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SWS Calendar Michaelmas Thank You New Volunteer Coordinators Focus On Faculty Chinook Book - Last Chance HIGH SCHOOL NEWSStudents Meet Billy Cox Thanks To Gilead GRADE SCHOOL NEWSJob Posting Photographer Thanks, Missing Info Tent City 3 Parking New Parent Outreach Team After School Activities Grade 6 & 7 Trips Grade 4 Underground Grade 3 Building A Sukkah Grade 2 Dragon Bread EARLY CHILDHOOD NEWSHarvest Festival COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTSProvided as a free service to the SWS community.
October 8, 2010Dear , Enjoy this current issue of the Connection. Here you will find all the latest SWS news and information. The Connection will be delivered to your email inbox every two weeks.   SWS 2011 Calendar Coming Soon
The 2011 wall calendar will feature artwork by over 40 current and former students of all ages, and will have a sturdy cover. The calendar is scheduled to be available by Halloween and will cost $12 - a great gift idea for friends and relatives!
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Michaelmas Thank You  What a glorious spread of food under sunny skies! A huge thank you to all who shared a dish and their company for the Michaelmas Family Harvest Festival. A special thank you to the parents and students who courageously brought the play to life, the 9th graders who came back as the dragon, Una and Ezra for their talents, Laurie Andres and friends for the music that had so many people of all sizes dancing joyfully, and the amazing volunteers who helped setup and clean up. Until next year...
Shannon Hobbs (grade 2 and 4 parent)
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Parent Association Introduces New Volunteer Coordinator & Pre-School Volunteer Coordinator
The Parent Association would like to introduce Maria Galvao as our new Volunteer Coordinator and welcome Alicia Arnold as our new Pre-School Volunteer Liaison.
Maria already coordinated volunteers for the recent Michaelmas Family Celebration and will be heading up volunteer efforts for Winter Faire, May Faire and other Parent Association-related events. Alicia will be acting as a liaison to our pre-school families and keeping them informed and involved in school activities. Thank you Maria and Alicia!
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A few words from Maria:
Hi! I am M aria Galvao - your new Volunteer Coordinator. Besides being a non-practicing Linguist and the proud owner of Maria's Desserts, I am most and foremost a Household Engineer whose highest achievement is a gorgeous 5th grader (Mario). I am dedicated to making our (yours and mine) children's experiences at the Waldorf School a lifetime of fond memories. To accomplish this, I decided to apply for the Parent Association's position of Volunteer Coordinator. I thank all who decided to accept my application and give me the opportunity to help enrich our children's lives. I will be gathering volunteers for upcoming events that are sponsored by the Parent Association, and I will be trying to gather information regarding these events so that future generations of Volunteer Coordinators have a resource to fall back on. To accomplish this, I hope to enlist all and each one of you to donate some of your time and expertise in making these memories happen.
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 A few words from Alicia:
Hi! I am Alicia Arnold, the mother of Marley, a Sunflower in Miss Gina's pre-school class, and Liam, who will be turning 1 year old in December. My husband, Hugh, and I discovered Waldorf education while living in England 2 years ago. Since then, we have been involved in parent-tot groups and have been inspired to make Waldorf education part of our daily lives. As a new parent to SWS, I am striving to learn more about Waldorf education as well as looking forward to connecting with other parents and the staff. It is my hope that this new role as the pre-school volunteer coordinator will give me the opportunity to get to know the SWS community.
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Focus on Faculty
In this section we will introduce faculty members, starting with teachers new to our school.
Irene Mitri has joined SWS as the Strings Teacher for Grades 4 and 5 and the high school Orchestral Ensemble this year. She has a wealth of experience in classroom and private teaching, spanning over 20 years. She holds an MA in Music from Yale, and a MEd from Harvard. Irene has substituted at SWS and has taught some of our students in her private studio. Irene is also the director of a Cuban music ensemble, Charanga Danzon. Irene has travelled to Cuba more than 10 times to study, teach, perform, and conduct research. She enjoys writing and has a few children's books in the works. And, more than anything she loves spending time with her wonderful husband, their 7 year old daughter, and their 100-pound yellow lab.
It just so happens that Charanga Danzon will perform this Saturday, October 9 at 8 pm, at Suyama Space on Second Ave.
Their Cuban repertoire includes traditional son Cubano, danzon, cha-cha-cha, classical, and jazz.
Click here for Tickets.
This is an all-ages concert, so please tell your friends, families, students, and colleagues! There is a special treat for you - this concert will take place within an art installation called NASCENT - suspended waves of translucent hot glue gossamer.
