Education for the 21st Century |
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Dear families,
The first hints of Fall are in the air! We are so pleased to see many of our wonderful students back on campus, and we continue to stay closely connected to our hardworking online students as well. Slowly but surely, we are regaining what has been put on hold, as well as doing our best to maintain patience for that which is not yet happening! We are so grateful for our resilient, flexible and loving community. We have risen to each challenge, and we continue to celebrate each step toward our togetherness.
We would like to officially welcome Mimi Sueda to her new role as Business Manager! Mimi formerly served as our Finance Coordinator and many of you have also seen her smiling face volunteering at our many school events in the past few years (she is a stellar silent auction Gala volunteer, for one!).
"I am happy to be at Waldorf serving the community and always available to answer a call or email," she says. "I hope to meet everyone in person when safety and health protocols permit it!"
Company of Angels is open for business 8am - 3:30pm every day, and the Scrip office is also ready to help fulfill your orders. Please visit the store after drop off!
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The Sunflowers
by Mary Oliver
Come with me
into the field of sunflowers.
Their faces are burnished disks,
their dry spines
creak like ship masts,
their green leaves,
so heavy and many,
fill all day with the sticky
sugars of the sun.
Come with me
to visit the sunflowers,
they are shy
but want to be friends;
they have wonderful stories
of when they were young -
the important weather,
the wandering crows.
Don't be afraid
to ask them questions!
Their bright faces,
which follow the sun,
will listen, and all
those rows of seeds -
each one a new life!
hope for a deeper acquaintance;
each of them, though it stands
in a crowd of many,
like a separate universe,
is lonely, the long work
of turning their lives
into a celebration
is not easy. Come
and let us talk with those modest faces,
the simple garments of leaves,
the coarse roots in the earth
so uprightly burning.
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Halloween is On!
We are pleased to announce that WSOC students will be enjoying an on-campus Halloween celebration on Friday, October 30. Costumes for Grades 1 - up are allowed: no gore or violent-themed costumes please, and no Halloween masks that cover the face or costumes that interrupt regular school activities.
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Thu 10/8, 8:30a - 10:00a • Room Rep Zoom Meeting
Fri 10/9, 5:00p - 9:00p • WSOC Adult Education Program (Grades)
Fri 10/9, 7:00p - 9:00p • Foundation Studies
Sat 10/10, 8:00a - 4:30p • WSOC Adult Education Program (Grades)
Sat 10/10, 8:30a - 4:30p • Foundation Studies
Mon 10/12 • Indigenous People's Day NO SCHOOL
Tue 10/13, 6:30p - 9:00p • WSOC Adult Education Program (Grades)
Tue 10/13, 7:30p - 9:00p • Foundation Studies
Wed 10/14, 6:00p - 7:30p • Grade 6 Parent Meeting
Mon 10/19, 6:00p - 9:00p • Board Meeting
Tue 10/20, 6:00p - 7:30p • Grade 4 Parent Meeting
Wed 10/21, 6:30p - 8:00p • Grade 5 Parent Meeting
Wed 10/21, 7:00p - 8:30p • Early Childhood Information Evening
Fri 10/23, 6:00p - 7:30p • Grade 3 Parent Meeting
Fri 10/30 • Halloween on campus: costumes allowed for Grades 1 - up (no violence, gore, or anything covering the face)
Sat 10/31 • Halloween
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Thank you to our Board of Trustees |
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Teresa Alarcon and Colin Severn stepped down from their WSOC Board of Trustees roles at the end of September. Teresa Alarcon, parent of two at WSOC and former WSOC Development Director, generously shared her expertise both as a lawyer and as a working professional.
“It has been my great pleasure to serve on WSOC's Board of Trustees for the past three years.The opportunity to work alongside so many wonderful colleagues who are so deeply committed to the well-being of WSOC was an incredible experience,” she said. “I am proud and impressed at the talent, skill, and commitment of each of our Board members, and am so grateful for the opportunity to have served our wonderful school and community!”
Colin Severn, parent of a 2020 WSOC graduate (Sydney, now at the University of Oregon) and another WSOC alum Cameron, currently in Grade 10 at Esperanza High School, originally joined the Board in 2008, serving several years (off and on) after that. In 2020, he again joined the Board to support Mimi Sueda as she transitioned into the role of Business Manager.
