The Joy of Opening Day
We kicked off the 2017-2018 school year (our 31st school year!) with a sweet and tender Rose Ceremony. New families were introduced along with the faculty and classes for this year. The faculty sang "Oh, Be Joyful", to welcome this fabulous new school year!  The 8th grade class showed their uprightness and grace as they welcomed our sweet new first grade class into the grades. The eighth graders presented each first grade student with a rose and a promise to take care of them throughout their first year. The first grade parents created a "Sunflower Arch" in front of the first grade classroom for their children to walk toward their new teacher, Ms. Holt, in an unforgettable way on their first day.
 

Back-to-School Night
Join us for our annual Back-to-School Night on Friday, September 15th from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Preschool, kindergarten, 1st-8th grades and alumni families are all invited to join us for a community event to kick off the school year.  Bring the whole family to picnic with us on the lawn for a casual and fun evening.  Don't miss this opportunity to make new friends and connect with your community.
 
Schedule of Events:
  • 5:30 pm -  Welcome by our Administration
  • 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm - Meet and greet the DWS Faculty and Staff.  Picnic on the lawn with your community. Bring your own food or purchase food from the DWS 8th Grade
Dinner? Dinner! Yes, PLEASE & Thank You!
Burrito, Salad, Chips dinner plate ($7) 
Drinks ($2) 
Ice Cream Cones ($3) 
Support the 8th grade class trip fundraising!
See you there!
  • 6:30 pm - 6:50 pm - The Davis Waldorf Fiddlers
  • 7:00 pm - 7:30 pm - Community Contra Dance*
 
*What is a Contra Dance?   Contra dancing is social interaction, meeting people, and making new friends, set to music. A caller, usually working with a group of live musicians, guides new and experienced dancers alike through a variety of dances.  People of all ages and lifestyles, including children, are welcome. Contra dances are a place where people from many walks of life come together to dance and socialize.  The caller teaches each dance before it is actually done to the music. This gives everyone an idea of what to expect so the movements can be easily executed. The caller leads the dances so dancers are able to perform each movement to the music. Once the dancers appear to have mastered a particular dance, the caller may stop calling, leaving the dancers on their own to enjoy the movement. 
 
 
Hot Lunches
Make sure to get your Hot Lunch forms in as soon as possible.  We offer yummy pizza, burritos and pasta on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, respectively.
 

Play, Connect, Grow
Our fall session of  Parent Child classes  has begun! We have limited openings in each class and are still accepting children (and their parents) for this session. This class is a perfect introduction to Waldorf early childhood education and held once weekly.

Parents or caregivers attend in a distraction-free environment. Children have a chance to play in a warm nurturing environment, parents have a chance to connect to one another with our wonderful facilitator, Simone DeMarzi, and all have a chance to grow!

Please join us. For more information or to register, call Debbie in the office, 530-753-1651 or visit our website,  http://daviswaldorf.org/parentchild .
 

Anthroposophical Study Group
Our weekly study of Rudolf Steiner's "The Study of Man" is scheduled for Mondays,  3:30 to 4:45 in the MPR.  It will be facilitated by Faculty member, Steve Brannon.
 
Our first meeting is scheduled for  September 18th.  Feel free to come and socialize beforehand at  3:15 - study will begin promptly at  3:30.  Please note: the wider community is warmly invited!  Feel free to invite others who may have an interest in this book. 
 
 
Parent Council Corner
Welcome to the Davis Waldorf School 2017/18 year!  This year's first Parent Council meeting is  Thursday, September 21st , from  6:00 to 8:00 p.m.  at Ceri and Ezra Beeman's house, 334 I St, Davis - all parents/guardians are welcome, so please come! 
 
The DWS Parent Council (PC) is an organization of parent volunteers with the goal of fostering an atmosphere that supports the Faculty and Board/Administration in preparing students to realize their highest potential as human beings. The PC accomplishes this by representing parents as "the third leg of the stool" with the other two governing entities - the Faculty and Board of Directors, as well as the Administration which supports all three spheres.
 
Our September meeting will include: 
 
- The Class Parent Orientation
- Parent Council Orientation
- Board/Admin update
- Halloween overview
 
Our intention this year is to renew excitement for volunteering and being a part of a vibrant, impactful Parent Council. Our community is a powerful network of children, parents, extended family and friends, teachers, and staff who share a vision of DWS being the best place for our children to experience a love of learning. 
 
Each grade at DWS needs at least one Parent Council class representative, but there can be more than one. In fact, this is encouraged, to allow busy parents to share the tasks. While the PC class representatives are obligated to attend the monthly meetings, every single parent at DWS is a Parent Council member and is welcome and encouraged to attend. In addition to attending monthly meetings, the class PC representative communicates PC news to their class and helps organize parent volunteers for events and activities.
 
You can help revitalize our volunteer base and energize our community by offering your talents, strengths, and skills set. Please contact me or your class PC rep to further discuss how you would like to support the school in the coming school year and be a part of this exciting year for the Parent Council.
 
