From Lynn Wenning-Adelmann, Class Teacher

Last week, the class of 2030 had the great opportunity to visit Spikenard Farm Bee Sanctuary in Floyd, Virginia. The Sanctuary has developed an abundantly flowering biodynamic landscape, rich with sources of nectar and pollen which enhance the nutrition and health of the honeybees and native pollinators. The honeybees and native pollinators, of course, support the thriving of our diverse agricultural ecosystem. 

The sixth graders got to ask: Who are the honeybees? What do they need? How can we serve them? They pondered and experienced the human-honeybee partnership, focusing on the needs of the honeybees and their rich interwoven services to humans. They reverently opened bee hives (no stings and no bee suits needed). They harvested rye by hand and planted a field of winter rye for the following year. Learning about bee anatomy, community, and natural interactions gave the students a reference point for human kindness.

The class camped in tents, kayaked along the Little River and also visited Luray Caverns as part of their Geography Block. A GREAT time was had by all!

Greetings,

We hope this note finds you enjoying all the best of fall - good weather, fall festivals, favorite sports, and a successful beginning of the school year. 

As you learned this summer, our Head of School (HOS) / Faculty Chair, Lelia True, will retire at the end of the school year. We wanted to take a moment to introduce the Head of School / Faculty Chair Search Committee and explain a bit of the process of hiring a new HOS. By order of the bylaws of the Trustees Council (TC), the fiscal governing body of our school, the TC is charged with the hiring of the HOS. The bylaws require the Search Committee to be made up of members of the TC and the College.

The TC is working to contract with a consultant with expertise in both K-12 school governance and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging work. They will be assisting the TC to support our efforts in bringing this important lens into our interview process and deliberations.

Late in the summer, the job posting was placed in key Waldorf and other educational job sites locally and across the country. We meet weekly to screen applicants and manage the search process. Qualified applicants will be brought to campus for formal interviews with the TC and College. We will make an offer early in the new year. It is our hope to announce a new HOS in early spring, if not before. 

The Search Committee’s goal is to identify a HOS who has the experience, vision, and skills to take WWS to the next level and assure our place as a top educational institution in the region. We will occasionally send updates during the process. In the meantime, if you have questions or comments, please feel free to reach out to mariaemonteverde@aol.com.

Best,

Maria Monteverde-Jackson, Vice-Chair, Trustees Council

Marilyn Noguera, Trustees Council

Wendy Jackson, Chair, College

Gabriele Schilz, College

Open Parent/Family Organization Gathering

Your choice to attend

• Oct. 24 8:30-9:30am in the entrance hall
• Oct. 25 8-9pm on Zoom 

These will be duplicate sessions, so attend whichever works best for your schedule.

The agenda includes updates from Lelia True (Head of School/Faculty Chair), Stephanie Hanson (Director of Development and Alum Relations) and Laur Garner (Operations Manager).

Craft & Conversation, Afternoon Sessions in Takoma Park 

Tuesdays at 4pm through Nov. 14

• Please RSVP to Jenia via email or text (202-322-6390) to let her know you are coming. 
• 7511 Jackson Ave, Takoma Park
• Children are welcome and can play or help craft -- please bring snacks for them as necessary.

Craft & Conversation Field Trip! 

Monday, Oct 23 from 8:45-10:45am

Please join us for the October 23 session at Anja Caldwell's amazing home studio, about 10 minutes drive from school, where we will wet felt soap bars. Come and go as works for your schedule between 8:45-10:45am.

7711 Glenmore Spring Way, Bethesda.

Please do not park or drive on the neighbor's grass, but feel free to use the shared driveway or park on the street. Glenmore Spring Way loops back onto Hamilton Spring Road, so you can use it one way and do not need to turn around.

October

19/ Thursday

• Adult Education Talk with Laurie Clark (See below), 6:30pm

20/ Friday

• BIPOC Affinity Group Coffee, 8:30am

21/ Saturday

• Middle/High School Open House, 10am - Please join us!

