Grade 9 Coppersmithing

If you missed yesterday's announcement...

The Trustees Council announced the appointment of Ms. Margery Bank as the new Head of School/Faculty Chair, effective July 1, 2024.

Ms. Bank was the director of the Tucson Waldorf School (TWS) for 14 years before relocating back to the East Coast. Her children attended TWS from playgroup through Grade 8 and are now young adults living in DC. Ms. Bank is currently the Head of School at St. John’s Episcopal School in Olney, Maryland. Looking to reconnect with Waldorf education, she joined the WWS Trustees Council this past September, bringing her experience and expertise to WWS.

One of the many joys of walking through the halls of WWS is hearing music floating out of a nearby classroom. Sometimes, though, the music happens in the hallways, much to the delight of those who happen by.

Last week, the high school took a music service trip to Grand Oaks Assisted Living and performed an hour-long concert. The Chamber Choir and Metrognomes offered a 45-minute performance of love songs across the ages. The Chamber Strings shared music by Vivaldi, and the Guitar Ensemble had everyone singing along with the music of Bob Marley. 

Residents received the concert with enthusiasm and afterward enjoyed a social time with students, sharing light refreshments and conversation. We are grateful to our talented young musicians for sharing their music with our school community and with the broader community around us.

Last week we announced that eleven WWS high school students had work accepted into the the Montpelier Arts Center Artists on the Rise annual juried teen exhibition. Congratulations to our own Nilofar (Grade 12) for winning the grand prize!

Montpelier Art Center

9652 Muirkirk Road, Laurel, MD 20708

The exhibition is open to the public through April 11.

Basketball Skills Camp with Taisto

Instructor: Taisto Saloma

Dates: June 17-21 (no camp June 19)

Time: 9am - 3pm

Ages: 8-14

Cost: $360

Join our Washington Waldorf School Athletic Director, Taisto Saloma, for a basketball skills building week of fun and hard work. The camp will focus on individual skill development (including dribbling, passing, shooting) and team defense and offense. This camp is great for all skill levels and will help each player grow their technical skills and love of the game.

Learn More & Register

March



22/ Friday

• 12:30 Dismissal - Start of Spring Break

March 25-29 No School

April

1/Monday

• Classes Resume

3/ Wednesday

• Seedlings Parent/Guardian Meeting, 5:30pm
• Songbirds Parent/Guardian Meeting, 7pm
• G4 Parent/Guardian Meeting, 7:30pm

4/ Thursday

• Open Parent/Family Gathering (Zoom), 8pm (see below)

5/ Friday

• Open Parent/Family Gathering at WWS, 8:30am (see below)

6/ Saturday

• WiW Parent/Guardian Meeting, 9am

8/ Monday

• Sunflower Parent/Guardian Meeting, 7pm

9/ Tuesday

• G1 Parent/Guardian Meeting, 7pm

10/ Wednesday

• No School (Subject to Change)

View the Calendar of School Days for the 2023-2024 School Year

Open P/FO Gathering, your choice to attend Thursday, April 4 8-9pm on Zoom OR Friday, April 5 8:30-9:30am in the entrance hall 

These will be duplicate sessions, so attend whichever works best for your schedule. Come hear and share your ideas, questions, etc.!

• Updates from Lelia True (faculty chair/head of school)
• Updates from the Parent Leadership Group (PLG) on ongoing and upcoming P/FO events and initiatives
• Open dialogue about community building, and any other issues attendees would like to raise

April Lunch Menu now available for purchase!

Thanks to our amazing volunteer team, we will continue to prepare hot lunches in our kitchen in April. We're excited to announce a second day of service on Thursdays!

Pizza day has been a tremendous success with 125+ meals a day being served on Wednesdays! We can’t wait for the community to enjoy bean chili, rice, tortilla chips, and salad on Thursdays.

If you’re interested in a full hot lunch offering in Fall 2024, and it is important to you that fresh, nutritious meals are available to your children and their dedicated teachers, please demonstrate your support by ordering lunch! With enough participation (meals ordered), together we can make a strong case to bring the Washington Waldorf School’s lunch program back in house.

To order:

• Visit https://wws.boonli.com. 
• You can order for the entire month in advance, or select days. 
• To avoid a $1 minimum order fee, order at least $10 per transaction.
• Instructions for new accounts.
• For all food and ordering questions and concerns, please contact amutschler@washingtonwaldorf.org.

Volunteer to help the lunch program!

We welcome your help to keep our volunteer lunch program going! Learn a new skill -- make a new connection -- create delicious food!

• Volunteer sign up sheet for April.
• You will have the direction of a Kitchen Lead, and no experience is needed. 
• There is a morning prep shift and a late morning/early afternoon service shift. 

Grandparents and Special Friends Day is one of our school's most beloved traditions. On Friday, May 3, 2024, we are inviting grandparents and special friends of current students for a morning breakfast reception, class visits, and special student performances.  

We welcome all grandparents and special friends to join us, and would like to send a personal invitation to the event, as well as logistical details of parking, etc. For these purposes, we are collecting mailing addresses and emails for our grandparents and special friends.

