MLWS NEWS FROM THE PARENT COUNCIL

And there is more. How fun it was at the First Friday’s potluck organized by the Parent Council Social Engagement Committee, spearheaded by Alexandra Sechler. As 5th grader parent and SEC member Kaethe Fine highlighted, the event certainly reached one of the SEC’s goals, bringing parents together in a relatively effortless way. Look for further reflections and future potluck dates!

Make sure you check the full calendar below, stay tuned to the next Brown Bag Lunch with Mr. Preston Neel, 8th grade teacher: The Art of the Blackboard and tap on the wonderful Waldorf Resources for parents as well as sustainability links to help you plan for April 22nd, Earth Day and beyond!

Here is the list of all you will find:

We are delighted with so many wonderful contributions this month and have also welcomed suggestions to include in the next edition a student corner, as well as to investigate the possibilities to have printed copies for those to wish so. If you have an idea or comment, please contact us at newsletter@mountainlaurel.org or join our Parent Council Meetings (see calendar below). If you would like to request a topic be added to the agenda send it to us by Wednesday, April 6th or if you want to be added to our Google Group, please send an email to parentcouncil@mountainlaurel.org.

Carolina Pinheiro and Ashley Biagini

(Parent Council Newsletter Committee)

*To add the Parent Council Meetings and Events to your Google Calendar use the following link here, any zoom meeting will have the links in the description for easy accessibility.

Thursdays, Pizza Day!: A fundraiser for the 8th grade trip

Friday, April 8th from 12:30-1:30pm: Parent Council Meeting via Zoom (Link here). If you would like to request a topic be added to the agenda send it to us by Wednesday, April 6th or if you want to be added to our Google Group, please send an email to parentcouncil@mountainlaurel.org 

Thursday, April 21st from 1-2pm: Brown Bag Lunch Series via Zoom (Link here) Preston Neel, 8th grade teacher: The Art of the Blackboard

Friday, April 22nd and 29th from 1-2pm: PC Social Engagement Committee via Zoom (Link here)

To add the MLWS School Calendar to your Google Calendar use the following link here, which includes COVID-19 testing dates.

Fun reminders: Earth Day is Friday, April 22nd

We would like to extend a warm welcome to Raffa and Gwendolyn in the 1st grade and Leila in the 3rd grade and their families.

The Parent Council is here for any mentoring you may need! We are happy you joined our community!

After a 2 year hiatus, Mountain Laurel was finally able to offer its students the opportunity once again to skate with their class at the state of the art Mohonk skating pavilion (classes went skating 17 times during the month of March alone).

We also had the long anticipated Community Skate, providing a merry group of 75 parents and their children an opportunity to come together on the ice. The exhilaration of skating on the fresh Zamboni'd ice or enjoying the fire burning in the big fireplace with a hot chocolate was palpable.

This month, first grade parent, Tess Hartman-Cullen, had a conversation with Takken Wish, our dear 1st grade teacher, about the role of fairy and folk tales in the first-grade curriculum. This is that conversation:

Tess: Why are fairy tales & folk tales the basis of the language arts curriculum for the first grade? How does Waldorf Education approach language arts at this grade level?

Takken: The role of stories is important in Waldorf Education throughout all the years. Stories are the cornerstone of imagination. Every Monday a new story is introduced and the story hooks the student into the work to be done for the week.

Traditionally, we follow a 3-day rhythm.

On Monday, the teacher tells the story.

On Tuesday, the students tell the story back to the class.

On Wednesday, the students write about the story (this is just beginning to happen in first grade) and a new story is introduced to start a 3-day cycle again going through to the end of the week.

Fairy Tales are the basis of the first-grade language arts curriculum because they live in the realm of magic and fantasy. This is exactly where first-grade children are. As I observe the first graders on the playground, the children are playing imagination games -always pretending. Fairy Tales and Folk Tales explore archetypes and the children explore these archetypes in their play. Sometimes they are wicked, sometimes needy, sometimes brave, sometimes incredibly kind. These are major characteristics at work. These archetypes are at work in all of us. Fairy Tales are a treasury of archetypes of the human being.

