A copy of Mooroolbark Grammar’s legal rules, which must be acquired from Consumer Affairs Victoria in a lengthy process The age two weeks: shows that the school continues to teach applied scholasticism.
The school’s purposes include teaching Hubbard’s methods and are based on his “moral code” in a publication called The Way to Happiness. The school is affiliated with the Association for a Better Life and Education, an international organization created by Scientology that says it wants to “communicate with affinity and reality at all times.”
Applied Scholastics uses a teaching method called “Study Technology” that was developed by Hubbard. He says he aims to teach students “how to learn” and apply what they have learned to their daily lives, rather than learning and memorizing contents or concepts from memory.
He claims that there is a widespread problem of “hidden illiteracy” in society and that one of the main barriers for students is misunderstanding of words. One of the simplistic techniques they use is to encourage students to look up definitions of words they do not understand in the dictionary.
Montessori is a teaching style that emphasizes that children learn at their own pace and develop natural interests and independence without formal instruction.
Mooroolbark Grammar Director Gabriella Agosta, 29, is part of a family of Scientologists who regularly post on social media about religion. In a statement in response to questions, he said information about Applied Scholastics was not included on the website because it was a new school and “our website is still under construction.”
Gabriella Agosta, Mooroolbark Grammar Director
He did not answer questions about why the school mentioned Montessori in all its public material and not the applied school. The statement said the school was proud of its links to Hubbard’s teachings and that parents of prospective students were told about their educational methods.
Agosta has been a full-time professor at the Victorian Institute of Teaching since November last year. Temporarily enrolled teachers include graduate and novice teachers, as well as those who return to the profession after five years or more. He did not answer any questions about his experience in running the school.
In March last year, Agosta’s brother posted a video on Facebook showing the couple handing out pamphlets to the Foundation for a Drug-Free World International, an American foundation sponsored by the Church of Scientology.
The Mooroolbark Grammar website is registered for a Scientology member, and according to the school’s social media, it recently had a music program developed by a sound engineer that appears on the Scientology website that talks about how religion helped him “approach life better.” .
Scientology Headquarters in Ascot ValeCredit: Justin McManus
A spokesman for Montessori Australia said it was a national advisory body that “strives to support all genuine Montessori providers” but did not oversee the operation of any school or center, which were all owned and operated by Montessori. independently “.
They did not oversee Mooroolbark Grammar’s curriculum or internships and said the school had not carried out the Montessori Australia quality assurance program.
“It’s a complete despair. They still run Scientology, but they hide it behind Montessori,” said Paul Schofield, a former Yarralinda board member and former scientist who had been deeply immersed in religion for 30 years. He said Scientology would oppose Montessori, as it contradicts Hubbard’s writings.
Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard
“The Montessori philosophy is a good philosophy, everything is viable. Hubbard’s is quite the opposite. Hubbard’s narcissism is more chronic when you see how he treats children. They are objects to be used, ”he said.
“It is through all Scientology that children are responsible for their behavior. They were old beings with young bodies and could do any job that was asked of them, as they had already done in some of their past lives during the last few years. quadrillions of years “.
Last month, three Australian residents accused Scientology of child trafficking, multiple sexual assaults, forced labor and other abuses in a lawsuit filed in Florida against Scientology leader David Miscavige and five Church-related organizations.
The plaintiffs were part of Scientology’s “Sea Org” and “Cadet Org” entities, which involved signing billions of years to provide free or cheap labor to Scientology.
Critics of Scientology accuse him of being money-focused and dangerous, he claims the church rejects.
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Prior to the brand change, Yarralinda was struggling to survive and had only 27 students according to the MySchool website. Its 2020 financial accounts show that 64% of its $ 804,000 in revenue came from federal and state government funding.
It had lost more than $ 100,000 in both 2020 and 2019 and had sold its Mooroolbark site for $ 4.5 million in early 2021 to Runslow Pty Ltd, registered in Toorak. Yarralinda closed in late 2021. Yarra Ranges Council approved a planning application last year to build a 127-seat daycare on Mooroolbark site. Agosta said her school was not connected to development.
Australian Church of Scientology spokeswoman Vicki Dunstan said she had “no corporate or financial relationship” with Mooroolbark Grammar. He said Applied Scholastics was an “independent non-denominational organization” backed by Scientology.
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The other Scientology-linked school in Australia, The Athena School in Sydney, also has a Montessori early education program. He still informs future parents that the school is linked to Hubbard.
In August last year, while Melbourne was in its sixth blockade, Yarralinda principal Christel Duffy was among the three Melbourne principals who called on the state government to reopen primary schools immediately, arguing that school closures caused more harm than good.
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