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Chinook Books - Last Chance! - Parent Association Fundraiser
The book has many coupons that make it very easy to break-even on the cost of the book. To name just a few: $5 off a purchase at PCC and Bartell Drugs, a free admission to the Burke Museum and the Seattle Art Museums, a free slice of pizza & a free dozen eggs at Whole Foods. It's win-win...
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HS Students Meet Billy Cox At EMP
Billy Cox played bass with Jimi Hendrix and the Band of Gypsies, and our high school students were fortunate to be invited to this presentation to a small number of high schools who, like SWS, have a close relationship with the Experience Music Project. This was arranged through our music teacher Patricia Kim, who also works at the EMP. It was her hope that Billy would share some stories about his life as a musician, offer some tips on playing the bass and being in the music business, play for the students, and respond to some of their questions during this very special time with him. Perhaps you will hear about it from your student/s...
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Many thanks to Gilead Gilead is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes therapies f or viral diseases, infectious diseases and cancer. Michelle Frame (grade 10 parent and SWS Board President) worked at Gilead, and with her co-worker Blake Dean helped facilitate the donation of a plethora of scientific equipment to our high school chemistry department. Oliver Fraser can be seen here next to the new lockable acids cabinet. All of the materials donated are much appreciated, and most importantly the lockable cabinets make our storage safer and more secure.
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Job Posting
Our Grade School Ultimate Frisbee team is looking for a coordinator to take up the ultimate frisbee activities from December, when preparations are made, through May.
Our previous coordinator extraordinaire Nancy Gilbert gifted us (and therefore you!) with an excellent and precise manual which will guide you every step of the way.
No athletic abilities or experience necessary. Solid organization and communication skills are indispensable!
This position runs an average of 3 hours per week for the duration of the season, with a compensation of $25/hour. For more information, contact Nettie Fabrie at nfabrie@seattlewaldorf.org.
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Photographer Thanks and Missing Information
Thank you to the SWS community for supporting local business through your orders of school portraits from Jesse Michener Photography. I so enjoyed taking the grade school photographs this past week and look forward to visiting Kinderhaus and the high school next week. Please note: two orders came in without order information and were separated from their payments: Check 1207 for $25.19 and check 7858 for $47.08. Please contact me so I can process your order along with the rest of the batch. jessemichener@gmail.com or 253.878.1735.
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Tent City 3
As you may have heard, Maple Leaf Lutheran Church has recently voted to host Tent City 3 from November 27, 2010 through February 26, 2011.
Tent City 3 is willing and able to patrol twice a day, before school starts and in the evening, for security and litter, as we had requested from the Church. The presence of Tent City 3 on about one third of the church parking lot will not impact our school's parking. (Tent City is completely fenced in, and the tents will not be in view from the parking area.)
Maple Leaf Lutheran Church will be hosting a meeting for the neighborhood on Sunday, November 14 at 7pm in their Community Hall, which is in their basement. It will be an opportunity for people to ask questions, and we will also hear ideas for how the community can participate in welcoming Tent City 3.
Tent City 3 will perform an hourly security patrol, and they are willing to double their security patrol staffing during the time when students are coming and going to and from the school, if we feel that this is needed.
As grateful neighbors of the Lutheran Church, we will be looking for ways to engage our school community and middle school students in getting better acquainted with Tent City 3 and their efforts to remedy the problem of homelessness through temporary housing. Parents' initiatives are most welcome!
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Parking at the Grade School
As you have undoubtedly noticed, parking at the grade school is very tight, and access to the campus at drop-off and pick-up time is difficult. For your convenience and the safety of our students, we are renting parking space from the Maple Leaf Lutheran Church on 100th Street, where our faculty and staff members already park. Please take advantage of this arrangement and enjoy a few minutes of a refreshing walk in our woods rather than an irritating 10-minute-wait in your car.
If you must use the school parking, please enter the campus cautiously (no faster than 5 miles per hour), and respect parking instructions and guidance. We would like to reserve the use of our campus parking for parents of young students in preschool, kindergarten, and grade 1. If you have a student in another grade, please support us and park at the church. Thank you!
Please remember that it is not safe to drop students off on 100th Street. We request that you drop students off either at the Church parking (our preferred choice), or in the school parking lot. We also would like to remind you to be vigilant as you walk with young children on 100th: walk facing traffic (left side of the road), hold your child's hand (more specifically his or her right hand so he or she can be further away from incoming traffic), and whenever possible use the staircase and path in the woods.
