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

Graduation, 2016. You're Invited!









We're pleased to announce the upcoming graduation of Ashwood's eighth-grade class at the Strom Auditorium, Camden Hills Regional High School, on Saturday, June 11, at 1:00 p.m.


Graduation is the culminating moment of our students' education at Ashwood. It is their final opportunity to share their talents with our school community and for our community to honor their growth and achievements.  
 
All Ashwood students, grades 1-7, will take part in the graduation and are expected to attend. Please have your children wear assembly dress and bring them to the Strom auditorium at Camden Hills Regional High School at 12:30. 
 
Our hope is that all parents and friends of Ashwood will also join us. Graduation is an inspiring and wonderful event!

-Judith Soleil
Enrollment and Outreach
Early Childhood News
Spring!
We have been loving all of this great weather! A couple of weeks ago, our forest kinder
garten class, along with Mrs. Cody, went on a field trip to Spruce Mountain. Walking through the woods we stopped to look for (and smell) signs of animals. One of the children decided that a large rock needed to be brought with us to the top. After putting it in his backpack we continued our trek, walking through patches of wild blueberries and climbing up boulders. At the summit of Spruce Mountain we enjoyed the beautiful view of the surrounding hills and lakes, sang songs, and had a picnic snack. We had a wonderful time exploring a new area.

Spring has also added some special ingredients to our Thursday soup! The chives are growing strongly in our garden and the children help harvest them for an exciting garnish. One child has been getting up early on Thursday mornings to help his father gather fiddleheads. He proudly brings them to school and teaches us how to wash and prepare them for our soup.

We are preparing for our last celebration of the year, our Bridge Crossing Ceremony. On June 9, at 10:00 a.m., early-childhood program families will gather to celebrate our year together and cross the bridge into Summerland.

-Jen Corning
Early-childhood Program Assistant
Grade School News
Grade Three-Four Farm Trip
Grade 3-4 visited North Branch Farm in Monroe last week; it was their first off-campus overnight trip. North Branch Farm is a MOFGA certified organic farm located on 330 acres of fields and woodland Maine. It is home to four acres of vegetables fields, a five-acre orchard, one acre of high-bush blueberries, a fruit-tree nursery, grass-fed meats, a seasonal dairy operation, and the beginnings of a farmstead creamery. The farmers use a combination of horsepower, hand power, and tractor power.

Students created lovely thank-you notes for the farmers; here are two samples (it was very difficult to choose among them!):
Eli Hood
Vincent Mainella

 


Greek Olympiad at the Bay School in Blue Hill
Under a cloudless sky, Mother Nature at her very best on this exquisite spring day, seventy-five fifth graders from six Waldorf schools - four schools from Maine alone, one from New Hampshire, and one from Quebec, Canada - processioned calmly and serenely onto the field for the annual opening of the Greek Olympiad. A steady drum beat reverberated across the open space. It accompanied the procession as the participants marched along in perfect rhythm, banners of six Greek city-states - Athens, Sparta, Corinth, Delphi, Thebes, Olympia - interspersed.  
 
After the opening ceremonies, the children were grouped in their respective city-states and then guided to the games - discus, javelin, long jump, sprint, and wrestling. They were cheered on and encouraged by a big crowd who flocked outside the boundaries of the games. Throughout the day the mood continued to be festive. Everyone had a glorious time and returned home carrying happy memories, the competitors proudly displaying their wreaths and beautifully decorated clay medals.
-Ursula Leonore
block teacher   
Soren, Alisa, and Jacob. Photo by Brenda Cotton. 
Alumni News
From Our Correspondent!
Caroline Ginsberg, Ashwood 2000, has generously offered to be our alumni correspondent. We will be publishing her periodic reports of the doings and whereabouts of our grads. Thank you, Caroline!
-Judith Soleil

Zoe Geer graduated from Ashwood in 2000, and from St. Lawrence University. She just wrapped up a fun, snowy season at Mt. Baker Ski Area in Washington State. This was her fourth year as lodge manager, and first as shuttle director. After spending most of last summer through-hiking the Canadian Rockies, Zoe is looking forward to visiting Maine, and to having a relaxing summer in Washington finishing up work on the condo she and her  boyfriend recently purchased and doing lots of hiking and rafting.  Zoe is also excited about taking the first steps toward starting a nonprofit organization, with some friends, to help keep waste and litter off Mt. Baker (the volcano, not the ski area).

Rose Piscuskas was in Amy Watson's class at Ashwood, and graduated in 2012. She is currently living in Olympia, Washington and attending The Evergreen State College as a freshman. Her focus is on social justice in education, as well as sustainability studies. She is a team captain of the rowing team and is really excited to be training to compete in the biggest regatta (rowing race) in the U.S., called the "Head of the Charles," in Boston!  She is also the head board member of the residence hall association, and loves living in the Pacific Northwest.

