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The school has their own web site at http://www.sophiamundi.vic.edu.au
The school is located in Abbotsford, an inner suburb of Melbourne, quite close to extensive parkland, and the Collingwood Children's Farm. The Kindergarten is called Little Sophia.
| Offering | Playgroups, Kindergarten, Prep to class 12 Steiner curriculum and adult education |
| Address | 73-95 Nicholson St., Abbotsford, Victoria 3067 |
| Phone number | (03) 9416 3011 |
| Fax number | (03) 9419 7977 |
| enquiries@sophiamundi.vic.edu.au | |
| Map | View a location map - may not work if your browser is set to block pop up windows. |
The following is a copy of the Sophia Mundi prospectus. A new one covering the high school in particular is in production.
Sophia Mundi School was founded in 1985 on the initiative of a group of inner city parents seeking a Rudolf Steiner ("Waldorf") education for their children. From its beginnings, in a church hall, as a Kindergarten of 12 children, Sophia Mundi has grown to be at present a primary and junior secondary school with about 300 students. The school is located in busy Abbotsford, on one of Melbourne's oldest school sites, the former St Joseph's Technical College. The position gives access to both the rich cultural resources of the city of Melbourne, and to the open spaces of the Yarra's parklands. The nearby Collingwood Children's Farm is a unique and well-used resource.
Though the times change, human beings remain in many important ways the same. In particular, the stages of childhood development follow a natural pattern unaffected by short term social change. Our task as educators remains to prepare children for an unpredictable future by nurturing healthy development "from the inside". Nature has prepared children to grow properly; our part is to work with nature, providing the right nourishment for each stage of physical, emotional and spiritual growth.
From birth to about the 7th year of life children develop
through their "doing". They are busy, learning through
imitation and physical activity. At Sophia Mundi, a spacious room
and private garden area are reserved for the exclusive use of the
youngest children. Under the watchful care of the prep teacher
and assistant, the children learn through their playing together,
through imitating the role modelling provided by the adults, and
through a rich provision of music, movement, folk tales and
nursery rhymes.
Relating to nature through contact with plants and animals gives
the opportunity to experience a deep caring for life. The formal
teaching of numbers and letters is reserved for the next stage of
development.
These years, from 7 until 14, are the "heart of
childhood". The children relate through feeling and
imagination. Our primary teachers endeavour above all to work
artistically. Each class teacher customarily stays with his or
her class for the whole of the primary school years, developing a
close and supportive relationship with the students. Classroom
practice aims for a living organic balance between listening,
speaking and doing; between humour and seriousness, impulse and
patience, taking in, transforming, and giving out.
A balance is also established in the rhythm of the day. Each new
subject area is presented in the morning "main lesson"
over a period of three to four weeks. The middle section of each
day is given to languages, practice work in maths and English,
gym etc, while the afternoons are reserved for craft, art, and
music.
Our strong emphasis on fitting the curriculum to the children's stage of development makes our teaching methods distinct. Reading is a good example. Many aspects of schoolwork - form drawing, handwork, spoken stories and recitation - help foster the children's development for reading. Historically, pictures and writing came before reading; and this is mirrored in our curriculum. In class one, the children learn the letter forms through stories and pictures given by their teacher. It is a very personal process. Writing develops out of the creative experience of drawing or painting individual letters. The children then write and read their own words before coming to printed literature. This approach allows the students to develop in a manner that is sometimes slower than conventional methods, but is full of imagery, content and the richness of language.
The children's imaginative life and grasp of language is nourished by hearing, re-telling, acting and illustrating stories. For the 6-7 year olds the teacher may draw mainly on the fairy tales, moving on at 8 to fables and legends, Old Testament stories at 9, Norse or Aboriginal stories and sagas at 10 and Indian tales and Greek myths and legends at 11. In using a sequence of this kind, the teacher leads children gradually "down to earth" through different qualities of imaginative experience, thus preparing the way for history proper. From 12-14 years historical stories take the children from the Romans to the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the industrial revolution and into the 20th century. Each succeeding layer of this "theme content" is appropriate to the emotional and spiritual development of the children at the given age. and academic skills.
