Weekly Bulletin
November 12, 2020
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Check Out What's Happening In Our Library |
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Book circulation and reading are alive and well!
The Washington Waldorf School library continues to provide materials to our community during these unusual times. Grades 2-5 each have one library class per week at 2 PM on Zoom. Students receive instruction about how to use the library, are offered books for checkout, and discuss books they have read. Students fill out "Book Menus", indicating desired books by exact title or general subject. These are collected by the librarian, Ms. Walsh, who then selects and/or gathers the books and delivers them to the outdoor classrooms or places them in a labeled brown bag in the foyer for pickup.
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Students in any grade are welcome to email Ms. Walsh with book requests. Parents may also request books.
Please also check out these resources below from local community libraries.
Happy reading!
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Digital Resources for Students and Families from the Maryland State Library Resource Center
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Fairfax County Library Resources
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For Our Well-Being...
Festival Life
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Festivals are a celebration of life. Each festival is a mood and an experience, a social expression reflecting the season. Celebrating festivals together is a great way to builds a sense of community in our school, or within our families.
“Celebrating festivals illuminates our life on earth with meaning and shows us the significance of our human existence in the universe."
– Evelyn Frances Derry, Festivals and Seasons
Waldorf schools all over the world are known for their beautiful festivals. There are both universal festivals you might find in any Waldorf school, as well as celebrations brought to reflect a school's particular community or culture. At home, festivals and holidays can enrich family life and help establish a comforting yearly rhythm. Festivals create a sense of belonging and mark the rhythms of the year.
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Preparing for a Festival at Home
Plan a preparation day about a week before your festival celebration if you can, in order to make items that will be part of the festival and to practice songs and verses. This helps to build anticipation for the special day.
When planning a festival, start with simple structure. As you plan consider these four components:
- Songs and Verses
- A Story
- An Activity
- Food to Share
Many of our memories from childhood celebrations include sensory experiences and the feelings that those experiences engender. Plan with the senses in mind and you will create a festival that brings strength to all participants and re-enlivens our love for being human.
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Lantern Walk
As the sun sets earlier and the world grows darker, the tradition of making and carrying lanterns into the dark evening symbolizes the inner light of humankind shining forth in the world.
This festival is held after dusk, when our lantern light breaks through the outer darkness of approaching winter. It marks the end of harvest and the beginning of winter. Carrying a light into the darkness in the company of others – as we do during the Lantern Walk – can be reassuring. As we journey into the darkest time of the year, it is increasingly important for each of us to kindle warmth and light in our hearts.
Making a lantern can be a great activity and build anticipation for the walk, but if you aren't able, don't let that stop you! You can use whatever portable light source you have available, take a walk in the darkness and see what you find!
Lantern designs:
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Staying Up to Date With Our School Calendar
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November
12/ Thursday
- G3 Parent Meeting, 7pm
- G4 Parent Meeting, 7:30pm
13/ Friday
- Coffee Break with Jennifer Page, 10am
**Fall Bazaar Online Store November 16-25**
16/ Monday
18/ Wednesday
- G6 Parent Meeting, 4:30pm
- G7 Parent Meeting, 7pm
- G11 College Night (online)
20/ Friday
- Coffee Break with Jennifer Page, 10am
- Early Dismissal, 12:30pm
**NO CLASSES - Thanksgiving Break - November 25-27**
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Thanksgiving Food Drives
Items Are Due Nov 19 & 20
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Next week marks the end of our Thanksgiving food drives. There is still time! There are two options for participation: |
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A gift card of any size for Giant or Safeway (only) to be donated to Samaritan Ministries. Please send these to school by November 19th (WWS, 4800 Sangamore Rd., Bethesda, MD 20816, Attn: Maria Monteverde-Jackson)
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Save the Date!
Adult Education - Mindfulness Workshop
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Thursday, Dec 3 at 7pm (online)
The prolonged experience of COVID 19 has greatly altered our day to day lives, anxiety level, and wellness. It has been especially challenging for parents as we're left balancing our work, our children's education, and our own emotional health. The uncertainty and anxiety impact many aspects of our existence including work productivity, relationships, wellness, and sleep. Mindfulness and meditation are proven ways to manage stress, better navigate challenging emotions, and enhance your relationship with yourself and those around you.
In this workshop participants will experience present moment awareness through practicing mindfulness of body, breath and mind/thoughts and learn about ways to develop a daily mindfulness practice. This workshop will also include guidance and information about parenting and building family resilience in the pandemic.
This workshop is facilitated through Zoom by Mick Neustadt LCSW-C, a licensed psychotherapist who teaches group mindfulness sessions and has been practicing mindfulness for 25 years.
