WSOC Sept. 11, 2023 Newsletter

Education for the 21st Century

Dear WSOC Families,

What a wonderful first week we had! It was so fun to see everyone's joyful faces and reconnect with friends, faculty and administrative staff. We just welcomed back our high school students from their annual bonding trip (pictures below) and are eager to launch into week two of school. We are also excited about our high school Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car Club's amazing advancement to global competiton this week- more below!

Don't forget to mark your calendars for photo day Sept. 13/14 and our Back to School Celebration Oct. 2. Please enjoy our latest newsletter and don't forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook for daily photos and WSOC adventures on and off campus! ALSO: be sure to "unclip" your newsletter in your email so you can read it in its entirety!

P.S. Yearbook hack: click this link to pre-order your 2023-24 WSOC yearbook and save $$ (through Sept. 30)!

Warmly,

Alyssa Hamilton

Communications Coordinator

Monday Message: Leadership Circle

Two Grade 4 students looked expectantly though the window in my door just now, so I waved them in. “What’s up?”

“Are you the principal?” one of them asked.

“No, I’m not. I’m the School Administrator. We don’t have a principal at our school.”

“What happened to him?”

“Oh, we’ve never had a principal at this school. Waldorf schools don’t have principals.”

They clearly didn’t accept what I was telling them, but apparently didn’t want to confront me any further. One of them whispered to the other, “I think he died.”

My point is not to educate you on Waldorf governance structures, but instead just to illustrate how wonderful it is to have the students back this week. The energy they bring to engage with their environment and their education is so refreshing. Don’t get me wrong—it was an enjoyable if busy summer—but there is nothing better than a school filled with children.

It’s been great to have parents back as well. I’ve enjoyed seeing many of you in the morning at drop-off, but please feel free to look in at my window anytime. I’ll be happy to wave you in to ask, “What’s up?” (Final note: Great job on dropping off. Remember: keep moving forward!)

Kevin McDuff

School Administrator

Waldorf School of Orange County

First Day of School Fun

High School Students and Faculty

Bond at Carlsbad State Beach

On September 5-7, our Grades 9-12 enjoyed WSOC's annual high school bonding trip (this year they camped at Carlsbad State Beach). Our students and high school faculty had an incredible time together: swimming, campfires, mixed-grade group projects, hikes and more. What a great start to the year as a high school community of students and teachers!

High School Girls' Volleyball

Middle School Girls' Basketball

Company of Angels

Dear families,

The store is bursting with new gifts, toys and books. This is a very busy time for us Angels as we work in the background getting ready for the holidays. Thank you for shopping local!

Birthday baskets have been a hit over the years. It's a wonderful way to create time with your child to choose just the right gifts for their special day. These baskets are for birthdays only - no holiday baskets please. If you have any questions, please feel free to come in anytime during our store hours.

Happy September, and we look forward to seeing you in the shop!

Warm wishes,

The Angels

P.S. We are so pleased to announce new jewelry in the store! Crafted by WSOC graduate, Kaitlyn O'Neill (class of 2019), Honey by Kait was born while she was a student at Pepperdine, and her affordable gold pieces are now popular staples with a huge following. Come in and peruse her lovely collection!

Scrip

STEM at WSOC: The Little Team That Could

WSOC's Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car Club Advances to World Competition This Week

Watch the live stream to cheer them on!

WSOC's Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car Club, comprised of team members Aaron T. (team leader), WSOC alumna Elena R., Lauren C., Danillo D. and TC M. - has been working on designing, building, and racing RC cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells as part of a program that encourages renewable energy and STEM education in high schools. They're a new team — only two years old — but despite this, they recently qualified to compete in the H2GP world final race, an international event taking place in Las Vegas at the largest energy trade show in North America: the RE+!

The competition is set to occur in Las Vegas, Nevada, spanning September 12-14.

"We will be facing off against global competitors hailing from five continents, competing against over 25 different schools from across the globe. With anticipation, we look forward to gauging our performance against the international field," said team advisor Cameron Weiss.

"After achieving commendable results at the State Finals earlier in the year, we dedicated our summer break to refining our car. These enhancements aim to elevate us to a higher tier of competition, contending for coveted podium positions. Success will hinge on strategy, skill, and a touch of luck. The countless hours of research and engineering our students poured into the car this year should give us a solid chance to bring home some hardware!"

