Weekly Bulletin
April 7, 2021
8th grade felt portraits of revolutionaries: Aiden De Stefano, Malcom X, Freida Kahlo, LaDonna Brave Bull Allard, Behrouz Boochani, Angela Davis, Kiyoshi Kuromiya, Malala, Rachel Carson, Jim Thorp, Steve Biko, Eugene Debs, Greta Thunberg
Senior Project Presentation
Wed, April 14, 7:00pm
Webinar information will be provided in a dedicated email next week
 
Myriam Sarah Joseph-Schilz
Relating to Israel: Conversations with Twelve Jewish American Teenagers
 
Seniors may 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 for the community. This year Myriam was inspired to do a project in spite of the challenges of the pandemic, and we invite you to join us for her presentation online, with live introduction followed by real time viewing of pre-recorded video and then live Q&A. 

We recommend this for audience members in grade 7 and above, and students, parents and friends are invited to join us online!
School Calendar
Staying Up to Date With Our School Calendar

You can view the full calendar online either on the website , in ParentSquare , or in the BigSis portal (these 3 platforms are synced from the same calendar). 
April

7/ Wednesday
  • G3 Parent Evening, 7pm

9/ Friday
  • Coffee Break with Jennifer Page, 10am

13/ Tuesday
  • G11 Parent Evening, 7pm

14/ Wednesday
  • Senior Project Presentation, 7pm

16/ Friday
  • Coffee Break with Jennifer Page, 10am

23/ Friday
  • Coffee Break with Jennifer Page, 10am

24/ Saturday
  • Gala, 6:30-9:30pm
Virtual Summer Camps at WWS
We are pleased to announce that we will offer virtual camps this year including the beloved "Mother West Wind" camp along with new options like a "Pop-Up Bookmaking" camp. We will have virtual camps that are as short as 45 minutes ("Morning Math Club"), or ones that enchant your child for the day ("Leather Making/Bow and Arrow" Camp).

We hope that you enjoy choosing the camp(s) that will work best for your child as much as we have enjoyed thinking about all of the fun that our summer camps will offer them!


Please do not hesitate to contact Christen Leonard if you have any questions.
Don't Forget to Register for the Gala!
Saturday, April 24 at 6:30 pm

This year’s gala will be online again with music, an alumnus speaker, the reveal of our new sports logo, and a "raise the paddle" time for the ONE FUND, which supports both the operating budget and financial aid.
 
Right now there is the opportunity to purchase dinner and drinks for the gala, made by Chef Eron's catering company, Foxhall Catering. Proceeds from the food and drink will also go to the ONE FUND. Deadline for ordering food is April 16.
Spring Festival Life At Home
Before the break, the Festivals Committee asked to hear from you about the spring festivals celebrated in your homes. Here are some offerings from the community...
Nowruz - Persian New Year
March 20
from Victoria Mansuri (Class of 1988)
 
“Nowruz Maubarak!” All of my relatives text this to each other on the Spring Equinox, the day of Nowruz, the Persian New Year. The texts are accompanied by pictures of our colorful Haft Sinn plates, surrounded by blooming daffodils and hyacinths, sprouted wheat grass, goldfish, painted eggs, saucers of vinegar and rose water, apples, garlic, the Qur’an, the pomes of Hafiz, and more. 

Haft means “seven” and is a sacred number in Persia; Sinn is like the letter “S.” Haft Sinn plates hold seven items that begin with the letter S that represent the Seven Angelic Heralds of Life.
  • Rebirth is represented by Sabzeh, greens or sprouts. 
  • Health is represented Seer, garlic. 
  • Happiness is represented by Senjed, the sweet fruit of the lotus tree, the fragrance of which is said to cause people to fall in love. 
  • Prosperity is represented by Sehkeh, or coins (I used the coins from my belly dancing scarf!). 
  • Joy is represented by Somaq, sumac, which is red, the color of the rising sun; with the appearance of the sun, Good overcomes Evil. 
  • Patience is represented by Serkeh, vinegar. 
  • Beauty is represented by Sib, the rosy, red apple. 
Luckily, my aunt and cousins are amazing cooks, because when I was growing up delicious savory and sweet foods also accompanied every Nowruz celebration. Herbed dishes with flavors of sweet, sour, salty, and floral tones made our mouths water. This year, I took an online cooking class so that I could recreate the traditional dishes that I loved to eat with my Persian relatives. The boxes of cookies from the Persian bakery held delights rich and fragrant. There is a legend that says that King Djamshid discovered sugar on Nowruz and that the word “candy” comes for the Persian word for sugar, quand. The cookies I remember most were dripping in rose and orange flavored honey. They were almost too sweet to bite into... almost! 

