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November 28, 2018

Annual Giving Campaign - Let's Get to the Finish Line! 
Just announced: Dollar-for-Dollar match for donations from our Early Childhood families for gifts received from November 28 to December 7, up to $3500! For every dollar Preschool and Kindergarten families give now, it will be doubled by a generous anonymous donor.
 
Thank you to all who have already given and to the four classes (1,2,7,8) that have reached their goal of 100% participation. Remember - we have been offered two very generous "Challenge Grants" which we will earn when we reach 100% participation by all families in K - 8th grade. We have reached this goal for the last 11 years!
 
Our overall financial goal is $60,000. To date, we have collected over $37,500 bringing us immediately up to over $47,500 once we hit 100% participation and deposit our challenge grants. Let's work to reach 100% participation by the end of this week so we know how much more is needed to get to our final goal of $60,000. We can do it!!
 
If you have not made your donation yet, please come by the office or give online at  www.daviswaldorf.org/support-dws.  Your gift will be divided between each class if you have multiple children in the school.
 
Some of our families have provided a company match for their donations, and that helps their donation go even further toward helping our school! If this is an option with your company, please let the office know you will be requesting a match.
 
And we hope everyone will continue reaching out to encourage family and friends to make a gift as well, each donation makes a difference. We are so grateful for all the gifts that have been coming in from Grandparents, Alumni Families and Special Friends of DWS!

 
Winter Spiral Walk - This Friday and Saturday
For this walk, the MPR will be darkened and filled with a mood of wonder and quiet reverence.  As each child takes a turn to slowly walk into the spiral to light a candle and then place it along the path, the path illumines until a beautiful spiral of light is created in the darkness.  Please join us in the MPR for our Winter Spiral celebrations. Teachers will provide more detailed instructions. 

For Grades 1-4: Friday, November 30th
1st: 4:30 - 5:40pm
2nd: 5:50 - 6:35pm
3rd: 6:45 - 7:15pm
4th: 7:25 - 8:15pm
For Kindergarten:  Saturday, December 1st
Morning Glory: 5:15pm
Climbing Rose: 6:15pm
With the Community (adults and grades 5 and up):  
Saturday, December 1st, 7:30pm
*Please note that only the child of the class scheduled for the class spiral time will walk the path, not older or younger siblings.  

 
Christmas Trees Fundraiser and Delivery Schedule
The 6th grade ordered a few extra Nordmann Fir Christmas Trees in case any families would still like to purchase one.  Please contact Angela McGinnis at agmcginnis@ucdavis.edu if you are interested.
 
Trees will be available for pickup in the back parking circle on Friday, December 7th from 1:30-2:30pm and Saturday, December 8th from 12-4pm during Family Craft Day.

   
DWS Winter Concert - Friday, December 7, 7-8:30pm at Brunelle Hall 
All DWS families, alumni, relatives and friends are warmly invited to attend this magical annual celebration. We feature a selection of strings and concert band pieces as well as a variety of performances from second through eighth grade students. There is no charge to attend this concert. There will be rehearsals Thursday and Friday and class teachers will provide details about student rehearsal times. The concert attire for performing strings and band students (4th-8th) is solid black on the bottom and solid white on top and dark shoes. Girls can wear pants or long skirts. If girls have knee-length skirts, they need to wear black leggings. Class rehearsal times can be viewed  here


Concert Clothes & Rain Gear Exchange
If your child has outgrown their black & white concert clothes/shoes or raingear and you would like to pass them along to another student, please deliver them to the table outside the office and display them on the table for other families to take.  


Family Craft Day - Saturday, December 8, 12-4:00pm
Come and celebrate the winter season with us through Waldorf-inspired craft making for children and adults. A tradition in our school for the last 18 years!  Crafts this year include candle dipping, wreathmaking, gnome house building, folded stars, orange pomanders, woodworking, and fairy and gnome making. Our cafe will offer soups and bread, treats and drinks. Tickets will be sold as you arrive, $5 per craft or $25 for an all-craft pass to make one of each item. The middle school classes work with our Handwork teacher, Dahlia Haberman, to raise money for their classes and the handwork program. A day not to miss!!


7th Grade is in Search of Birch Wood
7th grade is in search of approximately 3" (2-4.5") diameter branches for the Family Craft Day Woodworking project. After cutting they will be about 3/8" thick and we need about 8 feet of branches. Ideally we would like green (fresh) Birch wood that will accept nails. Also acceptable: another wood with beautiful bark (when sliced thin). And more generally, we will accept any type of Birch... stumps, trunks, or branches, and especially bark! Thank you for thinking of us! Please drop them off in the office noting it's for 7th grade. Contact Michelle Byars at  mbyars@omsoft.com with questions.

