Education for the 21st Century
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A healthy social life is found only when, in the mirror of each soul, the whole community finds its reflection, and when, in the whole community, the virtue of each one is living
. --
Rudolf Steiner
Dear families,
Recently, my 8th grader shuffled into the kitchen and announced his intention to make scrambled eggs, "like we did in class." I have no idea when Ms. Christiane's class made scrambled eggs, but I watched in awe (he typically makes only toast) as he separated yolks and whites, whisked both, folded them neatly together in the pan. We talked about how many more pavers he needs for his 8th grade project (he's building a permaculture herb spiral). He showed me a cool video high school science teacher Ms. Ingrid made for the 8th grade physics block. Even though we were in the kitchen with a mess of dishes and a barking dog instead of on campus, it felt comforting that our Waldorf lives were still very much a part of the day.
What a whirlwind the last few weeks has been! The collective power required to shift all of us from business as usual at Waldorf School of Orange County to Learning Beyond the Classroom in the span of a few short days required a growth mindset of the highest order. And everyone came through! We have so enjoyed the photos and anecdotes sent in by our families and the positive messages relayed to teachers and administrative staff. We appreciate the moments of creativity and compassion that have arisen as we work to adapt to this new (temporary) normal, managing our own fears and anxieties, work changes and home schooling. We are grateful to our teachers for working overtime to assemble "care packages" of materials to take home, for quickly training on Google Classroom and other platforms, and always putting their students first and foremost in their Waldorf educational journey.
We miss each other; we are missing parent events, class trips, get togethers. We miss school. Some of us know individuals who are ill with Covid-19. Some of us are friends with hospital workers and others putting their lives at risk to care for us. We can mourn together and acknowledge grief for what we have given up. We pray and send positive thoughts to those suffering and those working around the clock to save lives; and, we continue to support the greater good by staying safe and staying home. This is resilience. This is community. This is who we are.
Thank you to everyone who completed the recent survey on
Learning Beyond the Classroom.
Upon receiving the survey via ParentSquare, Grade 6 parent Jim Brown wrote, "
I think it’s wonderful how quickly and efficiently the Waldorf staff was able to implement
Learning Beyond the Classroom,
using Google Classroom. From experience of two different school districts, Waldorf was up and running much faster and easier than anyone. The boys are able to know exactly what is expected of them and are completing their assignments. They miss their classmates and enjoy their Zoom meetings for some sense of community and camaraderie. Thank you for adjusting and implementing so quickly."
Added Rachel Morrison, a Grade 3 parent, "I have been very impressed by the lessons from my daughter's class. Between the three schools my kids attend, your school has been the most organized, prepared and thought out."
These were sentiments echoed by many of you, and we are grateful the transition overall has been a smooth one. For any hiccups, please know the WSOC faculty and administrative team are here to help.
All responses were immensely helpful for our faculty as they prepare for the next phase of Google Classroom lessons. High school students have until Friday, April 3 to submit their responses.
As stated by our administrator Douglas Garrett in our last ParentSquare communication: "While we cannot make a final decision about when we will reopen campus, we know now that we will appropriately be keeping our school campus closed until at least May 4. Further plans are, of course, subject to the evolving situation and professional recommendations. Online learning will resume on Tuesday, April 14, and a remote faculty training day and a class materials pick-up will be scheduled for Monday, April 13."
Please scroll down to read the latest updates from our WSOC Business Office.
Blessings to you and your families, and virtual hugs to all! We look forward to real hugs in the future!
Warmly,
Alyssa Hamilton
WSOC Communications Coordinator
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The Waldorf School of Orange County business office is mindful that many of our community members are being adversely impacted by the unprecedented national impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic. Many in our parent community are professionals, business owners, entrepreneurs, or employees of companies facing difficult economic and logistical issues. We are grateful for the suggestions, recommendations, and concerns many of you have shared with the administrative team. We are fortunate to have a team of experienced advisors working within the Finance Committee and Board of Trustees to help the Administration and College deal with the many complex issues which are affecting our community.
Jeffrey Barth (Business Manager, CPA) and Nancy Mitchell (Treasurer, EA, and former grades teacher) Co-Chair the Finance Committee which consists of two College Members, two alumni parents with finance and business backgrounds and a parent-board member with a strong business background. This committee is actively working on a number of issues to support our school as we work to address the challenges facing our community. The Finance Committee reports to the Board of Trustees which includes parents who are educators, doctors, lawyers, and business owners as well as alumni parents with HR and Development experience. There are two college members who also sit on the Board of Trustees.
