"For what lies inside of man is the whole spiritual cosmos in condensed form.
In man's inner organism we have an image of the entire cosmos." - Rudolf Steiner
For the first week of the upcoming school holiday (Monday 12 Dec - Thursday 15 Dec / Friday is a holiday) we will once again be offering 3 different programmes:
Holiday Club
Basketball Clinic
Daily Outdoor Adventures (also offered on Friday 16 Dec)
The details will be shared with the school community next week. Other weeks may also be offered depending on interest and availability.
For information on the Daily Outdoor Adventures, see the "Learn Your Land Company" advert below under "Courses, Events & Services in the Community". Also check out the advert for the Earth-Wind-Water-Fire holiday workshops at Kirstenbosch offered by Eco Nature Adventurers.
REMINDER
Our 60th Annual General Meeting which will take place on Thursday, 17 November 2022 from 18h00 to 20h00 in the Big Hall.
At the AGM, the Board of Trustees and other Governance Bodies will report back on the school’s achievements and challenges over the last year, share key plans for the future, and present the School’s Audited Financial Statements for the year ended February 2022. The AGM is also where a new Board of Trustees will be voted in.
The Agenda, Minutes from last year, Annual Reports and Trustee Nominations Slate have all been sent out via email. You can also access the documents on our website. Whether you plan on attending the meeting or not, we recommend reading through the document.
The AGM provides a great opportunity for you to ask questions and learn more about the structures and procedures of the school. In order to facilitate the best possible flow of our meeting, we invite you to submit any questions by Monday, 14 November to trustees@michaeloak.org.za. Please put “AGM questions" in the subject line. Please also mention your affiliation to the school (such as Parent in Class 4) in the body of the message. We will also take questions on the night if there is time.
In this special 60th Anniversary year of our school, we look forward to meeting you in person and engaging with you.
On a quiet, cloudy day, as the school grounds rest with so many classes off on camp adventures, Cecilene Hendricks and Edorine Moletsane, the wonderful women responsible for the shiny surfaces across the High School, chat to me about life and work. A little-known fact is that they are family: Edorine is Cecilene’s niece.
What inspires you? "We live for our children", they both say. Cecilene, who lives with four generations on the same property, has two daughters and a grandchild, and Edorine has a son and a daughter. Intergenerational living is great, according to Cecilene, “When I get home, there’s a plate of food for me”. Indeed, it’s her parents who inspire her the most: her father’s strength and willingness to work hard even now in his 80s, and her mother’s principled approach to life.
Both joined Michael Oak in 2015 and, for the most part, enjoy their time at the school, especially the friendly teachers. Cecilene particularly enjoys overhearing snippets of lively teenage conversations and Edorine loves the sense of satisfaction that a clean workspace brings.
Relaxing of course entails a good old kuier with family and friends, preferably with a braai, and Edorine is particularly fond of Bollywood movies.
They have happy memories of their schooling, which they did together all the way from Grade 1 to Matric. The annual primary school hike and the high school cross-country events stand out as highlights.
Like Cecilene, for Edorine it’s also family who inspire her the most: her uncle, a clever man and an accountant by trade, instilled in her the dream to be a bookkeeper one day.
Recently Cecilene has found that she’s been reminded of what’s most important in life by sudden and unexpected deaths in her community. “Just being alive and seeing my family grow up is a big thing for me at the moment”.
Teachers express appreciation for their work with one staff member mentioning that the pair take such pride in their work that they will fix and clean areas without being requested to do so.
Thank you for your hard work and commitment to the school, Edorine and Cecilene. We hope it will be a nurturing environment for many years to come.
Sandhoppers are tiny little crustaceans that live on our sandy shores, eating the kelp that washes up with the tides. They live in swarms and hop between your toes if you happen to stumble upon them.
As a child I grew up on our Peninsula's beaches, and always found them bothersome. On camp, the children squealed when they accidentally lifted a piece of kelp and the critters came profusely hopping out.
However, this week on our camp we were confronted with our critter bias, and learnt their true value. These little freakish sand critters sustain the entire ecosystem within which they live - they decompose the kelp in just a matter of hours and their waste washes into the sea, as fertilizer and food for other creatures. They leave the beaches clean and the ocean waters rich with nutrients. Without them, the kelp would pile up and the beaches would become overwhelmed with decaying kelp that causes further ecological issues for birds, creatures in the rock pools, and any creature that finds its home on the sandy shores.
With this new understanding, we learned to greet the little hoppers as they merrily pranced between our toes. What a change in narrative!