Please fill out this form with the names and addresses of grandparents and special friends you would like to be included. We ask that special friends be related or "parent-like" figures who are at least college-aged.

Please fill out the form by tomorrow, March 22, with information for your student's grandparent(s) and/or special friend(s), so they can be included on our invitation list and logistical communications.

Many of you have been welcomed into the building by Washington Mucheke at the front desk. For those who haven't yet experienced the joy of Washington's smile and laughter, here is a brief introduction.

Washington was raised in Harare, Zimbabwe, worked in hospitality and sports for over a decade in Johannesburg, South Africa, and moved to New York in 2016. A year later he came to DC where he continued to work in hospitality and also worked for a nonprofit organization, helping individuals adjust to life after incarceration.

We are thrilled to have Washington at WWS as our Assistant Front Desk Administrator.

It's time to order yearbooks!

The yearbook staff has been hard at work putting together the 2023-24 edition of our Phoenix yearbook.

Visit https://tinyurl.com/wwsyearbook to place your order today!

Anticipated delivery is early May.

We’re looking forward to seeing you at the WWS 2024 Spring Gala: Light the Way on Saturday, April 20!

Visit our Gala website, where you can purchase sponsorships or tickets.

The Gala brings together our school's community for a night of celebration and fundraising. All proceeds from the Gala's "Raise the Paddle" appeal go towards supporting financial aid for our students and families. 

Here's what you can expect at our Spring Gala this year:

1. Gourmet Dining: Indulge in a delicious strolling supper, prepared by our community's very own Chef Eron at Foxhall Catering.
2. Raffle: Enter our exciting raffle for the chance to bring home one of our themed Class Baskets, full of neat gifts and prizes.
3. Buy In Parties: Buy into small, private events that provide fun and memorable experiences, donated by WWS community members. Spots are set at a fixed price per person (no bidding); it's first come, first served. These parties are great for getting acquainted with members of the community and engaging in a variety of interesting activities.
4. Wine Cellar Silent Auction: Bid on baskets filled with a variety of our community members' favorite wines. You just might find a new favorite!
5. Networking Opportunities: Connect with fellow parents and our faculty, as you mingle and make new friends within our vibrant school community.
6. Impactful Giving: Your participation in the Spring Gala directly contributes to providing financial assistance to deserving students, ensuring more children have the opportunity to benefit from a Waldorf education.

Whether or not you are able to attend, there are other ways to contribute to the Gala and support financial aid for our school’s students and families.

• Host a Buy In Party: Buy In Parties are small, private events designed to provide fun and memorable experiences. Individuals and groups of friends can purchase spots at the events for a fixed price per person. If you are interested in hosting, please fill out our Buy In Party Donation Form or contact Meg Kneisl.
• Donate to the Wine Cellar Silent Auction: Give a bottle - or bottles - of your favorite wine to assist us with our silent auction offerings. If you would like to help, please fill out our Wine Cellar Silent Auction Donation Form and drop off your donation at the front desk of WWS.

Thank you for your support of our Spring Gala. We look forward to seeing you there!

SquadLocker Online Stores

• Visit our online school store to purchase gifts and essential spirit wear.
• Visit our Red-Tailed Hawks mascot gear store for team spirit items. Go Hawks!

When you purchase items through SquadLocker, your order will be shipped directly to your delivery address of choice.

Is there a particular type of item you are looking for that isn't available in our stores? Let us know and we'll see what we can do!

If you are a current family - first, check ParentSquare for posts from your teachers, departments (Children's Garden, Lower School, High School), and the administration.

If you cannot find the information you are looking for on ParentSquare, please email your department coordinator/administrator or our Operations Manager:

• Children's Garden Coordinator - Cecilia Berg-Benson
• Lower School Chair - Janet Dunwoody
• High School Administrator - Bonnie McClelland
• Operations Manager - Laur Garner

Eastertide Talk by Frank Hall

The Branch Festivals Group, Anthroposophical Society, Greater Washington Branch

From the Round Table to the Grail – Journeying with Kondrie, Parzival, and Feirefiz ~ a talk by Frank Hall

Friday, April 5 from 7:30-9pm

At the home of the Fosters, 7717 14^th St. NW, Washington, DC

Parzival and Feirefiz 

In this culmination of three explorations of Parzival, Frank will describe the path of Parzival and Feirefiz, led by Kondrie, from King Arthur’s community to the Grail community. We will hear how these three characters are paralleled in Rudolf Steiner’s Foundation Stone Meditation, and how we can also discover ourselves, in today’s world, in this portion of the tale. Concluding with the alchemical marriage of Feirefiz and the Grail Queen, Frank will share Rudolf Steiner’s insights into the contrast between the Round Table and Grail communities and their relationship to our present world situation. Time for conversation will follow.

For those who would like to prepare, Frank has suggested the following:

• Rudolf Steiner, Karmic Relationships Vol. VIII, Lecture 3
• Rudolf Steiner, Foundation Stone Meditation

Light refreshments will be served following the conversation.

