We have one more week before we conclude the strangest school year I have ever seen. Who would have thought we would have had to do what we have all done this spring? These will be the days we will talk about for the rest of our lives!
Unfortunately, none of us still knows how this COVID-19 situation will play out, yet we are planning for various scenarios in the fall (see note below). Thank you for rolling through the changes with us, and I hope this next week we can truly celebrate the gracious and loving hearts among us that have helped us remain a community of distinction.
Please read through all the announcements, plans, and thoughts for the future below. I am also delighted to offer our Mountain Song Student Heart Project!
❤
Dr. Teresa Woods
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Bristlecone Pine 8th Grade Graduation - May 28th
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Our wonderful Bristlecone Pine 8th grade class will graduate from Mountain Song next Thursday, May 28th. Like schools all over the world, we are planning a different kind of celebration this year in light of the coronavirus crisis. Mr. Jesse Rochette, class teacher, will lead the graduation ceremony on video conference at 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. The students and their families will then come to the school for a drive-around parade at 5:00 to 5:30 p.m. The 7th grade students are decorating the perimeter of the school grounds, and the staff will be safely spaced around the perimeter of the school to cheer on our 8th graders as they leave Mountain Song and move onto high school. We hope to hold an in-person celebration in the future when we are able. Congratulations, Bristlecone Pine Class! We are so proud of you!
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Mountain Song Student Heart Project
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Thank you for all the student heart photos! If you still have one to submit, I can add it still over the weekend. I am delighted to present the Mountain Song Student Heart Project!
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Student Belongings Pick-Up
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There are several student belongings still left in classrooms, and we are scheduling times for families to come by the school the week after school ends to retrieve them. We will follow the same protocol we have used for Packet Pick-Up.
Student Belongings Pick-up Times:
Tuesday through Friday, June 2nd through 5th
8 -10 a.m. and 3-5 p.m.
Drive-Through Instructions
- From Kiowa Street, drive through the parking lot next to the gym.
- Stop your car by the picnic table next to the gym door.
- Remain in vehicle.
- If no attendant is visible - give one short beep on the horn to let the attendant know you are there.
- Roll down the passenger side window - to keep social distance and communicate the name(s) of student and the teacher’s name.
- Attendant will hand the bag of items through the passenger side window.
- Drive straight through the backside of the school and exit onto Bijou Street.
If necessary, parents may park and enter the gymnasium to look for items that may not have been included in the teacher sorted packets. (All belongings will be staged in the gymnasium.)
- Only 7 individuals will be allowed in the gymnasium at one time including staff.
- We ask that everyone wear face masks.
- Maintain social-distance of remaining 6 feet apart.
- Handle only those items that you will be taking with you.
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As a way of supporting our communities to stay active during COVID-19, The Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA) has begun its Waldorf100+1:
Run! Skip! Dance!
Across the Continent
campaign. They began the journey at the Rudolf Steiner School in New York, New York and have traveled 1500 miles to The Hartsbrook School in Hadley, Massachusetts. The week of May 11-15 began at The Hartsbrook School, then will tour schools in the Northeast/Quebec region, next it will move through the entire Great Lakes Region and finally stops at The Waldorf School of St Louis. A journey of nearly 2000 miles! The Run! Skip! Dance! campaign continues through September 11, 2020, which is the 100+1-year anniversary of Waldorf education.The goal is to make our way, through logged miles from participants in the active school communities, from Waldorf school to Waldorf school throughout North America.
This is a super easy and fun program that MSCS can join with other Waldorf schools and celebrate the 100th anniversary.
Everyone can participate; students, staff, families
. All are invited to log weekly activities and submit them.
Stay active out there!
Mrs. Denise Neal
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Agricultural Arts Summer Garden Camp Cancelled
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We sadly announce that we must cancel the Agricultural Arts Summer Garden Camp planned for Summer 2020 due to COVID-19. We are incredibly disappointed to have needed to make this decision. We look forward to such a camp in the future, and thank Mr. Adam Wright, Ms. Griffin Olson, Ms. Shannon Huard, and Ms. Anita Schlichting for their incredibly hard work in the garden and planning for next year. The garden itself is thriving, so watch for continued announcements throughout the summer.
