Daylesford Dharma School - prospectus 2014

Live to be kind. Learn to be wise.

Prospectus

“I have always had this view about the modern education system: we pay attention to brain development, but the development of warm-heartedness we take for granted.�

His Holiness The Dalai Lama

Contents welcome from the Principal what do we want for our children? nurture awareness discovery community | creativity | wellbeing | environment

Live to be kind. Learn to be wise.

Thank you for your interest in our school, we welcome you to our extended community of individuals with a shared interest in making a change in the world.

We are the first primary school in Australia to offer an education based on Buddhist principles. We are committed to education and the development of each child as a whole individual.

Our approach includes a strong connection with the environment and community and a focus on the creative and performing arts. Our curriculum is well rounded and offers an opportunity for students to explore and discover.

Our guiding principle of non-harm informs all that we do including how we communicate, how we treat others and how we resolve conflict.

Our students are given the opportunity to explore and identify their emotions and what drives them. Thereby becoming more aware of themselves and how they relate to others.

I encourage you to explore and discover for yourself what the Daylesford Dharma School has to offer.

Joel Hines Principal

What do we want for our children?

We teach our students to apply their reasoning and critical thinking with kindness.

Because they are the future‌ Loving parents, compassionate leaders, benevolent business operators, peace makers, wise teachers, caring carpenters, truthful politicians‌ They are the future who will lead with wisdom and compassion.

We pay particular attention to developing a child’s capacity to grow into a compassionate, kind and wise individual who understands their connection with the environment and with those around them.

We foster a sense of universal responsibility in each child, which will guide them in how they can shape their world and co-exist with others.

Nurture Our students are supported in their discovery of self and how they relate to others and are encouraged to express their emotions and feelings.

We are able to provide individualised attention to specific needs and provide a deeper understanding of the issues our students face. We are then able to more appropriately work on the skills they require to grow and thrive.

Relationship building is a key approach to providing an environment of respect, trust and confidence that is pivotal to successful learning.

Nurturing your child’s capacity to grow into a kind and wise individual.

Awareness Our students are encouraged to explore and develop self-awareness and an awareness of others. Finding their place in this world and where they fit in relation to others.

Through daily meditation, discussion and reflection we are able to provide an opportunity to further enhance social, cultural and environmental awareness. We encourage creative, critical thinking and debate to further nourish valid reasoning skills.

A culture based on awareness of self and respect for others.

Discovery Our curriculum is centred around inquiry-based learning, incorporating the creative arts, meditation, logic, secular ethics and conflict resolution training in an integrated approach to education.

Our programs scaffold and build a foundation in literacy, numeracy, social studies, science and technology and conform to the Australian Curriculum.

Community The Daylesford Dharma School is a community of likeminded individuals and families who recognise the need for kindness and compassion. Our community supports one another and the school in various ways.

We encourage parents and carers to be in and around the school and we certainly value any contribution that they are able to offer.

Wellbeing The Daylesford Dharma School actively encourages an active lifestyle. Central to this is the need to explore, develop and grow mindful control of our body. Our health and physical education program develops both gross and fine motor skills but also an awareness or a sense of place of the body and how it interrelates to the environment and those within it.

Creativity At the centre of a child’s learning journey is the ability to express themselves. It is only by expressing themselves that can they learn to relate to others and have others relate to them.

We provide opportunities for children to express themselves through visual arts, performing arts, language and music.

Expression is also actively encouraged through dialogue, debate and creative writing and through project based activities.

Environment We have a strong focus on sustainability and an emphasis on mindful consumption. We endeavour to purchase resources from ethical suppliers and minimise our impact on the environment by monitoring our usage of resources and any waste that comes from them.

With a deep focus on the environment and ecology our curriculum fosters a sense of exploration and connection with the world around us. The students investigate the different aspects of the local environment and what impacts them socially, ecologically and environmentally.

t: 5348 3112 11 Perrins Street Daylesford

info@dharmaschool.com.au www.dharmaschool.com.au