Mansfield Steiner School 2023 Annual Report
Our School P 4
President’s Report P 6
Treasurer’s Report P 7
Principal’s Report P 8
Financials P 9
Attendence P 10
Naplan P 10
Parent Survey P 11
The Mansfield Rudolf Steiner School had its beginnings when, in 1985, a small group of children began their education in a parent-built mud-brick room at Maindample. In the early days the parents carried the enormous task of building, developing, maintaining and running the school without government support or funding. In 1986 the school received formal registration and a certain amount of government funding followed.
Years of hard work, determination, passion and faith saw the school overcome many setbacks and challenges. It grew into a vibrant community offering a creative and innovative educational option in the Mansfield district.
By 1996 the school had outgrown the Maindample site and with a successful application for Capital Funding the decision was made to move into Mansfield. Subsequent years have seen a series of building programs develop the beautiful and well-resourced school which exists today.
The newly developed Strategic Plan runs to 2028 and is available on our website. The Plan focuses on three strategic areas: People, Place and Pathways.
Mansfield Steiner School follows the Australian Steiner Curriculum framework. The school fosters an evolving awareness with this specific curriculum. Unique to Steiner schools is the role of the class teachers who guide classes through many years as guardians and mentors. The primary years of Mansfield Steiner School are rooted in the ideal that the needs of childhood must be honoured and progressive and traditional values hereby find their balance. Students gain confidence and can be inspired to a high level when the same teacher is with them year after year.
Teachers use a multi-sensory approach to learning and work rhythmically and imaginatively with students. Music plays a key role in the curriculum and all students play recorder together each day and a stringed instrument from Year 3. Respect for the natural environment and seasonal cycles is encouraged through the celebration of a range of festivals (seasonal, cultural and faith) during the year.
The school has experienced steady growth since it was established in 1985 in the small hamlet of Maindample. The capital investment in the school is expected to support greater demand and enrolment growth. Enrolments continue to grow as parents seek continuity and cetainty that children can complete their education at the school. The school has a solid reputation locally and further abroad. The school attracts local families and families from outside the local area who move to Mansfield to attend the school
The school’s reputation has been further enhanced over recent years, as our graduates have excelled in other educational settings. For a very small school in a rural setting, we are unique, and our reputation is slowly but steadily growing.
Our Vision is a School Community of free, responsible, and ethical contributors to our contemporary world.
Mansfield Steiner School aims to awaken and inspire students’ critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and artistic expression on a global scale, supporting their development to become open-minded and ethical individuals who can design their own lives with initiative and purpose.
Rudolf Steiner contended that the fundamental purpose of education lies in the cultivation of students’ capacities for thinking, feeling, and willing. These essential human qualities find expression in society through the enduring principles of goodness, beauty and truth. Furthermore, they manifest in the various forms of science, art, ethics (or belief systems) and the search for meaning.
Goodness is the inherent moral quality that arises from understanding, empathy, and the pursuit of actions that contribute positively to the wellbeing of oneself, others, and the world.
Beauty is the reflection of harmony and balance in the natural world, nurturing our senses and inspiring our creative spirits.
Truth is a living, evolving concept that unfolds through direct experiences, personal development, and a deep connection to the natural world.
Itable the President of the Governance Committee’s Annual report for 2023.
This report comments on activities and achievements of the Governance Committee for 2023 and outlines key goals and activities for 2024.
Two major activities of 2023 were the VRQA audit and strategic planning.
Each 5 years the School’s accreditation with the educational licencing authority (VRQA) is audited.
This is a complex and lengthy process involving detailed review of many aspects of the School including governance, administration, and finances. There are numerous standards that need to be reached. I am pleased to report the School has satisfied requirements, notably financial viability, although a few minor issues linger. My thanks to our Principal Glenn Hood and Operations Manager Marvin Cramer for the large amount of work they did in satisfying the auditing authorities.
