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Book Drive Alumni Gathering Sheperd's Play Winter Faire School Closure Sibling Applications Tent City 3 & Charitable Giving Parent Association News Focus on Faculty HIGH SCHOOL NEWSHelping Tent City 3 Move GRADE SCHOOL NEWSBook Sale Lost & Found Break Care Musical Auditions Reports From Grades EARLY CHILDHOOD NEWSStories from Briar Rose & Marigold COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTSProvided as a free service to the SWS community. December 3, 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.
Don't see any pictures? Click on Display images below in the upper left hand corner of this email to see the pictures that are part of this issue.   School-Wide Book Drive Seattle Waldorf School will be hosting a bookdrive from Monday, December 6 through Friday, December 10 to build libraries for classrooms in the grade school and high school. Some of the donated books will be distributed to classrooms, and some will be sold at a school-wide book sale on December 17 at both locations.
All proceeds from the book sale will go toward the purchase of more books for students to read in school. Teachers will also be publishing a list of requested books for their classrooms; details will follow in a separate email.
This holiday season, please help our students grow in their love of reading by donating any books (new or used) that you'd like to share and that are appropriate for Waldorf students in grades K-12. We'll find them new homes!
Book collection will begin next Monday, December 6 at the grade and high school campuses.Save The Date - Alumni GatheringTuesday, December 28, 4 - 6 pm
Grade School Campus, Huckleberry Hall. Look for more information in the next Connection. |
Shephe rd's Play
Thursday, December 16, 5 pm and 7:30 pm
Grade school campus, Huckleberry Hall
Faculty members perform The Shepherd's Play as a gift to the community. Please join us for either performance.
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Winter Faire 
This Sunday, December 5, 10 - 3 pm
Grade school campus, Huckleberry Hall
You will find many wonderful gift options at the fair offered by our many vendors, for example, the heart strings on the right are made by grade 6 parent Joni Nabinger. Look for SWS merchandise (t-shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, and much more), SWS calendars, and note cards.
You will also find our friendly SCRIP coordinators with PCC Scrip cards and information about how your regular online shopping can support SWS.
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School Closure Policy
For your information: The school either opens on time, or is closed. (We do not use delayed start times). In the event of adverse weather, we will make one decision - open or closed- which will be in effect for all three of our campuses (High School, Grade School, Kinderhaus).
For school closures, go to schoolreport.org or access through our website. In addition, a phone message and email message will be sent by the AlertNow Notification Service to the number indicated on your child's Emergency and Consent form for inclement weather or cancellations.
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Last Reminder - Sibling Applications Due
Families with siblings who plan to enter SWS next fall are invited to pick up or request an admission application from the school office. To receive priority placement, we ask that sibling applications be submitted by December 16, 2010.
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Tent City 3 Wish List
Funding - for maintaining our Porta-Potties and Dumpsters, Tents/tarps, Pallets/plywood, Batteries/flashlights, Duct tape/nails twine, Blankets/sleeping bags, Clean, usable clothing/shoes, Socks, Hygiene products, Feminine products, Pain/cold relief, Paper products, Disposable cups/plates/cutlery, 33-gallon garbage bags, Antibacterial sprays/wipes/soap, Ready-to-eat/microwavable/canned protein foods, Coffee/creamer/sugar, Milk/juice/pop, Notebooks/logs, Pens/black permanent markers, Carbon paper, Hand warmers,
Tent City 3 at Maple Leaf Lutheran Church
Opportunities To Share Our Good Fortunes
November 27 was move-in day for Share/Wheel's Tent City 3 at the Maple Leaf Community Church. Some of our older students organized Waldorf community members to come and
help with the move.
 | | SEE MORE PICTURES IN HIGH SCHOOL NEWS |
It was chilly, but very satisfying work. There was much evidence of neighborhood solidarity and camaraderie, with local residents turning up with coffee, donuts, and home-baked treats for the workers throughout the morning.
