Welcome to the 2020-2021 School Year at Mountain Song Community School! We are so excited to welcome new and returning families to our Waldorf-inspired public charter school. In this weekly newsletter, you will find information that will help orient you to our new year that will surely be an extraordinary one in light of the pandemic we all face.
Like schools all over the country, we are adapting our learning environment to respond to the public health crisis. It is important to know that we are starting the school year in Remote Learning mode rather than meeting at the school building. Please read the “Responsive Rhythm: An Evolving Guide” linked below so that you are aware of our programs, schedules, and learning environments. This will continue to be updated as we incorporate new information.
Our theme this year is “Growing Together.” You can view the video from our Back to School Night virtual presentation (linked below) to learn more about our vision, and we will continue to highlight this message throughout the year as we all find ourselves in new territory, and will undoubtedly grow and learn together.
Finally, please submit all your required paperwork for enrollment. Forms are now posted online on our Back to School page -- please also see the note below.
School begins for grades 1-8 on Wednesday (Sept. 2), for Kindergarten on Thursday (Sept. 3), and for Homeschool next week (Sept. 8). Please be in contact with your child’s teacher for further information.
With warmest wishes for this new school year!
Dr. Teresa Woods
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Required Enrollment Paperwork Submit Now |
All required enrollment paperwork has been posted online on our Back to School webpage. Most of these forms can be submitted directly by completing them online. Be sure to find the list that matches the program your student is enrolling in, and whether they are new or returning students. Please go to the Back to School webpage and submit the required paperwork now to enroll your child.
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Back to School Information |
Thank you to everyone who attended our virtual Back to School Night this past Thursday evening, and our sincere apologies to those who were unable to enter the Zoom meeting due to the limited capacity. The video of the presentation, full of valuable information for the school year, has been posted on our website. Click here to find it on our Back to School webpage.
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Descriptions of 2020-2021 Program Enrollment Options |
Mountain Song Community School has different enrollment options to choose from: a Full-time Learning option, and two Homeschool Enrichment options. For descriptions of these enrollment options, click here.
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Mountain Song Return to School Plan |
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Click image above of click here
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It is with sadness that we announce the departure of two teachers from Mountain Song Community School. Ms. Stacie Warren has stepped down from her position as first grade teacher, and Maestra Maria Webb has stepped down as elementary Spanish teacher. We will miss them both tremendously, and thank them for all the dedication, love, and care they have given to our children. We know they will stay connected to our community, and we wish them the very best in their next steps. |
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We are delighted to announce that Ms. Molly Gunty will be the Class Teacher for the Linden first grade class.
Ms. Gunty has a background in drama education, working with pre-school, elementary, and middle school students, both in person and online. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from the University of Central Florida’s Conservatory, and she has “intensely trained in the Michael Chekhov approach to acting -- which holds shockingly similar principles to the Waldorf methodology of teaching.” Ms. Gunty was astute in making the connection. Rudolf Steiner, founder of Waldorf education, also personally knew and inspired Michael Chekhov in his approach to acting.
Ms. Gunty’s impressive work with children has motivated her to develop ways to integrate the arts into elementary education. Her arts-based focus in education makes for a lovely fit with Mountain Song. She has also been an American Red Cross lifeguard instructor, and she has a passion for community service, which includes volunteering, mentoring, working with animal adoption agencies, joining arts organizations, and serving as a Girl Scout for 13 years. “The foundations of my career are based in community service, education, and the arts.”
Please help us welcome Ms. Molly Gunty as the Linden Class Teacher!
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Choir and Elementary Spanish Plans |
Dear Parents,
You will notice that we have not filled the teaching positions for middle school choir and elementary Spanish yet, and we wanted to let you know of our plans.
In light of the coronavirus pandemic, we recognize that singing in close proximity to others in a large group is not a recommended activity for students right now. We are leaving the position of middle school choir instructor vacant for the time being, but we do plan to replace it when it is safe to hold choir again.
We do plan on hiring an elementary Spanish teacher, so if you know of potential candidates, please have them contact Dan Kurschner at dkurschner@mountainsongschool.com. To start the school year off, Ms. Leslie Conrad, reading interventionist, will be working with students in Grades 1-3 during the scheduled Spanish lesson times.
Thank you for your understanding.
The Executive Leadership Team
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Please welcome to our staff our new Communications Liaison, Ms. Sŏnia Cruz, whose prime responsibilities are to support the Executive Leadership Team in sharing with our community the activities, policies, and events in our school. One of her responsibilities will be coordinating the weekly Songbird, and so you will notice that she is now the contact person for submissions to this newsletter (see below). She and her family are new to Colorado Springs and to the school, though she has been strongly connected to Waldorf education in California. She has already established a steady presence volunteering in the Mountain Song garden.