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The New Parent Outreach team
of the Parent Association is happy to report that nine new grade school families were each matched with a buddy family. Some recent and future activities we've planned to help ease the transition for new families: The 2nd Annual New Family Ice Cream Social was held last May for new families to mingle and socialize with each other, meet school staff and chat with current SWS parents; the next Parent Association meeting on October 12th will be devoted to welcoming new parents and introducing them to the activities of the Parent Association and the opportunities for them to contribute in meaningful ways to the life of the school; a brief survey will be created for new families and buddy families to share their feedback so that we can continue to serve in the best way possible. All parents at SWS play an important role in sharing their experiences with prospective families and in welcoming new families who have chosen SWS for their children. We appreciate all of your support!
(Click here for flyer.)
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Grade School After-School Activities Coming up
Aerials Class - The first class is Monday, November 1, 3:15 to 4:15 pm
Open to Grades 5 - 8. The cost of the series of 6 classes is $60. Registration forms are available in the grade school office.
Looking ahead - clear your schedule!
The Middle School Musical is set for a short run the first weekend in March. Rehearsals will be after school, starting in January. Auditions for bigger roles will be scheduled before the holiday break. All 6, 7, & 8 grade students may participate, even without auditioning. There is a $140 fee. The name of the show is still a secret!
World-champion jump-roper Jesse Bica and the Hot Dog USA jump rope team will be back for a 5-week jump rope class starting Wednesday, March 9th, from 3:15 to 4:45. Open to grade 2 to 6, fee is $66. Stop by the grade school office to register.
Ultimate Frisbee practices start in March, days TBD. We are looking for a new coach, since our beloved coach Tomas Campomanes will be devoting a year of service to AmeriCorp. Thomas will still be involved in managing the team and looks forward to attending many games. If you are interested in coaching or would like to recommend a coach, please contact Nettie Fabrie at nfabrie@seattlewaldorf.org.
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Grade 6 & 7 Camping Trips
The grade school was a little quieter when two middle school classes were gone on camping trips during the same week.
Each year, at the beginning of the year, the 6th grade students go to Mt. St. Helens and the 7th grade students travel to Steamboat Rock in Eastern Washington. Here we give you just a little taste of their experience. You will be able to get the full picture in our upcoming issue of Perspectives, the new quarterly magazine to be published later this month. Stay tuned!
Traveling to Steamboat Rock is "like going to a different world - not a bit of moss in sight!" according to Carolyn Cox (grade 6 & 7 parent), who organized drivers, menus, stopovers, shopping for food and many other critical details with unfailing good humor.
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Woes of a tree is a story written by Caleb and Will (grade 6) AFTER their trip to Mt. St. Helens:
"My name's Jerry Bramblebum. I used to be an old-growth pine tree on yonder ridge right across the lake from Mt. St. Helens, but now I'm just a log floating in a gosh-darned body o' water that them young folks call Spirit Lake. O' course that ain't to say that I can't tell you how it all began."
You will be able to read the rest of the story and see more pictures in Perspectives.
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Grade 4 - Underground And In Trees
Grade four recently studied local Geography. What better way to learn first-hand about it than to go on an outing to the bowels of old Seattle, the Underground tour, followed by a visit to the Ballard Locks? Here are some pictures.
 
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Grade 3 - Building A Sukkah
As part of their studies of Hebrew culture the third grade built a Sukkah by the upper field. Thanks to Rene Dubay you can see it grow right in front of your eyes. While the structure was standing, the class enjoyed snacks and lunches inside it.
Click here to to see the pictures and look for the button for the slide show in the upper left hand corner of the page.
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Grade 2 - The Adventure Of Baking Dragon Bread
Every year the second grade makes a giant dragon shaped bread sculpture for the Michaelmas celebration. This year, I had the opportunity to work with the second graders to make the Dragon Bread. What an adventure! We kneaded and shaped 70 pounds of bread dough into an amazing dragon and many loaves of bread. It was a great gift to work in the class and see all the children busy and happy. Click here for more photos from our great dragon making adventure!
