Weekly Bulletin - April 29, 2020
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Senior Project Presentations
Class of 2020
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Senior Project Presentations
Wednesday, May 6 from 11:30am – 3pm
(with a lunch break)
Some of our Seniors elect to do an independent project where they delve into a topic that particularly interests or inspires them. The process culminates in a public presentation of the projects for the community.
You are invited to participate in this year’s virtual presentation next Wednesday. Here is what you need to know:
- Next Wednesday morning we will send an email with the schedule, viewing instructions, and a link you can use to access the presentations.
- Grades 6 and up will watch in lieu of other classes that day.
- All are welcome - with the note that some presentations may not be suitable and we do not recommend this medium for younger children.
This year's topics (in order of presentation):
- Annabelle: Lost in Translation: Linguistic Relativity
- Eve: First Responders in America: Emergency Medical Services
- Lua: Propaganda through the Lens of Cold War America
- Josephine: Aquaponics: The Future of Sustainable Agriculture
- Brandon: Combustion Engines: Their History, Uses, Issues and Alternatives
LUNCH BREAK
- Maria: Fashion, Climate, and Individual Responsibility
- Emanuele: Crime, Italian Style: The Mafia
- Sonja: The Economics of Menstruation
- Elliot: EB Lawns: Creating Small Businesses
- Sophia: Kuchipudi: A Classical Indian Dance Form
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COVID-19 Response & Resources
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In case you haven't seen it, we have provided a page on our website that summarizes our school's response to the pandemic and aggregates many of the resources we have shared with parents during this time. Feel free to share these resources with any friends you think might need them as they find their own way and rhythms during this time:
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Online Auction & Golden Gala
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Online silent auction and our Buy-In Party sign-ups are live!
Bid on an item or sign up for a Buy-In Party by the end of today, Wednesday and you'll be entered into a raffle to win the family game "Ice Cream Empire" developed by alumnus Lars Thorn, and a $20 Starbucks gift card.
Our Golden Gala - Now Virtual, Now Free, New Date
We will also host a live-streamed gala on
Saturday, May 16
to raise money for the WWS Fund, which will support financial aid and cover the gap in our operating budget. As the coronavirus wears on, the support of our extended community is needed more than ever and we hope you will be a part of this important community event. More details coming soon!
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Grandparents & Special Friends Day
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Sadly, Grandparents and Special Friends Day will be canceled this year.
To mark the day (this Friday, May 1st!),
we will send a special Bulletin
to Grandparents and Friends with good wishes and descriptions of what we are doing while the building is closed. If you would like your child's grandparent or special friend to receive this Bulletin,
please send us their name and email address
.
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Current Parents
can find the Zoom access information for these events in
ParentSquare
. If you are not a current parent, please contact whoever is listed for the event you want to attend.
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Waldorf Community Meditation: A Pause for Yourself
TONIGHT
Wednesday, 8-8:20pm
With so much going on at home (well,
everything
these days), it feels as if we have less space to simply pause and be with ourselves and all that is happening.
Please join us for the next two weeks as we take some time to simply breathe and be. Michael Danzansky will be leading us in a simple guided meditation practice which will leave you feeling more grounded and present. Michael is a parent and has been teaching yoga and mindfulness for close to 10 years.
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Parent Organization Happy Hour
Friday, May 1 from 4-5pm
Join the Parent Organization gathering "Happy Hour" - a check-in on our parent community, an opportunity to socialize, and a chance to bring ideas about how we can best support each other.
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WWS Community Bingo Night
Saturday, May 2 at 7pm
Join us for a Zoom Bingo Night - Bring your popcorn and your family for an evening activity with the Washington Waldorf School community. After registering you'll be provided with a Zoom link.
Learn More
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Community Book Club Hosted by Susan Walsh
Starting Thursday, May 6 at 8pm
(meeting every other week via zoom)
Susan Walsh will lead a discussion of the novel
The Dutch House
by Ann Patchett. Susan will discuss the author and the first part of the book, up to page 122. Come one, come all! (Parents, Alumni Parents, and Grandparents welcome)
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Understanding the CARES Act
What new legislation means for you and the Washington Waldorf School
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from Caitlin Mackenzie, Director of
Development
How are you doing?
