A warm invitation is extended to all of the parents who have supported the school this year with your time and energy. The school could not operate without your love and support! We want you to know that every effort is appreciated by the school community and we want to thank you.
Please join us in the grove on Friday, May 25, 12:30 for drinks and light refreshments. We hope to see you there!
Adult Woodworking Class
There are still two spots available in a DWS auction item for anyone interested in attending a Saturday woodworking class. We will gather in the woodshop at DWS for a morning of making wooden paddles for baking pizzas and bread. All supplies and tools will be provided (bagels and coffee too!). This class was held last year, and we had plenty of fun. If you are interested in attending, sign up with Debbie in the office. Space is limited (see below).
Offered by - Bill Critchfield
Date - Saturday June 2 (1 space open) or Saturday June 16 (1 space open)
Time - 9 am until 12:30-ish
Cost - $40
Progressive Dinner - Tickets Still Available
If anyone missed the opportunity to purchase tickets to the Progressive Dinner at the auction, there are 8 tickets remaining. The dinner is hosted by DWS families in support of our school and will be held on Saturday, October 13th from 5-9 p.m. Please contact Jody Roach, business@daviswaldorf.org, to purchase tickets as a $75 donation to DWS.
For those who didn't experience this event last year, the Progressive Dinner includes a three-course meal, with each course served at a different DWS family home (all in Davis). The price includes yummy food, wine pairings and a festive social atmosphere. Last year we regathered for the dessert course and played music into the night by the outdoor fire. It's a wonderful way to get to know other members of our DWS community better - please join us!
Welcome our new Director of Community Development
Please join us in welcoming Jenn Short, our new Director of Community Development. Jenn will begin her full-time position with us in June and will spend the summer with our Admin Team preparing for the coming school year. She has spent the last 5 years helping our school with events and parent outreach and is looking forward to working with the greater community to continue the wonderful educational environment we offer. Jenn's leadership in fundraising and event management, along with her passion for Waldorf education and ability to connect with our parents, teachers and community members will be a perfect combination for this newly created position. Jenn grew up in Davis and returned 5 years ago with her husband and three children. Her oldest two children are off to college, but her youngest son, Gavin, has been a Waldorf student since kindergarten and is going into the 6th grade this fall.
Introducing Meg Cannon, New Faculty Member
We are very pleased to announce the hiring of Meg Connell as our new First Grade teacher for the 2018-19 school year! Ms. Connell looks forward to supporting your children in the transition from the wonder of kindergarten to the new world of the grades.
Ms. Connell joins us with myriad skills and enthusiasm. She recently taught First and Second Grade at the Singing Stones Waldorf School in the Bay area. She majored in English and minored in Theatre at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque; she then earned a double Secondary English/Theatre Teaching Credential and K-12th Special Education teaching credential. She taught middle school English and Theatre for several years before taking time off to raise her two sons-Elias, who is now age 8 and Nicolai (Nico), age 4. When her husband, Jack, was offered the chance to transfer his job to the Bay Area they both jumped at the opportunity.
Meg was raised in Northern California and graduated from Santa Rosa High school. Her parents and family live in the East Bay and she is very happy to be near them and to have found such a beautiful Waldorf community in Davis. This will be her third year as a lead teacher in a Waldorf school; she is also currently enrolled in the Bay Area Center for Waldorf Teacher Training. Meg enjoys people, the arts, time outdoors, cooking and exploring. She is looking forward to meeting the parents and children of the Class of 2026 and beginning her journey with them!
Class Photos Available Online
The 2018 Class Photos are now available for online ordering. We have both Standard & "Silly" prints available for the grades. For a limited time, there is a discount on orders of two or more photos.
Final Days of School
Tour through the Grades
Parents are encouraged to join us on Thursday, June 7 from 9:00 - 9:45 a.m. for a Tour through the Grades. We will tour through all of the classrooms, with time to look at main lesson books, handwork projects and artwork. Please join us in the MPR at 9:00 a.m.
Thursday 6/7
- Last day of school for our preschool families. Have a wonderful summer!
- No Subject Classes for grades 1-8
- 9:00-9:45 - Tour through the Grades
- 10:55-12:00 - Grades 1 - 8 will have Games Day on lawn
- 12:00-12:30 - Yearbook signing
- 12:30-1:00 - All classes can picnic on the lawn together
- 1:00-3:00 - Classes may schedule alternate activities such as off-campus pool parties. Dismissal at school at normal time!
- 3:20-5:00 - 8th Grade will have a social time and sporting competition with the Faculty.
Aftercare will be available during normal hours.
Friday 6/8
- Kindergarten closing ceremony and potluck in the morning, 8:25 a.m.
