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January 28, 2011Dear , We hope you will enjoy this current issue of the Connection with the latest SWS news. Feel free to forward the newsletter to interested community members using the Forward email link at the bottom of this newsletter, below our logo. They will then be able to subscribe to the newsletter.  SWS Talent Night - February 5 - Buy Your Tickets By Tuesday, February 1
Just for adults, just for fun. You do not have to perform to attend! Talents on the schedule so far: Andy Barker (high school parent), Andy Shaw (grade school parent), Brady Millard-Kish (grade school & kindergarten parent), and Sheryl Madden (grade school parent). Jerry James (high school parent) will run our sound. If you have a talent, please consider joining the line-up -- you can be assured of instant (though perhaps fleeting) fame and copious applause! Call the grade school office to sign up to perform. If you have been waiting for a night out with adults, this is a great opportunity to spend time with your friends AND to meet other parents, faculty, and staff. Tickets are $15 if purchased BY TUESDAY, February 1, either at the high school or the grade school campus or click here to buy tickets online from Brown Paper Tickets. $20 at the door. Please note: If we do not sell a sufficient number of tickets by the end of Tuesday, we will cancel the event. Notes From the All-School Forum
A heartfelt thank you to all who attended this past Wednesday's All School Forum on the topics of tuition, budget, and Head of Administration transition. A lively conversation on these topics -- particularly the first two -- leads us to share with you additional information in this issue of the Connection, for which the audience expressed appreciation, as a context to understand the tuition increase for the 2011-12 school year. Please click here or scroll to the end of the newsletter to find information on what our assumptions are about enrollment when creating the budget, to learn how the funds from the tuition increase will be spent, and to read one parent's perspective on going through the Financial Aid process. |
Emergency Help Needed After Landslide in Brazil
You may have read or heard about the recent flash floods and landslides in Brazil.
Artur and Gisele (grade 4 and kindergarten parents) are from Brazil and have many friends in the city of Nova Friburgo, which was severely flooded.
The image shows a flooded area in Nova Friburgo, Brazil, seen on Monday, Jan. 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
Click here to see more images from the disaster area.
Below, please read their letter to our community to find out how you can help.Dear Seattle Waldorf Community,
Please help the families around the Waldorf Schools Vale de Luz and Cecilia Meireles in Brazil!
During the last days we have followed with a lot of concern and consternation the information in the media about the landslides in the Nova Friburgo city in Brazil. A series of flash floods and mudslides struck the Serrana mountain region near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The natural catastrophe has hit the poorest of the poor thus destroying all of their material belongings and especially their shelter. Nearly 14,000 people are now homeless, 827 are reported to have been killed and another 513 remain missing in this, Brazil's worst-ever natural disaster.
The Children of Vale de Luz Association is working to help the families affected by the landslide of both schools. These are public Waldorf Schools in Brazil that are focused on needy people.
We encourage you, members of the Seattle Waldorf School community, to support the efforts of the Children of Vale de Luz Association to rebuild the families' lives.
Following is the letter sent by the Association with information and asking for donations:
"Several families of our school community have disappeared in the disaster. Other families have lost literally everything and have to build everything "from zero". The school itself has not been destroyed, but serves as an emergency shelter to many directly affected people. During the first days after the disaster we have been out of light and all ways of communication.
After the first shock and the fear came the emergency actions especially from the city but also from the whole state of Rio de Janeiro. Lots of people are helping as volunteers. The firemen are still looking for victims. Lots of people lost their houses or had to leave them since it could fall down anytime. Lots of places are welcoming these people, providing a temporary roof and food. Our Waldorf School, Vale de Luz, is one of these places.
After the time of immediate emergency, will follow the time of reconstruction, therefore our Association is diffusing a message to inform our friends and partners and raise some funds to help the families. As we receive the donations, we will invest them in the greatest needs."
Please help with your donation, in order to reduce the suffering and misery of affected families around the Waldorf Schools Vale de Luz and Cecilia Meireles.
Click here to make your donation through the PayPal system.
Thank you very much!
Artur and Gisele
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Last Call For Photos For The Yearbook!  The all-school yearbook is a collection of photos submitted by parents and students. We would like to include many images showing our rich school life in the yearbook. Please submit your full-size high-resolution photos on a CD or DVD to the grade school or high school office by Wednesday, February 16. Please contact Jane Higgins at 206-890-2031 if you have any questions or need help. Thank you!
