| Room for More Jugglers, Sat, July 18
In town and looking for a little fun? Why not join the Juggling Lesson Great Gathering on Sat, July 18, from 10am - Noon at MWS! Just email Liz at llaceygotz@mnwaldorf.org no later than Thursday, July 16th, to reserve spaces at only $10 each. A great way to have summer fun and support our school, too. |
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Lazuring Lobby Thanks to RSF!
 Thanks to a $2,000 fundsharing grant from the Rudolf Steiner Foundation, lazure artist Kevin Kane is busy at work this summer lazuring our lobby. Lazuring is an artistic painting technique common in Waldorf schools -- most notably it is used in the classrooms, and the colors for specific developmental stages and grade levels are thoughtfully selected. The lobby project takes lazuring into a muralistic realm -- stop by to peek at the wonders taking shape on our walls!
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| Parent Council Summer Mtg on Thurs, July 23
All parents are invited to a Parent Council summer meeting on Thursday, July 23rd, at 6:30pm in the MWS library. We will be discussing the Kindergarten Cottage, New Parent Orientation, the Back-to-School Picnic, the Parent Handbook and more. Please join us for community building, open dialogue, hands-on parent education and refreshments. Hope to see you there!
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| Second Grade Update
As you may know, the College of Teachers made a decision to change teachers for the 2nd grade class starting this fall.
We thank Mrs. Cousins for her dedication to the 2nd grade class during their first year. Mrs. Marjorie Maier will serve as the interim teacher for the class for 2nd grade. We thank Mrs. Maier for stepping in to hold the class in the upcoming year, as we begin a search this coming spring for a teacher who will carry the class from 3rd through 8th grade.
We thank you for your understanding, and for your support of the College and the Teacher Search Committee in this transition. |
| Capital Campaign Committee Forming
With the Kindergarten Cottage building underway, a group of dedicated community members is forming to conduct a capital campaign to seek financial support for the project. This exciting new project is planned to help us attract and retain students, strengthen our curriculum and faculty, and build a strong future for MWS. Geothermal heating and other environmentally friendly initiatives will be possible if we band together and seek grants and community support.
While the project is being funded by refinancing and the elimination of rent for the Upper Grades modules, we hope to gather even more financial support to strengthen our cash flow and financial health as we move into our 29th year as the Minnesota Waldorf School!
If you didn't get a handout detailing all the exciting news, pick one up in the school lobby, check out the display board by Liz' office, or download a copy from our website. |
Watch your mailbox for an important mailing in August, including the following:
Emergency Card
School Calendar
Guide for School Events
Class Lists
Zip Code List (for carpooling)
Extended Care Forms
Back-to-School Picnic Flyer (8/26)
Chaperone/Volunteer Form
Various Permission Forms
Health Forms (for new students)
A table will be set up at the 8/26 picnic for you to drop off your forms, or they can be mailed back to school by 8/31.
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| Annual Fund Results
Our Annual Fund ended the year with a total of $41,424, roughly $18,500 short of the amount needed to bridge the gap between operating costs and tuition income for the 2008-9 school year. Thank you to everyone who contributed!
In addition to the Annual Fund, we received a gift of $30,000 from an individual anonymous donor. This amount is part of a long-term pledge from a very generous alumni family, and is not considered when determining the Annual Fund goal.
To help assess how the community views the Annual Fund, and whether families prefer to give through higher tuition, more volunteerism, or other ventures, the Board Development Committee is creating an electronic survey they hope to launch before September.
Next year's Annual Fund is planned to launch in early October, in conjunction with an all-school meeting that will review the budget and also give an overview of how the Board and Parent Council function within our school. Totals for the Fund will be calculated earlier, too, by January 15th, allowing the campaign results to help determine tuition levels for the following school year.
We welcome your thoughts on how we can best support our school financially! We also welcome your participation on the Development Committee if you are so inclined. Please contact Chair Kevin Schmidt or Development Director Liz Lacey-Gotz if you are interested in volunteering or sharing your thoughts on development at MWS. Thank you! |
Volunteers Needed
Our school relies on volunteers to help things run smoothly. We currently need help for the following positions. Contact Liz Lacey-Gotz in the Development Office or email her for more information.
Holiday Fair Chair/Co-Chair
This position oversees and helps motivate all the chairs from the various class assignments, plus handles logistics for the Fair, including layout and rentals. This is a fun position for two people to share, and having a Chair or Co-Chairs in place is necessary for the event to happen in 2009!
Web Site Assistant
Update web content and add photos to our easy-to-use web site. If you can use Word, you can easily update and work with our web site. There is so much opportunity to add meaningful and timely content, photos and slideshows, if only we had a dedicated volunteer willing to spend 10 hours a month on this important job.
Enrollment Data Support
Help clean up our enrollment data base -- roughly 2-8 hours working with Excel.
Alumni Communications Assistant
Help gather and communicate alumni news, and extend special invitations to alumni for events. Help create a web page for Alumni, and connect with the alum Facebook group. No design experience necessary; our easy-to-use web site operates just like a Word document.
Thank You Assistant
The Frolic alone generates more than 300 thank you letters! Thanking donors and volunteers is so important and so simple, yet it takes time. Do you have one day per month to help keep us up-to-date on our thank you's? Basic computer skills like Excel and Mail Merge helpful, but training can be provided to a willing volunteer.
SCRIP Coordinator
SCRIP programs successfully raise thousands of dollars at other schools, simply by helping parents use gift cards for purchases they were going to make anyway. The school gets a significant percentage on purchases made at gas stations, grocery stores and more. A volunteer willing to spend 5 hours each week could easily make this program a success for MWS. |
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Good Luck Graduates!
Congratulations to the MWS Class of 2009! If your high school plans have changed, please keep us posted. We wish you all the best and hope you keep in touch!
Jackson Beck: Mounds Park Academy
Charlotte Colantti: Mounds Park Academy
Rachel Collins: De La Salle High School
TJ Conlin: Mounds View High School
Anne Debertin: Visitation High School
Kalyan Downer-Carlson: Mounds View High School
Will Dzuik: Main Street School of Performing Arts
Christopher Eastman: Unknown
Lanais Gadban: St. Paul Conservatory for the Performing Arts
Annika Homstad: Highland Park High School
Jasmine Jamila-Wuerth: Osceola High School
Audra Johnson: Southwest High School
Siena Meany: Cretin Durham Hall
Eden Motto: Breck High School
Matthew Peterson: Concordia Academy
Bruno Povejsil: Great River School
Stina Pugh: Roseville High School
Dylan Sams: Mounds Park Academy
Jared Schmit: Totino Grace High School
Rebecca Weiss: Unknown
Brandon Werdal: Agricultural & Food Sciences Academy |
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Upcoming Events
Thurs, 7/23
Parent Council Meeting in MWS Library, 6:30pm
tbd
Kindergarten Cottage open house & hand printing
Wed, 8/26
Mon, 8/31
Forms from August mailing due
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Minnesota Waldorf School
Office: 651-487-6700
Fax: 651-487-6800
Summer Camp:
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Admin Staff Summer Hours
Monday - Friday 9am to 5pm
Mon: Beth, Melinda, Noreen
Tues: Beth
Wed: Noreen
Thurs: Liz, Melinda
Fri: Liz
Schedule may vary due to vacations, so please call ahead before dropping by! Thank you. |
Every little bit helps! Take a look at the list below and help us raise money for the school. Collection containers are in the Parent Lounge!
** The soup label must include a UPC code **
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Stop by the school and be amazed at the progress underway with the new Early Childhood Building, affectionately known as the "Kindergarten Cottage." You won't believe your eyes! 
