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ON-CAMPUS
CLASSROOMS
PROSPECTUS
“Learning to live in… goodness, truth and beauty”
cmc.qld.edu.au
ON-CAMPUS
CLASSROOMS
PROSPECTUS
CONTENTS
2
3. Welcome
4. Our Vision
6. Historical Background
9. What is the Charlotte Mason Curriculum?
12. The Prep Year: What age should my children enrol?
14. Legal Issues: - The Legal Entity - Accreditation of
award certificates - Centrelink Payments for Parents
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ON-CAMPUS
CLASSROOMS
PROSPECTUS
WELCOME
My team and I are very excited to welcome you to Charlotte Mason College. It’s
a new day for us as we are looking forward to opening up a world of opportunity
for your child. Charlotte Mason College (CMC) is an accredited Distance
Education and On-Campus Non-State School offering flexible arrangements
and individualised student learning.
CMC arose out of the Christian Homeschooling Movement, and from a
concern to provide a Christian classical liberal arts education using the
Charlotte Mason Method. All members of the School Board have either
been Home-Education parents or Home-Education students and have
used a Christian Classical Education Program.
Now as an Accredited Non-Government Christian School, we provide…
• Charlotte Mason’s unique methods for helping each child develop a love of learning.
• Preschool to Year 12 On-Campus Classical Education and talent development options
or ...
• Preschool to Year 12 Distance Education Programme.
• Australian Charlotte Mason Curriculum for all On-Campus students. We are currently
developing our own Charlotte Mason Curriculum for Distance Education students.
• Flexible arrangements that can include combinations of part-time classroom with
Distance Education, TAFE and University subjects, and learning from community or
business mentors.
• Graduation Certificates (Certificates III, IV & Diploma and/or Qld Certificate of
Education).
• Parent Supervisor Mentoring: on-going support and training in how to supervise your
child’s education. Support via telephone, Skype, e-mail consultations.
• Prepare your children for their destiny and calling in life, not just a job.
O U R V I S I O N
ON-CAMPUS
CLASSROOMS
PROSPECTUS
At Charlotte Mason College (or CMC) we are concerned that children should
not merely acquire knowledge and skills, but should have opportunity to
experience an abundant life within all that is good, true and beautiful.
C M C F A M I L I E S P U R S U E L I F E S T Y L E S O F . . . .
...'goodness' – through Christian character training via the
disciplined development of the habits needed for success in life.
The CMC program employs Charlotte Mason's gentle common-
sense methods of child training.
...'truth' – through the search for knowledge in the sciences,
humanities and the arts. Students engage with quality classic
literature from the great thinkers and leaders throughout history;
they engage with what Charlotte Mason called ‘living books’ and
real-life practical experiences; and
...'beauty' – by maintaining a warm, loving, positively affirming atmosphere in
the home or classroom; setting up an aesthetically beautiful and ordered learning
environment; and by becoming familiar with classic artworks and music composers.
E D U C A T I N G F O R L I F E
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“The people themselves begin to understand and to [search for] an education which
shall qualify their children for life rather than for earning a living. As a matter of fact, it is
the man who has read and thought on many subjects who is, with the necessary
training, the most capable in handling tools, drawing plans, or keeping books. The
more of a person we succeed in making a child, the better will he both fulfil his own life
and serve society.”
-Charlotte Mason, Towards a Philosophy of Education, 1923
At CMC, we believe in a well-rounded practical, academic, and cultural
education for all, in order to prepare every student for a constantly changing
world of varied opportunities. In some schools, the ‘non-academic’ children are
relegated to the ‘trades’ pathway, whereas the higher performing students are
prepared for university. Both of these assumed outcomes can be
somewhat narrow in focus. At CMC, we prepare children to live life well
in a way that also prepares them for success whether they pursue
further tertiary study, careers, trades, marriage, family, friendships,
and recreation hobbies – prepared for all of life!
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We aim to re-ignite the love of learning through a balance of
practical hands-on activities, cultural and artistic pursuits, a
smorgasbord of inspiring food-for-thought, academic skill
development, and Christian character training.
Commentators have called Charlotte Mason's methods 'the gentle art of education'.
Although she lived a century ago, her understanding of children, her elegantly simple
and common-sense methods have been validated by the latest research on brain
function and educational psychology, and these methods will effectively bring out the
very best in your children.
