|
School Calendar
For the most up to date version of the School Calendar for the 21-22 Academic Year, please click the button below. Some dates are still being determined by the faculty and board. As those dates are confirmed, an updated calendar will be shared with the DWS community, and the website will be updated accordingly as well.
| |
DWS Community Meeting
On August 9th, a Community Meeting on Zoom will be scheduled to present and discuss the Davis Waldorf School's Health and Safety plans and policies for the upcoming school year. We encourage all community members to tune in.
ZOOM LINK:
https://zoom.us/j/97963948042?pwd=WlZKdU9HOWZ0K2RSK3BkaG9EblMxdz09
Meeting ID: 979 6394 8042
Passcode: TahJG7
Another invitation to this meeting will be sent to our community in the days before the online event. We hope to see you there!
| |
Back to School Packet
The Back to School Packet will be be released mid-August. The Packet will be shared with all enrolled families digitally. The individual documents and sections will also be made available online in the Parent Portal on the school website (www.daviswaldorf.org/parent-portal).
The following information and documents will be included in the Back to School Packet:
Introductory Information
- DWS School Calendar
- New Faces at DWS
- School News
- Parking Info - Pick up, Drop off times
- Dress Code Cheat Sheet
- Updated Parent Handbook
Return to School Forms
- School Directory Information
- Dress Code
- Hot Lunch Information
- Parent Child Class Information
- Annual Giving Made Easy
- After Care Billing Dates
- June Bug Program Contract
- Sunflower Aftercare Contract
- Vacation/Holiday Care Contracts
- Volunteer Information Form
- Auto Usage Form
- EC Classroom Volunteer Vaccination Form
| Thank you to all who contributed to our Annual Giving campaign and Auction. We could not have reached our goals without you. | |
ANNUAL GIVING
and
AUCTION DONORS
Aaron Hunley
Adriana &
Humberto Perez Izquierdo
Aimee Brewer
Alex Sarafraz
Alice Stamm
Alina & Francis Adams
Alina's Music Studio
Alisa Haller
Alison Steiner
Almut & Tom Lilley
Alyssa Haskins
Amy Ladle and Lotus
Andy Gagnon
Angela Kost
Angie & Isaak Heitzeberg
Angie & Robin Cope
Annie Cherry
Anna Likhacheva
Annie Ray
Anthony J. Siracusa, Ph.D., Psychotherapy & Consultation
Ash Solar
Audra Orr Gloria
Avid Reader &
Avid Reader Active
B Street Theater
Barbara Pickles
Barbara West
Bay Area Discovery Museum
Bee Happy Candles
Beth McLain
Bill Critchfield
Boheme Used Clothing & Gifts
Bonnie Miller
Bonnie Shea
Bradley & Jennifer Tom
Braydon & Maria Holtzinger
Brendan Rooks
Brenna Sahadeo
Brent Campos
Brian Davila
Brit & Sharon McLin Bronca
Bryan & Sarah Hayes
Buckin’ Butter Bakery
Byars Architectural Service
Callen, Mary Jane, &
Robert Nickerson
Cameron Kane
Carlene McIntyre
Carolina & Christopher Roberts
Carolina Knight
Casey Walsh Cady
Ceri & Ezra Beeman
Charles McLaughlin
Chris Lee
Christine Crawford
Christoph Gumb
Christopher Lee
Christopher Lief
Chun-Yi Wu
Ciaran Koch
Cindy Lanier
Cindy Toy
Claire Mills
Cline Cellars
Coleen & John Borrego
Colleen Conklin
Cori Brewer
Cory Overton
Couleurs Vives Art Studio & Gallery
Courtney Tibble
CRB Design & Build
Cynthia Lanier
Dahlia Haberman
Dana Vickers
Daniel Moglen
Daniel Ng
Daniel Starr
Danielle Mollel
Dao Choi
David & Kelly Fritsch
David McCourt
Davis Bowen Therapy
Davis Fencing Academy
Dean Vogel & Nancy Hiestand
Debbie Hicks
Debi Tolbert
Deborah McGuire
Derek Morley & Holly Nichols
