In This Issue
High School Task Force
Parent Council Corner
Scrip News
In the News
Save the Dates
School Events
From the Office
School News
Community Events

 

WINTER BREAK

 

Starts Friday, Dec. 19 (Grade School Half Day - 12:50 Dismissal; EC Classes, please check with your teachers)

 

NO extended day or afternoon programs

 

High School Task Force Corner 

 

~Pamela Shafer, for the High School Task Force

Last month, the members of the High School Task Force noted the timely necessity to focus on the crucial next step of the process: the shaping of a clear vision for the new high school. The High School Task Force wants you to be part of this envisioning process, and is planning a visioning meeting sometime in January. Your voice is important! Every Waldorf high school has its own character, and we need to create a high school that fits our location, needs, and ideals. In order to move forward, we need the community to weigh in through responses, questions, and ideas about the information that has been gathered thus far. Stay tuned for more details!

 

And save the date

for this exciting event!

Why Is a Waldorf High School Unique and How Does It Guide the Adolescent?

Friday, January 30, 7 p.m.

Hagens Hall

Charles Weems, from the faculty of the Hartsbrook Waldorf School in Hadley, MA, will give a lecture for the community. His specialization is in the sciences and he is also a professor of computer science at the University of Massachusetts.


Charles Weems will also speak with the College of Teachers and the High School Task Force during his visit. He began at the Hartsbrook School as a parent and helped to build their high school from the beginning steps. It is in witnessing the profound benefit his students receive from their education, which he sees also through the lens of his university teaching, that he finds deep inspiration to help more students have the opportunity for a Waldorf high school education.

Parent Council Corner  

Greetings to all as we welcome the colder and crisp days of winter, with Jack Frost etching our windows and beautiful images of stars, angels, and Father Winter throughout our school and homes. As we snuggle in with our tea and hot cocoa, it is a wonderful time to continue to grow closer as a community.

The Parent Council is sponsoring a holiday craft enrichment this coming Tuesday, December 9, from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. Teachers Tina Quintana and Pamela Shafer will guide us in making lovely paraffin angels that may be hung in the house, over a child's bed, or on your tree. The craft will be accompanied by an angel story and thoughts on Steiner. All are welcome!

We are pleased to again offer as a service to the community our Holiday Collection for Special "Non Class" Teachers/Staff. Our monetary gifts will form a collective expression of our appreciation and gratitude to our wonderful special subject, after school, and administrative staff. The collection is now through December 15. Please look for new forms and instructions in the Community Kitchen, or download here.


Don't miss our community coffee cart on Wednesday mornings! We have moved into the Golden House foyer during this colder weather and offer a quick opportunity for a cup of coffee/tea and fellowship with other parents.

Please check the bulletin board in front of the school for more information on PC-sponsored events as well as community activities for families. 

Have a Scriptastic Holiday Season!

 

You may be asking yourself, How can scrip make my life easier this holiday season? This month we look at two additional ways to use scrip: travel and gift planning.

 

Travel. Taking a trip this season? Scrip cards may be purchased for use at a variety of gas stations, restaurants, hotels, and car rental locations. Maybe you want to entice a loved one to come to you!

 

Gift Planning. Scrip gift cards can help you with your holiday to-do list now AND later ... here's a recent testimonial from one current WSP parent:

 

I buy scrip every year to help budget holiday gifts. I notice that I shop for presents at the same stores each year so I estimate the amount I'm likely to spend. This way I can pace my spending throughout the season. It is like the Christmas Club my mother used for purchasing gifts!

 

Later on in the season, I buy additional scrip cards.  This time rather than using scrip to purchase presents, I use them as presents!

 

Please contact [email protected] to find out more.

Waldorf Calendars Available

 

Student work in the Fine Arts from kindergarten through high school is featured in this beautiful Waldorf Arts Wall Calendar being offered nationwide by Summerfield Waldorf School & Farm. This 15 month calendar runs from January 2015-March 2016 and illustrates the special place art enjoys in the Waldorf curriculum. See sample pages here: Monthly Pages |  Front and Back cover  |  Intro Pages

Calendars are priced $18. Order online through Summerfield's website.

In the News

 

Want instant notification of the articles we want to share? Like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter @NJWaldorf

 

Save the Dates!

 

Jan. 5: SCHOOL RESUMES

Jan. 10: Alumni Panel

Jan. 13 & 27: Waldorf 101 Class

Jan. 19: NO SCHOOL - MLK JR. DAY

Jan. 28: Grade School Visiting Morning

Jan. 31: Grade School Assembly
Join Our Mailing List
December 2014

Beautiful angels made by the second grade
watch over the grade school foyer this month.