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Financial Aid Deadline - February 3 - Tax Return Needed If you are planning to apply for financial aid (TLA), complete your taxes early so that you have all of the necessary information to enter on the SSS application. The SSS deadline is Thursday, February 3. Submit Financial Aid Information to SSS online or by mail; you can request a mail-in copy from the Admissions Office. Please remember that you will need to submit a copy of your 2010 tax return during Recommitment Days. Financial aid applications will not be processed without a tax return. Please see the Financial Aid page on our website and read about one parent's experience with financial aid here, in the article about this week's All School Forum.
Dates For Recommitment Wednesday & Thursday, February 9 and 10
Recommitment Days at the grade school campus, 8 am - 6 pm (for all SWS families)
Friday, February 11
Recommitment Day at high school campus, 8 am to 12, noon (for high school families only)
We'll look forward to seeing everyone in a few days.
Tour Dates Grade School Tours:
Tuesdays from 8:30 to 10 am: March 1, April 5, May 3
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30th Anniversary Celebration, March 25 & 26 - Save The Dates! Join us in celebrating the rich history of our school and the many people who helped create SWS. We start on Friday night at 7 pm with a humorous presentation by Ronald Koetz, the editor of Renewal Magazine, that shines the light on, shall we say, some idiosynchrasies of Waldorf Education.
The Saturday night program will begin at 6:30 with short presentations about some of our school's milestones as well as a look to the future, and will include performances by faculty and students. At 7:30 we will enjoy desserts, an art exhibit, a slide show with images from 30 years of SWS, and a swing dance with Walter Dill from Everyone Can Dance.
We have asked our generous and talented volunteer bakers to create cakes for the event (30 cakes for 30 years) and have five offers already. Even if you did not receive that email invitation to bake, you are welcome to add your special concoction to our line-up of birthday cakes for the event. Click here to let us know that you would like to participate.
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Mr. Love Endorses New Bus, Preschoolers Endorse Mr. Love For some time, the school has been interested in purchasing a small used bus that does not require a specialized driver's license, which would greatly help with transportati on for field trips for both high school and grade school. Just this week, Tim Love,our facilities manager has found such a vehicle!
In this context, we could not resist the following story, told by Martha Swain, teacher of the Marigold preschool.
Please don't share the story with your children.
Haven and Camilla were playing on the boat and called me anxiously over to them. When I arrived, they pointed to a small, black, scary lump hanging from the fence steps and asked me what it was. "Doesn't it look scary?" "It looks yucky!" they agreed. So I poked it with my finger to find that it was just some small ball of black electrical tape that seemed to be part of the lights on the stairs. I reported that to them and added, "Mr. Love put this here." So Haven turned to Camilla, put her hand on her shoulder and pronounced, "Well, it can't be a bad scary thing because Mr. Love put it there and Mr. Love is our friend!" "Yes, Mr. Love is my friend, too!" Camilla smiled. Their concern vanished in a blink of an eye. |
  Next meeting:  February 8 - All are invited!
7 pm, Music room, grade school campus
Please read the minutes from the January Parent Association meeting in the Parent Association section of our website.
Tent City 3 Wish List Drive Bring In Donations Monday, January 31 Through Friday, February, 4 If you are like many of us, your garage may benefit from some straightening out. As you go through your garage you may find that you have three rolls of duct tape, and you only really need one - sound familiar? We encourage you to take the next couple of weeks to see what items from the wish list you might have on-hand to give to Tent City. We will be collecting your donations both at the high school and the grade school during the week of January 31. Look for collection bins at the high school and the grade school campus.
Race To Nowhere The movie will be shown again on
Thursday, February 10, at 7 pm
Stroum Jewish Community Center, Mercer Island
Click here for tickets.
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 On The Other Hand... On the one hand, Fiddler on the Roof was a lot of fun. On the other hand, it was a great educational experience. Read on for different points of view and enjoy these photographs by Jesse Michener...
 Nettie Fabrie, Head of Pedagogy: It was a conscious choice on our part to make participation in the musical mandatory. The experience of being a necessary part of something so big and complicated is very empowering and just what the students need at this time. We want each student to be able to make this journey.
Duncan, grade 10, Tevye: In the weeks leading up to our performance there was a very anxious energy at rehearsals. Nobody knew if the show would be ready by the twenty fi rst. Which is why on closing afternoon, as the white lights went out and we walked off stage for a final time it was clear that the show had transcended even our wildest expectations. Our group embodied Anatevka with grace. Friends, parents, and faculty members all seemed to agree that it turned out fantastically well. To me the reason for this is simple, students of Seattle Waldorf High School are like one big, happy family. What better group is there to act as incumbents of a tight-knit little village Anatevka? I don't know, but struggling and succeeding together like we did definitely brought all even closer.
