At WWS, each department (CG, LS, HS, Admin) has a Chair who is responsible for guiding the department in its administrative and pedagogical responsibilities. The Chair leads the weekly department meetings and works along with the department administrator or coordinator to ensure the smooth functioning of the department. All Chairs are members of the College of Teachers which has its own Chair. All Chairs join the Head of School for a weekly Chairs Group meeting where all-school matters are discussed and department information is shared.

Today we continue our series of profiles of each of the Chairs....

Lower School Co-Chair, Clare André

Clare's hometown is Wellington, New Zealand, where she first experienced Waldorf education as a kindergartener attending the Raphael House Steiner School. While most of her education was outside of Waldorf, those early years stayed with her and when she had children of her own she sought it out for them. Clare has taught at WWS for 10 years. She is married to Laurent André (HS Spanish teacher) and has three children who attend(ed) WWS and a step son. Clare is the 8th grade class teacher and will join the current 4th grade as their class teacher next year.

I love class teaching because I get to embody some of the things I value most – an interest in people, and interest in the world, dedication to helping people and developing relationships.

I’m treasuring every moment with my eighth graders. I am so excited for them to move on, and I watch them with admiration... and I think – ah, there you are! Such courage to show yourself. When I started teaching, I had no idea it would be such a pleasure.

I love to dance. I love that it takes me out of my head and connects me to both the creativity of others and my own. I love that while it is an encompassing experience, thinking about it is not really the way to get better. I love that it is immersive, and that, like drama, different dance styles afford me the opportunity to try on different personas and stories.

A teacher! I wanted to make my own school in the Austrian Alps.

Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials (hopefully) sextet, Witi Ihimaera’s The Whalerider, Margaret Attwood’s Maddadam trilogy (thanks to Valerie LeBlanc), the Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver, Beloved by Toni Morrison

I danced flamenco in a club in London! I sooo wanted to do that and am pretty shy. I would love to repeat that experience.

Every moment with your children really is worth being attentive to.

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). 

This year, for the senior class production, the WWS class of 2021 has taken up a unique performance opportunity. On Thursday, May 27, starting at 7:30 pm via zoom, they will offer a mix of live and recorded performances taken from contemporary and original sources.

A zoom link will be provided closer to the performance date.

Another fun fact about Jane Christenson, our high school theatre teacher - Jane had a directing internship at the renowned Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis and worked with Tony Award-winning director Doug Hughes.

Continued congratulations for the class of 2021! The students had a pizza party earlier this week to celebrate their acceptances at the following colleges...

ASU Barrett Honors College · Adelphi University · American University · Barnard College · Boston University · California Polytechnic State University · Clark University · Colorado College · Drexel University · Elon University · George Mason University · Hood College · Howard University · Loyola University of Maryland · Marymount Manhattan College · McDaniel College · New York University · Oberlin College · Penn State University · Robert Morris University · Salisbury University · San Diego State University · Sarah Lawrence College · St. Mary's College of Maryland · Susquehanna University · Sweet Briar College · Thomas Jefferson University · University of California Santa Cruz · University of California Irvine · University of California San Diego · University of Colorado Boulder · University of Denver · University of Maryland Baltimore Campus · University of Maryland College Park · University of Montana · University of North Carolina Asheville · University of North Carolina Greensboro · University of Oregon · University of Portland · University of Rochester · University of Vermont · University of Washington · University of Wisconsin Madison · Virginia Commonwealth University · West Chester University · West Virginia University

Preorder online by May 19, 2021 for $40.88. Preorders will be available at the school for pickup by June 1, 2021. Orders placed after the May 15, 2021 deadline will include the cost of shipping the book directly to the purchaser.

Yearbooks can only be ordered through the TreeRing website.

Please Note: TreeRing’s website works best in the Chrome internet browser. If you visit the website directly, the school passcode is: 1015278619434770

Thank you to all who show their love for our school with a car magnet (or literally an "old school" sticker in one case)! Here are the versions we found around the parking lot. Do you have one that we missed?

If you don't have a car magnet and would like one, please reach out to Alia or Caitlin.

There is still time to register for virtual summer fun!

Our virtual camps are focused on creative activities to inspire and delight the imagination. Camp options are available for ages 6-adult!

https://mcpl.link/summer-read-and-learn 

This year Summer Read & Learn is once again virtual, yet accessible even to those without internet access! Families can do the entire program online, or they can contact their local library to pick up a physical copy of the gameboard if they are unable to participate on the website.

MCPL has updated their recommended Book Lists and nearly all of the fiction titles are available free for download/streaming through the library website with an MCPL library card—including Picture Books, Beginning Readers, Easy Juvenile Fiction, Juvenile Fiction, and Graphic Novels! Many nonfiction titles on the list are available digitally as well. In addition, lots of the titles are available as e-audiobooks. 

You’ll find PDFs of all the updated graded Book Lists at https://mcpl.link/summer-reading-booklists 

Finally, while MCPL won’t have in-person special events this summer, they will have lots of free, live virtual events: storytimes, book clubs, crafts, and even Magic Shows, Dance and Music, Puppet Shows, and other events. https://mcpl.link/VirtualPrograms 

Contact Kathleen: bossanovalovely@gmail.com or by cell (703) 839-3014

UPDATED! Sign up is now OPEN for CSA Year June 2021-May 2022! Different options are available as space allows: school year only (Sept-May), summer only, and winter/spring season (Dec-May). Call or email first to confirm availability or if there's a wait list. Once confirmed, registration info is here (a discount is available if you pay with cash/check). 

What's the CSA? Spiritual Foods CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) provides biodynamic and organic veggies, fruit, eggs, bread and other seasonal staples, with most of it grown on land leased from the Kimberton Waldorf School in PA! Biodynamics, like Waldorf education, was founded by Rudolf Steiner and is a spiritual-ethical-ecological approach to agriculture, food production and nutrition. Choices for share options include: main share of veggies, fruit & supplements; main share w/out bread; or veggie/fruit only. Please visit the CSA website for more info, costs, and registration forms, or email or call Lakshmi at 301-654-4899 with questions and to check on availability. You can also reach out to Sunny Kaplan, WWS parent and WWS/CSA coordinator. 

Ramadan and cicada photos from Unsplash

We welcome your comments and submissions. Contact Alia Goodyear if you would like to be added to our mailing list, or if you have submissions, questions, or suggestions. Please email submission by COB TUESDAY with the subject line "Bulletin Submission."

Looking for past Bulletins? Visit our Bulletin Archive.