News

Fiddlers in the Forest

All violin and cello students in classes 5-7 will have the opportunity to participate in our unique Chrysalis music camp called ‘Fiddlers in the Forest’. The class will take place at Mt Hyland on 3rd and 4th June and will be accompanied by the string team – Liz, Kym, Janelle, Victoria and Cathy Bower.The Fiddlers in the Forest Camp is a multifaceted music and wilderness experience. The two days are packed with rehearsals, exploration  and composing music in response to this World Heritage Old Growth Forest. The camp culminates in a recital in the heart of the forest. We traipse…

Class Meetings Term 2 2015

STOP PRESS: Class 6 Meeting time has been changed Class meeting continue apace. We urge as many parents as possible to attend. The class meetings form a vital bridge between the class teacher and the parent body. They allow parents to get an overview of the term's lessons. They allow an extended conversation around issues of interest to the class and they allow a deepening of the class community. We really appreciate the effort it takes to go out on a school night, particularly for those parents who have multiple class meetings to attend. So thank-you in advance! Class 2…

Class 7 are off to an Island in the Sun

Class 7 left on their big adventure this week to Lady Musgrave Island. They will be away for 12 days in all, 7 of which will be spent on this little drop of coral in the big ocean. The Island Camp is one of the jewels in the crown of the Chrysalis Camp program. That such a complex, lengthy and rich camp experience is even possible is mainly due to the fact that the Chrysalis camp program has developed capacity and experience in the class every year since that first camp at Bundagen in Year 1. (See the picture below)…

NAPLAN 2015

In 2015 the National Assessment Program-Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is available for students in Years 3,5,7 and 9 in all government and non-government schools on the 12th, 13th and 14th May. This program, which has the support of all State and Territory Education Ministers, will assess the literacy and numeracy learning of students in all Australian schools. The SEA (Steiner Education Australia) and its member schools have agreed that “in principle all Steiner schools are opposed to mandatory testing” because both the nature and the content of the test does not fit in with the Steiner educational approach and philosophy.…

End of Term Music Soiree

On Wed April 1st we invite all parents to our End of Term Music Soiree.  As in previous years, this is a lovely day where you can come and hear what your children have been working on this term. This will involve all students from Class 1-7 and will happen over both middle and afternoon lessons. Oftentimes the different musical ensembles don’t a get chance to hear the music that the other classes and ensembles are working on until one of the yearly music concerts. So this day is an opportunity for the students to play their music pieces to…

Whooping Cough Alert.

It has come to our attention that there are a couple of cases of suspected whooping cough in the school in the younger years.Whooping cough is a communicable disease which can have serious effects on the young, old and immune compromised individuals.As a community we can support each other so that we can help minimise the spread of infection through conscious awareness. If your child or a household family member has a suspected or confirmed case of whooping cough please inform us in the school office (confidentiality is assured). It is important that parents are proactive by isolating suspected cases…

SEA Delegates provide a fresh set of eyes.

It is with much gratitude that we thank the visiting delegates from the Steiner Schools across Australia. For many it was their first time in Thora, for some their last visit was in the mid eighties!Through their eyes we rekindled the wonder that this campus offers the children, staff and school community who live and work here. This was a special moment for both of us, as it offered the opportunity not to be complacent about this marvelous place at 703 Darkwood Road, Thora. The participants were amazed at the location of our school campus, impressed by the state of…

Bellingen River Turtle Deaths

Please note that we have been advised that there is no danger to humans. It is safe to swim in the river.  We ask only that children leave their swimmers at school at the end of the day. This is based on Department recommendations to minimise the chance of transmission from one area of the catchment to another. What follows is a summary of NSW Dept of Environment information. See below for the official press release. Following the discovery of Bellinger River Snapping Turtles (Myuchelys georgesi) dead and dying in the Bellinger River late last month, a response team has…

‘Our Family’s Safety Guidelines’ by Susan Laing

In our house, feelings are important and may tell us what to do. We always have the right and deserve to feel safe Privacy is respected. I am boss of my body. We always have the right to say no if we are asked to do something that we think is wrong or do not understand. We do not keep bad secrets in our house, only good surprises. We have a loving circle of friends who would help us if we needed help. We can say NO and YES strongly when we mean it. We can be persistent to get…

Keeping our Children Safe

We know that we are not alone in our sense of anger and disbelief at the seemingly endless revelations of institutional inaction and ineptitude that are emerging from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. We can assure you that at Chrysalis School our staff are given regular professional development on the subject of Child Protection. We belong to the Association of Independent Schools, NSW, whose job it is to interpret and update schools on legislative changes and mandatory obligations. Just last week we held a workshop at school which was run by the AIS on child…