Diana Cuomo
Diane Peter-Dugas
Donna & Mark Mays
Dorian & Julie Stone
Dorothy Tangren
Dr. Meghan Zavod
Eatwell Farm
Ed King
Eddie Lazaro
Eden Tomich
Elena & Jim Hickey
Eli Sarnat
Ella Katz
Emily Lalande
Erica Van Fleet
Erin Lazaro
Evangeline's
Explorit Science Center
Fairytale Town
Fernando Silva & Heidi Ladner
Franklin Ostrum
Gabrielle Walton
George Pilmanis
Gloria Rodriguez-Rooks
Great Bear Vineyards
Green Painting
Hanh Pham
Hank and Hazels
Hanne Sivertsen
Heather & Audra Orr
Heather & Erik Pilmanis
Hector Ramirez
Helmus + Baker Optometry
Heretic Brewery
Hex House Crowns
Inspire Martial Arts
Isabella Guedes
Jack Vickrey
Jaclyn Conklin
Jacob Rukeyser
Jacquelyn McNaughton
Jacuzzi Family Vineyards &
The Olive Press
James & Kristie Dunbarr
James & Michelle Cooney
James Dann
James Musick
James Stellmach
Jana Hay
Janet Byars
Jaroslav Trnka
Jasmine & Kyle Mauldin
Jason & Erika Banh
Jason Matsushino, DDS
Javier Arsuaga
Jeff & Kelly Trunnelle
Jenn Rexroad
Jenn Short
Jennifer Griffith
Jennifer Mason
Jennifer Slater
Jenny Gannon
Jeremiah Ray
Jessica Efstratis
Jo Ann Clark
Joe Rasmussen
Joelle Lutz
John Baum
John Cummins
John Rooks
Julia Blair
Juliana & Peter Bell
Juliana Leite Nobrega
de Moura Bell
Julie King
Justin Cullum
Karen Holt
Karen Roos
Kathleen Hickey
Kathy and Walter Parsons
Kaya Yoga
Kelly & Steve O'Brien
Kelly Brewer
Kelly Trunelle
Kim Pendleton
Kimberlee Cleary
Kimberly Bullock
Kira Schoenfeld
Kresta Daly
Krista Muchmore
Kristal Davis Fadtke
Kristin & Patricia Sesser
Kristin & Steven Milliken
Kristy Ciesielski
Kristy Taylor
L&J Watt
Laura McLively
Laura Watts
Lauren McLively
Lauren Rosborough Watt
Lavinia B. Livingston
Linda Rios
Lisa Breslauer
Lisa Hammon
Lisa Lavagnino Thompson
Lisa Plourde
Mackenzie R Johnson
Madeline Lemieux
Madeline Parker
Mari Soshi
Maria Pedersen
Maria Trnkova
Maria Victoria Espinosa Peterson
Xin Fang
Mariani Nut Company
Mark Thompson
Marleaux Flournoy
Mary Ann & Sean Smith
Mary Caridi
Mary Norris
Matt Rexroad
Meghan Zavod
Mercurius USA
Micah Overmon
Michael De Nardi
Michael Keane & Shea McGuire
Michael Negoescu
Michael Schaps
Michael Wickboldt
Michelle & Steve Byars
Michelle Lee
Michelle Salemi
Minh Ho
Misty Johnson
Mollye Fryday
Mon Ange Dolls
Ash Solar
Kathryn A Parsons
Skya Livingston
Museum of Science and Curiosity
Music Stream Center
Nadia Wade
Nakisa Mansoori
Natalie Kling
Neyla Martinez Tejeda
Nils Skovgaard Andersen
Pacific Credit Services
Paint-A-Pot,
Heidi Bekebrede Studio
Pam Kranhold
Par Duncan
Paul & Sundance McGuire
Paul Crawford
Pine Trails Ranch
Prism Pool Supplies
Pure Motion Chiropractic
Rachel Hight
Raquel Silva
RB Cope
Rebecca Sawyer
Reza Assakereh & Amy Hillman-Siracusa
Richard & Marylou Vanderkous
Robin Carlson
Rooks Family
Gloria Rodriguez-Rooks
Rosemary Roberts
Sacramento History Museum Sacramento State Aquatic Center
Sacramento Theatre Company
Sakina Lemieux
San Francisco Bay Ferry
Sanctuary Salon
Sandra Rose
Sara Pro
Sara Williams
Sari Gelzer
Sawsan Overton
Shannon Davis
Shannon Hickey & Tom Hinds
Sharon McLin
Shellie McCallen
Sherrie L Ladegast
Shia Koch
Siamak Jafari
Simon Cherry
Simone Demarzi
Simply Music
Siobhan Brady
Skya Livingston
Stephanie Mudge
Steve & Jennifer Short
Steven Tritto
Strongevity
Sue Butler
Susan McVay
Susan Pelican
Susann Chism
Suzanne Slade
Syd Partridge
Synergy
The Final Sauce
The Paint Chip
The Puppenstube
Tina Fitzgerald
Trista Stanley
Tyler Close
Uptown Collective
Valley Oak Wool Mill
Valley Press Co.