ON-CAMPUS
CLASSROOM
PROSPECTUS
ON-CAMPUS
CLASSROOMS
PROSPECTUS
OUR HISTORY
CMC is governed by the Parents National Education Union (Australia), which had its
roots in the original Parents National Education Union (PNEU) in the UK over a century
ago. The founder of the original PNEU (UK), Charlotte Mason (1842-1923), was a British
education philosopher, reformer and pioneer in the field of education. Her concept of
‘living books and real- life experience’, as a foundation for educating, shaped many of
the schools of Great Britain at the turn of the 20th century.
In 1896 Charlotte Mason wrote a book titled 'Home Education'
and later books titled 'School Education', 'The Formation of
Character', 'Ourselves', 'Parents and Children', plus a final
treatise called 'Towards a Philosophy of Education' (1923).
She established a network of schools in England and other
countries, a correspondence education service, and a
training college for teachers, nannies, governesses, and
tutors called 'The House of Education'. In the 1930's there
were a few PNEU schools in the southern States of
Australia. One of these (The Wilderness School) is still
operating today, though not strictly following her philosophy.
In 1995, the McNeice family, inspired by Charlotte Mason's work with the
original PNEU, established a non-profit ministry that would hopefully inspire parents
with a vision of an education towards living an abundant life. For 22 years, they
supported all home-educators with a legal advocacy service and provided advice for
families using a broad range of resources and strategies. In 2012, they registered a
range of nationally accredited qualifications (Certificate III, Certificate IV, and Diploma)
effectively providing an alternate pathway for homeschool graduates.
Over the years, Bruce and Karen McNeice have worked with more than 3000 families as
they launched out into this journey of training their children with enthusiasm, conviction
and determination.
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ON-CAMPUS
CLASSROOMS
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The kind of parents that enquire and enrol in CMC, tend to be those who
are not satisfied with a conventional education; but have in mind or are
searching for a higher vision of who their child can become. They are
searching for an education that treats their child as a precious person
with unique qualities, and that values the role of the parent as an
important member of their child's education team.
In 2014, the Parents' National Education Union (Australia) Inc was
established – to continue the work of Charlotte Mason's original PNEU
that operated from 1887 to 1989; and then in 2017, PNEU (Australia)
gained successful registration as an Accredited Non-Government
School and School of Distance Education.
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Since 1995, the ministry had operated under the names of
Christian Academy of Life, Unity College, and Eastgate College.
From 2017, the new registered school took on a new name
(Charlotte Mason College) to more accurately reflect its
philosophical foundations, joining a growing movement of
Charlotte Mason Schools in numerous countries around the
world. Many Home-Educators also search the internet for
information on Charlotte Mason's Methods, so this new name will
make it easier for them to find us and get the help they need.
ON-CAMPUS
CLASSROOMS
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1942 CENTENARY MESSAGES OF ENDORSEMENT OF CHARLOTTE
MASON AND HER METHODS
“Teachers owe much to Charlotte Mason’s deep insight into child psychology and to the
new principles in character building and mind training which she advocated, but parents
owe her still more. The gratitude of countless mothers in all parts of the world, who have
profited by her counsel, will be her enduring memorial.”
Elizabeth R. Her Majesty the Queen Mother
“The P.N.E.U. has been one of the most vitalising factors on
the educational life of our country for half a century, and has
steadily fastened attention upon the vital point of close
cooperation between the school and home. It has constantly
upheld the more human as contrasted with the more
commercial tendencies in educational development. For all of
this it deserves the gratitude of the whole nation. “
Archbishop William Temple
“She brought into the life of education a light and sweetness
which transformed school routine into a personal search for
beauty and truth. Her memory lives not only in the hearts of
her colleagues and students but in the history of national
education.”
Sir Henry Richards Late Senior Chief Inspector, Board of
Education
“She threw a shaft of light across the land.” She loved England and therefore the
upbringing of the children of England. She longed that they should have what to her had
been beyond price- the habit of reading great books which disclose the mind of man, seen
in the light of ‘a far-off divine event’.”
Sir Michael Sadler K.C.S.I, C.B. Late Vice-Chancellor Leeds University
“And so she came as deliverer and as an awakener. Finding that children’s minds were
expected to take whatever was given them whether they could digest it or not, and
convinced that Nature here as elsewhere must be obeyed if it is to be controlled, she
proclaimed her convictions fearlessly, and succeeded by the practical demonstration of the
common sense which underlay them in convincing of their truth and wisdom.”
