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 The Leaflet a newsletter for parents and friends of Ashwood Waldorf School

October 29, 2014Join Our Mailing List
Festival News
All Hallows' Eve Is This Week!
Preparation is half the fun of any celebration! Baking cookies, carving pumpkins, pressing cider, creating costumes. Eager anticipation adds to the excitement of the event.

Tomorrow is pumpkin-carving day at Ashwood: If you haven't already, please send a pumpkin or two to school with your children. We also need carving tools, clearly marked with your name (large spoons, wrapped carving knives, and markers are all useful). Carving will commence at 11:30 on Thursday, October 30. Parents are encouraged to join the fun! Carved pumpkins will be transported to Merryspring for the All Hallows' Eve walk on Halloween. (They are the children's contribution to the festival and will not be returned.)

WE STILL NEED TWO PEOPLE TO PARK CARS!
 

After a spell of heavy rain, we look forward to seeing hags in hip boots, witches in waders, and ghouls in galoshes! The ground is likely to be wet, so plan to walk with care.
Early-Childhood News
We have had a busy few weeks at Rosewood, and we enjoy each day together.  Even in the pouring rain! Last week, Amanda Tavernakis (Forest's mom) spent the day with us making wet felt with the children. Fall colors were chosen and the felting began in earnest.  Many busy hands loved working the soapy, bubbly project. After the process of felting was complete (with a little "help" from Amanda and her helper, Michelle Cross, Nadia's mom) the felt was hung to dry on the clothesline.  While we were outside later, I noticed it was just the same color as the autumn tree next to it.  The effect was quite magical to see.

Then Amanda helped make the shapes of fall leaves and felted beads for each child to have as a necklace to wear. They are quite lovely, and one by one they are going home with your children as they are completed. I'm so appreciative of Amanda's support and help; we always love having parents share their talents and skills! Thank you so very much, Amanda! And Michelle!

Our October circle about the animals getting ready for winter will soon shift into the gnomes going underground, as well as the farmer harvesting the rest of the root crops. And speaking of vegetables, how we love, love, love our vegetables from Hatchet Cove Farm!  Thank you, Reba and Bill, the children eat those vegetables with gusto. I love that they see and know just where their food came from and all of the efforts by so many to get them to our table.

"Thanks to the Earth, thanks to the Sun, thanks to the Rain for all you have done! You bring us our food, so strong we will grow! And Peace, Love and Light from our hearts will show!" (our ending blessing after snack)

Lastly, thank you all for the chance to sit and chat with at Parent/Teacher conferences last week. I so loved sharing your child's day with you, and I am very grateful for your kind words and support.  I feel very blessed this year!

-Ms. Beth
Grade School News
From Grade 4-5
Grade 4-5 has been studying Maine geography, history and industries.  To expand on the stories I tell in the classroom, the class has had several opportunities to go off campus to enhance their understanding.  The class enjoyed a cruise aboard a lobster boat, a tour of a shipyard, a trip to the state museum, and a visit from an author.

The class went lobstering just off the shore of Curtis Island aboard Camden Harbor Cruises' Lively Lady.  We got lucky on our first trap when we hauled up a lobster and a crab. We could tell the lobster was a male by the hard fins under its tail, and legal by the length of its carapace.  After putting the trap back into the water, we motored south along the coast to Indian Island outside of Rockport harbor.  On our way, we saw eight seals swimming around Goose Island, along with countless seabirds.  We also got a grand view of Megunticook "sea swell" in all of its autumn glory.  The crew were great, and we thank Alec and Erin Brainerd, Ashwood parents and owners of Camden Harbor Cruises, for the opportunity.  

Grade 4 -5 visited Rockport Marine to see one of Maine's oldest industries in action (the first ship built in America by Europeans was the Virginia of the Sagadahoc, by the colonists of Popham/ Sagadahoc Colony in 1608.)  Boatyard Manager Charlie Conlan showed us a sailing yacht that had been built start to finish at the boatyard.  It had all of the newest technology, and was mostly controlled by buttons. In the shop, the boat builders were making ribs for a new sailboat as well as repairing the hull of a boat that had run aground.  We toured all of the different shops, including wood, painting, and metal, and watched the skilled workers. I was surprised to learn that nearly every feature on the boat, wooden cabinetry and metalwork alike, is crafted right at Rockport Marine. After our tour of the boatyard, we had a snack across the harbor and inspected the lime kiln that supplied much of the lime for mortar and plaster that was used in New York City and Washington, D.C. right from Rockport.