22/ Sunday

• LGBTQIA+ Affinity Group Potluck Picnic, 11am

23/ Monday

• Craft & Conversation, 8:45am at Anja Caldwell's home studio (see above)
• Sunflower Parent/Guardian Meeting, 7pm

24/ Tuesday

• In person Open Parent/Family Org Gathering (see above), 8:30am
• Rising Grade 1 Parent/Guardian Evening, 7pm
• Trustees Council Meeting, 7pm

25/ Wednesday

• Children's Garden/Lower School Tour, 9am
• Zoom Open Parent/Family Org Gathering (see above), 8pm

25/ Friday

• Fall Festival, 4pm

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

How Waldorf Early Childhood Education Prepares the Child for Successful Executive Functioning

With Laurie Clark - Waldorf Educator and Author

Thursday, Oct 19 from 6:30-8pm - TONIGHT!

Laurie Clark has had the privilege of being a Waldorf early educator since 1978. She incorporates her therapeutic training into all aspects of the classroom. The deep question of how to meet the children of today and explore their needs in practical applications lies at the heart of her work. Laurie mentors teachers, is a teacher trainer, and is a frequent conference presenter. She has co-authored two books with Nancy Blanning on therapeutic movement for young children.

WWS BIPOC Affinity Group Coffee

Friday, Oct 20 after drop off

The BIPOC Affinity Group welcomes parents and faculty of color for coffee/tea, morning snacks, and a story offered by one of our members. If you identify as a person of color, please join us on Friday, Oct 20 after drop off in the library.

RSVP for this event or to join our group email list.

Middle & High School Open House

Saturday, Oct 21 for 10am-12pm

Current and prospective families are welcome.

Join us for a weekend open house focused on our middle school and high school programs. There will be teaching demonstrations from both middle and high school teachers, providing a taste of what it is like to participate in WWS classes. We hope you will spread the word and join us!

Registration is not required, but is available in Ravenna for prospective families.

WWS LGBTQIA+ Affinity Group Potluck Picnic

Sunday, Oct 22 from 11am-1pm

WWS Upper Gym Playground

The WWS LGBTQIA+ Affinity Group welcomes the start of the new school year with our first group event—a potluck picnic! As part of our continued efforts to build community and support for our LGBTQIA+ students, families, and faculty we’d like to welcome families of this identity to a potluck picnic:

Families with LGBTQIA+ children, parents/adults, as well as LGBTQIA+ faculty are welcome. Bring the whole family! The school will provide drinks and dessert for this event. We ask that you bring a dish to share labeled with its ingredients and a serving utensil. We look forward to connecting in community with you.

Please RSVP for this event or to join our group listserv to stay informed of upcoming events for this group.

The Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America (WECAN)

We are a member of WECAN and our own Seedlings teacher, Lisa Pitillo, is the WECAN representative for the southeast region. In addition to providing resources for our teachers, WECAN is offering virtual events for families. There is a small registration fee.

The next event is a parent evening with Adam Blanning, MD entitled "Nourishing and Encouraging Children to Connect to the World (and what disrupts that process)."

Wednesday, Oct 25 at 8:30pm

Learn more and register.

Parents Council of Washington

This is our first year as a member of the Parents Council of Washington (PCW). PCW brings together representatives from DC area independent schools and provides a speaker series for member school families.

PCW is pleased to welcome award-winning author Jennifer Wallace to discuss her new book, "Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic -- And What We Can Do About It." All PCW member school parents, administrators, faculty, and staff are invited to attend. Registered attendees are welcome to submit advance questions by Oct 18.

Thursday, Oct 26 from 7-8:30 pm via Zoom

Register

We are selling beautiful, fresh evergreens from the Pacific Northwest for delivery anywhere in the continental US. We will donate our profits to the Lakota Waldorf School on Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.