Parent Council meetings are held on the third  Thursday of each month from  6:00 to 8:00 p.m. We include some light food/refreshments and a short time to meet new parents and get acquainted. We meet in Downtown Davis at the home of Ceri & Ezra Beeman located at 334 I St, Davis. Any changes to meeting dates and/or locations will be announced ahead of time and posted on the school calendar. 
 
Blessings on our school,
 
Gina Murphey,  Parent Council Chair


Picture Day
Wednesday, September 27th is picture day.  Please check your child's room or backpack next week for the photo form.  



Community First Friday
Thanks to Bill Critchfield for the informative talk on Friday, September 8th about our Woodworking Curriculum.  We had a great turn-out and we had fun in the Woodworking area, creating wooden buttons.
 
Join us next month on Friday, October 6th at 8:30 a.m. in the garden, as we hear about our Gardening Curriculum from Alisa Haller.
 
 
Michaelmas Festival - Friday, September 29
Long ago, in a faraway place, the people in a kingdom lived in dread and fear of a loathsome beast that was eager to devour any human or animal that dared to cross its path.  Bright shining meteors flashed through the night sky, offering strong iron to forge a sword to tame the evil dragon and defend the right.  What knight would courageously wield this sword to tame such a beast? 
 
Come see our new Michaelmas Play to find out!  This play is developmentally-appropriate for children in the grades, not for younger siblings from the Kindergarten and Preschool* who might be frightened by the dragon. 
 
Waldorf schools around the world celebrate the beginning of autumn, the time for self assessment, for courage in days where the light is dwindling with a Michaelmas festival, which is connected to St. Michael who is known for courageously standing up for truth and for facing and transforming evil. As autumn arrives with these glorious days, it is hard to imagine how the life forces of nature are gradually receding and turning toward their long winter sleep.
 
As human beings, however, we are awakening to our inner life. It is at this time of year when we turn to building and strengthening ourselves to prepare for the dark days ahead. We face a time of renewed courage and the need to carry an inner light of wisdom as the days grow shorter. Rudolf Steiner assigns to the figure of Michael and his battle with the Dragon a central significance in our age. In traditional stories of St. Michael and the Dragon, an important aspect is always that, although many have come before him in trying to defeat the Dragon, it is only he who is able to complete the task. The tradition of Yom Kippur observed also around this time requires one to go deep within one's own depths (to face the "dragon") and to be truthful in making atonement, thus requiring the greatest courage of all.
 
The play begins at noon in the grove.  All grades 1-8 have a part in the play.  Please arrive in time to park at the church and walk to the campus by 11:50 am.  We will have a celebration with Sun Cakes in the grove afterward.  Class teachers are making separate arrangements for a picnic lunch with their class on the grass.  Parents are warmly invited to join.  Students will not be released to parents until final handshake at 1:00 at the classroom doors. There is aftercare available with the normal schedule.
 
* Please note:  The Early Childhood programs hold separate events to celebrate Michaelmas in a setting that is appropriate for the younger ones. 
 
Michaelmas Sun Cakes
In honor of Michaelmas, each class will bake two Sun Cakes for the school.  These Sun Cakes represent the light that helps us during the darkening days that begin with the Autumn Equinox.
 
As our Michaelmas play concludes, the King will announce, "Now that we have conquered the beast, let us rejoice and feast." The parents, already in a circle around the play, will join the students in our song. 
 
Each class will then find their designated area for a picnic. The class teacher will dismiss the students to receive a slice of Sun Cake.
 
*The 3rd and 6th grade classes will provide gluten-free and vegan cakes for all to share have require special dietary needs.
 
Some ideas for cakes:
* Round cake with yellow frosting and calendula petals
* Sun shaped cakes
* A white cake with sunflower petals around the base
 
Please do not make cupcakes. The idea is to share amongst us all, symbolically representing the breaking of bread.
 
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Coleen at coleen@daviswaldorf.org.

 
Greetings from the Garden!
This week the eighth grade will be posting new signs for improving our school's recycling and composting efforts at DWS. These signs were created at the end of last year by this class. They will make a brief presentation to all grades to roll out their "Stop, See and Sort" campaign. 
 
We are really proud of the eighth grade for their leadership in reducing waste at school! At Back to School Night they will extend this education to all of our community by staffing recycling and composting bins at their food sale fundraiser.
 
The garden program has many opportunities for parents to engage in. The garden lessons in grades 1-5 often need additional adults to help with various tasks. If you prefer to work independently, all of the gardens and school landscape could use some volunteer help throughout the year. I will be contacting teachers and class parents to discuss how best to arrange for signing up for these opportunities. If you have any particular requests or questions regarding volunteering with the garden program, please contact me.
 
Blessings,
Alisa Haller, ahaller@daviswaldorf.org
 
 
Halloween
Our splendid Halloween Gathering will be held on Saturday, October 28th, approximately 5:00-8:30 p.m. Please plan for all of your children to wear costumes that are NOT SCARY; we want to PROTECT the senses of our littlest students. The intention is to provide a safe setting full of magic and mystery. You can look forward to both a Protected Path, suitable for all ages, and a Perilous Path for students in Grade 5 and up.  Tickets will go on sale in mid-October.
 
