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When out of world-wide spaces
The sun speaks to the human mind,
And gladness from the depths of soul
Becomes, in seeing, one with light,
Then rising from the sheath of self,
Thoughts soar to distances of space
And dimly bind
The human being to the spirit's life.
from The Calendar of the Soul by Rudolf Steiner
Earth Day
Welcome to spring! With the month of April comes Earth Day,
on April 22. As you know, in many ways, every day is Earth Day at the Waldorf
School of Princeton! The buildings in which our children spend their days have
been built, o r maintained, using sustainable practices. The materials and colors in
the school - from the paint on the walls to the paint on paper - are a reflection
of the natural world.
At every grade level, the curriculum is imbued with activities that help the students to cultivate an appreciation for and
connection to the earth. In the early childhood program the students sing songs
according to the seasons, help to prepare their snack using organic foods, play
outdoors in all weather . . . and the list continues. Grade school children have two recess periods outside each day in
addition to two movement and games classes outside in our 20-acre "gymnasium." First
and second graders explore nature and recreate what they experience in beeswax,
drawings, poetry, and song. Third graders tap trees to make maple syrup and
mark the shadows of the sun to learn to tell time. Fourth graders study the
landscape of their home state of New
Jersey and learn how the Lenape lived on the land.
Fifth graders study botany by observing and sketching plants outdoors. Sixth
graders observe the star constellations. Even in business math, they learn
about where things come from and the impact on the earth. All students support
our school's composting and recycling efforts while this year's sixth and eighth
graders are responsible for bringing the bins to and from the curb.
Parents are encouraged to pack lunches with minimal
container waste, and to turn cars off instead of letting them idle.
Waldorf School of Princeton will mark Earth Day in the
following ways: Grade school students will be involved in Spring Cleanup
during the week of Earth Day to help maintain our beautiful grounds. On Friday
afternoon, April 23, mixed age groups will pick up litter and the many fallen
branches from our recent storms. At noon on April 22, we invite early childhood
children from within our school and from the outside community to make a
pinecone bird feeder. See below for more details or click here. We are pleased to let you know that the school has signed on
to the Hopewell
Valley Come Outside and Play Initiative, and these activities are included as a
part of that project.
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DON'T MISS THESE EXCITING EVENTS! |
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Arbonne Party and
Fundraiser for WSP
Friday, April 9, 7:30 p.m.
The Fisher Home
564 Dutch Neck Rd
East Windsor, NJ 08520
Come to a girls' night out! An Arbonne evening will be held by
parents Liesl Fisher and Kaz Yamashiro on Friday, April 9, in the Fisher home. There will be refreshments and demonstrations of Arbonne products by Cori Kenny, an Arbonne
representative. Arbonne is a skin care and cosmetics line made from natural, responsibly-sourced ingredients. Twenty-five percent of all profits will go to the Waldorf
School of Princeton!
If you would like to order something but can't
make it that evening, catalogs will be available on the parents' table in the
Golden House. Just give Liesl a call with your order, and it
will accompany the orders from that evening so that the profits will go to our
school.
The evening will start at 7:30 and is open to anyone in
the Waldorf Community. For more information and to RSVP, contact Liesl at 609-443-4337 or lieslf@verizon.net by April 7.
April Parent Council Meeting
Tuesday, April 13, 7:30 p.m.
Hagens
Hall
At this month's Parent
Council meeting, Andrea Eberly, MD, will lead a discussion about
anthroposophical medicine. Together we will explore what anthroposophical
medicine is, and in what areas it is most helpful.
Andrea Eberly is a
board-certified emergency medicine physician who enjoyed a first career working
in various trauma centers for twelve years. Her focus during much of this time
was to practice in medically underserved areas that were scenically beautiful.
This decision resulted in spending eight years on the island
of Guam, where she served as the
assistant director of the island's only trauma center as well as the medical director
of the EMS system. Subsequently Dr. Eberly
became interested in anthroposophical medicine, in which she is now certified.
Her new focus has become to heal communities through teaching.
Play Season at WSP Begins!
The fifth grade play, Perseus and Danae, will be held on Thursday, April 15, at
7:30 p.m.
The sixth grade play will be held on Friday, April 30, details TBA. Visit the website for more updates.
Pinecone Bird Feeder Activity (Nut-Free!)
Thursday, April 22, Noon-1 p.m.
Sarah Kessler's Play Yard
Celebrate Earth Day at the Waldorf School of Princeton! Early childhood children will meet at noon in Sarah Kessler's play yard (to the right of
the Golden House).
Please RSVP to Marla Hanan
at mhanan@princetonwaldorf.org
or at 609-466-1970 x121.
WSP's Four Seasons Auction
Saturday, April 24, 6-10:30 p.m.
