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February Break - Happy Presidents' Day! - No School February 20 - 23
February Break
Our teachers' in-service training week is next week, February 20 - 23. They are looking forward to a fantastic Western Waldorf Educator's Conference at the Rudolf Steiner College (Feb. 18 - 21) or the San Francisco Bay Area Waldorf Teachers Conference at the Marin Waldorf School (Feb. 21-23). If you'd like more information about the conference, go to
http://steinercollege.edu/feb-conference/
Please Note: There is no drop-in care in the Sunflower or June Bug program.
Get Ready - it's coming soon! Early-Bird ticket sales through Friday!
Grab your masks and capes and put on your superhero persona - we're going to have a blast! Yes, it's on St. Patrick's Day, so don't make other plans. We'll have a special costume contest prize for superheroes with a green theme. Get your tickets here:
www.daviswaldorf/auction
Our event will be at El Macero's clubhouse which reopened in May 2016 after a $1 million renovation. They have a new display kitchen with its beautiful hearth oven and expanded bar services allowing them to further support local wineries and breweries. The chef uses many of the best and freshest ingredients available year round. Whether it's Heirloom tomatoes from Capay Organic Farms, herbs and lettuces from Del Rio Botanicals or apricots and peaches from trees just down the road, they have a passion for producing fresh, local and regional food in a creative and simple way. Being so close to the Pacific Ocean allows them to offer the freshest fish available, prepared simply and honestly. All sauces, stock and soups are made from scratch, in house. They take the time to prepare everything with the greatest care to ensure that guests can taste the quality of ingredients and dedication to showcasing what our region has to offer. The menu reflects the seasonal availability of the produce that is being harvested at the moment.
We will enjoy served appetizers of:
- House-smoked Salmon with Dill Cream and Capers on Cucumber Coins (Vegan)
- Smoked Bacon and Chive Cream Cheese on Yukon Gold Potato Cups (Gluten-free) and
- White bean humus with rustic olive tapenade (Vegan)
Our first course at dinner will be a fresh baby lettuce salad with strawberries, toasted almonds, balsamic vinaigrette. Dinner entrée choices are:
- Savory Rosemary Grilled Beef Tri-Tip with Creamy Horseradish (Gluten-free) or
- Pan-roasted Loch-Duart Salmon with Lemon Caper Beurre Blanc(Gluten-free) or
- Pan-roasted Forest Mushrooms, Shallots, Herbs and Polenta (Vegetarian).
All entrees are served with fresh bread and butter, buttered spring vegetables and roasted potatoes. After dinner, we will enjoy a dessert of delicious Flourless Chocolate Torte (
Gluten-free).
This is our one big fundraising event for the year, so we're looking for the support of all families to make this year's event a success. Tickets are on sale now, so start talking to your friends and family to get together a table of folks to sit together. The food will be fabulous, the drinks will be plentiful, and the fun factor will be of superhero proportions!
Classes are currently working on ideas for their Class Auction Projects. Additionally, all DWS families are asked to donate an item or to solicit their favorite business for donations or sponsorships. Forms and information can be found on the website at:
www.daviswaldorf/auction
We need:
· Gift certificates for professional services
· Vacation home or timeshare offerings
· Handmade or custom-made items
· Waldorf-friendly children's toys
· Airline miles
· Gift certificates to local shops or restaurants
· Amazing experiences (camping, birthday party, rock climbing, wine country tour, airplane ride, fire truck ride-a-long....)
Bring your donations to the office or write to:
auction@daviswaldorf.org.
Please join our Parent Council Meeting on Thursday, February 15, 5:45-8:00pm
Location: Casa de Ceri and Ezra Beeman at 334 I St, Davis
We'll start a little early this month with our potluck-feeding your soul and stomach at 5:45. Highlights of our evening's agenda will be a Board update and a discussion of our Strategic Planning, an administrative update, a Mayfair update, a discussion about a parent singing group, and sharing about events within each class.
Please join us! For your calendar, our next meeting: Thursday, March 16, 2018
Basketball Season has been great! Go Wolfpack!
Dear Basketball parents,
We have had an exciting season with our small, yet mighty group of players. We are looking forward to our final games on February 17 with DWS girls vs Camellia at 8:00 a.m. and DWS boys vs SWS 6th grade at 3:00 p.m. That is also the day we have scoreboard duty, which is covered by the parents.
We will not be participating in the Microwave tournament at SWS the week of February 19-23 for several reasons, the primary reason being that we only have 8 players if we combined the boys and girls teams for a co-ed team. The tournament is for 7th and 8th grades only. An additional consideration is the high cost of the tournament.
