Weekly Bulletin
September 30, 2020
Michaelmas
Festivals connect us to natural earth cycles, which in ancient times were intricately connected to survival. Rituals frequently arose around these festivals as an expression their deeper meaning, or spiritual aspects. Michaelmas, celebrated on the 29th of September, was originally part of the harvest celebrations in England and Scotland. It was one of the quarter days and a time when debts were paid and laborers hired for the next year.

On a deeper level, Michaelmas is representative of the approaching darker days and loss of light. As part of the celebration, we tell stories of courage, inspiring us to draw on our inner strength and to shine our light in dark times.
During this time, we continue to think of our fellow Waldorf schools on the west coast. This Michaelmas chalkboard drawing is from the 3rd grade teacher at the Waldorf School in Eugene, OR. The school posted the drawing with the message:

"Michaelmas blessing to all the helpers!"
Virtual Michaelmas Celebration
Thursday, October 8 at 2:30pm

Not to be missed!

Come celebrate the Michaelmas season with us Thursday, Oct 8 at 2:30 pm. Our zoom webinar will feature singing, music, a slideshow, two faculty speakers, and a few student guests as well!

This event is open to the entire community, and all students in grades 1-12 are invited to attend. You will receive a zoom webinar link prior to the event.
Celebrating Michaelmas At Home
Michaelmas is beloved by students, parents, and faculty alike. Because we are not able to hold our all-school festival together, we would like to encourage you to hold a "Michaelmas at Home" celebration sometime in the next week. Have fun with it and go all out, or just pick one or two items from the list below. Michaelmas activities are about strength and courage - use this list as a guide or come up with some of your own activities.

Please send us photos of your Michaelmas at Home! Email photos to: agoodyear@washingtonwaldorf.org
What You Might Do
  • Bake your own Dragon Bread
  • Make your own butter
  • Conduct a family tug of war
  • Create dragon drawings using sidewalk chalk or on paper
  • Build a birdhouse
  • Set up a slackline in the backyard
  • Climb your favorite tree
  • Jump rope
  • Do something kind for someone
  • Speak up for someone
  • Sing or play an instrument for someone
  • Split wood
  • Throw a football at a pyramid of cans
  • Challenge each other to arm wrestling
  • Play at subduing a dragon
  • Visit a dragon's cave

What you Might Read 
  • Dragon Baked Bread (K-G2)
  • The Dragon Masters series (LS)
  • How to Train Your Dragon (LS)
  • Harry Potter (G4+)
  • Hatchet (MS)
  • Refugee (MS/HS)
  • Unbroken (HS)
To provide some inspiration for your at home festivities, here are some photos of feats of strength and courage from last year's celebration.
Baking Dragon Bread

Each grade has a Michaelmas task that they own as part of the celebration. Our eight graders make Dragon Bread. This year the eighth grade met on campus in the afternoon to make their dough. At home, each student then crafted and baked their bread. If you would like to make Dragon Bread at home with your family, you can follow this recipe.
School Calendar
Staying Up to Date With Our School Calendar

You can view the full calendar online either on the website , in ParentSquare , or in the BigSis portal (these 3 platforms are synced from the same calendar). 
October

1/ Thursday
  • G5 Parent Meeting, 6:30pm
  • G3 Parent Meeting, 7pm

2/ Friday
  • Coffee Break with Jennifer Page, 10am

8/ Thursday
  • Virtual Michaelmas Celebration, 2:30pm
  • G1 Parent Meeting, 4:30pm

17/ Saturday
  • PSAT (WWS students only)

19/ Monday
  • Dr. Daniel Einstein talk on resilience and health, 7pm

20/ Tuesday
  • Early dismissal, 12:30pm
Coffee Breaks with Jennifer
orange_mug.jpg
Continuing on Fridays from 10-10:30am - Online

Jennifer Page, Faculty Chair and Head of School, will continue to host coffee breaks on Friday mornings. This is a time for questions and general discussion. Grab a warm beverage and join Jennifer online. Zoom details will be sent out through ParentSquare.
Save the Date
Monday, October 19 at 7pm

Dr. Daniel Einstein, MD, an anthroposophic doctor, will virtually join with our community to speak about resilience and health through the lens of anthroposophic medicine. Dr. Einstein brings a comprehensive, integrated approach to medicine which involves observation of and insight into the whole human being. We are excited for Dr. Einstein to bring his knowledge and expertise to us which he has developed over the years with Waldorf schools and Waldorf families.
Book Club Postponed
Book Club with Susan Walsh was to meet Thursday, Oct 1 but it has been postponed - new date TBD.
Support WWS Through Amazon Smile
Do you shop on Amazon? By designating the Washington Waldorf School as your charitable organization, a percentage of your eligible purchases will be donated to our school!

On your first visit to AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), you will be prompted to select a charitable organization. Please select “Washington Waldorf School.” It’s that easy!

Whenever you make a purchase on Amazon, be sure to go to www.smile.amazon.com so that your transactions will benefit the school.
Bulletin Board
How to Submit a Listing
We welcome submissions of community news, items for sale, want ads, etc. Please keep notices to 500 characters or less. Listings will likely be edited. Please submit listings by COB Tuesdays with the subject "Bulletin Submission." Bulletin Board notices generally run for 3 weeks - if space allows - unless other arrangements have been made. There is no charge for listings.  
Community Notices
CaringBridge Site for Stacey Kornegay and Family

Many of us know and love Stacey Kornegay (Alumni Parent & Former Admin Staff). Heartbreakingly, we've learned that Stacey is facing serious health issues at this time. This site at CaringBridge has information on a Meal Train to help with food, a GoFundMe site to help the family with medical costs, and a place to post messages of support.

Classifieds
Write + Produce Your Song

Virtual 6 week course
Weekly 30 min 1-on-1 and 1 hr group coaching. All ages, all experiences welcome + customization available!

Write (3 weeks)
Express yourself in this fun, creative and personal songwriting experience.
- Explore and find inspiration as we break down your favorite songs.
- Receive individualized feedback and coaching.

Produce (3 weeks)
Bring your song to life in a way only you can.
- Develop production techniques from recordings you love.
- Co-produce your song with a professional producer.

$450 for the 6 week course
Cello for Sale

For Sale: Half size cello, $1100. Please contact Geoff Baker for more details! breadbaker1@gmail.com
2019 WWS Graduates Launch Sustainable Clothing Company

In case you missed the alumni news in the Sep 23 Bulletin, Daniel, Linus, Sydney, and Gretchen from the Class of 2019 have launched a sustainable clothing company called Good Looks. They started this company with the goal of changing the way people think about the clothing industry as a whole. Many of us care deeply about the long term health of our planet but don't realize that 10% of our global pollution comes from the clothing industry alone or that over 85% of all textiles produced each year are sent to landfills. You can learn more on our website, or just google "fast fashion".

Check them out at goodlookscompany.com or on Instagram or Facebook at @goodlookscompany
Alumni Book in Presales

Also in alumni news from Sep 23, Manfred Elfström (Class of 1998) has a publishing agreement with Cambridge University Press to publish his book, Workers and Change in China. Presales are now open for a January release. Manfred is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics, Philosophy, and Political Science at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan. Previously, he served as a Postdoctoral Scholar and Teaching Fellow at the University of Southern California’s School of International Relations and a China Public Policy Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation. Manfred received his BA from Oberlin College, MA from Columbia University, and PhD from Cornell University.

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Bethesda, MD 20816
301-229-6107