Christina Shinkle, Head of Maple Leaf Lutheran Church's Tent City Task Force, said:
"Thank you!!! It was great having your community with us and with Tent City 3. We were glad for Waldorf's presence."
Kudos to our students!
 | | GRADE 4 STARTED ON THE SCARVES |
Meanwhile...
Many grade school students in grades 4 to 7 are busy knitting scarves. The goal is to be able to deliver 100 scarves to the Tent City 3 residents on the evening of December 14, along with cookies and song.
Community Events
Tent City 3 and Maple Lutheran are inviting the community to the following events, in the basement of the church:
Game Night with the Neighborhood, TC3 and MLLC
Tuesday, January 4, 7:00pm to 8:30pm
Valentine's Day Card Making Night with Neighborhood, TC3 and MLLC
Tuesday, February 8, from 7:00pm to 8:30pm
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Another Opportunity For Charitable Giving
The SWHS ninth grade class, in collaboration with Woodinville Unitarian Universalist Church Youth Group, is sponsoring a holiday dinner for residents of Sand Point Community Housing, a transitional housing shelter. The transitional housing program gives homeless folks a two year time period to work intensively with their case manager on overcoming issues that led to their homelessness and on getting back to stable permanent housing. Nearly 90 percent of the people who come though these programs are able to get back to solid ground.
Last year we successfully fed a large group of residents and fun was had by all. We are inviting SWS families to contribute potluck dishes for the event. Many families joined in last year and it was so appreciated. Would you like to contribute? It's easy. Just make something you enjoy cooking and we'll figure out how to pick it up from you or provide a drop-off location. We are looking for all kinds of dishes, they can be hot, cold, or even baked bread.
If you are interested in contributing please email Nina Rhys at ninarhys@hotmail.com and we'll coordinate a drop-off or pick-up.
Holiday Dinner for Families in Transitional Housing
Date: Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Location: Sandpoint Community Housing
Coat Drive: We are also sponsoring a coat drive, so please look for donation bins at all school locations. New or gently used coats for all ages are greatly appreciated. We are also accepting hats, scarves, and gloves. We will be collecting coats all the way up until winter break. Last year we collected over 100 coats!
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Parent Association News
Join us on Tuesday, Dec. 14, 7pm - All are invited!
We will meet in the grade school music room, share some holiday cheer, and discuss ideas for providing community service to Tent City 3, as well as Talent Night.
How do we acknowledge our children's teachers during the holidays?
In general, we try to stay away from giving a class gift since in a past meeting some parent reps shared that it can feel uncomfortable to ask fellow parents for money for teachers' class gifts at holidays and the end of the year. A new proposal grew out of this discussion and was then supported by the administration.
Everybody is still welcome to give individual gifts to teachers as they wish, and each class takes a turn providing food for the College of Teachers meetings rather than giving a class gift. The faculty really appreciates this nurturing gift: "Thanks so much for the delicious snack last night at our faculty meeting. We appreciate the time and effort it took for you to organize that gift for us." (From the faculty chair's thank you letter to grade 7 parents who organized a simple but delicious meal with steamed potatoes, cheese, cold cuts and condiments, traditionally eaten in the Swiss Alps.)
We want to be sure and let everyone know that although not expected at all, individual gifts such as cards, small handmade gifts, or other small gestures (such as flowers) are welcomed. A card signed by all the parents or the whole class of high school students may be one of the gifts that is most appreciated.
Race to Nowhere - Thank you!
Seattle Waldorf School hosted the 'Race to Nowhere' documentary at the Experience Music Project on Sunday, November 21.
We had over 200 people attend from our school and the greater Seattle community and had thought-provoking discussions after each showing, led by Tim Love. We plan to have a follow-up discussion forum in January and will contact everyone who provided us with an e-mail address.
