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What is the Steiner Program?
The Steiner Program is an alternative to the mainstream pathway. It has been offered at CSC since 2006. The Steiner Program fits comfortably within the Victorian Curriculum guidelines and offers a highly structured, broad education that keeps students' options open to choose any VCE, VCE VM or VET subject at Year 11. Steiner education arises out of the educational principles and practises developed by Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner. Subject to class size restrictions, it is available to any students in Years 9 and 10.
In the holistic approach of Steiner education, the whole student is nurtured and encouraged to learn through activities that stimulate the student physically, intellectually, emotionally and artistically. We educate heads, hearts and hands. A strong emphasis is placed on student engagement and wellbeing. The positive relationships that are built between students and teacher, based on mutual respect, are of central and utmost importance.
Why does it start at Year 9?
According to Steiner educational philosophy, Year 9 is the beginning of “Upper Schooling” of a specialist nature. Year 9 is an important transitional year; it marks the entry into a new “cycle” or developmental stage. Students of this age are leaving childhood and entering fully into adolescence. In Year 9, the students leave the class teacher period in which, in Steiner Schools, they have been taught by the same teacher for eight years, and are now taught by a variety of more specialised teachers. Steiner educational philosophy has a clear concept of the developmental stages in a young person’s growth and strongly links what is taught to their age-specific readiness.
Year 9 and the entry into adolescence can be a confusing time for students, as they begin to question many of the things they have been sure about. The Steiner “Upper School” curriculum is designed to reassure them of their place in the world and give them some grounding, from which they can explore and discover the truth about the world and their active roles in it.
What is different?
In addition to the emphasis on student engagement and wellbeing, our distinct, structured timetable allows:
1. Each day commences with a Main Lesson. This is the cornerstone lesson of the school day during which students study a range of topics drawn from Maths, English, Science and the Humanities in depth. The topics are specifically designed to maximise student interest, engagement and learning to meet them at each year level. Each Main Lesson runs for approximately 3 weeks.
2. There are no electives offered to ensure students have an opportunity to encounter a broad range of disciplines and areas of learning as they navigate adolescence. This also has the advantage of keeping all Year 11 options open.
3. There is a greater emphasis on Outdoor Education with a more extensive camps program provided by CSC Outdoor Education teachers and farming Main Lesson teacher, particularly in Year 9.
4. There are also a series of camps for Years 9 & 10 to Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney.
Fees
There are some additional costs to cover specialist Art materials, Main Lesson books and camps, as well as costs for students participating in individual or group music activities and other co-curricular activities.
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