The experience was unforgettable.
Please note that we have a policy of not identifying students by last name in online publications.
Shelly McSweyn, Grade School Receptionist: On Monday morning students started coming into the grade school lobby singing songs from the musical to themselves and to each other. There I was, with the songs running through my own head, and there were the students, so excited about their experience, talking about the show. It was so much fun to watch.   Many of us suffer from Fiddler withdrawal. Common symptoms are: singing of random parts of songs (out-loud or in your head), spontaneous smiles erupting when funny scenes from the musical pop into your head ("What am I going to do about Golde - another dream?"), wistful sighs when you realize there are no more performances....
One way to deal with this all too common problem is to click here to see a slide show created by Andy Barker.
If you, too, have taken pictures at a performance or backstage, please let us know by replying to this email so we can work out a way to share images soon, and perhaps include some of your shots in the yearbook. Thanks!
Look for information on how to access pictures in future editions of the Connection.
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 Break Care For Mid-Winter Break - February 21-25 You may register your child for care from 8:00 am - 5:30 pm or for half days ending at 1:00 pm. Please register by Monday, February 7. We need at least 5 students to be able to offer break care.
Registration forms can be found in the grade school office or online here.
Lost & Found Please check the Lost & Found bin (the wicker chest in the lobby, right inside the door) regularly for items that may belong to your family. The chest tends to fill up quickly!
Register Now For Upcoming After-School Activities
Ultimate Frisbee Right Around the Corner - Register By Friday, February 4! This year we will o fficially be joining forces with Bright Water to form one 5th/6th grade team and one 7th/8th grade team.
Registration fee -$95 per player Jersey fee - $20
To register, pick up a form in the office or click here for links to download forms and get more information.
On the left you see last year's team from grade 5 & 6.
Jump Rope Class Starts March 9 A five-week sessionof Jump Rope classes will be offered again this year for grades 2-6 on Wednesdays, starting March 9, from 3:15-4:45 in Huckleberry Hall. The fee is $66 payable in advance, and jump ropes are provided for the class. The registration forms are available in the grade school office. Space is limited.For other jump rope opportunities in the area, please visit jumpropechamps.com.
Circus Class Session 1 will begin on Monday, March 7, 3:15 - 4:15 pm. The five week series is open to grades 2 - 4 and costs $50. Register in the grade school office; only three spots left.
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Grade 8 Takes Engines Apart This week, our eighth graders, along with our student guests from Whidbey Island, learned about the internal combustion engine as part of their physics block. Guest speaker George Rush, also from Whidbey, brought along two engines which were completely taken apart in class.   Japanese Assembly - Friday, February 4 Next week Friday from 8:40 to 9:10 am students from grade 1 through 5 will be performing songs, poems, stories, and skits in Japanese for each other and their parents. In order to keep our morning drop-off traffic flowing smoothly, we ask that you park at the church or at the Spagetti House on Lake City Way if possible. We hope you will join us! Grade 4 Lov  es The Library Our fourth graders found cozy places to be on their latest trip to the North-East Library.
Grade 1 Learns About Arithmetic The first graders are in their first arithmetic block and they are learning the basic operations as characters in a Kingdom: Queen Equals who always tells the truth, Plentiful Plus - a young, jolly, round soul dressed all in green who likes to gather things, Tripoly Times - who wears yellow and orange and likes organizing and counting fast, Lady Divide another organizer who holds a long red rod and is very good at being in charge, and lastly Martin Minus - a tender-hearted, slim-figured fellow who carries his silver tray and gives everything he has away. As the children hear stories about the actions of these characters, they practice counting and simple computation.
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 Lupine An anecdote, told by Miss Martha (Please remember to not share these stories with your little ones.)
At the snack table, Teo announced, "When I grow up, I want to be be just like Tonton." (His 15 year-old, 6-foot cousin who is a talented artist, and an athletic, funny guy.) "Oh," I said, "I know Tonton." After a pause,Teo added, "Yep, I'm going to knit!"
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This section provided as a free service to the SWS community.
What Are Our Community Members Up To? A Book Tour
Cyndi DeSoto (Lavender parent) has been exploring the question "If Beauty is not just what we look like, then what exactly is it?" After spending the past 20 years working in the professional beauty industry both with Aveda Corporation and as owner of Caruh Salon Spa in Seattle, WA, Cindi has written a book about it: Changing the Way the World Thinks About Beauty.