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What will school look like in the fall when the new academic year starts? Unfortunately, we really do not know yet, as the COVID-19 crisis is an evolving one. We know that uncertainty is very hard to take, and we are working on planning a variety of scenarios that could be implemented, depending on how things change over the summer months. As soon as we have specific plans, we will share them.
We are also bracing for steep financial cuts as the state of Colorado faces an enormous budget deficit due to the COVID-19 crisis, which will impact the state revenue we receive. The state legislature is scheduled to make these decisions in the coming days and weeks. We have been fortunate in that the Joint Budget Committee has tried to recommend as much funding as possible for state charter schools like Mountain Song, and we have our authorizers, CSI, to thank for advocating so effectively for us. The reality, however, is that all public schools across the state (and much of the nation) will face serious budget cuts as we are reliant on tax dollars, which have shrunk significantly.
We are forming a committee (or committees) to help guide the scenario planning this summer. All schools in Colorado will need to abide by the guidelines coming from the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) and the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment (CDPHE), and we are working closely with our state leaders at CSI for guidance as well. We do expect the outlook to change somewhat over the summer months. Variables that will impact school openings will be any further virus outbreaks - or lack thereof - in the area, development of effective treatments for those infected, and impacts among high-risk groups.
We have a responsibility to provide safe conditions at school for students, families, teachers, and staff. Maintaining physical distance is so incredibly hard -- most of us want to simply be able to hug each other and go back to how we interacted before the crisis. We have incredible faith that these conditions will pass at some point, and we will be able to be together comfortably again. We just don’t know when that will be.
In the meantime, please confirm your enrollment for fall with us. If in-person schooling will still be closed, or a hybrid model implemented (part-time in-school, part-time at-home), we will work with you to do what is best for your family until school is fully opened again. We want you here at Mountain Song so that we can rejoice in seeing you and your children and carry forward with our beautiful Waldorf education!
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any further questions. We will keep you informed.
Warm wishes,
The Executive Leadership Team
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Agricultural Arts Plants Sale
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It's been an exciting week in the garden! With our final frost date behind us, we've finally been able to transfer many of our seedlings from the greenhouse into our raised beds outside. We have many seedlings left over, which we would like to offer for sale to our Mountain Song community. All plants will be sold individually for $2 - $3 each to help support our Ag Arts program. I
f you are interested in buying plants, please contact Mr. Adam directly at
awright@mountainsongschool.com
to place your order.
Plants can be picked up at school during normal packet pick up times. We are selling the following herbs, vegetables, and houseplants:
- Aloe
- Basil
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Kale
- Spider plants
- Spinach
- Swiss Chard
- Tomatoes
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Parent Council Fundraising
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Hello families,
Our school is happy to help support small businesses, and Skate City will be offering their Membership Cards for our students and families at a discounted rate.
With a $5 membership card ($12 at the facility), any child or adult can skate for just $1 admission during any public skating session
through the end of 2020
! You will also receive $5 loaded onto your game card upon entry each time you use your membership card.
Should this interest you, all you would need to do is click the link below and make sure to select the school name, as $1.50 for each card purchased will go back to the school!
Deanna Stonick
Parent Council Fundraising Committee
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Juniper Class Announcements
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Mrs. Debbie Ellington and Mrs. Shannon Lang will be saying farewell to the 5th grade Juniper class at the end of this year. They have loved working with this wonderful class through their elementary years. Mrs. Ellington will be retiring from class teaching, and continuing with Homeschool teaching part time. We are so pleased she will be staying within our community, and we celebrate her successful teaching career and the positive difference she has made in the lives of so many children! Mrs. Lang’s exciting next step is announced below.
As the Juniper class moves to 6th grade next fall, we are so pleased to announce that Mr. Jesse Rochette has been chosen as their class teacher for their middle school years. Mr. Rochette has been a teacher in outdoor as well as classroom settings, and he brings the rich experience of having taught the Waldorf middle school curriculum for the last three years. We think he will be a wonderful class teacher for the Juniper class!
