Weekly Bulletin
April 6, 2022
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Our Evolving Children's Garden Playground |
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from Lisa Bechmann, College Co-Chair & Seedlings Lead Teacher
The final play structure for our Children's Garden (CG) playground has finally arrived after extended shipping delays. All of the classes from Seedlings through the Kindergarten have had the opportunity to play on it over the last few days. The hum of activity and joyful noise has been wonderful to witness! In the coming months, the CG teachers will prepare for the next phase of work on the natural landscape and the gardens. We are planning for elements like a mud kitchen, and development of the gardens.
Our new playground offers many opportunities for healthy movement for our children. The new structures foster development of balance and spatial awareness, core muscle strength, fine and gross motor abilities, as well as offer many opportunities for sensory processing and integration.
As Nancy Blanning (Master Waldorf teacher and Educational Support Teacher) observed, "a secure and efficient sense of balance gives the human being security and confidence in orientation in space and provides a secure sense of 'center' out of which the human being can act out into the world."
In addition to all the physical development benefits, an equally important skill children develop through the experience of this type of play is perseverance. The experience of continual practice, of ‘try and try again’, develops the child's ability to have the ‘grit’ or perseverance to learn new things, and stay with an experience through difficult moments. Finally, as the classes explore the new equipment and begin to be together in the play space, many new opportunities for social development and joyful play will be part of the school day.
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Politics & Prose Book Fair
This Weekend!
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Shop and Eat Local While Supporting Washington Waldorf School
Join Us Sunday, April 10 when Washington Waldorf School will partner with local independent bookstore Politics and Prose (Connecticut Ave. location) and local restaurant Comet Ping Pong. Your shopping and dining will support Washington Waldorf School's ONE FUND, with 20% of your Politics and Prose purchase and 10% of your Comet Ping Pong purchase going back to the school's ONE FUND.
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At Politics and Prose, you may purchase a book for your own family's use or, if you would like to donate books to Washington Waldorf School as well, refer to this wish list for books needed in our library, reading resource room, and classrooms.
Then, walk next door and enjoy lunch or dinner at Comet Ping Pong! Mention you are with Washington Waldorf School to direct 10% of your dining bill to the ONE FUND.
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If you purchase books from our wish list from Politics and Prose, for the week of April 11 there will be a book drop box outside or in our lobby's portico area, with a sign that says "Politics and Prose Book Donations". We will leave index cards and pens in the box, so that you can include your name with your book donation. If we have your name, we will include a book plate inside the donated book to recognize your gift.
Thank you so much for your support!
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The Baseball Season Has Started |
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The first game of our HS Baseball Season was on Monday. And what a start to the season it was! Our players enthusiastically played on a beautiful turf field, under the lights in the cool spring evening air at Model/Gallaudet. An enjoyable evening for the fans was topped off with a big win, 20 - 1.
(Thanks to Bill Merkel for the photo.)
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The Potomac Valley Athletic Conference (PVAC) has a new website! Check it out to view schedules and stats for the WWS teams.
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AWSNA Equity & Inclusion Survey
Please Help Us Learn and Grow!
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We have partnered with the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA) and other member Waldorf schools to conduct surveys with the goal of gaining insight into how we are doing as Waldorf Schools relative to belonging, diversity, cultural awareness and action, and in creating a positive and inclusive school climate.
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Your input is essential!
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The survey will take about 20 minutes to complete.
- The questions have been researched and validated by experts at Harvard University.
- The survey is administered by a third party and your responses are protected and remain private.
Surveys are open now through Wednesday, April 13.
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You may take more than one survey if applicable. If you are a family with multiple children, and want to respond multiple times, start with the oldest child in mind and then respond separately if there are different answers based on each child. |
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Students
Our current students in grades 6-12 are encouraged to participate! HS students have the choice to use study hall time for the survey, or complete it from home.
