Raphael House Rudolf Steiner School
Encyclopedia
Raphael House Rudolf Steiner School is a coeducational, state integrated composite school in Belmont
, Lower Hutt
. It provides a Waldorf education for Years 1 to 13. Matriculation starts when children are 7 years of age.
's 3-stage pedagogical model of child development promoted in Waldorf education. The Raphael House Rudolf Steiner/Waldorf curriculum is cross-referred to the National Curriculum. Currently students are solely offered qualifications centred on the NZ Steiner Certificate, from 2012 NCEA
credits will be issued.
Most overseas student exchanges are with students from German Waldorf schools.
, and self-development, and provides a small number of rooms for community activities. The school issues a printed and online weekly newsletter to parents which disseminates pertinent community information and also offers advertising space.
, namely Easter
, Advent
, St Nicholas, and Christmas
, as well as Midwinter
and St Michael's day
, as cultural experiences for students and their parents. Preparation for the feast days is considered an important part of the students' experience; for example, the students learn songs and make their own colourful lanterns in the days leading up to the Midwinter festival.
Belmont, Wellington
Belmont is a suburb of Lower Hutt, to the north of Wellington in the North Island of New Zealand. It is on the west bank of the Hutt River, on State Highway 2 , the Wellington-Hutt main road, and across the river from the centre of Lower Hutt....
, Lower Hutt
Lower Hutt
Lower Hutt is a city in the Wellington region of New Zealand. Its council has adopted the name Hutt City Council, but neither the New Zealand Geographic Board nor the Local Government Act recognise the name Hutt City. This alternative name can lead to confusion, as there are two cities in the...
. It provides a Waldorf education for Years 1 to 13. Matriculation starts when children are 7 years of age.
Curriculum
The school follows Rudolf SteinerRudolf Steiner
Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner was an Austrian philosopher, social reformer, architect, and esotericist. He gained initial recognition as a literary critic and cultural philosopher...
's 3-stage pedagogical model of child development promoted in Waldorf education. The Raphael House Rudolf Steiner/Waldorf curriculum is cross-referred to the National Curriculum. Currently students are solely offered qualifications centred on the NZ Steiner Certificate, from 2012 NCEA
NCEA
NCEA can stand for:*National Certificate of Educational Achievement, New Zealand's main secondary school qualification*National Council for Educational Awards, Ireland*National Catholic Educational Association, United States...
credits will be issued.
Foreign languages currently taught include:
GermanGerman languageGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
JapaneseJapanese languageis a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
Most overseas student exchanges are with students from German Waldorf schools.
Community
Raphael House offers evening adult education courses on subjects such as health, anthroposophyAnthroposophy
Anthroposophy, a philosophy founded by Rudolf Steiner, postulates the existence of an objective, intellectually comprehensible spiritual world accessible to direct experience through inner development...
, and self-development, and provides a small number of rooms for community activities. The school issues a printed and online weekly newsletter to parents which disseminates pertinent community information and also offers advertising space.
Festivals
Raphael House celebrates a number of Christian festivalsLiturgical year
The liturgical year, also known as the church year, consists of the cycle of liturgical seasons in Christian churches which determines when feast days, including celebrations of saints, are to be observed, and which portions of Scripture are to be read. Distinct liturgical colours may appear in...
, namely Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
, Advent
Advent
Advent is a season observed in many Western Christian churches, a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. It is the beginning of the Western liturgical year and commences on Advent Sunday, called Levavi...
, St Nicholas, and Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
, as well as Midwinter
St. John's Day
St. John's Day may refer to:Feasts celebrating the Nativity of St. John the Baptist:* January 7, an Eastern Orthodox feast* June 24, Midsummer Day**an Eastern Orthodox feast celebrating his birth**a Roman Catholic feast celebrating his birth...
and St Michael's day
Michaelmas
Michaelmas, the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel is a day in the Western Christian calendar which occurs on 29 September...
, as cultural experiences for students and their parents. Preparation for the feast days is considered an important part of the students' experience; for example, the students learn songs and make their own colourful lanterns in the days leading up to the Midwinter festival.