News from the Parent Council January 8, 2017
Hello MLWS Families!

Welcome to 2018! We hope that you had a restful and nourishing winter break, and that you are navigating the cold temperatures and winter weather with ease and a sense of adventure. We hope you enjoy this issue of our biweekly newsletter, which includes a Parent Council update, highlights activities of various classes and other school-related topics, offers Classified listings, and provides information about upcoming events in the community.

PARENT COUNCIL UPDATE
Parent Council will hold our January meeting on Wednesday, January 10, 3:15-4:15pm .* We will continue to focus on several priority projects this year including: Parent Council presence at MLWS public events to support enrollment, Faculty Nourishment, Food Drives at Music Shares to support Family of New Paltz, a Welcome Committee for new families, and this bi-weekly newsletter. Please consider attending the January meeting or offering some of your time to one of these projects. Many hands make light work! 

* Please note that contrary to the schedule announced at the start of the school year (which indicated meetings would alternate between 3:15pm and 5:15pm start times), for the rest of the 2017/2018 school year, Parent Council meetings will be held from 3:15-4:15pm, based on attendance during the first four meetings. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

In this issue:
Upcoming Events
A Peek Into the Classroom
Development Corner
Classifieds
Calendar of School Events

Monday, January 8, 3:00-4:15pm
Steiner Study Group
Led by Theo Lundin, meeting in the First Grade classroom.

Wednesday, January 10, 3:15-4:15pm
Parent Council monthly meeting

Monday, January 15—No School! Martin Luther King Day

Wednesday, January 17, 8:30-9:30am
MLWS Coffee Hour
Come join us in the Handwork Room in the main school building! Please bring your own cup, and email alethea.mcelroy@gmail.com if you can bake something to share.

Saturday, January 20, 10am-noon
MLWS Open House
Please help spread to word!

Monday, January 22, 3:00-4:15pm
Steiner Study Group
Led by Theo Lundin, meeting in the First Grade classroom.

Tuesday, February 6, 1:00-2:30pm
Free Marionette Workshop
Join Rosana Workman and learn how to make marionettes like those used in our beautiful Kindergarten puppet shows. This is a gift from Mrs. Workman to the parent body, as a thank you for all of the handwork help offered in preparation for the Winter Faire. Mrs. Workman is also hoping to find new talent and interested participants for the school’s puppetry group.

A Peek Into the Classroom
From Mr. Evans
The Third Grade is in a grammar block. Through poetry and story, we will explore the parts of speech. Through movement, we will continue to learn our multiplication tables. Hebrew Dance will also be a part of our daily movement activities. We are also looking forward to our week-long visit to Hawthorne Valley Farm in February. 

From Mr. Aram
In Seventh Grade , the study of Renaissance underlies much of the subjects taught. We studied geography along with the Age of Exploration, and physics and astronomy with stories of Galileo's discoveries. For the next month, the students will study the art of the High Renaissance in Italy, with focus on the lives and works of Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael. This will be followed by the study of the Reformation, the awakening to religious freedom started in Wittenberg by Martin Luther.

Development Corner

  • A big thank you to all of you for making the Winter Faire such a success. The 50/50 Raffle alone made the school close to $3,000, with that same amount going to MLWS parent Beth Cramer.

  • Update on the beautification to the front grounds of MLWS: We were hoping to get this work done over the winter break but weather did not cooperate! Once the ground thaws, we will get to work. Stay tuned for more information.

  • The Spring Gala is April 14 and we are working hard procuring items for the auction. Thank you to each class parent for organizing a gift basket, to be auctioned during the event. We could use your help with this event! If you are interested, our next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 16th at 1:00. If you have any questions about this or the event please email Carly Fridlich at cfridlich@mountainlaurel.org or Patty Jacobson at pattyjacobson@gmail.com.

  • The Annual Giving Campaign is in full swing. Please consider going to www.mountainlaurel.org to donate or you can stop by the office. A huge Thank You to those who have already given.

