Weekly Bulletin
June 16, 2021
Senior portraits from Stone Photography.

Congratulations to the class of 2021!
End of Year Musical Offerings
To welcome the summer, the HS Chamber Singers and HS String Ensemble have prepared some video performances. Enjoy!

Special thanks to Jonah Burch for putting these all together, to parents Bill Merkel and Dan Foster and faculty member Diana Flesner for joining in, and to Julie Stoessel for her wonderful virtual work this year with our HS String Ensemble!
The WWS High School Chamber Singers
"Mr. Blue Sky" by Electric Light Orchestra
The WWS High School String Ensemble
"La Bamba" by Los Lobos
The WWS High School String Ensemble and Guest Musicians
"Holberg Suite, Op. 40, Praeludium" by Edvard Grieg
"Rey’s Theme" by John Williams
"Palladio - Allegretto" by Karl Jenkins
8th Grade Commencement
On Monday, June 14, families and faculty gathered on the blacktop for the 8th grade commencement. Students shared appreciations for their teachers and offered stirring original works - spoken word and musical - reflecting the work they have done as a class. Congratulations to each of the rising 9th graders as they take this next step in their journey!
Anti-Racist Curriculum Work
from Kate Knuth
The faculty has continued its work on the theme of "anti-racist curriculum" throughout the school year, continuing to focus during each of our full faculty meetings this past semester on work towards a collective understanding of what an anti-racist Waldorf education looks like through different developmental stages, particularly at the Washington Waldorf School -- in this place, at this time. 
The faculty was delighted to be joined last week, in our last full faculty meeting of the year, by Dr. Stephanie Robbins of the California based consulting firm, Visceral Change. Dr. Robbins led us through a number of inquiries, reflections, and "next steps" to help us set the table for a productive summer of work, as we plan next year's coursework, considering all we do through the lenses of inclusion and anti-racism. 

As a social education, themes of inclusion imbue every aspect of Waldorf education. Our loving kindergartens full of creative play prepare students for a grade school experience run through with appreciation for all peoples of the earth, which itself sets the stage for the challenges of high school, where critical thinking is finely tuned through debate, inquiry, and exposure to increasingly complex ways of looking at the world. One of our tasks is to ensure that we are inclusive in our "allness," and awake especially to aspects of our curriculum that could benefit from a fresh take.

The College of Teachers has begun, and this summer will continue, its study of an article by Neil Boland and Joaquin Muñoz, entitled "Education for freedom for all? The relevance of contemporary theory to Steiner education." Many of the faculty will participate in workshops, seminars, and trainings focused not only on what we will teach in the fall, but will interface with educators from across the country, and globe, about how we are all tackling these issues. As the summer unfolds and the impending school year approaches, we look forward to continuing to share our progress with you, as we delve ever deeper into these questions that not only we, but also our students, are asking. 
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). 
June

17-18/ Thursday - Friday
  • CG Snow Day Makeup Days 12:30 DISMISSAL
Calendar of School Days for the 2021-2022 School Year
6th Grade Circus & Music
Last week the 6th grade performed their circus on the blacktop. We were able to record the circus and it is presented in a playlist of videos along with some of the class stringed instrument offerings!
Solar Ribbon Cutting
Last month our school flipped the switch on solar power. With an estimated output of 279,800 kilowatt hours, the 577 panel rooftop system will provide electricity for the school and any excess power generated will feed into the grid. According to the EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalency Calculator, these kilowatt hours are equivalent to the carbon offset of 43 cars driven for one year or the carbon sequestration of 243 acres of U.S. forests for one year.

This exciting development for our campus was commemorated by school leadership and representatives of Montgomery County with a rooftop ribbon cutting.
The Chairman of the WWS Trustees Council, Eric Holdsworth, said “This is a very exciting development for the school. Being able to generate sustainable electricity fits perfectly with our values as a Waldorf school, and is a great way for the school to help keep our planet livable.” 

The initiative was celebrated in a statement from the county: "Montgomery County has maintained a long-term relationship with the Washington Waldorf School via the Closed School program. The School has initiated many improvements to improve the efficiency of building systems and enhancing the onsite stormwater management to control runoff. We are very pleased with all the sustainability efforts that the Washington Waldorf School has undertaken, the addition of the solar project is a very valuable step in improving the climate impact of buildings."

Installation was done in partnership NextGrid and Solar Gaines.
ONE FUND - BE COUNTED
There is still time to make your gift to reach 100% participation for every grade and support our faculty, programs, and mission. Thank you to each of you who has already made a gift or pledge - we have now reached 83% participation!

Please make your gift today and watch our students and community thrive!