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We offer our thanks to those who have already responded! |
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Staying Up to Date With Our School Calendar
* Current Parents can find Zoom information for meetings in ParentSquare
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April
6/ Wednesday
7/ Thursday
- Craft & Conversation, 9am (see below)
- Sunflowers Parent Evening, 8pm
8/ Friday
- Class Photos (moved from 4/7 due to expected rain)
9/ Saturday
10/ Sunday
- Politics & Prose Book Fair (see above)
15/ Friday
- No School - Good Friday / Passover
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Thursday, April 7 from 9am-12pm
Craft & Conversation will resume tomorrow at Anja’s house, 7711 Glenmore Spring Way. Come and go as works for your schedule. Full vaccination required, masks optional. We'll plan to meet every other Thursday morning starting April 7.
No experience required, all are welcome!
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Thursday, Apr 21 from 1 - 2:40pm
Grades 8-12 will attend attend the assembly and Grade 12 parents will be invited to join us in-person if conditions permit. We also plan to offer a simple livestream. (details to follow)
- Emma: Culture Shock Through the Lens of Immigrants
- Mia: Advertising and Videography
- Madhava & Omari: Ballad of the Lark: Storytelling through Animation
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Saturday, April 23 from 9-11am
Join in to meet and connect to other WWS families while we spruce up the campus for springtime! The entire family is welcome to help weed, mulch, and generally tidy up the grounds. Bring gardening gloves and tools if you have them (not required). Hope to see you there!
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Foxtrot Class & Dance Pre-Gala Buy-In Party
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Sunday, April 24 4-5:30pm
We are offering a pre-gala buy-in party to dust off your best moves and get yourself ready to dance the night away at the Gala. Sunday, April 24 4-5:30pm on the school blacktop.
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Deadline Extended to Buy Gala Tickets! |
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Back in Concert: A Spring Gala Together
Saturday, April 30, 2022
Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
Join us for an elegant evening at Wolf Trap with dinner from Foxhall Catering, live music and dancing. In addition to the in person event, this year's Gala will feature an online auction, raffle, and the opportunity to purchase buy-in party tickets. Even if you are not able to attend the evening at Wolf Trap, please consider donating items and bidding on the exciting packages.
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Parent Leadership Group Updates |
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Save the Dates!
Mark the following Parent/Family Organization events on your calendars. Details coming soon.
Friday, April 22 at 8:45am
Open Gathering of the Parent/Family Organization, in person session at the base of the hill beyond the Children's Garden
Saturday, April 23 from 9-11am
Broom Brigade campus beautification/Earth Day clean up event
Monday, April 25 at 8pm
Open Gathering of the Parent/Family Organization (Zoom session)
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Seeking WWS Childsitters! Please subscribe to be notified of sitting jobs posted by other WWS families.
The PLG has created a forum to connect WWS community members who are interested in childsitting with WWS families who are in need of sitters. We'll use a groups.io email list called WWSsitters to facilitate the posting of sitting jobs.
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The subscribers to the list will be those who are interested in childsitting opportunities.
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Assuming there is enough interest, families seeking sitters will then post to the list by sending an email to the list address.
- Members of the list will receive the postings and be able to respond directly to any postings in which they have interest.
- WWS students may participate only with their parents' permission.
To become a member of the list and receive sitting jobs as they are posted, visit https://groups.io/g/WWSsitters and click "Join this Group" at the bottom of the page.
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The Community Book Club Will Meet Again in May |
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The Community Book Club has chosen: Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson as its next book for a May meeting (date TBD). Wilkerson's first book, The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration, won the Pulitzer prize.
"Beautifully written, original, and revealing, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents is an eye-opening story of people and history, and a reexamination of what lies under the surface of ordinary lives and of American life today".
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Preorder Your Copy(ies) of the 2021-2022 Yearbook!
Full color coverage of Children’s Garden through 12th Grade & events.
You can preorder a yearbook with free delivery to the school if you place your order by May 15, 2022. Orders placed after the May 15, 2022 deadline will include the cost of shipping the book directly to the purchaser.