If you send gifts to families and friends over winter holidays, these are lovely! Buy from us instead of from a big retailer. You will get better evergreens, support a family-owned business that uses sustainable harvesting practices, and support the Lakota Waldorf School.

We will have all direct-ship (no pick up at school) and will use PayPal for all payments this year.

Sales are open through Nov 3.  Items will be shipped individually for delivery starting Thanksgiving week, and are guaranteed to arrive within 2 weeks of Thanksgiving.

Order online and please share the link with family and friends:

https://sherwoodfundraiser.com/wws

*Correction from last week's Bulletin which advertised ordering and pickup at the school. All ordering will be online and all delivery will be direct this year.

Middle School Girls Ride Soccer’s Roller Coaster of Emotions; Put PVAC on Notice They’re a Team to Be Reckoned With

When the oddsmakers at FanDuel got word that AD Taisto Saloma scheduled 4 MSG soccer games in 1 week they quickly sharpened their pencils and changed their opening lines. Already underdogs as one of the youngest teams in the PVAC, WWS’ schedule widened the point spread. So many questions for those wagering on their beloved Red-Tailed Hawks:

Wash the uniform 4 times or just hope for the best?

How often may I reschedule a cello lesson?

Will Coach make it to the correct field on time 4x in a row?

Who’s driving the bus?

Where are my shin guards?

Fortunately, the girls didn’t hear the noise and played their best soccer of the year.

On Monday, they faced a literal uphill battle on the pitch at the Jewish Day School (JDS). With the field sloping greatly in one direction, WWS gave up 3 early goals while defending the sticks at the bottom of the hill. But after halftime, the tables turned, and our girls put in 3 downhill goals of their own. In a nail-biting finish, the Hawks came up just short, losing 4-3, but made sure JDS didn’t cover the spread.

Indeed, those observing the grit, tenacity, and never-give-up attitude on Monday knew the Red-Tailed Hawks could make a deep run in the PVAC post-season starting on Tuesday. WWS went up early on the mighty Burke squad, only to suffer a heartbreaking 3-2 loss in the final minutes to a team loaded with 8th graders. Afterwards, the Burke coaches, still shaking from the near monumental upset, congratulated the Hawks and noted the future looked bright.

With unwavering confidence, the girls quickly wiped away any tears of frustration from Tuesday and came out swinging Wednesday against powerful Norwood on our freshly aerated home pitch. The game ended in a 3-3 tie that left both teams yearning for supplemental time.

With one more game to go, will the Red-Tailed Hawks end the season on a high note? Only time will tell so check the WWS calendar and come cheer on the team one last time this Friday!

High School Boys Soccer has Date with PVAC Soccer Destiny, Ends It with a Kiss

The WWS High School Boys Soccer team is well-versed in moral victories. No one could blame them then when, last Thursday, at the sound of the final whistle, they exploded in jubilant celebration after defeating the mighty Don Bosco Wolfpack 1-0 in a clash of 2023 PVAC titans.

Still soaking from his post-game Gatorade bath, Coach Joey Johnson exclaimed that this victory, and this 2023 campaign, should be savored. Observing that Don Bosco, for instance, fields a team of 11 from a pool of approximately 210, while WWS fields a team of 11 from a pool of approximately 25, the Red-Tailed Hawks have the deck stacked against them. “WWS is almost always the underdog, but this year, we’ve beaten the odds, we’ve broken the myths!” stated Johnson, grinning from ear-to-ear.

Would this momentous win be followed by a momentous letdown? The table was set as the Field School scheduled WWS for their homecoming game on Saturday afternoon. Not this time. Not with this team. In a tense, standing room only affair, the Red-Tailed Hawks took care of business with a 3-1 victory.

And yesterday, on a dreary fall afternoon, the lads returned to the pitch at the Hebrew Academy and posted another clean sheet with a dominating 2-0 victory. Were it not for the heroic efforts of the Cougar’s keeper, the score may have run into the double digits.

