Michael Park School
Encyclopedia
Michael Park School is a Waldorf school located in Auckland
, New Zealand
The school takes students from age 4 (Kindergarten
) to school-leaving age (Form 7/Year 13). The Steiner School refers to the years 2 to 13 as Class 1 to Class 12.
philosophy encourages a slightly later development, and a more creative environment.
Another unique aspect of Michael Park is their keen eye for aesthetics. The belief is that more graceful architecture will be beneficial to student's learning, meaning that there are less right angles in the school buildings and more curves.
, making a short film, learning authorship or painting, restoration/building of cars, boats, etc.
The student study is assessed on many levels including the presentation of an oral speech, and development of records (i.e., keeping a diary or their efforts) and compiling a visual display to represent their work and what they've learned over the course of the year.
The final result of the Independent Study contributes substantially to their Steiner certificate results for the year.
as well as a recently developed Steiner
certificate.
& Maths (to Year 12). Elective topics offered for years 12 and 13 include:
Students choose between the language subjects Maori and German.
. Their school team, the MPS Storm, contained eight members of the Under-19 New Zealand Men's Lacrosse team, including the captain, Toby Delamore.
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
The school takes students from age 4 (Kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
) to school-leaving age (Form 7/Year 13). The Steiner School refers to the years 2 to 13 as Class 1 to Class 12.
Steiner's Philosophy
Unlike 'conventional' state schools, the SteinerRudolf Steiner
Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner was an Austrian philosopher, social reformer, architect, and esotericist. He gained initial recognition as a literary critic and cultural philosopher...
philosophy encourages a slightly later development, and a more creative environment.
Another unique aspect of Michael Park is their keen eye for aesthetics. The belief is that more graceful architecture will be beneficial to student's learning, meaning that there are less right angles in the school buildings and more curves.
Independent Study
One of the key things making Rudolf Steiner schools unique is the year-long project of each and every 7th Form/Year 13 student. The student is encouraged to learn or develop a skill, complete an exercise and assist the community. Some recent projects have included: learning to play a musical instrumentMusical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
, making a short film, learning authorship or painting, restoration/building of cars, boats, etc.
The student study is assessed on many levels including the presentation of an oral speech, and development of records (i.e., keeping a diary or their efforts) and compiling a visual display to represent their work and what they've learned over the course of the year.
The final result of the Independent Study contributes substantially to their Steiner certificate results for the year.
Qualifications
This is a state integrated school (i.e., they are largely funded by Government subsidy). This way, Michael Park School students can participate in both government standard assessment, NCEANational Certificate of Educational Achievement
The National Certificate of Educational Achievement is, since 2004, the official secondary school qualification in New Zealand.It has three levels, corresponding to the levels within the National Qualifications Framework, and these are generally studied in each of the three final years of...
as well as a recently developed Steiner
Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner was an Austrian philosopher, social reformer, architect, and esotericist. He gained initial recognition as a literary critic and cultural philosopher...
certificate.
Subjects
Compulsory subjects include: EnglishEnglish studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
& Maths (to Year 12). Elective topics offered for years 12 and 13 include:
- Physical EducationPhysical educationPhysical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
- ArtArtArt is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
- GermanGerman languageGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
- CraftCraftA craft is a branch of a profession that requires some particular kind of skilled work. In historical sense, particularly as pertinent to the Medieval history and earlier, the term is usually applied towards people occupied in small-scale production of goods.-Development from the past until...
- Sciences
- MusicMusicMusic is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
- Performing ArtsPerforming artsThe performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
- Social StudiesSocial studiesSocial studies is the "integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence," as defined by the American National Council for the Social Studies...
- PhotographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
- DramaDramaDrama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
- Te Reo Maori
- Correspondence courses
Students choose between the language subjects Maori and German.
Sporting success
Michael Park has had an unusually high proportion of students representing New Zealand in sport, particularly lacrosseLacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
. Their school team, the MPS Storm, contained eight members of the Under-19 New Zealand Men's Lacrosse team, including the captain, Toby Delamore.