September 2014
Cedar Springs Waldorf School
Monthly Newsletter

Michaelmas Commemorates 25 years at Cedar Springs
Friday, September 26, 2014 10:45-1:30 PM

The Meaning & Celebration of Michaelmas

 

As the land around us begins its inward turning, evidenced by the changing foliage, shorter days and cooler mornings, we too begin a journey inward to reconnect with those inner forces of light and strength that propel us onward during this time of outer darkness and recapitulation. Far from a time of "sleeping," these shorter, darker months offer us an opportunity to go ever deeper into our own soul life and more fully ignite our inner light and shine it outward into the world.

 

Here, at Cedar Springs, we bring that inner journey to life through our annual Michaelmas festival, which offers to the children and families of our community an imaginative picture of harnessing the powers that each of us holds within to overcome our own fears and bring forth the gifts of that inner resolution to the greater world. 

 

The Michaelmas Festival and Play commemorate the mythological, heavenly battle between the Archangel Michael and the powers of egoism, represented by the Dragon. With the guidance and support of both elemental and cosmic forces, the characters in the play are able to embrace the challenge to face and subdue the dragon that threatens to consume them. In our own lives, we can draw on the spirit of Michael to guide and inspire us to find courage within ourselves to meet the darkness.

 

Rudolf Steiner, founder of Waldorf Education, offered us the following verse to recite and inspire us during this powerful time of the year. It also serves to remind us of the spiritual forces that are available to us during this time of seasonal and inner transition:

 

Victorious Spirit!

Flame through the impotence

Of irresolute souls

Burn out the egoism

Ignite the compassion

That selflessness,

The life stream of humankind,

Wells up as the source of spirit rebirth.


In the spirit of these words, the faculty and staff of Cedar Springs invite you and your extended family to join us on Friday, September 26 for our annual Michaelmas festival as well as the school's 25th birthday celebration.


 

Festivities begin at 10:45 AM with the Second and Sixth grades presenting the Michaelmas play. Our "Feats of Courage" children's activities will follow in the back meadow, and we will close with a community blessing and birthday cake.  Family and friends are welcome.  We hope you will join us for special celebration! Overflow parking is available on Basketball Courts and the Livery.

 

Nicole Deutsch, Fourth Grade teacher

For the Cedar Springs Faculty

Steve Jobs Didn't Let His Kids Use iPhones Or iPads: Here's Why
By Tim Butters

 

Steve Jobs is a name which is synonymous with cutting edge, innovative and groundbreaking technology.

 

So it may come as something as a surprise to learn Apple's former CEO didn't believe in letting his kids use some of his company's greatest products - the iPhone and the iPad.

 

And it's not because the Apple godhead was a closet Samsung fan either.

Jobs, who died in 2011, may have had an instinctive flair for technology but he was a low tech parent who firmly believed in restricting his children's access to electronic devices.

"We limit how much technology our kids use at home," said Jobs way back in 2010, expressing growing concerns about his children's gadget use.

 

As all modern parents know, iPhones and iPads are extremely appealing to children. These little hand-held devices are state-of-the-art toys. Surrogate parents almost, capable of entertaining, distracting, and pacifying children during school holidays and on long car journeys when mom and dad's attentions are focused elsewhere.

 

Yet instead of thanking Apple for these extremely convenient parent assistants, should we actually be concerned about the potential harm they may be inflicting upon our youngsters?

 

Steve Jobs certainly appeared to think so. In a  New York Times article published this week, journalist Nick Bilton recalls how he once put it to Jobs that his kids must love the iPod, but to his surprise Jobs replied, "They haven't used it. We limit how much technology our kids use at home."

"I'm sure I responded with a gasp and dumbfounded silence. I had imagined the Jobs's household was like a nerd's paradise: that the walls were giant touch screens, the dining table was made from tiles of iPads and that iPods were handed out to guests like chocolates on a pillow. Nope, Mr. Jobs told me, not even close."