This club allows us to have real-world experience in engineering, strategy, team building, and other such experience one learns in the workplace. It allows us to have an opportunity in hands-on stem fields, currently something not too accessible in the high school. It allows us to push our creativity and ingenuity, requiring many hours of research and brainstorming to find the most efficient and elegant solutions to every problem which arises from the car, often forcing us to push ourselves in fields we have little to no experience in. Each team has three spots, two engineers, two drivers, and one strategist, but everyone is involved with the design and building of the car, allowing each problem to be approached from many angles. During the race, the entire team works together, making decisions on the fly based on the ever-changing field of the race. Though quite a competitive program, we greatly enjoy it, for in the end, it comes down to us, with our ideas driving the team forward. It challenges us by forcing us to think outside of the box, allowing us to exercise creativity, hands-on learning, and self-initiation that is cultivated in elementary and middle school and which comes to fruition in high school. Though on the outside it is mostly focused on engineering, it is a club that allows our creativity to bloom, from the design of our car to the artistic design and livery of the car body. - Aaron T., Team Leader, WSOC Grade 12

Want to help support their growing team? Click here to learn more and donate to their GoFundMe, and see below for live stream links!

Facebook

12th of September at 11:00 AM PST

Qualifier 1

12th of September at 01:00 PM PST

Qualifier 2

13th of September at 09:15 PM PST

World Final!

14th of September at 09:45 AM PST

RE+ 300 Second Place Race

YouTube

12th of September at 11:00 AM PST

Qualifier 1

12th of September at 01:00 PM PST

Qualifier 2

13th of September at 09:15 PM PST

World Final!

14th of September at 09:45 AM PST

RE+ 300 Second Place Race

WSOC Calendar

Mon 9/11, 8:45 am - 10am Parent Study Group Nursery- Grade 4 parents welcomed

Mon 9/11, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm • Fall Parent Infant Session Begins

Tue 9/12, 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm • Girls' Varsity Volleyball Away Game vs. Magnolia Science

Tue 9/12, 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm • Ms. Rodelo Grade 7 Parent Evening

Wed 9/13 - Thu 9/14 • School Photo Day

Wed 9/13, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm • All High School Parent Social/Meeting

Wed 9/13, 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm • Ms. Gloria Grade 2 Parent Evening

Wed 9/13, 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm • Ms. Christiane Grade 3 Parent Evening

Wed 9/13, 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm • Teacher Jenell Grade 4 Parent Evening

Thu 9/14 • Girls' Varsity Volleyball Away Game vs. Bethel Baptist

Thu 9/14, 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm • Girls' Varsity Volleyball Away Game vs. Vista Meridian

Thu 9/14, 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm • Grade 8 Mr. Storm Parent Meeting

Fri 9/15, 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm • Girls' Varsity Volleyball Away Game vs. Pacifica Christian

Fri 9/15, 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm • WSOC Adult Education Program

Fri 9/15, 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm • Nursery Parent Meeting

Sat 9/16, 8:30 am - 5:00 pm • WSOC Adult Education Program

Sat 9/16, 9:00 am - 10:30 am • RIE Class: Playgroup Room

Mon 9/18, 8:45 am - 10am Parent Study Group Nursery- Grade 4 parents welcomed

Mon 9/18, 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm • Girls' Varsity Volleyball Home Game vs. First Baptist

Mon 9/18, 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm • Joint College/Board Meeting

Tue 9/19, 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm • Grades and EC Adult Education

Wed 9/20, 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm • Girls' Varsity Volleyball Home Game vs. Eastside Christian, Bethel Baptist 5pm

Wed 9/20, 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm • Ms. Hubert Grade 5 Parent Evening

Fri 9/22, 3:30 pm - 6:00 pm • Middle School Skate Night

Fri 9/22, 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm • Girls' Varsity Volleyball Home Game vs. Vista Meridian

Little Aftercare Reservation September 2023

Big Aftercare Reservation September 2023

News & Announcements

Support for Maui

At this devastating time, we send our heartfelt aloha to the island of Maui, to all its residents, and to everyone impacted by the recent horrific wildfire tragedies.

To learn more about how to assist our sister school, the Haleakalā Waldorf School, click here for more information: Haleakala Waldorf School

Click here for WSOC College of Teachers, Board Members and Administrative Rotation

Waldorf School of Orange County

2350 Canyon Drive

Costa Mesa, CA 92627-3948

(949) 574-7775

wwww.waldorfschool.com