Greetings, Ashwood Waldorf School!
I hope that you have had a fabulous summer.
Here on campus, life has been a bit like a three-ring circus: busy and always highly entertaining. Some highlights of the administrative work this summer have been: Betty Wyman, business manager, and Darin Sumpter, custodian, have kept the grounds and buildings looking beautiful. Betty has organized and prioritized the maintenance of our 32-acre, seven-building campus and kept Ashwood's financial accounting and contracting in good order. Darin scrubbed the classrooms until they were shining; Sarah Ewing, administrative assistant, has updated registration materials, gotten files in order, and generally kept everything running smoothly. Laura Purdom has already published many beautiful pamphlets and fliers and publicized our successful EC outreach event. My focus has been to enroll students, update the parent and faculty handbooks, create the class schedule, and work on faculty professional development and evaluation processes for the upcoming school year, and coordinating with the local school district on our tutoring programming. I have had many meetings with our new early childhood teachers, Jen Corning and Morgan Wade, and they have had many more meetings with their terrific mentor, Marianne Bockli.
We have hired Darin Sumpter to teach woodworking classes, and he has been meeting steadily with his mentor, Forrester Valle, to get ready for the beginning of school. (Look for a proflie of Mr. Sumpter in a coming
Leaflet.) While we are still seeking a new strings class teacher, Hannah Miller has generously agreed to start the school year and teach these classes for as long as it takes to find a suitable replacement.
Jeremy Clough ran a successful summer camp that was filled with happy children and welcomed campers both enrolled and not enrolled at Ashwood.
It's shaping up to be another fulfilling, exciting, and busy school year. See you soon and welcome back to school!
-- Jody Spanglet, School Director
|
What We
Did on Our Summer Vacations...
From learning about mushrooms and singing in the rain to 200-km bike rides in Québec and long, lazy days in the hammock--Ashwood's faculty lived summer to the fullest this year. Read on to hear about some of our highlights, "aha" moments, favorite summer reads and more.
Elizabeth Doshi, Class 1 Teacher
Highlight. My
200-km bike ride in Québec with Sanbate
"Aha" moment.
Discovering all the amazing plants that grow on our property
Best book.
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August
by Claire North
Best nature experience.
Sitting in my hammock in the dark and looking up through the trees into the starry sky
Michelle Buczacz, Class 2-3 Teacher
Best learning experiences.
I learned the names of several plants I've recognized since childhood but never know what they're called. I've also learned how to keep a house relatively cool with strategic window/drape opening/closing timing. And, I've learned how much food a three year old can pinch when I'm busy doing something else. Finally, I've discovered the spark of vitality that can be gleaned by reconnecting with old friends.
Robert Kaczor, Class 4-5 Teacher
Highlight. Spending my days with Isaac and Fjell, bonding with them and watching them as they learn new skills.
Best learning experience. Drawing braided forms
Best book. Reading aloud Chicken Soup for the Golden Soul to my ailing mother-in-law
Best nature experience. Fireflies and falling stars
Jeremy Clough, Class 6-7 Teacher
Highlight. Spending time with my wife Rose and my
daughter Tilly
"Aha" moments. Watching Tilly learn to crawl and stand
Best book. Parsival by Wolfram Von Eschenbach
Best nature experience. Garden walks with Tilly
Morgan Wade, Early Childhood Teacher
Highlight.
Being in Maine in the summer for the first time.
I loved all the local swimming holes and hiking trails.
Best learning experience.
I got into mushroom hunting. I'm too scared to pick any but I could spend hours looking at all the different kinds growing all over the woods.
Jen Corning, Early Childhood Teacher
Highlight. Watching the sun rise at Machu Picchu
Best learning experience. Marionette puppetry at Sunbridge
Best nature experience. Rock climbing and swimming out to an island on a pond in western Maine
Laura Purdom, Music & Language Arts Teacher/Director of Marketing & Outreach
Highlight. Singing in the rain under a double rainbow.
Best book.
I previewed perhaps a dozen young adult novels this summer, but I my favorite was the mystery-thriller A Stranger Came Ashore by Mollie Hunter.