When children learn about the world they live in, we give them a chance to overcome the unknown, or the sense that sandhoppers are 'freakish'. Children are given the chance to build trust in nature and its life sustaining structures, and to develop a true understanding of how everything we find around us fits into the picture of the world. The children in our school right now face some stark and frightening realities about our earth and its course of climate change, and education with a basis of fear (remember any propaganda story from history) may not be helpful to them or the future. However, education with a basis of inquiry, trust and reverence may help give rise to compassionate ecologists; environmentally aware entrepreneurs; ocean aware politicians; scientifically trusting artists, and so on. When children build relationships to their world through real and practical experiences they are given an opportunity to emerge from school with a true sense of social, ecological and individual responsibility no matter the course of life they take in their future.
This is the education that Steiner brought to us, and this is what our school so passionately fosters. This camp was rich with lessons like the sandhopper story - see the photos below of snakes, bird watching, shell collecting and litter gathering and true ecological compassion from the little scientists and explorers of Class 5!
Our Michael Oak cricketers were in action with Constantia Waldorf again this week taking on John Graeme Primary School u13. John Graeme bowlers provided a tougher test than last week but guided by a brilliant unbeaten hundred from captain Jack Hindmarch Waldorf managed 129 for 8. A good team bowling performance from Waldorf restricted John Graeme to 86 with Waldorf winning comfortably in the end.
We are selling the last of the plants from the Fair at a discounted rate. All plants are either R10, R20 or R30 per plant. Zukisa, the school security guard, can show you if you’re unsure. Contact Melisa on 082 512 4825 if you need help.
There are some shade species (plectranthus, hypoestes, psychotria etc) and some sun species (aloe arborescens, ciliaris and tenuior) and also cotyledons, senecio and small haworthias.
Choose your plants, check which price group they are in and pay the total amount in the school's accounts office via SnapScan, with a bank card, or leftover Mickels. Please pay during office hours.
There are also white pitas available (now frozen) for R22/pack of 6. Please enquire at the accounts office.
Holiday House Sought
Friends from abroad are looking for a house to rent from 26 Dec to the 3rd Jan (a mom and her 2 teens). Are you or someone you know away in that period, and might be interested in renting out your home to very good friends of Michael Oakies? If so, please contact Nadya on 072 496 7326 or nwynchank@gmail.com
House for Sale
Beautiful 4 Bedroom 2 Bathroom Mid Century Home For Sale R4.395m On Wynberg Hill, Upper Wynberg - five-minute drive to school. Located on a very quiet road with wonderful neighbours and mountain views. Abundant in fruit trees, has a good size garden, an eco pool and a rabbit/chicken enclosure. Garage plus ample parking for up to five cars. Solar geyser and two big water tanks. Previously bought from a Michael Oak family and has been a very special, solid, happy home for us. Low maintenance and in excellent condition. https://www.property24.com/for-sale/wynberg-upper/cape-town/western-cape/10102/111958680
Contact Judy Moffet to view (071) 311-5281
The McGregor Fountain Waldorf Kindergarten is looking to employ a suitably qualified Kindergarten/Pre-school teacher from 17 January 2023.
The successful applicant must meet the following criteria:
Have appropriate academic qualifications with SACE registration
Interest in and identification with the Waldorf ethos of the school
Experience in multi-cultural education
Ability to work constructively within the school team
Willing to undergo further training
Be creative, dynamic, innovative, compassionate and able to nurture and develop the Kindergarten and playgroup further.
The McGregor Fountain Waldorf Kindergarten, which forms part of the McGregor Fountain Waldorf Primary school, has been an integral part of the village for more than twenty five years. Our children come from the local community and surrounding towns, and represent a wonderful cross-section of South African culture. We strive to create a holistic, supportive environment and to cater for the needs of each individual.
There is a growing anthroposophical community in the village with regular creative workshops, inner development, teacher development and anthroposophical meetings on offer, providing a perfect opportunity for further personal and societal growth.
CLOSING DATE: Friday, 2 December 2022 @ 12:00. Applications (CV, Certified Qualifications, testimonial(s) and ID) with covering letter must be submitted to:
The College of Teachers; McGregor Fountain Waldorf School at abovementioned
Email: info@mcgregorwaldorf.co.za or hand delivered.
If applicants do not receive a response within 14 days of close of application understand that the application has not been successful.
PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHING POST
The McGregor Fountain Waldorf seeks an experience, committed qualified Waldorf Teacher to join from 17 January 2023.