“Personally, I’ve always been inspired by the commitment and energy that the faculty, administration and all that my fellow board members have given during my three different terms on the board at WSOC,” Colin said. “Whether it was during my first time during the financial crisis, or during my second time as treasurer and working on the building of the high school, or during my most recent time, in which I’ve watched the leadership of this school mobilize to online learning, multiple educational plans and focus on uniting this community through the Covid pandemic. Albeit a shorter period of time recently, it’s been a pleasure to work with Mimi Sueda and the board on the financial ramifications of a myriad of tuition and expense scenarios, navigating through these unprecedented times. I’ve always felt like we are stewards as parents, or volunteers or board members or whatever we choose with this living, breathing, entity that is our WSOC.”
A Special Thanks
Additionally: a very special thank you to current Board member David Kruse (also a WSOC parent of two) for sharing countless hours of his time and expertise as a medical professional as we navigated the ever-changing waters of the pandemic Health and Safety protocols. David has been instrumental in our success during our waiver application, our community Health and Safety updates and our ability to create a cohesive re-opening plan that followed CDPH guidelines.
Welcome!
We have a very robust Board of Trustees this year, having also recently welcomed new members and WSOC parents Amy Rasmussen and James Gaor. Look for our Board Spotlights in future newsletters!
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News from the Business Office |
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The Business Office acknowledges that WSOC is now a fully opened campus, and a return to prorated standard tuition charges is currently under consideration by Leadership. We realize that the pandemic is still creating a financial disruption for our families, but covering operating costs is crucial for WSOC's fiscal health. The return to prorated standard tuition charges may be implemented at some point after the month of October. Should the decision be made to return to standard tuition prorated for the remainder of the year, those who elect distance learning will continue to be charged at the Adaptive Tuition Modeling rate. We will update you as soon as decisions become final. |
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Please contact the WSOC Registrar and your class teacher/sponsor if wishing to change your student’s Learning Option. If the desired change involves a return to campus from Distance Learning, the exact timing of your student’s return to campus will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Some specialty classes (Practical Arts) may require a lengthier time to transition depending on the class project. Transitioning from in-person to Distance Learning, may not be an immediate transition, depending on the class and subject. (**Essentially, any transition will be case by case, dependent on the circumstances of the various classes).
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Michaelmas looked different for WSOC this year, but we had a great day on Sept. 29! Grade 2 played "pin the scale on the dragon" for one of their Michaelmas celebrations. Grade 7 painted and put together the dragon, while Grade 4 worked on the scales. Grade 2 even embroidered their own blindfolds! Grade 3 lovingly made shields for the second graders.
Later, the children bravely faced the dragon hiding in his 'lair' in our Games field, and emerged triumphant, celebrated by our high schoolers with swords held aloft!
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Early Childhood & Early Years in Action |
Early childhood is a truly a magical and fleeting time, where everything is alive and even common objects can transport you to another world. Waldorf education and Early Childhood teachers support and protect this special time with rhythm, routine, simple toys and harmonious surroundings. |
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"We started gardening recently and in the wheat we discovered a gopher snake/bull snake, likely resting after a nice meal of the mice currently living in the wheat! This sets us up nicely for next year's animal block! The kids are so excited to be in the garden, although there may have been a few groans at the realization that we don't get to plant right away. We have to clean up the garden first and prepare the soil. This is a great lesson in delayed gratification."
--Mrs. Schwarz, Grade 3 class teacher
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"Middle schoolers thrive on humor," says Grade 6 class teacher Brooke Natzke, "so here is a Geometry joke:
My friend was cold, so I told her to go stand in a corner. Corners are 90 degrees!
All jokes aside, Grade 6 geometry begins with the introduction of the compass, a tool for precision. In addition to thinking through the steps of creating new geometric constructions and forms, precision sets the stage for discernment beyond subjectivity. Objective discernment is a skill nourished by all middle school subject blocks, but I can’t think of a better way to return to school than by mastering the compass!"
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Grade 8 Car Wash Raises raises over $1,200 For 8th Grade Trip |
"We are so grateful to everyone who came out to support our fundraiser. The kids worked really hard and had fun. I'm so proud of them, and thankful to our class parents for their participation!"