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Mick Neustadt is a DC area mindfulness teacher and psychotherapist who has practiced mindfulness for 25 years. For the past decade, Mick has taught mindfulness to people of all ages in weekly groups, schools, and on retreats. Mick's teachings focus on practicing mindfulness in all that we do as a way to transform our relationship with ourselves, others and the world, and to cultivate a greater connection to life.
Mick has offered mindfulness to a wide range of groups including national nonprofits and businesses, psychotherapists, lawyers, nurses, and groups in Israel and the West Bank. In 2013, Mick graduated from the year-long Mindful Education Institute teacher training. He is also certified as a .b Mindfulness Teacher with the U.K. based Mindfulness in Schools Project as well as the Learning to Breathe curriculum for adolescents. In addition, Mick is a Level 2, iRest Yoga Nidra Teacher.
Mick currently works as a psychotherapist in private practice and part-time at the American University Counseling Center and at the Wendt Center for Loss and Healing.
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ONE FUND – Together We Thrive |
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Your support of the Washington Waldorf School One Fund goes directly to support the areas of immediate need: teacher salaries and professional development, outdoor and online classroom IT and equipment, high quality Waldorf student supplies for every student. Your gift to the ONE FUND today supports every teacher and every student, on campus or online, whatever the weather! Now, more than ever, your charitable gift to the ONEFUND is essential, and if you make your gift by December 31, 2020, it is fully tax deductible in the 2020 tax year. Thank you for your support of the Washington Waldorf School; a school and community which cultivates compassion, responsible action, and courage for truth in each student.
You Can Support WWS in Various Ways
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- Ask your employer if they offer matching gifts for charitable donations. Many employers will match your donation to the School.
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Fall Bazaar
Vendors · Bake Sale · Waldorf Store
Next Week! Nov 16-25
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In a year like no other, we are moving our vendors and Waldorf Store online. A selection of the vendors who attend on a regular basis will be listed on the WWS website beginning on November 16. The WWS Waldorf Store is where we showcase handwork by members of our community, as well as a wide assortment of Waldorf toys, books, art supplies, and a great deal more. We hope you will do much of your holiday shopping at the Waldorf Store. Not only are there no crowds and no shipping costs, you will also receive everything before Thanksgiving AND you'll be supporting our school.
Feel free to share the store with friends, but please be aware - NOTHING will be shipped, so local orders only.
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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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Chef Eron's Bacon!
Cured & Crisp bacon is a favorite of many of the omnivores in our community. Did you know that you can get Chef Eron’s bacon, breakfast sausage, and tomato sauce hand delivered to your doorstep? Check out the Cured & Crisp website to learn more and order some deliciousness today!
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Townhouse for Rent
from Caitlin MacKenzie
Lovely 3-bedroom townhouse with basement apartment available for rent for $3,950 starting 11/15. Home looks out on national park land, and is close to plenty of walking and biking trails. 15 minute drive to WWS, downtown, or beltway access!
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Imagination Stage At-home Theatre Experience - The Snow Queen
from Jesse Travis
The Snow Queen
Dec 12, 2020 - Feb 28, 2021
Written by Mike Kenny - Adapted from the Story by Hans Christian Andersen
Directed by Janet Stanford
In this adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s famous winter fairy tale, a powerful friendship is put to the test as four narrators bring to life the story of Gerda and Kai, life long best friends whose relationship is broken by the unfeeling Snow Queen. Can Gerda save Kai before his heart is frozen solid? Imagination abounds in this magical story of courage, wit, and unshakable resilience! Best for ages 5+
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The Aspiring Spirit Podcast
From Dr. Kenann McKenzie (Thompson), now at Moraine Waldorf School, MA whose children enjoyed many years at WWS with various teachers as follows: Ian Thompson (Brauer), Ayo Thompson (Andre), and Jian Thompson (Chang).
My son, Ian, was a member of the class of 2022 with Mr. Brauer. In his memory, WWS has held tree plantings, concerts, and more over the years. A new “memorial” created for him is a new PODCAST being piloted. The goal is to share social commentary that is about creating a world focused on the greater Good. The name is “The Aspiring Spirit” and it can be found on all podcast stations, including Apple and Spotify.
Listen to our new social commentary podcast “The Aspiring Spirit”
https://anchor.fm/dr-kenann-mckenzie
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Farm Delivery (pickup near WWS)
from Torie Gorges
Whiffletree Farm delivers orders monthly (first Tuesday of the month) to the home of a WWS family, just around the corner from the school. They offer meat, eggs, cheese, and a variety of other farm products. Items are local (Warrenton, VA), pasture-raised, non-GMO, raised with sustainable land practices.
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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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Washington Small Schools Association
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