Te Pepeha o Raphael House
Ko Tukutuku te maunga Tukutuku is the peak of significance
Ko Wairere te awa Wairere is the tributary
Ko Tirohanga te rohe Tirohanga is the suburb
Ko Te Awakairangi te takiwā Te Awakairangi (The Hutt Valley) is the region
Ko Te Whare o Raphael te kura Raphael House is the school
Ko Rudolf Steiner te tangata Rudolf Steiner is the man
Tihe mauri ora! Tis the sneeze o life!
Tēnā koutou
Raphael House is an Integrated Rudolf Steiner Area School which offers a broad based Waldorf education to children and students from the age of 4 years (Kindergarten) to 18 years, Class 12 (Year 13).
Our kura is set on a beautiful bush clad hillside on 12 acres of land in the western hills of Lower Hutt, Wellington. Tino waimarie tātou hoki – we are lucky indeed!
The school has a rich educational and social community that, over the last three decades, has developed, changed and adjusted to meet the needs of the students and its community. We work to nurture and help develop each student’s physical capacities, their artistic and emotional development and their intellectual and cognitive abilities.
We have a dedicated team of kaiako, teachers and support staff who are committed to delivering a high quality education working from an understanding of the rhythms and needs of the developing child as expounded through Rudolf Steiner’s Waldorf pedagogy.
We usually have between 300 and 340 learners on our roll.
Underlying all aspects of teaching and learning at Raphael House is the conviction that each student has a unique sense of self and of her or his own life’s purpose. To be a mature, balanced and well-educated member of society requires an awareness of one’s place in the world and of the personal capabilities within each individual. It is the aim of Raphael House to help unfold such capacities and personal life-skills within each student so that they may achieve their full potential in life.
At Raphael House we aim to deliver an education based on this premise – it is the greater purpose behind our school and our curriculum.
Ngā mihi nui
Karyn Gray
Principal
School Map
As our School continues to develop, we as the Raphael House community stand even more committed than ever to holding true to the vision of our founders Trudi Schladitz, Paul Denford and Gerald Richardson who have devoted their lives and personal resources to creating a truly remarkable school for our young people and their parents.
The school was founded because of the deep concern at the increasing spiritual and cultural poverty of the education being offered to young New Zealanders. They observed children’s lack of will and motivation, their loss of a sense of destiny and purpose in life (even more evident in today’s world). They saw the growing social and psychological problems facing children in a materialistic world which denied their spiritual heritage.
Trudi, Paul and Gerald believed Steiner education was the most valuable remedy for these problems and had the commitment, foresight and courage to act upon their convictions.
Trudi Schladitz stated, “I wanted to create a culture – true spiritual life. All proper culture originates from a spiritual impulse. I wanted a school that must educate the parents, it cannot really work otherwise. That was my vision – with it culture – spirit which manifests in matter: whether it be a picture, a sculpture, or a teaching. Spirit reaching down into matter, matter originating in spirit”.
The solution for Trudi, Paul and Gerald was to found Raphael House.
Gifting – An act of Love
We invite you to join with other alumni/ae, families and friends in building upon our tradition of giving so that we may collectively support Raphael House in its quest to create a school based upon our founders’ ideals and vision.
The ability to gift is different for everyone. The school has so far been created by many hundreds of contributors and in so many ways, large, small, gifts of money, gifts in kind, gifts of labour, gifts of time, gifts of knowledge, gifts of experience to name but a few.
Every gift makes us who we are.
When Raphael House began in 1979, the hillside we are on contained mostly gorse. Through the hard work of parents and teachers the hillside has been transformed into a school for over 300 students. The achievement is amazing, some say miraculous. The vision of the founding teachers and parents is being fulfilled but there is still much to be done.
Future Projects
We have many projects to consider including for example; an auditorium, a gymnasium, a 4th Kindergarten, a Food Technology kitchen, playing areas, an administration centre and the completion of the Upper School.
YOUR GIFT will be a legacy, it will make a difference to all who pass through Raphael House, all who travel from the Kindergarten up the Zig Zag to Class 12 at the top of the hill and then into the world. Your gift will touch the lives of our students and through them the wider community.
If you would like to contribute in any way, please do get in contact with us. We would love to hear from you.