DWS NEWSLETTER

SEPTEMBER 30, 2022

UPCOMING EVENTS

September 30

Michaelmas Celebration

@ 12:00 PM, in the Grove

October 3

Soup Tasting at lunch for students

October 5

Yom Kippur

October 7

2nd Grade Class Play

October 8

First Saturday Parent Child Classes

October 10

Indigenous Peoples' Day

First Monday Parent Child Classes

October 12

School Picture Day

October 19

Board Meeting

@ 7:00 PM, Zoom Link

October 24

Diwali

NO SCHOOL - In Service Day

October 25

Diversity, Inclusion &

Social Justice Mtg

@ 7:00 PM, Zoom Link

October 26

Parent Council Meeting

@ 6:30 PM, Zoom Link

October 29

Halloween Festival

Volunteer Sign Up Link

WEBSITE CALENDAR

DWS BLACKBAUD PORTAL

September

by Carmen Penchi

August is almost a memory

Breezy cool nights are getting stronger

Colorful days of autumn soon will stay

Days are shorter, nights are longer

Each falling leaf brings us closer to winter

Finally time to put the lawnmowers away

Golden leaves flutter gently to the ground

Harvest season will be makings its round

Kaleidoscope of colors, a sight so serene

Leave your worries behind you and celebrate

Michaelmas Day – as the harvest comes to an end

Nature’s palette as seen from above

Orchards begin to bloom with so much love

Put away your summer clothes and

Quietly admire the most colorful of seasons, a

Riot of colors on mountains so high

Shades of autumn brings sweet cool fall air

Tasking us to look up at the harvest moons flair

Under your feet the crackly crunch of leaves can be heard

Vivid and stark the trees should not be disturbed

Wind howling through them, echoing the past

Xerothermic days didn’t even last

Yielding to the season of storms without a fuss

Zany zero temps are almost upon us.

Click "View entire message" at the bottom of this email to make sure you see all news and updates.

SCHOOL NEWS

REMINDER: Michaelmas Pageant

Friday, September 30

Join us in the Grove at 12 pm this Friday for the annual Michaelmas play! After the play, each class will celebrate by picnicking and eating Sun Cakes made by each class. Class Teachers will send out information particular to each class. Students will return to class to be released to parents after the final handshake at 1 pm for the typical dismissal time.

REMINDER: Drop Off & Lower School Yard Policies

In order to keep the morning drop-off period running as smoothly as possible, we would like to highlight some important policies and rules for the Lower School Yard.

(1) The playground is opened at 8:00 a.m. by the Lower School Yard Supervisor. Hallie Yu, 2nd Grade Assistant Teacher, is the yard supervisor this year (thank you Hallie!).

(2) Students may enter the play yard only when the Lower School Yard supervisor is present in the yard. Parents are responsible for their children until the supervising DWS staff member is present.

(3) During the morning drop off window, the lower school play yard is reserved for grades students and staff only. Parents and younger children should refrain from entering the play yard. We make this request to help streamline the morning drop-off process. When parents and children other than the grades students are in the yard, it can become overcrowded and make it difficult for the Lower Yard Supervisor(s) to properly oversee the children.

We are so happy that parents are excited to congregate and connect in the morning, an opportunity that has been much missed during the last few years of the pandemic. In years past, the parent council has organized morning meet ups (with coffee!). If you are interested in the return of these events, let us know by email (parentcouncil@daviswaldorf.org).

Looking for items!

The school is looking for a couple of different items, and we wanted to reach out to our community to see if anyone has some on hand they are willing to donate.

Do you have swaddle cloths?

The Junebug early childhood Aftercare program is looking for some blankets for nap. 47x47 swaddle cloths work wonderfully for this purpose.

Do you have pentatonic flutes?

Our grades teachers are looking for some pentatonic flutes to expand our collection.

Donations can be dropped off at the Office.

Monday Soup Tasting, 10/3

Potential New Hot Lunch Offering

On Monday October 3, the 7th grade will be holding a tasting of a potential new hot lunch offering - seasonal vegetarian soup! Students should plan to bring their own lunch but save room for a free tasting of a delicious vegetable and bean soup. The soup will include local and organic cranberry beans, finely diced butternut squash, and kale. Other veggies in the soup are onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and tomatoes, and a small amount of herbs such as rosemary, sage or thyme. It will be completely vegetarian. If the kids enjoy the soup, the plan is to offer this every Monday as a new hot lunch item, so stay tuned!

$1 Popsicles for sale on Fridays

$1 Popsicles will available for purchase in the breezeway every Friday at 1 pm pick up. Make sure to bring cash if you want a sweet treat to start off your weekend! This fundraiser is being organized by the 6th grade class as they begin their journey towards their capstone class trip.

Parent Child Classes

Starting October 8th!

This Fall, our Parent + Child Classes will be run by two lovely facilitators, Mary Nichols and Danielle Murphy Faris, on two different days. Mary's classes will meet on Saturdays and Danielle's will be held Mondays. Both days of classes have two age groups - one class for 6-18 month olds and another for 19 - 36 month old children. Each class will meet 6 times beginning the second week of October. Visit our website for more more details on times, dates and pricing.

