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Welcome back to all new and returning families!
This is the first edition of the Willow Express, a monthly
e-newsletter designed to deliver the information you need in a format that is
kinder to the planet and the budget-and
more difficult to misplace! The Willow Express will be sent to you at this e-mail
address on the first of each month. If you prefer that we use a different or
additional address, please send your request to our new assistant Jamie Quirk.
Each Express will include links to the upcoming month's
calendar of events as well as summaries of those events. Many summaries will
include web links allowing you to delve deeper into a topic at your leisure.
However, given the abundant nature of the "Back to School" season, this issue
will have more text than usual. Submissions of newsworthy items for upcoming
editions should be sent to Office Manager Jessica Alfaro by the 15th of the month prior to publication (for example, send
items for the November issue by October 15).
As we strive to make communication as easy as possible, we
have set up a "Parent Table" in the kitchen in the Golden House. The parent table will be the place to look
for all things related to parent-run collections and fundraisers, such as class
gifts and other school events.
Please note that the back of the outside bulletin board now
has doors. Feel free to use this board to post information that is relevant to
our school community.
Here are some highlights from the past few months:
On behalf of the entire faculty and staff, I want to thank the Waldorf
community for our year-end gifts. We truly appreciate your
thoughtfulness and generosity. Your kindness was the cherry on top of a joyful year.
This summer, the Waldorf campus was alive with activity. Our
camp introduced Waldorf to more than 90 new families in its three sessions.
These summer campers experienced a wonderful old-fashioned summer, filled with
games, crafts, and nature. All of us in the administration enjoyed their
smiling faces and the joyful sounds of their playful romping!
 Throughout the season, gardening teacher Mary Capoferri and
several parents worked desperately to keep the wild weeds from overtaking our
garden. With all of the rain, this endeavor was truly challenging. Late in the
summer Mrs. Capoferri harvested our biodynamically grown herb borage and offered
it to The Bent Spoon to whip into delicious Honey Borage ice cream (being enjoyed here by Ryan Lemmo '99, Rebecca Sciarretta, Siobhan Sciarretta, and Johanna Schneider '04). Look for a taste of
Bent Spoon Waldorf mint ice cream at Back to School night on September 22.
Thank you to the families of the Class of 2009 for their
Legacy Gift of two sets of aluminum bleachers. These were installed over the
summer and can be found down the hill by the tennis courts and sports field.
Please stop by during the next cross-country meet and try them out.
As the days began to shorten and the changing sounds of
summer indicated that vacation was coming to a close, the parking lot was
patched and sealed, initiating the preparations for another school year. Since
then, the classrooms have been reassembled, children fitted to their desks, the
sandboxes filled to the brim, and the garden primed for the opening day
assembly. We are ready to begin again.
Did
you know that each place where students work at school receives a blessing the
day before school? True to tradition, yesterday the faculty and staff joined
together to recite, "Blessings on the year", in each and every room.
With the world being redefined daily, I am grateful for the
consistency and commitment that our teachers provide. Their commitment to using
this 90-year-old proven educational method that unfolds children's
capacities, teaches them to observe and think for themselves, and develops
their confidence to step forward and try new things will prepare them well to
adapt to their changing world.
We look forward to a wonderful school year with you and your
children.
Nancy Lemmo
School Administrator
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Events
WSP Presents Puppet Performance, September 20
Our school is pleased to host the Folk Tale Puppet Troupe for a
performance of "The Queen Bee" on Sunday, September 20, at 2:00 p.m. This marionette show is being offered free of
charge in honor of Puppets for Peace Day and International Day of Peace.
Back-to-School Night on September
22
All parents are encouraged to
attend this adult-only welcome-back-to-school event on September 22 at 7:00
p.m. The event will be an opportunity to
visit with teachers, welcome new parents, and hear about the school year.
Refreshments will be provided at the volunteer tables, where attendees can learn more about how to help support our community with their time and talents.
Biodynamic Apples and Beef on
Campus, September 24
On Thursday, September 24, the farmers from Threshold Farm in New York will be back at
WSP with biodynamic apples and beef. Please click here for an ordering form. There will also be forms available on the parent table in the kitchen
of the Golden House.
Howell Farm Corn Maze and WSP Fundraiser, September 19 & 20 and
26 & 27
Enjoy the Howell Farm Corn
Maze while raising money for our school!
The farm has built a schoolhouse shaped corn maze, and it is open for two
weekends in September. Download coupons to present to at the farm for the school to get credit!
