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In March 2020, the Waldorf School of San Diego launched its first-ever distance learning program in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our faculty and staff worked together to assemble and distribute individual Beyond the Classroom packets to parents for each student from Nursery to 8th Grade (High School faculty provided work before Spring Break). It was a wonderful moment of community and a lovely moment of personal (carefully distanced) interaction between parents and staff.
Waldorf schools across the world make mindful environments a priority for their students. In doing so, this helps to keep stress to a minimum and supports wellbeing and learning. Teachers, parents, and students from WSSD are employing the best practices acquired through the Waldorf pedagogy to help inspire and create mindful environments at home. This strong sense of intention creates healthy routines and rhythms for children during this prolonged period of social isolation and campus closure.
Waldorf education strives to educate the whole child — head, heart, and hands — and to work toward the three ideals of truth, beauty, and goodness. Thank you parents for your flexibility and willingness to jump in with us as we navigate this new learning adventure.
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Gratitude
to our community for their ongoing support, words of comfort and encouragement and willingness to join us in this unchartered territory.
Gratitude
to our faculty for leaning into the challenges and unknowns and for embarking on this swift and steep journey of new skills and learning.
Gratitude
to our administrative and other staff who stepped up to support our faculty in their quest and to support, listen and respond to the needs of our entire school community.
Gratitude
to all for finding the gifts and opportunities in this moment in time.
And a huge, heartfelt thank you to our amazing students! Thank you for being on this journey with us. It is for YOU that all of this work is being done... with love.
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Hello Grandparents and Special Friends!
We are so thankful your students were able to enjoy your presence on Friday March 6, 2020. We had just under 100 participants and that is exciting. Let's have even more of you next year as there was enough food for 200!
The entire WSSD faculty, admin and staff thank you for being willing to try a brand new program and visit the classrooms on both campuses! With overwhelming positive feedback, we will plan something similar for next year with some updates for an even better event. We love our extended Waldorf family and our thoughts are with you during this pandemic.
Thank you, it was a joy to have you and please stay safe!
Liza Ferraro - WSSD Development Events Coordinator.
~ Mark your calendars now and plan to join us next year, Friday March 5, 2021 ~
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Grade 3: Gardening
Ms. Mariposa-
missing her students but posting inspiration from her Google Classroom!
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“The Peace of Wild Things”
By: Wendell Berry
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
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Grade 4: Norse Mythology
with Ms. Logue
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Grade 4 student Jayce is hard at work creating a lively drawing for his main lesson book centered on Norse Mythology. Creativity and imagination bring history to life!
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Grade 10: Art class
with Ms. Stussi (before Spring Break)
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Social Protest Art
Students chose a topic meaningful to them or that they had learned about in their seminar class with Professora Gomez and portrayed a message through original pen and ink images using symbolism.
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12th Grade - Transcendentalism
with Mrs. Scatena
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This collection is from the first Senior Seminar to be taught remotely. Our students continue to shine and have clearly shown how adaptable they are; all of the work was turned in electronically! To see our senior's work with Mrs.Scatena click
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We want to hear from you!!
Our "balm" for these times lies in our personal connections and our community. We are all exploring ways to stay connected with those outside of our inner "within the home" circle, while we are looking at ways to create a more harmonious existence within our constant inner circle!
We invite you to find ways to bring laughter and joy into your weeks and days.
Suggestions include: sharing puns and "knock-knock" jokes; having a weekly family "talent show";and sharing your talent show with neighbors (they at their doorstep - you at the sidewalk or driveway). Be sure to share your ideas for bringing joy and laughter into your days by "tagging" us @waldorfsandiego and #beyondtheclassroomwssd.
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From the George family:
"
We painted a chalkboard in Kirin’s room to try to bring an element of Waldorf to our new virtual classroom at home."
How cool is that?!
Keep taking pictures and tagging us- it helps us to stay connected!
