NEWS FROM THE PARENT COUNCIL
NOVEMBER 12, 2018
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Hello MLWS Families!
Halloween and the Enchanted Walk are now behind us, the clocks have been turned back, and and we are moving swiftly into the darker months. The Lantern Walk, the Advent Spiral and the Winter Faire are all on the horizon. We hope you enjoy this issue of our biweekly 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.
Enchanted Walk Thank Yous!
Thank you to everyone to help make this year’s Enchanted Walk a success -- Anna Steinhardt and Noam Kerner, our gracious hosts; Theo Lundin, our storyteller; Motria Shuhan, our greeter; the 6th, 7th and 8th graders who acted in the skits (and their parents!); Harrison Barritt, our skit coordinator; the 8th grade pumpkin carvers; all of the families who donated supplies, treats and trinkets, and brought potluck contributions; and our coordinators, Tara DeLisio, Melissa Hewitt, Dana Rudikoff and Anna Steinhardt. This event was a beautiful and magical manifestation of the efforts of our community!
There were a few items left at the event: a purple hat and a “New Yorker” tote bag containing a thermos and a plastic sword. These can be retrieved from the MLWS Office.
Waldorf Weekend Reflections
On October 19 & 20, Anna Silber joined us here at MLWS for an inspiring exploration of Waldorf education. We learned about Rudolph Steiner’s concept of the “threefold human being” and the ways in which the Waldorf curriculum supports the healthy development of the individual in relation to these three aspects. We immersed ourselves in an hour-long eurythmy demonstration with Laetitia Berrier Saarbach, and tried our hands at form drawing. Thank you to everyone who participated in this rich and memorable workshop!
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PARENT COUNCIL UPDATE
Due to low attendance at meetings during the 2017-18 school year, Parent Council is not holding monthly meetings during the 2018-19 school year. Instead, we will aim to work on our priority projects in small working groups which will meet as necessary to advance their efforts. These projects include the Enchanted Walk, Faculty Nourishment, a weekly Craft Circle, Food Drives at Music Shares, a Welcome Committee for new families, and this newsletter. If you are interested in being involved in one of the working groups, 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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Note -
The Advent Spiral, originally scheduled for December 2nd, the first night of Hanukkah, has been moved to November 29th at 4:30PM for the Nursery, Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade and at 6:00pm for the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade. More information to follow.
Wednesday, November 14, 8:30-10:30am
Community Craft Circle
Thursday, November 15
Lantern Walk
Prepare your lanterns and stay tuned for details about this seasonal event hosted by the College for MLWS families with children in Kindergarten through Second Grade.
Saturday, November 17, 10:00am-12:00pm
MLWS Open House
Do you know anyone who might like to attend?
CLICK HERE to print a flyer to share with friends, family and neighbors.
Monday, November 19, 3:00-4:15pm
Steiner Study Group
Led by Theo Lundin, meeting in the Second Grade classroom. Free and open to all!
Tuesday, November 20, 1:15pm
Thanksgiving Work Share
A sampling of the work of the students, Grades 1-8. Families and friends of all students are invited to attend!
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A Peek Into the Classroom
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Halloween in Mrs. Workman’s Kindergarten:
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From Ms. Loshak
After beginning the year expressing the creation stories through wet-on-wet paintings, the Third Grade has been hands-on with farming through their weekly visits to Four Winds Farm, harvesting potatoes and squash, clearing asparagus, planting garlic and winnowing dry beans for the farmers. They are looking forward to their last visit of the season this week, then going back again in the spring. Our current focus is on measurement, as the class learns about time and space and how people began measuring with their bodies before standard measurement arose from all the arguments about whose foot was the right foot! We experienced measurement with hourglasses and making candle clocks, clock faces and inch rulers. The class enjoyed a Halloween bike ride along the beautiful rail trail - hopefully the first of many bike rides together!
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From Ms. Gill
The Seventh Graders are completing their Age of Exploration block, and prior to studying the Renaissance, we will begin learning perspective drawing. We have familiarized ourselves with world geography and mapped trade routes that often turned into paths of conquest. The class heard biographies of explorers, and enjoyed studying indigenous civilizations. These lessons are purposefully placed, as we move into the introspective months of the year. Essay writing has been focused on qualities of courage, ideology and perseverance. To further launch into the unknown, we have entered the world of algebra! What discoveries will these emerging teenagers make in the world, and what will they discover within?
