothing more reassuring than knowing that you are not
alone with the challenges that you face and that other people
have been there and survived, and may have even grown and
learned from the experience.
It has all been made possible with the help of our wonderful
assistants, Emma, Tina, Renata, Maria, Simone, Cala and
Bryony. They have all done so much to make the groups run
smoothly, all bringing their own unique touches. But special
thanks have to go to Ali for his amazing contribution of
supplying all the groups with delicious bread. His generosity
has been very much appreciated, and I think we may have
persuaded him to run a workshop for us next year. I for one
am anticipating it very eagerly. With best wishes to all for a
sunny summer and looking forward to September already.
For more information contact Rebecca Mitchell at Cambridge Steiner School 01223 882727
[email protected].
Rosebud Little Kindergarten Update
What a delight this year has been! Together in Rosebud
we have journeyed through the seasons singing songs of
leaves and lanterns in autumn, we joined Little Red Cap in
his search for King Winter, we embraced new beginnings
in spring, we danced with the bees and butterflies, and we
picnicked in the warm sunshine. In play we have travelled
on planes, trains, tractors and spaceships to local villages
and far off lands. We have swum in waters deep alongside
crabs, baby lizards and crocodiles, and we have flown with
our magic wings and safety helmets to Africa. Each day is
unique, yet familiar. As a group we have developed a beautiful connection. I look forward with eager anticipation to
our continuing journey together.
Jeanette Cope
6
7
Class updates
“It is important that we discover an
educational method where people learn
to learn, and go on learning from life
throughout their whole lives” Rudolf Steiner
12
13
Class updates
Appleblossom Kindergarten Update
Once upon a time Mother Earth welcomed a little apple
seed into her warm embrace. The seed was cared for by the
good fairy helpers and grew big and fat. Father Sun stroked
Mother Earth with his warm fingers until the seed stretched
its little head up into the beautiful world.
Straight and strong it grew up to the light.
Straight and strong it grew until blossoms filled its branches.
Straight and strong it grew until it gifted the world its sweet
rosy fruits and shiny brown seeds.
How lovely are the seeds, fruits and flowers of Appleblossom Kindergarten.
Kindness, friendship, laughter, awe, wonder, gratitude and
8
forgiveness live there.
With joy, the children have both grown down to the earth
and up to the sky.
Together they have created their garden and filled it with
beauty.
This year the kindergarten is 3 years old and our first little
seeds are ripe and ready to leave.
We will will rejoice in their journey and shed a tear. Thank
you to all the families who have had faith in us and helped
us to tend the children’s garden.
Jackie Goodwin
9
Class updates
Elderflower Kindergarten Update
We are robbers, ho ho ho...
What a magical world this year for Elderflower has been:
robbers that made us laugh and them running away from the
town musicians, kings and princesses, dragons and brave
knights, long journeys made in boats or space shuttles,
houses that grew bigger and bigger as the builders’ confidence grew. Looking back at our year it shows once again
how rich, deep and nourishing these early years of childhood can be.
The Autumn brought light and hope with Michaelmas and
the brave boy knight, who lived on for a long time in the
children’s play and songs. The traditional obstacle course in
the woodland had many more to follow in our garden, until
one day a ‘master obstacle course’ stretched throughout the
whole garden.
Martinmas was followed by a wonderful puppet shows
inspired by St Martin. St Nicholas, once again, brought good
messages of care and brotherly help to the children, and
children polished shoes borrowed from parents before we received our gifts from him. Advent was eagerly awaited and
different characters were experienced in the Nativity play.
Inspired by the beautiful and solemn story we saw donkeys
being led around, babies being born and boats going all the
way to Bethlehem.
Among the new festivals we celebrated was Eid with
Khadija’s family and the Three Kings Feast - which was
beautifully prepared by the craft group and other parents - to
crown our kings play.
In Spring we started our weekly village walks that have
proven an altogether different and wonderful new adventure.
We were very excited to see all the amazing seasonal chang-
10
es of flowers and trees in people’s gardens; we admired
tulip trees and the ‘candle trees’, a ‘narrow pyramid flower’
(Lupin), smelled and tasted the lovely herbs from the community herb garden. The walk is beneficial in so many ways,
but one of the nicest things was to see how people’s faces lit
up and smiled seeing the children and chatting to them.