Vanhanh Pham
Vatrena King
Veronica Marshall
Veronica Seidemann
Visse P. Storm, DDS
Wesley Hight
Wild Horse Golf Course
William Schmidt
Wooden Valley Winery
Yolo Barre
Yolo County Sheriff
Youyoung Ra
| |
FROM ALL OF
US AT DWS...
THANK YOU!
| |
|
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- A Message from the Director
- A Message from the Board
- A Message from Parent Council
- Members of the Board 20 - 21
- Financial Report 20 - 21
- A Reflection on the Year
- Hellos & Thank Yous to Staff / Faculty
| |
A Message from the Director
What a year it has been! We started the 2020-2021 school year with so much uncertainty and change. Instead of teaching indoors, classes were outside rain or shine. What stood out at the beginning of the year is the amount of work and collaboration from everyone in our community. Little did I realize then how much that would be a constant throughout our school year!
Some highlights and things I am thankful for:
- The extensive work community volunteers performed to develop outdoor classrooms.
- Our flash mob Michaelmas festival that managed to remain a surprise, for the most part.
- The magic that was on display for all of the children on the Protected Path.
-
The flexibility our community showed around managing smoke days and outdoor learning.
- Gabrielle Walton joining DWS as our Business Manager.
- The generosity of our community that led to raising $92,236 during our Annual Giving Campaign, leaps and bounds above our original goal of $60,000.
- The dedication of our parents and staff on the Diversity, Inclusion and Social Justice Committee.
- The beautiful service that was held to honor our long time Director of Finance who passed away, Jody Roach.
- The 8th graders dancing the May Pole, sharing their expertise through their 8th grade projects, their politeness as they met with faculty, and how impressive their graduation speeches were.
- The dedication of our class teachers, who really managed the impossible this year.
- Kim Pendleton's time as the Interim Director while I was away on maternity leave.
- The long-awaited plan to add a third preschool finally coming to fruition
I am so honored to have worked with such a lovely group of people. Our administrative team were magicians managing the plethora of enrollment inquiries and visits, the changing, and at times confusing, COVID guidelines.
Thank you to Ben, our one-man cleaning and maintenance extraordinaire, who kept our campus clean and orderly through a pandemic and wild weather, and kept all of the many handwashing stations full of water.
I am most thankful for our teachers, who are some of the most dedicated and amazing people you will ever meet. While faculty elsewhere were meeting via Zoom, our teachers came together for faculty meetings in the near-dark of the Winter nights to meet face to face while socially distancing in one of our outdoor classrooms in order to ensure that the inner workings of the school were being managed.
Lastly, I am in awe of our parent community who showed such great flexibility and generosity throughout the year, from building tents and moving decomposed granite, to buying tarps and hand-warmers for the children, and even joining in on parent council meetings in the midst of their workday, our parents showed up in a major way this school year. This dedication truly made the school’s survival possible.
We said, “Together, we can do so much” and it was true. I look forward to our continued collaboration and work in the coming school year.