We took a trip to Maine's capital, Augusta, to visit the statehouse and the Maine State Museum. We were given presentations on granite and the granite industry in Maine, the logging industry, and an informative lesson on herptiles (reptiles and amphibians).  After the presentations at the museum, we toured the statehouse on our own and wandered through the House of Represent-atives and the Senate. In the Senate chambers, a gentleman asked if we were from Ashwood and sent his regards from Senator Mazurek. He gave us a brief lesson on how things work in the Senate and answered all of our questions. Of course, we inspected the Hall of Flags and the rotunda with the portraits of Maine's governors. I was surprised to see a portrait that had some resemblance to a student in our class; Elsie Hildreth's great grandfather was once a governor of Maine!

Finally, we were honored to have Eleanor Motley Richardson and Emily Gannon visit our class to present some history about Hurricane Island. Ms. Richardson is the author of Hurricane Island; The Town that Disappeared. She brought in slides with pictures of a fair-sized town where no town exists today.  She told us about the granite on Hurricane and how it was used to build the Washington Monument, among other things.  She told us about General Tilden and his management practices.  She also told us about the rich culture that existed on Hurricane when immigrants from Europe, many Italian, came to work at the quarry.  Probably the most important lesson that I took away was that Ms. Richardson had interviewed one of the last living people to remember Hurricane Island as it was during its quarrying days and realized that it was up to her to share the story.

Maine geography, history, and industry fascinate me, and this block is one of my favorites to teach.  To be able to go out and see Maine geography, history, and industry makes the stories and lessons from class become part of a real experience.  Seeing the students eagerly raise their hands to share their knowledge as we have follow-up discussions about our trips lets me know how valuable they were.

-Robert Kaczor
From Grade Six
I had a wonderful time at KIEVE! I especially enjoyed the ropes course!
In
Main Lesson this block we have been talking about minerals. First we talked about granite and how it's a mixture of mica, quartz and feldspar, and then other minerals. We also learned that granite is the oldest rock in the world. Then we learned about volcanoes, pumice, obsidian and basalt. Pumice is the only rock that floats. It is the foam of the lava, but dried! Obsidian is lava that cooled quickly. Last but not least, basalt! Our class's favorite game right now is volleyball! We just did some archery with Mr. Clough! It was really fun! We are soon going to go to Small Point to camp on the beach! This has been the best year so far!

-Leah Doolen
Development News
Annie's Back!
We had an excellent and prosperous year in 2013-2014, meeting and exceeding fundraising goals for the second year in a row.  We are on track to pull the same community magic out of our hats again this year.  Thank you all again for our success last year and for your vibrant participation this year.

Annual Appeal
It's getting to be that time of year when annual appeal letters go out. We will all receive one.  Know that every gift, large and small, matters. It's not just words on paper; your gift, your participation, your being part of the Ashwood community in this way is huge. Whether you are a parent, grandparent, faculty member, board member, administrator, alumni, or friend, our coming together to support our school speaks volumes.

Auction
Come one, come all!  We need a committee. We need gifts. We need volunteers. We need you!  Our first meeting will be the week of November 10.  Call or email me if you are interested in being a part of this dynamic team of smart, creative people who put on the auction event for our community.  Annie Mahle - 594-4823 or [email protected]

-Annie Mahle
Parent-Community Council News
PCC Meeting
Our next PCC meeting is on November 12 at 8:45 a.m. in the community cottage/store. We will discuss the PCC structure, creating new committees ( Events, Communication, Finance, Activities, Fundraising/Store, and more), and electing committee members.

We will also discuss details of the book club we're planning (sign up, ordering books, etc.) Please join us! We really appreciate your involvement and time!

I am creating a sheet for each class that you can use to sign up to attend PCC meetings! This will greatly help us to see how many people are interested in the upcoming presentation and how many people we can expect at each meeting.

The next faculty presentation is to be determined.

See you at the meeting on November 12 at 8:45 a.m. in the Community Cottage/Store!
 