Our woodland day has lost none of its magic. One child who
joined us newly exclaimed, “I could come here every day.”
The moat became our adventure place with children climbing steep tree trunks, contently fishing mud in the water,
carving swords, letting our little Candlemas boats float or
huddling together as bunnies in hollows that uprooted trees
provided for us after some strong wind.
Lunch time is always a lovely and sociable time of breathing out, with many happy chats and delicious and nourishing
organic lunches, where each dish is a favorite.
Many of our Kindergarten experiences appeal to our senses
and sometimes Mummies and Daddies get a taste of this, as
with this year’s truffles for Mothers’ day and our traditional
elderflower cordial for Fathers’ day.
I was very lucky to have the wonderful support of my
two amazing assistants, Suzanne and Elisabeth and, for a
considerable time, Jeanette and Chun as well. In the woods
Stephanie and Anita supported our team and we felt great
gratitude for the amazing help Claudia and Hellen as our
Class Representatives gave to us. Many thanks to all of
them. Above all our thanks to all the parents. We will miss
dearly those that have left already or will be going on a new
journey next School year. We wish all of you happiness and
please come and visit us. Best wishes.
Beate Guertler-Green
11
Class updates
Class updates
Woodland Kindergarten Update
“Look! I found a paw print; it might be a bear’s.” A few
minutes into a day in the woods and the group is attracted by
an exciting discovery. They all gather round to look at the
print, in awe, before the discussion opens as to what kind
it is. It is a very fair debate, no one can know for sure, but
all opinions are valued. “It could be a fox’s, but bears don’t
live here” and then the youngest pipes up, “No, it can’t be
because bears live further into the woods. “At this point it
becomes serious, so they all kneel closer and touch the paw
print gently with their small fingers. “Could it be a dog’s?
But my dog’s prints don’t look like this, they are smaller,
it must be a fox!” “Look, this must be its claw; my dog has
sharp claws…”
These children between 3 and 6 are working things out
themselves, with a sparked interest in the environment, in a
joint effort and by combining their knowledge. The eldest
stands back still looking at the print, then at the others and
with an authoritative voice he says, “Ah! Paws, claws and
doors. They rhyme!”
their abilities and to challenge themselves with no pressure
to achieve anything, other than their own goals.
There is a real sense of combined effort and achievement
when we all sit around the table to dunk our bread into the
delicious smelling soup that has bubbled away on the fire
that we have collected wood for and built together. Food
cooked outdoors on a fire always tastes better!
Once the children have spent a year or two in the woods,
it becomes their playground. They begin to take ownership
of the woodland, to appreciate its beauty and gifts, how it
changes over the seasons and then, naturally, to take care of
it as their own.
Olinda Liddiard
Science, geography, maths, literacy and the ability to discuss
topics with other children fairly and by taking turns: boxes
all ticked! The children play, learn and discover, at their
own speed, whatever they need to. Materials used? A muddy
mound in the local woodland. This is only one of the most
recent examples of a woodland day at the Cambridge Steiner
School.
Together we have built dens and castles, lit fires, seen woodpeckers and kestrels. We have discovered frozen troughs
and turned them into ice castles, then found them melted
the week after. We have climbed on windblown trees and
carved out the rotten centres that made them weak. We have
seen snowdrops in January turn into daffodils and crocuses
in March, then cowslips, buttercups, and elderflower. And if
we’re very lucky, beautiful wild orchids in the bright summer mornings.
Most of all we have learnt that learning is fun. I never cease
to be amazed by how much the children learn, without even
knowing they are. I hesitate in calling it learning; it is more
of a holistic absorption as much of it is done naturally,
through play, curiosity,observation and discovery.
The opportunity to know and experience an outdoor space
gives the children confidence to explore and helps reinforce
their self esteem as well as their ability to orientate themselves. In the long run, these are transferable skills for the
future. It is a valuable skill to feel safe and confident to venture out into the unknown and trust that somehow we will be
able to make sense of what we find.
Branches, trees and piles of logs are great for the child’s
developing sense of balance, coordination, strength, flexibility and physical awareness. In this modern world where
everything is a danger, this is a rare chance to experience
14
15
Class updates
Lavender Afternoon Kindergarten Update
This year has been our busiest so far. In Lavender your children get the opportunity to make new friends from across
the Kindergartens, what lovely memories to be had of the
more experienced “Lavender children” guiding and helping
our new recruits, holding hands and explaining the golden
rules.
