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GOOD THINGS ARE HAPPENING! 
Weekly News Bulletin
September 21, 2012
PARENT ENRICHMENT SERIES

Parent Enrichment is essential to the Journey School community. Parents value the opportunity to learn more about public Waldorf education and become better acquainted with Journey School.  It deepens the connections between home and school.  Patti Connolly, our Co-Educational Director, presented two well-received and well-attended workshops on Creative Parenting of the 5-7 Year Old Child this week.  

 

Journey School's Fall 2012 Parent Enrichment Series continues tonight, Friday, September 21 at 6:30pm in the MPR.

 

Master teacher, Alice Stamm, offers an experiential workshop on Eurythmy.  Find out what it is and why it is an important part of your child's Waldorf education.  Bonnie River will also give a short talk on the meditative life of a Waldorf teacher.  Alice is joyful and engaging and Bonnie will tackle one of the most important aspects of becoming a Waldorf teacher. 
PARENT ENRICHMENT FILM
Parent Cabinet will be screening Play Again, a FREE outdoor movie about "the consequences of a childhood removed from nature," on Thursday, October 4th from 6:30-8:30 pm. 

  • Bring beach chairs/ blankets, etc. (Babes in arms are welcome, kids 10 and over at parents discretion)
  • A bake sale (possibly pizza) will be a Games Equipment fundraiser.   
  • Parents are encouraged to find their own childcare for this occasion. (Parent Cabinet is researching on-campus options. Stay tuned for updates on childcare.) 
  • More information: http://playagainfilm.com/  
KINDERGARTEN HANDBOOK ONLINE
The much anticipated Kindergarten Handbook is now available online. Thank you to our wonderful Kindergarten Team for providing this valuable resource. Download the Kindergarten Handbook here.


ECOLITERACY UPDATE
The Green Heart Garden parent and community volunteer team put in many hours over the summer to keep our outdoor classrooms in good shape for the school year.  We are so lucky to have Erik Katzmaier serve as our Master Gardener volunteer. He works tirelessly to help our parents plan and prep the gardens.

All parents are encouraged to volunteer in the gardens!  It's good, purposeful work which directly benefits the students. You can literally watch the "fruits of your labor" grow!  You're welcome to join us every Wednesday starting at 8:30 a.m. Next Wednesday, September 26th would be a great day for parents to come volunteer in the gardens - as we will be spreading new soil between the Kindy garden, 3rd Grade Garden and the Green Heart Garden.  
 
Eco-literacy Program Returning 
Earthroots Field School and SOKA University interns are returning to campus for another year presenting our hands-on Ecoliteracy curriculum.

Programs include:
2nd grade Life Cycles in the Garden
3rd grade Farming Program
4th grade Native American Life
5th grade Rainwater Harvesting and Botany Studies throughout the year
6th grade Composting/Recycling
7th grade Permaculture Studies
8th grade Eco-leadership
 
Seed Planting on Wednesday, Oct 3rd 
[Note: The monthly Parent Cabinet meeting is the first Wednesday morning of the month and all parents are encouraged to attend.] Volunteer to help the 1st, 2nd, 4th & 5th graders plant seeds in the Green Heart Garden planter boxes on Wednesday, Oct. 3rd from 8:30 to noon. Contact Michele Whiteaker ([email protected]) if you are interested in attending.

Garden Needs 
We are currently seeking some large ceramic or wood planting containers to transplant the strawberries from the planter boxes to make room for seed planting.  Again, please contact Michele Whiteaker to coordinate ([email protected]).

More Gratitude 
A big thanks to Parent Cabinet and parent volunteers for their continuing support of the Journey gardens, to Journey Administration and teachers for their commitment to the ecoliteracy program, and to Michelle Spieker for her volunteer time coordinating the ecoliteracy program.

AFTER SCHOOL CLASSES ENROLLING
Most of our After School Classes still have room for new students, so sign up now with one of our talented providers. Detailed flyers and information about how to sign-up directly with the providers can be found on the After School Programs page of our website. If you have any questions about our class list or have any ideas on how to improve our after school offerings, please contact [email protected].

 
MAKE YOUR OWN MESS KIT
Mess Kit Flier
IMPORTANT MONDAY ARRIVAL INFORMATION
Thank you to everyone who made a special effort to adapt your Monday morning routine. For those who missed last week's email, the Aliso Viejo High School students begin classes at 8:45 am on Monday only. We implemented a few Monday drop-off ideas to alleviate the traffic issues. Thank you for your cooperation. 

 

Feel free to adopt any of the following suggestions:

  1. Carpool or bike to school!
  2. Bring your grades students to school at 8:10 am on Mondays. We will provide supervision on the playground for the 15 minutes before the first bell rings.
  3. Bring and stay with your Kindergarten students at 8:10 am on Mondays. They can play on the big yard. The Kindergarten Outdoor Classroom is closed before school. Thanks for your understanding!
  4. Walk your children to school from the baseball field parking lot off of Woodfield off of Pacific Park Drive. Come through the back gate, which will be open at both arrival and dismissal.
2012-2013 CALENDAR
IMPORTANT DATES AND UPCOMING EVENTS: 

Friday, Sept. 21

Friday-Sunday, Sept. 21-23

  • Rudolf Steiner College Teacher Practicum Weekend I with Alice Stamm (Teachers Only) 
Wednesday, Sept. 26
  • Volunteer in the Green Heart Garden - Every Wednesday @ 8:30 am 
Thursday, Sept. 27
  • JS Board Meeting, 6:00 p.m.
  • Class Photos (Day 1) - Details in Room Parent newsletter  

Friday, Sept. 28

  • Class Photos (Day 2) - Details in Room Parent newsletter

Friday, Oct. 4-5        

  • Photo Make-ups
Monday, Oct. 8          
  • No School
CALENDAR:
More key dates for the 2012-2013 school year are posted
on the calendar page of the website. Our communications team works hard to keep these dates current and accurate. Please email [email protected] if you find a mistake and we'll correct it as soon as possible. Please bear in mind that specific dates for festivals or special events may change depending on unpredictable circumstances.   
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