DWS Halloween Festival, Saturday, October 27, 5-9pm
All Hallow's Eve, or as it is better known, Halloween, was originally one of the four Celtic "cross" festivals; that is, a festival occurring at a time between, instead of on, the Solstice or Equinox. It falls at a time of growing darkness, when the shadows are lengthening and the sun moves down through the sky. At one time celebrated as a year's end/beginning, it was thought that at this point the veil between the physical world and the spiritual world was thinner and that movement between the two was possible.
Here at Davis Waldorf School, we celebrate Halloween with a blend of the old and the new. Our evening will begin with our wonderful seventh grade café, music and a bonfire. Children fourth grade and younger enjoy the "Protected Path," a journey through the world of vignettes, fairy tales, and far-off lands. On the "Perilous Path" we give children a chance to venture into the world of darkness alone, in a way that is both safe and a bit challenging. The students in fifth grade and older travel the Perilous Path one by one, facing challenges to be overcome along the way. The path ends with their own separate gathering including a bonfire & snacks.
We encourage costumes be worn, but ask that they reflect the essence of our school. Examples of acceptable costumes are pirates, fairies, princesses, dragons, knights, etc. Commercial "character" themes, scary masks or full face makeup are NOT allowed.
Our All Hallow's Eve Event will take place on Saturday, October 29th from 5-9pm. The Protected path will run from 5:10-8:30pm and the Perilous Path will run from 6:30-9:00pm. Tickets are available for purchase in the school office and we invite families to come ahead of their tour time to enjoy dinner and music.
Halloween Volunteers Still Needed!
This is a wonderful opportunity to come out and help create an event our children look forward to with excitement every year. We are looking for more angel guides, bell ringers, actors, bonfire tenders, and of course, set-up/clean-up helpers. Use the link below to see what is needed and to sign up:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0a4cabad23aafd0-20181
Please let the office know if you need childcare on Friday from 1-5:30 as it is free while volunteering.
Our Beautiful Grades Michaelmas Festival
All had a wonderful time at our school's Annual Michaelmas play last Friday. Thank you to the parents who prepared and helped serve the magnificent Sun Cakes afterwards. And thank you to Dan Ng for taking pictures and capturing the experience.
Thank you Parent Council!
Parent Council had a wonderful time holding their first Clothing Exchange at school on Saturday. Thank you to all the parents who helped setting up, running the event, and cleaning up. And thank you to our community for coming to shop and visit!
The next Parent Council meeting will be Thursday, October 18th from 5:45-8pm at the home of Ceri and Ezra Beeman,
334 I St in Davis. Please bring food or drink to share if you would like. Contact our Parent Council Chair, Gina Murphey, for more information:
Gina.Murphey@gmail.com
News from our Grades Field Trips
Our grades have had some very exciting field trips already this year. Ms. Dean's 3rd Grade class has visited Apple Hill, Ms. Borrego's 4th Grade class visited the historic Rush Ranch, 5th Grade spent one night camping at Calaveras Big Trees (see student newsletter from their trip
here), 6th Grade spent two nights camping at Lassen Volcanic National Park, 7th Grade backpacked for 2 nights in Point Reyes National Seashore (read a little about their adventure
here), and the 7-8th Grade classes camped together for 1 night in the Sierra Foothills for their Synergia Ropes Course. It's been an adventurous beginning of the year!
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7th Grade Ropes Course |
A Peek into the Parent Child Program
The Parent Child Program has started the year off with a bang. There are 24 families enrolled ages 2 months to 3 years! Classes are held Thursdays and Fridays. The program is housed in the MPR room this year, and that has given us much more room, light, and more fun opportunities for all involved. The children in the 9:30 classes arrive and get to have free play for an hour and explore climbing, all kinds of manipulatives like mini pumpkins, walnut shells, lots of fun silicone kitchen things, soft toys, ping-pong balls, etc. The latest hits are the two blow-up swim-rings! We have a slide and 2 climbers that are visited each day. The parents have been asked to observe when their child is an explorer, initiator, and a self-learner, with no interference or suggestions from the adult! (Unless safety is a concern, of course). Snack time consists of apple carrot muffins, raisins, fruit, cream cheese and rice cakes and learning to drink from an open cup. The day concludes with lavender lotion, ringing of the bells, and a short story about the leaves, Brown, Yellow and Gold, who were happy when the wind turned cold.
