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Dear Kindle Hill Community
I’ve lived in Nepal for 14 years and just happen to be back in Australia this year with my toddler Safira, who is in Susan’s Tuesday
Playgroup. My husband and all my in-laws are in Kathmandu,
giving me regular updates by skype. The situation is dire, in
Kathmandu and in many villages.
If you need more information you can contact me at
serena.rixtripathee@gmail.com, or on facebook: Sacred Journeys
Nepal. If you would like to make a financial donation there are
many humanitarian organisations accepting donations (Save the
Children, Care, Oxfam, Plan, World Vision, MSF, etc).
We are also accepting donations which will be used to rebuild
three villages that we have worked in that are now flattened.
Donations to rebuild these villages can be made to Sacred
Journeys Nepal Philanthropic Fund, Westpac (Leura) , BSB
032828 Account Number 282788. We will keep all donors updated
of progress. or visit:
URL:
https://www.youcaring.com/emergency-fundraiser/villages-risingrebuild-nepali-villages-after-earthquake/345626
Thank you,
Serena Rix Tripathee
CALLING ALL MURAL ARTISTS to tender for 2 mural projects in
Mt Victoria’s Memorial Park.
Contact Jo Davies on com.development@banc.org.au or 0438 099
081 for an information package.
Newsletter: 4th May 2015
Notices...
I’m sure you have seen the news of the recent earthquake in Nepal. There is an urgent need for tents, and sleeping bags. If
you have any of these things to donate, please drop them at the
school (in the office), then I will be arranging to get them to Kathmandu. Airlines are taking them free of cost.
Autumn has arrived with a chill and a drench! How
much more we appreciate the sunny days in between.
This week the preparation for the Autumn Fair gets underway with serious work from Annie, Pete, class 2/3
and the various coordinators. I encourage you to help
where you can and to spread the word about the fair to
friends and contacts in person, and by your preferred
means. In this time when we do so much of our communicating online, it can take conscious effort to take
time for the conversation but I know for myself, that
when I do it is always an enriching experience, a
chance to connect and breathe. Fairs are important
opportunities for school families and visitors to get a
feel for the broader school community in action, and
are often referred to in enrolment meetings as a significant factor in families finding their way to Kindlehill.
The autumn Kindlings has now been distributed, if you
haven’t received your family copy, you can get one
from a teacher or the office. It is a great window into
some of the unfolding learning of the various classes.
In this newsletter are also some articles of interest, one
in regard to devices in family life, another about living
a compassionate life from an ex Kindlehill student and
I would like to send out a special thanks to Jamie
Brennan, for gathering the team and working out the specifics of the feature, for Chris McHarg for the delicate brick laying, Amy Jenkin for the
amazing Swedish apple cake and to Simone Glassford and a very jetlagged Kal Gulson, who dug a giant hole and then had to move the hole
several times!!
Autumn Fair Requests
Volunteer Code of Conduct
GO-CARTS— We need to borrow Go-Carts for an exciting activity.
Please let Annie know if you have one we can use for the day.
Also, we need any spare helmets taken to the office for us to use
on our Go-Cart track.
If any parent would like to donate something as a prize in our Fair
raffle could you please take it to the office before Wednesday
Welcome New Families
This Wednesday at2.45pm there will be a New families welcome on
the top verandah.
All are welcome - please bring a plate and smile to share. We look
forward to seeing you.
Autunm Fair– Amazing Effort
We would like to Thank Annie Matula and Peter Daley for all their
hard work and organization in preparing for our Autumn Fair.
As the fair approaches and many parents will be volunteering their
time, we request that you contact the office if you have not completed a volunteer code of conduct form. The form highlights some
important considerations when volunteering at the school. These
relate to our Work Health and Safety obligations, as well as those
under NSW Govt Working with Children. The form highlights areas
to consider and be mindful of when volunteering at the school,
and when working closely with children. Please chat to your class
teacher if you have any questions. Forms are available from the
office.
Safety on Fair Day
Thank you to all parents who so willingly give their time for the
fairs, in both organisation and implementation.
We ask that you please be mindful of safety at the school fair, and
during any preparatory work. There are a few items to consider:
be aware of moving vehicles on the day; leave gates closed when
entering and exiting the school so small children remain in the
grounds; keep children and young ones away from cooking and
serving areas; keep “back-of-house” areas closed and locked; set
up spaces for easy flow of traffic; ask for assistance when moving
heavy objects; keep any takings for cafe and bistro in a safe
place; highlight any activity risks to those engaged in the activity,
and do not leave sharp items such as knives, scissors and needles
Notices...
Over the past couple of weeks, the Kindy creek has started to become
transformed. A group of parents spent a whole
Sunday considering, nutting out and creating a
beautiful new water feature for our Kindy space.
While it is still not quite finished, it already looks
amazing and our winter in Kindy will be spent
dreaming of summer days, playing and cooling
off in it’s pool.
School happenings….
Term 2—Diary
KINDY WATER FEATURE
Week 3: Tues 5/5 Bio blitz at the Lake Class 6/7
Week 4: Tue 12/5 – Thursday 14/5 Naplan
Fri 15/5 Working bee pre fair: 12pm – 3pm
Sat 16/5 Autumn Fair
Week 5: Biodynamic Compost making
Week 6: Wed 27/5 National Sorry Day
Sat 30/5 Film screening in Reconciliation Week
Week7: Wed 3/6: Film screening: Schooling the World
Week 8: Fri 12/6 Peace and Reconciliation Forum:
with Kal Gulson
Week 9: Fri 19/6 Winter’s Night (week leading up to – screen
free)
“Please Help Our Homeless”
A campaign for the less fortunate and most in need.
