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We’d love to hear from you. We value your opinion, and that’s why we want you to share your thoughts about your Waldorf experience! It would mean the world to us if you took a brief moment of your day to leave a review by clicking this link.
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Upcoming Events
Click here to view WSSD Public Calendar
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12/5 High School Open House
12/6 EID Book Study
12/7 Board of Trustees Meeting
12/9 Community Town Hall
12/15 EC Parent Meeting l Periwinkle
12/16 Parent Association Meeting
12/17 EC Parent Meeting l Rosemary
12/18 In-Service Day | No School
12/21-1/5 Winter Break | No School
1/6-1/8 School Resumes. Distance Learning: Grades 1-8, High School.
1/6-1/8 School Resumes. EC will be on Campus.
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Bodhi Day | December 8th
There are a few variations of the story that leads to Bodhi day, but all agree that as the morning star rose in the sky in the early morning, the third watch of the night, Siddhartha finally found the answers he sought and became Enlightened, and experienced Nirvana. Having done so, Siddhartha now became a Buddha or "Awakened One".
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Celebrations:
Bodhi Day can be celebrated in a number of different ways. Often, Buddhist homes will have ficus religiousa tree that they decorate with beads and multi-colored lights – much in the same way that Christians decorate their Christmas trees. They will also put on reflective ornaments that represent the Three Jewels: Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Some people will spend the day meditate on the life of Buddha. Other people will visit stupas (shrines). In some homes, Buddhishs will serve special cookies shaped like Bodhi trees or their heart-shaped leaves.
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Hanukkah | December 10th-18th
The eight-day Jewish celebration known as Hanukkah or Chanukah commemorates the rededication during the second century B.C. of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, where according to legend Jews had risen up against their Greek-Syrian oppressors in the Maccabean Revolt. Hanukkah, which means “dedication” in Hebrew, begins on the 25th of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar and usually falls in November or December. Often called the Festival of Lights, the holiday is celebrated with the lighting of the menorah, traditional foods, games and gifts.
Celebrations:
The Hanukkah celebration revolves around the kindling of a nine-branched menorah, known in Hebrew as the hanukiah. On each of the holiday’s eight nights, another candle is added to the menorah after sundown; the ninth candle, called the shamash (“helper”), is used to light the others. Jews typically recite blessings during this ritual and display the menorah prominently in a window as a reminder to others of the miracle that inspired the holiday.
In another allusion to the Hanukkah miracle, traditional Hanukkah foods are fried in oil. Potato pancakes (known as latkes) and jam-filled donuts (sufganiyot) are particularly popular in many Jewish households. Other Hanukkah customs include playing with four-sided spinning tops called dreidels and exchanging gifts.
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Hilyatai | December 21st
Like many cultures, the Kumeyaay people celebrate Hilyatai (the Kumeyaay name for solstices), honoring the time of year when the cold, long nights turn to warmer longer days.
Cowle’s Mountain and Viejas Mountain were sites of Kumeyaay Indian observatories where for generations, the Kumeyaay people would come together to watch the sunrise and celebrate solstice.
Celebrations:
The only reference to a Kumeyaay solstice celebration was recorded in 1914;
"One of the ancient rites performed in by-gone days by the Indians dwelling in the village Helsh-ow' Na-wa' (Rabbit House) at the foot of the
Cuyamaca Peak was the Kwut'ah Lu'e-ah (Song-Dance) given in honor of In'ya (Sun) . The summit of Viejas mountain, just on the other side of their
village, was chosen as the place for this celebration to be held, and they named the mountain Kwut'ah Lu'e-ah (Song-Dance) on account of it ...The Indians made a pilgrimage once a year to its very top to watch In'ya (Sun) come out of En-yak' (East) , and praise and honor him with song and dance. For In'ya (Sun) was the great Ruler of All Things. He governed the universe; he commanded the earth; nothing grew unless he caused it; he even dominated the bodies of men, some of whom he made energetic and strong, others weak and lazy. When he disappeared at night he cast a drowsiness o'er the world, so that everything slept until it was time for him to come again in the morning. Such a great ruler as he, received due reverence and worship.
....The big circle on top of the mountain had been freshly prepared and cleared for the dancers and singers.... When all had reached the summit, the ritualistic ceremonies began. With song and dance in the blushing dawn, they watched for In'ya (Sun), Ruler of All. Opalescent streamers of golden radiance and flaming banners of crimson flaunting across the pearly tints of the receding night, heralded his arrival; while the people chanted songs of praise in honor of his wonderful light, and made obeisance in the dance in homage of his great power over all things. ...The old trails are faintly discernable and traces of the ring
where they danced and sung still remain..."
