NEWS FROM THE PARENT COUNCIL
December 17, 2019
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Hello MLWS Families...
We hope you are moving easefully through the last few days of school before the holidays! As we continue our descent into the darker months, there is so much to be grateful for: the quiet beauty of the Advent Spiral, the joyful hustle and bustle of the Winter Faire, the amazing musical feats of the Music Share. We hope you enjoy this issue of our newsletter, which includes a Parent Council update, highlights activities of various classes and other school-related topics, offers Classified listings, and provides information about upcoming events in the MLWS community.
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PARENT COUNCIL UPDATE
Parent Council is delighted to share that we are once again meeting on a regular basis during the 2019-20 school year. Please join us at
our next meeting, which will be held on
Tuesday, January 21 at 1:30pm at the school. We will discuss our priority projects and form small working groups which will continue to meet as necessary to advance their efforts. These projects include Faculty Nourishment, Food Drives, a Welcome Committee for new families, a How-To Binder for school-related projects, and this newsletter. If you are interested in working on one of these priority project, or if you have an idea for another initiative you would like to work on through Parent Council, please send an email to us at
parentcouncil@mountainlaurel.org. Please consider getting involved and offering some of your time to one of our projects. Many hands make light work!
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Calendar of School Events
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Friday, December 20, 7:00pm: Winter Music Share
Please join us in the New Paltz High School Auditorium, for musical offerings from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades and from the upper grade choruses, ensembles and orchestras.
And don’t forget to bring your bag of non-perishable donations for the MLWS Food Drive!
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A Peek Into the Classroom
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From Mr. Lundin:
In December, the Third Grade will mark time from our Genesis recitation of “...the evening and the morning were the first day” to various cyclical experiences of time through the ages into the present. We will learn how to read the sundial, the hourglass, and the sweep hand clock. We will also begin with the human form as a fundamental element of linear measurement. We will be amazed In looking at how unique our own inches, cubits, spans, and feet are in contrast to how universal one's bodily proportions are. We will build an empirical set of weight measurements. We will also look at the old English measurements for capacity and practice volume estimates.
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From Ms. Gill:
The Eighth Grade is learning the art of short story writing as the students reach a level of maturity where they can begin to discover their own voices. Students at Waldorf schools consistently write stories, but this year, we seek to understand the journey of the craft and the art of thinking ahead. Reading contemporary and classic stories presents the students with examples of a wide range of writing styles. Our first week, we studied the character, setting, and plot development of stories by Jack London (nature), Kurt Vonnegut (human vs. society), Tobias Wolff (family relationships), Ben Loory (allegory), and W.W. Jacobs (greed).
Technically, this short story block challenges the students in many ways. They must follow all of the rules of grammar - tense agreement, punctuation within dialogue - while also playing with tone, theme, and point of view. In a short story, there is no fluff, so different from last year's creative writing lessons when we could sink into long descriptions. Writing a story is a thoughtful and time-consuming project and fits perfectly with the demanding work expected of the students during their final year at Mountain Laurel.
So far, with support, the results have been satisfying and entertaining. Some recent stories were about a race car driver, a war veteran, a boat regatta, pushing through social difficulty, and an imaginary friend. We are looking forward to more in the upcoming days!
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At our annual
Guessing the Weight of the Pumpkins Contest, general excitement grew as Mr. Lundin put the 17 pumpkins that graced our entry one by one on the scale. Each grade gave their most educated guess beforehand, hoping their class would win the surprise treat (scrumptious apple cider doughnuts) this year. Guesses ranged from 64lbs to 534lbs but the winning total was 278lbs … and the treat was deservedly enjoyed by the 8th grade class.
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Continuing our participation in volunteer opportunities in the greater New Paltz community, Mountain Laurel alumni, students, teachers, parents and administration proudly wearing their colors at the
Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Morning. Currently in its 17th year, the annual Turkey Trot is organized by Family of New Paltz as a fundraiser for their food pantry. A wonderful tradition bringing all generations together!
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Saint Nicholas
, the children’s patron saint paid a very special visit to all of the good children in the Nursery, Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade on December 6. During his tour of the classrooms, old Saint Nicholas found trusty helpers in the 2nd grade who gladly carried his heavy sack of clementines, his staff and big book where he keeps the names of the children and all their good deeds.