I’m currently working at my dining room table opposite to my husband, who is teaching his 35 sixth grade students about the history of transportation through live-streaming. Our two daughters, Washington Waldorf School high school students, are upstairs in their own rooms engaged in their own distance learning programs. It’s a little cramped in our home, (especially at lunch when one person’s lunch period is another person’s live classroom session), sometimes loud, and definitely not ideal. At the same time, it is a gift that we can be together.
I know we are all working to figure it out in these unprecedented times. I wanted to reach out today on behalf of the Washington Waldorf School to share some key changes for the 2020 tax filing year that may be beneficial to you and your family.
The U.S. Congress has passed the CARES Act to provide economic assistance and there are some important changes that may make a difference for you this year:
- Checks for individuals and families: If you had an income of less than $99K last year (or $198,000 for joint filers) you will receive a check of up to $1,200 per adult and $500 per child under 17 years old, or up to $3,400 for a family of four. Visit the U.S. Treasury website for more information.
- Additional Income Tax Charitable Deduction: You can deduct up to $300 above the standard deduction for individuals in charitable contributions. This is for everyone, even if you have no other itemizations.
- No “RMDs” from your IRA, but QCDS are still a smarter way to give: For individuals with IRA accounts, there are no Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) this year. However, giving pre-tax funds out of your IRA will still lower your future tax burden compared to giving cash. If you are interested in this method of giving please contact your IRA custodian today. Fidelity offers some helpful information on the CARES Act and RDMS on their website.
We hope you find this information useful as you make important decisions about how to best support our WWS mission of developing the capacities of each student to think clearly, feel compassionately, and act purposefully in the world. If you have any further questions about how you can continue to support WWS during this time, or just want to reach out, please feel free to contact me at 202-577-8770 (personal cell phone is the best phone number during this time of social distancing) or by email at cmackenzie@washingtonwaldorf.org
Take care,
Caitlin
Caitlin MacKenzie
Director of Development
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For anyone who has been looking for an outlet to share something of their experience during this time...
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Bethesda Magazine
Bethesda Magazine is running a series called
Coronavirus Chronicles
. If you have a story you want to tell, you can submit an essay to the magazine:
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Online Reviews
You can support WWS with our virtual admissions process by sharing your love of the school and community through online reviews. If you feel moved to share, please post to one or more of these sites:
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Last Chance to Preorder the 2019-2020 Yearbook and Buy Ads
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Preorder Your Copy of the 2019-2020 Yearbook by April 30!
Full color coverage of Children’s Garden through 12th Grade & events
Please Note: TreeRing’s website works best in the Chrome internet browser.
If you visit the website directly, the school pass code is: 1015278619434770
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Yearbook ad space still available
! Your ad, with copy, is
due Monday, April 30, 2020
. Ad space can be used to congratulate your child/the class, thank a teacher/the school, or advertise your business. Ad prices are as follows:
- $20 for 1/8 page ad
- $30 for 1/4 page ad
- $50 for 1/2 page ad
- $80 for full page ad
Please contact
Caitlin MacKenzie
, Yearbook Club sponsor, with any questions. Thank you and enjoy!
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Parent Gathering over Zoom this Friday, May 1st from 4-5pm
Come as you are able - for a few minutes or the whole hour!
The POSC invites all parents from CG, LS, and HS to our next online PO Gathering! It’s really nice to see parents from different grades so we hope you can join us. Zoom information is in Parent Square in an email from Maria Monteverde-Jackson sent Monday, 4/27.
This week possible discussion items are:
- Businesses in the community. Please join us if you have a business so we can support you! (See more info below)
- How are parents staying in touch with others? Social media? What platforms? What if not on social media?
- What challenges are you facing? Is there any way the Parent Organization can help at this time?
- Feel free to email any other topic ideas to the POSC at posc@washingtonwaldorf.org
Community Networking Event
Do you have a small business or consulting work you’d like to share with the community?
Please come Friday to the Parent Gathering to tell us about it as we would like to create a list of parents in the community who have a small business or do freelance work. If you are a contractor, landscaper, architect, garden designer, life coach, nutritionist, etc - please join us Friday to share your business with the community. We know these are tough times for small business owners and our community can support local businesses if we know about them! Feel free to email your business info to the Parent Organization Steering Committee at
posc@washingtonwaldorf.org
ahead of time so we know to expect you. Your services might be very helpful to the community, so thanks for sharing!
