School History
The idea of a Rudolf Steiner/Waldorf School in the Wellington area was conceived in the 1970’s by a small group of young state-trained teachers who shared a common interest in the works of Rudolf Steiner and who wished to make a difference in education. They studied together and in 1978 began a campaign to ascertain public interest in a school by holding lectures and exhibitions. The resulting interest helped to establish Raphael House in a renovated residential property in High Street, Avalon, Lower Hutt.
Raphael House opened as a private school to 12 children on June 11th 1979.
Earlier in December 1978 the Rudolf Steiner School Trust had been registered and in 1979 they bought the existing site (then 32 hectares) of mostly gorse with rejuvenating bush.
The school in Avalon grew rapidly, expanding to two kindergarten groups and three classes by 1981. In 1982 the first building (the present kindergarten) was completed and occupied by three primary classes. Subsequently the school added a new class each year, these children were accommodated in a mix of prefabs and new classrooms.
Some Key Dates:
1979 First composite class began on June 11th
1981 Foundation Stone laid. December 23rd
1983 First three classrooms built. - School roll 145
1984 Kindergarten moved from Avalon to present site
1989 A further 2.5 hectares purchased
1989 A decision to begin the Upper School.
Petone West building was reconstructed on site.
1991 First Class 8
1992 24 February - Raphael House became an integrated area school. -
School roll 254
1994 30 January – new Eurythmy building opened
1995 29 January – new Upper School Building opened - School Roll 330
Classrooms 1 to 4 Lower School opened
2003 The “Knoll” removed
2005 Class 8 and craft room opened.
The physical growth at Raphael House has been huge and exciting task. Much of it achieved by parent volunteers, and except for some minor works, all paid by parent donations and fundraising. This has been driven by the enthusiasm of teachers and parents observing their children’s journey through the school and recognizing the value of Waldorf Education.
Some of their stories have been written down. We warmly recommend:
“Raphael House – the beginnings” by Sarah Gaitanos
“Raphael House – celebrating 25 years” Chronicles 1-12 by Jill Hemming.
A pictorial record available on two compact discs was compiled by Godfrey Therkleson for the School’s 25th Anniversary. One gives a fascinating and comprehensive overview of the building and site development, the other portrays the children’s activities, and social and cultural events through the years.
For those interested in more detail, the school’s earliest newsletters were compiled in two volumes by Gert Christeller and are available in the Library.
The Birthday Chronicles
The full history of Raphael House was captured for its 25th Birthday in a series of articles for the Bush Telegraph. These are avavilable for viewing below, or can be downloaded in a compressed form here.