Tess: I understand this is your first time teaching the first-grade year at Mountain Laurel. Are there any highlights of your storytelling experience this year you would like to share?

Takken: When I light the candle, I take a few silent moments to connect with the children and to make sure they are present. Then I begin. We use picture images in the storytelling so students can visualize - to activate their imagination and to connect them to their heart. I see them get scared and get excited as I am telling the story. Their emotions are mirrored back to me. It is my favorite part of the day and I think it is the children’s favorite part of the day as well.

Tess: How do you select the stories that you choose to share with the class?

Takken: Traditionally, Waldorf schools have been very Eurocentric, and for first grade, with its focus on fairy tales, this has meant the Brothers Grimm stories have dominated. I do the majority of my story searching over the summer, but do continue to add to my collection throughout the year.

This summer I tried to expand my knowledge (and collection!) of fairy tales, and I found some lovely books from various cultures and traditions including West Africa, Japan, India and Russia to name a few.

I’ve also changed how I start my stories. I used to just say, “Once upon a time . . .“ now I say, “A long, long time ago, in the land of Tanzania in Africa / Tibet. . .“ stories are beyond the boundary of a country. They are universal. First grade curriculum is not studying stories from a geographical or cultural perspective; however, this seed is planted for later. I’ve not completely chucked out the Brothers Grimm, though. I’ve also told the famous tales, “Little Red Cap,” “Hansel and Gretel,” and “Snow White and Rose Red” to name a few.

In my teacher training, one of my teachers shared their response to a parent questioning the lack of diversity and stereotyping in Grimm’s female characters. My teacher shared what a student had shared with them “When we listen, we are all of the characters.” I feel this is partly true. I am cognizant of offering a variety of tales and a variety of archetypes through the stories. The Tatterhood tales include more complex women at the center of the tale and I have shared some of them with the class. I also have consciously left out the description of women as “beautiful” that are within so many of the Grimm tales. When you tell a story by heart, you can discover certain threads and pull on them harder.

Overall, I select stories that I love. Waldorf has a tradition of sharing stories that reflect the current season and I share my stories accordingly. It wouldn’t feel right to share the story of Snow White and Rose Red helping the freezing bear in the summertime. I like to emphasize characters who find a way to be kind in the face of meanness.

Resources for parents:

The Social Engagement Committee's inaugural "First Fridays" Potluck was a great success! We had a wonderful turnout, plenty of delicious food, and great conversation! Please mark your calendars and join us next time on Friday, May 6th. 

We hope to see you there!

Friday, May 6th from 3:30pm to 5pm

Friday, June 3rd from 3:30pm to 5pm

6 Elting Avenue (Kindergarten Playground)

Hosted by the Parent Council Social Engagement Committee

Bring a picnic blanket and your favorite dish to share!

To minimize waste, please bring your own plate or bowl and an eating utensil.

We look forward to connecting with you!

For questions feel free to email Alexandra Sechler alexandra.sechler@gmail.com

As we set up and people started to arrive I felt so relieved and gratified. Favorite foods were laid out in a casual patchwork across the picnic tables. The kids were being kids, and flocking first around the cookies. Mixed groups of children ran in spontaneous play mingling and wandering, and conversation between parents who might not otherwise cross paths, sprouted everywhere. I was on fire! I actually thought that I was hallucinating when another parent approached me enthusiastically-the field of energy around us seemed so intense. I realize that I’m just not used to in-person connection these days and it has a totally different quality…one I’ve always taken for granted...but, take it away and you realize how dynamic and multi sensory it is when it comes back!

~Kaethe Fine

I loved the potluck! What a joy to gather together under the budding trees, crisp sky and before an eclectic spread of food. But even more importantly, to be among such an eclectic group of people. Besides sharing that still-giddy feeling of communing maskless in a post-pandemic world, my heart was warmed by simply looking at the scene.

Several parents I was speaking with mentioned the “good energy” of kids from different grades and parents co-mingling, meeting each other, in some cases for the first time and simply looking at each other. I look forward to next month's potluck.

