Grade 12 and Grade 1 students playing tag after the Rose Ceremony.

Ribbon cutting photos by Landon Photo & Design

It is amazing how quickly The John & Mary Brauer Gym has become a part of the daily life of the school. From day one it was fully in use with the opening assembly and movement classes. Practices moved indoors as needed based on the weather. The beloved Rose Ceremony filled the space with music and joyful connection. It was a delight to have so many from our community gather on the weekend to celebrate the opening of this amazing space - and the free-throw contest was a blast.

Here is a look at some of the ways it has been used so far...

Opening Assembly

Movement

High School Lunch Break Volleyball

The Rose Ceremony

Free-Throw Contest at the Opening Celebration

Thank you for all your help with the Welcome Back Picnic! 

What a delightful array of delicious sides and desserts. And many thanks to those who helped set up, clean up, and manage the food.

Craft and Conversation will meet Mondays in the entrance hall starting September 18! 

Monday, Sept 18 from 8:45-10:30am

Come to the entrance after drop off to socialize and work together on handwork projects. All are welcome, regardless of skill level.

Subscribe to the list for updates.

Donate to and buy from the WWS Gear Shop!

To help defray costs of outdoor gear and reduce our environmental impact, WWS families donate gently used outerwear and boots to the Gear Shop for resale to other families. Items are priced with the primary goal of assisting families in securing affordable gear. Proceeds are donated to the ONE FUND.

• The Gear Shop ONLY accepts OUTERwear and boots/hats/mittens, sizes CG through G8. 
• There's a bin in the vestibule where you can drop off donations. 
• To purchase items:
• View the Gear Shop inventory.
• Send an email to wwsgearshop@gmail.com that includes the line number of the item(s) you're interested in and/or to see photos of any items.

P/FO Information Sheet

Please review this Information Sheet to learn more about the Parent/Family Organization, the Parent Leadership Group and its members, and the festivals and events we will help produce this year.

Current Family Participation Survey

Please respond to the Participation Survey to let us know how you would like to contribute to the life of the school!

• We still need P/FO reps in the Nursery, Sunflowers, Woods, and Grades 5-8. Each P/FO rep serves as a point person in their class, communicating information to and from the PLG. Reps need to read and respond to emails in a timely way.
• The survey also lists several Activity Coordinator positions for the Fall Bazaar (November 18)! These are great one-time opportunities to become involved.

September

14/ Thursday

• G3 Parent/Guardian Evening, 7:30pm

18/ Monday

• Craft & Conversation, 8:45am

19/ Tuesday

• G4 & G5 Parent/Guardian Evening, 6:30pm
• Trustees Council Meeting, 7pm

20/ Wednesday

• Songbirds Parent/Guardian Evening, 7pm

21/ Thursday

• Bazaar Team Meeting, 8:45am
• G12 College Night, 7pm
• G9, G10, G11 & G12 Parent/Guardian Evening, 7pm

25/ Monday

• NO SCHOOL

27/ Wednesday

• Seedlings Parent/Guardian Evening, 5:30pm

29/ Friday

• Michaelmas, 1pm - Current Parents/Guardians are welcome - save the date!

30/ Saturday

• G2 Parent/Guardian Meeting, 9am

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

Parent-Child Classes will be held on Saturdays this fall with WWS teacher Katrina Hampton.

There are 3 spaces left!

https://www.washingtonwaldorf.org/curriculum/parent-child-classes/

Dates: Sept 30, Oct 7, 14, 21, 28, Nov 4

Time: 9:30-11:30am

Age Range: 18 to 36 months

Please note: One adult may attend each class session per child. It is fine to alternate (for example, caregiver 1 comes on Sept 30, caregiver 2 on Oct 7, and so on).

Please reach out with any questions to 

enrollment@washingtonwaldorf.org.

The After School Strings Program is open to Grades 4-8, and is intended to help students supplement their practice and private lessons with tutoring from Madeline Corrigan in a fun and welcoming environment. The program will be running every Monday and Friday, from 3:15pm-4:15pm. Registration forms are now open— the first session will be this Monday, September 18. If your student needs any extra help with their orchestra or solo music, or wants an opportunity to connect more with fellow students over music, register now!  

Details

• Mondays & Fridays from 3:15-4:15  
• Starting Date: Monday, Sept 18th 
• Cost: $15 per student per session (payments will be made directly to Madeleine)
• Location: Music Room 
• Pickup: 4:15 at the front entrance (there will be a $5 late fee)

Read a welcome letter from Madeline and more about the program.

Registration Form

Word of mouth is the most effective way to build interest in an independent school.

We have a full schedule of enrollment events starting next week! Please pass along the schedule of events to anyone you know who might be interested in learning more about our school.

We are kicking off the enrollment season with two webinars:

• High School Overview - Monday, Sept 18 at 7:30pm
• Whole School Overview - Thursday, Oct 5 at 12pm

Let your friends know that There are two ways to register for enrollment events:

• Fill out our new inquiry form
• Visit our school profile on Ravenna

You can always tell folks to visit our website for more information.

Thanks to everyone who helped to make the outdoor gear shop happen on the first day of school!