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Yule | December 21st-January 1st
The Pagan celebration of Yule (also known as Winter Solstice) is one of the oldest winter celebrations in the world. The Winter Solstice falls on the shortest day of the year (21st December) and can be celebrated as a single day, or for 12 days, ending with the new year.
Ancient people were hunters and spent most of their time outdoors. The seasons and weather played a very important part in their lives. Because of this many ancient people had a great reverence for, and even worshipped the sun. The Norsemen of Northern Europe saw the sun as a wheel that changed the seasons. Many other peoples contributed to the celebrations of Yule, the ancient Romans also held a festival to celebrate the rebirth of the year, the Celts began the tradition of the yule log being lit to conquer the darkness, banish evil spirits and bring luck for the coming year as well as cutting the mistletoe that grew on the oak tree and give it as a blessing.
Celebrations:
There are many different ways to celebrate Yule, here are just a few;
Decorate your home with sacred plants connected with Winter Solstice, such as, evergreen wreaths & boughs, mistletoe, holly, and ivy.
Kindle lights to represent the Sun. On one of the nights of Solstice, turn off all lights, experience the longest night, reflect on renewal and peace, and turn the lights back on to symbolize the birth of the New Solar Year.
Burn a Yule Log in a hearth, in a bonfire, or by burning candles on, in, or near a log of Oak on an altar.
Focus on world peace and planetary well-being in your rituals, meditations, prayers, and other workings. Peace-making was part of Winter Solstice among many peoples in the past
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Christmas | December 25th
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world.The traditional Christmas narrative, the Nativity of Jesus, delineated in the New Testament says that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in accordance with messianic prophecies. When Joseph and Mary arrived in the city, the inn had no room and so they were offered a stable where the Christ Child was soon born, with angels proclaiming this news to shepherds who then further disseminated the information.
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Celebrations:
The celebratory customs associated in various countries with Christmas have a mix of pre-Christian, Christian, and secular themes and origins.
Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift giving; completing an Advent calendar or Advent wreath; Christmas music and caroling; viewing a Nativity play; an exchange of Christmas cards; church services; a special meal; and the display of various Christmas decorations, including Christmas trees, Christmas lights, nativity scenes, garlands, wreaths, mistletoe, and holly. In addition, several closely related and often interchangeable figures, known as Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, and Christkind, are associated with bringing gifts to children during the Christmas season and have their own body of traditions and lore.
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Kwanzaa | December 26th-January 1st
Kwanzaa is a weeklong celebration held in the United States that honors African heritage in African-American culture. Kwanzaa is observed from December 26th to January 1st, and culminates in gift giving and a big feast.
The holiday is relatively new, compared to other holidays celebrated in the U.S. Dr. Maulana Karenga, professor and chairman of Africana Studies at California State University, first created Kwanzaa in 1966. He created this holiday in response to the Watts Riots in Los Angeles in 1965 as a way to bring African-Americans together as a community. Dr. Karenga researched African harvest celebrations and combined aspects of several different celebrations, such as those of the Ashanti and those of the Zulu, to form the foundation of Kwanzaa. The name Kwanzaa is derived from the phrase matunda ya kwanza which means first fruits, or harvest, in Swahili. Celebrations often include singing and dancing, storytelling, poetry reading, African drumming, and feasting.
Celebrations:
Families celebrating Kwanzaa decorate their households with objects of art, colorful African cloth such as kente, especially the wearing of kaftans by women, and fresh fruits that represent African idealism. It is customary to include children in Kwanzaa ceremonies and to give respect and gratitude to ancestors. Libations are shared, generally with a common chalice, Kikombe cha Umoja, passed around to all celebrants. Non-African Americans also celebrate Kwanzaa.
A Kwanzaa ceremony may include drumming and musical selections, libations, a reading of the African Pledge and the Principles of Blackness, reflection on the Pan-African colors, a discussion of the African principle of the day or a chapter in African history, a candle-lighting ritual, artistic performance, and, finally, a feast of faith, Karamu Ya Imani.
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At the time of the longest night, we find joyful celebrations of returning light and lengthening days on Winter Solstice. Spiral of Lights festival symbolizes how our inner light must shine ever brighter against the cold, the hurry of the holidays, and the dormant earth. In this reverent and beautiful ceremony of light, children are led by an angel along a spiral path of evergreens. Reaching the center candle, the children light their apple candles and set them along the spiral path, slowly bringing light into the darkened hall.
