Weekly Update from the MN Waldorf School

Your Weekly Update

News from the Minnesota Waldorf School

June 8, 2010

Last Week of School Schedule: Everything You Need to Know

Wednesday, June 9th

Last day of school for Miss Brenda's Kindergarten.
Parents of Miss Brenda's students are invited to acknowledge the last day of class by joining the class in their morning verse--please arrive by 8:30 am.
Miss Brenda's Kindergarten is invited to attend the Kindergarten Puppet Show and Potluck on Thursday at 11:45 am.

Thursday, June 10th

Moving day for the grades-- check with your child's class teacher for volunteer opportunities!
Last day of school for Miss Eileen's & Miss Mary Lou's Kindergartens.
A puppet show will be performed at 11:45 am in the Festival Hall and a Kindergarten potluck lunch will follow on the front lawn. Miss Brenda's Kindergarten is invited to attend the puppet show and potluck.
Potluck suggestions by cook's last name are available at the Kindergarten classrooms. Please bring your own plates, cups napkins and utensils.
Kindergarten children who usually stay all day will have a regular day after the potluck.
Lost & Found will be gone today after school!
8th Grade Graduation is at 7pm. All are welcome to attend and celebrate the Class of 2010!

Friday, June 11th

Last day of school for the Grades. All-School Gathering in the Festival Hall at 10 am to honor our graduating 8th grade and celebrate the end of school. Students will return to their classrooms following the gathering.
NOON DISMISSAL with picnic to follow. Bring a blanket and a picnic lunch and join us on the front lawn. Note: This picnic is BYO and not potluck.
The school store will close for the summer after school today.
There is no aftercare today. Have a very relaxing summer vacation!

Summer Office Hours

The office will be staffed M-F from 9:00 am - 2:00 pm.

Thank you all for a wonderful school year! We wish you a happy and relaxing summer vacation!

The Minnesota Waldorf School
invites you

to celebrate the graduation of the

Class of 2010

Thursday, June 10th

at 7 pm

in the Festival Hall

A reception will follow.

Overflow Parking in Lower Field

Congratulations Graduates!

The Minnesota Waldorf School congratulates the Class of 2010 and wishes them all the best as they continue on to high school next year. Our graduates:

Rees Burak-- Mahtomedi High School

Alexis Dunlop-- Bloomington High School

Ella Fackel-- St. Paul Central High School

Sarah Garcia-- St. Louis Park High School

Sonja Henrikssen-- St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists

Evan Hines-- Woodbury High School

Claire Howland-- Trinity High School

Kate Lacey-Gotz-- Visitation High School

Alice Loewenson-- St. Paul Central High School

Kali Mann-- St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists

Nyassa Meany-- Cretin Durham High School

Sam Ratte-- Oak-Land Junior High School

Allie Steffen-- Henry Sibley High School

Emmett Stein-- Academy for Sciences and Agriculture

Kylah Westerman-- Mounds View High School

Evan Yarrow-- Unknown

Turn in Your 2010-11 Contracts

Contracts for the 2010-11 school year were due May 25. If you have not yet returned your contract, please do so as soon as possible as we have begun to enroll new students. Ms. Holt's 1st grade already has a waiting list so act now to reserve your child's space!

Yearbooks!

Yearbooks will be delivered to the Kindergartens on Wednesday and to the grades on Friday. We ordered a few extra copies, so if you would still like to order one, please contact Vicki (bvdunlop1@msn.com) or place your order in the basket to the right of Amy's office.

Thank You from the Parent Council

The May Parent Council meeting was simple and relaxing! Complete minutes of the meeting may be found in the Weekly Update notebook in the Parent Lounge and on the website.

Thank you for a successful 2009-2010 Parent Council. We are proud of our accomplishments which include: helping to streamline the work of the Holiday Fair and Frolic, hosting the Media Awareness program and reenlivening the Parent Handwork group. We appreciate the work of the following groups:

Parent Council and Class Representatives: For their dedication and willingness to attend Parent Council meetings and share school information with their classes.

Faculty and Board Members: For sharing important school news and policy that impact all families.

Parents: For sharing their personal experiences and insight, so we all can grow to understand more about the Minnesota Waldorf School.

Kindergarten Assistants Sought for 2010-2011

We are seeking qualified candidates to fill 2 or 3 Kindergarten Assistant positions in the 2010-2011 school year. These part-time salaried positions are for the school year (not including breaks) plus the week before school begins and the week after school ends. A full description of the position is on the website. Applications can be downloaded from our web site and should be directed to Melinda Lopes with a copy of your resume and letter of interest. Applications will be accepted through June 30, 2010.

C.O.W.S. is here!

C.O.W.S., a Collection of Waldorf Stories, written and illustrated by our very own class of 2010, is now available for purchase by our community. Look for a signup sheet to get your copy or copies for only $7 each, to be delivered on Wednesday (for kindergarten families) or Friday with your yearbook. Signup sheets, along with a sample copy to peruse, will be posted in the kindergartens and in the main lobby starting today.

These stories are truly amazing, and will give you a glimpse of what our 8th graders have achieved here at MWS. Each child has created something for the magazine, and each represents a different genre. All proceeds will go to the Minnesota Waldorf School as a gift!

End of the Year Cards in Amy's Office

Stop in and Pen a Little Note

The Parent Council and class reps filled a basket with end of the year cards for all of the faculty and staff who dedicate their hearts and hands to MWS and our children. The basket is in Amy Stephens' office. At your leisure, please stop in and write some words of appreciation and gratitutde. These notes mean so much and are such a gift at the end of a busy school year.