The Outdoor School Shop has extended our community's 15% discount. Use the code wawaldorf at checkout.

Fall Bazaar

Saturday, Nov 18 from 10am-3pm

Preview Night: Friday, Nov 17 from 7-9pm

We are looking forward to our annual Fall Bazaar. Many hands make light work for this annual fundraising and community building event. We expect every faculty member, high school student, and parent/guardian at WWS to work a shift. Please save the date and plan to lend a hand! Volunteer sign up information is coming soon from the Parent/Family Organization.

We are currently accepting vendor and artist applications. View the Vendor Application. The deadline to apply is Friday, Sept 29.

Please contact Meg Kneisl with any questions.

If you are a current family - first, check ParentSquare for posts from your teachers, your 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:

• Children's Garden - Cecilia Berg-Benson
• Lower School - Christen Leonard 
• High School - Bonnie McClelland

Christen Leonard - LS Coordinator

Laur Garner - Operations Manager 

Cecilia Berg-Benson - CG Coordinator

Bonnie McClelland - HS Administrator

The Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America (WECAN) Presents a Parent Evening with Philipp Reubke: Self-initiated Play - The Beginning of Lifelong Learning and Developing Trust

Wednesday, Sept 20 at 2:30pm ET

Why is self-initiated play, beginning in the earliest years, the most appropriate way of developing a long-lasting interest in the changing environment and an active engagement in society? Why it is an excellent support to building self-confidence and trust in life? 

Philipp Reubke: Philipp was born in 1960 and attended Waldorf Schools in Stuttgart and Berlin. He studied philosophy, literature and education in Germany and France and became a Waldorf teacher in France in 1989. He was a Waldorf kindergarten teacher from 1995 until 2017. From 2010 to 2020, he was a member of the IASWECE Coordinating Group. Since 2021, with Constanza Kaliks, he has led the Pedagogical Section at the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland.

Learn More and Register

All who register will receive access to the recording of the evening. 

DC Condo For Sale

From Tamara Minor, WWS Parent

This exquisite two-level condo with an incredibly large open floor plan allows for an abundance of sunlight. Fully renovated property with high-end fixtures and appliances. Located near 14th St,16th St and Adams Morgan restaurants and entertainment, as well as downtown DC and Silver Spring. Garage parking. $965,000

Seller will entertain all reasonable offers and incentives such as closing help to buyer and/or byer agent bonuses. Developer has made arrangement with local lender for great financing.

Learn More

Farm Fresh Products Delivered Near WWS

From Torie Gorges, WWS Faculty and Parent

Whiffletree Farm delivers orders monthly (first Tuesday of the month) to the home of a WWS family, just around the corner from the school. They offer meat, eggs, cheese, and a variety of other farm products. Items are local (Warrenton, VA), pasture-raised, non-GMO, raised with sustainable land practices.

Learn more and order on their website.

Private Violin/Viola Lessons

Julie Stoessel, violinist and former strings teacher at WWS is available for private violin/viola lessons. Please contact her through her website if you are interested. 

https://julieemilyviolin.squarespace.com/

Openings Now for the Spiritual Foods CSA!

Pick up near WWS or a location near you.

From Sunny Kaplan, WWS Alum Parent

Some shares are still available for the CSA for the 2023-24 farm year! 

Different options are: 

• school year only (Sept-May)
• full year, winter/spring season (Dec-May)
• summer/fall: (June-Nov).

What's the CSA? Spiritual Foods CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) provides biodynamic and organic veggies, fruit, eggs, bread and other seasonal staples, with most of it grown on land leased from the Kimberton Waldorf School in PA! Biodynamics, like Waldorf education, was founded by Rudolf Steiner and is a spiritual-ethical-ecological approach to agriculture, food production and nutrition. Choices for share options include: main share of veggies, fruit & supplements; main share w/out bread; or veggie/fruit only. Please visit the CSA website for more info, costs, and registration forms, or email or call Lakshmi at 301-654-4899 with questions and to check on availability. You can also reach out to Sunny Kaplan, WWS alumni parent and a WWS/CSA coordinator. 

Upcoming Sounder Sleep System® and Feldenkrais Sessions

From Alison Babil, WWS Alum Parent

The Sounder Sleep System® - An online course to Transform your Sleep

Seven Mondays, September 11 - October 30, 4:30-6pm EST (no class Sept 25).

This interactive series will teach participants simple, gentle movements that bring you from a wakeful state to a place of deep mental and physical rest. Sounder Sleep draws upon the Feldenkrais® method of movement and ancient Chinese medicine. Each class will include: a brief lecture, deeply calming Sounder Sleep movements, and Q&A. Classes are recorded. Participants will receive a handout with the movements.

Cost: $245

No refunds or transfers after September 11, 4:30pm EST.

For more information and registration, email Alison, alison@truenorthhealing.com

A limited number of discounted slots available for those who truly need it. Email Alison to inquire: alison@truenorthhealing.com

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 Soul Lightening Acupressure, and has been a licensed massage therapist for nearly 20 years. She works with clients in person and via Zoom, helping them transform pain, movement, and sleep challenges. For more information Email Alison

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