News

The Gift of Play

Reflections of a Waldorf Nursery Teacher by Kam Anderson, Beach Rose Nursery Teacher I continue to be amazed by young children, their wonder and joy for life is infectious. However, they are still just landing and growing so rapidly. Four years of life go quickly for us as adults and yet for many of our children they were just a parent’s dream. I have been thinking about this quality of play and imagination that live so deeply in young children. It is a precious gift and one that is not offered at any other time in a human being’s life.…

Technology and the 3 R’s

To take a historical overview, which would be familiar to many Steiner students from the writing main lesson in Class 4, the Chinese invented the first printing process for text in Ad 600, using wooden blocks and ink. But it didn’t catch on. The fact that 10,000 plus characters were needed, each individually carved, didn’t help. It wasn’t until nearly 1000 years later that the invention of Guttenberg’s printing press brought the potential of mass literacy to fruition. It was the original convergence device. It brought Chinese printing know-how, Korean metal type technology and recent advances in ink and paper…

Student Residential Address Collection

The Australian Government Department of Education and Training is currently undertaking the 2017 Student Residential Address Collection. As a parent/guardian you do not need to provide any information directly to the department. The only thing you need to do is ensure your address details are up-to-date with our school. If you need to update your child’s/children’s residential address details, please contact the School office. We will provide the department with de-identified address information for all of our students’ families. This means we will provide addresses but no student names. The Statement of Addresses notice which we recently wrote about in…

In an age of robots, most schools are teaching our children to be redundant

By George Monbiot... Illustration by Andrzej Krauze A regime of cramming and testing is crushing young people’s instinct to learn and destroying their future In the future, if you want a job, you must be as unlike a machine as possible: creative, critical and socially skilled. So why are children being taught to behave like machines? Children learn best when teaching aligns with their natural exuberance, energy and curiosity. So why are they dragooned into rows and made to sit still while they are stuffed with facts? We succeed in adulthood through collaboration. So why is collaboration in tests and…

Finding a Pathway through Parenting

This year at Chrysalis we have created a series of talks and activities to look at the different aspects of the first seven years. Our Term 1 Program begins with: The developmental picture of the young child… The insights gained through deepening our understanding of the different age groups can help free us from us from our reactions, allay our fears and help initiate new ways of being. A talk by Melanie Deefholts The 0-4yr old child… Saturday 25th February Beginning at 9am the making of a simple doll 10-11.30am talk followed by questions   The 4-6yr old child… Thursday…

I am not anti-technology, I am pro-conversation

Sherry Turkle: ‘I am not anti-technology, I am pro-conversation’ Sherry Turkle interviewed by Tim Adams Sherry Turkle at home in Boston, near MIT. Photograph: Blake Fitch For nearly 30 years now, Sherry Turkle, professor of social psychology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has been exploring the effects of digital worlds on human behaviour. Her books, Life on the Screen, The Second Self and Alone Together, have charted the seductions of “intimate machines”, the advance of social media and virtual realities and the all-pervasive internet, and the effect these things have had on our culture and our lives. Her latest…

Chrysalis Market Stall 2017

Set-up & Maintenance of Stall Chrysalis hosts a popular food & beverage stall in a prime location near the performance area at Bellingen Community Markets on the 3rd Saturday of each month. The market gives Chrysalis School and opportunity to be in the public eye, and present itself to the general Bellingen community. Each market is designated to a particular class, primary school, middle school or the P & F. Every class parent body takes a turn at the markets. You may be asked to work on the stall and/or bake something for the stall. All profits from the stall…

Changes to Private Vehicle Conveyance (PVC) subsidy

From 20 December 2016, the Private Vehicle Conveyance (PVC) subsidy will be phased out and replaced with the new School Drive Subsidy.  The changes are explained below.What is the Private Vehicle Conveyance (PVC) subsidy?PVC is a subsidy available to parents or guardians who drive students to school or a public transport pick up point.PVC is only available to the nearest public transport pick up point or to school where no other transport options are available.Applications for 2016 and for term one 2017 are due by 20 December 2016.From 20 December 2016, the PVC subsidy will be phased out and replaced…

End of Year Music Concert 2016

All are welcome to attend our End of Year Music Concert - Friday 2nd December at the Bellingen Memorial Hall This year, for the first time, our end of year music concert will be held at the Bellingen Memorial Hall this Friday. This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase our school's musical talents to the wider Bellingen community. Doors will open at 6pm, students to meet their teachers at 6:15pm, and the concert will begin at 6:30pm sharp. All students from Class 1 to 8 will be performing. Encourage all your friends and family to come along and let's see if we can fill…