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Greetings!
It was wonderful to see so many parents and grandparents at our Thanksgiving Assembly last month. One thing I love about Waldorf schools is that children become comfortable with public speaking and performance from a very young age. As the mother of a naturally shy child who suffers from stage fright, it is amazing to watch her change each year.
If you visit our Facebook page or scroll down below, you will see an encore performance of our sixth grade's rendition of O Fortuna from Carmina Burana, which they performed at the Assembly. You don't want to miss this! We have two more performances coming up before we leave for the holidays. This Thursday our fourth through eighth grades will present a Holiday Concert at the Newtown Middle School. (This will be the first time the fourth graders, who have been playing stringed instruments since last year, will perform as an ensemble!) And the following week the eighth graders, seasoned performers, will present
The Little Play of the Nativity. Please join us!
Parents please note: with inclement weather predicted for early next week, we have snow plans in place for the grade school Advent Spiral, should it become necessary. Watch for any
Honeywell alerts and check the
calendar for changes.
Warmly,
Christina Dixcy
Communications & Outreach Director
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Help us reach 100% participation in 100 days!
Housatonic Valley Waldorf School is a non-profit 501c3. Your contribution is 100% tax deductible.
Tax ID # 061310057
Thank you for helping our tree grow!
- Red Leaf: $5,000 or more (specific amount will be published in Contributors' Report)
- Red Leaf: $1,989 (the year of the school’s founding) – $4,999
- Red Leaf: $500 – $1,988
- Yellow Leaf: $250 – $499
- Green Leaf: $1 – $249
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Holiday Concert, Grades 4-8
Thursday, December 15, 6:30 PM
Newtown Middle School, 11 Queen St.
Join us for a Holiday Concert featuring 4th-8th Grade music and string classes as well as the 6th-8th Grade Chorus and Orchestra. All are welcome!
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The Little Play of the Nativity
Wednesday, December 21, 7 PM
Lower Level, Compass Hall
1 Jacklin Rd.
The Eighth Grade is pleased to present The Little Play of the Nativity. Written by Arvia MacKaye Ege, a teacher at the Rudolf Steiner School in New York City, it is adapted from the medieval Shepherds' Play. Such plays were performed by parishioners in European churches in the Middle Ages to bring the Christmas story, simply yet vividly, to the common people.
At the Steiner School in New York, the Little Play is presented every year by the Eighth Grade. Melissa Merkling, who appeared in it herself in 1966, brought it to HVWS in 2010.
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Advent Spiral, Grades 1-8
Monday, December 12
Lower Level, Compass Hall, 1 Jacklin Rd.
Grades 1 and 2: 8:30 AM
Grades 3 and 4: 9:30 AM
Grades 5 and 6: 10:30 AM
Grades 7 and 8: 11:30 AM
If there a snow delay on Monday, start times will be pushed back by 2 hours. If there is a snow day, the Advent Spiral will be held on Tuesday.
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Advent Wreath Lighting
Wednesday, December 14, 8:30 AM
Atrium, Compass Hall, 1 Jacklin Rd.
Grade school parents are invited to attend the morning lighting of the Advent wreath and caroling. Feel free to linger for a cup of coffee or tea and bring a treat to share in the Administration Cottage.
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Sunflower Kindergarten
Isabel Gandara and Aliz Mihok
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The Sunflower children are happily making holiday gifts for their parents. They have been listening to the story of the little girl who is waiting for St. Nicholas to come to her window. She can't go to sleep because a cricket is fiddling at her window without stopping, but St. Nicholas is waiting for her to fall asleep in order to bring special gifts to her. St. Nicholas must go through many adventures in order to convince the cricket to stop fiddling. The Sunflower children were very excited to leave their shoes on the windowsill and find special gifts from St. Nicholas the following morning.
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Rose Kindergarten
Carrie Reilly and Heather Hemphill
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The Rose class is enjoying the transition from Autumn to the holiday season. We've docked the canoes that sailed us to our tepees and finished harvesting corn.
We are now enjoying the beautiful treasures we find in our Advent calendar windows each day. We laugh while we hear the antics of the townspeople who "run, run as fast as they can," knowing that they'll never catch the Gingerbread Man! Meanwhile, we are humbled listening to the story of the pious Bishop Nicholas who generously shared treats with us on his birthday!
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1st Grade (class of 2024)
Allison Washington
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The first graders just began their second Language Arts block. Images are being presented through fairy tales. Through an image on the blackboard, students sound the whole word and then its signature first letter -- for example "M" for mountain. The single letter is abstracted from the image and simplified into a symbol. The first graders then practice using the letter in speech and in writing. Children joyfully climbed up over desks while reciting "many mighty men mount the magnificent mountain."