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Our heartfelt gratitude to all of our wonderful community for making the Winter Faire such a success.
This year,we brought the
Winter Faire back indoors in our beautiful Victorian building which made for a more intimate event. Everyone expressed how it felt happy and sweet and true. Patrons enjoyed the scrumptious offerings from the Snowflake Cafe, the 8th Grade Grill and 3rd Grade roasted chestnuts and apple cider donuts, gathering at the long cloister-style dining tables in Jaeckel Hall, while serenaded by a steady schedule of quality music by the 8th Grade string quartet, Rachel Loshak’s Kingston SIngers and Stacey Rosen on the piano. The 6th Grade Tiny Treasures Room was magical, with a long line of customers patiently waiting their turn and clutching their tickets to purchase a handmade treasure, crafted by diligent parents and staff. The serene and peaceful Candle Dipping Room saw a steady stream of customers, quietly and patiently building layers of sweet smelling hot beeswax. The early childhood teachers transformed the kindergarten and prepared dear craft activities staffed by Nursery and Kindergarten parents, who helped little hands make popcorn and cranberry garlands, felted wool mittens, candle holders and pomanders to take home.
The fresh balsam pine scent wafted from the 5th Grade classroom where the wreath-decorating workshop had materials and examples for multiple variations on the theme.
7th Grade parents and students mastered the intricate fashioning of translucent stars that are now gracing the windows of many a home. Our student vendors sold out of their unique crafted items and outside vendors expressed how they enjoyed the general happy mood of the Faire and the friendliness of our community.
Much of the event is parent-run and we wish to thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to join together and make the event possible.
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A well established tradition in the 5th Grade is to round off their 3-week block of the study of India, with an
India Night for parents and students. A true immersion in Indian culture with a buffet of home made Indian cuisine and the performance of a traditional stick dance to the sound of the drum, choreographed by Bill and Livia Vanaver. Jaeckel Hall was transformed with silks and intimate lights to transport all attendees to the distant continent for a delightful evening.
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STUFF (For Rent, For Sale, For Free, ISO…)
For Sale: Boys Shoes
- Brown, barely-used dress shoes (perfect for Music Shares) sizes 3 and 4,
- Merrells, size 6, gently used
- Adidas soccer cleats, sizes 5 and 6 1/2
All shoes 10 dollars a pair.
ISO Families for Locally Raised Meat Share Seeking 3 or more families to purchase a quarter or more (depending on the number of interested families) of a cow from a local farm. The cost is approximately $240 per family for a quarter cow split four ways (25 pounds of meat). Interested families can email Avi Klein at
aviyklein@gmail.com
LEARN
Outdoor Programs with Wild Earth At Wild Earth's weekend and summer programs, children and adults head into the woods and off the trails to meet plants and animals, learn wilderness living skills, create natural crafts, and to build deep connections with friends and inspiring mentors. Learn more about our programs and reserve your space at:
https://wildearth.org
Guitar and mandolin lessons with Mr. Steve Bernstein at his home in Gardiner, NY. Children, teens and adults are all welcome. Please call: 845-255-0822 or drop a note in his mailbox (2nd floor) at school.
SERVICES
Carpentry, Restoration Work, and Building Questions Want to do that project but don’t want to break the bank? Quality work offered at a reasonable rate, fully insured, plenty of references. From framing to finish work, we have the solutions for you. Call Rick 845-332-2567
Experienced babysitter Available weeknights and weekends. Contact Anabel Evans, high school junior and Mountain Laurel graduate, at 845-235-2821. References available.
Valentine and Wilder's Pet-Sitting Service
Experience with cats, fish and guinea pigs, but also open to other pets as well! (917) 309-7790 or
seanaskye@me.com
Photography for All Occasions Roy Gumpel has been a photographer for more than 40 years. He has done assignments in many different areas, including travel, corporate, environmental portraits, cd covers, studio portraiture, still life, fashion, architecture, documentary projects and film stills. He also shoots video. Roy and his camera were featured in a National Geographic Explorer film about Rt.66. He has traveled extensively and is open to assignments of all kinds. Contact:
roygump@gmail.com, 845-544-5373
EMF Home Inspections Get an EMF Home Inspection and understand and reduce unnecessary field exposure for you and your family. LessEMFsAtHome.Com,
selfkindness@yahoo.com
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