Our “outdoor” days have proved to be very popular. The
children love to play in the “big School children’s” garden,
playing with the old water cascade, using the slide, running water and mud on it and on the tree swing that some
children built themselves. They enjoy having their snack
outside on a rug or on tree trunks.
They also enjoy playing games on the green, with “What’s
the time, Mr Wolf” and “In and out the dusty Bluebells”
being the favourites. We like to help the children experience
their stamina and speed and see how the “little sheep” can
run, and having fun and gaining trust in their abilities.
The “inside” days were quieter this year, which gave place
for some quieter children to get more confident trying out
new friendships and ideas. The children were busy building
lots of different constructions with chairs, planks, muslins
16
and building blocks. There is no end to their imagination;
they made space ships, aeroplanes and pet enclosures. The
children loved to draw, make little ships for their water play
outside, sew lavender hearts and teddy-bears and felt flowers for Mother’s Day. They have made different fruits for
the fruit basket to play with in the home-corner, which now
has turned into a golden yurt (thanks to my lovely assistant
Anita’s sewing abilities!). The children particularly love
rearranging their new “wall paper”.
The smell of baking muffins, scones, bread and waffles fills
the air during the afternoons, so much so that many parents
wanted to attend Lavender too - many children wrapped up
their second portion to take home for Mummy or Daddy!
Any left-overs (unfortunately there was often hardly anything left) were very much appreciated by Staff, who all
work so hard.
Overall, this was a wonderful year in Lavender and we thank
all the parents who entrust their precious children to us, and
the children who enrich our time in such a wonderful way.
Kerstin and her team
17
“To truly know the world, look deeply within
your own being; to truly know yourself,
take real interest in the world.”Rudolf Steiner
18
19
Class updates
Class 1/2 Update
This year we entered the world of Irish folk tale and heard
all about the King of Ireland’s Son and his many adventures. This epic tale of friendship, mystery, courage and determination captivated the class and proved to be a rich source of inspiration for their writing and drawing. It was accompanied
by a fourteen verse song which brilliantly describes the tale;
the class quickly memorised the whole thing and acted out
each verse with great joy and enthusiasm (and fabulously
creative costume and prop ideas!) As well as all their hard work in the classroom the children
have enjoyed the wonder and excitement of exploring nature
in the local area. Each of our visits to the Horse Pond ( a
small unassuming waterlogged piece of ground with willows
to climb on, marshy land and streams to explore) brought
new discoveries and pursuits. One week the children spent
20
the hour excavating bones from a little stream: tiny 7 mm
bones, delicate vertebrae and a large animal skull - all
washed clean by the water. They were animated, puzzled,
excited - what is this bone? What was the animal? Another
time they were zoologists searching the streams and marshes
for water creatures, gathering them into jars for inspection
before setting them free; and on another occasion some
gathered rushes and sorted them into species, whilst others strenuously worked at building a small dam with sticks
and logs. Our visits to the Nature Reserve brought back
precious shared memories from their days in Kindergarten. Some weeks they just wanted to play in familiar surroundings, and on other occasions they felt drawn to explore new
pathways! Sarah Fox
21
Class updates
Class updates
Class 3/4 Update
Class 3/4 have had a great year and tried many interesting
varied things from Morris stick dancing to capoeira and
chess. The main theme of the year has been the Norse myths
and Viking sagas. They contain a treasure trove of powerful
and highly pictorial images that have inspired our paintings,
drawings and models. Norse material culture also provides
a wealth of forms, patterns and knots from which to draw
for our form drawing lessons. Best of all are the stories
themselves, playful yet profound, full of drama, humour and
mystery.
Initially many of the boys loved Loki the trickster. Loki was
different from the other Gods as he was half God (good) and
half giant (evil). Whatever trouble his mischief got him into,
his cunning was always sufficient to save him. Yet Loki’s
rascality would be his downfall. It left him vulnerable to the
witch Gulveig’s dark influence. At last he was bound and
tortured by the gods as a punishment for trying to destroy
them. The pedagogical value is clear!