In light of this, we will wrap-up the season with a scrimmage game on Tuesday, February 27 from 3:30-4:30 p.m. followed by a pizza dinner in the MPR to celebrate our season and to honor our players and thank our fabulous coaches.
With gratitude,
Natalie Oltjenbruns,
Movement Teacher and Athletic Director
Please join us for any (or all) of our fantastic outreach events in February and March (and bring a friend!)
Parent Child and Preschool Open House
February 17, Saturday, 10:30-12:00
Curious what Waldorf early childhood programs are like? Please visit our preschool classrooms for a relaxed morning and meet our Parent Child teacher Simone DeMarzi and our Preschool teacher Mary Nichols. They'll be on hand to answer parents' and caregivers' questions about our programs. Children can play in the classroom and in our beautiful preschool yard -- and participate in bread baking. All are welcome.
Introduction to Grades 1-4: An Informational Night for Parents
Monday, February 26, 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Explore child development from a Waldorf point of view and learn about how the curriculum supports and nourishes children on their educational journey through the grades. We will also explore ways parents can support their children's development and help them gain the most from their Waldorf school experience, and end with a Q & A session. Open to all, adults only please.
Pre-Adolescent Brain Development and the Waldorf Middle School
March 1, Thursday, 6:30-8:00 p.m., MPR
"With the advent of modern medical imaging, we understand much more about the neurological development of the 10 - 15 year old human being. How do Rudolf Steiner's indications for the middle school (6th - 8th) meet this age group in the modern world? What can we, as teachers and parents, do to support their healthy development?"
Our presenter, Amy Elder has been a Waldorf middle school teacher for over a decade. Prior to this, she worked in pharmaceutical/biomedical research in the fields of neurology and psychology. Currently she is working as a mentor for teachers in the Davis Waldorf middle school.
How Waldorf Education Creates Scientists
Thursday, March 8, 6:30-8:00 p.m., MPR
From kindergarten nature walks to high school studies of optics, evolution and biological chemistry, Waldorf education develops the curiosity, creativity and imagination necessary for success in the sciences. We will look at how and why teaching 'from the phenomena' excites learners about science and develops scientific thinking. You will learn how Waldorf science teachers work with the phenomena differently at each stage, specifically during the middle grades of the child's development to enliven and inspire.
Christine Gruhn teaches math and science at the Sacramento Waldorf School where she is also the speech and debate coach. She has taught the science curriculum to middle grades teachers at Rudolf Steiner College and was twice a middle grades class teacher at the Davis Waldorf School. Prior to becoming a Waldorf educator she earned a PhD in fungal physiology at Virginia Tech, worked in the genetic engineering field, as a health educator at UC Davis, and taught at both the University of the Pacific and Nazareth College in Rochester, New York, where she designed and taught the college's first service learning course in the sciences. She is currently researching the impact of healthy eating and gardening instruction on developing healthy lifestyles and scientific thinking in low income children in afterschool programs. She is the parent of two Waldorf educated sons.
7th Grade Woodworking Projects - Completed just in time for Open House
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From L to R - Mickey, Ethan, Gabe, Nathan, Abdul, Kyler. Not pictured - Aspen and Sierra
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In seventh grade we continue woodworking. This year we made tortilla presses from scratch. This activity took several months to complete but was well worth it. We created our presses from wooden planks and logs. First we cut the planks and sanded them. Then we made the uprights, the handle, and the fulcrum. Then we screwed in the latch and handle before oiling them. Then they were ready to perform. At the end of our hard work we had a tortilla party where we used our presses to make tortillas. Overall, it was a very fun activity with incredible rewards. - Mickey Early
What is the Third Grade up to?
Third Grade has been very busy practicing living on earth, studying the seven main grains. They made sushi, built their balance scales and painted a watercolor of the farmer sowing the field (hanging in the office).
Playground/Site Committee Update
You have likely noticed that our newest play structure in the campus's main field needs to be completed. On Sunday, February
18 from
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., the DWS Site Committee "Construction Crew" will be hosting a work party to complete several major elements of the structure. We will need volunteers to provide crew assistance with the goal of completing as much of the project with parent support as is possible.
If your talents lie in the culinary arts, we also aim to support the work party crew by providing them with nourishing meals and drink throughout the day.
If you would like to be part of this effort in building (or feeding!), please sign up for a slot. Donations toward meal purchases are also welcome!