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Social "Snacks"...from our Social Health Group
An article in the San Diego Union Tribune this past Sunday referred to a quote from Malcom X that is so relevant to these times:
"When 'I' is replaced with 'we,' even illness becomes wellness."
A little "Waldorf" humor...
Q. How many anthroposophists does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A. I don’t know. Steiner never gave an indication.
Q. How many Waldorf teachers does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A. Seven: One to read the verse, one to light the candle, one to sound the chime, one to compose the request to the administrator, two to review the request to the administrator, and one to lead the closing song.
Q. How many Waldorf lower school students does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A. None. That doesn’t enter the curriculum until the higher grades.
Q. How many Waldorf parents does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A. Two: One to consult with the teacher to decide that natural lighting would be more beneficial to their child and one to screw the darn thing in anyway.
Q. How many Waldorf school board members does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A. Three: One to phone the members not present at the meeting to ensure a consensus, one to find a volunteer, and one to follow up.
Q. How many Waldorf school graduates does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A. One.
When discord arises, especially between siblings, it is the perfect opportunity to utilize the D.A.D.D. strategy created and shared by Kim John Payne. Simply, DADD is an everyday tool for working with children's arguments, put-downs and difficult behaviors. First,
D
isapprove,
A
ffirm... then a decision point before the next two "Ds": 1. Do I have the time to go further right now? 2. Does the child/teen seem ready to tell me a little more? 3. Is this a reasonably good place to speak with the child/teen? If yes, continue now; if no, continue later - but do follow through! Then,
D
iscover and
D
o-Over.
Please see the linked document for a more detailed explanation of DADD.
Finally, please be sure to take a moment to listen to Kim John Payne's 5-part audio series "Troubling Times: Anxiety Rising, Schools Closing, and Way More Time at Home with the Kids". It is available online at
simplicityparenting.com
and via the
Simplicity Parenting podcast.
Peace and Warmth to All,
The Social Health Group
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Book Recommendations for Young Children
from Julie Joinson and Milan Joinson-Szekerka
During this period of self-quarantine we find ourselves reading more and perhaps in need of recommendations for engaging stories, particularly for children 10 years old and younger. My daughter Milan and I sat down one recent afternoon and revisited many of the books that captivated her as a child. It was a joyous and heartwarming few hours and there were stories that we still laughed over and love even today. So here are a few ideas from our family to yours!
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Waldorf Education Links
Virtual Field Trips (click to be transported!)
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Dear Class of 2020,
First and foremost, we are so proud of you!
Secondly, we are happy to extend the invitation to you to join (early) the continental Waldorf alum networking platform -
Waldorf Alum Connect.
A special
Class of 2020 group page
has been created for you where you can connect with other soon-to-be-Waldorf-grads on their future plans. Additionally, you are able to connect with over 2,000 older Waldorf alums for mentor/mentee opportunities, internships, employment and more.
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WSSD SCHOOL TOURS
We are now enrolling in all programs from Nursery through High School, and you are welcome to submit an application via our website at www.
www.waldorfsandiego.org. In order to adhere to recommended social distancing protocols, school tours are postponed. Our Director of Admissions, Julie Joinson is happy to speak with you and provide any information you may need during this temporary hiatus. To begin the process please contact her at admissions@waldorfsandiego.org.
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High School Faculty Zooming
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Here's a glimpse of our first ever High School Faculty Zoom meeting, it was pretty funny the first time. We are so proud of our faculty leading the way!
All of our beloved K-8 teachers did an amazing job preparing lessons and materials to send home with you (high school students received theirs before the break), and know that many of the faculty and administrative team will be learning right alongside our students!
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Now more than ever we want to support our community!
All businesses listed will have a WSSD family connection. This is an opportunity to expand, increase and grow your business and a great way to support our community. Think of our community any time you shop, use professional services or dine out!
Our Directory is officially up on our website, under the Community Page!
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Dear friend of the Retreat,
We found a way for our guests and children to continue benefit from the Retreat, to see and experience the wonder of these amazing animals and the comfort they give, while we are closed due to the pandemic.
