Looking Forward
There Is a Season, and a Time for Every Purpose under Heaven
This is the time of year at Ashwood when the school invites teachers to return for the following year and when teachers state their intentions for the coming school year. Administrative evaluations and intentions are held in late spring.
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Blackboard drawing by Lesley Finlayson.
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This year, we will say goodbye to Lesley Finlayson, who will graduate her eighth-grade class in June. Lesley began with her class of six students in first grade. They will graduate as a class of twelve, including five of the six original students. Lesley has many thoughts about next year but no firm plans yet. She may travel the world or she may move back to New Hampshire, or who knows what else? With all of her talents, I think it is safe to say that Lesley can do most anything she puts her mind to. We wish her well and hope that Ashwood always holds a special place in her heart.
 Beth Lunt has also decided that this will be her last year at Ashwood. Beth will be moving to be closer to more of her family, and we wish Beth the best in her future journey.
I am thrilled that Marianne Böckli, Michelle Buczacz, Jeremy Clough, Elizabeth Doshi, Robert Kaczor, Hannah Miller, Rose Swan, Sarah Trapani, Forrester Valle, and Donna Wenckus will all return next year. What a crew! Ashwood is blessed with a tremendously talented and dedicated Waldorf teaching faculty and we are grateful for each and every one of these very fine people.
-Jody Spanglet
School Director
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Welcome!
Please join me in congratulating Rob, Kerri, and Isaac Kaczor on the new addition to their family. Fjell Louise Kaczor was born on February 27, 2017 at 12:15 p.m. The word from her papa is that she is a happy, healthy little girl. Welcome Fjell!
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Jody Spanglet
School Director
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Specialty Teachers
Please call Sarah Ewing to schedule conferences with specialty teachers Sarah Trapani (French), Hannah Miller (strings), and Mary Smyth (grade 8 math).
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Reenrollment: 2017-18 School Year
The deadline to complete and submit signed enrollment contracts, deposits, and tuition-assistance applications is
this Friday March 3. Please remember that tuition- assistance applications must be completed online (there is also a paper form to return with your contract) by this date in order to be considered for a tuition-assistance award.
Do you have friends who might be considering Ashwood for their children? Please encourage them to begin the enrollment process by inquiring soon!
-Betty Wyman
Business Manager
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March!
Trees are bare, everywhere
Snow is deep and skies are grey
Yet one bird, can be heard
On this cold, cold day!
Ask his name and he'll reply
Cocking up, cocking up a roguish eye
Chickadee!Chickadee!Chickadee-dee-dee!
 Although King Winter has sent a lot of snow recently, today we noticed little purple crocuses blossoming beside our kindergarten "home." They are a lovely sight to see, with their promise of spring's return in the not-too-far distant future.
Soon the March winds will begin to blow, and the little seeds will begin their stirring underground. We feel the sun growing warmer each day, but in the meantime the snow is also quite delightful!
We've enjoyed several puppet shows recently. Before our break, we had "The Snow Maiden." This week, Marianne is offering "The Pancake," to the children's delight. It has been a fun collaboration with two teachers this year, bringing more stories to the children in this way. We often see the students working out of imitation afterward, creating their own puppetry offerings to present to their classmates.
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Beth Lunt
Early-Childhood teacher
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The Government Inspector
Some of our 8th graders reflect, below, on their sparkling production of Nikolai Gogol's play,
The Government Inspector.
"The 8
th-
grade play went off without a hitch, and I have rarely enjoyed a theatre production as much as I enjoyed watching my class perform this ambitious and hilarious play. The students were fully committed during the rehearsals, and mastered the show despite endless glorious but disruptive snowstorms. We performed in the beautiful Rockport Opera House, and truly every member of the cast and every member of the parent body of the class worked diligently and joyously to make the production the best it could be. I am so proud of the students and so grateful to the parents of the Class of 2017. I think Gogol, one of my great heroes, must have been pleased to see his play performed with such vigor and vitality. A special thank you to our own dear Beverly Scott for all she did to make the month of rehearsal and performance a rich, rewarding, and merry time for us all!"
-Yonah Wienges
Read more.
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Serve-A-Thon
Dear Ashwood Families,
We're excited to launch our second annual Serve-A-Thon on March 17. In preparation for this community fundraiser, we'll be setting up a sponsorship page for each family on our Serve-A-Thon website. These pages will help you track online donations (not cash or checks) as we strive to reach our $25,000 goal.
Please choose a fictitious name for your family. It can be anything - a favorite character, title, ice-cream flavor, imaginary friend.... The fictitious names will help preserve a sense of group effort. It is especially important that the children experience the fundraiser as a school-wide way to give back rather than comparing how much their family is able to raise relative to their classmates.
Please contact me with the name your family would like to use. If I don't hear from you within the next couple of days, I will use the name you chose last year, or, if you are a new Ashwood family, assign one to you.
Thank you; and please let me know if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
-Sarah Ewing
Fundraising Coordinator
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Annual Appeal
Congratulations, Ashwood! You are truly amazing. For the second time in two years, our
annual appeal has not only reached our goal of $40,000, but 100% of our grade school parents, faculty, and board have participated. This is extraordinary! Early childhood participation is at 50% and we hope they will shortly join us. Because the race for a chocolate torte was so close, we've decided to celebrate everyone and have cupcakes from Laugh Loud, Smile Big for all at the parent teacher conferences this week. We have every reason to be grateful for each other. Thank you for being a community of givers!
-Annie Mahle
Development Director
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News from AWSNA
Here is a report on the latest activities of the Association of Waldorf Schools in North America, including articles on diversity, character, and the importance of play.
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Thursday, March 2
Parent-Teacher Conferences
1:30-6:00 p.m.
Friday, March 3
Parent-Teacher Conferences
8:30-4:00 p.m.
Tuesday, March 7
Knitting Circle
Buttercup Room, EC
9:00 a.m.
Thursday, March 9
Grade 4-5 Class Evening 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Friday, March 10
Assembly: "Greatest Hits of the Class of 2017!"
8:40-9:15 a.m.
Monday, March 13
NO SCHOOL: Teacher Work Day
Wednesday, March 15
School Tours. EC, Grades 1, 4-5, 8
Grade School: 8:15-10:30
Early-Childhood: 9:00-10:30
Please REGISTER!
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Seeking Vacation Rental
Looking for a reunion house on a lake or beach or river front. We are a family of about twenty, so we would need at least five bedrooms with some sofa-bed options. We would like to gather for 3-5 days. Possible dates include: June 24-July 9 or August 5-12. If you have any leads, please call Sarah Trapani at 207-975-0353 or
email.
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Seeking a Dog
I would like to adopt a curly/shaggy adult dog of medium size. If you hear of someone who can no longer care for a beloved pet, or any other leads, please let me know!
Judith Soleil.
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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?
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Preparing Our Children for a Rapidly Changing World
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This is an engaging lecture by Waldorf educator Liz Beaven, President of Rudolf Steiner
College, California, a leading center of Waldorf teacher education.
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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.
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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, March 15. Deadline for submissions is *FRIDAY, March 10, at 9:00 a.m. * NOTE EARLY DEADLINE!
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Support Waldorf education in midcoast Maine. Make a tax-deductible donation today by clicking the button below.
Thank you!
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