Thank you all,
Jennifer Slater
Director
director@daviswaldorf.org
| |
A Message from the Board
The role of the Board of Directors is to ensure DWS is fiscally and legally sound. This is no mean feat during a pandemic! In addition to which, this year has been a rollercoaster. We started the year with enrollment of 144 and finished the year with 200! A huge thanks to Eden Tomich for managing the school’s busiest ever enrollment season with 191 new applications during the school year. Other key achievements are:
- A dedicated team worked over the summer to develop a reopening plan for DWS that met CDPH COVID guidelines and apply for a waiver to enable DWS to re-open, based on a predominantly outdoor program.
- A cross-functional team re-evaluated our leadership structure and we welcomed Jennifer Slater to the role of DWS Director in August 2020. She has done an admirable job managing our school through these challenging times!
- The Site Committee coordinated the installation of ten outdoor educational spaces and helped maintain these along with Ben Chavez and Wes Hight through 4 wind storms, one of which destroyed two tents.
-
The Auction committee raised $65,943 under the excellent stewardship of Kelly O’Brien and Erin Lazaro.
- The Site Committee reviewed an initial concept Master plan for the DWS campus which will focus on replacing our upper grades buildings along with aftercare and strings.
- Tuition Assistance Committee (TAP) streamlined our TAP process.
- Diversity, Inclusion and Social Justice Committee (DISJ) managed the roll out of the first ever AWSNA Climate, Equity & Inclusion (CEI) Survey for our school and is developing an action plan to address this important work.
- Dr. Melissa Moreno from Woodland Community College, Department of Ethnic Studies, is partnering with DWS to support faculty and staff in their professional development to advance diversity, equity and inclusion.
We have an exciting year ahead as we start the re-accreditation process for our membership with the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA) and kick off fundraising for our campus redevelopment project.
The DWS Board is very grateful for the ongoing support of this amazing community!
Ceri Beeman
Chair, Board of Directors
| |
A Message from
Parent Council
Our last school year was so different from any other: pandemic concerns all year, air quality issues in the fall, wind and cold in the winter, and heat in the late spring/early summer. In spite of these challenges, we were all determined to carry on. Parent Council held monthly virtual meetings that were used as a platform to disseminate important information about COVID updates, outdoor learning challenges and needs, as well as providing updates on more typical school activities (annual giving, benefit auction, class fundraisers, clothing swaps, etc.).
An important objective for the Parent Council this past year was to create and maintain a sense of community in a year of social distancing. To help achieve this goal, we hosted semi-weekly masked and socially distanced morning chats at the nearby church parking lot. We hosted monthly yoga sessions in the spring, and we even started our own Facebook page. The in-person events were greatly appreciated by those who were able to attend.
Parent Council hosted two parent education speakers this year: Jessica Efstratis (DWS grades teacher) spoke about the Waldorf approach to media, and Jenny Gannon (DWS preschool teacher) spoke about the importance of having rhythm and shared tips on how to maintain a rhythm during the summer.
Parent Council took the lead during Teacher Appreciation Week to ensure our devoted faculty were showered with appreciation during this very particularly trying year, and we continued that show of appreciation by organizing light snacks during the weekly faculty meetings.
In the next year, Parent Council plans to continue its work to support school festivals and events, foster and maintain community within the parent body, strengthen communication and partnership between parents and faculty, and provide educational opportunities for the parents and community at-large.
| |
Thank you to our
Board Members for 2020-21
-
Ceri Beeman - Chair
-
Marleaux Flournoy - Vice Chair
-
Isaak Heitzeberg - Treasurer
-
Robin Carlson - Secretary
- Julia Blair
- Carolina Roberts
- Dean Vogel
- Kelly O'Brien
-
Jennifer Slater - Director
-
Karen Roos - Faculty Member
-
Cindy Toy - Faculty Member
-
Emily Lalande - Faculty Member
| |
Financial Report
2020-21
Special thanks to all DWS families for your commitment throughout this challenging, yet thriving, school year. As we navigated through COVID-19, DWS was fortunate to be able to end this year with a surplus as a result of increased enrollment, cost-cutting, and financial grants. In line with a recommendation from our auditors, the surplus will be added to our emergency fund to ensure DWS remains fiscally sound in the future. The data is unaudited at this time. Our annual audit is scheduled for October 2021. Below is a snapshot of the 2020/2021 school year financials.