Dear Friends, 

 

This weekend, our school holds my favorite festival of the year - the Winter Garden. In fact, for me, the holiday season is incomplete without it. I find there is something utterly magical about sitting in a darkened, hushed room smelling the scent of evergreens, watching each child walk through the spiral, and witnessing as the single candle in the center of the double spiral grows into many points of light - witnessing this ritual somehow nourishes me at the deepest levels.   

 

December, the darkest time of the year (at least here in the northern hemisphere), is the perfect time to gather our inner forces, just as nature is doing around us, and also seek out those moments that nourish us - that allow us to reconnect with what we value most. These moments of recognition and reconnection, regardless of how they occur, infuse us with new energy and strength to carry forward into the new year.

 

As our community gathers together for Winter Garden, the Shepherds' Play, the Alumni Holiday Open House, or any of the other events leading up to our break, I cannot help but feel the excitement. Though we'll all soon spiral out into our own schedules, traditions, and plans away from school, I smile to think of all those little lights - our children - shining in the world for all to see. And I look forward to seeing them all again come January.  

 

Warmest wishes for the season, 

Janine Cleland, School Administrator

SCHOOL EVENTS

 

 

Winter Garden Walks

Hagens Hall

Saturday, December 6:

4:30 p.m. Mrs. Cirianni-Jones's Rose Garden

5:30 p.m. Mrs. Kessler's Sunflower Garden

6:30 p.m. Community Walk 

 

Sunday, December 7:

4:30 p.m. Ms. Rosenstein's First Grade

5:30 p.m. Miss Beatty's Second Grade

 

Online Holiday Auction Ends This Sunday!

Sunday, December 7, 8:00-10:00 p.m.

(closing times are staggered)

Your last chance to bid on 200+ gift options in time for the holidays, including offerings from our Platinum and Gold level sponsors, jaZams, Mercurius, and Whole Earth Center!

 

Sip & Dip: A Craft for Adults

With Ms. Kessler & Mrs. Martinez

Monday, December 8, 1:30-2:45 p.m.

OR Tuesday, December 9, 3:30-4:45 p.m.

Give the gift of warmth and light this holiday season! Make a beeswax luminary while sipping a warm beverage. Cost is $20; to register, e-mail [email protected].
 

Roving Angel Craft for Grades 3+

Monday, December 8, 3:20-4:45 p.m.

With Ms. Shafer! Soft, ethereal angels to hang from a tree, curtain rod, or over a child's bed. Made of roving wool and pastel felting wool, with touches of silver and gold threads. Cost is $20 per child (Parents, come with your child for free!); to register, e-mail [email protected]


Parent Council Enrichment Morning
With Mrs. Quintana & Ms. Shafer
Tuesday, December 9, 8:30-10:00 a.m.
Multipurpose Room

Parent Council is delighted to announce this much-anticipated tradition once again! We will make lovely paraffin angels; all parents are welcome to attend! 

 

Candle Decorating Craft for All Ages

Tuesday, December 9, 3:20-4:45 p.m.

With Mrs. Mania! Great for the younger child, this easy candle craft makes a great gift or a beautiful addition to your winter table. Candles are adorned with colorful beeswax decorations in various shapes and designs. Cost is $20 per child (Parents, come with your child for free!); to register, send an e-mail to [email protected]

 

Eurythmy for Parents

Friday, December 12, 8:45-9:30 a.m.

Hagens Hall

Want to experience for yourself this unique form of movement? This is the second session of what will hopefully grow into a regular group next year; please join us!


"Seeking Simplicity:

Parenting with Rhythm & Balance"

An Evening with Sharifa Oppenheimer,

Author of Heaven on Earth

Friday, December 12, 7 p.m.

We are moving to the third grade classroom for a more intimate conversation! If you have a well-loved copy of Heaven on Earth, please bring for Sharifa to sign. (She will also have a few new copies on hand for purchase.)

 

Grades 4 & 5 Holiday Strings Recital

Monday, December 15, 2:00 p.m.

Hagens Hall

 

Candy Cane Mice Craft for Grades 1+

Monday, December 15, 3:20-4:45 p.m.

With Mrs. Mania! Children will delight in making a felt mouse that slips over a candy cane! If time allows, more than one may be made. Cost is $20 per child (Parents, come with your child for free!); to register, e-mail [email protected].

 

The Shepherds' Play

Friday, December 19, 7 p.m.