The children had been making models from the story for
some time when Indigo suggested, “Why don’t we make our
22
models a home?” The idea grew in detail and force until I
could no longer refuse. For two weeks we created the Norse
worlds out of papier-mâché, a branch of ivy, chicken wire
and wood. The children were so excited to see it evolve
under their fingers. It was great to help them to realise their
idea which at times had seemed a little farfetched. Some of
the children came up with many practical suggestions about
how to go about it. Once the model was painted and complete, more giants, gods, goddesses and dwarfs were made to
populate the various worlds. Most fun of all was putting the
dwarfs into their caves in Svatheim.
Of late we have been working hard on our play ‘Sif’s golden
hair’. It is based on one of their favourite episodes from the
story. The children have entered into it with all their hearts
and it has been wonderful to see. Some of the children have
got so into their characters that it has started to change the
way they act the rest of the time. Oh well, hopefully these
changes are only temporary!!!
David Van Marle
23
Class updates
Class updates
Class 5 Update
The Olympic Ceremony After two days of training it was finally Saturday. All eight
of us woke up: Mossy, Jennifer, Griffin, Hester Ben, Miss
Alison, Steffi and Suzanne. We had eggs for breakfast,
packed our bags and then walked down to the field. All of
us had lined up when suddenly a boy and girl came running
around the track with two torches, alight in their hands.
They lit our smaller torches. Then a trumpet sounded and
we started to walk around the track, following our archons
with the drum beating. We made a circle around the big unlit
torch in the middle. Then the children holding torches lit it
and we all said our verse together. The man beating the drum called out, ‘’ All athletes for the
Dash and Mini-marathon’’. Hester and Ben both did this and
they both enjoyed it. The 2014 Olympics for Class 5
A Tour of a Syracusian Athlete’s Olympic Training Each year, Class 5 students travel to Michael Hall Steiner
School in East Sussex for the annual Olympics, and camp
out for 3 days with around 420 children from Steiner
Schools throughout the UK and sometimes even travelling
from other parts of Europe. The Class 5 pupils have given
their account of their time at The Olympics below.
We all work up at 6.40am the next morning. The night had
been hard. I was deep-frozen in my bag before I fell asleep.
But now it was morning and the day was new. We got
dressed in a hurry, wriggling into our clothes under the privacy of our sleeping bags and then had a hurried breakfast
consisting of eggy bread and, for me, bread with jam. Then
we hurried to the training field. There, a grey-haired, hawknosed man led us through some exercises, and then said, ‘’I
will trumpet call out your cities’ names, one by one. When
you hear your city’s name, proceed to the centre of the circle
and follow your archon who is holding a flag.” Day One of The Olympics
On Wednesday we came to School and my Dad took us to
the Olympics. We packed the trailer and drove away. When
we got to Michael Hall, we unloaded our tents, bags and lots
of other things. My dad and I set up the toilet, while the others set up the big tent. Before my dad left he said good-bye
to us and then drove away. In the evening at supper time (we had pasta for dinner) we
found out which cities we were in. I was in Sparta, Ben was
in Messalia, Griff in Syracuse, Jen was in Marathon, Hester
in Mitatos and Alison was the archon in Herculaneum. After dinner we got into bed. Alison read us a story and then
we had a good night’s sleep. Mossy Forbes 24
We walked to our first course, - wrestling. It was fun; we did
arm exercises and then wrestled with different people. The
course was 20 minutes but it was so much fun it seemed like
only 20 seconds. When the wrestling was finished we went
to the Dash which took place in a small corner, surrounded
by bushes. We ran on the spot and then took turns running
the Dash. Eight people ran at a time, four boys and four
girls. Next was the mini marathon. At the beginning we ran
fast but when the end came we were all panting and barely
jogging. Next was the Relay. I was at the second post and
the runner who passed the baton to me was way ahead of
everyone so I had a great head start and kept it till I passed
the baton on. When we finished we went on to the High Jump. Here we
lined up in front of a rope stretched across two javelins. We
all took turns jumping over and after each round the rope
was raised. This went on until no-one could jump over the
rope. Then we moved onto the Long Jump. After all of this,
we picked up our stuff and sat under a tree for poetry. After
lunch we had a long rest and then went down to the training field to play a game or two against another city. When
this was over we went back to our campsite and did various
things like catapaulting cups of water high into the air and
having dinner. We were so tired at the end of this long day, but it was a day
full of fun. After that it was ‘’All athletes for the High Jump and the
Long Jump.’’ Mossy and Hester both did the High Jump and
the rope got quite high. ‘’All athletes for the Wrestling now’’. Mossy, Griffin and
Jennifer (that’s me) did it and it was fun! Then we had Discus, Javelin and Relay. After lunch they
called us up to get our medals around the big torch which
was still alight. By this time everyone was very tired. So
we all went back to our camp and took the tents down and
packed everything into the cars. It was about 4.30pm when
we all said ‘’Good bye and have a safe journey home!’’ Jennifer Leek Griffin Emter Day Three of the Olympics (Friday) When we got up on Friday it was sunny. We changed in our
sleeping bags. Steffi asked us what we wanted for breakfast.
