Education at Chrysalis is based on the stages of the child’s development. A child’s being and destiny are seen as part of an evolutionary process in which lawful development steps ripen into freedom.
The school also aims to develop, through the curriculum and the way it is taught, a sense of appreciation and respect for life. Accordingly, students can grow and truly become ‘caretakers’ of the world in which we live.
Underlying all lesson preparation is a picture of lifelong human evolution which helps foster a sense of meaning and purpose in life.
Kindergarten
The world of the small child is an imaginative one. The children live in a world of fantasy and will and this expresses itself in the serious activity of play. To the small child everything is good; small children are in sympathy with the world.
The true kindergarten spirit is one which embraces the child in a home-like atmosphere of warmth and security, playing a transitional role between home and school.
The Kindergarten at Chrysalis School sets out to create a warm, loving, home-like environment in which wonder, beauty and goodness pervade everything. Although there is no formal education until Class One, there is gentle preparation for learning through domestic, practical and artistic activities such as painting, modelling, cooking, woodwork, handicraft and gardening.
Class Teacher Period
A distinctive feature of Steiner Primary Education is the role of the Class Teacher. The teacher meets the children in Class 1 and together they share the journey through the curriculum. The growing child experiences a greater depth of learning, when authority is established with someone they know and trust. This intimate relationship between teacher and child provides continuity and a strong sense of security through the middle phase of childhood.
The class teacher plans and sees the gradual and sensitive transition from this stage to the Class Guardian Period in the High School.
Class Guardian Period
In adolescence, the student develops his or her rational thinking capacities. The healthy idealism and individuality of the adolescent needs to be nurtured and protected during this period of life in which sensitive inner feelings and experiences unfold.
Teachers are respected as friends and guides, but also for the love of their subject and the integrity and commitment with which they represent their specialist field. In the High School, the student’s individuality and potential is recognised and consciously developed. Academic rigor is fostered and a greater independence is encouraged within a holistic framework so that our young adults evolve into a sensitive awsareness of themselves, one another and the world in which they live.
Excursions
Excursions are an important part of the curriculum, providing children with the opportunity to interact with a range of people with varying skills and experiences to share. Students also have an opportunity to visit features of the unique landscape both locally and in other regions.
Children visit National Parks and other natural environments and participate in cultural and sporting events in Bellingen, Coffs Harbour and further afield.
Music Program
Music is an integral part of the Chrysalis School curriculum. Children learn recorder from Class 1 and participate in our Strings Program, learning violin from Class 3. Further to this, the children participate in music classes, ensemble and choir and perform at a range of venues and for a range of audiences.
The range of instruments taught at Chrysalis includes recorder, strings, guitar, percussion and ensemble. Further to this, the children have the opportunity to listen to performers from a range of cultures and musical genres as a part of our cultural visitors program within the school.
For enquiries about the educational programme at Chrysalis please call us on 6655 8616 or email admin@chrysalis.nsw.edu.au