If you are inspired to offer anything to help the event to be amazing, such as entertainment (music or acting), set-up or clean-up, set design or creating the environment, you are encouraged to do so! Please contact Jenny Tom at jennymillestom@gmail.com or 530-574-2483.
 
 
Bring your friends to join our DWS family
We currently have openings in some of our grades classes. We are offering a $500 referral credit to this year's tuition to any family who refers a friend that completes the enrollment process, specifically for our first and second grades.
 
 
News from AWSNA
September's Inform - AWSNA's community newsletter. Highlighted in this issue:
  • Waldorf100 Postcard Exchange
  • The Importance of Learning a Second Language - Blog
  • Save the Date: AWSNA Summer Conference 2018 - Social Justice: Exploring Place, Race, Class, and Gender in Waldorf Education
The newsletter shares information about the Association's activities, events, news, and inspiring stories pertaining to Waldorf Education.  Here is the direct link to the Inform newsletter on the AWSNA website:

Here is the link to the News page (where Inform can be found):
 
 
Housing needed later in the school year
Eurythmy teacher and husband seeking a small one bedroom dwelling - private artist cottage or in-law suite within driving distance from DWS. We are very quiet and responsible, non-smoking and have no pets.  Please contact me at 978-766-3078 or eurythmy@daviswaldorf.org Thank you!  
Sophia Benvenuto
 
 
Reminder to Parents
The school directory approval sheet that you received in the back to school packet is due Monday September 18th.  If you would like to edit your listing, please return the form to the office.

 
Field Trip Reminder
In order for you to drive children in your car on a field trip, we need an Auto Use Form and DMV driving record print out.  A new form and record is required every year.  Get ahead of the game, submit yours now.


Middle School Start Time Update
Our Middle School start time has been changed to 8:30 a.m. for 6th, 7th and 8th grades.  A Study Hall morning care program is being offered at no charge from 7:45 - 8:15 a.m. in the 6th grade classroom with Mrs. Amajor (until Thanksgiving Break, then will be with Mr. Brannon in the 7th grade classroom).  Students are required to sign-in upon arrival and cannot leave campus. At 8:15 a.m. after Study Hall, students will go to their classroom until handshake. 

This Study Hall is specifically for all grades 6-8 students who arrive on campus before 8:15 a.m. If students are unwilling to attend Study Hall, their parents will be requested to provide alternative morning care options.  Students should not arrive on campus prior to 7:45 a.m., because no supervision will be available then.


Parking Update
We have removed the individual green parking signs for faculty and replaced them by painting "reserved" on each curb.  Please do not park in these spots prior to 2:00 p.m. (Not even at 1:55 as 4th period starts at 2:00 p.m. and a teacher may be arriving at the last moment.) The only reserved space that is not available after 2:00 p.m. is the space purchased at our auction.  There is no parking in the back circle until afternoon pickup.  Please do not open the gates to park in the circle as children may be playing there.  Parking is okay in the front circle after 9:00 a.m.  We do have a few spots in front of the Administrative Office to help with your needs in the morning.


A Lecture Series Devoted to Parent Education
An opportunity for parent education in our local community.  To access the website, use the link below.
 
 
For Sale
Vintage Artley Flute (1977) - Great condition in original case
Nickel, recently serviced by Watermelon - $275
 
3/4 Violin - Great condition (2 Bows, Kun and case included)
Purchased from Watermelon - $300
 
1/2 Cello - Good condition (some scratches, but sounds great, well played) soft case and bow included.  Purchased from Watermelon - $600
 
All instruments were recently valued by Watermelon. 
Please contact Tamee Cooper, (415) 748-2214.   

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Music Composition Lessons
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 now being played all over the world. I teach music composition lessons via Skype and I've helped over 100 people write their first pieces. I charge $100 an hour, and have several financial scholarships for those who need them. I love to teach Waldorf students and their parents! You can read more about how I help composers at   
http://stephanieannboyd.com/teaching  and you can send me an email at    stephanie@stephanieannboyd.com  to learn more.
Dates to Remember

09/15 - Parent Child Class
09/15 - 5th Grade field Trip
09/15 - Back to School Night 5:30pm
09/16 - 4th Grade Parent Mtg 10:30am
09/18 - Parent Child Class
09/18 - Book Study 3:30pm
09/19 - Early Childhood Parent Orientation 6:30pm
09/21 - Parent Council Mtg 6pm
09/22 - Parent Child Class
09/25 - Parent Child Class
09/25 - Book Study 3:30pm
09/26-27 - 5th Grade Field Trip
09/27 - Photo Day 
09/28 - 2nd Grade Parent Mtg 6pm
09/29 - Kinder Michaelmas 8:15am
09/29 - Parent Child Class
09/29 - Michaelmas Festival 12pm