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The Parent Organization invites parents to this free webinar sponsored by PEP:
Supporting Teens When They Are Missing Out
Thursday, April 30 at 12pm
High school and college students are facing their own unique disappointments right now — canceled graduations and other end-of-year rituals, an abrupt and seemingly interminable return home from college, online learning. All this while spending weeks at home with family when they would rather return to their "regularly scheduled programming!" Throughout this webinar series, parents of teens have shared their struggles to help teens process their anguish, lower stress and anxiety, and find the motivation to take care of themselves. Two of our Parent Educators who specialize in working with parents of teens share their wisdom on connecting and collaborating with teens to find balance, set limits, and envision a way forward.
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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. Listings will likely be edited. Please
submit listings
by COB Tuesdays with the subject "Bulletin Submission." Bulletin Board notices generally run for 3 weeks - if space allows - unless other arrangements have been made. There is no charge for listings.
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Study Group: When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron.
Monday May 4, 8-9pm
(4 Week class)
We have a few spaces left for folks to join this wonderful group. An great opportunity to cultivate tools and practices to work with the transitional times we are in. Join Michael Danzansky (
WWS Parent
) and community as we take comfort in Pema Chodron's compassionate wisdom and reminder that fundamental happiness is always within our reach. Using transformative mindfulness practices based in Buddhist wisdom, we will learn and practice how to better navigate life and find happiness when things are not so stable. And in so doing, show up in a bigger way for ourselves and others.
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Webinar: Parenting During an Ongoing Pandemic
(from
AISGW
)
Wednesday, May 6 from 7-8pm
The Parents Council of Washington (PCW), a volunteer organization whose mission is to connect and educate parents in DC-area independent schools, will host a webinar
featuring well-known psychologists and best-selling authors Rob Evans, Ed.D. and Michael Thompson, Ph.D.
Learn more
A webinar link will be sent to registrants on May 5th.
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Education Imagined: Supporting Parents, Children & Educators Through This Time of Covid-19
There is 1 online session left with Torin Finser, PhD and Priya Mahtani sharing their reflections on the challenges parents and families and educators may be experiencing at this time and listening also to your valued contributions.
Thursdays in April.
The intention is to create a supportive space for a rich and nourishing dialogue between us all so that we can support each other and our children during these times. You can find out more about the event on the
website
.
The event is low-cost as the intention is to reach a global audience and scholarships are available if this is genuinely out of reach. Thank you!
www.schoolofsophia.org/covid19
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Looking for Student Housing for Next School Year
Dear WWS Community,
Our family is relocating west while our older son Emanuele (12th) will stay in the DC area to start college in the fall. We are seeking a family that might have a room to rent. The time frame would be 3 to 12 months, starting from July 1st. Thank you in advance for your kind consideration.
With warm regards,
Serafina Orobello (
WWS Parent
)
704-499-7272 (mobile)
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Flow Yoga Classes
from Michael Danzansky (
WWS Parent
)
Flow Yoga Center
, has done an amazing job of pivoting during this crisis, putting over 50 live classes per week on zoom. They are also giving free memberships to front liners in hospitals and food stores. I would love for you to take my class on Tuesdays at 12:15 and Fridays at 6pm.
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An 8-week Virtual Meditation Class for Women
Releasing stress during uncertain times
Are you feeling anxious, heart broken, angry or stressed? Perhaps some of you are experiencing a slower pace in life as so much has come to a stop. Are you unsure how to navigate this new pace and all the unknowns? How do we open to the complexity of feelings, nourish our understanding and compassion in a new way, and stay grounded?
These are the questions that we will explore together in this mindfulness meditation class for women. Classes are designed to build solidarity and connection. The benefit of a structured class with a cohort of similar women is a depth of connection to others and yourself. We learn from each other and are inspired by our mutual commitment to living life awake and as best as we can.
WHEN: Thursdays, April 16 - June 4, 7:30-9 pm
WHERE: Online via zoom
COST: $259 for 8 weeks
To register, email or call/text Jeanine (
WWS Parent
) at 202-352-3208.
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Postcards to Thank Healthcare Professionals
I am calling in a collection of mini artworks (postcard sized) called "Star Shimmers" to send to hospitals and nursing homes at this time. Each star shimmer will become a gift to a patient/doctor/nurse/all providing healing to those affected by the virus condition, and for the overall healing of the Earth.
If you are interested in contributing to this mission, please email Rebekah Miller (
WWS Assistant Teacher - CG
)
rebekaham5813@gmail.com
for further details.
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Published by the Washington Waldorf School
Copyright © 2020 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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