~David Engel

My favorite moment was hearing an unfamiliar child calling my child’s name from across the playground (to express gratitude for baking delicious cookies). New faces and threads of relationships. Seeing that our kids have been having a school experience and weaving community that we as parents haven’t been able to witness or participate in. It was one of the first signs of Spring…

~Shir Yaakov Feit

As I saw this great turnout, I was so happy. I met new friends and, of course, reflected on the Social Engagement Committee being created as a way to help socially re-engage parents at ML coming out of a covid pandemic. We were really hit hard. Mostly isolation. I was talking to another father and shared that we have so many incredible people resources in our community to engage and contribute in very small and larger ways. Folks were really open to these conversations.

~Paul Lichtenberg

“We don't need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly,” said Anne-Marie Bonneau, the Zero-Waste Chef.

I’ve been inspired by this quote for over a year now since I read it. I loved the idea of making my household “zero waste,” but truthfully the task seemed daunting. Thankfully, Anne-Marie’s quote gave me permission to just start with anything, just one thing even.

So I did. I made a commitment to start composting and immediately saw that our garbage was cut by nearly 1/3 every week! Given that the average American produced almost 5 lbs of waste a day (according to a 2018 EPA study), over the course of a year, that was over 600 lbs that I alone (not even counting the other members of my household!) was saving from the landfill. Suddenly, I started to feel pretty inspired to keep going.

So I did. I switched all our cleaning products to tablets or powders that could be mixed with water in reusable containers, and just like that I stopped buying single use plastic bottles. The last big demon I wanted to slay was the deforestation I was contributing to by using tree-based paper products. I’ll spare your hearts the details on how many acres of the rainforest are being cut down every SECOND, and just say I found some pretty nice bamboo toilet papers and paper towel substitutes that have let me sleep better at night.

These other two changes reduced our weekly garbage by another 1/3. We used to overflow the bin every garbage day, and sometimes bring out a backup can for overflow. Now our single can is 2/3 empty. Victory!

Want to join me? With Earth Day coming up, I can think of no better way to honor our collective home, nor a better lesson for our children in being mindful of our limited resources.

Here are some tips, my favorite products, and other easy sustainable substitutes you can get to reduce your waste. I’m including my personal discount code you can use for the cleaning and bamboo products, and commit that each person who uses it I will donate the credit I get to Rainforest Trust.

The basics on how to begin:

Who Gives a Crap? - us.whogivesacrap.org

Misfits Market - www.misfitsmarket.com

Spring Forward: Ditch Disposables! Presented by the New Paltz Climate Action Coalition and included 1st grade parent Megan Wolff, watch the presentation here.

Check out the MAP (My Alternatives to Plastic)

Three actions you can take right now to stop the use of single use plastics and other disposable packaging visit:

For more information visit here.

On Friday March 25 there was a half day workshop with the MLWS College and DEIJ Mandate Group. The importance of the DEIJ work together on both personal and community levels drew us all into a deep exploration. We began with sharing the keywords that identify ourselves as individuals. We then discussed episodes 5 and 6 of Season 2 of Scene on Radio, which was listened to by all participants before the meeting. In break out groups we shared stories of our own personal past that reflected our own experiences of bias. Getting to know each other better, revealing how our past history has shaped and influenced our current beliefs and actions created an atmosphere of vulnerability and sincerity. This is an ongoing study of how we can keep Diversity Equity Inclusion and Justice in our everyday life at Mountain Laurel. It truly is a lifelong study and discovery. We hope that these two groups will meet again throughout the year to encourage the necessary growth that will ensue from our work together. The willingness to continue this important work for the sake of our school, our community and ourselves is imperative. The biggest takeaway for me was the commitment we all have to the DEIJ work on an everyday basis. How can our earnest, heartfelt strivings be strengthened in the community.? How can we bring more of these ideas into our community? What are the questions we must continue to ask?

Scene on Radio, Little War on the Prairie (Seeing White, Part 5) click here to listen.

Scene on Radio, That’s Not Us, So We’re Clean (Seeing White, Part 6) click here to listen.

If you have any comments, suggestions and questions email us at deij@mountainlaurel.org.

