Weekly Bulletin
April 20, 2022
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8th Grade Play
Charlotte's Web
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From Kate Knuth, 8th Grade Class Teacher
The primary purpose of the play block in the Waldorf curriculum is to work together in community. For several weeks, the class learns the rhythm of a play and how to put it together and, towards the end, gussies it up enough to share with others. It is an experience focused on group process, the end results of which are the most public, and perhaps the most enjoyable, of any morning lesson rotation: a gift for the wider community. Getting there, the class must work as a whole and at the same time learn to carry their individual roles and responsibilities (lines, blocking, character, cues, etc.).
The tension between the needs of the individual and the needs of the group is a perpetual balancing act. This tension is a factor in any block, and any group, but during the play block, especially—if it were analogized to working as a crew on a ship—each must “tend to their own ropes” so as to keep the ship sailing on its course. If someone were to abandon their task, or busy themselves too much with another’s task, the whole adventure could veer off track, potentially never “arriving.” Throughout the process, emotions can run high, misunderstandings can occur, real “drama” can happen in the class; there is often a bit of a ‘crisis point’ about 2/3 of the way through.
In the end, if we have done a good job of it, we arrive at our destination, ready to share the bounty of our journey with those around us. Gratefully, at the end of this process, the class as a whole and the individuals within it (teacher included) were filled with exuberance and a true sense of accomplishment. Our collaborative effort, our collective journey, had us arriving at the place of a stronger sense of community, one in which the warmth and individual strengths of each member really do shine.
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Incubating Chicks in the 4th Grade |
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The 4th graders are studying animals in depth this year. Biven’s Farm in Germantown has lent the class some fertilized silkie chicken eggs to incubate. Right on time, 7 of 12 eggs hatched in front of the class's eyes. They will keep them in the classroom for about a month and then return them to the farm. |
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Staying Up to Date With Our School Calendar
* Current Parents can find Zoom information for meetings in ParentSquare
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April
21/ Thursday
- Craft & Conversation, 9am (see below)
- Senior Project Presentations, 1pm (see below)
22/ Friday
- Open Gathering of the Parent/Family Organization (at WWS), 8:45am
23/ Saturday
- Broom Brigade campus beautification/Earth Day clean up event, 9:30am (see below)
25/ Monday
- Open Gathering of the Parent/Family Organization (on Zoom), 8pm
26/ Tuesday
30/ Saturday
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May
2/ Monday
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NO SCHOOL - Eid al-Fitr - The date for Eid al-Fitr was tentatively May 3 on our school calendar, but astronomical conditions have set the date as May 2. We will not have school on Mon, 5/2 and we will be in session on Tues, 5/3.
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Thursday, April 21 from 9am - 12pm
Join us for Craft & Conversation, Thursday, April 21, 9-12, at Anja’s house, 7711 Glenmore Spring Way. Drop by as works for your schedule. Full vaccination required, masks optional. We'll plan to meet every other Thursday morning through the end of the year.
No experience required; all are welcome!
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Senior Project Presentations |
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Thursday, Apr 21 from 1 - 2:40pm
Grades 8-12 will attend the assembly and Grade 12 parents will be invited to join us in person and online as conditions permit.
- Emma: Culture Shock Through the Lens of Immigrants
- Mia: Advertising and Videography
- Madhava & Omari: Ballad of the Lark: Storytelling through Animation
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Parent Organization Gatherings |
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Open Gathering of the Parent/Family Organization: Join us for one of two sessions, in person on Friday, April 22, 8:45-9:45 at the base of the hill beyond the Children's Garden, or on Monday April 25, 8-9pm on Zoom
- The PLG will share experiences and resources about kids and screens and aim to foster dialogue among families about this important topic.
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Please contribute your input and help us guide our presentation by completing this survey by tomorrow, Thursday, April 21.