The Retreat has teamed up with the Association for Human-Animal Bond Studies to offer
remote learning, which will include a video lesson, as well as a tutorial for a craft project related to the lesson. The lessons are $5 each, future lessons will be offered weekly as well as virtual educational field trips.
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The WSSD Gala committee is even more committed to helping our school during this unprecedented time. We look forward to finding a creative way to support WSSD and celebrate this amazing community while following the CA safety guidelines. We are busy researching ideas for a virtual fundraiser. If you have any information on virtual options, please contact Cambria Berger cambria.berger@gmail.com 619-925-0821 or Liza Ferraro at development@waldorfsandiego.org. Thank you!
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News from the Snake & Lily!
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We sure do miss everyone, especially since we haven't had the benefit of being in the store since the end of October.
The good news is that the fire restoration company has been able to make progress on the building repairs, and as soon as the rain stops, they will be able to continue on the external restoration.
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In the meantime, we are selling scrip and we do have some items in our "back stock" in the Annex. If you order physical gift cards, we will see that (we are checking the ShopWithScrip site regularly) and will make arrangements for you to pick up your scrip. We prefer that you use your presto pay (or credit card) to pay if possible. The items that we have in our back stock include: lots of
wool roving
(in many colors) and
organic wool batting
if you are doing any felting projects.
We also have a number of kits (potholder looms, peg looms, felted crown and ball kits and latch hooking kits) from Harrisville Designs.
If you are in need of
additional/supplemental school supplies,
we have a number of those in stock as well (crayon sets, modeling beeswax, colored pencil sets, watercolor paints, painting paper, paint brushes and the like). If interested, or in need, please email us at snakeandlily@waldorfsandiego and we will let you know what we can do to assist you.
We would love to see what crafts you and your children have created in this time at home. You can tag us:
Instagram @WSSDSnakeLilyStore and Facebook page WSSDSnakeandLily
. We look forward to hearing from you!
With Gratitude,
The Snake and Lily Team... Deborah and Candy
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Need Sprouts or Jimbo's Scrip? Just place your order and pay with PrestoPay and we will contact you with options to safely pick up. Lot's of you may be using grocery delivery services for your household and we want to remind you to use your virtual scrip wherever possible! It all adds up. Not sure if your merchant has virtual scrip? Go to
www.shopwithscrip.com to find out!
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Friendly reminder to our families!
The annual Scrip Session will end this month April 30th! Every family has a scrip rebate requirement of $220 and can earn these rebates between May 1st & April 30th year after year!
Got questions? Text the Scrip Doctor, Liza Ferraro at 619-318-8460 or email Deborah Tweit at
dtweit@waldorfsandiego.org. Stay safe everyone!
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Hello WSSD Families!
Did you know that you can make a pledge for Annual Giving and it will count now? All a pledge is ...is a promise to make a certain payment by a certain date. You let me know how much and when you will make your donation and we can count it now!
Thank you for helping us achieve 100% participation! If you have Development questions, please contact Liza Ferraro 619-280-8016 x 201.
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WISC San Diego has transitioned to Online Learning in this Winter/Spring semester! If you are interested in possibly joining this transformative preparatory journey to becoming a Waldorf teacher, please call Core Director, Jacqueline Develle for more information at 760-451-2139 or email jpdevelle@gmail.com.
W.I.L.L.- Windows into Lifelong Learning Workshops and Ongoing Classes! During this pandemic, we are opening up our curriculum classes Online for parents, teachers, caregivers and friends to deepen their understanding of Waldorf education. More information to come.
Summer Courses are going to be offered Online as well and possibly the last week will be in person. That has yet to be determined. We want to meet in person but only if its safe to do so. As you know, things are changing daily and we are keeping abreast of the situation.
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Shop to Support Us
Select "
The Waldorf School of San Diego
" as your charity of choice and a percentage of eligible purchases goes to the school.
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