Weekly Bulletin
February 16, 2022
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Thank you to the parents for filling the faculty lounge with appreciation and encouragement and yummy treats for Valentine's Day! The faculty felt loved and bolstered by your outpouring of support (and treats!). |
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Honoring Black History Month in the WWS Library |
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The mission of the WWS Library is to support the curriculum, to promote literacy and the love of books and reading, and to enhance the continuing development of DEI work in the school. With access to approximately 12,000 books, 10 magazine subscriptions, various maps, and a small number of videos and CDs, faculty, students, and parents may prepare for teaching, research a topic for a report, learn about Waldorf pedagogy, or enjoy a work of fiction.
Because the Waldorf curriculum covers many cultures and historical periods, arts and sciences, literature and sports, the librarians always strive to build a curriculum-supporting collection. In the past few years, however, more focus has been brought to grow the scope of DEI materials for all grade levels and to update materials previously purchased through the "multicultural book fund".
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A Mascot Change Is in the Works |
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Last year our school community was gifted a beautiful visualization of the Knight mascot that we have carried for many years. As we went through that process last year, seeds for change were planted. There have been wide reaching conversations about what a knight represents and about the traits that we want our mascot to represent. Our school pride has remained strong, but the complexities, pain and suffering for many connected to knights and the history of knights has produced a strong sense that it is time to move in another direction. We have heard this sentiment expressed by teachers, parents, and students during the course of the last year. The Anti-Racist Curriculum Group (ARCG) has taken up the task of moving this work forward, and is working in coordination with The College.
There is a jar at the front desk where we are collecting suggestions for the new mascot. We invite suggestions especially from students, faculty, and alums. The process will be shepherded by the ARCG, with more news to come soon, once possibilities for a new mascot are narrowed to a few. Please make your submissions no later than Wednesday, February 23!
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6th graders working on their circus skills - building coordination, dexterity, balance, focus, and concentration. |
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Staying Up to Date With Our School Calendar
* Current Parents can find Zoom information for meetings in ParentSquare
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February
17/ Thursday
18/ Friday
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NO SCHOOL - Conferences as needed
21/ Monday
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NO SCHOOL - Presidents' Day
23/ Wednesday
- Washington Area Waldorf Education Speaker Series, 8pm (see below)
24/ Thursday
- Nursery Parent Evening, 7:45pm
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Washington Area Waldorf Education Speaker Series
3 Upcoming Virtual Events!
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Culturally Relevant Education
A Training for School Communities with Celestine Stadnick
Wednesday, February 23 from 8-9:30 pm
Learn ways to better equip educational organizations, teachers, students, communities, stakeholders and leaders in being truly inclusive of all members of society.
Meeting ID: 784 6927 5163
Passcode: y3MHXJ
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Celestine Stadnick was born on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in 1990, to a Lakota father and a Swiss mother. Having spent 10 years of her educational journey at the Lakota Waldorf School, the Rudolf Steiner School Lucerne and the Atelier School Zurich, she was inspired to become a Waldorf teacher... read her full bio on our website.
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Developing Numeracy in Waldorf Education
Wednesday, March 2 at 8pm on Zoom
Please join us for an evening with WWS faculty members discussing how Waldorf pedagogy approaches the development of numeric literacy.
Zoom Info to Follow.
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Creating Safe Harbor in the Storm
Young Children and the Pandemic Environment with Liz Hagerman
Wednesday, March 8 at 8pm
We will discuss the impact of the pandemic on our children’s social and emotional well-being, and the importance of parent self-care in meeting the challenges of parenting in the pandemic. This session is part presentation and part conversation.
Zoom Info to Follow.
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Set up a Recurring Gift to Increase Your Impact |
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Increase Your Impact, While Reducing Your To Do List
By setting up a recurring gift to Washington Waldorf School, you can increase your impact by giving to the school consistently, while fitting the payments into your budget. Simply select the donation frequency on our giving page, and choose the amount you would like to give annually, quarterly, or monthly. The payments are automatically drafted from your preferred account.
The ONE FUND helps the school meet day to day operating expenses not covered by tuition. The ONE FUND supports tuition assistance, campus improvements, high-quality art supplies, faculty salaries, professional development, and more—it underwrites the breadth of our excellence. The ONE FUND also allows Washington Waldorf School to offer tuition assistance to over 35% of school families, helping to make Waldorf Education available to more families.
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"I am proud to have been a student first through twelfth grade at the Washington Waldorf School and to have been a member of the first graduating class from the Washington Waldorf High School. My life was deeply affected by my time at WWS, and I am now dedicated to giving back to the school that gave me so much. To add personal meaning to my monthly gift, the amount I give is in honor of my WWS soccer jersey number. Setting aside a monthly gift that withdraws automatically allows me to give to the school year round, and aligns seamlessly with my monthly budget. I'm grateful to be able to give an amount that is meaningful both to me, and to a school community that I care so much about."