Planning took up a major portion of the Governance Committee’s activities in 2023. We now have a strategic plan extending to 2028. It is published on our refurbished website. The “plan” in a nutshell is to provide children and young adults with a rich educational experience based on Steiner values and methods, which supports them to reach their potential as open minded and ethical individuals.
We are early on in our history of offering a full K to Year 12 program. We look forward to consolidating the enormous achievements of past School administration. We should always remember we started in 1985 with 7 students and, no doubt, boundless enthusiasm and hope.
2023 saw our long serving President, Sarah Lieber retire (May). Sarah’s time is one of remarkable growth culminating in our full K to year 12 program. Sarah’s efforts over many years in leading and growing the school will be evident far into the future.
In 2023 we welcomed new members Sara Watts and Anna Spiers onto the Committee. I appreciate their new perspectives and obvious dedication to the best interests of the School.
Apart from the audit and strategic planning, the
Governance Committee undertook its usual work in such areas as budgeting, reviewing performance, approving expenditure, staffing issues and more.
I welcome Marvin Cramer to the School in 2023. Marvin took over as our Operations Manager from Andrew Karzons. Marvin has worked hard on finances and planning. His input is much appreciated, and the Governance Committee relies heavily on Marvin. I thank him for his contribution.
2024 will be a year of consolidation. Audits and formal planning are done. There are no major building projects. There is much to be done though. There is always planning and reviewing. The School is a dynamic enterprise with many aspirations and challenges.
2024 will see our highest ever number of enrolments. There are challenges. There have been increases in cost in most areas. We have limited capital with which to undertake larger projects. Notwithstanding we are investigating acquisitions so as to enable continuing growth.
I give special thanks to Glenn Hood, our Principal since 2022. Glenn has embraced a very challenging role with enthusiasm and optimism – two very necessary attributes. Glenn sits on the Governance Committee and provides leadership on many important issues.
I congratulate Celeste on her appointment as Deputy Principal
I thank my fellow Governance Committee Members. They give their time and expertise generously.
Many people need to be acknowledged for their work in maintaining the School. These include the leadership team, the teaching staff, the administrative staff, the gardening and ground staff and other staff. Parents and friends are vital to the School and I appreciate all their contributions. The students also contribute significantly to their school assisting and performing in many areas.
There is no doubt the School is made up of many contributors past and present. My hope is that our unique School continues to grow while retaining its core of Steiner values.
John Bowen PRESIDENT, Governance Committee
I’m pleased to present the Treasurer’s Report to this AGM, covering the 2023 Financial Year.
The 2023 year was a satisfactory one for the school from a financial viewpoint, an improvement on the prior year.
Some headline numbers include (stripping out the effect of ‘one-off’ building grants);
» Recurrent income of just over $5m, well up on $4.2m the previous year
» An operating surplus of $132k, which is a significant improvement on the previous year, when we had an operating deficit of $135k.
» A net operating cash flow of $415k, again a significant improvement on the previous year. This cash flow is needed to pay down debt, and to further invest in buildings and equipment.
» A ‘steady as she goes’ balance sheet showing a modest increase in net assets that reflect our surplus for the year.
» Student fees (per child) for 2023 held steady for the sixth year in a row. As you will be aware,the GC needed to increase student fees for 2024. While always a hard decision, we believe it was the prudent course of action in the face of increased costs.
As I have noted before the key determinant of our financial health is our student numbers. School finances are very sensitive to small changes in student numbers, and so the attraction of new students and the retention of existing students is vitally important.
Over the course of 2023, student numbers increase from a budgeted 192 students (prep to year 12) to just over 200 students, which greatly assisted our finances. The school continues to grow, with just over 220 students currently, which is in line with our budget. A continued focus, however, is continuing to grow our senior secondary student numbers.
I once again acknowledge the contribution of Operations Manager Marvin Cramer and his team in looking after the school finances.
Tim Ross TREASURER, Governance Committee
Our 2023 graduates achieved their Diplomas, and all received tertiary offers. In doing so, they provided more evidence for the fact that Steiner education provides a solid ground for higher-order thinking and creativity. We are proud of their efforts and of the work of the staff that supported them throughout their education here.
