Grade 3 at the Farm

T hat I can plant a seed and it becomes a flower, share a bit of knowledge and it becomes another's, smile at someone and receive a smile in return, are to me continual spiritual exercises.
~ Leo Buscaglia 
 
Welcome Spring
 
Click to read about the Farm Trip 
Although the weather has been cold and the skies gray, our thoughts have turned to Spring and all it brings to the life of our school. Gardens are being planted and our flower beds are filling with color. Just now, we saw a mother Mallard in the driveway leading a trail of tiny ducklings!

Grade 3 has been learning about agriculture and is preparing to incubate a clutch of hen's eggs in the classroom. They recently returned from their stay at the Hawthorne Valley Farm in New York. The purpose and character of the third grade farm trip are unique to Waldorf Education and it is, perhaps, the most significant rite of passage for our students. Every year brings a wave of nostalgia from the older students as they wave their schoolmates off and reminisce about their own Farm Trips. We are glad to have Mrs Carlson's class home again, looking a little taller and definitely muddier!

Other Spring news, May Faire will be held this Saturday, on May 7. Grade school students will arrive at 8:15am, and the procession to the Festival Field for the pageant begins promptly at 8:30am. We welcome all family and friends, and extend a special invitation to our alumni and Early Childhood families. There will be pony rides, crafts and games. Bring a picnic or visit the sixth and seventh grade tables where they will be selling food and drinks to raise money for their eighth grade trips. Early arrivals can enjoy breakfast treats and organic coffee, donated by Jim's Beans and The Coffee Guy. After the festivities, salads, cold drinks and desserts will be available.   
    
If bad weather causes us to cancel the event, an email will be sent to all enrolled families and an announcement will be posted on the MWS Facebook page and the Turn to 10/closings website.
Class Plays
Grade 8 presents The Wizard of Oz
The final play from MWS Class of 2016 was a wonderful rendition of Dorothy's journey to the Emerald City. With its colorful sets, many songs and comedic moments, The Wizard of Oz was a hit with all.
 
   
Grade 7 German Play
For many years, the Meadowbrook seventh grade has performed a play in German for the Deutsches Theaterfest at Mount Holyoke College. This year, however, the college decided to discontinue the festival so Frau Duda made alternative arrangements for the students to perform for the German Club at North Kingstown High School.

Working with the class, Frau Duda created
Das zeitreisenden Klassenzimmer , The Time-traveling Classroom. In the story a class of middle school students accompanied by German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, travels back in time to visit important German characters from the 7th grade curriculum. The students meet Johannes Gutenberg and his partner Andreas Dritzehn and see the newly invented printing press. Martin Luther tells them how that invention allowed him to print his translation of the bible in German, and was forced into hiding with Duke Friedrich the Wise of Saxony as a result. Another trip through the time travel machine brought them to Berlin where Albert Einstein explained the Theory of Relativity. Back in present time, the class teacher presented awards and Chancellor Merkel offered her congratulations.
 
 
    
Faculty News
Meet Our New First Grade Teacher 
Andrew is originally from the Rocky Mountains in Littleton, Colorado. He spent much of his childhood in the water, on swim teams, as a lifeguard, and giving swim lessons to children. A graduate of the University of Vermont, Andrew moved south to Asheville, North Carolina, where, for 4 years, he worked in the preschool and second grade at an inspired, independent school. It was here he first encountered Anthroposophy and Waldorf Education. Andrew entered the Foundation Course at the Center for Anthroposophy and embarked upon teacher certification at the University of North Carolina.

At age 26, Andrew moved to New Hampshire, earning a M.Ed. from Antioch University with certification in both Waldorf and public education. After graduation, he assisted in the first grade at Green Meadow Waldorf School for one year, before coming to Meadowbrook with his wife, Sara Gilligan, in 2013. Andrew has now been teaching in middle school for three years and will graduate his 8th grade class this June.

Andrew is looking forward to teaching the first grade,  MWS Class of 2024. He feels that it is a fantastic next step in his journey as an educator, one that he looks forward to with joy.
He is a member of the Anthroposophical Society and the Avalon Initiative which strives to support the  educational freedom of schools to work for the best outcome for the child rather than to meet the requirements of government or commerce.
Andrew is also a musician, an aspiring gardener, and a pretty good cook.
 
Farewell to Miss Janet 
Janet Angel has been Miss Su's assistant in the Morning Glory class this year but she has been a beloved member of the Early Childhood team for many years. Janet first came to Meadowbrook 20 years ago as a parent of three; Taylor (MWS Class of 2003), Meredith (2005) and Lauren (2008). She brought her pioneer spirit and was soon closely involved in the life of the school as a key volunteer. Under Janet's leadership, Holiday Faire grew into the locally renowned tradition that it continues to be. Many in our community also remember the blockbuster fundraiser, Rock-a-Booty, she organized as a Spring Fling  in 2008. She has a well-deserved reputation as an excellent cook and baker and has generously shared those talents too.

Miss Janet held the Parent- Toddler program for many years, supporting young parents with practical advice and a sense of fun. Her steady, reassuring presence and abundance of natural warmth has also enriched our Early Childhood program. After this school year Janet will continue to work with young children at Bloom, a Waldorf-inspired preschool near her home in Middletown. She will also continue to work from her other passions, as a grower of organic fruits and vegetables, and as a massage therapist. We all wish Janet well and look forward to her visiting in the near future to tell us of her new adventures.
 
