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Annual Giving Pledge Week

Last week, the CSWS Board of Trustees began their pledge calls to each of you thanking you for your ongoing support and asking for a pledge for this year's Annual Giving Campaign.  To date, we have already received $11,000 in cash donations and $2,000 in-kind donations!  Pledge totals are being tabulated for their remaining income that will be coming in to support our school.  Thank you to our entire extended school community, including grandparents, alumni students and their families and to our volunteer Board Members for their commitment to this campaign.

During each Annual Giving campaign, a common question is asked:

How does my Annual Giving donation help CSWS?

Each year CSWS has an Annual Giving Campaign to raise non-tuition income to fill in the gap between tuition income and school expenses.  The school budget relies on Annual Giving donations to pay for the following expenses:

*        Teacher and staff salaries

*        Health benefits for full-time employees

*        Faculty development

*        Playground maintenance

*        Playground equipment

*        Office supplies

*        Classroom supplies

*        Building maintenance

*        Utilities: Water and electricity

This year's gap between tuition income and the school's expenses is $65,000.  That equates to $401 per child at CSWS that is needed to fill the gap.  Each Annual Giving donation is vital to the operation of CSWS because tuition alone does not cover the costs of operating the school.  If you were unable to pledge an Annual Giving amount last week, please pledge or donate today!

What Brought You to  

and/or Keeps You at Cedar Springs?" 

At our recent All Community Meetings, participants were asked to think back about what first brought them to our school and/or what keeps them here.  Parents and teachers both shared so many inspiring sentiments that we will be publishing them in batches. Here are a few more for this month: 

• "The nurturing and natural environment; at the school we went to previously, there was too much pavement and flashcards for young children; I love that we have dirt on our campus."
• "On my first tour of CSWS I saw such enthusiasm from the teachers in their classes; I remember Paula ThompSon at the time was so excited about what she was teaching her kids. I wanted my kids to be in such an environment."
• "The teachers really get to know the children."
• "Kids can be kids."

Click What Brought You to CSWS to see the rest of this month's responses.

THE CHILDREN'S STORE AT CSWS

Friday, December 16, 2011

For details, see the information sent home to parents this week or click the link below.
Children's Store Information

Winter Truffles are Here!

This is a fabulous yummy fundraiser for the Eighth Grade.

We are accepting preorders during the month of November.  Our delicious handmade truffles will be sold by the half dozen for $10 per box.  Flavors include, Grand Marnier (orange), Hazelnut, Coffee, and Raspberry.

Click to get the Pre-Order Form 

Second Grade Fall Nature Hike a Success

The Second Grade had a delightful Fall Nature Hike last Friday.  Last year we took seasonal nature hikes at Sly Park, but this year chose to take on a slightly more challenging trail at Cedar Park just past the lake.  The trail is a fairly steep rocky path down to a beautiful, rocky, mossy stream.  There were plenty of fall colors and we even drove through snow on the way there!  Luckily the ground was pretty dry and the whole class made it down and up without a tear!  he children would have happily spent the day grinding rocks into arrowheads and playing forest animals, but we had to return to school for early dismissal.

Amanda Mutrux, Second Grade Teacher

 

Fall Beauty on Campus

 
Gardener Chris and our Gardening students are seeking native plants to beautify our campus with this fall.  If you would be willing to donate any of the following plants or a gift certificate of any amount to Front Yard Nursery, your generosity would be greatly appreciated:    

Lavender
Rosemary

Mums

Native Plants in general

Contact Chris Cockburn (mt.view.farm@gmail.com) for more information.

Sports News 

Correction for Onsite Basketball Practice Times/Dates     

Boys will have basketball practice on Tuesdays from
3:15 - 5 pm and on Fridays from 1:45 - 4 pm. 

Girls have the court Mondays and Wednesdays for basketball.

Games are tentatively set to begin on January 7 pending SWS gym scheduling.

Curriculum Corner  

CREATIVITY AND EMPTY BOWLS
 

Completed bowls from our Sixth Grade class for the County's charity event.  A special thank you to sculptor and Sixth Grade Mom, Cindy Stephens for donating her talents for this project in both the Sixth and Eighth Grade classes this  year.

 

 

Mark Your Calendars!  

