Dear St Paul's families

We are delighted to start collaborating with

Badu Sports https://www.thebaduway.com

which will enable us to provide high quality Games lessons. The classes have had their first sessions and the feedback from the pupils has been very positive. They are keen to be part of the school, teach within our ethos, and relate the blocks in the classes. The programme of water sports for Middle school, kayaking (VI), sailing (VII), and rowing (VIII) will continue as will the use of a leisure centre for the colder months.

I would like to mention that our own former pupil, Joel Akuwudike, works with Badu Sports and he has made a short film 'A Drop in the Ocean' which can be seen on youtube!

Mr Tsogkas has resigned, and we wish him all the best in his new school. We are keen to find a replacement as soon as possible and we will advertise widely. These last few years Mr Tsogkas has worked with the teachers to merge the Steiner Waldorf curriculum with the preparation of the pupils for GCSEs, but also to bring together Art and Science in Photography.

Ms. Anna Retsler

Head teacher

St Paul's Steiner School

We had a beautiful Whitsun week celebrating Peace and all the different languages spoken in School.

Handwork is a daily part of a Waldorf early childhood because it
💫Promotes capacities for thinking, measuring and visual perception
💫Helps to develop fine motor skill
💫 Builds the capacity to solve problems- noticing mistakes and keeping count of their stitches
💫 Builds the capacity to concentrate and focus
💫Teaches children to work with colour- choosing complimenting tones and shades
💫 Develops patience, perseverance and delayed gratification
💫 Awakens a child’s unique artistry through the creation process, choosing textures and colours
💫 Helps to develop a sense of gratitude for the earth’s gifts of wool, plant dyes, wood and cotton
💫 Introduces children to the ingenuity of human tools (needles, weaving frames)

Class IV presented their Animal projects.  There was even a Cone Snail birthday cake!

Class III has been busy making shelters for their Food and Farming block. They have worked independently in school to build some amazing structures out of a wide range of different materials.

Class VI are on their Geology field trip this week on the Jurassic Coast at Beer, Devon.  They have been kayaking, swimming in the sea, exploring caves and quarries, walking miles and miles along the beautiful coastline and singing into the evenings...

Class IV have written some stunning Celtic poems this week.

Class I are rehearsing their play, written for them by Class VI.  They have been learning The Owl and the Pussycat and here are some of their paintings.

Hello, My name is Thea Y. Fofana, and I’m currently looking for accommodation in London. I was born on 01.05.2006 and I am from Trier, Germany, a small town next to the Franco-German border. I attend the so-called “Freie Waldorfschule Trier”, a school based on Rudolf Steiner's pedagogy. In my spare I do Sports and I work in a shipping department of a shoe store and in a restaurant. In the eleventh grade, which I attend for the moment, every student should accomplish a four week long internship at the foodbank called the spring hub community which is located in Southwark. My wish was to complete my internship in London because I love to travel and discover new cities and countries. I have never been to London and my English isn’t perfect, but I definitely can communicate in everyday conversations. I am bilingual and also speak German and French. If you have a need I would definitely be willing to help you with the household or take care of your children in the evenings. On the other hand it would also be important to have some free time so I can explore the city and gain new experiences.

The internship will be in the following time frame:

17.06.2023-15.07.2023

If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.

You can contact me by mail: Thea_fofana@web.de

My Phone number is: 0049152 37234071

We are running an amazing art, circus and mindfulness holiday camp for children in Dalston for children aged 5 - 12 years old for the Summer Holidays. It is a fun-filled week of lots of arts & crafts, games, mindfulness activities, playing with circus equipment, a party on the Friday with a treasure hunt and most importantly, lots of fun! 

The theme for the half term is Roald Dahl where the children will make everything from: Charlie and the Chocolate factory magical land of sweets, Giraffe the Pelly and Me giraffe mask, Esio Trot tortoise toy, Wonka chocolate bar box, George's Marvellous Medicine book, Matilda bookmark, The Twits beard, The Witches mouse puppet and a Fantastic Mr Fox drawing. 

We are OFSTED registered and accept childcare vouchers form Edenred and Computer share. You can find out more about our camps here - https://www.theartimaginarium.co.uk/

Active Practical Love Course June 2023

This course teaches the tools to develop our relationships. Active Practical Love (APL) improves the quality of life, self-worth, health and happiness for the loved and the lover. APL is a culmination of 25 years of Dr. Tessabella Lovemore’s practice and research, and draws on Steiner’s work.

Structure: run fortnightly on Zoom at 7.30pm - 8.30pm (GMT) on Thursdays, with a smaller practice group meeting in-between each lesson.

Dates: Starting June 22nd, break in August

Cost: £360, installments possible.

Concession places available depending on what you can afford.

Sign up: thelovecourse@gmail.com/07531742733

Leob Croft Summer Camp 2023

5th — 13th August Leob Croft, Isle of Mull, Scotland

What does it mean to be free and human today? How do we overcome our fears to find the Divine, celebrate our differences, and work harmoniously with the natural world?