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In this photo, members of the Seventh Grade are making their own khipu, a method of knot tying used by the Incas and other ancient Andean cultures to keep records and communicate information.
From Mr. Steve Bernstein
In conjunction with their Age of Exploration block, the Seventh Grade has been learning "Sueño Caribeño" (a Caribbean song) in music class. The song is arranged for four-part recorders with three percussion parts: clave, tambourine and shaker. The class is doing well learning the syncopated Latin rhythms and is enjoying the sounds from a warmer climate.
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STUFF (For Rent, For Sale, For Free, ISO…)
ISO Other Families to Share Healthy Cooked Meals Organic healthy cooking available from a former MLWS parent for busy, working, and/or chronically-ill parents and their families. Three families are participating and we are looking for a few more interested families. If interested, please contact Lisa Hansen via email at
sunsnake@optonline.net or at 845-430-4633.
ISO Household Help for chronically-ill MLWS parent. Light housekeeping and projects, errands, and child care, 6 to 8 hours a week. If interested, please contact Lisa Hansen via email at
sunsnake@optonline.net or at 845-430-4633.
For Sale: 1/2 size violin With case and bow. In good shape. Plays and sounds great. Why rent when you can own. Asking $140. Contact David Gandin at
dgandin@aol.com or at 845-633-8767.
LEARN
Herbalism Classes with Ashely Sapir Lathrop. Join Herbalist and MLWS parent Ashley Sapir Lathrop for medicine making and herbal journeying, in the three-part series "Deepen Your Herbal Roots". Dates are October 28th, November 18th and December 2nd. You can read more about it at
http://www.dreamkeeperbotanicals.com/education-events/ or call Ashley at 845-519-5067.
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
Traditional landscape paintings in oil – Tim Smith
Offering private tuition for adults and 8th grade students in classical oil painting method. To organize a session around your or your child's specific schedule and needs, contact Tim at
https://www.timsmithpaintings.com/
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
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
Children’s Haircuts Jodie Naccarato -Fanning is a MLWS parent and a hairdresser specializing in children’s haircuts. If you are interested in her services, please contact her at 845-380-8488.
FREE Sustainable Living Consultations Would you like to live a more sustainable lifestyle? Do you need help determining what personal actions have the biggest impact? We offer consulting to help you tread lightly on the Earth and mitigate climate change. This is a free service because we truly believe in building a viable future for all of our children. Samrat Pathania (Waldorf parent) and Dan Guenther are the Climate Consultants. For more informarion, email
samratpathania@gmail.com or call/text 631-848-1599.
Jason Boyd Contracting Quality craftsmanship with an artistic edge, 25 years experience, Free Estimates,
www.jasonboydcontracting.com, 845-616-6365
Newburgh Seamless Gutter Owner Jason Fanning is a MLWS parent. Please give him a call if you need any gutter installation or service. 845-236-7873.
http://newburghseamlessgutters.com
Home Inspections: emfs, dirty electricity, radio frequency
Concerned about children’s cell phone or lap top use? Get protection from new electric meters. Get emf readings on prospective new homes. Learn about router signals. Create an emf free sleeping environment. Teach children about safe wireless use. Decrease overall field exposure. Measure offices, cars, dorms. Learn about resources. Public talks. Harrison Barritt,
selfkindness@yahoo.com, 845-256-0446
Permaculture Home and Property Designs installed and maintained by Andrew Faust and Adriana Magaña. We help you to adapt your vision to the ecological and geological realities of your site. We have more than twenty years of experience in the region offering the following services: Real Estate Assessment and Land Selection, Installing and Maintaining Ponds and Solving Water Problems, Creating Biodynamic Orchards and Farms, Organic Vegetable Gardens, Off-grid Natural homes and communities, Native Landscapes, Permaculture Forest Gardens. Contact us at 917-584-4588 or see our portfolio and get a quote here:
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