More pages in this section
Primary School
CLASS 1 – CLASS 6
AN EDUCATION THAT REACHES THE MIND, TOUCHES THE HEART, AND ENGAGES THE BODY
Our Primary School program seeks to uncover the academic, artistic, physical, and social gifts of each child. At the heart of Steiner education is the belief that education is an artistic process, and through showing the children to approach their work with care and beauty, children learn to love learning for its own sake.
Our Primary School program follows the Australian Steiner School Curriculum which is approved by The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). Assessment and reporting procedures reflect the requirement of this curriculum. Steiner schools believe students should be learning with their head, heart, and hands. The Steiner pedagogy aims to develop a child’s intellectual, artistic, and practical skills in an integrated and holistic way.
Subject areas in the primary years include: English, Mathematics, Science, Geography, History, Craft, Music, Drama, Physical Education / Sport, Outdoor Education, Gardening and Cooking.
The primary classrooms vibrantly reflect the growing child’s ability to learn through the imagination. Our classrooms are filled with colour and activity as our students learn through a curriculum which balances academic achievement, artistic experience, and practical skills- the head, heart and hands.
Our primary school caters for approximately 150 students. We operate a single stream primary school, with only one class per year level from class one up. Each class is capped at 25 students, with Teaching Assistants and Aides working in the classrooms to support the Class Teachers, dependant on student needs.
Fostering The Human Spirit
We cater for students from Class 1 through to Year 6, and our teachers have a wealth of experience and knowledge, many of which are specialist subject teachers. We limit our class sizes to give our teachers more one-on-one time with each child, so they can provide students with the support they need and tailor their teaching strategy to get the best outcome for each child.
Year-long subject courses round out the rest of the day: languages, craft, music, eurhythmy, woodwork, library, and physical education are taught by specialist teachers who also shape their programs around the children’s developmental needs as they evolve through the classes.
An Unplugged Education
Computer skills are part of today’s world. However, we do not believe it is appropriate or relevant for children to use digital technology from a young age. Electronic media is not used at all in our primary classrooms as a form of instruction or method of learning.
We feel it is more important for students to have the opportunity to interact with one another and with teachers in exploring ideas, participating in the creative process, and developing their knowledge, skills, abilities, and inner qualities. The appropriate age for computer uses in the classroom is high school, and here they quickly learn to master it.
The Primary School Curriculum
Class 1
Class 1 students are immersed in a rhythmic, engaging and deeply nourishing time from the moment they enter the room until the time they leave. They are individually greeted each morning and bade farewell in the afternoon, often with a riddle or question to contemplate until their return the next day. Routines are established, games are played, shapes are physically explored, numbers are sung, and drawings are made.
Through the telling of folk and fairy tales the Class 1 teacher conveys messages of beauty, goodness, and truth to the students, enriching the child’s inner life.
Class 2
Class 2 students begin to show an awareness of the world around them. World legends and fables resonate deeply with students of this age as they recognise the everyday attributes of humans which are shown through animals, and stories of the Saints. The Celtic myths such as the Celtic Dragon and The King of Ireland’s Son strongly appeal to the feeling qualities of the Class 2 student, where the magic is there sometimes and then disappears.
A focus on writing and reading continues to build on the foundations laid in the previous year. Students also embark on their journey of the timetables as they begin to live into the world of mathematics with patterns and numbers.
Main Lesson themes covered include legends and myths, Indigenous stories, Aesop’s fables, Russian fables, Celtic wonder tales and the local surroundings. Class 2 students also do many excursions and bush walks on Arrernte Country.
Class 3
The age of nine often brings significant developmental change. The Class 3 students are becoming aware of themselves as individuals, it is a transitional time where they may be uncertain and questioning.The curriculum has a strong focus on practical subjects such as farming, gardening, and building. The class undertake a building project in the playground. The exploration of the Old Testament and Hebrew stories provide a solid foundation from which to serve this important stage of personal development.
By Class 3 students bring greater confidence and fluency to their reading and writing. Their work with mathematics focuses on measurement and time, developing skills using the four processes of adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing.
Class 4
Around the age of ten, students have a confidence that can be observed in the child’s relationship with the world. Physical development brings a new strength and agility. The Norse myths and legends are explored in-depth because they are full of courage and valour.
The student’s expanding consciousness is supported through subjects such as Geography and the topic of ‘Human and Animal’. In English the students study grammar and further develop their listening skills. Mathematics sees an emphasis on fractions and number processes: factors, multiples, long multiplication, and division.
Class 5
Class 5 students understand placing events in time and history. They learn about ancient peoples – the myths and legends of Ancient India, Babylonia, Sumeria, Persia, Egypt, and Greece. Studying the development of these civilisations they gain a sense of where our history begins. The students observe the natural world, experiencing its beauty, form, patterns, and numbers.
Mathematic subjects link in with the exploration of ancient buildings, the calculations performed in their constructions, work with decimals and the governing laws of geometry and the beauty of its forms.
English continues with the study of grammar, poetry, reading and creative writing. The study of Botany introduces the relationship of plants to human beings and the earth, alongside land formation and the elements of local geography and Indigenous stories.
Class 6
Class 6 students can grasp cause and effect and to see things from another’s point of view, they are able to enquire deeply before forming an opinion. They are ready to hear of the wonderful discoveries of scientific exploration, the ideas of great Ancient Greek thinkers like Pythagoras and Aristotle, and the achievements of the Ancient Romans.
Main Lessons include physics, astronomy, geography, and geology - building on the students’ innate sense of wonder and reverence, observation of natural phenomena and discovery of natural mysteries. The History Main Lesson focuses on Rome, its government, laws and army, and its many echoes in modern society.
In their Mathematics, the students experience applications of mathematics in the real world: business maths, percentages, and interest. In English they study punctuation, grammar, and style, taking an in-depth look at the wonder and wisdom of words.