It has been 6 years since I last attended Kindlehill Community School. In
hindsight, I can clearly see the foundation Kindlehill provided allowing me
to pave a path to where I am now.
In recent times I have become involved in a campaign to help homeless
people in Sydney working with other youth and brother Mark Carroll
(Serene’s dad) from Kindlehill. It is estimated that there is over 400 homeless people living in the inner city and day-by-day this number continues to
increase. The reasons for homelessness are many and often beyond our
level of comprehension. Helping these people from our position of privilege
by allowing them to keep their tents is the least we can do.
Students become guardians of Wentworth Falls lake
In The Gazette last week Kindlehill High School Students were
acknowledged for their Streamwatch work. Below is a link to the
website page and full article and photos.
http://www.bluemountainsgazette.com.au/
story/3040276/students-become-guardians-of-wentworth
-falls-lake/
They are now mini guardians of one of the most popular waterSlow Sourdough
As a follow up from the sourdough article in the recent Kindlings,
Kim Shaddick (Finn, Kobi, and Aila’s Mum) has been the source of
the sourdough starter into the Kindlehill Community. Kim has provided many sourdough lessons to keen parents, and is now supported by Sarah Worboys (Lily, Asha-Rose & Daisy’s Mum) in the
sharing of this wonderful lineage. Not only do these ladies share
their knowledge willingly, you will often find a loaf of this gorgeous
bread at a school function or class gathering. How wonderful to
donate these home baked loaves, considering the slow production
process, and commitment to every loaf. They are bringing nutritious, quality food and food production into
our community, simply for the love of it!
Crafty Birds
One of the things I have found when working with homeless is that I gain a
greater benefit than I can ever give them. We need the Sydney City Council to show some compassion for the homeless and allow them to at least
keep a tent to provide some dignity, privacy and protection from the elements. I believe service work at Kindlehill to be a fundamental step towards creating more conscious and compassionate human beings. I cannot
express in words the benefit of service work for my own development. I am
very grateful to the school for helping me see opportunities that come my
way and not to miss them. If you can spare 5 minutes there is an online
petition and automatic email addressed to the Mayor of Sydney. There is
also a link to our Facebook page and a campaign video starring acclaimed
aboriginal singer Radical Son.
Kim Shaddick also coordinates the school
craft group (with Sally Rassmussen), managing purchasing, production and hours of
sewing, to enable us to present our unique
craft stall at every fair and open day. You
will see at the coming fair, the quality and
quantity of items the craft group produce.
This is a wonderful fundraiser for the school,
and an opportunity for new, crafty (and not
so crafty) parents to gather, socialise and
learn. Thanks Kim, Sally, and all other crafties for your generosity.
Waste To Art
Class 6/7 entered the waste to art competition up at the cultural
centre.
Anti Screen? No…
Pro Human Relationship? Yes
By Kim John Payne
This article is an extract from The Soul of Discipline: The Simplicity Parenting
Approach to Warm, Firm and Calm Guidance. From Toddlers to Teens
(Ballantine Books/Penguin Random House. 2015.)
How a parent handles the influence of screens (television, computers,
phones and other devices) used to be a part of a general discussion about
filtering the adult world from our kids’ lives. In recent years, however, it has
become a major stand-alone concern, as alarm has spiked among parents
and educators about how children of all ages cope with the tsunami of information and distraction digital devices offer. It’s a sensitive issue for some,
who feel that technology has significantly improved education and entertainment, as well as for those who believe screen exposure is the new normal
and do not want to question the status quo.
It is clear to me, as a parenting adviser, that we have to approach this issue
with consciousness and courage, and accept the fact that—as in many other
areas of our kids’ lives (like when they are fighting or arguing over a favorite
toy)—there will be times when we have to step in firmly and take careful control of our children’s screen consumption.
Deep Family Connection.
To be clear, I am not anti-screen, but I am passionately pro human relationships and family connections. I am just as committed to the reality that
childhood develops in phases and each stage needs the right environment
in order to flourish. Frankly, I would be relieved if the evidence supported
screen use for kids as being okay.
It would make Katharine's and my life as parents a whole lot easier to just
go with the popular tide and get our kids smart phones and tablets and
open the door to social networking. However, both the balance of research
and my plain old gut instinct tells me that something is seriously wrong
with the way in which perhaps the most powerful tool humankind has ever
known is being placed literally in the hands of children. The evidence is
mounting that this twenty year unregulated mass social experiment is not
going so well, especially for kids and families. Strong family bonds take
time to build and nurture. The increasing demands of work life, with its invisible digital arm reaching right into our home life, means our time with
our kids has become more precious and limited than ever before. Therefore,
it makes sense that we live every moment with our kids to it’s fullest and
not allow ourselves to be displaced by the allure of digital distractions.
Parking on Fair Day
We request that parents park on Blaxland Road on fair day to
leave plenty of space for our visitors, in Lake St and the school
carpark. We will have parking supervisors on the day to facilitate
this process. Many thanks for your cooperation.
Supervision of children during events
Fairs, working bees, and similar events occur outside of school
hours. The teachers are not on duty to supervise children as they
too are volunteering time to do practical tasks that serve the
classes and school as a whole.
Supervision of children at fairs, open days, and working bees is
the responsibility of their parents.
We encourage parents to involve their children in the tasks they
are doing where practical and at other times to be mindful that
their children remain under their supervision. At these events we
also encourage parents to support each other in regard to supervision. If you see children out of bounds or doing something that
concerns you, please speak directly with the children, the parents
or with a teacher. School rules apply to the children for use of
play areas and equipment. Children are not permitted in out of