An article written by David Sewell McCann

When did we, as human adults, decide that children needed to be “occupied”? History is filled with big events, complex situations, poor decisions, heroic choices, and I can’t think of any children being involved. Why is that? Because being a child is enough. Being a child is a big deal, and they are super busy figuring out how to talk and sort through social rules…

Sparkle Stories released a new free story to support children and families during the crisis in Ukraine.

When a traumatic event occurs, like what's happening now in Eastern Europe, there are some universal questions that come up (for children and adults alike).

“Am I safe?” “Are people in danger?” and “What can we do?”

We decided that creating a story to meet the final question would help children settle around the first two.

The story centers on a steppe lemming named Pomichnik (Ukrainian for “serve”) who sees trouble in the distance and joins the other young lemmings in worrying about their own safety. An old lemming named Mohdri (Ukrainian for “wise”) tells her own story that not only shows that the lemmings have been through this before, but teaches them something they can do to help the needy who are far away.

Click here to listen to Pomichnik the Steppe Lemming

Simplicity Parenting is a book that has touched hundreds of thousands of families around the globe. Simplicity Parenting is just one of eight books written by Kim John Payne. In this episode, he goes above and beyond his written words and clarifies, explains, validates, inspires, and reminds us of what is truly important. And then he points us to the future. Play is what will best prepare our children for it.

Discover the extraordinary power of the ordinary with Kim John Payne.

A Second Classroom: Parent-Teacher Relationships in a Waldorf School by Torin M. Finser

School as a Journey: The Eight-Year Odyssey of a Waldorf Teacher and His Class by Torin M. Finser

After-School Art Studio & Art Portfolio Prep Program in The Village of New Paltz with Alex Canelos of The Sevenfold School of Art, alex@thesevenfoldstudio.com; http://sevenfold.school, https://www.instagram.com/sevenfold.scribbles, (845) 255-7612

Beekeeping Adopt-A-Hive programs allow you to have a beehive at your home to enjoy their activities, learn about beekeeping and help support these fuzzy little pollinators. Mentoring and beekeeping classes are available at his apery in Wallkill to help you learn about honey bees. If you find a swarm, give us a call. We love to save bees and give them a good home. Contact Bob Mooney at Rmooney1@hvc.rr.com, 845-895-3188.

Guitar and mandolin lessons with Mr. Steve Bernstein, children, teens, and adults are all welcome. Please call: 845-466-0889 or drop a note in his mailbox (2nd floor) at school.

Music lesson with Benji Marx! Music Educator, Music Therapy, Graduate Student

Guitar ~ Piano ~ Ukulele ~ Drums ~Songwriting ~ Recording Technology

As a graduate student in music therapy I deeply believe that music is a pathway for personal growth, self-expression, and emotional development. Music creation is a process that extends far beyond simple mastery of an instrument or idiom. For the last 10 years I have cultivated my musical passion and honed my skills as a classroom and private instructor. I maintain a holistic approach, considering the unique needs and goals of each student. Now, more than ever, I am hoping to share my musical passion with you. About the teacher: Born in Brooklyn, I began playing guitar at age 11 and immediately experienced a deep connection with the world of sound and music. During my formative years I began seeing music less as a hobby and more as an educational pursuit. I studied jazz guitar at Heschel High School and continued these studies at Bard College, where I also began to learn upright bass. There I earned a BA in Music Composition and Performance. During my studies I was twice awarded the Neshi Ertegun Scholarship for Jazz studies as well as the Larry McLeod award. I am now enrolled at SUNY New Paltz, pursuing a Masters in Music Therapy, with a focus on working with children who have special needs. Contact info: 347-661-3000 ~ benjimarxmusic@gmail.com

Horsemanship The Toad Farm is a small, family-owned stable that offers a series of non-competitive summer riding programs and lessons for all levels and ages. We stress a holistic approach, focusing on the importance of all phases of horsemanship -- striving to teach a sense of independence, on and around horses with safety as an overall theme. We encourage compassion, cooperation and a positive approach to all situations.