The full celebration of Nowruz lasts weeks. From the Tuesday before the Equinox, when people light fireworks and jump over fires, exclaiming, “Give me your beautiful red color and take back my sickly pallor!” to 13 days after when everyone picnics and casts their sprouted greens into a running body of water, to wash the old away and make room for the new. There are many more joy-filled traditions and rituals for Nowruz; too many to recount here. I will close with one that my father told me he remembers from when he was a child in Iran. His mother would stand an egg on end. At the exact time of the Equinox, the egg would stand upright without support, signaling that the new year had begun! 

“Nowruz Maubarak!”
Holi
March 28-29
from the Dini Rao (Parent Songbirds & Grade 1)

Holi is the Hindu festival to welcome spring, it is when good triumphs over evil and we find forgiveness to come together. The festivities often start with an evening bonfire. In the South where our family is from, flowers and turmeric are often used as the color powders that we throw at each other in games while wearing white clothing to show off our colors. Our family uses balls filled with colorful powders and plays a game of dodgeball with them. I will never forget the year I was in Mumbai for Holi and people I didn't know would come up to me and color me with their hands or water pistols. There is a sense of warmth and community that is vivid during this holiday. 

There are many stories all over India about the origins of Holi and it is celebrated in many different ways. One story is told about the deity Krishna who was upset that his skin color was different than his playmate Radha. When he complained to his mother, she told him that he could go and color her face whatever color he wanted. So, Krisha playfully put colors on her face, making her like him. My take on this is that it is a time when we see ourselves in one another and that brings us together in community. And of course we eat together too with rich, sweet festival foods filled with ghee as Krishna is said to have loved chaat - street food snacks and a milky cooler called thandai. 
Passover
March 27 - April 4
from Debbie Spitulnik (Faculty & Alumni Parent)

It’s erev Passover - the night before Passover begins. The extended family has descended. The dishes have been changed over because you cannot use any dishes or any foods that are used at other times of the year or that are eaten without being specially prepared with the strict dietary rules of Passover in mind. Each dish is unwrapped to reveal traditions from generation to generation - platters for gefilte fish, knishes and tzimmis, kiddush cups used for the blessings over the four cups of wine we drink at each Seder, cups inherited from grandfathers and silver candlesticks and flatware from grandmothers - all used only for Passover. The house is turned upside down to make way for the family invasion and to remove every trace of food that is not “kosher for Passover.”

The house is dark - and completely quiet. There are as many as ten children following grandfather, fathers and uncles who carry a feather, a candle and a paper plate. The mothers hold the youngest, the oldest children vie for a place in front so they can be the first to spot chammetz (grains that have leavened or germinated). The little ones hold back in awe, reverence and a slight nervousness. Then - a squeal of delight - shh - pointing and the bread that has been hidden in that room is found. Father brushes it onto the paper plate with the feather and all proceed to the next room, up the stairs, looking in every single room of the house for that last piece of chammetz to be swept away before Passover begins.

It is a magical time, a time of rebirth, spring, freedom from darkness, from long ago slavery. The purpose of the Seder is to tell the story of the liberation of the people of Israel from slavery. But the holiday has come to mean so much more. There are many wonderful traditions that weave throughout the preparation and the eight days of Passover and reflect the meaning behind the holiday. The best for me is being with family (even virtually). In the Spitulnik households the opening of the Haggadah rings true - “Let all who are hungry come and eat”.
Easter
April 4 (Orthodox Easter May 2)
from Paula Thomas (Parent Grade 9)

Easter is an important holiday in our home. 

Our daughter was born in the spring so our Easter has been linked to her birthday since she came to us. 

When I was very young I was lucky to live on a farm in Denmark with a large and happy family. There I was introduced to the Nordic custom of hosting an Easter Lunch on Easter Sunday. This lunch involved days of careful planning, cooking, baking and decorating. Furniture was moved and stacked to make room for dozens of guests at long draped tables. 

The joy of continuing those shared times around traditional food, merry songs and beautiful table settings was important for me to carry forward as my daughter grew up in America. 

My favourite Easter memories are more recent however as how we celebrate the season of Easter has expanded to include Orthodox Easter which this year is observed on Sunday, 2 May 2021. We are lucky to know many friends who celebrate Orthodox Easter Sunday and invite us to share in their holiday too.  

There is a wonderful Greek table game with special red Easter eggs. Very exciting for children and adults alike after a big meal. 