Preorders with free shipping cost $43.57 and will be available at the school for pickup by June 3, 2022. All yearbooks are printed on recycled paper and for every yearbook purchased, TreeRing will plant a tree. Please contact Erina O’Brien, Yearbook sponsor, with any questions.
Please Note: TreeRing’s website works best in the Chrome internet browser. If you visit the website directly, the school passcode is: 1015278619434770
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Purchase Yearbook Ads
Yearbook ad space is for sale now, with copy (your ad) due Monday, May 2, 2022. Ad space can be used to congratulate your student, a class, thank a teacher / the school, and/or advertise your business.
A limited amount of ad space is available, on a first-come, first-serve basis (Class of 2022 and Class of 2026 get first dibs!) – so please reserve your ad space by emailing Erina O’Brien, Yearbook Club Sponsor, as soon as possible.
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How to Submit a Listing
- We welcome submissions of community news, items for sale, want ads, etc. Please keep notices to 500 characters or less. There is no charge for listings.
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Please submit listings by COB Tuesdays with the subject "Bulletin Submission."
- If you are sending images or flyers, a link to an online version is preferred.
- Bulletin Board notices generally run for 3 weeks - if space allows - unless other arrangements have been made. Please let us know if listing information is no longer accurate. Listings may not be accepted and will likely be edited.
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These notices are from the WWS community, the greater Waldorf community, and occasionally from our school neighbors. The information and views in them belong to the individuals who submit the notices and do not necessarily reflect the views of WWS. |
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Eurythmy Technique Webinar - Revitalizing Your Eyes
How can we support and nourish the eyes during this era of increased screen time, video webinars and zoom calls?
April 10, 2022 at 7pm
Barbara Bresette-Mills will present a webinar for the public sharing eurythmy exercises to refresh and revitalize our life forces essential in keeping the flexibility and fluidity of the seeing process. Through gestures that breathe in relation to the outer light and inner life, we can quiet and calm the overactive head and enliven and warm the limbs.
This webinar is free, however donations are gratefully accepted:
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"Parenting Teens in Uncertain Times" Free Online Summit
from Michael Danzansky, WWS Parent
April 25 - May 4
Parent Michael Danzansky (Bodhi, G7) is excited to share that he is putting together a no cost 10 day online Summit to give parents of teens the tools to combat the record breaking levels of teen anxiety, depression and angst. The summit is called "Parenting Teens in Uncertain Times" and will run from April 25-May 4.
The event features over 40 international experts on parenting, mindfulness, neurobiology and indigenous wisdom offering both perspectives and evidence based tools to support parents.
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Looking for a loving home for our beloved cat
from Clare André, WWS Faculty & Parent
Pepper is about thirteen years old and an inside/outside cat. She was adopted as a tiny kitten underneath a small bush in the Dubai desert and has lived with us in Dubai, England and the US. Her favorite season is summer when she can hang out in the garden and roll in the dust. In winter she appreciates a warm corner, a heating vent and perhaps a snuggle in bed. She is characterful and so is her voice! She is loyal and takes care of her kittens (the human ones and, grudgingly, the doggy ones) with love and frustration. Please let us know if you have a lead for us on her new home as we again relocate internationally. Her traveling days are past.
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Offering Presentations on Minimizing Health Risks of Cell Phones
from Theodora Scarato, WWS Parent
Dolly Parton pulled a cell phone out of her bra and Jim Carey placed his head on a 5G Wi-Fi router in Superbowl ads this year. Is there more to the story? Contact WWS parent Theodora Scarato for a presentation to your local group on cell phones and health. Watch her recent presentation to Henley University students here.
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Published by the Washington Waldorf School
Copyright © 2022 All rights reserved
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."
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Washington Waldorf School
4800 Sangamore Road,
Bethesda, MD 20816
301-229-6107
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Washington Small Schools Association
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