  • We are happy to announce Total Immersion has donated youth and adult swim lessons again this year for the auction!
Classifieds
REQUESTS
We are the village. This is a listing of Mountain Laurel families navigating difficult times who need our community’s support and practical help with meals, rides, and more. To make additions to the list for future newsletters, please submit details to Meredith at verderosa@gmail.com

STUFF (For sale, for free, ISO...)
ISO Working Manual Typewriters to borrow for Seventh Grade curriculum for January 2018. Mr. Aram is planning curriculum for the Seventh Grade students to use typewriters to learn keyboard and writing skills. If you have one to lend, please contact Laura at lauraklimenchenko@yahoo.com or Patty at 845-701-1380 or psalone1@hotmail.com
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ISO Used Vacuum Cleaner in good condition. Please contact Anna at steinhardt.anna@gmail.com .
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ISO Boys Hiking Boots Size 4 (possibly a half-size smaller or larger would work). Text Lisa at 845-430-4633 or email sunsnake@optonline.net
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FREE Size 13Y Ice Skates . We have a no longer needed US size 13Y pair of ice hockey skates (BAUER) - barely used. If you have little feet that need a pair of skates in this size let us know. Stephanie (Obelia's mom). 845-255-0021

For Sale : Expandable Ice Skates Gently used, Gray, Youth sizes 2 to 4. $15. Text Lisa at 845-430-4633 or email sunsnake@optonline.net
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For Sale: Stroller Ironman Bob Stroller for Sale, 2012 version. Identical to 2016 BOB which can be viewed at the website bobgear.com. Heavy Duty with suspension for trails and running, perfect for Minnewaska carriage trails. Also included is the infant Graco car seat adapter, which allows you to use car seat in the stroller. Excellent condition. $150. If interested, please contact Dennis at dennis.ebbing@gmail.com
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For Sale : Log Splitter Troy-Built, 27-ton hydraulic log splitter, vertical/horizontal operation, 160cc Honda engine, coil-wrapped hose, towable. Lightly used. $699 (Costs $1,399.99 new.) Contact: Susan - susanbaileyramaty@gmail / 845-532-2466
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For Sale : Burton Zipline Snowboard Boots, youth size 2 (they run small)
Practically brand new—used about 3x. Call/text 917-655-2540 or reneeskuba@mac.com
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For Sale: Land in Stone Ridge, NY Three Individual sites, each with B.O.H approval for a 3-bedroom single family home. Underground electric to each lot already in place. Great location—private but close to Stone Ridge amenities. Please see link below and email us directly if you need more information, email: land4salestoneridge@gmail.com
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LEARN
Beginner Weaving as Meditation Workshop ($40)  – Friday, January 5 th , 9:30am-12:30pm, 8 Bridge Creek Road in New Paltz. 
Learn weaving techniques as a meditative practice with Poliana Danila, MLWS parent and fiber artist/former landscape designer. Access to loom and yarn included, and refreshments will be served. Reserve your spot via email:  polianthestuberosa@gmail.com .
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Traditional Figure Drawing for Teens Offering 14 to 19 year olds an opportunity to hone their figure drawing skills at the 10 Horse Art Center (five minutes outside of New Paltz). The 12-week class covers anatomy, proportion, composition and perspective, with the goal of creating accurate drawings of the clothed human figure from direct observation. Contact Alex Canelos at 845 255-7612 or  alex@thesevenfoldstudio.com . For details, visit www.sevenfold.school/figure-drawing-for-teens/  . Adult classes also available. ( www.sevenfold.school/figure-drawing-1/ )
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Winter Camp at Glenbrook Each February, Camp Glen Brook in southwest NH (an educational facility of the Waldorf School of Garden City, NY) offers a fun filled, wholesome, media free Winter Camp for children in grades 3-9. This year the dates are Monday, February 19 through Saturday, February 24. Please visit our  website  to learn more and watch our Winter Camp video or call us at 603-876-3342. We hope your child(ren) will join us this Winter! 
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Tutoring Ashley Sapir Lathrop is offering tutoring for children in reading and literacy skills. She holds dual master’s degrees in elementary education and literacy, with certification in both areas. Whether it is decoding, phonics, comprehension, fluency, or simply finding more comfort with literacy skills, Ashley finds fun and meaningful ways to help children shine. Ashley is available year round for tutoring, at an hourly rate of $60, and can be reached at (845)519-5067 or ashley.sapir@gmail.com
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Traditional landscape paintings in oil – Tim Smith
Offering private tuition for adults and 8th grade students in classical oil painting method. To organize a session around your or your child's specific schedule and needs, 
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Guitar and mandolin lessons  with Mr. Steve Bernstein at his home in Gardiner, NY. Children, teens and adults are all welcome. Please call: 845 255 0822 or drop a note in his mailbox (2nd floor) at school.
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Private Drum-Set Lessons Amir Ziv (Head of the Drum Dept at the New School University's Jazz & Contemporary Music Program) is now offering students of all ages private lessons from his home studio in Kerhonkson. Serious students only.
For more details and to set up a time to speak on the phone or in person, please email:  az_prod@yahoo.com To view Amir’s bio: http://www.newschool.edu/jazz/faculty-az/?id=4e6a-417a-4f51-3d3d
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Music Composition with ‘Famous Waldorf Alumna’
Have you ever wanted to write a piece for recorder? Maybe a piano sonata? Or even a symphony? My name is Stephanie Ann Boyd, I’m a symphonic composer in New York City, and I went to the Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor. You can find me on the list of Famous Waldorf Alumni, and my music is being played all over the world. I teach music composition lessons via Skype and I have helped over 100 people write their first pieces. I charge $100 an hour, and I have financial scholarships for those who need them. You can read more here: http://stephanieannboyd.com/teaching and you can contact me at: stephanie@stephanieannboyd.com

