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April 1, 2011Dear , We hope you will enjoy this current issue 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. Name Change! Due to several recent requests we are changing the name of our newsletter - thank you for all of your creative suggestions!  A Big Thank You... ...to ALL - students, parents, faculty, staff, and guests - who helped make our two 30th Anniversary events such wonderful celebrations of our school, and of the many souls who created the school and nurtured it.
For those of you who were not able to attend, we hope to give you a taste of the festivities with this newsletter.
What A Party!When I heard that a Waldorf stand-up comic would be entertaining the school community I knew I couldn't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! As Ronald Koetzsch himself modestly observed  , it is not a very crowded field. A stand-up comic since graduate school, he delivered his hilarious material with a wonderful dead-pan expression and impeccable timing. His long riff on how to impress at the teacher's home visit - mother at the spinning wheel, children in regulation lederhosen, corporate-lawyer Dad describing his longing to be a biodynamic farmer - was wonderfully funny, and I noticed the faculty cracking up at his material on Waldorf salaries and the resulting need to live in one's car. I loved his description of Waldorf health benefit packages - a bucket of calendula flowers, hand-picked at dawn by virgin eurythmists. He also gave a quick overview of Seattle Waldorf's school's early history that was so funny I actually thought he had made a lot of it up!  On Saturday night, at the anniversary celebration, I found out it was all true! For the first few years of its life, SWS led a nomadic existence as a guest of, variously, a Catholic school, a Jewish school, and an Islamic school. In between they managed to get evicted from the Phinney Ridge Community Center almost before they had unpacked! It wasn't until they found a derelict church on 100th St NE that the SWS pioneers gained a permanent home. A slide show depicted the various early homes of the school and the endless work parties as parents and teachers pitched in to transform yet another new space into a Waldorf school. After the reminiscences and tributes, interspersed with juggling and music, there were cakes galore and a rousing swing dance session led by a couple who have traveled the world's Waldorf schools teaching dance. I had a fabulous time, and can't wait for the fortieth anniversary party! Jacqueline Houston, grade 7 parent | |
SOME OF THE DELECTABLE BIRTHDAY CAKES
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Look for additional images from the anniversary celebration in High School, Grade School, and Early Childhood News. We hope to make the historical slide show available for viewing at our upcoming May Faire.
Reminder - Grandparents And Special Friends Day, April 15 - At All Three Campuses
Download the invitation here. RSVPs are due today, April 1.
May Faire Change
This year, in an effort to scale back and simplify the demands on our volunteers, the planning committee has decided to give the Steiner Diner a break. All are invited to bring their own picnic lunch.
May Faire - Wish List For Prizes
Looking to bake a cake for the cakewalk? Muffins for the bake sale?
Visit the May Faire sign-up page here.
May Faire is also a great time to go through those drawers....
... look behind bookshelves, search through the garden, clean out the toy box and recycle those little treasures that your children no longer use. We welcome your contributions to the May Faire! We will have a collection box at the high school and the grade school and a basket at Kinderhaus. Our wish list includes the following:
Fishing Pond Items
- Items that aren't very heavy- remember the kids are fishing them out with a hook. Matchbox cars, little bottles of bubbles, stickers, rings, spinning tops, bouncy rubber balls, big screen TVs, etc.
- We encourage natural materials.
- Please wrap these items (colored tissue paper works great) and tie a bow with a big loop (you can use ribbon, but a pipe cleaner with a loop works best for little fishing hooks!)
Buried Treasure Items
- Items that will not break easily when hit with a shovel.
- Shells, coins, keys, rocks, pebbles, bright shiny gems.
- No plastic please.
Pocket Person Items
- These items can be as big as 3" x 3", to fit in a small pocket.
- We encourage natural materials.
- Please leave these items unwrapped.
Carnival and Circus Prizes
- Stuffed animals of all sizes
Bingo Prizes
We are looking forward to a great May Faire thanks to all your support!
If you have further questions, please feel free to contact this year's prize coordinator, Cheri Constantino, at 206-214-6010 or chericonstantino@hotmail.com.
Dunk Tank Treat
As a special attraction this year, Tim Love - SWS facilities manager and passionate ice hockey player - has volunteered to be the dunkee at the dunk tank all day without a wetsuit!
