Summary of Community Education Session 1: Introduction and Q & A
Acknowledgment:
We acknowledge the Barngarla nation, traditional owners of the land we meet on today, and we pay our respects to the elders; past, present and emerging. We also extend our respect to all other Aboriginal Peoples with connections to this region, and acknowledge their cultural power.
Introduce board members
· Ramona – founding board member and treasurer, Colleen, Sandra, Laura, Chancee, Renee is Chair, our new members are Olivia and Ashton and Abby is on leave.
Where the initiative stands
· Our two main focuses remain the same, money and land. We have viewed a number of viable site options; however we need money to secure them. We are currently working with the council on a couple of options and negotiating zoning issues.
· I have recently met with Steiner Education Australia (SEA) who are extremely happy with the direction the initiative is taking and advised two schools in the last two years who opened their doors both had board changes before they opened. They commented that sometimes it is the change in energy that gets the initiative over the line.
· We are currently working on a Pitch Deck that we will use to approach companies/people for donations. It is a comprehensive snapshot of who we are, what Waldorf School’s are, what we need and what the benefits this school will provide to our community. This will take time to collate but we believe it will be extremely useful to create interest in the community and hopefully result in generous donations.
· The Parents and Friends community is a fun and energetic space to be in. We are working towards markets and hosting future events.
· Overall we are moving in a positive and energetic direction.
What we need from our community and the expectations moving forward
· We have a number of fundraising ideas for 2022, but we need someone to champion them. If craft is not your thing, perhaps assisting in this space would be better? It will remain a part of the Parents and Friends community, but we do need someone to oversee it.
· As mentioned, we do have a full board; however we do have one member wanting to take a step back to an advisory role, so if you would like you join please let us know.
· As mentioned we need funds – please share our website School | She oak Steiner School Initiative | Port Lincoln, our mycause page Eyre Peninsula Waldorf School Initiative, Port Lincoln SA (mycause.com.au) and ask around! We really need everyone to be speaking with their communities and coming along on this journey with us.
· We have come up with a list of people/companies to approach with our pitch deck, if you think you have someone to add to that list, please let us know.
Introduce new School name
· With the change of the majority of the board, and to ensure that we represent the entire community in which we reside, we have decided to change the name of our future school. We have changed the name to ‘Eyre Peninsula Waldorf School’. Initiative will remain on the end of the name until we are registered. We are so excited about this change as we feel it represents our whole community.
The people gathered were asked what they would like to learn from this session/future sessions and this is what was asked..
· How much money do we have?
A. We currently have approximately $15,000
· How much money do we need?
A. Ideally we require 300K….need at least 175k to prove we are viable for registration and ongoing financial supports from government
· How much will the school fees be?
A. We are aiming to be on par with other private schools in Port Lincoln, approximately $4000 per year per child to start with
· Information on agriculture, biodynamics & permaculture?
· Please explain Waldorf education?
· Social Media issues - share to global page
· What are our goals as far as sharing?
· Planned social media posts? Suggestion made for a social media coordinator.
· When will the School start?
A. Aiming for July 2022
· What are the enrolment numbers required?
A. No minimum for registration BUT we have to be financially viable and therefore we need a minimum of 24/25 student enrolments. Reception to class 3 is our aim initially. Expansion will occur at one year level at a time
· At what age do students start school?
Other answers will be provided during future sessions…
Chantelle’s introduction to Waldorf Steiner Education
What is Waldorf education?
· Quote “non-selective, multicultural, co-ed, comprehensive curriculum, independent, self-administered community schools with hierarchical management structure.”
· Waldorf education is around 100 years old. Rudolf Steiner was the inspiring founder of the first school in 1919. It was known as die waldorfschule and was in Stuttgart, Germany.
· The initial concept was to provide education to the waldorf-astoria cigarette company’s employee’s children
· There are over 900 schools, 1700 kindergartens and 60 training institutes worldwide
· Waldorf schools are an evolving social organism that stands for reciprocal relationships to their cultural environment. “Human possibility is seen as infinite.”
Let’s break down Waldorf education…
· Acknowledges the social aspects of humanity
· Recognizes the ‘best’ possible world we can have
· Highlights & identifies the healthy individual is the prerequisite for a healthy society
· A real sense of connection to nature, seasons, climate, weather
· Acknowledging the essence of our presence is to look after, preserve and ensure there is a world for future generations
· Head, Heart, Hands
· Agriculture, economics, sciences, religion & the arts
· ‘Guardian’ teacher who stays with the child for six years to develop that secure attachment enabling both the child and teacher to build trust and growth
The development of the child:
Seven year periods
· 0-7, 7-14, 14-21, 21-28, 28-35, 35-42, 42-49, 49-56, etc
· 0-7 Nurturing a strong healthy physical body out of the imitation of the first teacher (main care giver) then kindergarten teacher all in a home-like environment
· Kinder is 3-7 yrs old. The environment is calm, soothing, and quiet dreamy. Rhythm is the key through bread making, hand craft, painting, play, stories, lots and lots of outdoor play, gardening, festivals
Dates to remember:
- Morning tea on the 28th November at Puckridge Park!
- Next information session is the 29th January 2022, ‘A Day in the Life of a Class one Waldorf School student’ more information to come.