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Broom Brigade/Earth Day Campus Beautification Event |
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Saturday, April 23 from 9:30-11:30am
join in to meet and connect to other WWS families while we spruce up the campus for springtime!
- The entire family is welcome to help weed, mulch, and generally tidy up the grounds, and stay after for a BYO lunch.
- Bring gardening gloves and tools if you have them (not required), and your lunch. Hope to see you there!
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Foxtrot Class & Dance Pre-Gala Buy-In Party
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Sunday, April 24 from 4-5:30pm
Dust off your best moves and get yourself ready to dance the night away at the Gala or just join in to learn something new and have fun!
We'll start with basic steps and you can work on perfecting those, or you can learn some fancier tricks. The class will be taught by Trevor Goodyear (WWS Parent) who was a competitive ballroom dancer in college and now teaches classes for fun and to support his favorite causes. The lesson will be hosted outside on the school blacktop (sneakers are recommended). Light refreshments will be served.
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Spring Festival with Families Invited
Friday, May 6 from 1:15-2:30
We are excited to be able to plan for an outdoor Spring Festival together with our families. The program will include grades 2-8 and our high school ensembles as well as a special time for grades 1 & 12.
We welcome current parents/guardians and any grandparents and special friends who are able to attend. We look forward to continuing to open up the campus in the fall as health conditions permit.
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Monday, May 23 from 8-9pm
The Community Book Club has chosen: Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson as its next book for a May meeting. Wilkerson's first book, The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration, won the Pulitzer prize.
"Beautifully written, original, and revealing, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents is an eye-opening story of people and history, and a reexamination of what lies under the surface of ordinary lives and of American life today".
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Valerie LeBlanc will retire at the end of this school year. It is true! In over 30 years at WWS she has been a dedicated and beloved librarian, middle school English teacher, and since 2006 a high school humanities teacher. She helped to start and shepherd the high school newspaper and Senior Projects. Her devotion to school and students, to rigorous questioning and thought, her steadfast presence, and her admonition to "read!" are woven into the fabric of the high school.
Valerie has two children who were Waldorf 'lifers' starting at Acorn Hill and graduating from WWS in 2002 and 2006. Before coming to WWS, Valerie assisted parent-child classes at Acorn Hill, so has that full range of experience. One of the gifts for which she is grateful is experiencing and confirming the depth and value of the wisdom behind the developmental approach of Waldorf education. Valerie has also contributed in many ways beyond the classroom - Chairing the High School, and serving on the Board, in the Care Group, and as a long term member of the College.
Even beyond her academic prowess and tireless work, her trademark piles and piles of papers, wonderful aesthetic sensibilities, green thumb, and delicious baking lies her earnest, enduring interest in others - a most treasured quality. We are grateful to Valerie for all that she has brought to the school over these many years, and we wish her a joyful retirement!
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High School Admissions Events
Tonight & Next Week
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Do you know someone who might be interested in the WWS high school? We have high school specific admissions events coming up this month and you can help us spread the word!
Virtual High School Information Session
Wednesday, April 20 at 7:30pm - Tonight!
In Person High School Open Day
Wednesday, April 27 from 8:45am to Noon
Please share this link for folks to learn more and register:
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Connecting Sitters and Families in Need of Sitters |
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The Parent Leadership Group (PLG) has created a forum to connect WWS community members who are interested in childsitting with WWS families who are in need of sitters.
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If you are SEEKING a sitter, DO NOT join the group. Send an email to the group with your job posting at: WWSsitters@groups.io and sitters will respond directly to you if they are interested.
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If YOU ARE A SITTER and would like to receive job postings, visit https://groups.io/g/WWSsitters and click "Join this Group" at the bottom of the page.
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How to Submit a Listing
- We welcome submissions of community news, items for sale, want ads, etc. Please keep notices to 500 characters or less. There is no charge for listings.
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Please submit listings by COB Tuesdays with the subject "Bulletin Submission."
- If you are sending images or flyers, a link to an online version is preferred.
