Thanks to Chef Eron for providing hot cider for the community this morning. It was a big hit!

Winter Festival

Friday, Jan 24 from 4-5:30pm

We are excited to offer parents/guardians a window into student life at WWS. This will be a time of sharing based on class activities and learning in grades 2-12. It is an opportunity to see what your child has been up to as well as what is in store for them in the years to come.

Students will stay with their class and staff from dismissal until their performance time. Once a class has finished their performance, they will return to their classrooms until the festival ends. We ask that all families please stay until the festival is complete before picking up students from their respective classrooms.

MLK Day Service Opportunity just before Winter Festival

Friday, Jan 24 from 2-4pm

Join us in the Dan Wacker Entrance Hall tomorrow from 2–4 PM to help pack our “Thoughtful Treasures” bags for the patients at the NIH Children’s Inn. To keep spirits high and hands warm, we will serve hot cider and popcorn during the event.

Please note that Winter Festival preparations will also be underway and we kindly ask parents to stay with their children who are not participating in the festival, to ensure we pack the bags efficiently and support the festival.

Thank you to everyone contributing to this effort. Together, we’re building community and spreading kindness. 

Grade 9 English students recently read The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor by Gabriel García Márquez. Their final projects asked them delve into the material in a deep and engaging way and gave them helpful prompts for breaking down the elements of the story. The students were tasked with designing and creating fully playable board or card games that engage meaningfully with the book's key themes and use quoted passages from the book.

The book explores human nature through a sailor's experiences surviving extreme natural elements. Students' games included menacing sharks that arrive every day at 5 pm, beeswax life rafts, the searing sun, thirst, hunger, hallucinations, and visits from sea gulls. Grade 9 students are now following up with essays that reflect on the process of designing and making their games, explore the ways their games connect to the book's themes, and consider how the process of playing the games in class deepened their understanding of the book.

Seeking DEIB Committee Nominations from the PFO

The Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) Committee has an opening for one non-faculty parent committee member.  

• If you're interested in serving on the Committee, please review the Committee's mandate, including the Commitment Letter, and fill out this form. Please respond by Friday, Jan 31.
• Do you know someone who would be a good fit for this committee? Please send the form along to them! 
• Parent committee members are selected by the PFO Executive Team. Contact pfoexec@washingtonwaldorf.org with any questions.

January

24/ Friday

• MLK Day Service Opportunity, 2-4pm (see above)
• Winter Festival (G1-12), 4-5:30pm (see above)

29/ Wednesday

• G5 Play, 4pm
• Rising G1 Parent/Guardian Meeting, 7pm

31/ Friday

• G7&8 Green Meadow Friendship Games (Jan 31 - Feb 1)

🏀🏀🏀View the Athletics Calendar on our website.

The Washington Waldorf School is delighted to host a free public screening of the film AIN'T NO BACK TO A MERRY-GO-ROUND, followed by a Q&A session with the Emmy Award-winning director, Ilana Trachtman. 

Saturday, Feb 22 at 7pm

Five Black students rode a segregated carousel in 1960, igniting one of the earliest organized interracial civil rights protests in US history. AIN'T NO BACK TO A MERRY-GO-ROUND is the untold story of the Jews they marched with, Nazis they provoked, Congressmen they inspired, and Civil Rights leaders they became. 

The film's story of the struggle to desegregate Glen Echo Park, which is just down the hill from the WWS campus (and where you can still ride the carousel today!), is a powerful example of a multiracial effort by ordinary people, including young people, to stand up to injustice.

The film is currently winning awards on the festival circuit and public screenings are limited. This is your chance to see it in the neighborhood!

Reserve your seats!

View Trailer

Congratulations to Kate Sharp ('01) who is a producer on the feature film Love, Brooklyn premiering at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival that started today.

The film will be available online on a limited basis Jan 30 - Feb 2. Learn More

In the movie, three longtime Brooklynites navigate careers, love, loss, and friendship against the rapidly changing landscape of their beloved city.

Congratulations to Michael Harding (G8 Class of '93) who has five photos in the "Art Through the Lens" Photography Show, currently co-hosted by the Montgomery Art Association and Bender JCC of Greater Washington at the Goldman Art Gallery in Rockville. This unique exhibition celebrates fine art photography, showcasing works that go beyond capturing reality to convey emotions, concepts, and ideas.

Learn more about Michael's adventures and photography.

Show Dates: Jan 13 - Feb 2, 2025

Reception: Sunday, Jan 26 from 12-3pm

Location: Goldman Art Gallery, 6125 Montrose Rd, Rockville, MD

Save the Date: Saturday, April 26

Join us for an evening filled with dinner, dancing, and purpose-driven giving at our annual Gala! This cherished event supports our school’s financial aid program, ensuring that more families can experience the gift of a Waldorf education.