Mackay Campus Center, Princeton Theological Seminary

At this time of the year, faculty and staff at Waldorf schools around the world perform this reverential and humorous medieval Nativity play as a gift to students and to the school community. Click here for directions.

 

Alumni & Alumni Parents Holiday Open House

Saturday, December 20, 4:00-6:00 p.m.

Golden House

Featuring friends such as Elizabeth Lombardi, food, star folding, and fun! RSVPs are appreciated but not necessary: [email protected].

 

COMING IN JANUARY ...

A Special Alumni Panel for Parents

Co-sponsored by the Parent Council

Saturday, January 10, 2015, 10 a.m.-Noon

Please send your questions about transition to high school, life after Waldorf, and more to [email protected] by December 19.

Childcare available (pre-registration required); contact [email protected].

 

Grade School Visiting Morning
Wednesday, January 28, 2015, 8:30-10:00 a.m.
Visit a grade school morning lesson, followed by a Q&A session with subject teachers and our enrollment director. RSVP to [email protected].

 

For details of school events, please contact [email protected].
FROM THE OFFICE

 

 

Financial Aid Applications Due February 1, 2015

Visit TADS to apply now, or contact Diane Barlow with questions at x115. Copies of your signed 2014 tax return must be uploaded no later than March 1, 2015.

 

Attention, Parents of the Seventh and Eighth Grades!

Emma Willard, a boarding/day school for girls in Troy, NY, visited our school last month. They look forward to Waldorf applicants! More information about their school year and summer programs can be found in the Parent Library on the second floor of the Golden House.

SCHOOL NEWS

  

 

Lantern Walk Thanks

Thank you to all families and faculty who helped make our school walks so special this year. Thank you, too, to all those who helped support the Community Lantern Walk in downtown Princeton - especially JaZams, the seventh grade, Mrs. Motter, and Ms. Eggers!

 

Seventh Grade Food Drive a Success!

Thank you from the seventh grade to every generous donor to the food drive. Womanspace is very grateful!

 

Parent Library News

Have you visited our parent library at the top of the Golden House staircase? We have few new titles available, such as The Art of RoughhousingIf you've borrowed a book this fall, please try to return it before the break.


Looking for Coffee Cart Baristas

If you've experienced our Parent Council coffee cart Wednesday mornings, then you know it is the place to grab some warmth, inside and out! Parent Council is looking for volunteers who would like to man the cart now and then; contact Joanne Farrugia for more info.

 

Windy Hill Coming in the New Year

Wondering where your Windy Hill is? The office is re-strategizing its editorial calendar, and Windy Hill will appear in 2015 packed with photos, updates, and other quality content.

 

New Hours, New Items at Windy Hill Store

The store will be be open extra hours leading up to our break: this Tuesday following the Parent Council event until 10:30 a.m., and the next two Fridays, 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. More hours to be announced! Come see the latest shipments of African market baskets (large and small), beautiful wooden toys from Camden Rose, Knit Wit animal hats in 100% wool (ages 6 through Adult), handwork items (roving, felting needles, wool yarn, knitting towers), art supplies, and silks! Also, we are expecting a large order of beautiful beeswax candles for celebrating the festivals including natural beeswax balm to apply to little ones' (and older ones') faces and hands now that Jack Frost has arrived! Don't forget, WSP spooner mugs make great gifts! 

COMMUNITY EVENTS  

 

 

Proskate Update

Due to a lack of RSVPs, the ice skating program and Proskate will not occur this Friday, December 12.

 

The Princeton Group of the Anthroposophical Society invites all adults to a study evening at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, December 15, in the Golden House at the Waldorf School of Princeton. Herbert Hagens Jr. will offer a contemplation on how the Christmas festival can nurture the life of soul and spirit. The occasion will also mark the 79th year that Christmas has been celebrated by those in the Princeton area who share an interest in the spiritual teachings of Rudolf Steiner. For further information, please contact Herbert Hagens at 609-921-8759.


Waldorf All Class Reunion at The Happy Gnome

Co-hosted by City of Lakes Waldorf School

& Minnesota Waldorf School

Sunday, December 28, 6-10 p.m.

The Happy Gnome

498 Selby Ave. St. Paul, 55102

Parents, students, families, faculty, friends, and Waldorf

alumni in the area are all welcome to stop by. Appetizers, sweets, and a cash bar await! Maybe even an open mike? We look forward to seeing you during the holiday break! Info: [email protected]/612.767.1503 or [email protected]/651-487-6700.

Waldorf School of Princeton   1062 Cherry Hill Road   Princeton, NJ 08540
(609) 466-1970   www.princetonwaldorf.org