Dedication Ceremony, October 3
Please join us as we honor founding teacher Caroline
Phinney; founding board president, Harriet Myers, and her late husband, Gordon;
and parent Peter Wasem and the Wasem/Jaffe family at the WSP campus on
Saturday, October 3, at 4:00 p.m. Donors to the Silver & Gold Campaign for the
Golden House Renovation Project have named rooms in honor of these individuals,
and on this day we will dedicate their plaques. To RSVP or for more information contact
Diane Barlow.
Alumni Art Exhibit in
the Grade School Foyer through September
Throughout the month of September, art work created by WSP
alumni will be on view in the grade school foyer. Please stop by any time school
is open and join us for the closing reception on Saturday, October 3, at 4:00 p.m. An All School Community
Potluck Picnic will be held on Saturday, October 3, at 5:30 p.m. Bring a dish to share and enjoy an open mike
and visiting with friends!
**Details for all events are available on our website!**
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Personnel News
Leena Korde
Retiring
After eight years, Leena Korde,
the school's dedicated bookkeeper, is retiring. Leena has been a steady force
in the school, helping to build processes and controls over the school's finances.
The school's auditors commented this summer that they love doing our yearly audit
because there are so few corrections. Leena's wonderful personality and deep
commitment to quality work will be missed by everyone in the school. Thank you,
Leena!
The bookkeeper position has been posted on our website.
EC Afternoon Teacher
Early Childhood Afternoon teacher Beth Kelly
accepted an invitation to stay in the Hawthorne Valley
community on a full-time basis. We bid
her well in her work with children and adults on the beautiful farm there.
The children will nevertheless be in very loving hands with
our new Early Childhood Afternoon teacher, Mia
Davis. Mia Davis moved to New Jersey last year from California,
where she worked as a kindergarten teacher at the Sanderling Waldorf
School and assisted in
their afternoon program. Before that she
was an afternoon teacher for summer school students at the Sacramento Waldorf
School and a toddler
teacher in the Children's Garden. Mother
of two, Mia's warmth, creativity, and love of children was demonstrated in our
own camp this past summer. She will now
be teaching the Early Childhood Afternoon program for those children staying
for a full day of school ending at 3:00 p.m. Please welcome Mia and her daughter, Maddie, who will be joining our 8th
grade class.
Other Transitions
Last spring, we announced Amanda Lyons as teacher for our After School Program, but recent
schedule changes in her family make it no longer possible for her to teach from
3:00 to 6:00 p.m. We are fortunate, though,
that she will still be an active member of our faculty by assisting in Mrs.
Atkinson's kindergarten.
We also announced that Chrissy
Benson would be leaving to pursue her interest in traveling. Happily, she loves our school and our
students, and has agreed to carry the After School Program temporarily until
her destination decision and arrangements have been made, and we are very pleased
to have her cheerful and boundless energy for as long as possible.
Welcome to Our New Assistants!
Jennifer Paul-Jennei - Mrs. Kessler's kindergarten
Chrissy Benson and Sherry Miller - EC Afternoon
Arlene Rasmussen - Mrs. Shor's Nursery
Sharon Vecchiarelli - Gardening
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Things to Note
Windy Hill, the school store, will be open for business on Wednesdays at 8:45 a.m. The store is
located on the second floor of the Golden House, in the hallway behind Diane
Barlow's office.
Community Singing Group begins
Tuesday, September 15, from 8:00 to 9:15 p.m. This casual chorus will be held only if
we receive at least 4 RSVPs from people planning to come. Please let us know!
Enrichment Activities are at various stages of enrollment. Visit the website to see if the workshop you signed up for the latest information.
EC Afternoon Now
Accepting One-Day contracts!
Contracts are available in the Forms section of our website.
Applicants will be accepted on a first-come, first-served
basis.
The Foundation Studies Program is starting its third
cycle on September 26.
Study the philosophical base
of Waldorf Education, Anthroposophy, and put it into practice through artistic
workshops.
The fall semester is six
Saturday mornings, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Contact Pamela Shafer for more information.
Save the Date!
October 16, 7:30 p.m.
Eugene Schwartz
Lecture, "The Media and Their Message," in Hagens Hall.
October 24, 10:00 a.m.
Open House -
tell friends, and please join us if you can!
October 30 at dusk
Halloween Walk
The WSP faculty will offer a magical, fright-free outdoor
story experience. Families walk silently
on the path and are drawn in to small vignettes of fairy tales or other stories
as they come to life in various settings.
November 12, 7:00 p.m.
Film screening
and panel discussion of Daniel Pink's "A Whole New Mind" at the Princeton
Public Library.
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