Ms. Cruz holds a B.A. in Organizational Management with a minor in Early Childhood Education, and she has effectively managed operations within a number of organizations, including a large camp and conference center in the Santa Cruz Mountains in California, utilities organizations, and as Executive Assistant to the Superintendent of a public school district in California. She has significant expertise in working closely with leadership and administrative teams, understanding the various stakeholders’ roles within public organizations, and supporting legal and regulatory compliance.
We are truly delighted to welcome Ms. Sŏnia Cruz to the Mountain Song Community!
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Parent Council at Mountain Song |
How can you offer your strengths to support Parent Council? Support can be as simple as volunteering on a work day or festival, donating funds to be used for committee functions, attending meetings or chairing a committee. No matter what, your time and input are important. Did you know that involvement on a Parent Council committee satisfies volunteer requirements for Mountain Song? Volunteer today!
Officer positions needed for 2020-21 are: Parent Council Chairperson, Treasurer, and Secretary. Chairpersons are needed for Fundraising and Parent Class Rep Committees.
Parent Council meets the 3rd Thursday of each month. Next meeting is September 17th at 4:00 p.m., and it will be on video conference. For details about officer responsibilities or volunteering to chair a committee, please reach out to Parent Council at: pcchair@mountainsongschool.com.
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We had the pleasure of Jennifer Barnes, Board President, speaking at our virtual Back to School night. She expressed gratitude for the work put into bringing us to a new school year and shared the needs of the Mountain Song Board.
The Board is a volunteer Board that represents our community and is responsible for ensuring the school advances the mission and vision of the school. Ms. Barnes expressed how much the Board appreciates communication and input from parents.
The Board has several committees, each comprised of one or two board members and additional community volunteers. These Board committees include: Futures, Grant Writing, Development, Governance, Statutory Oversight, Charter Renewal, School Accountability, Finance, and Parent Council. The committees especially needing additional volunteers are the Grant Writing Committee and Development Committee. The Futures Committee is also seeking any new leads for Mountain Song’s relocation site for next school year.
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Development Committee Message |
Bluebirds of a feather, it's time to flock TOGETHER!!
Did you know in the wintertime Bluebirds, both Western and Mountain, flock together? Mountain Song Community School is getting ready to weather the biggest challenges it's ever seen because of our upcoming move and Covid-19. You can help!
1.If at all possible please keep your student enrolled in one of our programs.
2. Become a sustaining donor at whatever level you can.
3. Send the word out on how much you love our school, share us on social media, give us a good review on Google,Yelp and Yahoo!
Community, we need you NOW!
Bluebirds 🐦 of a feather, we all stick together ❤
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The President’s Summary Report |
Board Meeting: Special Session, August 25, 2020
The Board of Directors met in Special Session and moved to Executive Session to present to the Board the current possible new sites for Mountain Song Community School for the 2021/2022 school year. Most Board members are not deeply involved in the search and vetting of properties as they have other duties. This meeting allowed all Board members to have the full picture of our finances related to a property, the needs of the school, safety considerations, etc.
No votes were held but a robust discussion was had on the pros and cons of the sites which are strong options. Because Mountain Song Community School is in a Non-Disclosure Agreement for one site, the school was obligated to conduct the discussion in the Executive Session which also follows Sunshine Law.
Normally, a site would be investigated by the entire Futures Committee and then be brought to the Board, but the NDA forced us to limit participation from the full Futures Committee to just Dan Kurschner of the Executive Leadership team and Scott Diebert Board Member and Chair of the Futures Committee along with our realtor, Gary Feffer. If the site covered by the NDA continues to be promising and we can get the NDA dropped, we will be able to be more transparent.
Until then, please continue to send in any ideas or leads on properties in the boundaries of District 11 for the Futures Committee to consider. Leads can be sent to sdeibert@mountainsongschool.com.
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Volunteers Needed on the Farm for September! |
Thanks to all the amazing volunteers who have helped us this summer! All slots for August have been filled, but since we will be conducting remote learning for the first month of school, we are looking for volunteers to water, weed, and keep our animals fed throughout September. If interested, please volunteer via our Sign-Up Genius.
This is a wonderful way for you and your family to safely engage with our school garden while taking a break from screen time. If you haven't volunteered in the garden before, please contact Mr. Adam at awright@mountainsongschool.com so he can arrange a time for you to be trained.
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Landsharks will be available as a 'running club' option and not available directly through Mountain Song for this fall season. Please see this letter of explanation if you are interested in your student participating.
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Ahavah Community Initiative |
STRUGGLING FINANCIALLY?
Ahavah Community Initiative wants to help!
(Deadline to apply is September 1st, 2020.)
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Article or announcement contributions must be submitted to Ms. Sŏnia Cruz by Tuesday at 5 p.m. for inclusion in each week’s Songbird newsletter, typically distributed on Fridays. (scruz@mountainsongschool.com)
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Mountain Song School Calendar |
Mark your calendar with these important Mountain Song Community School dates.
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Mountain Song Community School | 2904 West Kiowa St, Colorado Springs, CO 80904 |
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Looking for past issues of the Songbird or to sign up new recipients click here.
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