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Tour Dates
High School Tours: Tuesdays, 8:30 - 9:30 am: April 12, May 10
Grade School Tours: First Tuesday of the month, from 8:30 to 10 am: April 5, May 3
Thank you for letting your friends know about our school!
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 Changed Date For Next Meeting At Grade School: Tuesday, April 5 - All Are Invited!
7 pm, grade school campus, music room This is NOT an April Fool's joke!
Look for the minutes from past meetings in the Parent Association section of our website. |
High School Branch Of SWS Parent Association Has Been Formed!
Thanks to the initiative of Sonia Frank, grade 9 and 11 parent, the high school branch of the Parents Association had their initial meeting last night. Parents discussed plans for a reception at the Eurythmy performance on May 12 (save the date!), a senior graduation celebration, and an all-high school end-of-the-year picnic. Committees are now forming to work on these events, and all high school parents are invited to join in.
Save the date: The next meeting will be Monday, May 9th at 7:30 pm. Contact Sonia Frank for more information.
Grade 11 & 12 - Spring Break Social Service Opportunities
Glenora Farm
Monday, April 25 - Friday, April 29, Glenora Farm for Social Education and Curative Therapy, Duncan, BC.
Glenora is a Camphill Initiative on Vancouver Island. The Senior Class of 2010 worked at Glenora on their Senior Service Trip in June, 2010. The project is limited to 10 students who will camp on the grounds of Glenora and prepare their own meals during the service project. The work will largely focus on gardening and landwork important to the life of the community and the residents.
Habitat for Humanity
Tuesday, April 26; Thursday, April 28 and Saturday, April 30, Habitat for Humanity, Bremerton, WA
Seven students will join a construction crew and work from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm each day. Students will help Habitat build a house at Cornerstone Place Bremerton.
High School Drum Ensemble
We are pleased to report that our high school drum ensemble has been invited to perform at Folklife at the end of May! Look for details in future issues of the Connection. | |
HIGH SCHOOL CHOIR STUDENTS, POISED TO SING AT THE ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
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 Circus Class Session 2 will begin on Monday, May 2, 3:15 - 4:15 pm. The five week series is open to grades 2 - 4 and costs $50. Space is limited and these classes are very popular, so register early in the grade school office.
Lost & Found
All lost and found items will be displayed on a table in the lobby or outside this coming Wednesday, April 13 through Friday, April 15. All items not picked up by Friday, April 15 will be donated to a charity on Monday, April, 18. To encourage folks to carefully look for their items, we will hide dollar bills in several pieces - perhaps in a pocket, perhaps inside a water bottle.
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! Small items are held in a basket in the office.
Are you missing a license plate with the number 675-YDX? Pick it up in the grade school office.
Break Care For Spring Break April 18 - 29
Spring Break is fast approaching. Break Care will be offered at the grade school Monday, April 18 - Friday, April 22, and Monday, April 25 - Friday, April 29. We will go on walks. We will make small wooden boats and sail them on the mighty Thorton Creek. We will paint eggs. We will eat, and laugh and make merriment. Please sign your child up by Monday, April 11, so that I can plan accordingly. Come one, come all (at least five students, please). You may register your child for Break Care from 8 am - 5:30 pm or for half days ending at 1 pm. Registration forms can be found in the grade school office or online here. Please email me with any questions. Carolyn Harris
Puget Sound Eurythmy Troupe Performance
March 30, grade school students were treated to an Indian story of jealousy, deception and selfless love. Grade 4 students played children in the forest.
Grade 6 Strings
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GRADE 6 STRINGS STUDENTS PERFORM AT THE ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION, FOLLOWING NETTIE FABRIE
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 Marigold - Christmas in March! From a recent letter to Marigold parents by Martha Swain (Please remember to not share these stories with your little ones.) Today, March 18, brought Christmas once again! August built a truck in the middle of the floor with two tressles for the truck body and two chairs in front to drive. Teddy and Hank had a house next to the stove while Sarah and Delphine had worked a long time building a house by the stairs with as little help from me as possible. It was fun to watch their perseverence!
Santa was not far away! With his two helpers/reindeer, I'm not sure what they were. Zander filled the red cloth bag with heavy rocks and then with his helpers, Camilla and Haven, they announced it was Christmas Eve and everyone must sleep. "August, is that a Christmas train?" asked Haven. "No, it's a Christmas truck!" August replied and happily crooned engine noises from the front seat while he helped deliver gifts.
