Tuesday Note - Spring Garden Waldorf School

Tuesday Note: September 13, 2022

Let's Celebrate Michaelmas!

Each September, near the autumn equinox, the school celebrates Michaelmas — a festival dedicated to courage, strength and goodness. We will be celebrating Michaelmas this year on Friday, September 30th. Details about how we are celebrating Michaelmas this year will be coming soon. Some of our very committed families who have been a part of our school for many years have experienced this festival prior to the pandemic. Our school and community made changes and adjusted how we celebrated during the early stages of the pandemic. We are looking forward to sharing with our school community-students, parents/guardians, extended families and alumni families our plan for September 30th. We appreciate your patience as we solidify important details.

More about Michaelmas…

Michaelmas, which began as a harvest festival in the Middle Ages, is also a feast to honor The archangel Michael or Mikail. Michael is an archangel in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, but this festival is one that can be observed by people of all faiths and spiritual paths.

The celebration of Michaelmas teaches the importance of overcoming fear and strengthening resolve. Michaelmas tells the story of our shared human challenges, illuminating the inner courage it takes to find and bring forth our own inward light when the sun, warmth and growth of the earth are fading. The story speaks to children in a deeply symbolic way, feeding their innate need for truth and justice. We celebrate Michaelmas in the Waldorf tradition to remind ourselves of the strength we need in the coming season and in our personal lives to defeat darkness and let hope prevail.

School News

Compensation Task Force Update

The Board of Trustees and Compensation Task Force are continuing to work on a plan for improving wages and benefits for our faculty while implementing strategies to support our families.

In our last update, we shared base salary information for our teachers compared to others nationally and locally.

Our teachers also do not receive health benefits, which over 80% of other Waldorf school teachers do receive. While we believe Spring Garden Waldorf School is a vibrant and empowering workplace, we cannot move forward as a school believing this is enough of a benefit to attract new teachers or retain our dedicated faculty.

This week, we would like to share a comparison of average tuition costs for private schools in our area.

We recognize that private school tuition is a significant financial investment for families. Spring Garden Waldorf School is dedicated to making Waldorf education accessible to committed families and maintaining a student body that is socio-economically diverse. To help forward this mission, we have offered $242,000 in financial aid this school year, which is an average of $2,574 of financial aid per student needing support.

We also recognize that compensating our teachers in a way that is comparable to other area public schools, private schools and Waldorf schools will require tuition increases. A concerned parent recently asked, “Does this mean tuition will double?” We want to assure parents tuition will not double in the next few years. We do, however, want parents to see why marked tuition increases will continue in phases, over time.

Please look for updates in the coming weeks, which will include an invitation to give your input as part of our parent community. If you have any questions about this work, please contact Amy Hecky at ahecky@sgws.org.

Dress Code Reminder

A Waldorf curriculum is designed to help students develop socially as well as academically. Student attire is particularly important because many school activities include movement. While we recognize that the current trend in clothing is to have tears/holes. We are reminding all families that our policy is that all children should wear clean, un-torn, sturdy play clothes. Beginning on Wednesday, September 13^th, we will remind students who have torn clothing of the dress code and send them to Ms. Petersilge’s room to creatively patch any holes in their clothing and remind the student and parents/guardians of the dress code. If a student comes in torn clothing a second time, we will call the parents/guardians to bring a change of clothes.

Please take a moment to read through the dress code (page 33 in the Parent Handbook) and talk with your class teacher or Amy Hecky if you have any questions.

School Photos

School photos will be October 4th - 6th! Please watch for more details including the schedule and ordering information.

One Call Now Test

On Thursday, September 15th at 4:00 p.m., the office will conduct a One Call Now test. This is our emergency alert system. Please email the office (learn@sgws.org) if you do not receive a text or phone call notification.

Community News and Events

SGWS Athletics - Basketball Season

It is almost basketball season and time to register your athlete!

SGWS basketball is open to all students in grades 6-8. The cost is $100/athlete.

The season begins October 25 and runs through the month of February.

Practices will be 2-3 days/week after school. Games are on Sunday afternoons.