Visit our Website

SATURDAY CLASSES Registration Form

MONDAY CLASSES Registration Form

Thank you Ceri, Dean and Mary!

The Board of Directors wishes to extend heartfelt appreciation to outgoing board members Ceri Beeman, Dean Vogel, and Mary Nichols. Ceri served on the board for six years, with four years as the Board Chair. Dean served on the board since late 2019 and Mary since 2021. Thank you so much for your service to the school!

We're Looking for a Basketball Coach!

Are you passionate about basketball and teaching student athletes? DWS is looking for a volunteer coach to coordinate the upper grades basketball team. Practices are in November and December, with games in January and February. A small stipend is available to support this position. Interested parties should email office@daviswaldorf.org.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Michaelmas in Kindergarten

Michaelmas is a festival celebrated by the whole school and is a special time of year in Waldorf Schools all over the world. In first grade, children will begin participating in the grades festival, during which each class takes part in performing the Michaelmas story, complete with a 'real' dragon that is made each year by the 6th grade class. Michaelmas is a time to ask ourselves: what are the dragons in our life and in the world, and how do we overcome them?

In kindergarten, the children hear the Michaelmas story for the first time and have their own festival celebration. In the weeks leading up to Michaelmas, the kinder classes dye Golden Capes and make Dragon Bread to share with friends and family. On Michaelmas morning, kinder parents are invited to stay after morning circle for the cape ceremony. Parents will have the chance to tie a Golden Cape around their child, and the children have a Walk of Courage around the school. After the walk, children and parents will come back to the kindergarten yard to share Dragon Bread and play outside before coming in for snack.

Thank you to Lynn for the beautiful photos of cape dying, and Teacher Emily for her lovely description of this special kinder event.

Volunteer Sign Up

Halloween Festival,

Saturday October 29

At DWS we celebrate Halloween with a blend of the old and the new. The whole family is invited to our Halloween Festival which will take place on Saturday, October 29th. Before then, there are many tasks we need to complete in order to prepare for this magical and memorable evening. The festival will include baked goods, chili and cornbread, a warm fire, music, and so much more. If you are interested in volunteering before or during the event, please visit the Sign Up Genius linked HERE.

We encourage adults and children alike to wear costumes, but ask that they reflect the essence of our school. Commercial "character" themes, scary masks or full face makeup are NOT allowed. We also ask that parents be mindful of cultural appropriation, and avoid replicating stereotypes of oppressed peoples. For more information, please see the following article here.

Board Mtg

Wed 10/19 @ 7:00

Join Board Mtg

ZOOM LINK:

https://zoom.us/j/87689848411?pwd=Ujg1M044NS9Ea0VmdUJ4cGR5WkRqUT09

Diversity, Inclusion & Social Justice Mtg

Tues 10/25 @ 7:00

Join Diversity Mtg

ZOOM LINK:

https://zoom.us/j/97048113640?pwd=aE9GNWx3akppbVZ4M1B3a2lrMWI5UT09

Parent Council Mtg

Wed 10/26 @ 6:30

Join PC Mtg

ZOOM LINK:

https://zoom.us/j/98891094204?pwd=S21oZ0dWZkFKamtIQXF4UkFGc1k5d z09

WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING ON CAMPUS?

Back-to-School Picnic, 9/16

And what a wonderful time was had by all! Thank you to all the families and friends who joined us on the evening of the 16th for picnicking and dancing. It is always a joy to come together as a community and welcome in a new school year on our beautiful campus. We hope to see you all again at the next community event! Special thanks to the talented musicians who filled the Grove with merriment, and the Parent Council who pulled together the Clothing Swap on such short notice.

Gaga Ball is a hit!

Our new Gaga ball court is a huge success! Thank you so much to Papa Jim and Papa Derek (2nd grade parents) for building it with the help of 5th grader, Shay. The court has become the highlight of recess for many students.

Meet the 3rd Grade Chicks!

Say hello to Butter, Nutella, Oreo and Peanut Butter! Can you match the name to the chick? Every year the third grade class raise a small flock of chickens from egg to adulthood as part of their learning about farming and gardening.

Hot Lunch Orders

Support the 7th & 8th Grade!

Hot Lunch is in full swing! You can still sign up for Tuesday Burritos, Wednesday Potatoes, and Thursday Pizza. Make sure to submit orders at least 24 hours before the delivery day.

Questions? Email: office@daviswaldorf.org

Download Order Form

Field Trip Round Up

4th Grade Overnight to Chaw'se State Park

5th Grade Overnight to Calaveras Big Trees State Park

6th Grade Overnight to Lassen National Park

The sixth grade year begins with the study of geology and minerals. Our sixth graders were grateful to be able to go to Lassen National Park to hike up the lava dome and cinder cone volcanoes they have been learning about. Climbing the 2000 feet to summit Lassen Peak was a real physical challenge for the class. Led by the intrepid Ms. Blair, and working as a team, they had an incredible adventure from underground in the lava tubes up to 10,457 feet!