Thank you to Cin dy Scobee for initiating this event and to the numerous other people who helped make this happen by organizing and taking care of a myriad details: Cindy Scobee, Cindy Scheyer, Gabi McCarthy, Diana Wolfe, Meg Petty, Jane Higgins, Geraldine Kline, Nettie Fabrie, Natalie Steiner & Patricia Kim. Many thanks also to our facilitator and panel members: Tim Love, Margit Crane, Nikki Danos, Luci Hackbert, Ingrid Orlow, Betsy Weill.
"What an eye-opening movie that we were able to see more than two weeks ago. Thanks again to the people who organized this, and also to the anchorman, and the panel members. This movie was really thought-provoking, and although I do not have grade school children yet, let alone high school children preparing for college, I learned a lot about how we treat our children and how too much pressure can change the course of life very early on." Peter von Homeyer (Parent-tot, preschool & kindergarten parent)
Minutes for past Parent Association meetings can be found on the Parent Association page of our website.
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Focus On Faculty
Martina Brimmer was born and raised in San Francisco, by her mom and sister. At an very young age, if you had asked what Martina might like to be when she grew up, she would have grinned and listed farmer, eurythmist, and midwife as her top ambitions. She now finds herself in Seattle Washington, with a degree in Agroecology (small scale farming) from Prescott College, and teaching (in part) at the Seattle Waldorf High School, as the Life Skills Teacher and Wilderness and Work Experience Facilitator. When Martina is not teaching she is working from home on Swift Industries, a bicycle pannier sewing company she and her husband began in 2008, and supporting laboring mothers as a part-time birth doula. The silver thread which links all of Martina's work is a love of education, and a quest to help individuals find empowerment in life transitions.
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Helping Tent City 3 Move
   High school students working with Tent City 3 residents and community members
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Book Sale
Friday, Dec. 17 from 2:30 - 4pm in Huckleberry Hall
Join us to browse through the books collected in the book drive and perhaps enjoy a cup of hot cider. Please remember to park at the church, thank you!
Lost & Found
iPod found at Grade School - please contact the office to identify it if you lost one.
Reminder - Register For Break Care
Do your holiday shopping without your children! Better yet, leave them in Break Care and they can make gifts for you while you go to the spa! Break care will be offered Monday, December 20, Tuesday, December 21, and Wednesday, December 22. We will be making delicious treats and various crafts for holiday decorations and gifts. Please register your child by Monday, December 13. Click here to download the registration form, or stop by the office.
Middle School Musical Auditions - December 14 and 15
All students in grades 6, 7, and 8 are welcome to participate in this after-school activity. The audition does NOT determine who is allowed to participate (all who can make the commitment are allowed) but rather how the show will be cast. For details see the email to grade 6, 7, 8 parents from earlier today. The fee is $140 for cast members and $70 - $140 for crew members.
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Winter Spiral
Last Sunday, grades 1, 2 and 3 walked the winter spiral. On Monday, grade 4 through 8 followed.
  
Many thanks to Andy Barker (grade 10 parent) for taking the lovely pictures.
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Grade 8
Our eighth grade students held their first bake sale a couple of Fridays ago, and it was a great success. On top of all the delicious things brought from home, three ovens at school were put to use baking many more treats. The result was a delicious spread of goodies and $141 .88 raised for Heifer International. What does that mean? It means that even after this first of three bake sales, the class is able to provide several families with life altering gifts. They could buy a goat or sheep or pig plus a flock of ducks. They could gift four families with honey bees. They could buy seven flocks of chicks to families in need. But they just might hold out for that water buffalo...
Grade 4
Grade 4 students are learning to juggle with the balls they made in class. Many thanks to Steve Hobbs (grade 4 and 2 parent) who visited to give a demonstration.
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Grade 1 - Learning To Knit
Grade 8 students have been visiting grade 1 and teaching our first graders to knit.
  
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Briar Rose
An anecdote, told by Miss Melissa (Please remember to not share these stories with your little ones.)