Best nature experience. The awesome majesty of Taughannock Falls in Ithaca, NY
Jody Spanglet, School Director
Highlight. Listening to the Mediterranean surf
Best book.
Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin
Best nature experience. Kayaking and swimming in Megunticook
Sarah Ewing, Administrative Assistant
Best nature experience
. Lying on a dock on a quiet morning, watching the transformation of a dragonfly from nymph to adult, which eventually flew away.
Betty Wyman, Business Office Manager
Highlight.
Day trips to Lasell Island, where I floated in the cool ocean water all day watching my children's lively, bubbly play
"Aha" moment.
I have a teenage boy!
Best book.
Being Mortal
by Atul Gawande
Nerdiest thing.
I started to learn code.
Rose Swan, Movement Teacher
Highlight.
Watching Tillia learn to crawl
"Aha" moment.
I can function on less sleep than I thought I could, though not that well!
Best learning experience.
Some new diabolo and poi tricks
Best book.
Elevating Childcare: A Guide to Respectful Parenting by Janet Lansbury
Best nature experience. Family garden walks with Mr. Clough, Tillia, and visiting friends and family.
Useless super power I realized I had.
Taking flowers and turning them into floral crowns
Donna Wenckus, Handwork Teacher
Highlight. Selling my big Lexus to pay for my little Lexus
Best learning experience. It's quite nice to do nothing... all summer!
Best book experence. Reading Ribsy by Beverly Cleary to my grandson
Best nature experience. My son scoping out numerous monarch caterpillars around the house
Sarah Trapani, French Teacher
Theme. Looking after my ailing mother.
How I replenished. Long bicycle rides, hiking, swimming in the ocean, sitting on the warm rocks at Rockport Harbor. Also, lots of bubble baths.
Best book. Eckhart Tolle's
The Power of Now
Best learning experience. Rediscovering the calming power of animals with my 11-year-old golden retriever Lasha and four very special kitties.
What I most look forward to.
The children's smiles and laughter come the first days of September!
-- compiled by Laura Purdom, Director of Marketing & Outreach
|
Welcome to Our New Director of Development
Please join me in welcoming
Julia Dodge as Ashwood's new Director of Development. The Board of Trustees is thrilled that Julia will take the lead in securing financial gifts for the school this coming year. Julia has volunteered untold hours to Ashwood's incredibly successful Serve-a-Thon fundraiser, while leading the effort for many other school fundraisers as well. Julia has been a class parent and has been active on the Ashwood Parent Community (APC). She is a warm and enthusiastic professional with a great deal of commitment to Ashwood.
Julia is a Maine native, born in Portland and raised in Gorham. She earned a B.A. in History from Colby College and a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Maine, Orono. She has traveled and lived in many non-Maine places, but the pull to return to her home state has always been present and strong. During her childhood, her grandparents came to Rockport every summer and Julia's family would join them for the month of August. Those Augusts were a very important part of her young life, such that landing here in the midcoast region to live and raise her three girls with her husband, Barney, is a blessing.
Her introduction to Waldorf education came via the persistence of a cousin with three children enrolled in the Waldorf school in Freeport, Maine. Julia quickly sensed a unique and vital approach to educating children and sought to provide that for her own children. She firmly believes that more children with access to Waldorf education will do wonderful things for the world; thus, she is thrilled to direct the development team and excited to help secure as much funding for the school as possible.
Welcome Julia!
-- Jody Spanglet, School Director
|
News from AWSNA, The Association of Waldorf Schools of North America
Click the here to read the August 2018 issue of the newsletter of the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America. Read about: Waldorf 100, what knitting can teaching you about math, what makes a good school culture, and more.
|
Rose Ceremony
You are invited to Ashwood Waldorf School's Rose Ceremony on
Tuesday, September 4, at noon. This a treasured
tradition to welcome our new first graders and honor their yearlong friendship with the oldest class. The ceremony will take place at the entrance to the grade school building. Please bring lunch for your family and stay for the
community picnic afterward! You might like to bring a ground cover.
Early childhood classes will end at 11:45 the first day of school. The grade school will dismiss at 1:00 p.m. If
grade school parents are not able to be there for the Rose Ceremony, they should arrange to pick up their children at 1:00 p.m.