We are a small multi-culture school with small classes, offering individual attention, and an intimate, caring environment.
The following criteria are recommended:
Have appropriate academic qualifications with SACE registration
Interest in and identification with the Waldorf ethos of the school
A spirit of acceptance and diversity
Be creative, innovative and enthusiastic
Have a real interest in children and their development
Kindly send your letter of application with a Curriculum Vitae to:
The College of Teachers
McGregor Waldorf School
14 Kantoor Street
McGregor 6708
Email: info@mcgregorwaldorf.co.za
CLOSING DATE: Friday, 2 December 2022 @ 12:00. Applications (CV, Certified Qualifications, testimonial(s) and ID) with covering letter must be submitted to:
The College of Teachers; McGregor Fountain Waldorf School at abovementioned
Email: info@mcgregorwaldorf.co.za or hand delivered.
If applicants do not receive a response within 14 days of close of application understand that the application has not been successful.
The Flamenco classes at Michael Oak are gathering momentum again - with lots of excited dancers in the Primary School. Parents and teachers can also join Zethu for evening classes on Thursdays at 6pm. Teenagers attend free of charge with an adult. What a great way to spend time together with moms and daughters! Phone Philippa to book 084 269 9884.
Children's Advent Spiral Festival
at the Christian Community
Please join us in celebrating Advent
with craft, singing and a story.
Saturday the 26th November at 15:00
39 Timour Hall Road, Plumstead
The cost per child is R60. All are welcome.
Please RSVP to Tanya on 072 139 2403.
Ayurveda
Are you interested in Ayurveda but find it confusing and overwhelming? This is a nice bite-size start to bringing Ayurveda into your life in an easy, manageable way.
What to expect:
Every day we have the chance to step into the day with connection to ourselves-, nature- and the energetics of the day.
We can start out the day with reverence and softness instead of overwhelm and a sense of ’not enough time’.
Ayurveda has beautiful tools for a good ritual/routine for the mornings and/or evenings.
We will sit in circle and also share our experiences.
Delicious Ayurvedic teas and a snack will be provided.
About Claudia:
Claudia Batschari has practiced Ayurveda for numerous years, initially turning to it for her own healing – and then powerfully integrating it into her life in order to make the best decisions for her health. In 2020 Claudia completed an online course with Nidhi Pandya, ‘Ayurveda Demystified & Applied’. This was followed in 2021 by a year-long ‘Ayurvedic Wellness Coach Training’ course with the Shakti School – where she is currently enrolled in their 2nd year ‘Ayurvedic Health Counsellor’ training programme. https://anandasanctuary.co.za/event/how-to-establish-a-good-daily-ayurvedic-routine/
INSTRUCTIONS
Adverts will be published a maximum of 3 times per school term.
Posters should be 560px wide with text large enough to read on a mobile device.
Please send community notices and display adverts to: leaflet@michaeloak.org.za
COST
All advertisers are expected to make a contribution to our Bursary Fund.
Minimum donation of R50 for community notices and R100 for display adverts.
Please use these bank details for EFT transfers:
Standard Bank / Branch: 02510900 / Acc. No.: 071885382
Acc Name: Michael Oak School Fundraising / Ref: ‘Leaflet-Ad’
TERM 1 PS & HS: Tuesday, 17 January - Friday, 24 March PG & KG: Wednesday, 18 January/Thursday, 19 January - Thursday, 23 March Note 1: KG staggered start: younger children start on Wednesday and older children on Thursday Note 2: PG also has staggered start from Wednesday, 18 January
TERM 2 PS & HS: Wednesday, 12 April - Friday, 23 June PG & KG: Wednesday, 12 April - Wednesday, 21 June
TERM 3 PS & HS: Tuesday, 18 July - Friday, 22 September PG & KG: Tuesday, 18 July - Thursday, 21 September
TERM 4 KG, PS & HS: Tuesday, 10 October - Friday, 8 December PG: Tuesday, 10 October - Thursday, 7 December
On a quiet, cloudy day, as the school grounds rest with so many classes off on camp adventures, Cecilene Hendricks and Edorine Moletsane, the wonderful women responsible for the shiny surfaces across the High School, chat to me about life and work. A little-known fact is that they are family: Edorine is Cecilene’s niece.
We are selling the last of the plants from the Fair at a discounted rate. All plants are either R10, R20 or R30 per plant. Zukisa, the school security guard, can show you if you’re unsure. Contact Melisa on 082 512 4825 if you need help.
Ayurveda