Thank you for your support!
Alumni - You Are The Reason Why!
Thank you for taking action! Thanks to many alumni, we have now earned $3,304 of the $5,000 match currently in effect. If you can consider a gift, at any level, please take a moment and make your gift now and celebrate all current and future WWS alumni!
Yearbook
You can still purchase a yearbook! Through the TreeRing website, you can still order yearbooks from recent years: '18-'19, '19-'20, and '20-'21 and have them delivered directly to your home. 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
We're Hiring!
We have a number of open positions for which we are actively interviewing. If you know someone (including yourself) who might be a good fit for any of our current openings, please put them in touch with us!

Parent Organization News
Seeking Input on the Parent Organization for 2021-22!

As we look forward to the potential for returning to in-person events for the next school year, the parents of WWS have an opportunity to reimagine the structure of parent involvement, making it more inclusive and promoting a spirit of participation and community. Your group of Class Captains (our proposed new name for Class Parents) has proposed some ideas, and wants your feedback and input.

  • Please review this communication to all parents 
  • Attend a one-hour Zoom session so that we can hear from you.
  • Zoom Session 1: Tuesday, June 29, 9:30am-10:30am
  • Zoom Session 2: Wednesday, June 30, 8:00pm-9:00pm

Please let us know which session you plan to attend by email to posc@washingtonwaldorf.org. 

Thanks for your time, and see you there!
Fond Farewells
Offering our deepest thanks and best of wishes for the road ahead, we bid farewell to those leaving their employment at the school. As many of our Bulletin readers know, once a part of the WWS community, always a part of the community. Many thanks to all who sent in memories and well wishes for our retirees!

Please join us in wishing these friends farewell, but not goodbye...
Jennifer Page
Faculty Chair & Head of School
John Brauer
Class Teacher, Coach, Former Athletic Director, etc., etc.
Tove Elfström
Woodwork Teacher, Trustees Council Member, Former Class Teacher
Caitlin MacKenzie
Development Director
Maria Monteverde-Jackson
Director of Events and Community Relations
Diana Flesner
Lower School Strings Director
Kristina Wyatt
Nursery Assistant Teacher
A Look Back at the Year
"A healthy social life is found only when, in the mirror of each soul, the whole community finds its reflection, and when, in the whole community, the virtue of each one is living." - The Social Motto by Rudolph Steiner

Thank you to each and every member of this community that made this year possible!
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Classifieds & Events from the Community
Juneteenth Virtual Event from the Washington Revels Jubilee Voices

The Washington Revels Jubilee Voices is excited to partner with the Alexandria Black History Museum to present the ensemble’s first Juneteenth Celebration.

Jubilee Voices will mark the date that slavery was fully abolished throughout the United States with music, stories, and cultural traditions reflected through the history of the African American experience locally and in the lives of the members of the ensemble.

This special production was filmed on location at heritage sites throughout historic Alexandria, Virginia, with a virtual release presented by the Museum on Juneteenth.

This event will be available for viewing on Juneteenth which is SATURDAY, JUNE 19, from 2-3 PM. If you miss that time, it will be available to view afterwards.

July 2021 Sublet in Bethesda
from Gemma Sage (WWS Parent)

Spacious colonial in the Springfield neighborhood of Bethesda is available for sublet July 2021. Perfect for a temporary family move due to renovation (or whatever!). This sun-filled, fully furnished home boasts 5 bedrooms plus a study, 2 bathrooms, a sizable fenced backyard (with a rope swing and trampoline!), and lots more. Our family of 6 has been so at home here, we would love to share the space with another family.

Please contact Gemma at 240-441-9156 for more details, pictures and tour. $3000/mo including all utilities except cable.
SAT Tutoring
shared by Caitlin Mackenzie (WWS Alumni, Alumni Parent, Parent & Faculty)
Looking for a new home this summer!
from Helga Dimmer (WWS Parent)

Our longtime Waldorf family of 5 (Helga, Felix, Mia (G11), Benni (G4), Ava (WiW)) is looking for a new home this summer. It would be lovely to live in a 5-10 mile radius from WWS (between 495, Potomac and Rock Creek Park). A (very) small dog (8 lbs) is also part of the family. We’re looking for a 4-5 bed/2-3 bath with some front or backyard, but we’re also flexible. Max budget $6,000. Start date anytime between now and mid August with a minimum lease of 12 months.

Successful referrals will enjoy a regular delivery of home-baked bread (your favorite style) and/or a personal yoga/Barre 3 class.

Contact: Helga (202-431-5031) Helga.dimmer@icloud.com
New WWS Family Seeking Housing

A new WWS family, arriving from Switzerland in early September, is seeking a house rental for at least 3 years, preferably near the school. They will have a son in the CG and a daughter in rising third grade. 