The Business Office will continue to provide periodic updates to the community regarding our finances, tuition, and business affairs similar to the message sent on March 18th. You can expect to see another update before April 15th, 2020 and periodically thereafter as appropriate. You are welcome to contact Jeffrey Barth and/or Nancy Mitchell directly if you are experiencing any personal hardships or extenuating circumstances that require attention from the business office.
Questions? Please contact WSOC Business Manager
Jeff Barth
.
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Learning Beyond the Classroom, March Edition
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WSOC works together to assemble and distribute
Beyond the Classroom materials
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On March 16, our faculty and staff all worked together to assemble and distribute individual Beyond the Classroom packets to parents for each student from Pre-K to high school. It was a wonderful moment of community and a lovely moment of personal (carefully distanced) interaction between parents and teachers. Thank you parents for your flexibility and willingness to jump in with us as we navigate this new learning adventure.
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Hamlet Study Group with High School's Ms. Beka
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"The week we went online happened to coincide with the moment the 11th graders finally got to find out what happened to Hamlet. After a few months of reading the play through the lens of mental health, the students were ready to wage a campaign supporting students in their community through a series of healthy activities, mindfulness exercises, and mentoring support groups," said high school English teacher Ms. Beka. "Hamlet's grief and subsequent choices impacted them as they made connections to how they and their fellow students internalize hardship and feelings of isolation. And suddenly, there we were - isolated from each other in a way none of us could have ever predicted!
"This photograph of our final Hamlet study group, serves as an artifact, a piece of our school's history, proving that a strong student community isn't limited to time on campus. While it may look a bit different than we might imagine, the spirit of togetherness and support is still there. The photo shows students in community and solidarity, practicing their mental health campaign for each other until they can bring it back to their wider school community, discussing and reflecting on what they are learning. Now we are ready to tackle our next text - Shelley's Frankenstein!"
Said 11th grade student Elijah P. (far left square, second row): "
Wow, we just had a dramatic change. School got canceled out of nowhere. This led to all classes being held online, including Hamlet. We have been studying Hamlet with Ms. Beka for the last couple months, and as this switch to online happened we were in the end stages of the book. Nonetheless, we continued to forge through the rest of the book with Ms. Beka at the helm. At first I wasn’t sure that our new online format would even come close to our very engaging in- person lessons. Somehow Ms. Beka pulled it off, and created a very enjoyable lesson that enabled the whole class to still have interactions and conversations regarding Hamlet."
He also noted that "Ms. Beka created a question that encouraged us, the class, to think deeply about the text. This question spring boarded everyone into a sophisticated conversation, with each of us expressing our thoughts via an online chat. What made these conversations so great was Ms. Beka’s use of a specific question that did not have just one specific answer. The other action Ms. Beka took was doing a live call with the whole class: a video chat where she could talk to us unhindered by distance, helping us understand the book better. It enabled everyone to have their questions answered while easily being able to add commentary. I don’t think every class should be doing live calls all of the time. There is a time and place for different types of interactions. Ms. Beka met that balance with grace, incorporating online chats and live calls to create a lesson that still held strong in an online format."
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Mr. Matan's Mud Challenge
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WSOC's Practical Arts teacher Mr. Matan has issued a "Mud Challenge" to WSOC students! All you need is some earth, water, and your imagination. Click the video to learn more. Document your process and send photos or video of your finished creation to
Mr. Matan
! We would love to share your results in the next newsletter!
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"Peribeau gets excited to finish her math packets and see what's next on the agenda," says Grade 2 parent Natalia Fabia. "She also loves doing homework with her dog!" She added that her daughter has also enjoyed doing school lessons with a few friends via FaceTime.
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A WSOC kindergarten student hones in on a drawing with beeswax crayons in his distance learning home set up.
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Above, a WSOC first grader practices her times tables with round glass spheres ("fairy tears") as part of her day's lesson with Ms. Hubert's class.
Noted Ms. Hubert on her Google Classroom page:
As we are heading into spring break, let's go on a hunt for the right numbers on our page today! (Yes, parents - we do pre-Algebra in 1st grade ;-) ... but with manipulatives to keep everything concrete. So make sure to bring out those glass jewels!
Said parent Kim Eijpen (also WSOC high school biology and earth science teacher), who has a daughter in first grade, a son in fourth grade and a son in high school, "My first grader is eager and engaged and can’t wait for her daily ‘work assignments;' her elder brothers are not so motivated but enjoy the work once they get started. The rhythm and routine has been essential in our house to keep some semblance of normalcy. There is security for the kids with this structure and contact with their teachers, which is essential in these uncertain times."