Assembly: Friday, November 18, 12:30 pm

Parent-Teacher Conference Week (NO SCHOOL): November 21-25

Winter Concert: Friday, December 2, 6:30 pm

Advent Spiral and Marionette Show: Saturday, December 10 (3 showings)

Children's Store: Friday, December 16

Holiday Market: Saturday, December 17, 10 am - 1 pm

Early Dismissal: Friday, December 22, 12:30 pm

Newsletter Sponsor

Community Events   

BINGO AND ICE CREAM SOCIAL

November 19, 2011, 1:00 - 5:00 pm

Hangtown Grange, Smith Flat Rd.

Benefiting Recovery In Action, a transitional community helping those coming out of addiction back into our society.

RAFFLE Prizes: 50/50 raffle, 1/4 natural pork, 1/2 cord wood, and many others.

Bring your family and friends for a fun night out!

Family package 2 adults & up to 4 kids $35

Adults $15, Seniors $12 (includes 1 bingo pkg, many games)

Kids 6-17 $5 (kid cannot play bingo, but game & craft table available)

Contact Chants at 530-620-2705

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H.O.P.E. DAY: "Help Other People Eat"

During this holiday season, many people in our community are less fortunate than us.  We have a unique opportunity to help people on this special day.

Join us on SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2011

10 am to 2 pm for "H.O.P.E. DAY": "Help Other People Eat"

In exchange for your donation, we will provide you with Chiropractic care, massage and refreshments on this day.  Ask your friends, family, and co-workers to share in this gift of H.O.P.E. for the holidays

YOU DONATE:                                            WE PROVIDE:

10 Non-perishable food items              Free 10 minute Massage

10 Non-perishable food items              Free Adjustment

20 Non-perishable food items              Free New Patient Exam/X-Rays*

Please help us help others by making this FOOD DRIVE a huge success.  All proceeds will be donated to El Dorado County Food Bank.

Town Center Family Chiropractic

4359 Town Center Blvd., Suite 213 - El Dorado Hills.

www.chiroedh.com

Please call 916.933.4507 for an appointment today.

*Offer not valid for Medicare patients.  New patients will be seen the weeks of Dec 5 through Dec 15.

Parent Education 

By MATT RICHTEL

Published: New York Times, October 22, 2011

LOS ALTOS, Calif. - The chief technology officer of eBay sends his children to a nine-classroom school here. So do employees of Silicon Valley giants like Google, Apple, Yahoo and Hewlett-Packard.

But the school's chief teaching tools are anything but high-tech: pens and paper, knitting needles and, occasionally, mud. Not a computer to be found. No screens at all. They are not allowed in the classroom, and the school even frowns on their use at home.

...This is the Waldorf School of the Peninsula, one of around 160 Waldorf schools in the country that subscribe to a teaching philosophy focused on physical activity and learning through creative, hands-on tasks.

Read the full article here.  

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Death of Preschool?

Article from Waldorf Today

The trend in early education is to move from a play-based curriculum to a more school-like environment of directed learning. But is earlier better? And better at what?

"... Decades of research have demonstrated that [children's] innate curiosity leads them to develop their social, emotional and physical skills independently, through exploration-that is, through play. Even animals as diverse as squirrels, horses and bears engage in, and cognitively benefit from, play [see "The Serious Need for Play," by Melinda Wenner; Scientific American Mind, February/March 2009].

The trend among preschools, however, is to engage children in activities that look more and more like school for older kids. ... So children spend more time sitting, listening and following instructions and less time playing pirates..."

Read the full article here.   

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Waldorf Education in Public Schools:

Educators adopt-and adapt-this developmental, arts-rich approach

By LAURA PAPPANO

In the quest to fix ailing schools, should we slow down to move faster? 

Just as the handmade, home-farmed foodie movement is transforming how consumers view processed food, is education's equivalent-Waldorf-style schooling that favors hands-on art and personal exploration while shunning textbooks and technology-just what school reform needs?

It sounds counterintuitive for struggling students to spend class time on, say, knitting and drawing. Yet, a small but growing number of public schools are embracing Waldorf methods in hopes of engaging students in ways advocates say traditional approaches do not-and raising test scores along the way.

Read the full article here. 

 Click here for Events and Workshops at Rudolf Steiner College 

Classified Ads 

Businesses Donating Profits to CSWS 

Offer cannot be combined with any other coupon or discount. 

Coupons sent home with students this week!  Coupon must be presented at the time of service.