So, they’ve come this far and now the 2023 Red-Tailed Hawks stand just 1 victory away from what would be the school’s first-ever PVAC championship banner in soccer. Blocking the path are the mighty McLean School Mustangs. Will the Red-Tailed Hawks finish what they started? Or will the Mustangs make merry and spoil our fun? It’ll all play out this afternoon at 4:30 pm, so come support your Hawks on their march towards the championship. 

Game location: Laytonia Recreational Park, 7300 Airpark Rd, Gaithersburg, MD 20879. Go Hawks!

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 Coordinator - Christen Leonard 
• High School Administrator - Bonnie McClelland
• Operations Manager - Laur Garner

Gong Sound Bath with Iris

From Virginia Ibarra, WWS Alum Parent

As the days become shorter, the rapid change in temperature and light have a profound impact on our bodies and emotions. This is a crucial time to keep our energy balanced, strong and centered. Come work with the Autumn energies that support letting go as we flow with some QiGong focused on the Metal Element, and immerse ourselves in a potent Gong Sound Bath. We will conclude with sharing some Prasad. If you like, bring a dish to share (not required).

Space is limited, use Eventbrite for tickets

$30 donation

Saturday, October 21 from 6:30 - 9:00 pm

Virginia Ibarra’s house

7 Carver Road, Cabin John, MD

703-298-6019

Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement® Series In Person & Online Options

From Alison Babil, WWS Alum Family

Posture affects ease of movement, breathing, emotions, and much more. Feldenkrais® ATM classes are an incredible 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.

Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement® Series In Person: Posture & More

In Person Classes at the Carderock Springs Clubhouse

Seven Thursdays, Nov 2 - Dec 21, 10-11:15am - In Person

Cost: $110, First class free (Nov 2)

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. No refunds or transfers after November 9th, 10am EST

Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement® Series: Online Feldenkrais Classes with Instill Mindfulness

Free Introduction Class, Wednesday, Oct 25, 6:30 - 7:30pm

Registration Free Class Feldenkrais Online

Short Feldenkrais Series, Tuesdays, Nov 7 - 28, 6:30 - 7:30pm

Registration Feldenkrais Series Online

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

The Friendship Heights Village "Pop Up Artisan Shop"

From Dale Conway, WWS Alum Family

The Friendship Heights Village "Pop Up Artisan Shop" will be held November 3 from 5:30-8pm and November 4, from 10am-4pm. The event is designed to give local artisans an opportunity to offer their works for sale, and to gather with other local artists and speak directly to customers in a fun and festive environment. You are more than welcome to bring holiday items for sale. We are eager to hear from fiber artists and those who sell yarn, and artists who create blown glasswork, metal or felted jewelry, scarves, or textiles.

If interested, please email former WWS parent Dale Conway immediately for an application (dconway@friendshipheightsmd.gov). Because original application deadlines have passed, event inclusion is at the discretion of the Village's Program Manager. We look forward to hearing from you!

Brookmont Farm Market - Wednesdays Near WWS

From Madelaine Johnston, WWS family

Brookmont Farm Market is a great place and shop, eat, and play after school on Wednesdays! It's a 15 minute walk from Washington Waldorf, or a 5 minute drive.

Open year round every Wednesday 4 - 7:30pm. We offer live music, and at least one free kids' activity each week (yoga, face painting, petting zoo, goat yoga, fairy hair, rope swing & playground). We host a variety of food vendors including hot food trucks (easy dinner!), Twin Springs Farm produce, Bryant Meats, Nicole's Bakery (gluten free options!), Great Harvest Breads, Black Horse Kettle Corn, Dimitri Olive Oil from Greece, and many others. Our mission is to create fun and real community, and to promote small women and minority owned businesses. Come on down!

Located on the Brookmont Village Green opposite 4000 Virginia Place, Bethesda 20816

website: https://www.brookmontmarket.com/

email: brookmontmarket@gmail.com

PS We are also looking for volunteers! Contact us by email if you are interested in finding out more.

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