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We are absolutely thrilled to announce that Mrs. Shannon Lang and Mrs. Stacie Warren will be returning next fall as our first grade class teachers!
Mrs. Lang has already looped with the Willow class from first to fifth grade at Mountain Song, and has been co-teacher for the Juniper class for the last two years. She has taught for 20 years in public schools, and has been with Mountain Song since its very first year. She is a fully trained Waldorf teacher, and we are so happy to welcome her back to the first grade next year!
Mrs. Warren is moving from the role of Kindergarten teacher into the role of Class Teacher. She brings important experience prior to her time at Mountain Song as an inclusive elementary teacher, and she has been busy training for the last three years in the Gradalis Waldorf training program.
We are so pleased to have these quality educators in place to welcome the new first graders next fall to their elementary grade years!
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Combining Classes Next Year
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The difficult decision was made to combine the two current seventh grade classes next year into one eighth grade class due to low enrollment in one class. Mr. Nathaniel Dolce will lead next year’s 8th grade class. While we are saddened that Mrs. Regina Tafoya will be leaving the Willow class as teacher, we are most pleased to be retaining her with her strong teaching skills and caring dedication at Mountain Song (see following article).
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Mrs. Regina Tafoya will be moving from 7th grade teacher to the Kindergarten as lead teacher, and we are so happy that she’s accepted this position! From her diverse teaching career, Mrs. Tafoya brings years of early childhood expertise to the classroom, as well as her rich cultural background through her time spent living in other countries and regions, including Japan and Hawaii. We feel we are fortunate to be keeping Mrs. Tafoya within the school, as she has shown remarkable dedication, excellence, and compassion in her work with Mountain Song students. We have confidence in her ability to continue offering her strengths to our students in this new role.
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Some teachers will prepare packets for families to pick-up at school. Your teacher will communicate directly with you if they are preparing such packets. If you need to pick up packets, please carefully observe the following protocols.
It is imperative that we follow strict safety procedures.
Times:
- Tuesday and Wednesday 8-10am and 3-5pm
- Friday, May 22nd: 8-10am and 3-6pm
- Saturday, Sunday, and Monday - closed for 72 hours safety
NOTE: No packet pick-up on Thursday, May 28 due to 8th grade graduation.
Drive-Through Instructions
- From Kiowa Street, drive through the parking lot next to the gym.
- Stop your car by the picnic table next to the gym door.
- You must stay in your vehicle.
- If no attendant is visible - give one short beep on the horn to let the attendant know you are there.
- Roll down the passenger side window - to keep social distance and communicate the name(s) of student and the teacher’s name.
- Attendant will hand the packet(s) through the passenger side window.
- Drive straight through the backside of the school and exit onto Bijou Street.
Teachers will e-mail you directly if packets are prepared and are ready for pick-up.
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Community Resources - Dial 2-1-1
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Pikes Peak United Way can help you access resources that may help you through this challenging time. By dialing 2-1-1 between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, you will be connected to a trained information specialist who can help you find the health and human service providers that you need. Dial 2-1-1.
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Support for Mountain Song
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As a public charter school, Mountain Song Community School is proud to provide quality Waldorf education at no cost. Yet the funds we receive as a charter school are less than what a typical Colorado public school receives.
At the same time, we are responsible for additional expenses, such as our facilities and maintenance costs. The expenses associated with the building lease, instructional and learning materials, staffing, special programs, and field trips continue to increase each year. In order to provide the valuable programming that makes Waldorf education exceptional, we rely on community donations to reach our annual fundraising goals. Please consider signing up for a small monthly recurring contribution today.
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Article or announcement contributions must be submitted to Dr. Woods by Tuesday at 5 p.m. for inclusion in each week’s Songbird newsletter, typically distributed on Fridays. (
twoods@mountainsongschool.com
)
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Mountain Song School Calendar
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Mark your calendar with these important Mountain Song Community School dates.
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Mountain Song Community School | 2904 West Kiowa St, Colorado Springs, CO 80904
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Looking for past issues of the Songbird or to sign up new recipients
click here
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