In the event of rain, the ceremony will be held in the entrance hall of the grade school building.
Questions? Contact
Laura Purdom.
|
New Parents' Welcome Breakfast
We're hosting a breakfast to welcome new families to Ashwood on
Friday, September 7 at 8:45 a.m., in the Buttercup Room of the Rosewood Early-Childhood Building on the Ashwood Campus.
This is a special opportunity to meet other new parents, their mentors, and Ashwood's administrative staff. Look for an invitation and additional details soon!
|
Homecoming Party: Save the Date!
Live music! Games! Potluck!
 Join us at Ashwood Waldorf School on
Friday, September 14 from 5-7 p.m. for a Homecoming Party! This event is for everyone in the Ashwood community--past, present, and future--with a special invitation to
alumni of all ages!
Additional details coming soon.
Sponsored by the Ashwood Parent Community (APC)
|
School Calendar 2018-2019
Here is the printable calendar for the coming school year.
|
Cellphones on Campus
Reminder: To model conscious media use,
we ask that adults re
frain from using cellphones, texting,
or using other electro
nic devices while moving through the school buildings, walking on campus grounds, and while dropping off and picking up their children.
If adults need to use their phones
while at school, we suggest they do so
in their car.
From the Ashwood Parent Handbook
|
Early Childhood Programs: Enroll Today!
We still have spaces in our early-childhood program, for children ages 3-6 years old, and in our Parent-Child classes, for children ages 18-36 months old with an adult.
Please help us spread the word about these wonderful programs.
--Laura Purdom, Director of Marketing & Outreach
|
You can make a difference
Fly a flyer. Post a poster.
It couldn't be simpler! As you go about your errands, take along an Ashwood flyer or two and post them on any friendly-looking bulletin boards you come across. (We'll even provide you with thumbtacks. Wow.) Community postings are one of the best ways we have of letting people know about our programs. Stop by the office any time to pick up your Official Ashwood Flyer Poster's Kit. Questions? Contact
Laura Purdom.
|
|
|
Tuesday, September 4
First Day of School for All
Rose Ceremony & Picnic
12:00-1:00 p.m
Early-Childhood Dismissal
11:45 p.m. (no aftercare)
Grade School Dismissal
1:00 p.m.
Friday, September 7
New Parents' Welcome Breakfast
Rosewood Early-Childhood Center
8:45 a.m.
Monday, September 10
Ashwood Parent Community
(APC) Meeting
Rosewood Early-Childhood Center
8:30-10:00 am.
Friday, September 14
Ashwood Homecoming Party
with Live Music
5:00-7:00 p.m.
Tuesday, September 18
Early-Childhood Parent Evening
Rosewood Early-Childhood Building
6:00-7:30 p.m.
Friday, September 21
Common Ground Fair
Friday, September 28
Michaelmas Pageant & Hike
|
A Course in Theosophy
Led by Bill Laurita
How do we learn to focus on what is lasting and not get lost in the transitory? What is the difference between soul and spirit? How can Theosophy help us better understand current affairs? How can I apply this book to my life?
Six Thursdays, 6:30-8:30 PM, September 27-November 1 in the Michaelmas Library at the entrance of the Ashwood Waldorf School campus.
The class will be about reading Steiner's words, with presentations toward explication of the text and discussion. The goal is to explore, clarify, and to relate the content of Theosophy to life's journey.
Bill Laurita has been a student of Anthroposophy for the past 30 years. He was a Waldorf teacher and administrator prior to his current position as president of the Swans Island Company. He holds a BA from UVM and a Masters from UNH. Tuition is $120. Please register through Studies in Anthroposophy or send an email.
Bearded Dragon: Free to
Good Home
Female, two-year-old bearded dragon named Luna Lovegood. Comes with a large terrarium and supplies. Very used to children's hands. Please contact Suzanne and Clint.
The Leaflet publishes community-service announcements from and for Ashwood community members at no charge. Send to: Laura Purdom.
|
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
Laura Purdom.
|
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, September 12. Deadline for submissions is MONDAY, September 10, at 9:00 a.m.
|
|
Support Waldorf education in midcoast Maine. Make a tax-deductible donation today by clicking the button below.
Thank you!
|
|
 |
|