- Bulletin Board notices generally run for 3 weeks - if space allows - unless other arrangements have been made. Please let us know if listing information is no longer accurate. Listings may not be accepted and will likely be edited.
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These notices are from the WWS community, the greater Waldorf community, and occasionally from our school neighbors. The information and views in them belong to the individuals who submit the notices and do not necessarily reflect the views of WWS. |
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"Parenting Teens in Uncertain Times" Free Online Summit
from Michael Danzansky, WWS Parent
April 25 - May 4
We are really excited to share a free online Summit called Parenting Teens in Uncertain Times. This is an incredible 10-day event that runs April 25 - May 4 and includes more than 40 Master Keynote Speakers in Neuroscience, Mindfulness, Psychology, and Indigenous Wisdom.
You'll learn from Goldie Hawn, Dan Siegel, Tara Brach, Social Dilemma’s Randy Fernando and many more thought leaders. The intention is to give parents the tools and resources needed to build a new sense of connection with young people, and to promote joy and well-being at a time when study after study is revealing a crisis of teen mental health that we can already feel, and that needs our dedicated and collective attention.
This project has been a labor of love from a small, mostly volunteer team, including the summit founder who’s a WWS parent (shout out to Michael Danzansky 😊). I hope you'll join us in coming together to support young people! Register by texting “summit’ to this number 74121 or register online: www.supportingteens.com.
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An Evening with Julie Lythcott-Haims
from Jessica Gottlieb, WWS Faculty
Tuesday, April 26, from 7:00-9:00pm
The Potomac School and the Safe Community Coalition invites our community to attend. They will co-host a program featuring the New York Times best-selling author of How to Raise an Adult, Julie Lythcott-Haims, on Tuesday, April 26, from 7:00-9:00pm at Temple Rodef Shalom. Described as “an author, speaker, and activist focused on helping humans find their true north,” Julie is an insightful and inspiring presenter who offers parents practical strategies that can make a difference. Her presentation, titled “Throw out the Checklisted Childhood: Tips and Strategies for Raising Successful Kids” is free and open to all, but registration is required.
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Undoing Racism: An Open Community Forum
from WWS Parents, Dini Rao and Jesse Travis
Thursday, May 12 from 7-8:30pm (Zoom)
In the summer of 2021, two parents with children at the Washington Waldorf School felt a need to support and galvanize efforts to create a more inclusive and anti-racist community within and surrounding WWS. More than 20 people who have taken the workshop since then have formed the Undoing Racism Working Group.
- The URWG provides a space to continue building on the workshop's insights and to organize ourselves and others around anti-racist principles.
- Through personal exploration, conversation and study, we aim to engage more people at WWS and in our surrounding community in creating a shared analysis of systemic racism and how it operates in our community, and develop our understanding of how to function as anti-racists.
We, the core organizers of the URWG, have been inspired by anti-racist organizing in other Waldorf communities, and want to share that inspiration with you. At this open community forum, you will hear:
- about the history of PISAB as an organization and about the Undoing Racism workshop, which over 2 million people have taken since 1980;
- testimonials from people who have taken the workshop and who participate in the URWG;
- from core organizers at other Waldorf schools about how their institutions have been affected by their community's participation in the workshop and ongoing organizing efforts.
If inclusivity and anti-racism are important to you, as we hope they are to all, we ask that you activate your own agency and attend this open forum to learn more about how your personal development of racial consciousness can meaningfully connect you with others and create a network for positive change. See you there!
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In Search of a Used Car
WWS alum and college student, Emanuele Cocuzza (Class of 2020), is looking for a used car to purchase. If anybody is interested in selling, please reach out to him via email: emanuelecoc@icloud.com or phone: 704-499-7273
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Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) Group
from Jessica Gottlieb, WWS Faculty
SPACE Group for Parents of Adolescents Age 12 to 16 CFA is offering a lunchtime Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) Group to teach skills for parents of anxious children.