Calling All Cookies!
We need cookies and cider and volunteers for All Hallows' Eve! The PCC provides refreshments for this popular event every year, and we ask every family in the school to please participate.
Here's what we need, in a nutshell:
 
○ All classes to contribute 4 dozen chocolate chip cookies with NO NUTS! (That's 2 bakers per class!)
○ Gluten-free nut-free chocolate chip cookies are welcome ( but no more than a dozen per class)
○ 2 gallons of cider per class
○ Cookies and cider may be dropped off at the Community Cottage after drop-off Friday morning, or bought directly to Merryspring at 4:00 p.m.
○ 1 person per class to either pass out cider or cookies for 1/2 hour
 
I heard from Judith Soleil that parking volunteers are still urgently needed.
 
Thank you very much for all your help, I am looking forward to hearing back from you!

-Betty Wyman
Announcements
School Photos
Marti Stone was here in September taking photos, and these can now be viewed online and ordered for purchase: The Ashwood Gallery

Password: community


Please note: The 2014 gallery is subdivided so that you can find the photos more quickly.  The categories: Girls, Boys, General. "General" includes class photos, siblings, and miscellaneous candids. If you sign in with your email, you have the option of starting a "favorites" folder so that you can find your selections later without going through everything again. The 2013 gallery is still online, but will expire on Dec 15.


IMPORTANT: These are proofs, which have not been fully edited.  After you place an order, each photo will be carefully edited.  Don't worry about stray hairs, skin blemishes, slight variations in color, etc.  That will all be corrected before you receive the final images.

I will leave more than one option for a class photo, since the best overall image is not always the best of each individual child. Orders take approximately 7-10 days for prints; digital downloads are usually a bit faster, depending on the amount of editing required.
Have fun, everyone!

-Marti Stone
Vitamin C Is On the Way!
Find an 8th grader and order your box (or two) of oranges and grapefruits today, or look for them after school during the first two weeks of November.  Also - NEW! - you can order holiday gifts for family and friends and have Florida River Growers ship it directly to anywhere in the U.S.  Last day to order is November 13. For questions, call or email Annie Mahle:  594-4823 and [email protected].
Thank you for supporting the 8th grade trip!
Lost and Found


Our basket overfloweth. This bounty will be donated just before the winter break if it remains unclaimed. Your closets, drawers, and mudrooms must pine for all of these beautiful garments (and accessories). Arrange for a happy reunion TODAY!

-Your friends in the office
In This Issue
Important Dates

Wednesday, October 29

Grade 7 Early Explorers Game Night

4:30-6:30 p.m. 

Each 7th grader will give a presentation on the early explorer he or she has been studying. In addition, parents, family, and friends will have a chance to try out the board games the students have invented to illustrate the lives of their explorers.

Wednesday, October 30
Pumpkin Carving
11:50 a.m.

Friday, October 31
4:15-5:30 p.m.

Monday, November 3
Dollmaking Class
7:00-8:30 p.m.

Tuesday, November 4
Parent-Child Class
9:00-11:00 a.m.

Friday, November 7  
Assembly: Grade 4-5  
8:40-9:00 a.m.
All parents, whether their children are presenting are not, are welcome and encouraged to attend the Friday assemblies! 

Tuesday, November 11 
Veterans' Day. NO SCHOOL

 

Wednesday, November 12

PCC Meeting  

8:45 a.m. 

 

Interactive Web Calendar

Printable Calendar

Community Classifieds
Help Wanted
Bella Luna Toys, a leading online retailer of Waldorf toys, art, and craft supplies in Rockland, is seeking seasonal helpers to assist through the holiday season with shipping and customer service. Part-time to start, full-time from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Employees are eligible for a 25% discount on all toys and products. Flexible hours to accommodate parents with school children. Familiarity with Waldorf education and Waldorf toys is a big plus. To apply, please send resume to
We publish community-service announcements from and for Ashwood community members at no charge (50-words max.). Send to: Judith Soleil. 
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Why Waldorf?

Combining Music and Science for Resonant Learning
Combining Music and Science for Resonant Learning

The Waldorf middle-school physics curriculum supports students' growth and development.

Submissions
Do you have a story to tell about Ashwood? A review of a book or an event? A reflection on Waldorf education? Photos you've taken?
A question about the Leaflet?
Send us an email! We would love to hear from you. The next Leaflet will be published on Wednesday, November 12. Deadline for submissions is Monday, November 10 at 9:00 a.m.
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