From the Classroom
Reflections of Amani Matabaro's visit from Democratic Republic of Congo
by Manon, Grade 7
   
        There are many states, countries and continents including America that have millions of people; with food, water, fabric to make clothes, plenty of jobs that will make good money and schools to educate us.  There are other continents, countries, states, including the Congo in Africa that aren't as fortunate as we are.
 
        We in America etc. have plenty.  Most of us have nice clothes, we have a house with a sturdy roof, we have a bed to sleep in and have so much food that some of us even eat too much of it and get way too fat. The Congo, a country in Africa, has so little that families don't have enough money to buy enough food to get fat. Most of the children in the Congo don't go to school.  They usually work each day, carrying bricks on their heads, mining, and more. [...]

 But there are people that are standing up and helping.  One of which I met.  Man named Amani Matabaro runs a program called Action Kivu, who came to talk with our class about what is happening over there.  He showed us pictures and helped us understand.

Program News 
Meadowbrook Summer Camp

This July will see the launch of Meadowbrook's Summer Camp. Children ages 4-8 will experience the magic of summer camp, exploring the natural world while having fun together. There will be hiking, baking, painting, singing, climbing - all the summer essentials! Each of three weeks of camp will offer activities to reflect its theme; Magic of the Woods, Fairy Tales and Naturally Building - homes of all kinds.
 
Celebrating Community
Special Persons Tea
Recently the students in Grades One through Five invited special guests for a sharing followed by classroom visits with tea and treats. All of us at the school look forward to this event each year. It gives us an opportunity to share a little of the day to day life of the school with friends and family. Thank you to all who attended and to the parent volunteers who help provide hospitality for our guests. Click below for a slideshow from the afternoon, with music played by Grade Seven. 
    
Special Persons Tea 2016 
 
Please Share!
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Giving Heart Appeal News

With just five weeks left before summer break, we still need $10,000 to reach our goal of $50,000 for the Giving Heart appeal. These funds help us meet our budget for the day to day operating costs of the school.

All of us at Meadowbrook are committed to keeping tuition as affordable as possible for our families, this means that our tuition is around half that of most other independent schools in Rhode Island. We believe that the education offered at Meadowbrook not only supports the healthy development of our students but enriches the lives of each family and the communities we live in. The mission of Waldorf Education is to advance the development of humanity by preparing young people to meet the future as caring, creative individuals, able to work from their own initiative.

We rely on your generosity to deliver this high quality, Waldorf Education. To those who have already given, Thank You!  If you have not yet made a gift, please click the button below and give today. Thank you!

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Save the Date - St John's Summer Festival

We are planning a potluck dinner followed by the traditional bonfire lit by the graduating high school class. This year that honor goes to Mrs Wolf-Goldman's former students, the MWS Class of 2012.
We hope to gather alumni students and their parents to brainstorm the beginnings of an alumni association to help keep our growing number of alumni families connected to each other and the MWS community. If you would like to help, with St John's or with the association, please contact Susan or Beth.
The Golden Thread
As our community continues to grow, we are looking for more ways to stay in touch. If you have news you would like to share, please email Beth at development@meadowbrookschool.com. Photos are welcome too!

Will Weaver, MWS Class of 2003? 
After nine years in Baltimore - first for an undergraduate degree in Philosophy & Art from Goucher, and then three chef jobs in farm-to-table restaurants, Will has been featured with this wonderful review in an article in the Baltimore Sun.

This May, Will is moving back to RI - we look forward to seeing you soon Will!  
Isis Brighton, MWS Class of 1996
Isis is always a welcome visitor at MWS. On a recent visit, students called her name and ran up to hug her. For the past 4 years, Isis has provided Meadowbrook with graduation cakes, sweets for the Special Persons Tea and the Holiday Faire. A visit from Isis always brings something wonderful to eat!

 After graduating with a degree in art from URI, Isis worked at Sweet Cakes Bakery. In her early 20s, she decided to begin her own business. Isis Cakes combines her love of art and baking and specializes in delicious cakes that are also beautiful works of art.

Isis shared that, "Visiting Meadowbrook as an adult is so much fun! It takes me right back to 4th grade and all the activities and adventures that I remember as a student. It is so obvious to me now how dedicated everyone is to making Meadowbrook what it is. It is such a unique community and I am lucky to call myself a grad!"

Max Fertik, MWS Class of 2011, is rowing for Trinity College. His varsity 8 recently won a silver medal at the New England rowing championships. Max is pictured below, rowing in the bow at far left.



Calling All Meadowbrook Alumni Students

We would love to hear where are you headed after the summer, MWS Class of 2012. And what about you, MWS Class of 2008? Are you graduating from college this year? What's next?

Please email Frau Duda at info@meadowbrookschool.com or share on the MWS Alumni Facebook page.  Thank you! 
Closing Verse 


May wisdom shine through me
May love glow in me
May strength penetrate me
That in me may arise
A helper of human kind,
A servant of holy things,
Selfless and true.

~ Anon 

 
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Employment Opportunities
Meadowbrook is a wonderful  place to work. We are looking for new colleagues for part-time positions in the following areas:
  • Summer Camp: Lead Counselor, and Junior Counselor - must be 15 years or older
  • Early Childhood Assistant
  • Middle School Chorus Teacher 

If you care deeply about Waldorf Education and would like to learn more about any of these opportunities, please contact the Search Committee by email: info@meadowbrookschool.com 

 
Meadowbrook Waldorf School
300 Kingstown Road, Richmond, RI 02892
Tel: 401-491-9570 | info@meadowbrookschool.com | www.meadowbrookschool.com
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