Our meeting scheduled for December 18 had to be postponed due to weather, and will now take place on Wednesday, January 8, at 6:00 p.m. in the Rosewood building. Come hear about:

 

~How the annual budget is created

~How tuition is set

~The tuition assistance application and award process   

 

Our business manager, Tamara Cody, will make a presentation on the business life of the school and Jody Spanglet and several board members will be on hand to answer your questions and fill out this picture. We hope to see all of you there.  

Betsy Morrell   

Thank you, thank you, thank you if you have already sent in your annual appeal donation. The board has! One hundred percent of us! Our goal is $40,000 and we are almost halfway there! You have donated $19,094!  And thanks to our matching donors, $9,094 has turned into $18,898!

Of the current donors, almost 70% are new or increased donations that have kicked in the up-to $20,000- matching funds! Great job Ashwood.  Keep up the good work!
 
Parents, grandparents, businesses, students, faculty, community members, and alumni, please join us in supporting our teachers, keeping supplies in our children's hands, and heat in their classrooms. That's what your donations go toward - the very important basics that we rely on everyday to keep our children healthy and well educated.  

Please know that the small and the large donations matter.  YOU matter.  Our children matter.  So find that annual appeal envelope under the pile of Christmas cards and mail it in today. Can't find it?  That's okay. Go to our "Annual Appeal" page and click on the "Donate Now" button. It's as easy as a couple of clicks.  

And here's an incentive: the first grade to reach 100% participation receives a chocolate- strawberry layer cake at their subsequent parent evening. Go for it, gang!
Annie Mahle
Development Chair

Donors to the 2013-2014 Annual Appeal:
We THANK YOU!
Anonymous
Betsey Ansin
David & Margie Beckett
Erin & Alec Brainerd
John & Tania Chandler
Thomas & Barbara Clough
Jeremy Clough
Jonas & Sylvan Eichenlaub
Jon Finger & Annie Mahle
Lesley Finlayson
William & Adele Fletcher
Allen Ginsberg & Judith Ottman
Terri & Tim Hallowell
Kali Isis
Monique Kandra
Grace Kemberling
Jeremiah Kemberling
Cordelia Lane
Ursula Leonore
Henri & Ritta Lipmanowicz
Kari Luehman
John Luft & Joanna Greenwood
Lauren & Peter Lynch
Ed & Norma Mahle
Scott Mills
John Morin
Grace Kemberling
Jeremiah Kemberling
Betsy Morrell
Maria & Nick Northcott
Christy Pichel & Joseph Butler
David & Cristilita Ray
Mary Riley & Jon Edwards
Lolita Scherer
John Silverio
Jenny Simon
Liz & Charles Sizeler, in honor of Jayashree Kalmath
Elaine Snider
Lorraine & Josef Soloway
Jody Spanglet & Bill Laurita
Lisa Spanglet
Frances Stash
Randi Stein
Jane & John Stephenson
Carl & Sarah Trapani
Ben & Mariana Tupper
Ingrid Van Steenberg
Jesse & Jenna Labbe-Watson
Amy Watson
Donna & Peter Wenckus
Vickey Willey & Paul Kemberling
Philip Willey, in honor of Grace and Jeremiah Kemberling
Allen Agency
Stuart Foundation

Glow - A Celebration of Light with Music, Food, and Community
Save the Date:  March 15, Rockport Opera House
The auction committee has been hard at work creating another fantastic auction for 2014!  The fundraising festivities will commence on Valentine's Day with an online auction and conclude with a celebration and silent auction at the Rockport Opera House on the evening of March 15, 2014. That night we will all bask in the bountiful talent of Tyler Yentes and the Gawler Family, who will have us dancing in the streets with the energy of their music and the clarity of their harmony.  

There's lots to do before we come together for a festive night of dynamic music, delicious food, and the delight of each other's company. What can you do?
1. Donate an item or two.  Deadline for items is January 15.
2. Bid online and invite your friends and family to bid.
3. Be a chef for a day and join the cooking crew.
4. Come to the event and bring your friends on March 15.
5. Help set up or clean up on March 15.