   
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Lavender/Rosemary Harvest Festival
What a day we had at the Lavender/Rosemary Kindergarten Harvest Festival! The sun decided to shine down on us all morning long, filtering through the trees and sprinkling dapples of light everywhere. The children were hard at work (and play!) preparing for the lunchtime feast. Just about everyone had a chance at turning the crank for the apple cider making and many enjoyed hammering holes in the chestnuts to string decorations. The conversation was lively at the butter-making table, with children busy shake-shake-shaking. By the time the table was set and decorated, the beauty of the scene almost took your breath away. After giving thanks, everyone sat down and enjoyed the silkiest tasting vegetable soup from the lavender class, and that bright and crisp apple cider. Everyone asked for seconds and thirds of that gorgeous loaf of bread the Rosemary class crafted, topped with dragon butter, of course. We ended the festivities with everyone gathering around a crackling campfire, roasting apples on sticks. I overheard one child say to another, "You know, I like the Harvest Festival". This was truly a celebration of the season to be grateful for!
Heidi MacKenzie, mother of a Lavender
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This section provided as a free service to the SWS community.
AWSNA newsletter INFORM
Read about: Computers in Schools Could Do More Harm than Good, Waldorf Crisis Intervention Team in Haiti and more.
Got Daily Bread?
Sunday, October 17, 12:30 to 4:30 pm, North Seattle
Join Barry and Janet Lia for a Workshop covering the following topics: From Lawn to Loaf in Easy Steps, Building Biodynamic Compost, Radical Homemaking, Simple Sauerkraut. Cost is $20. Click here for flyer.
The Children's Atelier Fall Art Workshops
Workshops are offered to children from 6 to 12 years old and cover topics such as:
Paper Towel Art, Portrait Painting, Copper Relief Embossing, Hanging Mobiles, Crayon Encaustic and much more. Click here for art workshop flyer or call Melissa Koch for more information: 206-779-9152
Help Wanted
Responsible young person with childcare experience and a car needed to pick up 6th grader at SWS grade school 2-3 times/week and get her to after school activities then home for working mom who gets home 5:30-6 pm. Hours somewhat flexible, approx. 10 hrs/week, $10/hour. Please call Levana Fletcher 206-718-7435
Want to Live Close to SWS?
Our lovely home is located literally just around the corner from SWS at 10060 Ravenna Ave NE. Enjoy the convenience of walking to/from school and school events. Total of 4 bedrooms, 2 ¾ bath, large living spaces and large yard that comes with a trampoline and swing set. There is a separate one bedroom, one bath, full kitchen cottage in the back that can be used as a rental, home office or guest house. We would love for this house to stay in the SWS community. Open house every Sunday from 1 to 4 pm. Click here to see more details and lots of pictures of the house.
In case you missed it in the last issue. . .
Babysitter Available
Ahoy, my name is Madeline Frank. I am an 11th grader at Seattle Waldorf and am interested in babysitting. I am available after school and on the weekend. 206-323-2605
Piano Teacher Available
Are you looking for a piano teacher? Molly Knight has openings in her studio on Phinney Ridge for children and adults. If you want exciting, fun, and at the same time comprehensive classical training, then this is the place for you. She has 20+ years of teaching experience, award-winning students, various methods up her sleeve, and she guarantees a rewarding experience. 206-234-7958
Home for Sale
We are a long-time SWS family from way back who are now selling our home, just 12 minutes from the grade school: organic vegetable garden/ several fruit trees, rose garden and cutting gardens, lovely large yard (nearly 3/4 acre), several energy-efficient appliances and some GREEN as well. We would just love to pass our home along to someone who has some good anthroposophical appreciation. Here is the flyer: http://tinyurl.com/2929f8h
Home for Sale In Shoreline
Just 20 minutes from SWS: Three bedroom, 1.75 bath. Blueberries, strawberries, Italian plums, apples and vegetable beds. Large swingset, fully fenced yard. Bigger than it looks, this updated tri-level home in a quiet neighborhood has lots of storage, sunny daylight basement with grand fireplace, beautiful hardwood floors, formal dining room plus eating space, sunny back porch and more. $349,749. More information: http://tinyurl.com/29usrl9
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Mission
We
educate our students to be free human beings who impart purpose and
meaning to their lives, who meet life with courage, and respond with
initiative and creativity to the needs of the world and their fellow
human beings. |
Links
For information on Waldorf teacher training and other course offerings, visit www.soundcircle.org
Visit the Meadowbrook Farmers Market, on the grade school campus Sundays, 11am to 3 pm, June through the end of October. Details can be found on their website: www.meadowbrookfm.org
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Connection is published bi-weekly when school is in session. Please email all submissions directly to: newsletter@seattlewaldorf.org. All articles or ads for the next issue are due by noon on: Wed, October 20.
Submissions Guidelines © 2010 Seattle Waldorf School.
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