And Jobs wasn't the only technological guru who had substantial concerns about the long-term effects of kids engaging with touch-screen technology for hours on end.

Chris Anderson, former editor of Wired, also believes in setting strict time limits and parental controls on every device at home.

"My kids accuse me and my wife of being fascists. They say that none of their friends have the same rules. That's because we have seen the dangers of technology first hand. I've seen it in myself, I don't want to see that happen to my kids."

Researchers at the  University of California Los Angeles recently published a study which demonstrated that just a few days after abstaining from using electronic gadgets, children's social skills improved immediately.

Which is definitely food for thought considering recent research showed that an average American child spends more than seven and a half hours a day using smart-phones and other electronic screens.

Jobs was undoubtedly a genius but he didn't get that way through staring at screens and playing Angry Birds until the early hours or constantly updating his Facebook account.

Walter Isaacson, the author of Steve Jobs, spent a lot of time at the Apple co-founder's home and confirmed that face-to-face family interaction always came before screentime for Jobs.

"Every evening Steve made a point of having dinner at the big long table in their kitchen, discussing books and history and a variety of things. No one ever pulled out an iPad or computer. The kids did not seem addicted at all to devices."

So the next time the advertising department at Apple, Samsung, or any other major technological corporation attempt to sublimely convince you that life is somehow lacking without their latest little device, remember that the man who started it all, believed somewhat differently.


This article originally appeared at inquisitr.com. To view the article at source, just click here.

Interested in learning more about Steve Jobs and parenting? Nick Bilton's article 'Steve Jobs Was a Low-Tech Parent' is a good place to start. It recently appeared in the New York Times. Just click here to read it at the New York Times. 
The Night Circus - 2015 Auction


Once upon a time there was a mysterious travelling circus that appeared only after sunset and was gone by sunrise. The circus would dazzle and entertain, then vanish, leaving only, the magical, Night Circus of Dreams!

 

Mark you Calendar

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Lakehills Covenant Church

El Dorado Hills

Attire - Black and White, with a splash of red!

 

Calling all Volunteers There will be a Kick Off Meeting on Friday, October 10, 2014 at 1:45 PM on the Music Playground on campus.

 

Contact Sharyn Mairani or Jennifer Bumgarner to find out how you can help support this event.

 

This is your brain on a musical instrument

by Gregg Toppo

 

Learning to play a musical instrument produces such profound changes in children's brains that kids actually can hear and process sounds they couldn't hear otherwise, according to researchers using high-tech sensors.

 

The findings, published Tuesday, could provide a boost to music education programs that invite kids to play instruments rather than simply listen to music.

 

The study, by researchers at Northwestern University, examined a community music program serving low-income children in Los Angeles. They attached special electrodes to children's scalps and measured how their brains responded to sounds. The children's average age was about 8.

 

Published by USA Today, Read the full article here

Upcoming Important Dates
calendar
September 26 - Michaelmas Festival & Cedar Springs' 25th Birthday

October 11 - Cedar Springs Eighth Grade Rummage Sale (on campus)

October 13 - No School Founders' Day

October 25 - Pumpkin Path, get your tickets early!

Thank you to our Sponsors

shadow Ranch

Saturday, October 18, 1 to 4 pm

Shadow Ranch's 8th Annual Harvest Hoedown

Celebrate Harvest with us!

Live Music by Lincoln Highway Band

  •          taste Shadow Ranch wines
  •          organic pumpkins
  •          hay bale maze
  •          kids' crafts
  •          face painting
  • Bring the whole family to the ranch for an Americana foot stompin' celebration. 
  • Delicious soup & salad $8/person
  • Shadow Ranch Vineyard 
  • 7050 Fairplay Road, Fairplay
  • www.shadowranch.com
Stay Connected
Facebook    Twitter    LinkedIn    Pinterest
6029 Gold Meadows Road, Placerville, CA 95667� 530.642.9966