Chrysalis Steiner School

Chrysalis Steiner School is founded on the educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner (1861 – 1925) and his picture of human growth and development. From childhood onwards, Rudolf Steiner knew both spiritual and natural worlds. His search to integrate these led him to recognise the significance of thinking for spiritual as well as natural scientific research. Through taking account of human spiritual nature,  what is unique and universal in each child is honoured and developed.

Rudolf Steiner was a philosopher, artist and scientist whose visions and depth of understanding continue to have a great impact in many practical fields such as education, medicine, agriculture, architecture and the therapeutic arts.This educational philosophy is based on the insight into the needs and consciousness of growing children on many different levels: social, artistic, academic, physical and spiritual.

Chrysalis Steiner School is located in the beautiful Thora Valley, near the township of Bellingen in New South Wales. The school is founded on the educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner. At Chrysalis we aim to educate the whole person –  intellectually, artistically, socially, and morally – so as to develop each student’s innate self-discipline and strength of body and will.

Chrysalis’ Early Childhood Programs are specially created environments for children to discover learning in a nurturing and supportive way. The curriculum is based on the understanding that the child learns through imitation and creative play.

The openness of the young child; their reverence and their ability to absorb every nuance of what they experience, allows deep learning to occur. Through imitation they learn authentic home and garden skills, and develop artistic and musical capacities.

The child brings the capacity to imitate and also their own inner impulses to engage with the world in a unique, creative and potent way. This connecting together of what is experienced or revealed to the child about the world with the awakening and strengthening of the child’s essential individual impulses and gifts characterises a healthy education.

We believe that through our daily activities a strong foundation is laid for future academic success. The daily rhythm provides reassurance and continuity as well as trust building for the young child. This is provided through participation in the day’s activities; where songs and nursery rhymes cultivate familiarity with language and the world of words, where listening to stories and participating in dramatic play strengthens the power of memory and imagination, and where counting games and rhythms build a firm foundation for mathematics and number skills.

Our endeavour at Chrysalis is to provide an all-around, 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 judgment and action. At Chrysalis, we believe the child should leave school with a craving to learn and an insatiable appetite for everything going on around them.

This phase of school coincides with the onset of puberty – a time of great change. As in the younger classes, the Middle School continues to cultivate the thinking, feeling and willing through a balance of academic studies, artistic activities and practical experiences. However, the emphasis at this stage is on assisting young people to integrate these activities with the help of the emerging ego. The students begin to acquire an intense curiosity and a growing capacity for higher order analysis and reflection. They are also moving towards more rational decision making and a better understanding of the consequences of behaviour. As their interest in ethical and moral questions develops they are keen to explore real world social issues. Many want to make the world a better place as active, emerging young citizens within our Australian society and global community, meeting the world in a truthful and creative way.