Dates to Remember
September 9-20 - MAP Testing Grades 3-8

September 23 - Class Parent Representative Briefing Night

September 26 - Skate City Fundraiser (Parent Council)

October 1-2 - Photo Days


October 14 - NO SCHOOL - Teacher PD

From the Principal
“We are so happy with the start of the new school year as new and returning students fill the classrooms, halls, playgrounds, and garden of Mountain Song Community School, a public Waldorf charter school. 

Mountain Song is part of the world-wide Waldorf movement that started exactly 100 years ago on September 19th, 1919.  You can learn more about this increasingly relevant educational movement in the video below, and also in the one toward the end of The Songbird below. 

As the school year progresses, we celebrate the start of a new century of Waldorf education here at Mountain Song, a healing approach to education for the children who will shape the future of the world. We join hands with you in this journey!

— Dr. Teresa Woods”
School Photo Days
October 1-2
School photos will be taken this year again by Jana Lilian Kaiser of Noa’s Art Photography on October 1st and 2nd. Please mark your calendar. Schedule and details will be forthcoming.
October 2 is Official Count Day: Make sure your student is counted!
Student October Count Day is when all public schools in Colorado report the number of enrolled students. This is the enrollment level by which our 2019-20 funding is determined. Make sure your student is counted!

Economic Data Survey - Fee Waivers
Please complete your Economic Data Survey form if you have not already done so. If you qualify for free and reduced lunch status, your school fees will be waived. Even if you think you may not qualify, please complete it and turn it in, since we need a high participation rate to help the school qualify for additional funding. Information is completely confidential. Thanks to all who have completed it so far! Click here for more information.

Please Drop-Off and Pick-Up Safely
Since school started this year, we have experienced some close calls in keeping children safe during morning drop-off and pick-up.  Please help keep all children safe during these times by observing traffic zones.

No parking is allowed in certain areas on the streets surrounding the school, including in front of the school building. These zones are marked by traffic signs. These are kiss-and-go lanes, and we ask you to please not park there. If you park there, you are requiring other vehicles to drop children off in more dangerous areas. Please keep all children safe by respecting these zones.

We also ask that you do not drop your children off from your car and expect them to cross the street unaccompanied. Studies show that children have great difficulty crossing busy streets on their own until about age 14 due to lack of awareness of danger and still-developing motor skills.  

Young lives depend on you driving safely. Thank you for your care.
Activities in
Agricultural Arts
Third grade students recently helped harvest our bountiful peach tree -- more than 200 peaches in all! In the weeks ahead, Ag Arts students will use the peaches to make different varieties of no-sugar freezer jam. We can’t wait for the taste testing to begin!

-- Mr. Adam Wright
Attendance Awareness Month
Research shows how important school attendance is for academic, social, and emotional learning. In fact, school attendance is a stronger predictor of who will complete high school than test scores are. Click below for more information:


Class Parent Representative Briefing Night
Monday, September 23rd, 6:30 p.m.
Class Parent Representative Briefing Night
Monday, September 23rd 
6:30 p.m. 
Mountain Song Community School Gymnasium
Thank you for signing up to be a Parent Representative for your classroom! This is such an important and rewarding volunteer position in the school. Please plan to attend the Class Parent Representative Briefing Night on September 23rd at 6:30 p.m. This will be an adults only meeting. This will be a great meeting with lots of helpful information to help you be successful this year. See you there!

Parent Council

Thank you,

Veronica Slack and Holly Sucharski
MSCS Parent Council Co-Chairs
Fall Harvest Festival
October 12, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
The Mountain Song Parent Council Festivals Committee would like to welcome our community to join in this year’s Fall Festival on Saturday, October 12th from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Fall Festival is the committee’s gift to our community and is completely free. We will welcome the autumn with stories, stone soup, drinks, and bread.

How can you help?
  • Join the Parent Council Festivals Committee
  • Take home and complete a craft kit
  • Volunteer for set-up and/or clean-up for the festival
  • Help seek donations
  • Volunteer to collect windfall apples in Penrose, Colorado
  • Donate veggies for the soup
  • Volunteer to chop veggies with the community after school on October 11
  • Most importantly, come join us at the festival!

Please e-mail Cambria Devoy at festivals@mountainsongschool.com if you want to help .
Substitutes, Kinder Assistant, and Para Needed
Are you or someone you know interested in being a Substitute Teacher, a Kindergarten Assistant, or Para-professional at Mountain Song? Please see the application and job descriptions at the link below, and/or contact Dan Kurschner at (719) 203-6364 or dkurschner@mountainsongschool.com . 

Link to the Employment page on our website:  https://mountainsongschool.com/about/employment/  
Evergreen 3rd Grade
Popcorn Fundraiser Today
Be sure to grab a bag of delicious popcorn after school today (Friday) for $1.00. Look for our conveniently located tables near the front playground. All proceeds benefit the Evergreen Third Grade Class as they prepare for their first overnight camping in the spring.   

-- Mrs. Smith
We have 2019-2020 enrollment opportunities still available for 6th, 7th & 8th Grades.
New Aftercare Provider: Innovation Learning

We are happy to announce our new relationship with the aftercare provider, Innovation Learning. Based on our research of various programs, we feel that Innovation Learning will be able to provide an after-school program that closely aligns with our Waldorf approach while at the same time bringing competitive pricing for you. 

Please see flyer below for information on their program and how to register.

The MSCS Executive Leadership Team
It's Time to Run!!
The Landsharks Running Club is an after-school running club for students in grades Kindergarten through 6th. Practice times will be 3-4pm Monday and Friday starting September 9th. Practices consist of running games and workouts with a strong focus on fun. Races are held on Sunday afternoons at the Bear Creek Park. Kindergarten and 1st grade race distances are either .5 miles or 1 mile. The 2nd - 6th grade race distances are either 1 mile or 1.5 miles. Race dates are Sept. 22nd, 29th, and Oct 6th. Cost is $60 - Financial Aid is available through Landsharks. Register online at www.Landsharksrunningclub.com . All participants must be registered prior to their first practice. I look forward to seeing our Mountain Song students.  

-- Mr. Dan Kurschner
Celebrating 100 Years of Waldorf Education

One hundred years after the first Waldorf School was founded in Stuttgart, Germany in September 1919, over 1,000 Waldorf schools thrive today throughout the world in nearly 90 countries. While many Waldorf schools in the United States are private, Mountain Song Community School is among the growing number of public Waldorf charter schools. As such, Mountain Song belongs to the Alliance for Public Waldorf Education .

Click here if you would like to learn more about this worldwide movement and the 100 year celebrations of Waldorf education. And below, enjoy one of the videos created for this special year, to highlight some of the cultural challenges Waldorf educators meet in different countries.
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 Event Calendar
Mark your calendar with these important Mountain Song Community School dates.

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