If you have a lead for them, please contact:
Cornelius Kuth at cornelius@kuth.ch or +41 76 539 9470. 
Free Online Screenings of Environmental Health Films!
from Theodora Scarato (WWS Parent)  
What: Film Screening of “Death by Design: The Dirty Secret of Our Digital Addiction" and "Overload Americas Toxic Love Story"
Date: Streaming June 10 - 17 and June 23 - 30
Q&A with Director: June 17, 2021 at 7:30   
 
Environmental HealthTrust is hosting the second film in their 2021 virtual Jackson Hole Film Series, “Death by Design" that hopes to inspire us towards safer and more sustainable technology. EHT Executive Director and WWS parent Theodora Scarato will be hosting a Q&A with the Directors June 17 and June 30. Register at EHTrust.org to view the films free online for a full week and to join the zoom Q&A live. Stay tuned as the next filmmaker Q&A will be on Burt Wolf's PBS series on wireless and health. 
Christian Community Rite of Passage/Confirmation Class
from Carol Petrash (Former WWS Faculty and Alumni Parent)

Warm greetings to the Waldorf community from the Greater Washington - Baltimore Christian Community! We are holding regular services, following COVID safety protocols, in the chapel on our beautiful property, which includes a biodynamic garden, in College Park, MD and wanted to let you know about a rite of passage opportunity for your middle school aged children. The Christian Community is a worldwide movement for religious renewal that was founded in the early part of the 20th century by a group of clergy with the help of Rudolf Steiner.   

Beginning in the fall, Rev. Emma Heirman (WWS Alum 2003) and her husband Rev. Matthias Giles will offer a yearlong class for 7th and 8th graders, leading to confirmation for the 8th graders in the spring of 2022. This is an opportunity for the young people to meet and talk about life questions in the context of faith and a non dogmatic Christian view of the world. You do not need to be members of the Christian Community for your children to attend these gatherings. 


For further information about any of our offerings, please contact our priests:
Rev. Emma Heirman: emma.heirman@gmail.com
Rev. Matthias Giles: matthiasgiles@gmail.com

I would also gladly speak with anyone who has an interest in the confirmation classes (all three of our children were confirmed) or the Christian Community in general.
Carol Petrash, cpetrash@earthlink.net, 301-946-9465
FiberArt.Studio Summer Camp
from Anja Caldwell (WWS Parent)

There is still a bit more room in some of my summer camps for the weeks of July 6th to the 23rd. We will make teddy bears from scratch this year, and there are only six campers in each week.

The camps are held in my home studio in Carderock Springs, Bethesda, with backyard, puppy love and pretzel baking.


The Art of Biography Series - A Tool for Racial and Social Healing
June 6 - July 18, Hosted by The AntiRacist Table
from Lynn Turner (WWS Faculty & Parent)

Registration for the second series is still open!

Each week we will join together for a live 2.5 hour workshop session working with poetry, breathwork, mindfulness practice, artistic and imaginative prompts to open up biographical experiences to deepen our understanding of ourselves and others as we walk the healing path towards individual and collective racial and social healing. We will participate in small group journaling and artistic exercises, and deep listening while observing confidentiality with one another and full group sharing and reflections.

All course participants will gain access to our private "Nurture the Narrative" virtual circle space to discuss and share with one another in community. No previous artistic experience is required.
CSA Sign Ups for Biodynamic/Organic Food
(pick up at WWS or a location near you!)
shared by Sunny Kaplan (WWS Parent)

Sign up is now OPEN for CSA Year June 2021-May 2022! Different options are available as space allows: school year only (Sept-May), summer only, and winter/spring season (Dec-May). Call or email first to confirm availability or if there's a wait list. Once confirmed, registration info is here (a discount is available if you pay with cash/check). 

What's the CSA? Spiritual Foods CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) provides biodynamic and organic veggies, fruit, eggs, bread and other seasonal staples, with most of it grown on land leased from the Kimberton Waldorf School in PA! Biodynamics, like Waldorf education, was founded by Rudolf Steiner and is a spiritual-ethical-ecological approach to agriculture, food production and nutrition. Choices for share options include: main share of veggies, fruit & supplements; main share w/out bread; or veggie/fruit only. Please visit the CSA website for more info, costs, and registration forms, or email or call Lakshmi at 301-654-4899 with questions and to check on availability. You can also reach out to Sunny KaplanWWS parent and WWS/CSA coordinator. 
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Washington Waldorf School
4800 Sangamore Road,
Bethesda, MD 20816
301-229-6107