Some people said they wanted eggy bread, porridge, bread
and jam. After we had breakfast and filled our water bottles
at the water carriers we went down to the field and found
our archon (people who look after you). Then we went to
our first activity. I did the Mini-Marathon, Ben did Poetry,
Jen threw the Discus, Mossy ran the Relay and Griffin did
Wrestling. After we had done the other activities we went up
to the camp for lunch which was wraps, bacon, salad, bread
and baked beans. After lunch we played ‘Capture the Castle’. After the game
we went to the camp and Suzanne had arrived. She helped
Steffi make dinner. At bedtime we got into our tent and
Suzanne read us a Greek story. Then we tried to get to sleep
but the Norwich people next door were screaming so it was
hard to sleep. But we slept eventually. Hester Stewart 25
The Craft Group Update
The Craft Group Update
Hellen Williams has been running the Craft group for over
a year now, and we catch up with her to find out what’s been
happening this year;
around for the Fair, we already had a close-knit group of
people that really felt proud of our space, and were really
happy to welcome others into it.
Can you tell us what has been going on in the Craft Group
this year?
At the May Fair, we had a community wet-felting project,
where anyone and everyone was invited to come and do
some felting, and it was made with the intention of being a
symbol of our School community.
Well, we started off by mending and fixing things for the
Kindergartens; we went round collecting things that needed
to be fixed, and then spent some time together fixing them
up, giving them some love and care, and then returning them
to the Kindergartens. The children loved to see their Parents
working on things for the Kindergarten, and I also feel that,
living in such a disposable society, it’s important for the
children to see that we can fix things and make them right
again!
I also felt that it’s important we had a balance between
making things for the School, and giving back to ourselves,
so we also made ourselves some lovely little things, which
gave parents a great opportunity to practice some newly
acquired skills.
We also made some lovely things for the Advent Fair, and
we had a really successful Craft area at the May Fair too,
where we raised lots of money to buy a drum carder, and
other Craft materials for the School. The May Fair area was
great, as so many of us worked very hard in the run up to
it to create so many beautiful things. When the time came
26
That’s great Hellen! Why do you feel a Craft Group is important for the School?
I feel that it’s a great space for people to come together and
get to know each other, but also, to get out of our heads, and
into our hands and fingers. One parent of two children who
was taking home sewing to help us in preparation for the
May Fair said that, with the sewing that she was doing once
her children were in bed, she had found a peaceful and restful place of being of her own in the first time for years, since
having children. This, to me, was just beautiful.
It’s also a great way of being able to give to the School;
we now have a strong presence at the School Fairs, and
also have a space in the School shop to sell our handmade
crafts. And it’s fun! Do come and join us – we’ll be meeting
weekly again from September, so check the bulletin for days
and times.
Thanks so much Hellen!
The School Shop
Come and visit the School Shop to stock up for all your
Summer supplies!
Anne has a great selection of books, with classic picture
books for very young children (my kids still read “The Root
Children” to each other - every family should have a copy
of that book!) to books for older children and parents alike.
There’s many different toys and games to choose from, and
a great variety of art materials such as pencils, crayons,
modelling wax and paper to keep your little ones hands occupied!
27
Work Party Weekends
Volunteering at School
Parents are also expected to volunteer some time to work
at these festivals; whether it is helping out for a couple of
hours with crafts, helping with setting up or clearing up afterwards, or helping out with washing up in the cafe kitchen.
