Kindlehill School
Senior High School Program
When creativity, community and education intersect
Founded as a primary school for Steiner education in 2000, Kindlehill School launched its High School for Years 7-10 in 2012 and is now rounding out its educational offering with a Senior High School program – Buran Nalgarra – for students in years 11 and 12, which will take its first cohort in 2024.
Principal Lynn Daniel says, “We intend not just to offer an alternative to existing Senior School options but a new way of educating in content, context, and methods. Built around our core commitment to social and ecological responsibility, our curriculum will be place-based, addressing real problems and opportunities in our own community. Learning will be transdisciplinary and delivered as integrated units across subjects.”
Key to the success of the school’s approach will be the relationships that they build with community organisations and hubs, social enterprises, and businesses. The school is currently reaching out to local organisations to establish these links and is using the premiere of Michael Joy’s documentary, A Murmuration, to launch the Senior School to the wider community. The documentary tells the story of the Kindlehill’s Healing Home, Healing Place project, which took place in the community in 2017.
“Buran Nalgarra – Strength and Learning Through Togetherness – is a Dharug phrase, shared with us by Uncle Lex, that speaks to the making of stringybark twine, which uses many strands of the bark, rubbed together by hand, and then twisted into a strong and hardy twine. This bringing together of many to create strength and purpose captures the spirit of our intention for learning in the Senior School and we are deeply grateful to have permission to use this phrase in naming our program”, says Daniel.
The school is currently road-testing their approach with a pilot program they are running with their current Year 10 cohort and a group of six home-schooled teens. The students’ focus is to address the amount of plastic waste generated by milk consumption in our local government area.
“We hope to establish through research and collaboration whether large scale bulk milk sales, re-establishing milk runs or a yet to be considered alternative could see Blue Mountains residents make significant reductions in their single-use plastic consumption. And which, if successful, could become a model that could be replicated in communities around Australia”, says Daniel.
Community organisations, businesses, and interested families are invited to attend the premiere of A Murmuration and launch of the Senior School program at Mount Vic Flicks on Tuesday March 28 at 6.30pm. Bookings are essential and can be made at www.trybooking.com/CGJCN
Feb 2023