   
Preschool and Parent-Child Open House
Saturday, December 8th 10:30 am-12:00 pm
Have a friend who is curious about Waldorf preschool and our Parent Child program? Please ask them to join us for a relaxed morning in one of our beautiful classrooms. Children are invited to play inside (and outside if the weather is willing). Teachers will be on hand to answer parents' and caregivers' questions about our programs. All are welcome. 

In January, we will begin accepting applications for Fall 2019.


Farewell to Our Beloved Debbie Hicks!
We have been so blessed to have Debbie Hicks, our amazing Officer Coordinator, with us for 10 years and are just thrilled to support her as she moves into retirement. Her last day with us will be Friday, December 21st and we would like to invite all families to come by the office/breezeway on Tuesday, December 18th from 1-3:30pm to wish her well and sign her farewell memory book.
 

Welcome to Shellie McCallen, our New Office Coordinator
Shellie brings with her a wide array of skills and is a pleasure to work with. Shellie along with partner, Rob and 2 children, Callen, 6th grade and Mary Jane 5th grade are in their 9th  year here at Davis Waldorf School. Please stop by to introduce yourselves when you are on campus.


Healthy, Delicious, ChickPeas for Lunch on Fridays!
Beginning in January, the 7th grade is excited to bring a new offering to our school's hot lunch program. Locally owned ChickPeas Mediterranean food!  As a fundraising effort for the class trip, we will be serving ChickPeas' 'World's Best' vegan and gluten-free falafel, pita bread, their scrumptious homemade hummus, and a rotating Middle Eastern side of freshly cut and well-seasoned vegetables.
 
7th grade will offer a tasting day for the children on Friday, December 14th during the lunch hour. Please consider supporting our class while your child enjoys a healthy, delicious meal for lunch.  Lunch sign up forms are coming soon!

 
Ways to Help Recent Camp Fire Victims by Parent Andrea Creo
I would like to invite our community to join in supporting families rebuild and recover from the Camp Fire tragedy. One way to help is by joining "Paradise Fire Adopt a Family" group. You can find a family in need to adopt on their site and can offer support by donating towards the family's Amazon wish-list, GoFundMe account, groceries and/or gas needs, housing/transportation needs, etc. Also, connecting your adopted family with your family and friends will help extend the support so desperately needed. Remember, no donation is too small and everything makes a difference in the lives of those that have lost everything. Through community support and collaboration we can make a tangible difference in the lives of those who have been affected by this tragedy!
Please connect with a family at-
 
Thank you! Andrea Creo, 530-318-2293
 

Board News by Chair Ceri Beeman
Tuition setting will be discussed at the DWS Board of Directors (BOD) Tuesday, December 11th meeting and approved at the Tuesday, January 8th meeting. William & Olds CPAs will also be reporting on the DWS annual audit at the January 8th meeting. All DWS BOD meetings are open to members of the community and we welcome your participation. Board meetings start at 6:30pm and are held in the MPR. If you are unable to attend a meeting and would like to offer input please email boardchair@daviswaldorf.org.
 
Board representatives will also be at the January Parent Council Meeting on January 17th to report on the audit, and answer questions and receive feedback on tuition setting.


Parent Council
In lieu of a December Parent Council meeting, we will be having a holiday social gathering at "Our House" Restaurant in Davis at 7pm. Address is 808 2nd Street and all parents are invited! Minutes from last month's meeting may be viewed here. For more information contact our Parent Council Chair, Gina Murphey at Gina.Murphey@gmail.com.


School Photo Make-Ups
Our professional photographer, Wendy Baker, will be at school on December 4th at 11:00 am for make-up pictures of those students that missed Photo Day in September. Wendy's policy is that she will give a full refund on returned packages, no questions asked, but she will only retake a photo if there is a technical error and the quality of the image is unacceptable. She will not retake for expressions, clothing, hair styles, etc. If you have questions, please call the office at 530-753-1651.

 
School Photos Online
The 2018 individual school portraits are now ready to view and order online.  If you didn't get an envelope in, or if you would like to order additional prints, please go to:  https://wendybakerphoto.photoreflect.com/    
The password is DWS.   If you have any questions please contact wendybaker@wendybaker.com.   

 
Sunflower Drop-Ins May Not Be Available 
Several of our days are at full capacity in Sunflower Aftercare so if you need drop-in care, please contact the office ahead of time to inquire if there is a slot available. If you are a contracted family and there are days/times your child will not be attending, please let the office know so another child may be signed up. Thank you for your help! 530-753-1651 or office@daviswaldorf.org.

 
DWS Sports
The Hawks are ready to fly!  Our new school sports team name will be the Hawks, and our school colors will be maroon and gold.  Basketball is just getting started and we look forward to a great season. Practices start this week, 3:30-5pm every Tuesday and Thursday. Forms and fee information are available here or in the office. Please email our Sports Director, Natalie Oltjenbruns, at games@daviswaldorf.org, if you have questions.
 
