Weekly Update from the MN Waldorf School

Your Weekly Update

News from the Minnesota Waldorf School

March 23, 2010

A Message from the College of Teachers

Winter has finally faded as spring bursts forth in a flurry of activity both indoors and out. In the world of nature, the children are watching the early flowers and buds emerge and are digging gardens for planting. Inside, in the life of the school, students are preparing for plays and concerts, practicing for Pentathlon and volleyball and completing handwork items. The third grade house projects grace the hallways as songs fill the air in preparation for the spring festival.

Behind the scenes, the College is carrying the work of evaluating current teachers and hiring new teachers. The evaluation of current teachers involves observing class teaching and gathering input from colleagues and parents. After the observation and input process is complete, the teacher meets with Teacher Development Committee members who present recommendations. The process culminates with a meeting between the teacher and the College.

The hiring process for First and Third Grade teachers has been in progress for many months and we have received numerous applications from qualified candidates. During the interview process, each candidate teaches a number of lessons that are observed by various grades and kindergarten teachers. After the observation process is complete, a Teacher Search Committee member shares the input with the full College. After observations are shared, candidates may be interviewed by the College.

As you can see, the hiring process requires a great deal of time, observation and thoughtful discussion. We know that parents of next year's First Grade anxiously await news of the hiring of a class teacher. At this time, the College can reassure parents that the hiring process is in progress but may take several more weeks. We plan to have a new teacher in place before the end of the school year.

With respect to the Third Grade, the College would like to share the exciting news that Marjorie Maier will continue to be the class teacher for the 3rd and 4th grade. The College is confident that the decision to have Mrs. Maier continue with the children will serve them well. We are very pleased with her work with the class and believe that she will continue to have a positive impact.

Thank you for your support.

Mary Lou Bala

College Chair

The Frolic Early Bird Deadline is Friday, March 26^th!

Buy your tickets by Friday to get last year's Frolic price. Registration forms are available in the lobby.

The Frolic Online Auction Starts March 29 at 7 am

With over 100 unique items and great deals already entered, our online auction is ready to browse! Spa packages, dance and theater tickets, family venues, sporting events, jewelry and more!

New This Year!

More Items Online: This year we are putting more of the Frolic auction items online. With most items online, you'll have more time at the Frolic Auction Gala and Dance to browse select silent auction items (including the popular student artwork), enjoy the appetizers, beverages and conversation. So don't miss out, check out the great deals and unique items online!

Great Gatherings Online: This year we are offering half of the Great Gathering spaces for purchase online; just look for the "GG" categories. See the lobby for information about the Great Gatherings being offered this year.

Online Auction Access at School: Stop by the Parent Lounge during the week of March 22 (between 8:30 & 9:30am and 2 & 3:30pm) to preview online items in-person, learn how to register and bid or just use the computers to browse the catalog.

Adult Eurythmy Class

An Adult Eurythmy class will be offered every Wednesday from 6:30 to 8 pm, beginning on April 14 and ending May 19. Our visiting eurythmist, Claudia Fontana, will teach these classes in the Festival Hall. The cost is $90 and payment will be due the first class. Please register with Amy Stephens or by calling 651/487-6700. A larger group means a richer experience for all attendees. Please join us.

An Unfortunate Omission

Apologies are due to Cecile and Chris Alper-Leroux and family, who were inadvertently omitted from the list of donors in our recent Annual Report. We are truly sorry. If your name was missing, please let us know so we can do what we can to correct the mistake.

7th Grade to Take Over Pizza Days

After Spring Break, the current 7th grade (Class of 2011) will take charge of Pizza Days. Watch for a new order form to be sent home in the next week. Orders are due Monday, April 12th. This ordering period will take us to the end of the school year and you should make checks payable to The Class of 2011.

Thank you for supporting the 8th grade's fundraising efforts this year. Proceeds from Pizza Days help to fund the 8th Grade Class Trip each year. This year's 8th grade will travel to Hawk Circle in May. The 7th grade looks forward to "taking over the business" to fund their own class trip next spring.

MWS Summertime Family Camping Trip

Mark your calendars now for the annual Waldorf Family Camping Trip. The dates are Father's Day weekend Fri., June 18th to Sun., June 20th. This is a wonderful MWS tradition- a family camp outing for MWS families and friends at beautiful Whitewater State Park. There is (ice-cold) swimming and hiking at a mosquito-free park (honest, it is!). Whitewater State Park is +2 1/2 hours from the Twin Cities just west of Wabasha. We reserve a primitive group campsite and camp all together in a circle of tents. It is a lot of fun and often our site is filled to capacity so make your plans soon. Hobo pies, s'mores, a hand-pump for water, campfire singing, star-gazing, tadpole-catching are some of our favorite parts of the trip. Carole Anderson coordinates this trip. Reserve your spot with or ask your questions of her at 651-430-1825.

Parent Council Media Awareness Project

The Parent Council is beginning a new initiative to heighten awareness of the presence of media in our community. We will offer Information concerning media and its effects on our families. We are all aware of the increasing societal pressure to become media savvy at an earlier and earlier age. By openly discussing this topic, the Parent Council hopes to help our community come together to preserve and support the wonder of childhood.

At our next meeting on April 22nd (please note: new date), David Maier, 7th grade teacher, will lead a discussion on Media Awareness. We invite everyone to attend.

