Throughout the early primary years, the Chrysalis Steiner curriculum provides the children with many opportunities to build their capacity for imaginative and creative thinking. Through imaginative activities such as story recall, drama, play, and learning through the epochs; the students begin to see the world from a bigger perspective through the feeling life. When teaching science in a Steiner school the teacher brings experiential activities in the early primary leading up to class 4 and class 5 where they begin the study of animals and the study of the plant kingdom. In both these classes the students observe in a…

After a term of unprecedented learning experiences, Class 3 were given the opportunity of an excursion to the river flats of Homelands community as a culmination of their craft and building lessons that they engaged with during the term. We were fortunate to start the day with the school cross country, followed by some throwing and catching games and a variety of relays before having our morning tea on the oval. After morning tea, we headed down to the Homelands river flats where a large bamboo grove is growing. The excitement of Class 3 was palpable and they were able…

Fun and Fitness for all our amazing students on the last day of Term 2 Thankfully many students started their cross-country training during the COVID break. We were surprised how fit some of them were when we started practicing during the first week back at school. Fortunately for the students Classes 2, 3, 4 & 5 practiced diligently 3 to 5 times a week throughout the term. Knowing how important exercise is for the efficient functioning of our bodies and brains, it was heartwarming to see the students all heading off happily each morning - some even practiced in their…

From River Song Kindergarten Once upon a time there lived an old woman. She lived in a cottage by the edge of a forest. It was mid-winter. The days had grown cold and the nights had grown longer and longer. One afternoon the old woman went to light her fire, but she had no matches left. “I must go at once to the village to get some matches” she thought. It was a long way to the village, so the old woman made herself a sandwich, put on her thick coat and her warm winter shawl, and set off to the…

At Chrysalis, the College of Teachers meets weekly in person on Thursday afternoons to experience artistic activities together, to pursue anthroposophical studies together, and to nut out the logistics of countless aspects of our cultural life – from festivals, to camps, to reports, to child studies, and beyond. In addition, the College of Teachers select two representatives to sit on the School Board to enable collaboration and meaningful discussion to occur between Board members and College members, and to ensure unity and transparency between the College of Teachers and the Board. To this end, the School has certainly strengthened and…

As is tradition, our Class 8 students this year, dazzled their families with their coordinated, rhythmic fire dance as the precursor to the bonfire lighting and winter solstice celebrations. Due to the change in circumstances this year, only the Class 8 and their families participated at the small gathering, however it was magical for those in attendance.  

Our Morning Star students made the most of a cold, damp day to celebrate the winter solstice within their cohort, with a puppet play, a fire pit, a song and of course soup to warm them during the day. Many children also celebrated with their families in the evening on the Sunday with lantern walks.

Here, at Chrysalis, we work with biodynamic principles in our gardens and for our seasonal celebrations. If you don't know a lot about biodynamics, or would like to be reminded, below are some links to four beautifully filmed youtube videos from the Biodynamic Association in the UK. Presented by Claire Hattersley, a Weleda gardener, and recorded at Weleda's UK gardens. The aim of these films is to engage and empower everyone to garden. Total viewing time is around 25 minutes, quite divine viewing. Video One: What is biodynamic gardening? 5mins https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a2tycXTGJo Video Two: Planting calendars 5:29mins https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqTAdk_t114 Video Three: Biodynamic…

The Winter Solstice falls on the shortest day of the year and, even though from this point forward the sun is now turning back, the hardest part of winter is yet to come. The days will grow colder in the valley, all of the rich colours of autumn have faded and the growth and fires of summer are long gone. As the physical world sleeps, the spiritual world bids us to reflect on our life and the choices we make. In a moment the light of a new idea can help us to see a new way forward, giving us…

Yarnam, our Class 5 teacher, shared the recent achievements of his students with their first comprehensive written research project - Ancient Eygpt. This was a project that started during the remote learning time of COVID, with Yarnam listing their project requirements in Google Classroom and providing the students with how-to videos to assist them. The children got hard to work at home, before bringing their partially finished projects into the classroom when school opened up again. Yarnam described this project as an opportunity for the students to show their individualised knowledge, with two key topics "Who were the Egyptians?" and…