Thank you for your support in time, talent and/or treasure,
Heather Nichols, Site Committee Coordinator
- Morning Shift 8am-Noon to support Site Committee Construction Crew (John Cummins, Kelly Fritsch, Christian Dragheim, Robin Cope, Steve Byars, Joe Wiseman)
- Afternoon Shift 1pm-5pm to support Site Committee Construction Crew (John Cummins, Kelly Fritsch, Christian Dragheim, Robin Cope, Steve Byars, Joe Wiseman)
- Breakfast Angels - Breakfast goodies and coffee (or $20 cash donation)
- Lunch Fairies - Lunch/drinks/chips/cookies (or $20 cash donation)
UNICEF News from our efforts in October - Letter to the Editor from Davis Enterprise
[Our editorial note: additional thanks to Kristie Dunbarr for her coordination of the UNICEF efforts with Davis Waldorf]
Hello UNICEF school coordinators,
A BIG thank you to each of you for your support with the Trick or Treat for UNICEF campaign. I think it's safe to say that we are still in a bit of shock and complete delight that we received a five time match to our local donation. With your assistance, $18,068 was deposited in our First Northern Bank account and sent to UNICEF Headquarters. Every penny was matched by 5 making our total donation worth $90,340! Can you believe it?! We appreciate each and every box that was collected and turned in along with every check that was written. We know that in order for this to happen it takes phone calls, announcements, posters, email messages, tabling, outreach, meetings and much more. Again, thank you all for your efforts!
Here is the link to the Davis Enterprise letter to the editor, thanking our community for the amazing response and support for the 2017/2018 campaign.
We hope that you will continue to be a part of this Wonderful team for next year. Cheers to you all and please know that we could not be successful without you!
Warmly,
Kristen Weeks-Norton and Jennifer Holman,
Co-Coordinators Davis Trick or Treat for UNICEF
The Option of Using a 529 Tuition Plan?
While the wild ride to tax reform at the end of 2017 had many twists and turns, it also contained a potential helping hand. The legislation included a provision that allows families who send their children to tuition-based schools, whether they are independent, religious, or public, to use up to $10,000 per student from 529 plan funds. This change can provide families of K-12 students with tax benefits that have tended to be just for higher education expenses. We will provide an opportunity to discuss this potential tax benefit with David Couvegan, Financial Advisor at Edward Jones, on
Wednesday, February 28 at 6:30 p.m. in the MPR.
Let's Talk Tuition
At the February 13th meeting, our Board of Directors approved tuition rates for the 2018-19 school year. We will be implementing a 5% tuition increase which will allow us to continue to operate with a fiscally-responsible budget, to continue caring for and retaining our excellent faculty, and to provide our students with a full Waldorf subject program. Other details that may be helpful in understanding our tuition-setting process include the following:
- To attract and retain excellent faculty, we have maintained a strong benefit package of full coverage medical/dental/vision/403 plan for our full-time employees. These benefits give us a competitive edge over our neighboring Waldorf schools, where some have dropped insurance coverage altogether.
- We have been operating with below-normal administrative staffing for several years. Our projected budget includes the full-time Director of Community Development and Outreach as well as the option of a full-time Director of pedagogy and Programs or a combination of two part-time folks providing Pedagogical support for our faculty.
- Just as every organization needs a "rainy day fund", so do we! Currently, we have cash reserves for a month or two of usual expenses. We need to slowly build this reserve to a minimum of three months.
- The change will result in an average monthly increase of $52 per month (11-month plan) or annual increase of $460 - $580 per child (amount determined by grade).
If you have any questions about our budget or the school's finances, please contact a member of our Finance Committee (Christi Postlethwaite, Neil Koehler, Jody Roach and Jennifer Slater) or bring your questions to our Parent Council meeting on February 15, 2018.
TAP 101/DWS' Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) Demystified
What is the Tuition Assistance Program?
DWS' Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) is designed to help fill in the financial gap for families who may otherwise not be able to afford the full cost of tuition. Any family with children in the 2nd year of Kindergarten through 8th grade may apply. Tuition discounts may be 5-50% of full tuition, but generally may not exceed 50% without special Board approval. Tuition assistance funds come directly out of DWS' operating budget.
The TAP Process
The TAP process has four basic steps: filling out the application, initial review by the TAP committee¹, family conversation with the committee, and the tuition decision. The TAP committee and TADS, our third-party tuition assistance vendor, hold all financial information securely and in the strictest confidence.
Step 1: TAP Application
The TAP process begins with filling out the comprehensive application offered online at
www.TADS.com. The basic application fee paid by each family is $39. All applying families are required to submit supporting documentation to TADS, which will then verify the information submitted on the application. Once all the requested data that have been submitted to TADS have been validated, the application is considered to be complete.