The 11:15 classes are an hour long and we play for the first 50 minutes. These classes are for the younger set, they are still exploring how to move their bodies for rolling, crawling and walking, some still just on their backs looking at their hands clasped together! Wonderful moments we get to see might be two infants holding hands with each other for the first time, or rolling over much to Dad's surprise. The mobile infants are exploring the environment and wandering farther and farther away from Mom's lap each day, or going down the slide or climbing on the climber for the first time. Today three little boys were stacking stools together (early cooperation?). Never a dull moment! The infant classes end their days with a lullaby or a lap game. The Moms and Dads, Nannies, Aunts, or Grandmas who accompany these children are already exchanging phone numbers, or discovering that they are almost neighbors! They get to ask all the hard questions that come up on this tremendous journey of parenthood and learn new ways to see their children at work. Children's explorations and learning in these tender years is a joy to behold!
Community Mural Painting Project - Saturday, October 13th
Local Muralist Danielle Fodor is working with the North Davis on a community mural project and Davis Waldorf School will be participating in this neighborhood project by coordinating live musicians for the painting day on October 13th. All families are invited to come out and help paint on Saturday and enjoy the music from 10am-4pm. You'll hear our DWS Fiddlers, Trista Stanley and members of the Davis Community Folk Orchestra, Teacher Mary Caridi-Gorga, and high school students Maya Keenan and Kelly Fritsch's daughter, McKella. The project is located on the bike path and cul de sac directly in front of one of our DWS families, Christine and Paul Crawford at 1041 Hacienda Avenue. Parking will be difficult so biking is encouraged. For more information about the project and schedule, visit
http://www.daniellefodor.com/elementalevent.html
No School on October 29th
We have a scheduled In-Service Day on Monday, October 29, as teachers and staff will visit other schools. Contracts for holiday care are needed by next Tuesday, October 16. June Bug contracts can be found
here and Sunflower contracts
here. Contracts are also available in the office or on our
website.
Please note there will be no drop in care available on that day.
Our DWS Annual Giving Campaign begins Tuesday, October 30th
In striving to provide an independent and affordable Waldorf education to as many families as possible, our tuition covers only 80% of Davis Waldorf School's operating expenses. We focus on raising the other 20% through philanthropy within our school and throughout our greater community. We have two large fundraisers every year, the Fall Annual Giving Campaign, and our Spring Benefit Event. Our Annual Giving Campaign runs for 5 weeks, from Tuesday, October 30th to Friday, December 7th, and our goal is to raise $60,000 again this year. We ask our Board, Faculty and staff for 100% participation in this campaign before the campaign begins and then ask our families to join us with 100% participation as we have had for the last 11 years. We have two bonus grants totaling $10,000 that will be awarded to our school if we reach 100% participation. We can do it!!
Teachers will be sending out a personal letter to all their parents the last week of October and each class will be trying to reach a goal of 100% participation in this fundraising effort. Classes are also given a class financial goal based on the percentage of tuition their class provides for the year. The first two classes to reach 100% participation receives $250 towards their class fund and an additional $250 is granted to the first class to reach the 100% participation plus their financial goal.
DWS Sports
The volleyball team is off to an incredible start in their 2018 season with Coach Olga Nichols! The team has played two exciting and close matches where they were really able to showcase their skills and heart. Our team is getting stronger everyday as players begin to understand the dynamic aspects of the game and start to utilize their fellow teammates to make some amazing plays happen. The team has three more games this season, with Harper Middle School 10/17 and Sacramento Waldorf 10/18 and 10/22.
Flag football started the last week of September with Coach Steve Oltjenbruns and the team plays their first scrimmage with Sacramento Waldorf School this Friday the 12th at 4 pm. There are three more games scheduled for October (10/25 and 10/30) before the season wraps up. This year the team has been able to have practices twice a week and we are looking forward to possibly having the opportunity for more games next season.
After we wrap up our fall sports, basketball will be starting just before Thanksgiving break with possibly a Tuesday/Thursday practice schedule. More details on that coming soon!
Warmly,
Natalie Oltjenbruns, DWS Games Teacher and Sports Director
New After School Elective - Theater Club
Theater Club is a new offering at our school and will be headed up by DWS alumni student, Grace Blair-Neuburger, along with 6th Grade Teacher, Ms. Toy. Grace is a Junior at Davis High School and has been an acting coach at workshops and acting clubs, and a member of Davis acting groups. She has many of her own amazing performances under her belt. In Theater Club the children will work with and develop their acting skills through games, skits, and plays. The session will culminate with a performance.
Theater Club is open to upper grade students, grades 5-8 and has a minimum number of 4 students and a maximum of 10. They
will meet on Fridays in the 6th grade classroom from 1:15 to 2:30 for 5 weeks, from October 19 to November 16. This is a new activity at the school, and we plan to hold the club in the Winter and Spring, depending upon participation. The fee for this club is $40 for the 5 weeks and the elective form can be found here or on our website.