All of our small efforts together help to create a truly special
day, without a few individuals having to bear huge loads of
work. This is the core of our community – working together
to support each other, and support the School as a whole.
Benefits to children
Volunteering is an essential part of the culture of our
School. It comprises a lot of “invisible” behind-the-scenes
work, such as the efforts that are made by Trustees, support
groups, etc. and also some of the more obvious work, such
as helping at School events.
One thing that parents often cite as an advantage of their
children attending Cambridge Steiner School is that it is a
School where they can be involved - they don’t just drop off
at the gate. When my children were in Kindergarten, after
they had settled in, I used to love going in for a morning,
and helping Beate with whatever tasks she gave me (never
anything too taxing!), whilst quietly watching how the kids
were doing - how they were interacting with the other children, and how well they sat to eat at the table (they certainly
didn’t do that at home!) It was like a window into a secret
world which I really recommend parents of children in
Kindergarten to do at least once a term. This would support
the Kindergarten staff immensely, with parents being available to help with odd jobs, as well as being beneficial for the
children.
Cleaning
Work Party Weekends are an essential support for the school
– this is where the community comes together and we give
back to the School, be it through a spot of gardening, painting, sanding, cleaning, or whatever else is on the lists that
the teachers and Elke (who kindly takes care of the maintenance of our School) have made.
“I imagine most children and parents at the School look
forward to the School festivals, however, Henry’s favourite
days were always the “Work Days!” We first came along to
a work day when Henry was in the parent and child group.
It was a great opportunity for him to meet his future Kindergarten teacher, and also for Henry to get a sense of his
being in his School. Henry loves his Daddy being at School,
watching him building new climbing structures and putting
28
up shelves with the other parents, and helping Mummy paint
them afterwards. It feels great to see, and is also great for
the children to see things being built and maintained by
their parents, who obviously care about the environment that
their children are learning in. Anyone who hasn’t made it to
one of our School “Work Days” or thinks that the children
will find it boring... think again; it’s really enjoyable for
everyone involved!”
Anna Gawlinski, Parent
Work party weekends help keep our School in the best condition possible, to keep the environment well-maintained,
clean and beautiful for Staff and Students alike. Please do
come along and support the work being done at the next
Work Party Weekend!
In Kindergarten, we organised a cleaning rota to keep the
Kindergarten really nice and shiny, and would try and do a
big clean up before a new term started, with the knowledge
that the kids would go back to a room that many parents had
poured their love into, even if only for a few minutes. Anne
Patel, Class 1/2 representative, has started up a “7 minute
clean” which we did at the start of a recent parents’ evening
(Anne came armed with a basket of cloths and spray bottles
of water/vinegar/soap mixture). We saw that even 7 minutes
can make a huge difference! Maybe we can make this 7
minute clean an essential part of all School parents evenings,
and during those initial 15 minutes where we’re waiting for
everyone to turn up and sitting around dunking biscuits into
tea, we can instead spruce up our Classrooms, or another
room that we feels needs some love and attention?
Festivals and Fairs
All parents are asked to contribute food for the Advent Fair
and May Fair cafes. You will have all seen how wonderfully
this works - we all make something small, and what results
from this is a gorgeous and varied array of delicious food
that is always very popular!
I feel that it’s important for children to see that we are contributing in ways, big or small, to the School, and to its wellbeing. It’s important for them to see a bridge between school
life and home life, and we, as parents, can help to build this
bridge through our interactions with the school.
Furthermore, all of our staff do an amazing job, but are
sometimes overstretched... isn’t it great to know that whatever we can contribute can help to take some of the pressure
off them (such as coming in for a few hours on a work day
and fixing something in a classroom) and can also allow for
them to focus on the primary task of nourishing, empowering and creatively fulfilling the needs of the children within
our community?
Our school charges lower fees than most private schools as
we rely on parents to do some of the work that other schools
employ individuals to do. We are in charge of our own publicity, and the school relies on us all to advertise open days,
fairs and other events. If we all contribute a little to the pot,
then the pot fills up and it can feed many! We are in charge
of our own maintenance, and thus work party weekends are
an essential part of keeping the inside and outside of our
School in a great condition that our kids can benefit from.
What can you offer the School?