Thank you, Ashwood!  We meet every Thursday from 8:45 to 10:30 in the conference room, and all are welcome to join us.
The Glow Auction Committee - Kate Chandler, Kari Luehman, Tina Lipmanowicz, Erin Brainerd, Liz Snider, Lisa Zahn, John Morin and Annie Mahle.  For more information call Annie Mahle, 594-4823 or annieandjon@riggin.com

King Winter

King Winter is now in the land
He reigns with cold and freezing hand
He makes Jack Frost touch nose and toe
And brings us white and shining snow!

I think we all can see that this song is truly appropriate for this particular January! We look forward to being together again after a refreshing winter break. We had such a beautiful Winter Spiral and early childhood community potluck on December 19. Thank you to all who contributed delicious food and for the thoughtful presents. I felt very blessed. The children enjoyed stitching their handmade ornaments for their family's Christmas tree, and anticipation was certainly in the air for the month of December!
This month we will pay homage to King Winter in our morning circle, and enjoy the coziness of our kindergarten while outdoors he turns the world white and sparkling.

Fondly,
Ms. Beth

Early childhood teacher, Beth Lunt, will be offering three delightful afternoons for parents and their children (ages 3-6) to enjoy creating simple crafts together using natural materials.

~January 29:  Rolled       Beeswax Candles
~February 5:  Ice Hearts ~February 12: Valentine    Baking and Tea

Join us at Rosewood from 2:00-3:15 p.m. for these jolly Wednesdays! Bring friends, grandparents; all are welcome! Come for one project, or try all three. Materials fee for each is $5.00, and it's necessary to register the Monday BEFORE each event (236-8021, or enrollment@ashwoodwaldorf.org).

Reserve your place for these beautiful mornings! Parent-Child classes are specially designed for children 18 to 36 months old with an accompanying parent or caregiver. We're offering two six-week sessions, meeting on Mondays from 9-11 a.m., January 27 - March 10 and April 7 - May 19, 2014.

 

Classes are led by early-childhood educator Cherry Short-Lee, who has decades of experience as a teacher and mother as well as a wealth of wisdom in the areas of early-childhood education, handcrafting, healthful homemaking, and parenting.

 

The fee for each six-week session is $150, with a $25 discount for advance enrollment in both sessions. Infant siblings are welcome at no extra charge. A sibling over six months old may be enrolled for half of the tuition. Enrollment deadline is Friday, January 17. For more information, or to receive a registration form, please contact Judith Soleil at  info@ashwoodwaldorf.org or 207-236-8021 or download a registration form at: www.ashwoodwaldorf.org/parent-child 

 

Please join us on Tuesday, January 28, from 6:00 - 7:30 pm, for an introduction to first grade in the Waldorf school. School director Jody Spanglet, early-childhood teacher Beth Lunt, and our current first-grade teacher Jeremy Clough will discuss first-grade readiness, the transition to grade school, the first-grade curriculum, and working with combined classes. There will be plenty of time for questions, and we look forward to hearing what's on your mind!

Learning division in first grade: Mmmm!

All are welcome to attend; this is a wonderful opportunity to share with friends who might be curious about Waldorf education. Please let us know you'll be there by phoning or emailing Judith Soleil, enrollment director: 236-8021 x105 enrollment@ashwoodwaldorf.org 

Tuesday, January 7, 6:30 p.m. Rockport Opera
House, 6 Central Street, Rockport  
(rescheduled from original date of Dec. 17)

This free concert features Ashwood graduate Jeremiah Kemberling '12 on cello and former Ashwood student Alex Marin on violin. Music students of all ages will present a concert of popular works in their annual winter concert.

Time to Retank?
You're surely in the market for more scrip after the holidays! Participating in Ashwood's  Hannaford grocery card fundraiser couldn't be easier. Just stop by the office to purchase a card, sold in denominations of $50 and $100. Then, the next time you're at Hannaford, use it to pay for your groceries. The gift card works just like cash.

Read INFORM, the newsletter of the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA).

In This Issue

Display or text ads appear here, in the right column of the Leaflet, and link to your website. The cost is $5/edition for a square ad (170 x 170 pixels) and $10/edition for a long ad (170 x 340 pixels). Discounts are available for long-term ads. The Leaflet appears every other week except in July. For more information, email Judith Soleil.

Toys don't last forever, but experiences do! A glimpse into a forest kindergarten in Germany.

Forest Kindergartens

have a strong following in Europe and Scandinavia, and are starting to garner attention closer to home. See why!