After the application is complete, TADS calculates a recommended tuition payment amount for each household by deducting a set amount for living expenses and household debt. Households with a lower amount of discretionary income will be determined to have a smaller amount that they can pay toward tuition at DWS.
Step 2: Initial review by the TAP committee
When applications are complete, family financial information is received by DWS for initial review by the TAP committee.
¹
Step 3: Family conversations with the TAP committee
Following initial review of the financial information provided by TADS, the TAP committee arranges to meet with all newly applying families and approximately one-third to one-half of all continuing families. The goal of these meetings is threefold: to understand the family situation behind the numbers presented in the TADS spreadsheets, for families to hear details about the TAP process, and to explain the needs of the school.
Step 4: Tuition Decision
After the committee meets with families, it reviews the applications of all applying families who have fully completed their applications. Taking into consideration the story behind each family's numbers, the tuition amount recommended by TADS, and the school's financial aid budget, the committee assigns every family a tuition amount. Contracts are mailed to families in early May. In the event that a family feels that its tuition assignment is untenable, they may choose to request that the TAP committee re-review their application.
2018 Important TAP dates
March 9
Application deadline for returning families
March 16-April 13
TAP conversations with returning families
April 9
Application deadline
for new families
April 16 - 30
TAP conversations with new families
April 17
File 2017 tax forms
May 7
Contracts mailed to families
Questions?
If you have any questions about TAP, please contact the Tuition Assistance Committee at
tap@daviswaldorf.org. The committee is currently recruiting new members - if interested please let us know.
¹ - The TAP Committee consist of a representative from The Board, the Business Manager and two parents.
Parenting for Success Workshop at RSC
Parent Education Room, Friday, February 16 at 6:30 p.m.
Lecture 2 in the "Parenting for Success" Series: Emotional Regulation, or "How to Tame a Tornado in a Teacup." Emotional regulation and self-control in children are two of the biggest predictors of positive social relationships and academic achievement. This lecture will focus on the mechanisms of emotional regulation and how, as parents, we can be emotional coaches to help children build the skills they need to succeed. See flyer.
We have a new MayFaire Chair for 2018!
Gina Murphey, the presiding Chair of our DWS Parent Council has volunteered to hold our 2018 Davis Waldorf School Mayfair Festival as Chairperson. Gina has participated as a parent and also as a vendor with the festival since 2014 and brings her enthusiastic energy to the position. She is also working closely with our outgoing MayFaire Chair, Jenn Short, to make sure there is a smooth transition.
She will soon be in touch with representative class parents and classroom teachers to discuss individual and whole class roles in the festival as well as to begin building a catalog of both parent and student volunteers for this wonderful Community event.
To volunteer or if you have any questions please contact Gina:
Gina.Murphey@gmail.com
The "Postcard Exchange" project is underway - please help with international postage
Waldorf schools change the world! On September 19, 2019 "the Waldorf School" will be 100 years young! Today, there are over 1,100 Waldorf (or Waldorf-inspired) schools and nearly 2,000 Waldorf kindergartens in more than 70 countries. We are using the anniversary as an opportunity to develop the Waldorf School movement in a contemporary way and raise awareness of its global dimension. There will be many projects on all continents. For more information, go to
www.waldorf-100.org
The Postcard Exchange idea is as simple as it is beautiful: every Waldorf school in the world is sending one (real!) postcard to every other Waldorf school in the world, so that each school will receive more than 1,100 cards from every Waldorf school from all over the world! This is creating a millionfold Waldorf greeting around the globe. You can see cards that DWS has received in a binder in the office. We are creating about 1,200 cards with all of our K-8 students. Each class has about 120 cards to decorate. We are placing a stylish "Greetings from California" marking on the other side with our name, address and website. The school is sponsoring postage for all of the schools in the US.
We are sending the cards out around the globe and need your help. We are asking any family who is interested to sponsor postage for one of the groups of the international cards. We have a list in the office that allows you to sign up for a country that interests you - price range is $5 - $20 for the postage for that country. Please sign up and the office will contact you when the cards are ready to be mailed. You will then take the set of cards, purchase the international postage stamps, and send them from your local post office. It is a lovely way for you and your child to participate in this worldwide greeting.
New school year calendar
Please see the attached calendar for the upcoming Eurythmy Performance (Wednesday, March 21) and a new Band Concert (Wednesday, May 16).
Link to calendar.