- No Subject Classes for Grades 1 - 8
- 8th Grade Walk Through - In the morning, the 8th grade walks through the kindergarten and all the grades where they will receive a flower from the students and a song, poem and other goodbyes.
- 9:50 classroom moving and cleaning
- 11:45-12:50 - Closing Ceremony - on the lawn. All parents and friends are warmly invited. Due to the high number of people attending the event, please allow time to park at the church and walk over.
- After Ceremony - 1:00 - final dismissal and handshake at the new classroom door.
Aftercare will be available during normal hours.
8th Grade Graduation Ceremony
Saturday, June 9th, we will hold our lovely 8th Grade Graduation at the Village Homes Clubhouse from 9:00 a.m. to noon. Please join us as we, along with their amazing teacher, Ms. Clerkin, celebrate the Class of 2018 and send them with blessings into their bright future.
This is a wonderful community event; however, please be mindful that the ceremony is comprised of students' and teachers' speeches and memories and is approximately two hours long. Please consider whether your child will be able to quietly enjoy this event.
Summergarden Summer Camp
Davis Waldorf School is pleased to offer four thematic weekly sessions with wonderful teachers and a healthy lunch and snack provided at our annual Summergarden Summer Camp. Each day includes the weekly theme as well as time cooking or in the garden, and of course lots of time for summer fun! Please tell your friends about this one-of-a-kind experience on our beautiful campus as it is open to the public as well!
The offerings for children entering grade 2 though grade 6 are:
Woodworking for Kids June 18-22 Taught by Bill Critchfield, DWS Woodworking Instructor
Clay Creations June 25-June 29 Taught by Shai Porath, Handwork Teacher
Crafting with Leather July 2-July 6 (no class July 4) Taught by Shai Porath, Handwork Teacher
The Great Games Getaway! July 9-July 13 Taught by Natalie Oltjenbruns, DWS Games Teacher
Aftercare is available each day until 3:00 or 5:30 p.m. Registration forms and more information available at
http://daviswaldorf.org/summer or in the office.
Summer Fun for Preschoolers and Kindergartners
Our annual Kindercamp will be open this summer for DWS preschoolers and kindergartners beginning June 18. Please
click here for sign up forms or drop by the office to register.
Bring your friends to join our DWS family!
We have openings in some of our grades classes next year. We are offering a $500 referral credit towards next year's tuition to any family who refers a friend that completes the enrollment process. Please make sure to come to the office to submit a form to receive your referral credit. This offer will be good through August 2018.
Join Friends of Davis Waldorf School on Facebook
Do you have an item to sell, photos to share, a question to ask of the community? Please join the Friends of Davis Waldorf School group on Facebook, a forum open to parent and community members. And be sure to check back often to see what your friends and community are posting!
Community First Friday has been cancelled
We are sorry to announce that we have cancelled the event on June 1. We are planning to include this topic in next year's Community First Friday schedule. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Many Thanks from the Site Committee
A big thank you to Steve Byars, Robin Cope, Christian Dragheim, Joseph Wiseman, Kelly Fritsch and Giovanni Galati, members of our Site Committee for coming together over this last weekend to work on Phase II of the ropes course project. Christi Postlethwaite and Katrin Rippel supplied our hard workers with a superb lunch. We have one more piece (which we will do over summer) and that is the climbing wall and our ropes course project will be complete. The kids are having a blast climbing the cargo net and testing their balance on the slack lines. Thank you again to everyone who made this project successful.
The "Postcard Exchange" Project
Waldorf schools change the world! In 1919, the first Waldorf school was founded in Stuttgart - in 2019 "the Waldorf School" will be 100 years young! Today, there are over 1,100 Waldorf (or Waldorf-inspired) schools and nearly 2,000 Waldorf kindergartens in more than 70 countries. And there are more and more. We are using the anniversary as an opportunity to develop the Waldorf School in a contemporary way and raise awareness of its global dimension.
The Postcard Exchange idea is as simple as it is beautiful: every Waldorf school in the world is planning to send one (real!) postcard to every other Waldorf school in the world, so that each school will receive more than 1,100 cards from every Waldorf school from all over the world! This is creating a millionfold Waldorf greeting around the globe.
If you are able to help DWS with this project we are looking for volunteers to help absorb the cost of mailing the postcards to the country of your choice. Stop by the office and take a look.
School of Uncovering the Voice
Come renew your whole being in this uplifting, joyful and transformational weekend of singing exercises, songs, movement and community. Gain insight into the spiritual nature of your voice and feel and hear the sound of your soul singing through in purity and ease.
We look forward to singing with you. Christiaan Boele and Sheryl Adler-Eldridge