2023 was the first year in our nearly 40year history that we have had every year level from 3-yearold Kindergarten through to year 12. This achievement is a testament to the dedication of the whole community over many years and we celebrate the vision and work of everyone involved. At the beginning of the year, we welcomed several new staff who have brought new energy and experience to the school, including Marvin Cramer who stepped into the Operations/Business Manager role and worked incredibly hard over the year to learn the ins and outs of the business and is focused on ensuring the long-term financial prosperity of the school.
Total student numbers experienced healthy growth in 2023 and we expect this trend to continue over the coming years as the benefits of a complete Steiner education from Kindergarten to Year 12 become more well-known and as the community better understands the IB Diploma Program.
In May, our year 10s traveled to France for the first time and became the second cohort from MRSSK to embark on an overseas adventure. Their experiences helped us to solidify our belief that this is a valuable experience that can support the growth and development of this age group.
In July, we held the opening of new buildings for Class 1 & 2 and the Secondary School. Aunty Berine, Helen Haines, and Cindy McLeish joined us for a smoking ceremony to mark the occasion and we thanked those who helped make these new facilities possible.
Our Parents and Friends group, chaired by Amber Wright, began meeting again this year and through the Class representatives were instrumental in helping to make the Spring Fair and Christmas festival Raffle a success. Coupled with the tireless work of Eileen Wettenhall and the Craft Group it has been heartening to see this aspect of parent engagement increasing.
Reflection, not only on our actions but on the motivations, thoughts, and emotions that drive them is built into our curriculum, Steiner education teaching practice, and the culture of our school. The capacity to have insight into our motivations is a precursor to the type of freedom and ability to impart meaning and purpose to our lives that Steiner education strives towards.
We all share the responsibility for building the culture of our community upon which the growth and success of the school is based. Our culture is the cumulative result of a multitude of small actions (and inactions) repeated over time. In the later part of the year, Tim Fry was engaged to assist the school in reviewing our existing strategic plan and to help us develop our vision for the next 5 years. Part of this process involved examining actions and contrasting these with the culture we want. Happily, for the most part, we already have a positive culture at the school which we can build upon. The resulting plan is a sound mix of aspirations, achievable goals, and above all, seeks to further our ambition to be an agent of positive social change in the present, but also in the future through the caliber of our graduates.
There is plenty of work to do and we look forward to your help.
Glenn Hood PRINCIPALRECURRNET EXPENSES 2023
RECURRENT INCOME
67% Employee Expenses
Prep 89%
Class 1 94%
Class 2 88%
Class 3 91%
Class 4 88%
Class 5 88%
Class 6 90%
Year 7 91%
Year 8 85%
Year 9 90%
Year 10 92%
Year 11 96%
Year 12 97%
Average attendance for students in 2023 was 90% and the following table shows details for each class
Attendance rolls are marked each morning and afternoon, any unexplained absences are reported to the office for follow-up. Any prolonged absences are required to be supported by satisfactory evidence and/or require a further discussion with the school Principal. Students with ongoing low attendance are also monitored and if required appropriate authorities are notified.
Please note in 2023 NAPLAN testing moved from May to March and the NAPLAN scale was reset. This means you can’t compare NAPLAN achievement prior to 2023 to that from 2023 onwards.
The parent survey attracted 101 responses 45 ‘myself’ and 55 on behalf of myself and my spouse or signifigant other.
Which option best describes your overall satisfaction with our school? True of False? My Children have a positive relationship with their teacher.
Which option best describes your overall satisfaction with our school?
Which option best describes your overall satisfaction with our school?
101 responses I am overall teaching 101 False? My have a relationship teacher. responses I am satis ed with the overall standard of teaching at our school 101 responses
True of False? My Children have a positive relationship with their teacher.
True of False? My Children have a positive relationship with their teacher. 101 responses