One day, Ian came up to Miss Melissa and said "Johann won't let me play!" Miss Melissa asked Johann, "Why won't you let Ian play?" Johann said "I just can't take any more racket! I am Barack Obama and I have a lot to think about."
Marigold
From Miss Martha's letter to her parents (Please remember to not share these stories with your little ones.)
Camilla and Sarah were in a house by the stairs, making beds, sleeping, and talking. Then I heard Sarah say, "Let's be kittens." And then Camilla agreed, "Let's ask Zander to be our owner." So they crawled over to Zander and meowed and asked him to be their owner. He was delighted and told them that they needed leashes. He tied leashes to their waists and took them out for a walk. Upon returning to the house, he said, "Will you please stay in your house?" The kittens nodded and Camilla reassured him, "We are good kittens."
August and Teddy built a race car that turned into a train. "Not the polar express today," August told me when I erroneously called it that. As usual, it was filled with dishes and food, just in case! The two broke into quite a gale of laughter because one boy was at the front and the other at the back with 6 chairs in the middle. They kept calling back and forth to each other about which end was the front. It kept changing and they also decided that they could drive it backwards!
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This section provided as a free service to the SWS community.
AWSNA Newsletter INFORM
How Handwriting Trains the Brain - Forming Letters Is Key to Learning, Memory, Ideas
In many schools, handwriting is hardly taught any more. At Waldorf schools it is a mainstay of the curriculum throughout the elementary grades. New research shows that the fading art of handwriting can benefit children's motor skills and their ability to compose ideas and achieve goals throughout life. An article in the Wall Street Journal describes how, by using advanced tools such as magnetic resonance imaging, researchers are finding that writing by hand helps with learning letters and shapes, can improve idea composition and expression, and may aid fine motor-skill development. Another recent study demonstrated that in grades two, four, and six, children wrote more words, faster, and expressed more ideas when writing essays by hand versus with a keyboard. Read more from this article from the Wall Street Journal from October 5, 2010.
For the complete December newsletter, click here.
What Are Our Community Members Up To?
Sophia, daughter of Irene Mitri (grade school and high school strings teacher) is featured in three roles as toy, rabbit and elf in Book-it Reperatory Theatre's delightful musical production of Red Ranger Came Calling, running now through December 23. Read about it here.
Read here in Seattle's Child about Claira Smith (grade 7) who has been cast as one of the Claras in Pacific Northwest Ballet's beloved Nutcracker. The show runs now until December 27, and a discount ticket site has been set up to be used by family and friends for any of the many performances. The discount will apply to any ticket/s that you purchase through the site, and will vary depending on the seats you choose.
If you would like to see her perform, at this point we know that she will dance as Clara on Sunday, December 12, at 1:00 pm.
I only find out about additional performance dates for Claira 10 days before a show, and I will post them on the ticket order page ASAP.
Click here to order your discounted tickets and feel free to send the link to friends and family so they can also see the Nutcracker at a discount. Please let me know if you have any questions: 206-399-7090 Cheryl Smith
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Parenting with Awareness- Cultivating emotional balance on the spiritual path of parenting
Tuesdays, January 4, 11, 18, and 25, and February 1 and 8, 11 am - 1 pm
We will explore how meditation deepens our capacity for wisdom and compassion in our relationships while building a supportive community. Parents with no prior meditation experience are welcomed as well as those with an established practice. Cost $240 (or $210 if you sign up with a friend). Registration online at campselfdiscovery.com or email luci@campselfdiscovery.com. Course co-facilitated by Lucianne Hackbert, PhD (SWS mom to Levi and Milo) and Jenny Hayo (Yoga and meditation teacher).
The Waldorf Elementary School Years: Developing Essential Capacities for Learning and Living in Our Challenging Times
Wednesday, January 5, 2011, 6:30 pm at Bright Water School
Current educational trends are promoting rigorous academic programs at earlier ages. With this and other influences, children are being pressured to grow up too quickly, resulting in the loss of childhood and the early onset of adolescent issues. Concerns about early academic pressure and teaching to the test are raising questions for many parents. Betty Staley, an internationally recognized Waldorf educator, will share how Waldorf education supports each developmental stage in the child; enlivens their capacities for original thinking; and prepares children to become healthy, happy adolescents. Free and open to the public.
