November 1 Daylight Savings Time Ends
November 2 Parent Association Meeting
November 4 Lantern Making - EC Parents Only - 7:00pm
November 13 Early Dismissal -12:30pm EC 1:00pm Grades No Aftercare Provided
7:00pm Martinmas Lantern Walk and Community Simple Supper
November 25 Early Dismissal 12:30pm EC, 1:00pm Grades
November 26 & 27 Thanksgiving Break - No School
November 30 Regular School Schedule Resumes

Each November Sunrise School of Miami has a Lantern Walk to celebrate Martinmas, a festival of inner light in the outer darkness of the approaching winter.

Saint Martin was a Roman Soldier in the 4th Century. Legend says that one wintry night he met a poor beggar, half-naked and freezing. Martin removed the heavy military cloak from his shoulders and, drawing his sword, cut it in two, and gave half to the beggar. That night, Christ appeared to Martin a dream, wrapped in the same piece of cloak Martin had given the beggar, and said: "Martin has covered me with this garment." Martin became the patron saint of beggars, drunks and outcasts, dedicating his life to assisting pariahs.

Celebrating Martinmas at Sunrise School serves as a reminder that each of us has a divine spark that we must ferry out into the world and share with others. The children hear the story of St. Martin, sing songs and, as darkness falls, venture out into the night carrying their lanterns walking along a path lit with glowing luminaries in a mood of quiet reverence.

This symbolic act brings home the deeper truth, in the words of Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism (563-483 B.C.): "There isn't enough darkness in all the world to snuff out the light of one candle."

Martinmas will be celebrated on Friday, November 13th and will be for Early Childhood through 4th Grade. The evening will begin with our traditional Lantern walk - the students will gather their lit lanterns from their class teachers, the story around the fire and ending with a 'simple' supper of homemade soups, breads and drinks.

We hope to see all of our parents and children from these grades join us this evening.

Waldorf Education is different and 'foreign' from what most of us are familiar with, especially those of us that are only familiar with 'traditional' curriculums that have been established by the Government.

In an effort to help educate you more about this beautifully, rich curriculum that you have selected for your children, we will be adding a new section in the newsletter - Waldorf Education Corner.

Each month we will pose the most frequently asked questions associated with Waldorf Education as well as suggested books to read. Be sure to email us with your questions regarding Waldorf Education - chances are, there are others that are wondering the same thing.

What make a Waldorf school different?

Waldorf schools offer a developmentally appropriate, experiential approach to education. We integrate the arts and academics for children from preschool (Early Childhood) through the grades. The aim of the education is to inspire life-long learning in students and to enable him or her to fully develop their unique capacities. It is education for the "whole child"!

Does Waldorf Education prepare children for the 'real' world; and, if so, how does it do it?

It is easy to fall into the error of believing that education must make our children fit into society. Although we are certainly influenced by what the world bring us, the fact is that the world is shaped by people, not people by the world. However, that shaping of the world is possible in a healthy way only if the shapers are themselves in possession of their full nature as human beings. Education in our materialistic, Western society focuses on the intellectual aspect of the human being and has chosen largely to ignore the several other parts that are essential to our well-being. These include our life of feeling (emotions, aesthetics, and social sensitivity), our willpower (the ability to get things done), and our moral nature (being clear about right and wrong). Without having these developed, we are incomplete - a fact that may become obvious in our later years when a feeling of emptiness begins to set in. That is why in a Waldorf school, the practical and artistic subjects play as important a role as the full spectrum of traditional academic subjects that the school offers. The practical and artistic are essential in achieving a preparation for life in the 'real' world. Waldorf Education recognizes and honors the full range of human potentialities. It addresses the whole child by striving to awaken and enable all the latent capacities. The children learn to read, write and do math; they study history, geography, and the sciences. In addition, all children learn to sing, play a musical instrument, draw, paint, model clay, carve and work with wood, speak clearly and act in a play, think independently, and work harmoniously and respectfully with others. The development of these various capacities is interrelated. For example, both boys and girls learn to knit in grade one. Acquiring this basic and enjoyable human skill helps them develop manual dexterity, which after puberty will be transformed into an ability to think clearly and to 'knit' together their thoughts into a coherent whole.

Preparation for life includes the development of the well-rounded person. Waldorf Education has as its ideal a person who is knowledgeable about the world and human history and knowledgeable about the world and human history and culture, who has many varied practical and artistic abilities, who feels a deep reverence for and communion with the natural world, and who can act with initiative and in freedom in the face of economic and political pressures. There are many Waldorf graduates of all ages who embody this ideal and who are perhaps the best proof of the efficacy of the education.

Mr. Mario's 4th grade class trekked through sections of the Everglades National Park as part of their Local Geography Main Lesson block.  The Everglades plays a vital role to South Florida, with it's diverse ecological system that serves as the habitat for an incredibly diverse variety of animal and plant life. It is unique in the world and one of the nation's greatest ecological treasures - and it is right here in our 'backyard'. These 4th graders ended their trip with an excursion into a Cyprus Dome.

Geography proper begins after the 9 year change, in 4th grade. The child has now separated somewhat from his immediate environment and is able to step back and engage sympathetically with the larger world.  The ability to draw a bird's eye view map is an exercise found in 4th grade - one has to be able to stand apart from one's surroundings to do such a drawing and this is a wonderful challenge for this age developmental group.

The 8th grade students wish to thank all of the families that have signed up for the Pizza Friday fund raising. These funds, as well as the other activities that they will be hosting throughout the school year, will help to make their 8th grade Class Trip possible. This year they will be traveling to Washington, DC to integrate the many studies they will be involved with this school year.

So again, a warm THANK YOU from our 8th grade students.

Last year (2008-2009) the school received donations from the Parent Association to purchase the beautiful linen tablecloths and runners that graced our tables for Michaelmas. In addition, funds were provided to assist in the operational costs for materials and labor in preparing our classrooms for the Fall.

Thank you Parent Association!

We are pleased to announce that the PA will be posting meeting minutes on the school website - www.sunriseschoolofmiami.com. This will enable our parent community the opportunity to stay current with the PA's work.

The PA is looking for parents to help plan and hold the school festivals with our faculty. Be sure to contact Liseth at PAsunrise@gmail.com if you would like to share your head, heart, or hands. See you at the Martinmas Festival on November 13th!

Information on Martinmas needs, workdays etc., contact PA at PASunrise@gmail.com

Each teacher begins her or his day when the first child arrives in the morning and does not end until the last child is picked up from school or placed in Aftercare.

Therefore, it is necessary for any parent who wishes to speak with a teacher about questions or concerns to schedule an appointment when it is mutually convenient. This allows the teachers to stay in the moment and present for your child. You can either contact the office or email the school requesting an appointment.

Find copies of the Newsletter and minutes from the Parent Association meetings online www.sunriseschoolofmiami.com

Thank You to Yvonne Arias for all her hard work and efforts in obtaining donations from Home Depot for three air conditioners, Julie Arthurs and Irina Toyne for assisting in classroom cleaning on Sunday and Cecilia Staubli for the Lazure work in Early Childhood. We greatly appreciate your efforts!