The Lord Primate of Ireland John Archbishop of Armagh
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ON-CAMPUS
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T H E C H A R L O T T E M A S O N M E T H O D
i) The Content – Q: “What is taught?”
ii) The Embedded Worldview – Q: “Which values & belief-
system undergirds the moral, spiritual and character training?”
iii) The Learning Philosophy – Q: “How is it taught?”
iv) The Accredited Qualification – Q: “What do you get at the
end; and what doors of opportunity will it open for you?”
Learning to live in goodness, truth, and beauty.
The Charlotte Mason Method enable is a broad general and cultural education
with four distinctive features that make it such a unique and highly sought-
after programme.
i) The Content - The entire library as our textbook, and the whole world as our
curriculum!
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A Charlotte Mason Program provides a broad general and cultural education from
Preschool to Year 12 and beyond. It employs the liberal arts and sciences to provide
a rigorous tertiary preparation using what is known as ‘living books’ and the ‘great
books’ to engage students in ‘the great conversation’ with the cultural giants, thinkers
and leaders who have been influential in the development of Western Civilisation and
culture. Most textbooks represent the editor's concept of what is important in a
subject. Rather than limiting the students to the ideas of one author or publishing
company, students learn to be true 'scholars', investigating many primary sources
and immersing themselves in the real-life stories of the scientists, authors,
philosophers, artists, leaders, geniuses, and the common people of the period they
are studying. They become like the Bereans, who the Apostle Paul said were ‘more
noble’ because they didn't just take his word for it, but searched out the scriptures to
see what was truly true.
ON-CAMPUS
CLASSROOMS
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ii) The Embedded Worldview:
iii) The Learning Philosophy:
Charlotte Mason's motto was, 'Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life.’
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Charlotte Mason proposed that “Anyone who wants to teach children needs to
decide whether man [sic] is just physical, or something more. It can't be both
ways, and even the most trivial detail of the school day will line up with one or the
other of these two fundamental perspectives.” (Mason, 1910)
Because the secular State Education System, stems from a belief
that humans are merely the meaningless product of matter,
chance and time, there is no inherent unifying meaning so that
each subject is independently adrift. However, in a Charlotte
Mason philosophy, we believe there is an overarching story that
unifies all subjects and brings them to life; because there is a
transcendent personal God who is really there, who is not silent,
who acts in real space and time history, and who offers meaning
and purpose to people. Therefore, without having to force any
cross-curricular activities, topics and subjects naturally integrate
in a way that makes sense, so the students discover the big
picture of life. Subjects are interwoven within thematic units of
study; they interconnect, so there is a reason for studying
Science, Literature, History and the Arts.
The CMC philosophy of learning draws on the work of great thinkers and
educators such as Charlotte Mason, Mortimer Adler, Dr Francis Schaeffer, and
Socrates.
Education is an atmosphere: The atmosphere of the learning environment is
seen to be crucially important. When considering atmosphere, we care about
both the physical environment of the classrooms, as well as the 'social-
emotional' atmosphere, that it is both disciplined and friendly, with staff and
students always positively uplifting one another.
ON-CAMPUS
CLASSROOMS
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Education is a discipline: Of course, it takes much time and effort to continually
train everyone towards this type of supportive learning culture. One of the key roles
of the Learning Advisor and parent is to work diligently on the formation of habitual
character traits until they become the innate 'modus operandi' of the child.
Education is a life: Mason believed in respecting the person-hood of each child;
and that our role as educators is to foster the love of learning as a lifestyle. Instead
of force-feeding them information, she respected and trusted the child's mind to
digest and assimilate quality food for thought. She was careful to present a
smorgasbord of quality mental food, and then allowed them to share their
thoughts and discoveries, and to come to conclusions on their own.
In her classes, she tried not to over-explain, lecture, or analyse; and
tried not to get too much between the student and the author or
artist they were studying.
Mason recommended 'whole' books rather than condensed
snippets. She gave the children time to read a 'whole' book by an
author rather than a selected reading in an anthology, so they could
fully understand and appreciate what the author had to offer. Rather
than using textbooks which are typically full of 'canned bits of information'
with rote memorisation of facts, she recommended what she called 'living' books
which were excellently written stories and texts authored by someone who is
passionate about their topic and brings it to life. Living books were often written in
conversational style, and included selected biographies, classics, and historical
novels. Quality books of this sort allowed the reader to identify with and understand
the personal lives of the characters while gleaning important contextual facts.