Delphine carefully hung up two bonnets on the end of one tressle and then lay down next to Sarah and closed her eyes. Camilla kindly informed me that if I too, went to sleep, I would get a present. So I lay down and it was so quiet with only the hum of sleeping children. I could hear Zander and his helpers dragging the bag from house to house and "thump" a gift would be delivered. Teddy and Hank were curled side by side with smiles on their faces. (I peeked!)
Then boomed the trio of voices. "It's Christmas morning!" As I delighted in my rock, Zander told me that I had received a box of chocolates. Unfortunately, Delphine found that although they had gifts, the bonnets were empty! "Santa," she called across the room, "you didn't put anything into our stockings!" "Oh, I didn't know that's what those were," he calmly explained.
So once again it was declared, "It's Christmas Eve. If you want a present close your eyes." We all went back to sleep. This time when Santa arrived to Delphine's, he found the bonnets and asked out loud, "Which one is Delphine's?" With her eyes closed, she informed him, "The pink one!" So Teddy told Santa, "Then the white one is for Sarah!" Santa needed this repeated which Teddy did for him. He carefully filled the bonnets with large rocks while we all waited with our eyes closed.
And so Christmas morning broke again, and the stockings were full and the children were delighted. 
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This section provided as a free service to the SWS community.
What Are Our Community Members Up To?
Japan Earthquake Relief - Two Events
Micki Suzuki, grade 7 parent, invites our community to Prayers For Japan at the Center for Spiritual Living this Sunday, April 3, 12:45 - 1:45 pm, where she will be singing with Eddie Watkins Jr. CSL is partnering with the American Red Cross in supporting the people of Japan through this prayer service and donations. Bring your care and prayers to remember those affected by current events in Japan.
Fumi Tagata, SWS kindergarten parent, is joining her musician friends in organizing a benefit concert to support the relief efforts of the American Red Cross. Fumi is herself a singer and will perform in this concert, which will include musicians from the Seattle Symphony and the Vancouver Symphony as well as a Koto ensemble and more. This free concert will take place on May 1 at 3 pm (doors open at 2 pm) at the Daniels Recital Hall in downtown Seattle. Donations will be gratefully accepted. To contact Fumi, call 206-351-9247 or send her an email.
World Music
Brady Millard-Kish, grade 1 and kindergarten parent, is a member of the Kora Band. Their album Cascades, a blend of jazz and West African music, recently won NW Jazz Album of 2010, one of the Earshot Jazz Golden Ear Awards! They often perform in the area and you can find the performance schedule on their website here. Click here for a short taste of the Kora Band on YouTube.
Dance
Morgan Houghton, grade 8 graduate 2001, is dancing up a storm with several dance ensembles - the Cabiri, Pilobolus, and Karin Stevens Dance. You will be able to see him perform April 16 at the Fremont Abbey Arts Center in New Abolitionist Movement - A Dance Concert for a Slave Free World, a concert of contemporary dance and live music with the Seattle band, Jubilee. The concert will raise awareness of the local fight against human trafficking with the help of partnering organization Seattle Against Slavery.
Puppet Theater
Snow White & Rose Red Marionette Performance by The Willow Branch Puppet Theater
Sunday, April 3, 11 am-1 pm, Huckleberry Hall at the SWS Grade School
DoloresRose Dauenhauer, one of the founders of SWS, is now the artistic director of the Willow Branch Puppet Theater. Advance Visa/MC Reservations: $7 per child/senior, $8 general admission. At the door: $8 per child/senior $9 general admission. Call 206-985-2059 for more information.
Lectures, Workshops, Etc.
Seattle Family Dance
Sunday, April 24, 3-5 pm, 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! Charmaine Slaven (of the Tallboys) will be calling, with music from the Peterka Family Band.
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
Exciting Youth Theater at the Greenlake Bathhouse!
Seattle Public Theater at the Greenlake Bathhouse, the organization that has helped produce the Waldorf middle school musical the last couple of years, offers spring and summer for acting classes, productions, technical theater internships, service learning opportunties, and more! This spring: The Magic Flute: a fantastical fable for spring break (a partnership production with Seattle Opera - no previous musical experience necessary); and Little Women. Plus Summer theater opportunities, from productions like Princess Bride, Lightning Thieves, Midsummer Night's Dream, and Pirates of Penzance, to creative drama camps like 3 Stooges, Pirates, Ahoy!, Shel Silverstein, and Wonderland! Check it all out at seattlepublictheater.org or call 206-523-1370. Financial Aid available for all in need.