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2nd Grade (class of 2023)
Leslie Lew
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The 2nd graders have been hearing the stories of Saint Nicholas and Santa Lucia, as well as writing about them. During his visit to the class, Saint Nicholas commented on their beautiful drawings and beeswax models of him. He was very impressed! While we learn about these kind and generous figures in history, we are working on emulating their generosity of spirit in kind deeds and words.
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3rd Grade (class of 2022)
Genevieve Dagobert
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The third graders are making the most out of the curriculum. The whole Hebrew culture fascinates them. It is a pleasure to see how enthusiastic the children are about the stories, songs, and dances presented to them. They are also enjoying the blackboard drawings! In this drawing,
Joseph's Dream, Joseph's
brothers' sheaves of wheat are bowing down to his.
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4th Grade (class of 2021)
Vince Vojack-Weeks
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Finishing up its Local Geography block, the fourth grade used the sun to find true north and south, then added the compass rose to our classroom and campus maps. In our Math main lesson block, we have been studying place value up into the millions place, and down to the ones place. We then went even smaller than the ones place by breaking the whole into parts with an introduction to fractions.
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5th Grade (class of 2020)
Ken Friedman
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We started our first Botany block this week. We have already been drawing plants during an art class each week this year, but this week we did a much more detailed plant observation. While observing aspects of the plant's physical attributes, we discussed the basic elements of plants. We also explored how plants evoke different feelings in humans. We saw how the begonia we observed had a bright, shiny outer side and a plain underside to its leaves. We discussed how humans can have a quieter inner side and a brighter outer side we show the world. There is much we can learn about humans by studying plants.
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6th Grade (class of 2019)
Laura Wittmer
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The sixth grade studied South American Geography and learned about the many fascinating aspects of each country, from Angel Falls in Venezuela and the Andes Mountains in Chile, to the Amazon Rain Forest in Brazil and the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador. Each student studied one country in depth, including the history of the indigenous people, the influence of the European explorers, the flora and fauna, the geographical features, and why they would like to visit the country today. We ended with an amazing South American feast.
Our study of Astronomy included a field trip to the McCarthy Observatory, where we experienced our relative distance from the sun and the other planets in our solar system. We discussed our reliance on the sun, observed the waning and waxing of the moon, and learned to find Polaris, the North Star, by first locating Ursa Major, which contains the asterism known as The Big Dipper. We noticed the pattern in the movement of the stars, including our zodiac constellation. We are now moving on to Physics, specifically acoustics and optics.
In other news, the sixth graders were pleased to have collected $138.62 in donations for UNICEF and on Friday, December 9th we are joining Patricia Campbell, our traditional dance teacher, for a holiday dance at the Bethel Senior Center .
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At the recent Thanksgiving Assembly our sixth grade shared an amazing performance of
O Fortuna from
Carmina Burana by Carl Orff. We asked them to do a repeat performance so we could record and share it with you. They are accompanied by music teacher Danielle Fascione on piano, and conducted by class teacher, Laura Wittmer. Enjoy!
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7th Grade (class of 2018)
Emily Remensperger
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The 7th grade just wrapped up their Creative Writing block, in which they crafted their own short stories, fairy tales, and poems. We explored the differences and similarities between Shakespeare verses and hip hop, between spoken word and lyrics, and between novels and short stories. This exploration of the "art of words" will be documented in a volume of the students' collected works.
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8th Grade (class of 2017)
Marleen De Grande
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In a recent Math block, the 8th grade spent some time discovering the Pythagorean Theorem. Through a lot of practical work, i.e. solving some geometrical puzzles we created for ourselves, we could show that the theorem "c squared = a squared + b squared" is proven for every right triangle. The excitement of figuring this out was palpable in the classroom. We continued the block with our study of algebra. The 8th graders have experienced how algebra can make solving math problems a lot easier. It is great for a teacher to hear the students say, "Oh this is a lot more fun than I thought it was going to be!" We have now moved into our Physics block. We are discovering how sound emerges and travels. Through our work with prisms we are exploring the fascinating nature of color or non-color. While working with Ms. Remensperger, the students have also created beautiful cut-out silhouettes as well as orchid paintings inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe.
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Variable Tuition (returning families: apply by December 15)
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Inspired by our 10th graduating class and our 100th graduate, we are introducing Variable Tuition. Our students grow into accomplished, thriving young people notable not only for their confidence, abilities, and interests, but for the profound human connections they form. We want more and more children to have that opportunity. We believe
Waldorf education is not only life-changing, it is world-changing, one child at a time.
The deadline to apply for Variable Tuition (formerly Financial Aid) for returning families for the 2017-18 school year is Thursday, December 15.