Week-long Summer Programs:

June 13-17, 2022

June 27-July 1, 2022

July 4-8, 2022

August 22-26, 2022

August 29-September 2, 2022

Contact: Madeline or Jennifer: (845) 220-8693, jennifercottingham63@gmail.com

Kol Hai means “all life” and offers musical, meditative, and embodied Shabbat gatherings every Friday night (online for now). Open to seekers of all stripes! We also do monthly meditation retreats, Jewish holidays, and affiliation circles (trans/nonbinary, social justice, etc). Check us out anytime: https://www.kolhai.org

The Impact of WWI on Girls' Literature The New Paltz Historical Society welcomes Susan Ingalls Lewis for an Illustrated talk on April 27th at 7pm, register here. During World War I, as young men journeyed overseas to battle, American women maintained the home front by knitting, fundraising, and conserving supplies. These became daily chores for young girls, but many longed to be part of a larger, more glorious war effort--and some were. A new genre of young adult books entered the market, written specifically with the young girls of the war period in mind and demonstrating the wartime activities of women and girls all over the world. Through fiction, girls could catch spies, cross battlefields, man machine guns, and blow up bridges. These adventurous heroines were contemporary feminist role models, creating avenues of leadership for women and inspiring individualism and self-discovery. The work presented here analyzes the powerful messages in such literature, how it created awareness and grappled with the engagement of real girls in the United States and Allied war effort, and how it reflects their contemporaries' awareness of girls' importance.

Residential Design and Architecture - Blejer Architecture With all of us spending more time at home, working, cooking, and being with family, many are looking to improve, expand or build new homes. I am happy to discuss all types of projects. Contact Justin Blejer at justin@blejerarch.com, or call 917.637.0341.

The Moolah Doula has helped many Mountain Laurel families reduce stress in their relationship with money. Learn how money conversations can be safe, honest and productive to help navigate these challenging times. Free half-hour consultation. For more information, email joanna@joannaleffeld.com or click HERE to read a brief article about her work.

Valentine and Wilder's Pet-Sitting Service Serving the greater New Paltz area. Experience with cats, dogs, guinea pigs, mice, turtles, fish, chickens, and cows. Email, text or call Seana at 917-309-7790 or seanaskye@me.com.

Bearsville Bakes Birthday cakes, cupcakes and sweets for all occasions. Traditional or Gluten free or sugar free. Email Navah for inquiries. nmcelroy@mountainlaurel.org

E-mail or text Shawn Kimber at skimber@hvc.rr.com, 845-616-7877

For Rent Furnished 6BR house on 3 acres in quiet New Paltz neighborhood for 1-year non-renewable rental (July 22-July 23). On a quiet cul-de-sac perfect for kids riding bikes, tree house, great spaces for guests and entertaining. Note: we need the tenant to care for our 2 cats while we're away. $4400/mo includes utilities, lawn care/snow removal. Contact David at davidrhorgan@gmail.com

ISO Rental Teacher seeking housing or purchased opportunity within 35 mins of school. Please call Michele Turner 603-543-7045. Thank you for all leads.

Seeking any used outdoor furniture (table, bench, chairs) that is in good shape. Contact Edie at 917-600 7944 or edie@edieart.com if you have any that you would like to get rid of.

Vacation Rental Kaethe Fine, 5th grade parent offering MLWS families, faculty & administration a 15% discount on her new home in Paraíso, Veintisiete de Abril, Costa Rica: Simply and spaciously designed with wood and concrete, newly renovated, 3 bdrm vacay rental w/ new pool, beautiful outdoor shower, lush gardens & near 5 beaches on Gold Coast of Guanacaste Province. Prices vary seasonally. Kids room has 5 beds. Perfect 2-family share. https://www.airbnb.com/h/campocostarica. Call/text interest/inquiry to stitchbubble@gmail.com or request to book through Airbnb and say who you are so I can send you this special rate.

To find more happenings follow the Mountain Laurel Waldorf School on Facebook, a forum for Parents, Faculty, Alumni & Friends of MLWS & waldorf education to share ideas, websites, babysitter recommendations, news, photos and all other waldorf related items (Not an official MLWS communication venue).

Newsletter Committee: Carolina Pinheiro and Ashley Biagini newsletter@mountainlaurel.org

Formatting: Brian Pearl Consulting