Decorating eggs is an ancient custom the world over. My favourite method for little children is with Japanese silk paper and household vinegar (available on Waldorf craft and toy websites). It is joyful to decorate an Easter tree with eggs and paper decorations. In the metro DC region it is easy to find some nice branches to bring inside. 

Of course no Easter Sunday would be complete without an Easter egg hunt for chocolate eggs and other treasures. We take full advantage of this tradition to have fun together!

As children get older Easter changes but I hope for many years of Easter lunches together with our friends.

God Påske!
Yearbook Preorders
Preorder Your Copy(ies) of the 2020-2021 Yearbook!  
Full color coverage of Children’s Garden through 12th Grade & events.
 
You can preorder a yearbook with free delivery to the School if you place your order by May 15, 2021. Orders placed after the May 15, 2021 deadline will include the cost of shipping the book directly to the purchaser.
 
Preorders with free shipping cost $40.88 and will be available at the school for pickup by June 1, 2021. All yearbooks are printed on recycled paper and TreeRing will plant a tree for every yearbook purchased.

On the TreeRing login page you will need to enter your name and email address. Under "role" please select "Parent". You will then be guided through to either add a new student if this is your first time ordering a WWS yearbook through TreeRing, or to enter your child's name, grade, and teacher. For high school students, please enter the name of one of their class sponsors. Please contact Caitlin MacKenzie, yearbook sponsor, with any questions. 

Preorder online by May 15, 2021. Orders placed after the May 15, 2021 deadline will include the cost of shipping the book directly to the purchaser.

Yearbooks can only be ordered through the TreeRing website.
Please Note: TreeRing’s website works best in the Chrome internet browser. If you visit the website directly, the school passcode is: 1015278619434770
Springtime is WWS Spirit Wear Time!
Our online spirit wear store is open!
 
Shirts, baseball hats, hoodies, bags, and more! You can order your WWS spirit wear with our school logo, or with our "Head, Heart, Hands" logo, with direct delivery to your home.  
Grandparents & Special Friends Contact Information Request
This year, to celebrate our students' grandparents and friends, we will send out a special mailing to share snapshots of this unique year at our school. 

Please send us contact information for your child/ren's grandparent(s) and/or special friend(s) so we can include them in the mailing.
Grandparents & Special Friends Day 2019
Bulletin Board
Community Classifieds & Notices
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.  
  • 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. Listings may not be accepted and will likely be edited.
UPDATED - Mindfulness Offerings with Michael Danzansky (WWS Parent)

If you are interested in Mindfulness join Michael this Saturday April 10, 9-9:30am for "Why is everyone talking about Mindfulness?"  We will look at what mindfulness is and isn't, why its growing exponentially, and learn some accessible practices you can incorporate into your life. Register
Foundations of Mindfulness with Michael Danzansky
Saturdays 9-11am, April 17 - May 22
I am really excited to share this with the WWS community! We will cover how to create and maintain a practice, tools to manage anxiety and negativity, origins, history and science of mindfulness, as well as practices to cultivate compassion and gratitude.  Classes will be recorded. Can sign up here or email me (danzansky@gmail) with questions or sign up. $100 - no one turned away for lack of funds. Learn more and sign up
1.5 - 2 y.o. Rain and Snow Gear Available
from Vanessa Vargas (WWS Parent)

Polarn O. Pyret blue rain bib and jacket, one piece blue snow suit, and warm pink jacket size 1.5-2 y.o. Snow boots size 5/6 (other brand).

Contact Vanessa at 202-227-0327
Information Session: Montgomery County, 5G, Your Health and the New Zoning Amendment 
from Theodora Scarato (WWS Parent)

Date: March 30th, Tuesday at 7:00pm
Want a cell tower 30 feet from your home? WWS Parent Theodora Scarato, Director of the Environmental Health Trust, will discuss Montgomery County Council's proposed zoning ordinance ZTA 19-07 allowing 4G and 5G (so called "small" cell towers) to be deployed 30 feet from your home by replacing street lights and utility poles with short cell towers. No notice nor public hearing required.

Learn the science on health and environmental impacts and how unfettered 5G deployment would greatly increase the greenhouse gas emissions. Fiber networks are ten times more energy efficient, have no health risks and are cheaper. This issue is the center of a lawsuit in federal court led by Environmental Health Trust. MoCoSafeG is presenting this webinar. Link to join Webinar https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88255495579
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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."
Washington Waldorf School
4800 Sangamore Road,
Bethesda, MD 20816
301-229-6107