23 Orchard Rd
Skillman, NJ 08558
The deadline is here for donations and advertisements! Make sure you invite
guests and get your RSVP cards turned in! If you would like additional invites to distribute, please contact Jamie Quirk at x112 or jquirk@princetonwaldorf.org.
 Are you ready for a
Vacation?
Check out one of our
exciting auction items: 4 days of
adventure and/or relaxing in gorgeous Cape
Breton, Nova Scotia!
Dr. Paul Weinberg of Cabot Shores
has generously donated a 4-day stay at the winning bidder's choice of either
4-bedroom Farmhouse or one of the 2-bedroom Chalets.
To find out more about Cabot Shores, visit
their website.
Please visit our online calendar for a full listing of events.
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NEWS FROM THE OFFICE
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Open House
Acknowledgments
Seventeen families braved the history-making wind-and-rain
storm on Saturday, March 13, to attend our Open House (many more had intended
to come). A special thanks to our parent and alumni "ambassadors" Felicia
Bland, Mia Davis, Kevin Fisher, Doug Jackson, Sasha Mesaros '08, Kirsten
Pearson '96, Arleen Rasmussen, Bob Rose, Maja Von Doehren, and Ondy Wasem for
volunteering to lead tours and engage visitors in informative and warm
conversations about Waldorf education and our school. Thanks also to Francoise
Nelessen for creating spring displays of blooming branches.
May Fair/Spring Events Postcard
Look out for WSP's new May
Fair/Spring events postcard coming out later this month. There will be stacks
of the cards in the Community Kitchen and on the table in the Golden House
foyer. Please feel free to take some to distribute to friends and family, and
in places you frequent in your community.
Tuition Assistance Letters
Tuition Assistance letters are being mailed! Please read these carefully and be mindful of deadlines. If you have any questions, or you have not received your letter by April 10, please contact the registrar, Solveig Pearson, at x114 or spearson@princetonwaldorf.org.
Summer Camp
Summer's
coming. . . . Complete
your WSP Summer Camp Registration before May 1 to take advantage of an early
enrollment discount! Visit us online to check out the new specialty camp offerings and to download a camp brochure
and registration form.
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SCHOOL NEWS
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Sixth Grade Needs Your Cups and Plates!
The sixth grade class is collecting
colorful old chipped plates and cups for their mosaic project. Please bring
them to the box in front of the Golden House. Thank you very
much!
Stop by the Windy Hill School Store!
See the many items we have for spring! There are handmade items, gems, arts and crafts, and more. Also, Dr. Haushka is now on sale. Take 10% off all Haushka products. There is
a Smart Wool sock sale going on too. Buy 3 pairs and get 10% off.
Board of Trustees Election Results
The Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the election of
officers for the new board year beginning June 2010. Please join me in
congratulating them as well as thanking them for their dedication and service
to the school.
Yours truly, Jeffrey Olkin, Outgoing Chair
The new officers are:
Shep Faison, Chair
Wayne Rebarber, Vice Chair
Scott Albert, Secretary
Gordon Alter, Treasurer
Shep Faison is a
writer and a crisis communications consultant. He grew up in Brooklyn, and
studied history and modern dance at Wesleyan
University. He went to China at the
age of 25, looking for adventure. After learning Chinese, he became a
journalist at a newspaper in Hong Kong and was posted to Beijing,
where he covered the student uprising in Tiananmen Square
in 1989. He joined the New York Times,
covered legal and financial news in New
York, and then became Shanghai bureau chief. He left
the newspaper to write a book, South of
the Clouds: Exploring the Hidden Realms of China. He is married to Siobhan
Darrow, whom he fell in love with by watching her on TV as a correspondent for
CNN. Their children, Lane and Sasha, are in the first grade. Shep joined the board in 2009.
Wayne Rebarber has
been a holistic chiropractor since 1981. He is the owner of Rebarber Family
Chiropractic, located in Highland Park and Princeton,
where he has cared for clients over the last 25 years. Wayne has been a national speaker and
lecturer, and has helped coach other professionals worldwide. He uses
traditional and alternative diagnostic procedures to locate and correct
underlying causes of health challenges. He brings his wealth of knowledge about nutrition and
exercise to help his practice members recover and fortify their bodies. He lives
an active lifestyle enjoying running, bicycling, skiing, tennis, and yoga. Wayne is married to
Rachelle Rebarber and has two children: Jasmine, who is in the sixth grade, and
Noah, who is in the third grade. He has been a trustee of the board for the last
three years, serving as vice chair for the last two.