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Holiday Wine from Fountainhead
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Fountainhead Wines will give back to HVWS 10% for ANY HVWS community wine orders for the season, whether you need a collection for holiday repasts or gift-giving. All 3-packs below are $50. Gift packs can be delivered to school in 3-bottle gift boxes.
The Bubbles Pack
Three bottles of sparkling delights from small producers, the only type we work with. When discussing sparklers, it is ALWAYS advisable to stay away from recognizable/corporate producers as the combination of bubbles and preservatives used in bulk-produced examples will do your head in.
Mineral Driven White Pack
A collection of un-oaked whites from Italy, France, and Spain that will please the palate of any white wine lover. This style of white is better suited for all-purpose imbibing; from aperitif to sushi to fish/chicken entrees.
Southern French Red Pack
A selection of reds from arguably one of the supreme areas in the wine world for value-driven examples. I import a number of producers from this region of France with personality and lush drinking qualities.
Please e-mail HVWS parent and Fountainhead Wines owner Mark Ancona with questions and to place orders
mark@fountainheadwineshop.com
.
www.facebook.com/FountainheadWines
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A Stitch in Time in Bethel is collecting 300 knit or crocheted hats for newborns in the Dominican Republic who are at risk due to the Zika virus. The request is for lightweight hats -- cotton or acrylic. A Stitch in Time is partnering with Columbia's Pediatric Dept. in a program following 700 poor teenagers through pregnancy until their babies are two years old.
Have a few minutes to knit a newborn hat? Let's make a sizable showing from HVWS -- students and parents alike!
December 1st will be the first pickup, but they will continue to accept hats after that date. Please drop hats off in the Admin. Cottage and Therese will make sure they get to A Stitch in Time.
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Dr. Tamara will be here one Wednesday a month...
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Dr. Tamara Potselueva is an anthroposophically trained, licensed naturopathic physician and registered nurse who generously contributes her consulting services to our Educational Support Group. She is seeing patients professionally at HVWS.
Her next visit will be December 21.
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Knitters
Thank you to Garrett and Aubrey (1st and Sunflower) Carnrick's grandmother,
Sandi Orleman, and great-grandmother,
Germaine Lepre
, for the 19 newborn hats they knitted and donated to A Stitch in Time!
Class of 2023
The second grade thanks the HVWS Community for their donations to The Village in Hartford. Samantha Lew delivered 69 coats, snow pants and snowsuits to the organization.
Thank you, January Cilento, for donating a collection of readers to the second grade class.
Class of 2022
The third grade thanks their fellow students for donating change for Waldorf Haiti. So far the students have collected more than $425 for L'Ecole du Village!
Class of 2017
The eighth grade would like to thank all community members who supported their wreath and swag and calendar sales. We very much appreciate your business! We are getting close to our goal and are looking forward to our trip to NM and CO in April.
School Store
Thank you to
Natasha Daniels-Pearson,
Cheryl Hill
, and
Christina Dixcy for their help at the Rainbow Garden School Store holiday sale. Thank you also to the many
shoppers who stopped by the store that day! And thank you to
Natasha, our new volunteer store manager and to the following parents who have volunteered to help staff the store:
Dale Tucker,
Cheryl Hill, Marcella Kapsaroff, Rebecca Page, and Lori Hudak. Thank you to
Jo Hurley for her continued support and assistance.
The store, located at 36 Dodgingtown Rd. (far eastern entrance, near the "Open" flag) is now open
T
uesday through Friday 8:20-9 AM
.
Faculty Dinners
Thank you to the generous and talented parents who cook and bring food for our faculty meetings every other week, most recently the
first grade parents. We truly appreciate your efforts and culinary talents!
Front Office
Thank you to everyone who has answered the call for volunteer help in the office:
Amy Rodriguez, Joanne Manganiello, Colleen Olphie-Lippman, Lina Pradeep, Rose Witte, and Anne Isakson
. (Check out the supply closets organized by Colleen!!)
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If you shop through Amazon you may designate Housatonic Valley Waldorf School to receive .5% from your purchase. Please designate HVWS as your chosen charity and make your Amazon purchases at the Amazon Smile website. Thank you!
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The Washington Post
mic.com
TIME
Goop
The Telegraph
The Washington Post
The New York Times
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The mission of the Housatonic Valley Waldorf School is to develop each child's unique capacity to engage meaningfully in the world.
Guided by the principles of Waldorf education, the faculty inspires in our students creative thinking, moral sensibility, and a passion for learning.
We offer a classical education that integrates experiential and artistic learning, in an environment emphasizing academic excellence, respect for diversity, and reverence for the natural world.
Our faculty, board of trustees, and parents work together, with dedication and warmth, to support our school community.
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Housatonic Valley Waldorf School | 203-364-1113 | office@waldorfct.org|
waldorfct.org
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