Our endeavour at Chrysalis is to provide an all-round, in-depth education while developing the potential in children. The areas of development that are important to us include the academic, physical, social, moral, artistic and spiritual aspects of the curriculum.
The Primary Years at Chrysalis include Class 1 through Class 5 (with Class 6 joining the Middle School). Children move into the second phase of childhood at age six or seven. Just as the Kindergarten children learn through imitation, Primary aged children learn best through imagination. This change is marked by a new readiness for formal learning when the child enters Class 1. It is important to nurture the new intellectual abilities while continuing to foster the life of imagination as the child moves through the primary years.
Unique to Steiner schools, is the role of the Class Teacher who guides their class through several years, not only as a teacher, but as a guardian and mentor. The continuity of this personal relationship provides security for the children, which in later years will mature to confidence in their own personal judgement and action.
Every day in primary school begins with the main lesson, which lasts for two hours, including Morning Circle. During this uninterrupted time, the class teacher presents the current academic subject in a variety of ways: storytelling, art, drama, musically. The main lesson covers the same subject for a block of 2 – 4 weeks and allows the children to explore issues in depth and from many different angles.
All subjects are approached through the realm of art and imagination. The primary school child lives and thinks in a world of pictures and an artistic, imaginative approach is the teacher’s key to giving nourishing ‘bread’ instead of dry, abstract stones.
The children review and question themes as they emerge in discussion. Students’ work includes creating their own main lesson books, which will be a reflection of what they have learned presented in words, pictures, charts, and diagrams.
The academic syllabi, as prescribed by the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) and the Australian National Curriculum, and the National Steiner Curriculum, are interpreted by the Chrysalis College of Teachers and applied within the structure of the subjects offered. An integration of the curricula occurs, with the approach being interdisciplinary.