Kim John Payne Coming to the Sunshine Coast
Sun Haven Waldorf School and Roberts Creek Elementary are collaborating to bring Kim John Payne to the Sunshine Coast on September 22 and 23, 2010 for a public lecture and professional development session. Thank you very much to Sun Haven parent Canteris Hartley for spearheading this wonderful opportunity.
Schools today are called, not just to be places of academic learning, but places of social learning as well. Ask any child what is their favorite subject and they will almost always declare (with a grin from ear to ear) "RECESS!" Who can remember what they learned in their third grade math? But the joys and sorrows of the playground, the social experiences we have as children can color our relationships for a life-time.
When a child is socially excluded from his/her class community the reflections that the class and the child hold of each other is strongly effected. Exclusion carries the possibility for distress and deepening antisocial behavior, but if resolved in an insightful way it brings the opportunity to experience dynamic human encounters through which the essential individuality of the child grows.
An essential part of a healthy school community is addressed when faculty, staff, parents and board work together in a way that has at its root socially inspired consciousness and care for each other. In order to be authentic in expecting our children to treat each other respectfully we must be striving for the same goal. Even though this truth is self evident, how do we work together when in modern times all we have in common is that we have nothing in common? Creating conscious community is an integral part of our work, and will be an integral theme to our time with Kim.
Visit the event page at www.nomorebullying.ca - and stay tuned to this site and to the Sun Haven Facebook page for event updates. You can find out more about Kim John Payne’s Social Inclusion work at www.socialsustain.com.
Testimonials
My son's love of nature has only grown since joining Sun Haven Waldorf School for Kindergarten in 2008. The fact that his sense of exploration of and curiosity about the natural world is not only encouraged, but appreciated by his classmates, only solidifies my resolve to expose him as long as possible to this education. We also appreciate tremendously the fact that the school celebrates so many festivals from so many cultures. And the fact the school is right across from the beach sure doesn't hurt! Waldorf education has been such a valuable experience for both my son and the entire family - we wouldn't have it an other way.
It was a huge leap of faith for us to switch from public school to a Waldorf School, but after having both of our daughters at Sun Haven for more than a full year we know we made the right choice. Our oldest daughter, Maggie, loves being part of a small class and feels that she’s part of a school community – both of these things have made a noticeable difference to her self confidence. Our youngest, Molly, came to the school brimming with self-confidence and we’re finding that it’s being channelled in a really positive way. Her natural creativity and energy isn’t being squashed - it’s being nurtured. These things matter a lot to us. We appreciate the way in which the Waldorf approach adapts to accommodate the individual strengths and personalities of our children.
Sun Haven Waldorf School has been very supportive of our family through the school's tuition adjustment program. I discovered the school when my family moved to the Sunshine Coast and at that time Sun Haven was not even on my radar, and I was not thinking about enrolling my children. Our goal was simply to get settled on the Coast and get our business transitioned from the city to the country. Once I discovered Sun Haven I knew it was an excellent fit for my children. The only challenge was that it was out of our budget at that time. I was happy to learn about the school's tuition adjustment program, and in turn was able to begin envisioning a Waldorf Education for my children. After receiving the reduced tuition for two years, and now that our family has better financial stability, we decided to give thanks to the school for their support, through a financial donation back. We could not have done it without this program. Thank you Sun Haven!
