Waldorf School of Orange County 

2950 Canyon Drive, Costa Mesa, CA  92627 

Playgroup - 8th grade: (949)574-7775

High School: (949)574-7754 

 


Our Weekly Newsletter

News for our families and friends

August 29, 2012   

 

Mustard Flowers

 

In This Newsletter - Quick Links
Welcome
Dates to Remember
New Faces and Trading Places
Foundation Studies Enrollment
Hot Lunch
Welcome Tea for New Famlies
Accounting Coordinator Needed
Beautiful Verse
 
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL IS
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4
Pre-K, Kindergarten and Grades 1 - 8 start at 8:30 a.m.
~~~
High School starts at 8:00 a.m.

 
Dates to Remember
September 5 - 8:30 a.m.
New Family Welcome Tea
in the Company of Angels Garden

September 19 - 7 p.m.
New Family Orientation
in Meadows Hall

October 3 - 7 p.m.
Back-to-School Night
in Eurythmy Hall
Welcome 

The last of the summer's skies have been illuminated with the most brilliant colors at dawn and nightfall. For me, the sunset is a reminder that with every ending, there is the anticipation of a sunrise, a new beginning. Welcome to the beginning of the new school year!

 

Our summer has been filled with teachers immersed in study, continued education in workshops, classes, and private mentoring, while the administration has been busy at their continued work in supporting the operations of the school and our community. Through our preparation, we always have one particular focus: each child. Every moment of preparation is in anticipation of the bright faces we will see the first day of school. It is this level of commitment and dedication that makes the education at WSOC unparalleled: an education that "receives the child in reverence, educates in love, and sends each forth in freedom."

 

This school year will be characterized by continued growth and maturity. Our grade school continues to have full enrollment, while our new high school will see a 20% increase in students and our early childhood department will continue to expand the Playgroup program. Please take the time to introduce yourself to the new families and extend the warmth of our community. Accompanying our enrollment growth is the addition of more faculty members. We are excited by the experienced and talented teachers who are attracted to our community. Short biographies will be published in upcoming newsletters.

 

As the last few days of the summer wane, cherish those special moments with your family. Fill your heart with gratitude for the close of a beautiful day, the end of summer, the end to loose schedules and the expanse of time.

 

On behalf of the College of Teachers, I welcome you all to a new sunrise---The WSOC 2012-2013 school year!

 

Sincerely,

Robin Theiss

College of Teachers Chair

 

New Faces and Trading Places
New Faces
We bid a fond farewell to our grade 7/8 and High School Spanish teacher of the last school year - Odalmis Molina.   In order to be closer to her husband who lives and works north of Los Angeles, she has taken a teaching position at the Westside Waldorf School.  We are thrilled to welcome on board our new grade 8 and high school Spanish teacher Emmi Kohout. Emmi graduated Cum Laude with a BA in Spanish literature and culture as well as an MA in Spanish literature from UCI.  She spent a year in Madrid attending an educational program and most recently was teaching at Morro Bay High School in Morro Bay, CA.  She will be a great addition to our language program. 
 
We enthusiastically welcome several new faces to our faculty:
 
Francesco DeBenedetto is joining us to run the High School Arts program.  He pursued a classical education in math, physics, philosophy, and literature in Italy, then obtained his B.F.A. degree and Waldorf Teacher Training in the United States.  He has recently taught art in the Sacramento Waldorf High School and at the Green Mowing Waldorf High School.
 
Michaela Heller, early childhood assistant - Michaela has volunteered and substituted in early childhood this past year and will now be assisting on a rotating basis in the classroom, as well as regularly in the little aftercare.  Michaela is the mother of Kaili in pre-kindergarten, Logan in kindergarten and Jonah in grade 2.
 
Phyllis Gilmer  - 2nd grade handwork assistant - Phyllis was one of the founding members of our school.  She was our inagural kindergarten teacher and for a great many years after that, has been the director of Ezekiel's Garden.  We are so excited to have her back in our midst, bringing with her the love and joy she has for our school.
 
Trading Places
Eden Boric, our high school coordinator, credited with creating the strong foundation of our growing high school, will be following her dream and becoming a full-time teacher in the high school.  Gina Illes will be moving to the high school office to continue her work as administrator, while taking on the next phase of the high school's growth.  We are searching for someone with a Waldorf administrative and/or teacher training certificate to ultimately take over the administrative role and allow Gina to fully focus on the needs of our high school.   Marissa Miyasaki has decided to stay home with her new baby, and so we welcome Erica Ruvalcaba as our administrative assistant. Denise Ogawa will be continuing her role as Development Director, but doing so from the front office while we search for a new Administrator. 
  August 2012
  

Our new Foundation Studies Program

begins on September 14 

  

If you have been thinking of joining the program, then now is the time to sign up!  We look forward greatly to welcoming our new students into the program.

 

Foundation Studies is a two-year course of study which can be taken as a 'stand-alone' introduction to Waldorf Education, or as the first half of our four-year part-time WSOC Teacher Training Program. 

 

Courses can also be taken on an individual basis.   

 

Click here to find out about the individual courses and to learn how to sign-up.

 

This brochure explains the full program in detail. 

 
 hot lunch 

We are thrilled to introduce our new Hot Lunch program!  

  • Lunches are available for students in grades 1-12, 5days a week
  •  Healthy food with MANY options
  • Easy to order website
  • Phone App for your smart phone
  • Earth friendly packaging
Check out the website www.choicelunch.com to order and find out more about the company philosophy. Our School code is waldorfoc .  You can call the Choice Lunch customer service, they are very helpful.
Lunches will be delivered the first day of school, so log in and place your order now!
 
 
Student Art 
WELCOME New Families

We are so pleased to have you with us.

 

Please join us for these special events created for us to meet each other: 

 

 

9/5 at 8:30 a.m.    New Family Welcome Tea

9/19 at 7 p.m.       New Family Orientation

 

We look forward to seeing you there!

 

Accounting Coordinator / Assistant Needed 
 
 We are looking for a qualified candidate for Accounting Coordinator/Assistant.  For more information click here!
 

 

 

To wonder at beauty,
Stand guard over truth,
Look up to the noble,
Resolve on the good.
This leadeth us truly
To purpose in living,
To right in our doing,
To peace in our feeling,
To light in our thinking.
And teaches us trust,
In the working of God,
In all that there is,
In the width of the world,
In the depth of the soul.

 

by Rudolph Steiner