Please let us know you plan to join us! nfoster14thst@gmail.com

 Frank Hall earned an M.A. in American literature (N.C. State) and a Teaching Diploma in Waldorf Education (Waldorf Institute, Mercy College). He taught high school humanities, including Shakespeare, Parzival, Faust, and The American Transcendentalists, at the Detroit and Washington Waldorf Schools. He is a member of the Anthroposophical Society and the School of Spiritual Science. Frank enjoys hiking, birdwatching, and stargazing.

Adventure Camps

Adventure Camps has provided Waldorf students with unique camp experiences in the US for over fifty years. The camps are organized, led, and run by Waldorf alums, students, teachers, and outdoor enthusiasts. The Adventure Camps staff members are dedicated to creating fun, safe, and meaningful camps for all youth. 

Adventure Camps share many of Waldorf education’s values such as: disconnecting from our devices and busy lives in order to connect with one another, developing strong daily rhythms, cultivating respect for all living things, preparing and sharing nourishing meals, and living into the idea that each individual holds tremendous value as a soul at every given moment. All of these, and many more, are integral aspects of our camp experience. 

Learn More

German Immersion Theater Camp 2024: Die weiße Schlange" (Grimm)

Dates: June 17 – June 28, 9am-4pm, no camp on 6/19

before and after care optional, provided by Dance Exchange

Ages: 5-15, basic knowledge of German is required

Tuition: two weeks: $875 (sibling discount: $800)

Location: Dance Exchange, 7117 Maple Ave., Takoma Park, MD 20912

Performance: June 28 at 3pm

In this German immersion theater camp, participants will be working with German-speaking staff to explore the Grimm’s fairy tale "Die weiße Schlange". Children will be immersed in the German language while participating in movement, acting games, singing, writing, or crafting. A "crankie" will be made by those participants who enjoy drawing and painting. Instrumentalists may bring their instruments to be included in the songs. At the end of the camp, participants will show the results of their explorations.

Skills built: Theater experience, team building, voice training, acting, speaking, live performance, listening & comprehension, reading and writing in German; making new friends within the German-American community.

For more information and reviews:

https://www.littlegermanschooltakomapark.com/german-immersion-theater-camp

Contact: E-Mail: margrit.wong@gmail.com Tel: 240-393 7173

ISO Nanny Recommendations and/or Nanny Share for New WWS Family

Greetings Waldorf families,

Our kiddo will be joining Seedlings in the fall, and we’re seeking nanny recommendations and/or a nanny share, please. 

Ideally we’d find a nanny to transport our kiddo home (or to the other family’s residence) at 12:30pm until early evening.

If you know a nanny to recommended, and/or if you’re interested in having a nanny share, please feel free to email us: sailforaday@gmail.com.

Many thanks,

The Washington Family

Appalachia Service Project (ASP) Opportunity

Is your High Schooler looking for a way to make a positive difference in people’s lives? What about learning life skills on how to use tools and build things? Do they want to knock out their required HS community service hours in one fell swoop? 

Email Eron Picus at eronpicus@me.com with questions.

Learn more on the ASP website.

Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement® Series In Person: Unwinding Stress & Anxiety

From Alison Babil, WWS Alum Parent

In Person Classes at the Carderock Springs Clubhouse

The theme this session is Unwinding Stress & Anxiety. The body holds patterns of stress; the body is also an amazing tool for unwinding stress.  This Feldenkrais® series will focus on settling the nervous system as well as improved grounding, posture, and overall well-being.

Feldenkrais classes are a wonderful tool for gently transforming pain, tension, and movement challenges. Each class takes the student through a series of movements which create new pathways in the brain and body. The aim is greater freedom in one's body and life.

"I had hip pain before class, and now it is gone! I also feel much more balanced." -- W.L., Feldenkrais class participant

Nine Thursdays, April 4 - May 30, 10-11:15 am.

In Person, Carderock Springs Clubhouse

For more information and Registration:  

Email Alison: alison@truenorthhealing.com 

Cost: $145  

First class is free for newcomers. Discounted rate for Carderock Springs members. A limited number of discounted slots available for those who truly need it. Email Alison to inquire. No refunds or transfers after April 5, 10am EST regardless of illness or pandemic.

Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement® Series: Online

Feldenkrais Classes for Melting Freeze with Maintain Alignment

Freeze shows up in many ways in the body, mind, and heart. These classes will gently meet and transform patterns of freeze and tension. 

Wednesdays, 12:30-1:30pm Next series begins April 3

Learn More & Register

Disclaimer: Classes are not a substitute for medical care. Alison makes no claims to healing specific health challenges.

Alison Babil, GCFP, LMT, is the owner of True North Healing. She is a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner®, a certified Sounder Sleep System® instructor, certified in Insight Acupressure, and has been a licensed massage therapist for nearly 20 years. She works with clients in person and virtually, helping them transform pain, movement, and sleep challenges. For more information Email Alison

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