Please send your alumni updates to Caroline
Summer Camps
Enroll Now!
Registration for summer camps ends on June 13, and we suggest you reserve space for your children soon!
Announcements
Welcome

Congratulations to grade 5 student Alisa Dzhassim and her parents, who recently welcomed a new baby girl into their family! All good wishes to Vika, Peter, Alisa, and little Charlie.
Waldorf Schools Conference
School director Jody Spanglet will be attending the annual Association of Waldorf Schools of North America summer conference June 27-30 at the Detroit Waldorf School. The conference theme is "Healthy Human Relationships: A Foundation for Flourishing Schools."
Lost? Found! Going, Going, GONE!
This is the last week to pick up lost and found items from the office. The pile is still huge, and there are really nice things in it. We hope to see you soon!

-Judith, Sarah, and Tamara

In This Issue
Important Dates
Wednesday, May 25 - Friday, May 27
Grade 5-6 Trip to Chewonki

Wednesday, May 25
Grade 7 Parent Evening
6:00-8:00 p.m.

Thursday, May 26 
Tea and Puppets
Rosewood, Ashwood's Early-Childhood Center
10:00-11:00 a.m. 

Friday, May 27
All-School Assembly
8:45-9:15.
Native-American Drumming
It will be held outside, or in the early-childhood building if the weather is not good.  
Tea and Puppets
Rosewood, Ashwood's Early-Childhood Center
10:00-11:00 a.m.

 
 
Saturday, May 28 - Friday, June 3
Grade 8 Class Trip
Schooner voyage on the J&E Riggin 

Monday, May 30
Memorial Day: NO SCHOOL

Thursday, June 9
Last Day of Early-Childhood Classes
Bridge Crossing for EC families:  

10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Friday, June 10
Spring Revels: Last Day of Grade School 
10:00 a.m.
Dropoff is at the Camden Opera House at 8:30 a.m.  Parents must bring their children into the opera house and be sure they are under the care of their class teacher before they leave. Please send a snack with your children. 
   
Saturday, June 11
Grade 8 Graduation 
Strom Auditorium, CHRHS
1:00 p.m.
All students grades 1-7 are expected to attend. 
 
Community Classifieds
Vacation Rental Needed
Looking for an apartment, house, or cabin/ camp rental on a lake or ocean for two weeks the end of July, first part of August. This is for my dear high school friend from Santa Barbara and her husband. They adore Maine and would like to come visit. If you have any leads please email Sarah Trapani or phone her. Thank you for your help!
House for Rent
Recently updated 3 or 4 bedroom cape with 2 bathrooms and a 2-car attached garage sitting on six acres in the beautiful, rural town of Alna. Alna is located just west of Newcastle and offers its residents school choice. (Tuition reimbursement for elementary private schools in Maine was $8,215 per student for the 2015-2016 school year.) The house is available for rent to non-smokers at $1,350/month plus utilities and snow removal. Will consider leasing for a full year or academic school year with the house either furnished or unfurnished. If interested please contact Catherine or Steve Marin at 975-5886.    
We publish community-service announcements from and for Ashwood community members at no charge (50-words max.). Send to: Judith Soleil. 
Support Our Sponsors
LifeWays Training
LifeWays North America is bringing its year-long training course for parents and early-childhood professionals to the Northeast again in summer 2016. LifeWays Early Childhood Training and Certification is based on the work of Rudolf Steiner and is ideal for parents, in-home childcare providers, and early- childhood assistants. With its emphasis on using "The Living Arts" with children from 0-6, the training can either stand on its own or serve as the first part of a complete early-childhood teacher training for students wanting to teach in Waldorf schools (part two will be offered by LifeWays in Kimberton, PA in 2017-18).
 
The training will be held at Housatonic Valley Waldorf School in Newtown, CT, starting July 8-15 of this year. The three other sessions will take place in October, February, and April, and there is also guided study with a mentor between the sessions. To learn more, visit www.lifewaysnorthamerica.org and click on the New England listing; or request an information packet from Eileen Straiton at 203-794-2983.
Conference
Click the image for more information.
Be a Sponsor
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.
Why Waldorf?
Puppetry Class
Puppetry Class
Early-childhood teacher Marianne Bockli will be taking a workshop this summer with puppetry wizard Janene Ping. You can catch a glimpse of Janene's artistry above.
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, May 25. Deadline for submissions is Monday, May 23, at 9:00 a.m.
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Thank you!
 
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