After years of research and reflective study, Cynthia introduces The 7 Expressions of Beauty™ in her book as a framework to understand the universal truths about beauty and how to create beauty for yourselves and others.
Passionate about people discovering their potential, Cynthia now is on tour to speak to global audiences about expanding the narrow definitions of beauty and elevating the role of the beauty professional to become leaders of personal transformation.
Click here for more information about Cynthia and her new book.
A Book Store & More
DoloresRose Dauenhauer is one of the founders of the Seattle Waldorf School and the co-owner of the Rudolf Steiner Books Store & Children's Shop. If your travels take you to Lake City Way, near the grade school campus, you may see a little house up above the street, directly across from Les Schwab. The store is a treasure trove of books for adults and children interspersed with beautiful toys made of natural materials. DoloresRose is excited about her new facebook page for the store. Check it out here.
A Calling Ilaria Crow graduated from the SWS grade 8 in 2003, and Hazelwolf High School four years later. She has recently moved to a Camphill community in Scotland. Camphill was inspired by the work of Rudolf Steiner and the Camphill communities all over the world "are dedicated to creating communities where the values of service, sharing, spiritual nourishment, and recognition of each individual's gifts and contributions offer a model of renewal for the wider society. In Camphill communities, daily life is shared with children, youth, and adults who have disabilities - in ways that are both intentionally therapeutic and intentionally personal. The result is that Camphill offers all community members a life of accomplishment, celebration, and meaning." (camphill.org)
Here is a short section from Ilaria's blog about her experience:
"I have always known that what I end up doing with my life it must be something that gives back to the larger community: the world.
I really do realize, now that I'm here, that this is a beautiful life choice. It brings your soul to life; it shows it's true potential.
Rudolf Steiner describes these children as vessels filled with water. One may be big with cracks, one small and rusty and another chipped and crooked, but the soul of the child is pure and beautiful and the same as everyone. We all have a beautiful soul it just needs to be recognized and awakened.
This life does that for me, it awakens my soul in a new way, it's wonderful." Click here to read more of Ilaria's blog. You can also ask to check out a special edition of Lilipoh Magazine in the high school or grade school office which focuses on Camphill in North America. |
Seattle Public Theater at the Greenlake Bathhouse offers full and half-day drama camps for grades K-12 over Mid-Winter Break, February 22-25. Clowning, Shakespeare, Creative Drama, and more - including an exciting partnership with the Seattle Opera! All experience levels welcome; financial aid available. seattlepublictheater.org or call 206-523-1370.
Seattle Family Dance
Sunday, February 27, 3-5 pm at the Phinney Neighborhood Center-Community Hall.Continuing 20 years of folk dancing for children and families - all music is live, all dances are taught, no experience necessary! Come and dance to the joyful music of Quebec! Louis Leger leads the dancing with music played by La Famille Leger
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 seattledance.org/family
House For Rent In North Matthews Beach
Only 1 mile from the Seattle Waldorf School. Perfect house for a family with kids. Located on a quiet street within city limits, the house is on a 8,000 square foot fenced-in property surrounded by mature trees which is maintained by owner at no cost to the renter. The house itself has refinished wooden floors throughout the top level along with crown molding and french doors that overlook a back deck and large backyard with a huge willow tree. The house is western-facing which means maximum winter light and amazing sunsets over a territorial view during spring and summer. The upstairs has a large master bedroom, a smaller kids room, a remodeled bathroom, a large living room and a dining room. The completely finished daylight basement has another bedroom with a private 2nd bathroom and a very large carpeted living area that can also be used for additional sleeping space if needed. Both upstairs and downstairs have working fireplaces. The house has a completely empty and functional 1-car garage. The location is walking distance to Burke-Gilman, Lake Washington, and Matthews Beach, and a short car or bike ride to Magnuson Park and UW and U-Village. Email if interested: forestgarden@cdenturytel.net or call Neil at 206-930-6137. Serious inquiries only please! Open to less than 1 year-lease. Click here for a picture.
In case you missed it in the last issue...
Sound Circle Center Offerings:
1. Introduction to Anthroposophy
Saturdays, 9-10:30 am, Seattle Waldorf Grade School, Huckleberry Hall These lectures are open to the public on a drop-in basis. You are welcome to join the Foundation Year students for these upcoming themes:
February 5: The Beginning of Life: Embryology with Johanna Steegmans
February 12: Rudolf Steiner's Biography I with Michael Soulé
March 5: Rudolf Steiner's Biography II with Michael Soulé$10 per lecture
2. The Flame of Love: the Legend of Tristan and Iseult
Saturday, February 26th, 8 pm, Bathhouse Theater by Greenlake Love, passion, magic and death ... the story that enchanted an Age, told by Patrick Ball and Shira Kammen.