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The first light of advent is the light of stones, Stones that live in crystals in seashells and in bones.
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The second light of advent is the light of plants, Plants that reach up to the sun, and in the breezes, dance.
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The third light of advent is the light of beasts, The light of hope that we may see in greatest and in least.
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The fourth light of advent is the light of man, The light of love, the light of thought, to give and to understand.
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Each school year the North County Shuttle High School Students and Ms. Candie find some way to be a blessing to others less fortunate. In past years they have adopted the homeless, given out much needed care packages to include toiletries, socks, rain ponchos, and more. We've given food, coffee and yes even dog food.
This year due to COVID they were unable to follow their normal plan. So this year they decided to work with Angel Tree an organization that brings children and their incarcerated mom or dad together on Christmas, one gift at a time.
A big thank you to the Borsum family, the Burgueno family, the McGrath Family, the Miller family, the Pellegrino family, the Sova family and the Torrres Family. Angel Tree will deliver all of the personalized Christmas gifts to children on behalf of their incarcerated parents. A huge thank you to Deborah Tweit and her family for helping as well.
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The Waldorf School of San Diego earned a Niche grade of A for 2021!
Only 10% of schools across the U.S. receive an A or higher, so this is a huge accomplishment for you and your team! Waldorf School of San Diego also ranked #20 in Best High Schools for the Arts in CA.
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Katie and Lizzie hand clapping.
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Last month chickens came to visit us in the kindergarten. Children took such good care of them for the day and loved feeding them worms!
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Now the children are on to sewing wool star ornaments and singing St. Nicholas songs.
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High School Happenings :
Visiting Science Teacher
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The High School is excited to welcome a visiting science teacher, Dr. Joong Gwang Lee. Dr. Lee will be teaching biology courses throughout the year, beginning this semester with 11th Grade Botany. Dr. Lee is a bio-engineer with years of experience caring for the natural world through science. He has taught as a visiting teacher at several different Waldorf schools on the East Coast and in Canada and was a Waldorf parent when his children were young.
Welcome Dr. Lee!
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Quality raw honey by Home Grown in the City - from local East County beekeepers*.
This is the same honey that has been in the Snake & Lily for years. It TASTES amazing and is super healthy.
Contact Nancy Bjork with any questions:
*Bees are primarily in citrus fields with no wheat or gluten.
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Dear WSSD Community,
The mission of the Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Committee (E.I.D.) is to support students, the Board of Trustees, faculty, parents, and the administration in building a practice of inclusivity. E.I.D. is our community’s resource to engage, build, advocate, and implement equity action plans.
We would like to give you a brief introduction about who we are and where you can find us.
First of all, we would like to offer our immense gratitude to Esteban del Rio, our chair, who volunteers his time, wisdom and expertise. You can find his bio below.*
Our co-chairs are Sudha Dorairaj (High School Science Teacher), Sara Gomes (Lower School Games Teacher, Pedagogical Group Chair), Socorro Maldonado (Spanish Teacher Grades 1-4), and Emilia Sumelius-Buescher (Parent), who spend countless hours supporting that mission. Our members are Suzy Bramzon (Parent, Board member), Jessica Cohen (7th Grade Teacher), Ian Cuevas (Grades Faculty Support), Armida Gomez (High School Faculty), Candie Harper (Grandparent), Elizabeth Heald (Early Childhood Teacher, Parent), Andrew Holets (Director of Development), Sheila Salmeron (Early Childhood) Heather Scott (High school faculty) and Jehanne Spriggs (Parent,, who all bring so many perspectives and skill sets to the committee.
Thank you to those who came to our last open session! Our next one is January 26th, 4pm-5pm.
Calling all How to Talk About Race participants!! If you attended HTAR in the summer or fall, please join our committee on Dec. 6, 3:30-5 for a facilitated discussion about your experience in the workshop. Good news, there will be another HTAR opportunity this spring! Please RSVP for either meeting: eidwssd@gmail.com and we will send you the link.
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*Esteban del Río is Professor of Communication Studies at the University of San Diego and serves as the Advisor to the Provost for Faculty Affairs and Chair of the Department of Sociology. Prior to his current appointments, he served as Associate Provost and Director of the Center of Inclusion and Diversity from 2012 – 2019, where he led efforts to embed inclusion and diversity outcomes in the institutional strategic plan, create a core curriculum with strong diversity and social justice outcomes, and establish resources including the Black Student Resource Center, LGBTQ+ Allies Student Commons, and the Office of Tribal Liaison. He spearheaded recruitment strategies that saw a 42% increase in tenure-line faculty of color and initiated academic partnerships with the Mulvaney Center for Community, Awareness, & Social Action, the Changemaker HUB, the Center for Educational Excellence, and the College of Arts & Sciences to build inclusive and equitable educational practices. He served as Co-Chair of the university’s Strategic Planning Committee from 2015-2017. del Río earned a PhD in the Department of Communication at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. del Río teaches Introduction to Media Studies, Media & Conflict, and International Media.
