WSOC Nov. 1 Newsletter

Education for the 21st Century

Dear families,

Fall is definitely in the air, and we are enjoying some crisp breezes, not to mention vigorous rain showers! If you haven't ordered your holiday greens yet, you still have a few days. Ordering information is below. We are so excited about our upcoming Walk Through the High School for parents and our DEI Parent Conversation, both coming up this month. Click the images in the newsletter to sign up, and enjoy a colorful glimpse into life on and off WSOC's campus these past few weeks.

Happy Monday everyone!

Warmly,

Alyssa Hamilton

Communications Coordinator

If you would like to help, it doesn’t have to be every day. One day a week would be wonderful. We are hoping to have several or more parent volunteers for traffic duty in the mornings—it doesn’t need to be the same person all the time.

We are looking for parent volunteers who can help safely direct traffic when jam ups occur and assist students to get to their classrooms on time. If you are willing to help, please contact School Administrator Kevin McDuff at kmcduff@waldorfschool.com.

Why Waldorf High School

Supporting Your Adolescent's Developmental and Academic Journey

The Waldorf high school curriculum reflects awareness of the developmental journey of adolescents and their quest for identity, independence, and purpose. Each year, our students study themes that resonate with their individual growth; each year's focus building on previous years. With a curriculum designed around students' developing consciousness, we feed and balance their intellectual, social, physical, and spiritual growth.

The high school journey is not just a preparation for college; it's a crucial time to nurture and fortify the adults that will soon emerge from this deeply formative period. We focus on building a resilient inner core that will serve our students long past adolescence. Join us to learn more!

Thursday, Nov 11

WSOC Grade 8 - High School Visit Day

(8:15 am - 3:15 pm, no sign up required)

All 8th Grade students participate

Friday, Nov. 12, 9 - 11:30 am

Walk Through the High School for our community

ALL PARENTS ARE WELCOME!

RSVP: https://www.waldorfschool.com/events/

High School Happenings

Grade 9 Geology Trip

Our freshman class recently returned from a fabulous trip to the Mammoth Lakes/ Eastern Sierras region of California. An unseasonably early cold snap and snow fall brought much delight to the students - but as teacher Kim Eijpen says 'snow is not the geologist's friend - it covers up the rocks!' The class managed to find plenty to study including Convict Lake, Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite, Panum Crater and other volcanic sites.

The High School geology block is the first of four earth science blocks that the students will take in their high school career, and it really focuses on observation - what do we see? From that inferences can be made to landscape evolution and processes. Geologists are detectives in a sense, and getting your 'eye in' on what's going on gives many clues as to the Earth's history. As we focus on phenomenological science in a Waldorf school it is imperative that students get out there and see what we are discussing in class, to really get their hands on the rocks and sediments and view the large scale landforms.

It also gives this new 9th grade class the chance to really get to know one another and form a new group - many of the students are WSOC veterans, but we also have many new students joining us and what better way to bond than spending a week in the mountains!

-Ms. Eijpen, high school science teacher

SENIOR PROJECT OPPORTUNITY

My name is Sabrina Knauss and I am currently a senior in the high school. I want to introduce my Senior Passion Project, which is “Food Waste: Understanding Our Habits Through Interviews and Stories.” I will be interviewing household members and also people who work in the food industry in the hopes of getting an insight to our habits, misconceptions, and concerns surrounding the topic of food waste. In the coming newsletters, keep an eye out for a section on my findings. I will be sharing my interviews, stories and service work with you all!

Please reach out if you are interested in working with me or know someone that might be!

Email: sknauss@waldorfschool.com

Leadership Circle Updates

Dear families,

At a recent Coffee Chat, the principles under which Waldorf Schools operate in North America was referenced and several parents indicated that they were unaware of these principles, so I made a note to share them in my next Leadership Message. These seven principles articulate the most important values that inform the policies and practices of Waldorf schools in North America. They were adopted in 2016 after being developed over several years of collaborative work between all of the member schools. (See below)

These principles are held as a central tenet of our school’s accreditation process. WSOC is a full-member Waldorf School at the midpoint of its accreditation process and consciously examines throughout the seven-year cycle the success that the school achieves in meeting each of these principles of Waldorf education.

Warmly,

Kevin McDuff, School Administrator

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Click image to register!