If you would like to give a gift of money to your class teacher, you may leave it in his/her individual envelope. If you would like to give a monetary gift to subject teachers, coverage teachers or staff, you may place it in his or her envelope or into the collection box (which will be divided). We will safeguard the contents of the envelopes and box nightly. If you have any questions, please contact your class rep or Parent Council Chair, Ben Richards.

School Store: June 11th is the Last Day to Shop!

End of the Year Sale

25% off storewide!!! All items discounted! B.T. McElrath chocolates and Purple Prairie Bodycare Products are now buy one, get one 50% off. Thank you for your patronage this year. The store will reopen in the fall.

Take Home Medications this Week

If your child has medication at school please stop by Amy's office to pick it up. Non-emergency medicine may be picked up this week, while emergency meds should be picked up on the last day of school. Any medicine remaining after the last day of school will be discarded.

Don't forget to check the Lost & Found-- all that remains on June 10th will be donated to charity in order to tidy up for graduation and summer vacation.

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.

Register for Camp

Age Extended to 9 Years!

MWS Day Camp

June 12 - September 3, 2009

For Children entering Grades K-4
Ages: 5 to 9 years old (and younger children who are currently enrolled in our Pre-K program)
8:30 am to 3:30 pm

$200 per week/1st child

$150 per week/per each additional

Daily Option: $40/day, $30/per each additional

Drop-In Option: $40/day

Join us for a summer of play and work, story and song, rest and movement as we experience and celebrate the bounty of the season! Please complete your registration forms ASAP!

Extended Daycare Available: $4-5/hour
Before Care: 8:00-8:30 am
After Care: 3:30-5:30 pm
$5/hour Drop-In
$4/hour if pre-registered

Laughing in a Waterfall-- Book Launch Party at MWS

Marianne Dietzel, parent of MWS alumni Nina (Mr. Hanlon, MWS '93), Kevin (Ms. Pierce, MWS '95) and Soren Dietzel (Mr. Weick, MWS '07), is holding a party to launch her book, Laughing in a Waterfall: A Mother's Memoir. All are welcome to attend on Sunday, July 18, 3-6 PM at the MWS. There will be a presentation from 4-5 pm with refreshments and book-signing before and after.

Laughing in a Waterfall is a mother's story of her daughter's life and death and their continuing relationship. At age 5, Nina met her friend Kirsten at MWS. Thirteen years later, both girls were killed in a car accident. Nina's foundation for life was formed by the five years her family spent living in Camphill Village Minnesota, a rural intentional community including adults with development disabilities, and by her education using the Waldorf approach. In letters exchanged with her friends, and in excerpts from her journal, Nina's own words reveal her rich inner life and become a source of wonder for her parents.

After the accident in New York State, where Nina and Kirsten were attending a Waldorf high school, the support of the community in holding a home vigil for the girls gave Marianne courage to face her unfathomable loss. Back in Minnesota, with a teenager and young child still at home, and a dying mother 500 miles away, Marianne's own spiritual resources came to her aid in transcending her grief.

This poignant memoir offers insights into how to create a new culture around the sacred threshold of death and keep a living connection to those on the other side.

For more information, please see www.mariannedietzel.com.

June Inform Posted on Website

Inform is a publication sent by the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA) to all the affiliated Waldorf schools in its membership to keep parents, teachers, board members, alumni, and all those interested in Waldorf Education informed of the current events affecting Waldorf schools nationally and internationally. The June edition is now available on our website.

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

Philadelphia Community Farm's St. John's Festival: Sunday, June 27, 3pm - 7pm. St. John's Tide is a time to share in the blessings of nature and community. The St. John's Festival, like many seasonal festivals, combines pre-Christian traditions and Christian inspiration. It celebrates the birth of John the Baptist, "A burning and shining light." The festival occurs around the time of the summer solstice when nature reaches its fullest growth and the sun is at its greatest strength. Rudolf Steiner states: "We will embody the right St John's mood if the event is experienced with clear, bright, full consciousness".

All Waldorf families are invited to join in the St. John's festivities at Philadelphia Community Farm. This is a free event-not a fundraiser. We will have a potluck meal, the "Three Farmers" play, a wild foods walk, a bonfire, and more. So please join us this year as we jump over the St. John's bonfire into a brighter consciousness: one that embraces brotherly and sisterly love and gratitude for all the gifts of life.

The address of the farm is 599 280^th St, Osceola, WI 54020

Please call or email Deborah Dornemann with questions

715-294-1689 or riseandshinelearning@yahoo.com

Summer at Novalis Institute: Our core faculty teacher, Linda Bergh is once again offering a week-long June Biography class. This class continues to be the foundation for inner development and a transforming process for all who participate. This week from June 21-25th is a condensed offering to facilitate more participation. Join us! Please note that childcare options may be available for this class. Please use the contact email or phone below if this is a need for you.

Novalis' Solstice/St. John's Festival: Along with the Twin Cities Branch of the Anthroposophical Society, Novalis is co-sponsoring a free community evening in celebration of the Solstice and St. John's Day on Monday, June 21st. There will be music, games, shortcake, a biodynamic gardening stirring, a finger-food potluck and an evening fire. Bring an appetizer and your families - all are welcome! You will find more details on our website Classes page under "Other Community Opportunities."

Please also look for details in the flyers on your school's bulletin board!

You may find all of our classes and registration information on our home page at http://novalisinstitute.org/. Questions? Call 651.489.2060 or email info@novalisinstitute.org.