Green Wood Needed
The woodworking program at DWS is in need of green (fresh-cut) wood. Wood greater than 6" in diameter (either branch wood or trunk wood), and a foot or more long, is desired. I am looking for 3-4 of these pieces. Most kinds of hardwood or fruitwood are fine. If you see something in your neighborhood, or if you are planning on removing a tree please contact me at
bcritch@att.net.
Many thanks! DWS Woodworking Teacher, Bill Critchfield
High School Options Night - November 9th
Join us on Friday, November 9th from 6:30-8pm in the DWS Multi-Purpose Room. We'll have representatives from area high schools who will introduce our parents and students to post-graduation options and information about what their schools offer. This evening is designed for our middle school classes, but parents in lower grades are welcome to attend.
Tuition Payment Note
Dear Parents, if you are using your bank's Bill Pay system to make your SMART Tuition payment, please change your Family ID on your check's memo line to reflect the new year. Your family ID can be found on your SMART invoice.
Field Trip Forms
Some of our classes have already had their first field trips and many parents have completed the necessary chaperone/driver forms, thank you!! If you haven't filled them out, but plan to attend a future trip, please take the time to fill out the paperwork now, it is so much easier on the teacher if the paperwork is ready to go.
AWSNA News
The Association of Independent Waldorf School's provides an online newsletter each month with interesting articles and this month is focusing on Waldorf 100 - activities to celebrate 100 years of Waldorf Education.
Click here to view the newsletter.
One of the ways Waldorf Schools is celebrating is through a global postcard project. Throughout the current year, students in 1,100 Waldorf schools from more than 80 countries will send a postcard to every other Waldorf school in the world. Each postcard is being individually designed by a young person, telling or showing something of his or her country, school, or self. Our students have already designed their postcards and we hope each family will come in and choose a few postcards to send out to a different country. Postcards are in the office.
6th Grade Christmas Tree Fundraiser
Our 6th Grade class will be selling Christmas trees again this year to our school families and the greater community. These trees come fresh from a family farm in Oregon and are beautiful. Order forms with pricing are available in the office and the deadline to order is November 13th. Please take a few forms and hand out to neighbors and friends too!
Form is linked here.
Dia de los Muertos Display - November 1-2nd
Día de los Muertos is a holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and in other cultures around the world. It is a time to honor friends and companions who have passed on. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. It is particularly celebrated in Mexico, where it is a national holiday. The celebration at Davis Waldorf School takes place this year on Thursday and Friday, November 1-2. We will set up a display near the front of the school where students and community members can display photos and mementos of loved ones.
AmazonSmile Scrip Bonus Donation from October 29-November 2
AmazonSmile is having its largest bonus donation promotion to date from October 29-Nov 2. They won't be announcing the promotion until October 29th, but if you are planning to make any big Amazon purchases in the next few weeks this would be a great time to order and have a larger percentage go to Davis Waldorf School.
Screens and Siblings?
As the oldest of six, our family constellation ended up with five teens and one four year old- my mother was constantly reminding us to turn off the TV and the music whenever my brother came into the room. She was trying to protect his childhood, while allowing us the freedom that came along with being a teen. This challenge extends into most of our families today- how to protect the younger children.
Click here for an informative article from Screenagers that gives some concrete tools for parents.
Lauren Hickman, Director of Pedagogy and Programs
Bring your friends to join our DWS family
We have openings in some of our grades classes for next year. We are offering a $500 referral credit to next year's tuition to any family who refers a friend that completes the enrollment process. Questions? Contact Jody Roach, Director of Finance and Operations at business@daviswaldorf.org.
DWS is now on Instagram!
Be sure to follow us: @DavisWaldorfSchool. To access you must download the Instagram app on your phone. Create an account and once you are logged in to your account, search DavisWaldorfSchool and select the "follow" button.
Friends of Davis Waldorf School Facebook Page
Follow us on the Friends of Davis Waldorf School Facebook page. To access, click the following link
https://www.facebook.com/groups/daviswaldorf/, click "Join Group". You may need to wait 24 hours until your request to join has been approved.
Parent Handbook and Communications Policy - available on our website and can be
found here.
Submissions for our Updates/Bulletins
Current Job Opportunities at DWS
We are currently recruiting for the following positions:
- Early Childhood Teachers/Aides Extended Care Program
- Early Childhood Extended Care Director
- Morning Care Provider - Yard Duty for 4th/5th grade
- Piano Accompanist for Eurythmy Classes