She employed a comprehension technique called 'narration' as a significant learning tool.
The child is required to listen intently to a reading (only once) and then retell it as closely
as he/she can. Charlotte Mason believed this helped a child to interact with the material
in an original way and to assimilate and connect information in the process. She felt it
was important that children be exposed to only the best literature rather than 'twaddle'
which was how she defined literature written 'down' to a child's level.
ON-CAMPUS
CLASSROOMS
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Charlotte Mason believed in a structured morning of basic academics and then
dedicating time in the afternoon to real-life situations through hands-on projects,
work experience, play, exploration, nature walks, visits to the museum, and
reading. This would allow education to be a life-enriching, joyous experience, and
adventure.
iv) What Qualification or Award will the students
receive, and where will that lead to?
Depending on their level of achievement, CMC students will
graduate with one or more of these four qualifications by the end of
their Year 12 (or Gap-year 13) studies.
Either...
a) Certificate III in General Education;
b) Certificate IV in Liberal Arts;
c) Certificate IV in Science;
d) Diploma of Musical Theatre
The Cert III would be equivalent to a 'General and Vocational Year 12'; the Cert IV
would be equivalent to an 'Academic Year 12 or Tertiary Preparation Certificate'; and
students with a Diploma are performing at first year university level.
The Prep Year: What age should my children enrol?
According to the Qld Education Department: “Prep is the first year of school and provides
the foundation for your child's education. From 2017, it is compulsory for Queensland
children to undertake Prep prior to Year 1. Prep is a full-time program
in primary schools. Children attend Monday-Friday, generally from 9am-3pm.
Children must be 5 by 30 June in the year they enrol.”
Check the table on the next page to see when your child can start Prep.
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ON-CAMPUS
CLASSROOMS
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ENROLMENT AGE VARIAT IONS
“Parents enrolling their child in school have the option of an early or delayed start.
Enrolment age variations may be due to a child’s development and readiness, and
could improve their ability to learn.”
DELAYED START TO PREP
“It is not compulsory for your child to attend the Prep year as soon as they are old enough
—5 by 30 June in the year they enrol. You can delay their entry by 1 year if you feel they are
not ready, but when they start school, they should still start in the Prep year.”
Child Born 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5
Prep Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4
Kindy Prep Year 1 Year 2 Year 3
Kindy Prep Year 1 Year 2
Kindy Prep Year 1
Kindy Prep
Kindy
1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009
1 July 2009 to 30 June 2010
1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011
1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012
1 July 2012 to 30 June 2013
1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014
1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015
1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016
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ON-CAMPUS
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LEGAL ISSUES:
The legal entity:
The College is governed by the incorporated association (Parents' National Education Union –
Australia Inc.), which has been established to promote the Charlotte Mason method of
education, to equip and support parents, and to develop alternate Australian curriculum.
14
Accreditation: It is exciting that after serving families for 22 years, Charlotte Mason
College is now accredited with the Qld Non-State Schools Accreditation Board as an
approved school for Prep to Year 12 including both Classroom and Distance
Education. As such, it also provides an approved legal option for parents to have their
children being educated at home via Distance Education. Along with the benefits of
school accreditation in Queensland, we have also registered Nationally Accredited
Awards that provide an alternate pathway to university and careers. These courses
provide an alternate system of credit for Senior Secondary equivalent subjects from
qualifications at the Certificate III, Certificate IV, and Diploma level.
Accredited Courses: The College currently partners with Registered Training Organisations for the delivery of nationally accredited subjects. Students 16 years and I older (in Grades 10-12), will usually be enrolled in one of our accredited courses. We can also set up the students’ LUI Number (the Learner Unique Index – with Qld Curriculum Assessment Authority) so that Senior students can bank credits towards their Qld Certificate of Education, if they choose to. A ‘Confirmation of Enrolment’ letter is issued once your child is fully enrolled at Charlotte Mason College. This letter may assist older students and / or families to apply for Centrelink payments and allowances related to study.
To discuss enrolment of your child /children at Charlotte Mason College or to receive more information please contact our reception on [email protected]