SERVICES
Seeking F/T Nanny Position Mature, experienced child care provider seeking full time nanny position while pursuing part time education. References can be provided. Former nanny to MLWS family. janeborgen2@yahoo.com 845.750.5203
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Hearth to Hearth Bread Club CSA - slow fermented, brick-oven baked, fresh bread from our hearth to yours. Sign up for weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly pickup/delivery in Saugerties, Kingston, or New Paltz.www.hearthtohearthbreadclub.com. Any questions, email baker@hearthtohearthbreadclub.com
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Valentine and Wilder's Pet-Sitting Service
Experience with cats, fish and guinea pigs, but also open to other pets as well! (917) 309-7790 or seanaskye@me.com
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Home Inspections : emfs, dirty electricity, radio frequency
Concerned about children’s cell phone or lap top use? Get protection from new electric meters. Get emf readings on prospective new homes. Learn about router signals. Create an emf free sleeping environment. Teach children about safe wireless use. Decrease overall field exposure. Measure offices, cars, dorms. Learn about resources. Public talks. Harrison Barritt, selfkindness@yahoo.com, 256-0446
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Permaculture designs and landscapes created, installed and maintained by Andrew Faust and Adriana Magaña, suited to your vision and the ecology of your site. We use our 20+ years of experience and a great crew to bring you these services: Real Estate Assessment, Land Selection, Natural Building, Native Landscapes, Permaculture forest gardens, Biodynamic Orchard and Tree work, Organic Vegetable Gardens, Ponds and Solving water problems of all sorts. Contact us at 917-584-4588 or visit us at:
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FREE Sustainable Living Consultations Would you like to live a more sustainable lifestyle? Do you need help determining what personal actions have the biggest impact? We offer consulting to help you tread lightly on the Earth and mitigate climate change. This is a free service because we truly believe in building a viable future for all of our children. Samrat Pathania (Waldorf parent) and Dan Guenther are the Climate Consultants. For more information, email samratpathania@gmail.com or call/text 631-848-1599.