Here is a little question to ask yourself! Do you excel in
anything particular that you would like to share with the
Kindergarten/Primary School children? The primary school
children this year are benefitting from Hellen Williams offering wet felting, Nick Jackson offering Chess lessons and
Tina Tribe offering weaving lessons. Other Parents may
wish to take up roles as Class Representatives or Trustees,
or may wish to contribute in other ways.
Volunteering to nourish the heart of the School
The reality of our lives is that we are all pretty busy, however if we want to, we can all make space for a little time to
contribute to the well-being of our School. The more that we
contribute, the more love we pour into the School, and the
more we nourish the heart of our School. This works by all
of us putting in a little effort, so that we can share the work
that needs to be done. Thank you to everyone for the massive amount of support and involvement that we received
this year, and we look forward to even more in the following
year!
29
The May Fair
The Multicultural Festival
This year’s multicultural festival in Kindergarten was as
lively and colourful as ever! We all came together, with
Parents making a “stall” from their culture, and bringing
cultural knick-knacks, books and foods to show the chidren.
It culminated in an almighty, cross-cultural feast. A great
community day celebrating the cultural diversity of our
School!
We had a great, lively and colourful May Fair this year. With
full sun shining, the Primary School treated us to delightful
dancing around the Maypole, to a backdrop of violinists and
recorder players. The Café was full of scrumptious cakes,
bakes and soups as usual, with each family contributing
something delicious to the Café. The kindergartens offered
puppet shows for the younger children, and we had a plant
stall, bread stall, facepainting, craft activities, and also we
had an extremely talented silhouette cutter amongst us!
Thanks to everyone for a great and joyous day.
30
31
Empowered Mothering
Parenting is the best and the worst job that I’ve ever done in my life.
It’s the hardest and the most rewarding. It is a maze of contradictions
constantly throwing up new suprises, pleasant and unpleasant, and
sometimes I wonder what sort of mother I am.
A strong mother, wise mother, capable mother, sometimes
impatient and angry mother, super-mama, but most of all…
empowered mother. Ah yes, that feels better. Empowered.
Things can feel tough sometimes, but I feel supported by a
nurturing and loving outer network of family, friends, dogs,
trees, lots of raw fruit and vegetables, superfoods and India
to name but a few.
There are so many great people in this web of friend-family
around us. There’s the African saying “It takes a village to
raise a child;” I see why. All these great and inspirational
people around me add their own beauty into the mix that
is my children, showing them different skills, encouraging
them to do different things, and connecting with their spirits
in different ways, all adding their own flavours into the
heady and spicy mix that is bringing up children.
My kids are great company, and just being with them,
although we have our moments, can be a support to my
mothering in itself. Their interesting and hilarious insights.
Listening in on their conversations between themselves
(“Akashi, if you want to you can look at my bum… but you
don’t have to!”). Their eagerness to learn, often exemplified
in an endless stream of thought-provoking questions that I
really enjoy answering (“Where did language come from?”)
And then there is the inner support network. The work I
do to help me stay present. Meditation, maybe a few yoga
asanas, breathing awareness – being gently aware of this
breath and this body - as I lie down to sleep and when I
wake up. Singing. Dancing. Camping. Exercise. Drinking
daily green smoothies and clean living. Daily meditation to
help me to stay patient.
Sometimes I feel like things are too hard. I just want a
whole two days to do nothing! I don’t want to make lunchboxes for tomorrow. I don’t want to fold up more clothes.
Oh sugar, I forgot to put the bins out last night! (cue me
running downstairs and outside and the bin men getting to
see my pink spotty pajamas in their full glory). How am I
supposed to fit all these things into a week? How am I supposed to fit all these things into a day?!
brought out the best and the worst in me. I try not to feel
regret/guilt/negativity about the way I’ve interacted (or
reacted) with my kids sometimes.
Yes, darkness also dwells in my relationship with my
children, which I am aware of and I accept, and… yes I
embrace it! I’m in the process of learning that it’s OK to be
that person sometimes. I’m not going to push myself to an
impossible ideal of a perfect mother that exists in my head
as a result of media influences. I’m going to be me. An empowered mother, perfect as I am, with all my faults, flaws,
inconsistencies and issues. Perfect as I am, with all my
strength, beauty and prowess. Perfect as I am, with all the
support of my ancestors, who have loved, lived and learnt
many lessons, and who struggled for my children and I to
be where we are today.