-- Ms. Lorri, Grade 8 class teacher
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High School Botany Projects: Spotlight on Kyra Slutzky |
"Botany as an online class is an interesting prospect," says WSOC high school science teacher Kim Eijpen. "When taught in school, we spend a lot of time on the bluffs observing different groups of plants: painting, drawing and describing in intricate detail. As an antidote to the screen time - which naturally incurs from learning remotely - students were assigned two tasks: a tri-weekly plant journal where they would record changes and transformations within their chosen plant, and a botany project. The projects were magnificent! They ranged from building wooden planters and planting them, to making Bach flower remedies and essential oils and perfume, to an examination of which group of plants likes to eat insects for food."
Grade 12 student Kyra Slutzky saw a unique opportunity in the block.
"At the end of junior year, our botany teacher, Ms. Eijpen, assigned us a self-directed final project to get us away from our Zoom screen. After debating between building a garden or painting a plant - I decided upon extracting dyes out of plants. I experimented with berries, spinach, avocado skins, and beans! I used these plant dyes to tie-dye T-shirts. I presented my project on Zoom, and the overall feedback, even from my teacher, was, 'can I get one?'
When school ended, I had some free time on my hands, so I started making more and more T-shirts and tank tops! I came across The Equal Justice Initiative, an organization committed to ending mass incarceration and racial inequality. I was blown away by the work of this organization, so I started selling my tank tops/T-shirts on instagram to support EJI. So far, I’m delighted to report that the organization has raised $1,000, and we are just getting started. I have now built a website where I now only sell synthetic dyes clothing! You can view my website and learn more about my business by visiting https://www.charidye.com . "
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CETYS Online Exchange and Pen Pal Program |
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"This is our first online exchange with our CETYS friends, our inter-exchange school in Mexicali, Mexico. It went very well, with our 10th grade presenting a slide show of our Waldorf School and their classes sharing a presentation of their school. Our second exchange is a Pen Pal exchange that the 10-12th grade are participating in. It's a lot of fun!"
-- Sra. Rey, high school Spanish teacher
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Company of Angels & Scrip |
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Shop local and support your Community Store! Company of Angels welcomes you with open arms Mon. - Fri. 8:00 - 3:30. Gorgeous new items arriving frequently, seasonal goodies (ready for Halloween?), Waldorf toys and much more. Our Scrip Office is also open during this time to help fulfill your orders and answer any questions. Soon, we will have three parking spaces in our main parking lot designated exclusively for Company of Angels shoppers! Follow Company of Angels on Instagram to learn more about the latest offerings!
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Register Now for Early Years Programs: Nursery, Playgroup and Bridge! |
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To learn more about our Early Years program, click here!
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Community News & Announcements |
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Job Openings
Interested in joining our Administrative team at WSOC? Please click here for posted job descriptions!
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Choice Lunch is Back!
Delivery does not include beverages. Please bring your own drinks/water in a reusable container.
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Update on WSOC Class Nature Walks
Fairview Park and Talbert Nature Reserve are currently closed to class walks and group activities. We are in touch with Costa Mesa and OC Park, and will obtain permission to resume our class excursions as soon as they open up
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Free Conference! Raising Resilient Kids in an Anxious World |
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Adult Education Opportunity at WSOC!
Have you ever said, "I wish I was the one going through Waldorf Education?" Or perhaps you would like to learn more about why Waldorf teachers bring subjects to their students in a particular way. With Foundation Studies, you can! Waldorf School of Orange County’s two-year prowagram enables participants to experience many of the subjects their child learns, including a study of great literary works such as Parzival, form drawing, wet-on-wet watercolor, projective geometry and more. Additionally, courses include Child Development and the Basics of Waldorf Education, a Biography Workshop, and other fundamentals of Waldorf Education. Faculty members from WSOC support the program, as do several guest teachers from the wider Anthroposophical movement.
WSOC’s Adult Education program is directed by Chris Bennett, who joined the faculty of WSOC in September 2009 and is the former director of Kula Makua Adult Waldorf Education in Honolulu, and was an instructor at the London Waldorf Teacher Training Seminar (UK) for many years before that. He served as WSOC class teacher from 2009- 2017, when his class graduated 8th grade.
This is a two-year, part-time study program. A monthly payment option is available. (September-June). Please click here for brochure and registering instructions. Classes beginning now!
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Waldorf Students Set Three Rowing World Records |
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Click here for WSOC College of Teachers, Board Members and Administrative Rotation
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Waldorf School of Orange County
2350 Canyon Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92627-3948
(949) 574-7775
wwww.waldorfschool.com
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Learning Beyond the Classroom: Grades |
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