Grow Exceptional Food
Saturday, April 16, 10 am - 5 pm, Summer Winds Farm, Snoqualmie, WA
Raise the life force and nutrient density of your soil, water, fruits and vegetables. Learn about all kinds of ingenious ways to raise fruits and vegetables that are FULL of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and have extraordinary taste. Learn about ormus, brix, biodynamic vortexes, dowsing, intention, balancing minerals, even the power of blessing. This is a very unusual and high-spirited class filled with practical information you'll use immediately. Given by Steve Diver, who is one of America's top organic farming advisors. His expertise is growing food with high nutritional density. Make your soil, your garden, and you flourish! Cost: $100 per person. Contact Patti Pitcher 425-831-5360 or pattipitch@gmail.com for more information.
2011 Summer Arts Festival
The Bay Area Center for Waldorf Teacher Training is offering many interesting workshops this summer for parents and for teachers on the following topics:
June 20 - 24: Care of the Child; Wellness and Illness
June 27 - July 1: How to be a Grown-up; Cultivation and Maintenance of the Soul
July 5 - July 8: The Genius of the Curriculum; Not an End but a Means
July 11 - 15: The Study of Man (Continuation) with Christof Wiechert
Click here for the brochure listing more details.
Summer Music Camps For Students At Lakeside School
Click here to view the flyer with details.
Classifieds
Kinderhaus Apartment For Rent
Located at N 50th & Woodlawn Ave--upper level spacious 1 bedroom + loft/office, with plenty of storage, washer/dryer, and gas heat. Convenient to school, parks, Greenlake, zoo, and shopping. No pets. $1,100 (includes water/garbage), based on 2 or fewer occupants. Gas and electric are separate utilities. Available June 1. Email officemanager@seattlewaldorf.org or call 206-524-5320, ext. 2.
Tutor For Hire Jennifer Pacheco of Editing Etcetera is a former middle and high school English teacher, and current substitute at the Seattle Waldorf High School. She tutors in most subjects, though her specialty is in reading and writing. Contact: orioleorange@aol.com, or 607-725-0697. $60/hr. Host A French Exchange Student Capital Culturel Européen is looking for six families to host a French teenager from July 11 until August 2, 2011. The program provides all medical and liability insurances and allots $550 per family to help with the boarding expenses. Click here for more information about the immersion program, and click here for more information about the students. Have Shopping And Cooking Become A Chore? Do you sometimes wish you had a chef who worked in your kitchen? Is dinnertime a hassle instead of a time of relaxation and coming together as a family? Perhaps you need the help of Sherpa Chow's personal chef service! We can take the stress and effort out of meal time, our ingredients are fresh and wholesome, and our meals cost less per serving than take-out. We can help when you:
· are too busy to cook proper meals every night
· don't have the time to prep the ingredients, but you still like to cook
· need to change what you eat, but don't quite know how to
· are in a food-rut or want to try new foods, or
· need help with consistent budgeting for food
Check us out at www.sherpachow.com or call Ingrid Orlow (parent of Misha, grade 1 and Katja, grade 6) at 206-499-0552. Post-partum doula services also available.
Dinner really can be less stressful and more relaxing! Free Introductory Music Lessons Near Grade School Patricia Jaeger, a neighbor of the grade school, has taught numerous SWS students and would like to offer two free music lessons to potential students from SWS for either violin, viola, harp, or beginning piano (this offer expires by June 15). Patricia also offers free participation in the volunteer group, Serenaders. Student participants perform at Children's Hospital, libraries, and retirement homes. Call 206-525-7682 or send an email to pjaeger99@hotmail.com Temporary Housing A Waldorf-trained teacher, her 8-year-old son, 5-year-old daughter, and possibly mother are looking for a place to stay in Seattle, July 16- August 1, 2011. She will be attending a training program and is hoping to find affordable lodging during this visit. Please email: eliz3378@gmail.com or call 502-459-9579 if you think you might be interested in hosting this family. 1/2 Size Violin For Sale
1/2 sized Rudoulf Doetsch Violin that comes with Bobelock case, Erich Steiner Bow, nickel mounted on ebony. Price is $400. Contact Cheryl Smith 206-399-7090
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In case you missed it in the last issue...