We’re calling on our incredible community to help make this year’s Gala truly unforgettable! Here’s how you can contribute:

• Auction Items: Have a unique item, experience, or service to donate? Popular items include gift cards, vacation stays, themed baskets, or tickets to special events.
• Raffle Items: High-demand Waldorf-style goodies, exclusive memberships, or locally crafted goods are always a hit!
• Buy-In Parties: Host a fun gathering like a wine tasting, game night, or themed dinner party for attendees to “buy into” while supporting our cause.
• Sponsorships: Share your connections to local businesses or individuals who may be interested in sponsoring our Gala.

Please submit all sponsorship, BIPs, and auction item recommendations by Friday, Jan 31.

Let’s work together to create an unforgettable evening that strengthens our community and makes a meaningful impact. If you have any questions please email Erika. Thank you for being an essential part of this journey!

21st Annual MCSR Black History Month Film Festival

Sunday, Feb 2 from 10am-4pm

AFI Silver Theatre And Cultural Center, Silver Spring MD

8633 Colesville Road Silver Spring, MD 20910

WWS families received this invitation from MCSR, with whom the high school is partnering this year.

MCSR (formally Men Can Stop Rape) is thrilled to invite you to our 21st Annual Black History Month Film Festival, an event dedicated to celebrating the rich and powerful stories of Black history and culture through the lens of film. 

This year’s festival will feature a curated selection of thought-provoking films, followed by engaging discussions that explore themes of resilience, empowerment, and social change. It promises to be an enriching experience for all attendees.

We’d love for you to join us as part of this special occasion.

Passes are limited, reserve your spots today!

Should you have any questions or require additional information, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at admin@mcsr.org. We look forward to celebrating this important month with you.

The Parents Council of Washington is pleased to present a screening of:

Screenagers Under The Influence: Addressing Vaping, Drugs, and Alcohol in the Digital Age. 

Wednesday, Feb 5 from 10am - Noon

The Avalon Theatre

5612 Connecticut Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20015

This is the third feature documentary in the Screenagers trilogy, delving into how the tech revolution has reshaped adolescence and its effects on substance use. The film debunks myths and depicts strategies that parents and schools can use to encourage healthy decision-making, support teen mental health, set limits, and create a healthy home environment. Screenagers Under The Influence fills a pressing need for a film that explores common scenarios grounded in teens’ exposure to social media and other content about vaping, drugs, alcohol, and gaming.

After we view the documentary, the film's co-director, and co-producer, Lisa Tabb, will join us for a moderated discussion about the topics raised in the film. Lisa Tabb is a distinguished producer with a background in digital media and parenting. In addition to Screenagers, she co-produces the Screenagers Podcast and edits the weekly blog “Screenagers’ Tech Talk Tuesday."

All PCW member school parents and caregivers, administrators, faculty, and staff are invited to this in-person event.

Register for the Screening

Have you signed up for Summer Camps yet?

Preschool and Kindergarten-aged children are invited to the Children's Garden Summer Camp, where they will spend their days following the gentle rhythm of our CG classes. They will help prepare their daily snacks, listen to stories, and spend their day in open-ended play. These sessions will be led by our beloved Children’s Garden teachers. Please note that children must be potty trained.

Rising Grades 1-4 have two camp options that run for all six weeks. Waldorf Adventure Camp will take the children off campus to explore local parks and swimming holes in the morning. Waldorf Discovery Camp will take place on campus, with the children sharing stories, doing art and handwork projects, cooking and gardening, and they’ll have plenty of unstructured time to play. Combined afternoon activities for both camps will include more free play, games, and crafts.

Rising Grades 5-8 can spend a week clowning around in Circus Camp, honing their basketball skills with Coach Taisto, sharpening their cooking skills with Chef Eron, creating a comic strip, making their own yarn - dyeing it - and crocheting a little creature, or having other adventures!   

High School students can join Chef Eron for an advanced cooking class. We are also looking to hire high school students (over 16 years old) as CITs for our other camps - please email camps@washingtonwaldorf.org for more information.  

Learn More & Register

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 - Tarina Szemzo
• Lower School Coordinator - Margaret Mansker
• High School Administrator - Bonnie McClelland
• Operations Manager - Laur Garner

Support for Those Impacted by the CA Wildfires

If you are interested in joining others from WWS who are offering direct support to those impacted by the CA wildfires:

• Laur Garner (WWS Operations Manager), who is from Pasadena, is coordinating grocery gift card donations to support immediate needs.
• Stephanie Dorius (WWS G8 Class Teacher) is in direct contact with a Pasadena Waldorf School teacher about how to best support their faculty and students as they move forward.

Published by the Washington Waldorf School

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