After eight years in the care of their class teacher, in class 9 and 10 the students' needs are different. In adolescence, thinking comes into its own. Specialist teachers are required to bring the full depth of subjects to extend young minds. During these years the subjects of science, mathematics, language, etc. are brought to the student with academic rigour and precision. Many of the areas covered imaginatively in primary school are now addressed again with full conceptual breadth and detail. The physical sciences and abstract mathematics cultivate powers of observation, judgement and clarity of thought; the intellectual aspect is balanced by a continuing emphasis on art, craftsmanship and music; and the study of literature opens up the emotional and spiritual world. A conscious aim is to avoid over specialisation at this early stage of life. While each student will in time gravitate to his or her own speciality according to temperament and inclination, the breadth of the curriculum encourages personal balance, openness to other views and the ability to develop individual, broadly based and secure values.
Music permeates the life of our school. At seasonal festivals and assemblies, in choir and in class, students sing and play together. Children learn recorder from class 1 and continue to play throughout the years. From class 3, students learn a string instrument, and participate, from class 4 onwards, in one of the various orchestras and ensembles, which meet weekly and perform regularly during the year. From class 6 students may choose to take up another instrument: the school offers tuition in clarinet, flute, saxophone, trombone, recorder and guitar. Classical, jazz, blues and folk repertoire are included in the music program.
Eurythmy is a new art form based on indications given by Rudolf Steiner. It works with the sounds of language and music to give them visible expression. Rhythm, metre, interval, tones, beat and grammar are all explored in depth. Eurythmy is currently offered in classes P - 5 at Sophia Mundi, and will eventually be taught throughout the school
Drama is important at all levels. Even in the youngest classes, plays are an important group activity. In the upper school, drama is developed more formally, with a current emphasis - at the students' request - on Shakespeare. Class excursions to professional productions have become something of a tradition in the high school.
Gym: Children from Class 4 onwards have at least two gym lessons per week. The school has a policy of providing non - competitive physical education and these lessons provide the framework for this.
Sports: Swimming is begun in Class 3, cycling and Greek athletics in 5 and 6. From informal games of rounders, softball, cricket in classes 5 and 6, the students in 7, 8 and high school move on to formal sports, swimming, hockey, basketball, cycling camps, canoeing camps and athletics.
Camps: Children from Class 3 onwards participate in at least one camp each year. In the younger classes camps are short and fairly simple. As children move into the upper classes the camps become more extensive. The social dimension of camping is always very important; but as the years pass, specific curriculum objectives add further focus to the camping program. Camp locations are carefully chosen to deepen the curriculum. Limestone caves, desert, rainforest, dairy and wheat areas, granite or sandstone mountains are all experienced over the years. In high school, working camps - farming and surveying - provide real experience of adult responsibility.
Art and Craft: All students participate in an integrated curriculum of art and craft activities, including many aspects of textiles, ceramics, woodwork, and a range of painting and drawing approaches. In classes nine and ten, the history of art is addressed as a major topic.
Festivals: The school celebrates both seasonal and Christian festivals such as Easter and Christmas, Midwinter and Harvest. This annual cycle of the festivals is an important complement to the daily and weekly rhythms of the life of the school, and provides an opportunity for participation by the whole school community.
There is no school principal at Sophia Mundi. Responsibility for the education is taken by the whole of the teaching staff, meeting as the College of Teachers. Individual members are entrusted with various aspects of the work, and each member makes available his or her particular skills and insights as appropriate. Regular reporting to the weekly meeting of the College maintains awareness of the progress of the work.
The close co-operation of the teachers as a group is an important aspect of the provision of care to individual children. Whenever a teacher encounters a difficulty with a particular student, this will be brought to the attention of colleagues at a staff meeting, and through the pooling of experience and insights, a solution can more often than not, quickly be found.
From its beginnings to the present, Sophia Mundi has been very strongly supported by its parent community. Beyond the common contribution in the way of fundraising activities, the community takes an active role in the development of the school. At least once a year, a whole community meeting takes place, at which many issues of community interest are discussed, and often new initiatives in the life of the school are undertaken. An adult education group, made up of teachers and parents, provides a program of talks and seminars on a range of topics to do with education, health and other issues of general interest to parents.
Playgroups, based on the educational ideas of Rudolf Steiner, are held mornings and afternoons for two hours at The Cottage, Nicholson Street. Contact Naomi at the school office for availability of places.
Sophia Mundi Rudolf Steiner School
73 - 95 Nicholson St
Abbotsford 3067
Tel: (03) 9416 3011
Fax: (03) 9419 7977
email: sophmund@mail.mpx.com.au
Last updated in 13 March, 2008