Information regarding our sports programs at SGWS and registration forms will be sent home with all interested students this week.

Forms should be returned to Kristen Oberhaus by Oct. 3. A sports physical signed by a doctor is required for participation.

If your student participated in cross country, they do not need to fill out forms again, but an email should be sent to koberhaus@sgws.org indicating their commitment to join the basketball team.

Any questions should be sent to koberhaus@sgws.org. GO JAGS!

Spring Garden Waldorf School Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Statement

Spring Garden Waldorf School’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Statement was developed throughout the 2021-2022 academic year with input and collaboration among the Board of Trustees, Faculty, Administration and the DEI committee. This statement provides a foundation to guide our work as we take action and implement strategies moving forward.

“Spring Garden Waldorf School believes people of any racial identification, ancestry, nationality, socioeconomic background, family structure, age, religion, belief system, gender, sexual orientation and appearance should feel welcome at our school. We strive to ensure students and community members feel respected and celebrated while seeing themselves reflected in the school’s culture, curriculum and policy. Our school has no tolerance for intolerance, bigotry and oppression…”

Read the full statement here.

We Are Hiring!

Math Teacher: We are seeking a part-time middle school Math Teacher for three mornings a week to join our faculty beginning in the 2022-23 school year to teach math to grades 6 & 8. We value excellent teaching, expert classroom management techniques, an understanding of child development, and a joy for teaching. Requirements: Bachelor’s degree and experience teaching middle school grades math.

Spring Garden Waldorf School is an equal opportunity employer. To apply: Please email a cover letter, resume, and three references to learn@sgws.org, attn: Hiring Committee.

Director of Development: Duties include planning and developing strategies, goal setting, coordination and evaluation of all key development efforts including philanthropic revenue generation, annual giving, fundraising events, alumni relations, communications materials, and grants. This individual will work as chief fundraiser of the school and personally identify, cultivate and develop meaningful relationships with potential funding sources and community partnerships.

The successful candidate will demonstrate: proven success in setting and meeting fundraising goals; knowledge and experience identifying and cultivating prospects, and managing all aspects of donor stewardship including tracking, reporting and database development and management; excellent communication skills; and the ability to work and interact effectively with many different types of people. Bachelor's Degree required with experience in Waldorf Education preferred. This is a full-time salaried position. Some evening and weekend work will be required.

Interested candidates should submit resume, cover letter, and three references to learn@sgws.org.

Athletic Department Opportunities

Spring Garden is hiring the following positions within our athletic department:

Assistant coaches for cross country and basketball (CYO designates these as girls and boys basketball): Duties include supporting head coach, leading and assisting with practice sessions, attending practices and competitions within the season, and maintaining team statistics.

Head coaches for basketball (CYO designates these as girls and boys basketball.): Duties include planning and executing practice sessions, setting practice schedule, communicating with parents, attending practices and competitions within the season, distribution of uniforms and equipment.

These are seasonal, part-time positions of Spring Garden Waldorf School, paid by stipend. All positions report to the athletic director. Qualifications include a high school diploma and previous experience as an athlete and working with students. Previous experience coaching middle-school age students is preferred.

Cross country season runs approximately from the end of July through mid-October. Basketball season runs approximately from November through early February.

Please send resume and letter of intent to koberhaus@sgws.org if you are interested.

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer Hour Tracking

For this school year, we will be using a binder in the school office to log volunteer hours. Each family will have a sheet to log the date, description of activity and total hours. If you are unable to come in to the office, please email Jess (learn@sgws.org) with name, date, description, and total hours and she will update your family sheet. Thank you for all you do for our school community!

Site Committee

Mr. Matt is looking for 1-2 more people to join our Site Committee. Please send him an email if interested (mplevrakis@sgws.org).

Laundry and Baking Volunteers Needed

We are in need of volunteers who would like to help with baking and laundry for special events that we host at school. Please email Tyra (tscott@sgws.org) if you would like to be added to this list!

SGWS Work Days

Mark your calendars for upcoming Work Days during the 2022-23 school year! This is a great opportunity to connect with your fellow SGWS community and earn your family service hours.