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Aidan H. in 8th grade recently finished a physics block online with WSOC high school teacher Ingrid Feck. "
They explored the concepts of density and buoyancy," she explained, with items both from home and from their take-home packets.
"I put an egg into plain tap water, and it quickly sunk to the bottom," said Aidan. "In another cup, I mixed a bunch of salt into water. I dropped the egg into that, and it floated. It shows that salt water has more density. We also did a Cartesian Diver experiment with a pipette and found that it floated when full, and sank when we squeezed the sides. The increased pressure made the pipette 'dive.' I really enjoyed doing these experiments right in my own kitchen and then sharing the results."
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WSOC community members sew masks to help "flatten the curve"
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WSOC Sixth grader Pearla H. added a new rhythm to her distance learning experience: sewing reusable masks for her family to utilize during the Covid-19 outbreak. She then joined a volunteer initiative through JOANN Fabric and Craft Stores and Neiman Marcus Group to sew masks for frontline healthcare providers.
Her goal, she says "is to help JOANN reach their goal of one making one million masks." Her reusable masks are also available to order
here
.
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Above, kindergarten parent Annette Thurner sews masks at home for doctors and nurses at local area hospitals.
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On March 13, Ms. Peterson's Grade 4 shared their finished animal products with fellow students and parents. The projects entail a written and artistic component and a rendering of their animal in its natural habitat. Students eagerly fielded questions about their chosen animal and were proud to share their newfound expertise with classroom visitors.
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Waldorf Family Fun at Home
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While we are doing our schoolwork on Google Classroom, it's especially nice to get back to our roots and explore some non-screen activities. Click the flyer below for a whole booklet of crafts, baking and outdoor opportunities. Enjoy! Thank you to Class of 2023 grades teacher Ms. Brooke, currently on sabbatical, for helping to compile the following list.
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Spring Break Online Adventures
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Virtual Field Trips (click to be transported!)
Free Online Resources
Getty art recreation home challenge! On Twitter: @GettyMuseum. Click
here
for inspiration!
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The Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA) recently launched a continent-wide alumni platform called Waldorf Alum Connect
https://alums.waldorfeducation.org/
Any adult having attended a Waldorf School for any period of time across the continent, is invited to register on the website and join the professional networking platform! Our own WSOC alumni will be able to connect with other Waldorf alumni across the globe, utilizing an interactive map, to forge professional relationships, view alumni news and events and share in a broader online community.
Interested in supporting our alumni efforts:
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Community News & Announcements
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Click image to email Early Childhood teacher
Michaela Heller
for more information.
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Adult Education Opportunity at WSOC!
Have you ever said, "I wish I was the one going through Waldorf Education?"
Or perhaps you would like to learn more about why Waldorf teachers bring subjects to their students in a particular way. With Foundation Studies, you can! Waldorf School of Orange County’s two-year program enables participants to experience many of the subjects their child learns, including a study of great literary works such as Parzival, form drawing, wet-on-wet watercolor, projective geometry and more. Additionally, courses include Child Development and the Basics of Waldorf Education, a Biography Workshop, and other fundamentals of Waldorf Education. Faculty members from WSOC support the program, as do several guest teachers from the wider Anthroposophical movement.
WSOC’s Adult Education program is directed by Chris Bennett, who joined the faculty of WSOC in September 2009 and is the former director of Kula Makua Adult Waldorf Education in Honolulu, and was an instructor at the London Waldorf Teacher Training Seminar (UK) for many years before that. He served as WSOC class teacher from 2009- 2017, when his class graduated 8th grade.
This is a two-year, part-time study program. A monthly payment option is available. (September-June). Please
click here
for brochure and registering instructions.
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AmazonSmile = Easy Fundraising Opportunity
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AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon with the same products, prices, and shopping features as
Amazon.com
.
The difference is that when you shop on
AmazonSmile
, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to the charitable organization of your choice.
Every item available for purchase on Amazon
is also available on AmazonSmile (
smile.amazon.com
) at the same price. You will see eligible products marked "Eligible for AmazonSmile donation" on their product detail pages.
Just click on the icon above and choose WSOC as your charity. Each time you order, our school receives a donation. It's that simple!
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Click
here
for WSOC College of Teachers, Board Members and Administrative Rotation
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Waldorf School of Orange County
2350 Canyon Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92627-3948
(949) 574-7775
wwww.waldorfschool.com
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