Scott Albert has
worked in education for 25 years and is currently an educational trainer and
consultant. Scott was the admissions director at the Waldorf
School of Princeton from 2001 to 2004, after having
spent many years as the director of Counseling and Human Development at the Lawrenceville School. He was a founding board
member at the Childcare Center at the Lawrenceville School
and, more recently, is on the board of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Mercer
County.
Gordon Alter is a
corporate lawyer and finance executive. A former corporate partner at a
national law firm, in the last 10 years he has been a finance executive and
lawyer for a boutique investment bank, a venture capital firm which made
investments in renewable energy development projects, and a private equity firm
focused on investments in North American energy assets. He has been a member of the school's finance
committee for the past seven years and a board trustee for the past four years, and
he was the board secretary for two years and is the current school treasurer. He and his wife, Sharon, have two sons, Marlowe and Clay, both
of whom are WSP alumni who attended from early childhood through eighth grade. Marlowe is currently a freshman
majoring in journalism at Ohio University, and Clay is a sophomore at Princeton High School.
May Fair Update
Please don't forget to mark Saturday, May 15, from 11 a.m. to
4 p.m., on your calendars for WSP's festive springtime celebration. The eighth
grade has signed up to run a dessert café - so we know we have dessert covered!
Now is the time for your class to choose the activity that you will bring to
the fair.
Vendors have begun to sign up, and we are pleased that the
Fellowship Community will be here with their wonderful handmade toys and other
special items. If you know someone who you think would be interested in
participating as a vendor, please have them visit our website, where they can
download a vendor form.
For any questions about the Fair, please contact Sara
Young Singh at syoungsingh@yahoo.com.
Annual Fund Update
Together we've raised $76,623 toward our $115,000 goal for
the 2009-2010 Annual Fund! We have three months to go to raise the additional
$38,000 needed by June 30.
Thank you to parent and alumni callers Gordon Alter, Christa
Bruneau-Flynn '01, Brunda Dias, Marla Hanan,
Mark Hornung, Holly Houston, Peter Jahn, Emily McDonough '00, Sharon Mizels,
John Pearson, Heide Ratliff, Bob Rose, Cindy Vega, and Liz Warrier for calling
people to request their gift support during our annual phonathon in early
March.
And thanks to all who have already generously participated
with a gift to our Annual Fund!
Class participation to date:
75% - Grade 8, class agents: Stephanie Gray & Julia Kerr
59% - Grade 6, class agent: Wayne Rebarber
54% - Grade 5, class agent: Stephanie Gray
69% - Grade 4, class agent: Mark Hornung
56% - Grade 3, class agents: Doug Jackson & Beth Baldino
33% - Grade 2, class agent: Romy Antoine
83% - Grade 1, class agent: Mary Langeron
62% - Ms. Kessler's Kindergarten, class agent: Marla Hanan
50% - Mrs. Atkinson's Kindergarten, class agent: Chi Park
57% - Mrs. Cirianni-Jones's Kindergarten, class agent: Maja
Von Doehren
46% - Nursery, class agent: Bill Bauer
77% - Parent Child, class agent: Rebecca Plimpton
Please check with your class agent or contact Diane Barlow,
director of admissions and development, at dbarlow@princetonwaldorf.org with questions about the Annual Fund.
To make your gift, please visit our website!
To make your pledge, please contact the Development Office.
Pledge payments are due by June 30.
Annual Grandparents'
and Special Friends' Day
Friday, May 14
Our Grandparents' and Special Friends' Day invitation has
been mailed to grandparents and special friends of grade school and mixed-age
kindergarten students. Since the nursery program does not meet on Fridays, this
class is making other plans.
The copy for the invitation is as follows:
Please join us for our
annual
Grandparents' and Special
Friends' Day
Friday, May 14, 2010
Waldorf School
of Princeton
1062 Cherry Hill Road, Princeton,
NJ 08540
Kindergarten program begins at 8:30
a.m.
Grade School program from 10 a.m. to
12:30 p.m.
Kindergarten guests are invited to the
Grade School Assembly following the Kindergarten program.
RSVP to Jamie in the Development Office
by May 3
(609) 466-1970 X112
This invitation was mailed to all who are on our database.
If you have not provided us with information about your child's grandparents or
special friends, or are not sure, please contact Jamie
Quirk in the development office (contact info above).
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WSP ENRICHMENT OFFERINGS FOR ADULTS
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Anyone
for Tennis?
Wednesdays
8:30ish-9:45 a.m. (weather permitting)
Down on
the tennis courts
Tennis with Mr. Sheen is open to all parents. Come learn, have fun,
and play. Meet other aspiring tennis players in a friendly environment.
Eurythmy for Grown-Ups!
Mondays, April 12, 19, 26 & May 3
9-9:45 a.m.
Now is your chance to find out what
eurythmy is all about!
Please visit our website here for more
information about the adult enrichment offerings.