When your child or adolescent is struggling with anxiety, it may feel as though your whole life revolves around their worries. Some children and adolescents respond well to individual therapy, while others continue to struggle or are reluctant to engage altogether – leaving parents wondering how to help. Child & Family Associates of Greater Washington, LLC (CFA) is pleased to announce that Jessie Patton, LCSW is offering a skills group for parents to help their child with anxiety, OCD, and related issues.
The anticipated start date for this group is April 20, 2022.
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Community Conversation hosted by Imagination Stage
from Jesse Travis, WWS Parent
The transition from education to the workplace can be a tricky time for young people with disabilities. Drawing together experts in disability rights, inclusive arts, and community employment, this Community Conversation offers families, students, and other stakeholders the opportunity to ask questions and learn about resources directly from the experts providing those services. Jade Gingerich (Maryland Office of Disability), Betty Siegel (VSA in the Kennedy Center), Mathew McCollough (DC Office of Disability Rights), and Sarah Grime (School Talk DC) will examine employment pathways inside and outside the arts. This event is free and attendees are encouraged to submit questions ahead of time.
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Registration is open for the Club Alliance social-emotional summer program
from Jessica Gottlieb, WWS Faculty
Club Alliance is a therapeutic summer program for children 6 to 12. Each 3-week session includes emotion regulation and social skills interventions that have been rigorously evaluated. Each day the campers are exposed to exciting games and skill building activities. The curriculum is designed to be engaging and fun! Licensed Behavior Analysts provide specialized lessons daily. Technicians help the campers generalize these skills with structured games (indoors and outdoors).
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Sounder Sleep System®: A course to transform your sleep.
from Alison Babil, WWS Alum Parent
The Sounder Sleep System® uses simple, gentle movements to calm your nervous system and bring you from an alert state to a state of deep calm. Sounder Sleep draws upon the Feldenkrais® method as well as ancient Chinese medicine.
8 Sessions via Zoom
Mondays starting April 25 from 6-7:30pm, EST. (No class May 30)
OR
Wednesdays starting April 27 from 10-11:30am, EST. (No class June 1)
Price: $210
A limited number of discounted slots are available for those who need them.
Alison Babil, GCFP, LMT, is the owner of True North Healing in North Bethesda. She is a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner, a certified Sounder Sleep System instructor, an Alchemical Alignment practitioner, certified in Soul Lightening Acupressure, a Reiki-Master-Teacher, and has been a licensed massage therapist since 2004. She works with clients in person and via Zoom, focusing on somatic education and trauma resolution. She specializes in working with highly sensitive people.
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Christian Community Camp
from Christen Leonard, WWS Faculty
The beloved Christian Community Camp is back thanks to the perseverance of Carol Kelly. This year it is being held in Upstate New York at Camp Harmony Lake. There are also looking for counselors.
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Looking for a loving home for our beloved cat
from Clare André, WWS Faculty & Parent
Pepper is about thirteen years old and an inside/outside cat. She was adopted as a tiny kitten underneath a small bush in the Dubai desert and has lived with us in Dubai, England and the US. Her favorite season is summer when she can hang out in the garden and roll in the dust. In winter she appreciates a warm corner, a heating vent and perhaps a snuggle in bed. She is characterful and so is her voice! She is loyal and takes care of her kittens (the human ones and, grudgingly, the doggy ones) with love and frustration. Please let us know if you have a lead for us on her new home as we again relocate internationally. Her traveling days are past.
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Published by the Washington Waldorf School
Copyright © 2022 All rights reserved
We welcome your comments and submissions. Contact Alia Goodyear if you would like to be added to our mailing list, or if you have submissions, questions, or suggestions. Please email submission by COB TUESDAY with the subject line "Bulletin Submission."
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Washington Waldorf School
4800 Sangamore Road,
Bethesda, MD 20816
301-229-6107
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Washington Small Schools Association
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