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#USvsHate (“us versus hate”) is an educator and youth-led messaging project designed to counter bigotry in schools and foster safe and welcoming classrooms. We seek to unite school communities against hate, bias and injustice by catalyzing ongoing learning and action; our messages insist publicly that all people are equally valuable. We piloted #USvsHate in San Diego, and now it's national -- we have thousands of students making anti-hate messages nationwide. #USvsHate is led by UC San Diego CREATE and Prof. Mica Pollock's national group #Schooltalking.
We'll need student voices against hate more than ever this year. Join us!
Winter Deadline is December 11th
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WSSD Admissions
We are available for any questions or inquiries regarding enrollment for the 2020/21 school year, please complete the Inquiry Form on our Tour page (Inquire Here) or email admissions@waldorfsandiego.org to connect with our Admissions team. Plus, we are now offering bi-weekly virtual Waldorf Q & A sessions with our Pedagogical Director, Clare Knauss.
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Hello Friends!
Even though we are not open for in-person shopping, we have a whole store of items you may need for gifts, crafts, home-school supplies and much more!
Here's the best way to order for now: Please send an email to snake.lily@waldorfsandiego.org with details of what you want. We will respond with photos and prices of what we have and what may need to be back-ordered. We are in the process of building a Snake & Lily School Store website but it's not quite ready to launch.
Thank you for your patience and patronage! We miss you parents and are so happy to have your students back on campus!
Order Pick Up Instructions:
- WSSD Parents Order Pick Up: We can give you your orders at drop off and pick up times during the school days Monday through Friday.
- WSSD Employee Order Pick Up: We will deliver your orders directly to your classroom or if we happen to catch you at the beginning or end of your workday.
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NO APPOINTMENT NEEDED PICK UP TIMES: 9AM - NOON Monday through Friday If you not a WSSD Parent or Employee and you are able to come pick up your orders between the hours of 9AM-12NOON Monday through Friday, then you do not need an appointment. Please text us when you are here and we will bring your order out to your car.
- IF APPOINTMENT NEEDED FOR ORDER PICK UP: If you are unable to pick up during the open window mentioned above, we are happy to make you a Pick Up Appointment. Please email or call us to set up your appointment.
- We are happy to ship orders too!
Thank you!
The Snake & Lily Crew (Candy McGrady & Liza Ferraro).
619-280-8016 x 202
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Scrip Doctor is In!
Are you reaching your full scrip potential?
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See this quick formula below to find out:
How much do you spend on:
Groceries per month $_____
Gas per month $_____
Online shopping per month $_____
(i.e. Amazon, Target, Itunes, Uber, Home Depot, Gap...etc)
Let us say you spend per month:
$800 on Groceries from Jimbos
$500 on gas from Arco
$500 online, mostly from Amazon
$800 x 6%= $48
$500 x 1.5%= $7.5 (if you buy in increments of $250, the rebate is 2.5%)
$500 x 3%= $15
Total rebates earned: $70.50 for ONE MONTH!
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Each WSSD Family has a minimum requirement of $220 rebate dollars to generate during the yearly Scrip Session, May 1- April 30. If this example above looks like a similar scenario to yours, it would only take you 3 months to reach your $220 goal!
Stay the course my friends, scrip can be a lot of fun and provide huge funds for the school, your class trips and even tuition credit! For more details, contact Liza Ferraro 619-318-8460 lferarro@waldorfsandiego.org
In Huge Gratitude,
Liza Ferraro
WSSD Development Events Coordinator
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Yep we're still recycling! Those of you that would like to help, please feel free to save all your CRV (CA Redemption Value) Glass, Cans and Bottles and drop them off at drop off in the mornings! All proceeds will go to help the future High School Service Trips. You can drop off recycling at both Altadena and Colina Campuses at the Temp Check Points.
If you're interested in those blue stackable sorting bins for your home, please contact Liza Ferraro 619-318-8460. $50 for a set of 3. Thank you!
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The New York Times explores four schools that have moved to outdoor Learning!
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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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AWSNA is extremely excited to host a new continental Alum business directory. Support Waldorf Alums in a host of fields from finance to graphic design. Please click here and share broadly!
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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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