- Victoria Mansuri, WWS Class of 1988 and current Handwork Teacher at The Orchard Valley Waldorf School
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Recent Article on Waldorf Education |
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Last week US News & World Report published this article giving an overview of what Waldorf education offers. If you have friends that are curious about Waldorf, this could be a good resource to share with them.
Immersive learning and a focus on the whole child are the hallmarks of Waldorf education.
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One More Day to Drop Off Donations! |
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The High School Social Activism Club is organizing a donation drive for N Street Village. N Street Village in DC is an organization that empowers homeless and low-income women, and offers them a broad spectrum of services and advocacy in an atmosphere of dignity and respect. There are many volunteers that contribute greatly to the organization, and through their efforts, N Street Village is able to help 2,000 low-income and homeless women each year. We are hoping that we can join these efforts and make a difference for these women.
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Our collection started Monday, Feb 7, and will go through Thursday, Feb 17. You can find a collection box near the entrance outside, as well as inside in the high school. Please bring many of the wished-for items to school (list below)! A couple of our club members will drive all of our donations to N Street Village on Monday, 2/21. Thank you very much for your participation!
We have spoken to a coordinator at N Street Village, and these are the items that they currently need:
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*All Travel Sized*
- Lotions
- Shampoo
- Conditioner
- Deodorant
- Body wash
- Soap
- Toothpaste
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*Regular Size*
- Incontinence pads
- Shelf stable milk
- Canned tuna
- Paper towels
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A little bit about The Social Activism Club: we are a group of high school students that want to make a difference in the world and in our communities. We are focusing on a variety of topics, and are doing our best to reach and impact as many people as we can. We meet once a week and discuss issues and solutions to many problems that affect our community. At the moment, we are focusing on more local volunteer opportunities, and educating ourselves and the rest of the student body on these important topics. |
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From the Parent Leadership Group |
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Undoing Racism Working Group (URWG): Additional spring dates were recently posted for the 3-day Undoing Racism workshop from PISAB, which is a prerequisite to join the URWG. The URWG's goal is to employ anti-racist principles as a lens for critical thinking about how racism is deeply rooted in our institutions, and to create a space where we can recognize and employ our own agency to organize ourselves and others around anti-racist principles.
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Shop Sustainable Goods and Support Our School at the Same Time! |
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Jolie Kai, a sustainable fashion boutique, has recently opened at the Shops at Sumner Place (4701 Sangamore Road, Bethesda, MD 20816). Owner Michelle Jaffe is a WWS alum parent and has generously offered to donate 15% of all purchases made by the WWS community back to the school during the month of February.
This is a great opportunity to shop for yourself, your children, or to purchase gifts for family and friends while supporting a local business and showing some love to WWS at the same time.
In order for your purchase to count towards the donation, please mention that you are with Washington Waldorf School when shopping in the store. If shopping online, use the code WWS. Please note that this promotion cannot be combined with other discounts/promotions and will only apply to purchases made through February 28, 2022.
Thank you to Michelle and Jolie Kai for this generous offer!
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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. There is no charge for listings.
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Please submit listings by COB Tuesdays with the subject "Bulletin Submission."
- If you are sending images or flyers, a link to an online version is preferred.
- Bulletin Board notices generally run for 3 weeks - if space allows - unless other arrangements have been made. Please let us know if listing information is no longer accurate. Listings may not be accepted and will likely be edited.
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These notices are from the WWS community, the greater Waldorf community, and occasionally from our school neighbors. The information and views in them belong to the individuals who submit the notices and do not necessarily reflect the views of WWS. |
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Summer camp at Hawthorne Valley Farm
Hawthorne Valley Farm camp offers a unique experience for children ages 8-16. They gain a reverence for the natural world and learn about caring for animals and the earth, and make lifelong memories.
There is so little opportunity in our modern, fast-paced world, to gain an immersive understanding of where our food comes from, how it gets to our tables, and how to love and respect every being that made that journey possible. Spending one, two or three weeks at farm camp can shift the awareness of a person of any age, and with that experience also comes the discovery of independence, self-confidence and compassion.
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Save Soil Movement
from Laura McCoy, WWS Parent
I am part of a global campaign to help “save our soil”. The science and data shows we have 45-50 years left of agricultural soil left and the ramifications are unimaginable. The exciting part is that this can be reversed in the next 15 – 20 years! I want to share with you all about this movement and what each of us can do.
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Cell Phones, Wireless and Health
From Theodora Scarato, WWS Parent
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Published by the Washington Waldorf School
Copyright © 2022 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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Washington Small Schools Association
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