From the Principal
Good news! We can now have volunteers help in the garden!  Be sure to read Mr. Adam’s note below for details. Such good news!  

In other news, the Colorado state budget is nearly finalized, which means we can finalize our own budget. There are cuts, but they are not nearly as steep as we had feared. We are grateful for all our lawmakers who value education.

Next week, our fall school planning committee will convene for summer work -- see more information below. This is the group that will send out the parent survey soliciting your thoughts about this fall. We will let you know when that’s coming your way -- we want your input.  

I listened to a presentation today by a Colorado epidemiologist presenting the analysis by a team of experts regarding spread of the coronavirus in coming months. Their modeling shows that opening schools in the fall depends on effective social distancing over the summer (6-feet apart, masks on if closer). We encourage everyone to be as safe and healthy as possible over the summer.

Being healthy also means caring for our mental health. Social isolation can be one of the most excruciating of experiences, as we all surely know by now. You may already be doing what experts suggest -- forming social bubbles or quarantine pods that extend our interactions to a consistent small group of people.  

The powerful protests and dramatic creation of new laws and policies give us hope that the social disparities in our society that have existed for way too long may have reached a real tipping point. Change does start with ourselves, and I am heartened by the Mountain Song community response to the Social Justice and Equity statement we released this week. A committee is forming at Mountain Song to keep our school moving forward, too. If you are interested in serving on such a committee, please email me . 

I will continue sending updates through the summer. Teachers will keep their webpages open. Please do confirm your enrollment for fall. When we return face-to-face, we want that full-time spot saved for your child. We truly look forward to that happy reunion!  

Wishing you a healthy and relaxing summer!
❤   
Dr. Teresa Woods
The Garden is Open for Volunteers!
We are happy to announce that our school garden is back open to volunteers! We would deeply appreciate your support this summer in helping to water, weed, and keep our animals fed. If interested, please volunteer via our Sign-Up Genius . 

We will be offering three training days next week for new and returning volunteers. We will review how to complete garden chores, as well as discuss what new safety and sanitation precautions are in place. In accordance with state guidelines, we will limit our volunteer training days to groups of 10 people. Please RSVP by contacting Mr. Adam at awright@mountainsongschool.com . You can come and go at any point during your preferred training day, and will not need to stay the whole time.
 
  • Tuesday, June 16: 9am - 12pm
  • Wednesday, June 17: 4:30 - 7:30pm
  • Saturday, June 20: 9am - 12pm
Teacher Webpages Open
Many teachers are keeping their web pages open during the summer. They are still accessible through the Continuous Learning portal. You will need the password from your teacher.


Planning for 2020 - 2021
What will school look like in the fall when the new academic year starts? Our fall school planning committee will meet next week to start gathering the information we need to be developing options for the fall.  

All schools in Colorado, including Mountain Song, must abide by the guidelines coming from the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) and the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment (CDPHE), and we are working closely with our state leaders at CSI for guidance as well.  

We expect the outlook to change somewhat over the summer months, depending on the public health situation.  

We have a responsibility to provide safe conditions at school for students, families, teachers, and staff. Maintaining physical distance is so incredibly hard -- most of us want to simply be able to hug each other and go back to how we interacted before the crisis. We have faith that our current conditions will pass at some point, and we will be able to be together comfortably again. We just don’t know when that will be.

In the meantime, please confirm your enrollment for fall with us. We will work with you to do what is best for your family. We want you here at Mountain Song so that we can rejoice in seeing you and your children carry forward with our beautiful Waldorf education!

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any further questions. We will keep you informed.

The Executive Leadership Team   
Racism and Violence: How to Help Kids
As if there wasn’t enough anxiety in our children’s lives recently, news of the protests and the reasons for them can be very scary for children. One of my favorite sources for sound advice on supporting children, the Child Mind Institute, has provided some wonderful resources on this topic.  

The article, Racism and Violence: How to Help Kids Handle the News , offers guidance on helping our kids process their feelings and understanding of these issues. At the end of the article, the Child Mind Institute provides several other resources, such as this set of Resources for Talking About Race, Racism, and Racialized Violence with Kids , from the Center for Racial Justice in Education.

Finally, a committee to address social justice and equity is forming here at Mountain Song. If you are interested in joining such a committee, please contact Dr. Woods at twoods@mountainsongschool.com .  
Social Justice & Equity Statement - from the Executive Leadership Team - Read it Here
Getting Children and Teens Outside While Social Distancing
Parent Council Fundraising
Hello families,
 
Our school is happy to help support small businesses, and Skate City will be offering their Membership Cards for our students and families at a discounted rate. 

With a $5 membership card ($12 at the facility), any child or adult can skate for just $1 admission during any public skating session through the end of 2020 ! You will also receive $5 loaded onto your game card upon entry each time you use your membership card.

Should this interest you, all you would need to do is click the link below and make sure to select the school name, as $1.50 for each card purchased will go back to the school!

Deanna Stonick
Parent Council Fundraising Committee
Community Resources - Dial 2-1-1
Pikes Peak United Way can help you access resources that may help you through this challenging time. By dialing 2-1-1 between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, you will be connected to a trained information specialist who can help you find the health and human service providers that you need. Dial 2-1-1.

Support for Mountain Song
As a public charter school, Mountain Song Community School is proud to provide quality Waldorf education at no cost.  Yet the funds we receive as a charter school are less than what a typical Colorado public school receives.

At the same time, we are responsible for additional expenses, such as our facilities and maintenance costs.  The expenses associated with the building lease, instructional and learning materials, staffing, special programs, and field trips continue to increase each year. In order to provide the valuable programming that makes Waldorf education exceptional, we rely on community donations to reach our annual fundraising goals. Please consider signing up for a small monthly recurring contribution today.
Songbird Contributions
Article or announcement contributions must be submitted to Dr. Woods by Tuesday at 5 p.m. for inclusion in each week’s Songbird newsletter, typically distributed on Fridays. ( twoods@mountainsongschool.com )
Mountain Song School Calendar
Mark your calendar with these important Mountain Song Community School dates.


Mountain Song Community School | 2904 West Kiowa St, Colorado Springs, CO 80904