$20/adults, $18/seniors/children. Click here for more information.
Ripples, Sound Circle's new quarterly newsletter, is now available online.Sound Circle will begin its eighth Foundation Year in September, 2011.
Learn about Waldorf Teacher Training program and our upcoming Visiting Days this spring at soundcircle.org
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Notes From the All-School Forum - Tuition, Budget, Financial Aid
The following is intended to give you additional context to understand the tuition increase for the 2011-12 school year.
Budget 2011-12
Our 2011-12 budget is based on conservative enrollment projections. We assume:
- full enrollment in our early childhood program, as has been the case in the past few years and as current level of enquiries indicate
- stable enrollment in the grade school, with attrition consistent with that of past years
- a class of 20 students in the incoming grade 9 -- for which we have already received significantly more applications than we will have places.
We project that the increase in revenue based on the tuition increase, combined with the increase in enrollment, will generate an additional $450,000, which we have allocated as follows:
$318,000 for funding of staffing
- Modest increase in salaries for faculty and staff, aligned with our commitment to bring our salary compensation within the range of other local independent schools
- A part-time bookkeeper to support our Business Manager
- A full-time Development officer to support fundraising and fund development
- Increase in the Administrative Assistant hours in the grade school
- Maintaining the position of a shared assistant for Grades 1, 2, 3
- Increase in the Administrative Assistant position at the High school - from current 80% position to 100%
- Maintaining Guest Teachers in the middle school:
Grade 7 will have one block and one lesson extra, plus help with correction work. Grade 8 will have two blocks and one extra lesson taken by another teacher. Grade 6 will have one extra lesson taught by another teacher.
$47,000 for facilities (in addition to the current level of funding), primarily dedicated to the renovation of the Garden House for the purposes of:
- Moving the administrative offices from their current location to the Garden House, gaining space in the main building for teaching spaces, and creating additional work space for the administration
- Moving the preschool classroom currently located in the midst of the grade school to a suitable space on the ground floor of the Garden House
- Creating an adequate classroom space for our handwork program, and for a woodworking shop.
$52,000 for long-range site and financial planning -- this reserve is set aside for the purpose of acquiring the expertise needed in both these areas to supplement the expertise of the administrative staff when needed.
$33,000 for other increases in costs such as utilities or health insurance.
High School
Our high school program is quickly reaching the point of a balanced budget. From 2007-08 through 2011-12 inclusive, we will have invested a total of $764,286 in the establishment of our high school program. The commitment of our parents, the dedication of our teachers, and the joyful learning of our students have brought us to the point where the high school budget, when viewed independently from that of the rest of the school, is projected to balance in 2012-13. If enrollment continues to exceed our expectations, as it has done to date, we may reach this break-even point in 2011-12. It is not uncommon for Waldorf and other independent high schools to need more resources than enrollment alone is able to generate. In this context we are very proud to be reaching the break-even stage so soon.
Financial Aid
With each tuition increase, the question of affordability arises for a number of families. We strongly encourage you to apply for Financial Aid as your consider your recommitment to 2011-12. You can find information on our website here.
In addition to the criteria and process used by SSS (School and Student Services) which processes our financial aid applications, our school brings its own criteria to bear on the awards decision if there is a discrepancy between the SSS determination and a family's estimation of a reasonable amount of tuition. We promise you that in the weeks to come -- just as soon as we have a sufficient window of time -- we will publish these criteria so as to make our process easy to understand and very clear. For now, we encourage you to read our Financial Aid Guidelines, which are posted on our website along with the forms for new and returning applicants. Click here to go to the page on Financial Aid.
One Parent's Experience With Financial Aid
I have been a parent at SWS for about 15 years, so I have experienced the way Financial Aid worked way back when - it was called TLA, Tuition Level Assistance. I recently went through the progress again with the new service, SSS, and it was so much easier than in the past. The process itself is not difficult and there is no uncomfortable feeling because it is an objective outside service looking at my finances. The number that they came up with for me was very reasonable and doable. I encourage everyone who feels that they might not be able to keep up with tuition at some point to just go through the process to see what it's like. Nina Rhys, proud high school parent
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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, February 9.
Submissions Guidelines © 2010 Seattle Waldorf School.
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