HEALTH & WELLNESS
Looking for a reason to stay in shape this winter, while meeting other MLWS parents? Let's form a team of MLWS Parents to participate in the 2018 Rock the Ridge 'endurance challenge'. This Mohonk Preserve fundraiser caters to all abilities. We'll divide the course into equal parts that each team member (or twosome) can walk/jog at their own speed. To prepare, we'll schedule once per month group training walks . Interested?...contact Mischa Cohn: mischac@hotmail.com
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Wellness: Holistic, Drug-Free Asthma and Allergy Relief. Buteyko Breathing Method is the most effective drug-free approach for the management of asthma, other breathing related problems, anxiety and panic attacks. Technique can be practiced by children and adults. Anna Yashayeva, RN, Dip BBM. yaanna1@gmail.com . 917-750-2652 
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Naam Yoga Classes with Renée at The Living Seed in NP: 10-11:30am
All levels welcome! Call 917-655-2540 for more information.
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Welcome Wellness MLWS parents Liz Duncan-Gilmour, Callie Hershey and Nancy Hoose invite you to experience Ondamed® PEMF therapy. Liz and Callie founded Welcome Wellness after our children achieved remission from neurological Lyme Disease with the help of Ondamed® therapy. Our team has seen the benefits from Ondamed® therapy with issues including stress management, sleep disorders, sports injuries and surgical rehab, Lyme disease and other chronic and degenerative issues. A one-hour session generally costs $75, but MLWS families will receive a special “friends and family” discount. We are located across the street from MLWS at 29 South Chestnut St., Suite 201. Please call to learn more. Liz: 845-616-2709, Callie: 914-456-5406, Nancy: 518-269-6357.

 TRAVEL
Waldorf-Anthroposophical Tours in Europe
Two European tours with Waldorf/Anthroposophical themes are being offered by Sarnia Guiton of Sophia Services for 2018.

• In Search of Knights Templar in Portugal 
The Knights Templar are well known for their activities in Jerusalem and the Holy Land in the Middle Ages following the First Crusade. Their demise in 1307 is also well known. What is not so well known is the belief that their activities in Portugal, working with Bernard of Clairvaux and Portuguese Templar Kings over several generations, formed a Kingdom of Conscience with laws that are echoed in Rudolf Steiner’s Threefold Social Order. 

• In Search of the Future—in Hungary, Romania & Bulgaria
Anthroposophy was planted in these Eastern European countries early in the last century. Communism kept it underground prompting it to grow strong roots. At the end of that era, it grew strong and firm above ground and blossomed with joy that it could now be free. We have known none of that in the West. On this tour we will explore what has been happening anthroposophically in Eastern Europe in the last 25 years, and if we have anything to contribute or to bring back home from our experience.

For more information, please contact: Sarnia Guiton, 604.740.0676, sarnia@sophiaservices.ca 

EVENTS
Step towards a Nuclear-Free Future 原爆・原発のない未礼に向かって - 
Bon-Odori Dance Festival For Peace—Photo Exhibition 2011-2017 
Exhibition on View: January 5-31, 2018
 
We were not content to be victims. We refused to wait for an immediate fiery end or the slow poisoning of our world. We refused to sit idly in terror as the so-called great powers took us past nuclear dusk and brought us recklessly close to nuclear midnight. We rose up. We shared our stories of survival. We said: humanity and nuclear weapons cannot coexist.
  Excerpt from The Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech by Setsuko Thurlow, 12/10/17
 
Youko Yamamoto, a MLWS alumni parent, will present a photo exhibition to show a series of lively photographs of the Bon-Odori Dance Festival For Peace from the year of 2011 through 2017. Yamamoto has been organizing a peace movement based on Japanese traditional summer dance festival to protest Nuclear Weapons and Nuclear Power. 
Born in Yokohama, grew up in Hiroshima, and running a restaurant in New Paltz, she believes that she has a mission to raise awareness of the danger of the effect of radiation in our daily life and future generations. Prior to the scale of the dance festival, she had been gathering on the Hiroshima Day (August 6th) at her restaurant, and chanting Heart Sutura and sharing her concerns of the nuclear disasters. After The Tohoku Great Earthquake in 2011, followed by the melt down of a few reactors in Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, she decided to make efforts to bring up her small gathering group to the scale of the community festival. This photo exhibition at the Lace Mill will show her early steps to the latest festival in Kingston Point Beach in 2017. For more information, visit on Facebook @BonOdoriKingston or call at (845) 255-8811.