Here are some quick facts to get you thinking:

Research now indicates that for every hour of television children watch each day, their risk of developing attention-related problems later increases by ten percent. For example, if a child watches three hours of television each day, the child would be thirty percent more likely to develop attention deficit disorder. --- D. Christakis, Pediatrics, April 2004
One in four children under the age of two years has a TV in his or her bedroom. --- Zero to Six: Electronic Media in the Lives of Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers, Kaiser Family Foundation and the Children's Digital Media Centers, 2003
In 1975 only 11% of US households had more than 3 televisions...and 57% only had 1! Now 50% of American homes have at least 3 televisions or more and 19% of homes have only 1. --- Nielson, 2006
The average American home has the television on for well over 8 hours every day. That is an hour more than just a decade ago. --- Nielson, 2006
The average American watches 4 hours and 35 minutes of television each day. --- Nielson, 2006
Today, 8-18 year-olds devote an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes (7:38) to using entertainment media during a typical day (more than 53 hours a week). And because those children spend so much of that time 'media multitasking' (using more than one medium at a time) they actually manage to pack a total of 10 hours and 45 minutes (10:45) worth of media content into those 7½ hours. --- Kaiser, 2010

School Store News

The school store carries several wonderful products from Purple Prairie Botanicals. Stop in and try a sample of Purple Prairie sunscreen and bug repellent. Purple Prairie Sunscreen made the 2009 Environmental Working Group's list of top ten safe sunscreens (http://www.ewg.org/cosmetics/report/sunscreen09/Beach-Sunscreens). Also, try their delicious soaps and lotions: Honey Oatmeal, Cinnamon Clove, Sandalwood Sage, etc.

There's an egg-stravaganza going on-- wooden eggs, felted eggs, gem eggs and ukranian eggs!! Planning to decorate blown eggs this spring? Pick up a "Blas-Fix" to quickly and easily empty your eggs. It has been the spring savior of many an MWS Kindergarten family (when you get the note requesting blown eggs, you'll be happy to have a Blas-Fix!). Also available: colored dyes, bleeding tissue paper, and ukranian egg decorating tools.

Brighten your spring nature table with felted chicks, bumblebees, sheep or pigs. Hang a butterfly ornament. Choose from a selection of egg-shaped beeswax candles or roll your own in spring colors of blue, green or yellow! Choose a bunny or flower for your candle ring. Page through some of the new books in the store and get inspired!

Here comes the sun! Spring into outdoor fun with a new pair of gardening gloves or a brightly colored kite! Keep your eyes open for rakes and tools...they'll be arriving soon! Hang a Japanese wind bell outside or find the perfect vase for spring's first flowers.

And finally, if you're looking for a special chocolate for your easter basket or anytime, may we suggest the new peanut butter or coconut pavé from B.T. McElrath's spring collection!

Alumni News

Do you have news to share about a Minnesota Waldorf School alum? We always love to hear about our graduates.

Contact: Liz Lacey-Gotz

Community News

Parent Field Trip: Learn to Make Pysanky Making Pysanky is the Ukrainian art of decorating eggs using beeswax and dyes. Most people think of Pysanky as Easter eggs, but they are actually created year-round as special gifts. The egg's designs are filled with meaningful symbolism and may be collected to gather good luck for the household. It is believed that the more Pysanky are made, the more evil is diminished.

86-year-old Luba Perchyshyn (founder), Halyna (Pysanka designer), and other longtime staff enjoy demonstrating the art of pysanky to visitors of their Ukrainian Gift Shop at 2782 Fairview Avenue N. They have invited us to visit the store and learn how make these beautiful eggs (and perhaps even give us a bit of hands-on experience). If you would like to join a group of MWS parents in a "field trip" to meet these amazing women and learn a new craft, contact Ting Ting Cheng at 651/492-9107 or tinglcheng@gmail.com. The school store carries supplies and books from the Ukrainian Gift Shop on creating pysanky.

Books Wanted Are your bookshelves overflowing with books your children have outgrown? The Neighborhood House, a St. Paul organization that helps immigrants and low-income individuals integrate into society, connect with community and achieve a better quality of life, needs children's books appropriate for ages 3-8. Michelle (Gr 4) has worked with The Neighborhood House and is organizing a book drive for them. If you have good condition books you would like to donate, please bring them in between now and March 29th. We will have a collection box in the front lobby. Thanks for your help!

Christian Community Services Sunday April 11-- Services of The Christian Community, also known as the Movement for Religious Renewal, a church inspired by the work of Rudolf Steiner, will be held on Sunday April 11 at the Minnesota Waldorf School. The Act of Consecration of Man for Adults will be at 10:30, preceded by a Children's Service for grades 1-8 and followed by a presentation on the Easter Season by Rev. Gisela Wielki and a potluck lunch. Contact Louise Ludford 952-238-0603 for details.

The service will also be held at Camphill Viilage Minnesota near Sauk Centre on Saturday April 10. See flyer on the school bulletin board for details. Note: The Christian Community, also known as The Movement for Religious Renewal, although inspired by the work of Rudolf Steiner, is not affiliated with the Anthroposophical Society or the local Twin Cities Branch. Posting of Christian Community events is provided as a courtesy to the local Christian Community congregation.

City of Lakes Waldorf School Dance for 7^th & 8^th Grades

You're invited! Saturday, April 17 from 7-10 pm. DJ and dancing at CLWS for 7th and 8^th graders. $10 admission at the door. City of Lakes Waldorf School is located at 2344 Nicollet Ave. S. Minneapolis 55404. Submit music requests to cbmcenery@yahoo.com. They will be forwarded to the DJ before the dance.

In This Issue