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Join Our List
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 Congratulations, Emma!
What better way to kick off the new year than with exciting news? We are pleased to announce that Emma Lauren Brigaud, a sixth grader here at WSP, won first place in the MLK 4th-6th grade Visual Arts contest, sponsored by
Princeton
University's Martin Luther
King Day Committee. Her winning entry is shown here.
In addition, one of the mandalas submitted by Mrs. Shafer's fifth grade was chosen for display at the university's King Day celebration and award ceremony on January 18.
Contestants were asked to contemplate the question "What creative insight or original work can you present that
transforms the consciousness of American citizens, champions Dr. King's
dream for a society that is structurally and morally just, and furthers
the idea of equality that is embedded in the ideals of the American
dream?" According to the committee, submissions were to represent "the creative ways
individuals can call attention to the inequitable or unintended
negative outcomes of this country's social and economic policies and to
the challenges they present in people's everyday lives."
Thank You, Parents
It is so nice to know that our work with the children and on
behalf of this great school is appreciated. The holiday gifts for faculty and
staff members were especially meaningful this year because of the hardships so
many are facing these days. Thank you for thinking of us and for helping make
our community one of which we are proud to be a part.
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DON'T MISS THESE EXCITING EVENTS! |
| "Fresh"
Friday,
January 15, 7:30
p.m.
Hagens
Hall
The
Parent Council is sponsoring a screening of the documentary film "Fresh,"
which features bestselling author Michael Pollan. The film takes a look at the
people who are revolutionizing how we eat and who are working to bring local
and sustainable food to our tables. Following the film there will be a
discussion led by WSP founding teacher and Biodynamic farmer Caroline Phinney.
WSP Community Meeting
Tuesday,
January 19, 7:30
p.m.
Hagens Hall
Please
join the Board and Parent Council as together we explore two topics: the 2010 tuition-setting process and how the school handles communications with regards to new media. We are especially interested in finding new ways to communicate effectively and striking a
balance incorporating new online technologies without
sacrificing the warmth and human connection that we all value.
Open House
Saturday, January 23, 10 a.m. - Noon
Come and join us and tell your friends! Parents are always
welcome to attend this event - it is a chance for you to learn more about the
school and to mingle and meet prospective families. If you have any questions or would like to help,
please call Diane Barlow at x115 or e-mail her at dbarlow@princetonwaldorf.org.
Please visit our online calendar for a full listing of events.
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REMINDERS FROM THE OFFICE
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Delayed Openings
Information on school closings and delayed openings is available on pages 4-5 of our online Parent Handbook.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Monday, January 18
There will be a 12:40 dismissal for the grade school; there is no early childhood. Aftercare is available at no charge until 3:00 p.m.
Re-Enrollment and Tuition Assistance
All
parents will receive a mailing describing the tuition assistance
process. Please note that all tuition assistance applications,
including tax returns, enrollment agreements, and deposits, are due February 12, 2010.
Please plan accordingly! Re-enrollment packets will be mailed home by
early February. Those parents not applying for tuition assistance are asked to return their agreements and deposits by February 26.
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SCHOOL NEWS
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Personnel News
We are happy to announce next year's sixth-grade teacher!
Meet Our Care Group
Like most Waldorf schools, our school has a Care Group comprised of teachers who voluntarily come together to
carry the deeper aspects of education, growth, and well being of the students. Coming from diverse and rich
backgrounds in education and life, this group brings a wealth of knowledge and heart forces, along with a desire
for continued learning and self-development. Visit our website to learn more about the group and its mission.
Visit Our New Blog!
We are excited to announce our new school blog, On Windy Hill. The
blog will act as a journal for this school year. If you would like to
post a picture or vignette from your child's school day, please send it to Jamie Quirk. We
see this as a chance for you to really enjoy the goings-on, even if you
cannot be here in person.
Auction Is Just a Few Months Away!
We need your help getting donations of items for the Live and
Silent Auctions as well as advertisements for our Auction Program.
In order to prevent
multiple requests of the same business, we are maintaining a Solicitation List. This list is available on the Parent Table in the Golden House as well as on Big
Tent.
Big Tent is an online forum that helps communities such as ours stay connected and informed. We hope many people will join so that we can provide regular updates on auction solicitations. If you would like to join Big Tent, please send an e-mail to Jamie Quirk.
Donation and Sponsorship/Advertising forms are also available on the
Parent Table.
If you have any questions,
please contact Kimberly Trent at kat7597@msn.com or
609.356.0024.
Thank you for supporting
the Auction!
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THIS AND THAT ...
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Parent
Perspective: First
Grade
by
Siobhan Darrow
I am
not sure who is learning more this year, my twin first graders or me. While I
surely have more information stored away in my brain, the interconnectedness of
everything is something they know better than I. They are learning it in school
each day. One is not merely a number, but the sun. Twoness is introduced as
night and day. Six is the hexagonal shape of a honeycomb. Each number and
letter are not merely taught, but embodied, and then echoed in the universe.