I am an empowered mother, and I believe that I can achieve
anything I want to. However, “empowered” isn’t always
“powerful” for me. It is more like trying to stay open.
Accepting this reality, here and now. Open to the whole
spectrum of feelings and emotions that enter my mind
at any given moment, which brings with it vulnerability.
Sometimes I have to admit to myself that I’m not as hard
and tough as I imagine myself to be. It’s easier for me to
stay open when life flows effortlessly, however what is
more important, and, where I learn the most, is staying
open when things start falling apart. Sometimes I feel low
– I stay open. Sometimes my heart aches – I stay open.
Stay here. Stay with it. See what happens. Let life unfold.
I believe that things can never go wrong, they just may not
turn out quite as expected. I stay open, and listen to all the
wisdom that my heart lovingly offers to me. And then I see
that things always change. The one certainty in life is uncertainty. Thank you again, impermanence, for these lessons
that you teach me!
And at other times, I feel like the whole universe is conspiring to help me. Somehow, my children and I manifest
everything that we need. Oh I feel so blessed at these times!
To live and be present in these fleeting moments of beauty
and bliss with these two amazing souls that are my children,
playing, laughing, creating…
Here I am, touching the beauty of the present moment
once again, dancing around the living room with the kids
to bhangra and garba music, planning adventures, big and
small, at the drop of a hat, having “special breaths” with
Akashi at bedtime (both breathing together, feeling the
beauty of ourselves and each other, for a few breaths as
she’s falling asleep – often the best part of my day!), having
a “jump up into your arms” hug from Shivum and fully feeling the love. Here I am, touching the beauty of the present,
sat silently by a river with tears of joy in my eyes. Here I
am, touching the beauty of my presence, feeling full of life
and love.
However it isn’t all beauty and bliss. Motherhood has
I do what I can to nourish my soul, as I’ve noticed that my
32
happiness correlates with my children’s happiness. I try to
teach them, by example, and through the conversations we
have, about living a compassionate, loving, ethical life, and
enjoying the beauty of what each moment brings us, with
the strength, wisdom and clarity to deal with the not-so-easy
moments.
I am empowered by the experiential knowledge that I can do
anything that I want to.
And on that note; My children and I have had discussions
about the incongruity of how we have so much stuff, and
some people are barely meeting their basic needs for food,
clothing and shelter. How would it feel to be a child who
was hungry, and didn’t know when they were going to eat
next? How would it feel to be a mother that couldn’t feed or
clothe her children?
We have decided to collect clothes for children who live
in the slums of Delhi. We’re going to collect lots of great
stuff over the next month and send it over, and raise money
for the postage. If you’re interested in helping to turn our
dreams into a reality by donating clothes, or cash for postage, or helping in any other way you can think of, contact
me on [email protected]
Trishna Shah
33
Advertisements
“The mind is not a vessel
to be filled, but a fire to
be kindled.”
From our letters page
A HAND UP...
I had a difficult upbringing. We used to beg in
the town centre all day, rain or shine.
When I was eight, my mother started selling
The Big Issue.
The money she earned paid for my school
uniform and shoes without holes. I no
longer had to watch her in tears at overdue
bills, and life got better.
After a couple of years our situation improved
and now I am studying to be a doctor.
I buy The Big Issue each week because
without it I would not be where I am today.
Name and address withheld
Plutarch
Every Monday £2.50
The Big Issue: a weekly entertainment, current
affairs magazine and much, much more...
www.bigissue.com
Beauty & Holistic Therapist
Ashley May
Collin Resultime Facials
Body Massage
Reiki Healing
Calgel Nails
www.ashleymay.co.uk
Tel: 07941 880 228
Gracie in Appleblossom’s Mummy
34
35
Strong local shops. Anti-racism. Climate change. Youth work. Women’s rights. Local history. Mental health.
Air pollution. Community skills building. Homelessness.
Many in our school community are interested in or active on social or environmental justice issues, from
local to global. We would like to share news of projects or campaigns in the next newsletter, to share
information and possibly inspire ideas for action.
We need your input for this! Please send in news from any groups or projects you are involved in or inspired
by to share through Grapevine. Email me on [email protected]
The views stated by contributors do not necessarily represent those held by Cambridge Steiner School or Steiner Education in general.