- Eurythmy Performance - Join us on Wednesday, March 21 at the Veteran's Memorial Theatre for our Eurythmy assembly at 6:00 p.m. Grades 3 - 8 will perform and Grades 1 & 2 should plan to attend to support their schoolmates who are performing. Community members from the whole school are warmly invited to attend, as well, to witness the beautiful artforms and movements that the children are able to create together. Please note, photography and videography will not be allowed by audience members during the performance. Photos may be taken at the completion of the assembly. Ms. Lavery will soon be communicating about what the children will need to wear and the plans for the rehearsal during the day.
- Band Concert and Solos - Join us on Wednesday, May 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the MPR for a Band Concert with the 6th grade Beginning Band and the 7th/8th grade Advanced Band. This will be a wonderful opportunity for the band students to put on a formal band concert. The program will include both ensembles and some solo opportunities. All 6th - 8th grade students and families should plan to attend to support their classmates. 4th and 5th grade students and families are warmly invited, so they can preview band and the band instruments, to help them decide if they would like to consider this option for middle school. All of our younger students and families are also encouraged to attend. It will be a fun night!
Reminder for Sunflower Aftercare parents
If you need drop-in care, please sign-up on the clipboard in the office, or email/call Debbie. Also, if your child is contracted for care and something comes up and you won't be coming, please email/call Debbie. Otherwise, we will be searching for your child after dismissal and calling for information. Additionally, if you let us know, we may be able to accommodate another child who needs drop-in care. Thank you for your help!
Please support our school in a variety of ways:
SCRIP: we have a new brochure in the office with information about the many easy ways you can support the school while doing your normal shopping.
Donate your old car, truck, boat, RV, jet ski or motorcycle
We now have the ability to take your vehicle donation to benefit the Davis Waldorf School! Just contact Donation Line to make arrangements to have your old vehicle picked up, whether it is running or not. Simply complete the form on their website
www.donationline.com, or call Toll-Free at 1-877-227-7487 anytime, seven days a week. This will start the no cost, no hassle vehicle donation process. You will be contacted by a towing agent who will arrange for a speedy pick-up. DWS will issue a receipt for your donation such that you can use it for a tax deduction.
Substitutes are Needed!
Submit a resume and three professional references to
office@daviswaldorf.org.
Please help us find a place to live!
Our family is seeking a 2 or more bedroom space (shared or separate) starting late August. We are looking for something under $1500 if possible. Please contact teacher Natalie Oltjenbruns email:
Natalie.kawecki@yahoo.com
Seeking support from Davis Community to support Make-A-Wish Foundation
Chi Omega at UC Davis cordially invites you to join us for our annual Winter philanthropy event, Chi O Casino, benefiting the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
Date and Time:
Saturday, February 24, 2018 from 7 PM - 10 PM
Location:
Alumni Center,
Alpha Gamma Rho (AGR) Hall,
530 Alumni Ln, Davis, CA 95616
Ticket Prices:
$7 pre-sale
$10 at the door
$15 flat price for ticket including dinner
Chi Omega partners with the Make-a-Wish Foundation year-round, and has done so since 2002.
100% of the proceeds from our events go straight to Make-a-Wish to help grant wishes to children and teens with life-threatening illnesses. At last year's event, we raised $7,000 for Make-a-Wish, which, when combined with the amount we raised during our Fall 2016 philanthropy event -- Chi O Cookies -- allowed us to grant a wish. This was an incredibly exciting achievement for our entire chapter. We want to help raise even more this year, and we're looking to the Davis community to help us reach this goal. By attending our event and/or making donations, you will contribute immensely in our efforts to grant as many wishes as possible!
Chi O Casino is a fun casino-themed night for all ages! Those who attend can look forward to poker, blackjack, food and drinks, a photo-booth, and the opportunity to win amazing prizes and gift baskets. No experience with playing either card game is necessary, so anyone can attend! Chi O Casino is a casual, kid-friendly event as well.
Greetings from the Avignon Steiner-Waldorf School in sunny Provence!
We're writing to let you know that registrations are open for our
PROVENCE FRENCH SUMMERSCHOOL 2018
for young students from around the world who want to improve their French and spend a lovely holiday with us here in Provence, in the South of France.
Our programme last two weeks and is designed for students aged 15 to 18. S
tudents stay with local French families, enjoy French lessons in our Steiner-Waldorf school every morning, and spend afternoons together in creative workshops and cultural outings.
If you know anyone who might be interested in joining the programme this summer, please pass this information on to them.
We've attached our 2018 flyer to this email, along with an informative article published in Waldorf Today, and all the other details (including a downloadable registration form) are to be found at:
With thanks and kind regards / Bien cordialement, de la part de
Reynald Devanlay, Helene Tammik, Ina Chesnier, Danielle Sfez and the rest of the Summerschool team at l'Ecole Rudolf Steiner en Région d'Avignon, France
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