Meet fellow wanderers and pilgrims from different lands and cultures; give voice to important questions and generate meaningful conversations in a safe and respectful environment; speak and listen deeply from the Heart

• Explore what it might mean to act and facilitate transformation within ourselves, each other and the larger world

• Develop a personal relationship with the land; to be with and learn from this wild, unusual and beautiful place whose fierce spirit provides a model of eco-spiritual resistance

• Engage with flexible programming and co-create social and artistic processes where we can honour and celebrate life together and express our truths without fear or shame

A Time of Transformation- Leob Croft is a place of extraordinary beauty, nestled in Scotland’s Inner Hebrides on the southwestern tip of the Isle of Mull, surrounded by sea and mountains, ancient standing stones, and Iona, the sacred seat of Celtic Christianity. Through their engagement with the land, Croft steward Jonathan Knight and his late wife Ann, inspired by the ideas of Goethe, Rudolf Steiner and others, have spent over two decades working to realise their vision of ‘a little piece of heaven’: a thriving ecosystem, garden, homestead and sanctuary for spiritual seekers, a place where everyone is welcomed and differences valued. In a time of significant personal, collective and ecological disruption, Leob is also feeling its way into its third incarnation as an intentional community.

Format -The eco-questival is a self-organized grassroots summer camp in the spirit of Open Space and Art of Hosting gatherings. The structured part of the day consists of three shared meals and an opening and closing circle in the mornings and evenings. The content itself will be created together every day among participants. All are welcome to be involved as much or as little as desired, and each is encouraged to listen to their own inner rhythm. Some proposed activities include exploring the Twelve points of view and the fundamental social law; workshops on Land Art, Social Art, Perception, the Journey of a Hero and Non-Violent Communication; Eurythmy movement and the Five-Rhythms Dance; Theatre-Improvisation. There will be an opportunity to visit the islands of Iona and Staffa and the Lochbuie stone circle (please allow an extra budget of £40 for these trips).

Accommodation and Food -The three communal meals a day include breakfast, lunch and dinner, and most of the fresh produce will be coming from our biodynamic kitchen garden. As this is a co-created event, attendees are encouraged to participate as able in meal preparation and clean-up. If you’re passionate about cooking and would like to be our main chef or lead a meal prep, please let us know. Accommodation is a mix of simple rooms or camping in your own tent. The number of rooms is limited so we encourage those who are comfortable camping to bring their gear. Leob is a large site and the scenic camping options are numerous! Toilet and washroom facilities are located centrally.

Exchange- We are asking for a contribution of £333 from those who are camping and £555 for anyone staying in a room. This is to cover accommodation and food expenses. If you’re able to contribute more, your generous gift will go toward supporting our work here on the croft, future workshops and camps, and covering transport costs for volunteers. For those seriously interested in attending but worried about covering costs, please do contact us.

How to get here and other practicalities- Truly inhabiting a Scottish summer is a challenging and rewarding experience. Be prepared for the notorious Highland midges and potentially unpredictable weather. The abundance of local and migratory birds, seals, dolphins, otters, sheep, deer and croft animals will help you survive and even thrive in this remarkable place! For those without a vehicle, reaching Mull with public transport can be tricky, but also quite interesting (and cheaper) for the adventurous and able! Oban can be reached via ScotRail and CityLink bus, followed by ferry and then a local bus or hitchhiking until Leob Croft. One of our volunteers just completed this journey and arrived tired but happy. If this is your path, we’d be more than willing to help you organise the journey. Note on Times: Opening will be on the evening of the 5th and closing after breakfast on the morning of the 13th to coincide with the bus schedule. Please plan accordingly!

Who Are We?-This year’s questival is organised by Biodynamie Sociale 21, with support from the Leob Croft team. Biodynamie is Frederic, a gardener, pollinator, social artist and pilgrim from France whose work focuses on personal/group transformation and earth healing. He is joined by Lucile, a healer, care-worker and herbal practitioner. The Leob team is croft guardian Jonathan Knight, English architect, spiritual seeker and land steward; Jan, from the Czech Republic, architect by education and now horticulturalist, head crofter/gardener, naturalist and rewilding enthusiast; and volunteer/handyperson from the States, Justin, who recently completed an MA in environmental humanities.

Volunteering- For those interested there is also an opportunity to arrive 2-3 days earlier, or stay longer, in order to help us Croft folk arrange the questival and/or to assist with cleanup once the main cohort has departed. This is a chance to deepen relationships, work alongside of each other, and experience what it might mean to enter into the ebb and flow of a working croft. Inquire for details!

How to get in touch- If you would like to join us at Leob Croft this summer, please fill a form here or contact Frederic at secretary@leobcroft.co.uk, +44(0)7462744210, Leob Croft, Isle of Mull, PA70 6HF, Scotland, leobcroft.co.uk