Our
children learn the essence of B-ness by drawing it embedded in a bear or
butterfly, by dancing it, by living and breathing it, even becoming B for a
while. They will know B innately, as well as they will know all the letters.
At
dinner my children talk about the singing letters (the vowels). They tell me
that each letter has its own name, but speaks its own sound just as we have a
name and speak. Then they prance about the house singing in French and Chinese.
Each song, rhyme, and gesture has meaning and reverence.
With
all their knitting and string games, I can almost see the neural pathways being
wired into their little heads. Their hearts are full of wonder and love
for their teacher, who can captivate them with a story about the adventures of
a blade of grass. My
children go to school with joy each day, learning how to work hard at something
and feeling the satisfaction of completion. My son's prize possession is the
handmade pouch he knitted himself.
Beyond
the words and numbers, and handwork, they are learning together how to build a
class, how to communicate and care for each other. They are learning basic
human capacities of love and connection to each other that will perhaps be the
most meaningful lessons of all.
Building
a class together feels like a deep relationship and commitment. I realize, as I
look at all these children together, that I will watch them grow and struggle
and blossom over the years and I will get to know them all very well. When I
see our families together, I sense the primal connection of true community.
Class
News from the Fourth Grade
In late December the fourth-grade class visited two
retirement villages and offered the gift of song and verses. They visited Acorn
Glen right here in Montgomery, and then Pennswood Village
in Newtown, PA. Pennswood
Village is a retirement village that
long-time WSP friend Jim Kurtz and his wife Regina call home. Jim is the gentleman who
lived here as a boy from 1926 until the mid-1930s, when this property was the Windy
Hill dairy farm.
Notes from the December Parent Council Meeting
At
December's Parent Council meeting, Lyn Farrugia, who has a homeopathic practice
in Hopewell,
and second-grade parent Dr. Deborah Ginsburg spoke about cold and flu remedies
with an emphasis on prevention. Farrugia, who is newly transplanted from a Waldorf School
in San Francisco,
gave a fascinating explanation of the history of homeopathy. Three hundred
years ago a German scientist discovered that plants, minerals, animal
components, and various other substances that cause particular symptoms in
people can be used in diluted concentrations to stimulate the body's innate
healing mechanisms to fight diseases with similar symptoms. He practiced his
theories on his own twelve children, learning that certain substances can help
teach the body to heal itself.
Dr.
Ginsburg, who has a holistic medical practice in Lawrenceville, explained that
we needn't fear illness because the
body uses it to develop the immune system. Despite the high level of concern over H1N1, most
children who get the flu will be able to successfully fight it by being gently
supported through the illness. She spoke about the importance of a soothing and
warm home environment during illness and made recommendations about essential
oils, food, and other home remedies.(Copies of these can be found on the parent
table in the Golden House.) Ginsburg also urged us all to check our children's
and our own vitamin D levels and to make sure we have enough vitamin D3,
especially during winter. She mentioned links to vitamin D deficiency and
immune system problems as well as a possible link to certain cancers.
On the Border
Here comes a fun little fundraiser
for late January. Support WSP by dining at On The Border Thursday, January 28,
2010! Present this flyer during your visit and 10% of your food and beverage
purchases will be donated to the school. Please share this with your family and friends!
Soup for Supper - Heat It and Eat It!
Every Thursday during the cold
months, January 15 through March 25, the third grade is offering delectable soups by the quart.
Prepared with love!
Order forms are available on the school website and at the parent table in the Golden House community kitchen. There are limited quantities, so avoid disappointment and ORDER EARLY! Please drop your orders off in the lockbox outside the front doors of the Golden House.
Contact Angel Heller, 609-585-0994 (h) or 909-531-3789 (c) or angelheller@yahoo.com, with any questions.
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WSP IN THE NEWS
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Natural Awakenings Magazine
Look out for a wonderful piece about our school and the River Valley
Waldorf School
in the January issue of Natural Awakenings Magazine. Copies of the magazine
will be available in the kitchen and the foyer of the Golden House.
by
Scott Morgan: This fascinating portrait of founding WSP teacher
Caroline Phinney was featured in this week's issue of U.S. 1 and sheds
light on our school's roots.
Other Articles
of Interest
"Just Released: Research Finds No Advantage in Learning to Read From Age Five" from the Voxy News Engine, an aggregator of topical news from various New Zealand sources including the New Zealand Press Association.
"Why Does Waldorf Education Talk About Warmth So Much?"
This November 2009 article by
Adam Blanning M.D. discusses how warmth works throughout the entire
spectrum of
human experience: physical warmth, emotional warmth - the warmth of love,
of
generosity, of true morality - and how all of these "warmths" pour over
and merge
with each other, and why it's especially important to pay attention to
warmth
for young children. Includes research data about warmth.
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