This on-campus parent education event (location to be determined, based upon number in attendance) will introduce our DEI quarterly themes for the year: words, alliances, joy, and the future. Building on the “words” theme in greater detail, we’ll establish specific working definitions for key vocabulary to make our conversation more productive. We’ll discuss the issue of respectful language use among students (particularly regarding slur words) and solicit input and conversation about it. There will be signups for further involvement and a framing of steps for collaborative opportunities throughout the year designed to take us all the way to our fourth quarter theme in the spring, “the future,” where we’ll co-create a more strategic vision beyond the “discovery” phase of this fall and winter.

WSOC Campus Snapshots

Grade 7 just completed a block in African Geography and Astronomy. As part of their study, they broke into groups of two to paint and piece together a physical map of the continent. Students had to use a map broken into grids and then translate their square onto a piece of cloth, to fit back together to create the whole.

Handmade witches at Friday Craft Group led by @castleofcostamesa's Jzin Teng, longtime WSOC parent and crafter extraordinaire

Meet our newest community members! We present to you: Lucy Ricardo, Ethel Mertz, Ramona, Nellie, Dottie and Mrs. Harriet Olsen. We have already received the gift of our first egg! These ladies join our two Nigerian Dwarf goats, Moose and Squirrel. It is such a joy to have animals on our campus!

High school spirit- 11th Grade on Pajama Day during Spirit Week. The high school enjoyed a week of Spirit events led by their Student Council.

Grade 1's 8th grade buddies met with them on Oct. 27 to carve pumpkins together, one of many activities the two classes will enjoy together throughout the year!

Grade 10 students in woodwork on a lathe in Woodwork with Mr. Matan

Please follow us on Instagram and Facebook to enjoy photos and excerpts of what your students are learning and participating in here at WSOC. Click here for easy Social Media links. Like our posts, comment and share! By doing so, you help to introduce our beautiful school to new friends.

Baba the Storyteller Visits WSOC

We were so pleased to have Baba the Storyteller with us on October 27! As the sun set, we welcomed a robust WSOC community audience filled with parents and delighted children for an outdoor evening of songs and stories, all with a message and a moral. Baba, who is a storyteller in the ancient West African craft known as Jaliyaa, encouraged the rapt audience to “listen with their hearts”- beautiful advice not just in that moment, but for life.

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT

Nicola Weiss: Athletic Director

Nicola Weiss grew up in Switzerland and has five children, ages 20, three who are 19, and 17, all raised in the United States. She coached soccer for 12 years while her children were growing up, and for the past eight years she managed the Lacrosse program at Edison High School. She also managed the Track and Field team at Edison while her daughter competed. Nicola finds deep satisfaction in developing opportunities for students to be active and looks forward to continuing the growth of our high school Athletics program.

What was the best part about living in Switzerland? Was there a down side?

Oh, I miss my season changes. I loved the seasons and the activities and celebrations each one brings every year. The way the colors turned from wildflowers in spring to harvest reds and oranges in the fall. I am so thankful to have grown up where I did. Space to explore, learning by doing and seeing the beauty the world has to offer. The winters were long but filled with lots of baking, crafts, fires and winter sports.

Were you an athlete growing up?

I played soccer and ice hockey for fun. I competed in equestrian (three day eventing) for many years starting at age seven, and even shipped my horse over here to the US when we moved. Competing here was not the same, and once it became time to retire him we just enjoyed trail rides. Our school in Switzerland had no teams. Everybody competed in everything as the year went. From track and field, to swimming, skiing, cross country, gymnastics to handball and more.

Were you a Waldorf student, or how was your education similar?

I was not a Waldorf student, but growing up in Switzerland a lot of the learning is very similar. I grew up in a very small town outside of Zurich. Our learning was a lot of hands-on and integration of the natural environment around us. The focus was on a deeper understanding of the topics and not just a brush over the subject like our students have here in the US. It also included art, home economics and woodworking for all students. Subjects so many more students would benefit from, skills learned for life.

Click here to continue reading!

Halloween Fun

Community News & Announcements

Get Your Holiday Greens, Support our Grade 8! Deadline to order Nov. 3

Noble Fir Swag is SOLD OUT

Order instructions here

Click here for Color Catalog and here for Order Forms

Shop with Scrip

Whole Foods is one of many wonderful retailers that we partner with for our Scrip program. Please visit Scrip Coordinator Pam Lusk at the Company of Angels to find out more!