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THIS AND THAT ...
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A Springtime Reminder from the Faculty
The new warm weather brings new attention
to the school dress code. (For more information, see parent handbook page 20.)
Remember to use these tests before coming to
school to help determine whether your child is dressed appropriately. If
there is any uncertainty, please have your child change her/his clothing.
TORSO TEST: Can you raise your arms above your head, or
touch your toes without exposing your torso?
SPAGHETTI STRAPS TEST: Are shirt straps 1 1/2 inches or wider? Do any
undergarments show?
SHORT SKIRT TEST: Can you easily sit cross-legged or jump without
undergarments being visible? Are regulation-length shorts or capris underneath?
HAIR TEST: Are your eyes fully visible? Is peripheral
vision restricted with bowed head?
FLAMBOYANT ACCESSORIES TEST: Can earrings be caught on something? Are
watches, particularly digital ones, needed? Are necklaces and bracelets being
played with during school?
LOW RIDER TEST: Are undergarments visible above the waistband
when standing or walking?
SAG AND DRAG TEST: Does any part of any garment touch the floor?
Additionally, teachers
ask that the popular Crocs do not become standard footwear. They are not
acceptable for lively activities such as in Movement and Games classes, circle,
or recess. When outdoor mud or rains cause the indoor floors to be slick, Crocs have almost no traction, and we have already had one bad fall. Crocs
make wonderful water shoes at the creek, however, so they are great to have on
hand.
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ALUMNI NEWS
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Sarah Elmaleh '98 has been working for the film Falling for Grace, which just
opened in NYC on March 19 at Big Cinemas Manhattan. For more about Sarah's work,
please check www.sarahelmaleh.com.
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EVENTS IN THE WIDER COMMUNITY
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Local Living Economies: Green, Fair and Fun
With Judy Wicks
Thursday, April 8, 7 p.m.
Kimberton Waldorf High School Gym
410 W. Seven Stars Road
Kimberton, PA 19442
Judy Wicks will tell her story including the legendary start of
the White Dog Cafe in 1983, to co-founding the nationwide
Business Alliance for Local Living Economies in 2001. Her
presentation will encourage business owners, citizens and
community leaders to work cooperatively in building self-reliant
local economies, a vision made urgent in these uncertain times of climate change, peak oil, and financial crisis.
Sponsored by KWS, Kimberton Whole Foods & Sphere College
$20 fee; RSVP: 610-933-3635, x128
Screening of Where Do the Children Play?
With Follow-up
Discussion
April 13, 7-8:30 p.m.
Hopewell Elementary School
35 Princeton Avenue Hopewell, NJ 08525 After the screening there will be a follow-up discussion led by Jeff
Hoagland of the Stonybrook-Millstone Watershed. For more information or to
RSVP, contact Vicki Obst at vickiobstwbst@hvrsd.org.
Awakening the Power of Empathy:
Compassionate Communication
in Practice
Friday, April 16, 7-9 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday, April 17 & 18, 9-5 p.m.
The Brooklyn Waldorf School
126 St. Felix Street, Brooklyn, NY 11243
Discover the core capacities of connection!John Cunningham, a Waldorf educator and Nonviolent
Communication trainer, will present this workshop the weekend of April 16 at the
Brooklyn Waldorf School.
For more information, contact The Brooklyn School at 718-783-3270 or
sarah@brooklynwaldorf.org.
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WALDORF NEWS & LINKS
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The Emerson Waldorf School
in Chapel Hill, NC, offers a virtual open house on their
website. Click here and select EWS Video Open House to view the Waldorf curriculum from early
childhood through high school and how it applies to a child's development. You
will need Flash Video Player to view this.
Read
the March 2010 issue of Inform: The Newsletter for Waldorf
School Communities here.
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ARTICLES OF INTEREST
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Computers in Schools Could Do More Harm than Good
Excerpt from article:
"One of the things that makes human beings so distinct, and
so brilliant, is that our brains are constantly being rewired - a phenomenon
known as "plasticity" which means that we can react to and learn from
our surroundings. But, as a neuroscientist, there is a question that worries
me: given that the brain adapts according to its environment, and the learning
environment for our children has been changing in dramatic and unprecedented
ways, could that have an unprecedented impact on their development in ways that
might be adverse? That certainly seems to be the message from research reported
yesterday, which suggested that students are losing the ability to study
properly."
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SAVE THE DATES
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Grandparents' and Special Friends' Day
Friday, May 14
May Fair
Saturday, May 15, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Spring Assembly
Saturday, June 5, 9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Princeton High School
Graduation, Class of 2010
Sunday, June 6, 1:30 p.m.
St. John's
Festival & Bonfire
Thursday, June 24, 8 p.m.
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