Parent and Tot
Our Parent and Tot program runs weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays with Brittany Roberts and Saturdays with Kimber Star. A program for newborn to three-year-olds and a family member.
Join us for some outdoor play, a nourishing snack, a handwork project or meaningful work.
​
Parents are encouraged to come with questions or experiences to share about parenting.
Parent and Tot runs October-May on Tuesday & Thursday mornings from 9:00am-11:00am and Saturday mornings from 10:00am-12:00pm.
​
The fall session fee is $200 for Tuesdays or Thursdays and $160 for Saturdays. When available, the drop in fee is $25.
​
To book please fill out this booking form or email parent.and.tot.families@waldorfns.org
Kindergarten
Our Kindergarten is a homelike environment that nurtures and protects the young child's sense of wonder and imagination. Rudolf Steiner, the founder of Waldorf education, that play is the work of children. Our age appropriate Kindergarten honours that belief. Open-ended toys and activities encourage children to exercise their imaginations. Here, children learn by doing- helping to prepare snacks, baking bread, housekeeping and free play. Story time, handcraft and art activities along with active participation in the daily life of the class all helps to foster the growing abilities of our youngest children. Our Kindergarten starts at age 3 and a half.
Programs
The Waldorf curriculum promotes well-rounded development in children by exposing them to a wide variety of subjects using an interdisciplinary approach that complements the students’ natural abilities.
Waldorf learning respects the uniqueness of each child while working in rhythm with the natural stages that children pass through. The pattern which unfolds in the individual child in many ways reflects the pattern which has unfolded throughout human history. Since these stages are in harmony with the development of civilization itself, the great stories of all time – from fairy tales and fables to Nordic and Greek myths – become the cornerstone of the curriculum. The young child learns by sparking the imagination through myth and the older child embraces learning through scientific inductive reasoning.
Horse Block
Unique to South Shore Waldorf School is our Horse Block Program.
This program is designed to build relationship-based horsemanship skills, team-work, emotional resilience, and confidence.
The children are welcomed into the fold of the herd where each of the equine teachers bring their unique character and way of relating to provide an environment rich in emotional and social learning. Trust is built through compassion, awareness, and effective communication. Leadership is acquired through presence, problem solving, and confidence. Time with the horses brings much joy and teaches emotional regulation and coping strategies.
All work is done from the ground with the focus on building a mutually respectful relationship and horsemanship skills. The students learn to communicate and bond with a creature vastly different from themselves and in so doing, build many transferable skills.
Grooming is always an integral part of our day, followed by in hand leading. As skills progress we add new maneuvers and obstacles or take the horses on a trail walk.
We often wrap up our visit with story or drawing time in the field as the horses wander off to graze.
French Language
Starting in Grade 1, French is an integral part of the curriculum, using songs, rhymes, stories and puppet shows to establish a rich appreciation of Canadian French language and culture. Children in the elementary grades learn a basic vocabulary and useful expressions through oral repetition. In the upper grades our French program builds on this foundation through the introduction of music, drama and art. The French Teacher works in close collaboration with the class teachers to bring French in a meaningful way.
Music Program
According to Rudolf Steiner, Music represents one of the purest art forms in terms of integrating the feeling, will and soul life of a child. While singing develops the feeling life, learning a musical instrument develops the will as children learn to listen and adjust the sound they are creating. Playing and singing music in ensembles teaches a child to stay in rhythm and harmonize with others, which strengthens social awareness and sensitivity.
Elementary School
The school day begins with a two-hour long, uninterrupted morning lesson, as children are freshest for academic work in the morning.
Morning Lesson topics include language arts, science, math, history or geography and are taught in blocks of three to five weeks. This integrated morning lesson allows the teacher to develop a wide variety of activities around the subject at hand. Class teachers weave together rigorous academics and the arts, enhancing students' learning through experiential teaching methods.
In the younger grades, lively rhythmic activities get the circulation going and bring children together as a group; they recite poems connected with the main lesson, practice tongue twisters to limber up their speech, and work with concentration exercises using body movements.
After the day’s morning lesson, students record what they learned in their lesson books.
Following recess, teachers present shorter lessons, including foreign languages, drama, art, gardening, poetry, movement, music and Eurythmy. Knitting, crocheting, needlework, weaving, sewing and other handcrafts are introduced in an exciting progression as the childrens’ abilities develop. Thus the day has a rhythm that helps overcome fatigue and enhances balanced learning.
All students participate in all these subjects regardless of their special aptitudes. The purpose of studying a subject is to awaken and educate capacities that every human being needs. Each subject studied should contribute to the development of a well-balanced individual.
Middle School
The middle school years are often a tumultuous time for students. As they enter the early years of teenage-hood there are very specific needs to meet their development.
The Waldorf middle school curriculum is designed to foster student's exploration of themselves, their learning style, and their world. We support the healthy development of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making - an essential foundation for life.
​
Hands-on teaching in all subjects provides a meaningful experience for our students. In addition to academic rigor, middle school students study a richly diverse arts curriculum that includes music, theatre, craft, and visual arts.
​
In addition to the school day, middle school students have extra-curricular opportunities, from Track and Field or our DIY Circus Club, to School Dances and overnight field trips.
Aftercare
Our aftercare program acts as an out-breath after school giving children an opportunity to play. The program co-ordinator provides care until 5:30pm on school days at an additional fee. There will be opportunities for craft projects, homework time, and indoor and outdoor play. Our aftercare program also extends to cover programming offered during school breaks and inservice days. Aftercare is open to students from other schools, email discover@waldorfns.org to inquire.
Summer Programs and Camps
Our Summer Program runs for 8 weeks throughout the summer.
Each week has a theme and we incorporate several activities such as cooking, crafts, art, drama, free play which all tie back to the theme for the week.
Our Summer Program is eligible for Pro-Kids funding.
​
Additionally, we offer camps over the Winter break and March Break.
​
To inquire email discover@waldorfns.org