Simplicity Parenting - A Six-Week Workshop Exploring The Power Of Less, Led By Martha Swain
Mondays, April 11, May 2, 16 & 23, June 6 & 20, 7:15 - 9:15 pm, Phinney Neighborhood Association
Do you sometimes feel that parenting is too chaotic, pressured, or harder than you thought?
Is your child struggling at school?
Based on Kim John Payne's book, Simplicity Parenting, this course will help you learn ways to simplify your home and family schedule, create predictable rhythms, and help your child at school. Note: You will need to buy the book and read the first chapter before the first session. Cost: $145/person or $200/couple. Register by April 1 by sending an email to martha.swain@hotmail.com. Click here for the flyer.
Spring Break Drama Camp
April 18-22, 10 am - 2 pm, Phinney Neighborhood Center, Seattle
Looking for a meaningful activity for your child during Spring Break? Veteran children's theater teacher/director/ actor, Martha Murphy, founder of Whidbey Children's Theater in Langley, WA. on Whidbey Island, will be in Seattle to work with a group of young performers (ages 9 -13, no experience required) producing an adaptation of the delightful children's classic, Treasure Island. Students will get scripts and work as a team learning the in's and out's of producing a play. Students will be involved in all the aspects of the production and a public performance will conclude the week-long camp. The focus of the camp is #1 Have Fun! but also learn to work as a team, develop confidence and expression and learn about live theater. Tuition is $200. For more information: murphy@whidbey.com 360-221-7880 or cell: 360-914-0912.
Seattle Green Festival, May 21 & 22, 2011 - Free Admission For Volunteers As last year, Waldorf Schools in this area are coordinating the Kids Zone at the Green Festival. Last year this was a collaboration of Bright Water School, Seattle Waldorf School, and Three Cedars School. Volunteers gain FREE access to the Green Festival by volunteering for a 2 hour shift at the Waldorf Education outreach booth, craft table, or games area. Many Waldorf students accompanied their families to share in the fun and games in the Kids Zone, and to attend the festival.
If you are interested in volunteering, send an email to Cindy Scheyer and she will let you know about upcoming planning for this event and how and when you can volunteer.
Click here to check out photos of the 2010 event. |
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Cultivating Imagination Through Silence: A Lecture By Dennis Klocek
Friday, April 8, 8 - 9:30 pm, Seattle Waldorf Grade School, Huckleberry Hall
This lecture will address the importance of establishing a practice of stilling the mind as an aid to the development of creative imaginative faculties. Dennis Klocek will track the neurological developments that accompany these processes and suggest meditative methods that can keep fantasy and logic in a dynamic balance in order to enhance creative thinking. Dennis Klocek teaches at Rudolf Steiner College in Sacramento, California, where he has been the director of their Consciousness Studies Program ("Goethean Studies") since 1992. Cost is $10. Click here for a flier.
Two stories By Kurt Vonnegut Performed By Glen Williamson
Sunday, April 10, 7:30 pm, Seattle Waldorf School Grade School, Huckleberry Hall
"The Kid Nobody Could Handle": a trumpet and a pair of boots compete for the soul of a destructive teenager, and "Who Am I This Time?": a comedy about a small-town production of Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire. Requested donation: $15 or $12 for seniors/students. Click here for a flier.
Introduction To Anthroposophy Lectures
Saturdays, 9 am - 10:30 am, Seattle Waldorf Grade School, Huckleberry Hall or 6th grade classroom
Lectures are open to the public on a drop-in basis. You are welcome to join the Foundation Year students on Saturday mornings. Upcoming Topics: April 2: The Elemental World -- Janet and Barry Lia; April 9: Working with Anthroposophy -- Elan Leibner; April 16: The Easter Mysteries: The Cosmic Christ -- Johannna Steegmans. Cost is $10. Sound Circle is offering a number of courses open to the public this summer as well as beginning a new Foundation Year in September. Please visit our website soundcircle.org for more information about our lectures and our Waldorf Teacher Training program. There, you can also find a link to Ripples, our quarterly newsletter.Sound Circle will begin its eighth Foundation Year in September, 2011. For information on Waldorf teacher training and other course offerings, visit soundcircle.org
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SUMI PAINTING BY JACOB, GRADE 8
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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.    |
The Butterfly Express 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 Tuesday, April 12.
Submissions Guidelines © 2010 Seattle Waldorf School.
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