Best Regards,
Gabrielle Walton
Business Manager
finance@daviswaldorf.org
| |
Reflecting on the past year...
8th Grade Graduation Speech
June 12, 2021
Presented by Cindy Toy,
Class of 2021 Lead Teacher
"We did it! We did it? We did it. Who knew that a group of 15, 13-14-15 year olds, could beat the odds? Not one COVID Transmission. Not one. Good work families for keeping us safe. All those stories about teenagers being risky, irresponsible, they don’t listen. You guys made history this year. There are very few in this nation and entire world who did what you did. You came together, in person, and brought it every day. Your attention, your focus, your jokes, your game. Every day. I am not going to gloss over this one. That it was just what we had to do - no, you did not have to. These parents, this school did not need to make sure you got out the door to go here, we could have done the status quo that most schools, kept it easy, safe …but we chose the harder more difficult path and that has made all the difference [...]"
| |
Welcome to...
Mollye Fryday
4th Grade Class Teacher
When Mrs. Fryday applied to be the 4th Grade class teacher, we were overjoyed to have such a qualified candidate and one already so connected to the class and the wider DWS community. Mrs. Fryday brings a wealth of different teaching experiences to Davis Waldorf School. Prior to her time at DWS, Mrs. Fryday worked at Novato Charter School, a Waldorf inspired public school, for five years as a looping 4th and 5th grade teacher. She worked as a 1st and 2nd grade teacher in Yokosuka, Japan, and as a 5th grade teacher in Concord, California, where she gained experience adapting curriculum to meet the needs of a diverse classroom. We are so excited to welcome you to the DWS faculty!
| |
Thank you...
Kelly Trunelle
Handwork Instructor
Instead of a farewell we will say 'see you around' to Ms. Trunelle. While she will no longer be supporting our Handwork program, she will still be on campus as a parent to a 6th grader. Thank you Kelly for stepping up and holding our Handwork program in a very challenging year.
Lynn Donofrio
5th Grade Class Teacher
We would like to wish Mrs. Donofrio safe travels in the coming year and thank her for her time holding the 5th grade class. From parent to teacher, Mrs. Donofrio has been a treasured member of the DWS community. Her presence on campus and her talents in the classroom will be greatly missed.
Coleen Borrego
6th Grade Class Teacher
We would like to thank Mrs. Borrego for her time holding the 6th grade class. It was a busy year with COVID and smoke, and she managed both with grace and determination. Mrs. Borrego will be greatly missed. She guided the class of 2023 for six years wonderful years as the lead teacher and has made countless contributions to our community and the school. Mrs. Borrego will continue to be a involved in the DWS community in a mentoring capacity.
Cindy Toy
8th Grade Class Teacher
With strength and grace, Ms. Toy lead the Class of 2021 through a year of incredible challenges. She guided her class not only through a global pandemic, but through the unique trials and tribulations of the 8th grade year, with all its ups and downs. To watch Ms. Toy in the classroom is to be reminded of the immense talent, almost superhero-like abilities, it takes to be a teacher.
| |
Welcome back...
Dahlia Haberman
Handwork Mentor
We wish a fond welcome back to Mrs. Haberman, our long time Handwork Teacher. Mrs. Haberman took most of the last school year off, but we are so thankful that she did not stay away for too long! Besides being a master teacher in Handwork, Mrs. Haberman offers so much institutional wisdom from her time on the College of Teachers, the Pedagogical Support Team and Parent Council. Welcome back Mrs. Haberman. We are so thankful to have you!
Kelly Brewer
Enrollment Coordinator
We are so excited to welcome back Ms. Brewer to the DWS administration team. Ms. Brewer brings not only decades of experience as a Waldorf administrator, but she also brings years of direct experience with DWS as well. She first joined us on campus in 1997, again in 2007, and we are so lucky to have her on the team again for a third time. Her knowledge, warmth, and experience make her the perfect individual to introduce new families to our campus and community.
| |