   
Yearbooks
DWS orders a yearbook for each student. If you  do not want a yearbook for your child, you must opt-out by Friday, December 14th. You can opt-out by letting the office know or emailing the office at office@daviswaldorf.org.

 
Aftercare Contracts for Winter Break
Care will be offered January 2-4.  Early Childhood contracts are due back by December 13. No drop-in care is available. Click here for June Bug contracts or Sunflower contracts.  You can also print contracts from our website or stop by the office. Email  office@daviswaldorf.org with questions.

 
Lost and Found Items
Many students have left clothing on the school grounds that are not labeled. We collect all the items and keep them in the wood cabinet outside the office. We also have dishware items that have not been claimed.  We will be displaying these items on hanging racks in the Office Breezeway from Thursday, December 13-21, at which time we will go through them and either donate them to a local charity or save them for a future school clothing exchange. Thank you for coming by and claiming any that belong to your family!

 
Parking Reminders
Please be mindful to not park in any reserved or faculty designated parking space until after 2:00 pm. We have faculty/staff/subject teachers/mentors that come and go throughout the day at different times and need to be able to park quickly to start their work.  
 
Also, when using the front and back parking circle drop off locations in the morning, please pull forward as far as you can to prevent congestion behind you. Thank you for your understanding!


Substitutes Needed!
We are looking for qualified substitutes for our Sunflower Aftercare Program, grades classes, and our Early Childhood Program. If you are interested, please submit a resume and three professional references to recruitment@daviswaldorf.org.

 
Please Support Davis Waldorf While Doing Your Holiday Shopping 
Nova Natural will give the school a 10% donation and free shipping for all orders placed with their company.  They have beautiful Waldorf-appropriate toys and crafts!  Check out Nova Natural,  https://www.novanatural.com/  or we have a catalog in the office. Use the following code when ordering to get free shipping and to ensure the school gets their generous donation - DAVISWALD10.
 
It's also easy to support us through Amazon Smile at  http://smile.amazon.com/ch/68-0100520
 
 
CSA Boxes from Good Humus
Good Humus is a DWS alumni family and local organic farm and they provide bountiful CSA boxes, flowers and Village Bakery breads. Pick-up is every Tuesday at our school and forms are available in the office. This would make a perfect holiday gift for a friend or family!
 
 
Handwork Circle Continues to Meet Fridays from 8:30-10:00am
Please come out and join our Handwork Teacher, Dahlia Haberman, for handwork and conversation. We meet in the room to the left of the preschool classrooms, look for the gold sun. All are welcome and no experience needed.
 
 
Bring Your Friends to Join Our DWS Family
We have openings in some of our grades classes for next year. We are offering a $500 referral credit to next year's tuition to any family who refers a friend that completes the enrollment process. Questions? Contact Jody Roach, Director of Finance and Operations at business@daviswaldorf.org.
 
 
DWS is Now on Instagram!
Be sure to follow us: @DavisWaldorfSchool. To access you must download the Instagram app on your phone. Create an account and once you are logged in to your account, search DavisWaldorfSchool and select the "follow" button.
 
 
Friends of Davis Waldorf School Facebook Page
Follow us on the Friends of Davis Waldorf School Facebook page. To access, click the following link https://www.facebook.com/groups/daviswaldorf/, click "Join Group". You may need to wait 24 hours until your request to join has been approved.
 
 
Submissions for our Updates/Bulletins
If you have an item to include in an upcoming bulletin, please email Jenn Short at development@daviswaldorf.org.
 

Dates to Remember

11/29 - Parent Child Program 9:30am
11/30 - Handwork Circle 8:30am
11/30 - Parent Child Program 9:30am
11/30 - Winter Spiral for Grades 1st-4th
12/01 - Winter Spiral Morning Glory 5:15pm
12/01 - Winter Spiral Climbing Rose 6:15pm
12/01 - Winter Spiral Community 7:30pm
12/04 - Photo Make-Up Day 11am
12/04 - Site Meeting 6:30pm
12/05 - 6th Grade Field Trip
12/06 - Parent Child Program 9:30am
12/06 - St. Nicholas Day
12/06 - Winter Concert Rehearsal 3:30pm
12/07 - Parent Child Program 9:30am
12/07 - Christmas Tree Pick-Up 1:30pm
12/07 - Winter Concert, Brunelle Hall, 7pm
12/08 - Preschool and Parent Child Open House 10:30am
12/08 - Family Craft Day 12pm
12/08 - Christmas Tree Pick-Up 12pm
12/11 - Board Meeting 6:30pm
12/12 - School Tour 8:30am
12/13 - Parent Child Program 9:30am
12/13 - Santa Lucia
12/14 - Parent Child Program 9:30am
12/14 - Parent Council Social 7pm