Seattle Family Dance
Sunday, December 19, 2010, 3 - 5 pm at the Phinney Neighborhood Center-Community Hall.
Join Dina Blade and the Canote Brothers to welcome winter and celebrate the release of their new family dance CD and book! Come and join the fun! Simple dances will be taught to kids 10 and under and their families.
SFS/PNA Members: $5 per person, $15 per family; all others $6 per person, $18 per family.
Find the Community Hall at 6532 Phinney Ave N., Seattle and go into the brick building using the the lower parking lot entry.
More info: Rosemary parent Clare Woolgrove clare@seattlerolfer.com or www.seattledance.org/family
Elves And The Shoemaker Marionette Performance with 14 silk and wool marionettes.
Sunday, December 19, 2010 at 11 am & 1 pm, Seattle Waldorf School's Huckleberry Hall
Performed by the Willow Branch Puppet Theater Troupe.
Advance Visa/MC Reservations: $7 child/senior $8 general admission, at the door: $8 child/senior, $9 general admission. Call: 206-985-2059
CHANGED SCHEDULE! Buy Certified Organic Raw Cow's Milk From Washington State
Join our buying group and have this delicious, nutritious, creamy raw milk delivered every other week right next door to the grade school, ready for you to pick up.
Visit the Pride and Joy website for product and ordering information. Our location is titled "U District/Lake City" on the schedule. Order by 12 pm (noon) Saturday for Wednesday pick up!
We are hosting this delivery site for Pride and Joy Dairy. The dairy is working to provide butter, cream, and cheese in the future. Tim Love and Lisa Wolfe 729-2534
Waldorf Family Looking For Part-time Live In Nanny (or Manny)
Share our home. Private bedroom and bath with cable/wireless. Low key. No drama.
Play with our super cool 6 yr old son two afternoons each week + occasional date night.
Trade for rent rather than $. Dog okay. Ravenna park is our backyard.
Only generous, clean, flexible, easy people need apply.
Reply to aldendesoto@gmail.com or call Cyndi at 206-790-6867
Looking For A Flexible Nanny
Family located in Bryant looking for some extra childcare for our 4 and 2 yr old. Mom has inconsistent work obligations, that change from week to week, but need care approximately 6-15 hrs/wk. Also need help with preschool pick-ups and occasional pet care / sitting. My son is in the Daffodil class. Happy to have you bring your children along, or I could bring mine to you! $15/hr. Email katierob@gmail.com
Nanny Available
My Name is Katherine Doorly aka 'Kadie'. I have been a 'Friend of the Seattle Waldorf School' since 1988 and very close friends with the Houston Family.
I am a LMP and looking for a part-time nanny position. I have nearly 30 years experience in the 'Waldorf Community' (Seattle and elsewhere before), have been a Waldorf Kindergarden Assistant and Teacher and have many more years experience with childcare. Fostering the growth and development of 'each individual child' from my heart and my head, and my experiences within Waldorf have always been my passion. Local references available upon request. I may be reached at katy_doorly@juno.com or 206-330-1324.
In case you missed it in the last issue. . .
Real Estate Services
Cally Fulton, ex-Waldorf parent and current SWS substitute teacher, owns Infiniti Real Estate & Development with her daughter Danielle Johnson. They have over 15 years' experience working with homebuyers and sellers here in the greater Seattle area, and are now offering customized commission packages as a way of giving back to their community in these tough economic times. Call 206-786-5061 or email cally@infinitiRED.com for more information. You can also visit our website at infinitiRED.com.
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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
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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, December 15.
Submissions Guidelines © 2010 Seattle Waldorf School.
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