DWS Bulletin

SEPTEMBER: News & Updates

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

UPCOMING EVENTS

September 6

No School - Labor Day

September 7

No School - Rosh Hashanah

September 8

First Day of Grades Classes

Opening Ceremonies*

8:45 AM - 9:15 AM, On Campus

*Attendance is limited to students, teachers and families of 1st and 8th grade students.

Preschool & Kinder: Warming Day

September 9

First Day of Early Childhood Classes

September 14

Board Meeting, Zoom Link

September 17

School Photo Day

Back-to-School Picnic, On Campus

Click to HERE to view the

full website calendar.

In these times,

In these uncertain times,

I will remain open

To the miracle

That is each moment

Click "View entire message" at the bottom of this email to make sure you see all news and updates.

SCHOOL NEWS

Back to School Packet 21-22

Hello DWS families! The contents of the Back to School email sent on August 18 to all enrolled families can be accessed on our website in the Parent Portal.

Important documents, like the Parent Handbook and Aftercare Contracts, are available there for you to view and download.

To view the email itself, please click HERE.

Gregory Hudson

Beloved Teacher & Parent

Remembering Gregory Hudson

Written by Kelly Brewer, friend and colleague.

With a heavy heart, we are sharing the sad news that Gregory Hudson, a former teacher and parent at DWS has passed. Mr. Hudson was an amazing human being. He loved life and squeezed much joy from his interests and relationships. He was a master Waldorf teacher and we were lucky that he shared his talents with the students, parents, faculty and staff at the Davis Waldorf School for over 15 years. Mr. Hudson taught with enthusiasm. He loved the rich content and depth of the Waldorf curriculum and his passion was evident in his teaching. His lessons could be subtle and deep. He always left his students wanting to learn more - a rare talent. It is a true gift to be able to draw out the love of learning from his students. They were lucky to have him as their teacher. Thank you for all you brought to DWS, Gregory. Blessings on your journey.

Volunteer Forms & Information

VOLUNTEER INTEREST FORM

Davis Waldorf School is able to provide such an amazing learning environment because of the support provided by our parent body. As a guideline, we suggest 30 hours per year of volunteer community service from each parent / guardian. If you have not already, please fill out the Volunteer Interest Form below so we can contact you about opportunities that best fit your skills and availability!

Click here to complete the Volunteer Interest Form!

ADDITIONAL FORMS

In order to participate as a volunteer for certain school and class events, there are specific volunteer forms that need to be completed and submitted to the office prior to the event. Please use the links below to download these forms.

Guardians who plan to act as chaperones and/or drivers for field trips will need to complete the following forms:

Guardians who wish to volunteer in our licensed early childhood classrooms (preschool and kindergarten) will need to complete and submit the following:

Early Childhood Volunteer Form (including records of testing/vaccination).

Volunteer Agreement Form 21-22

Auto Usage Policies & Agreement Form 21-22

Automobile Use Policy 21-22_Fillable.png

Early Childhood

Volunteer Form 21-22

EC Volunteer Vaccination Form 21-22_Fillable.png

NEW & RETURNING FACES

Berber Kaiser

5th Grade Class Teacher

Welcome Ms. Kaiser! Berber Kaiser received her Bachelor’s degree in elementary / Waldorf education in 1989. She has completed graduate coursework in Child and Youth Psychiatry as well a graduate degree in Special Education. As a class teacher, Ms. Kaiser’s experience spans three decades and two continents. In the summer of 2002, Ms. Kaiser and her husband Arne moved to Flagstaff, Arizona where they settled at the Pine Forest School. She continued her work as a Waldorf class teacher at the Haleakala Waldorf School, and has spent the last year at the Desert Marigold School as the 7th grade teacher.

Arne Kaiser

6th Grade Class Teacher

Welcome Mr. Kaiser! Arne Kaiser received a B.A. in Elementary / Waldorf Education from the Hogeschool Helicon in Zeist, Netherlands in 1996. He took on his first class in 1998 while undergoing his Waldorf teacher training. At Pine Forest, a public charter school guided by Waldorf principles, Mr. Kaiser led three classes. He continued his work as a class teacher in Maui at the Haleakala Waldorf School where he guided a class from 1st through 6th grade. He has spent the last year at the Desert Marigold School in Phoenix, Arizona as the 6th grade teacher. In addition to his extensive experience as a teacher, Mr. Kaiser is a gifted artist.

Cindy Toy

7th Grade Class Teacher

Welcome back Ms. Toy! Cindy Toy brings a wealth of experience and knowledge about Davis Waldorf School and Waldorf Education in general. Ms. Toy’s background is richly diverse and includes a B.A. in English Literature with teaching as an emphasis from UC Davis. In addition, she has her degree in nursing, and worked at Sutter Davis Hospital. After Ms. Toy graduated her first class (class of 2016) she circled back around to pick up last year's 8th grade class (class of 2021) and will now be holding the class of 2023 for their 7th grade year. We are so thankful she is continuing at our school.

Dahlia Haberman

Handwork Instructor / 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 Kelly 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.

Eden Tomich

Admin Assistant

Eden Tomich, the former enrollment coordinator, will still be on campus as Jennifer Slater's assistant and will continue on as the manager of the school's social media and other outreach efforts. You will probably see her around campus holding a camera and documenting our school's many events!

COMMUNITY EVENTS

New Parent Orientation:

Video Recording

On August 25th, Director Jennifer Slater met with new and returning families online to present an overview of the school's policies and procedures. Thank you to all who attended! For those who were unable to make it, a link to a recording of that Zoom meeting has been included below.

LINK: New Parent Orientation - 8/25/21

Opening Ceremonies, September 8th

8:45 AM to 9:15 AM, the Grove on campus

As another year of classes begins, we will begin the year with a celebration of our students and teachers as they take the first steps of a year-long journey. Due to health and safety concerns surrounding the ongoing pandemic, attendance at the Opening Ceremonies is limited to families of 1st and 8th Grade students. All attendees are required to wear face coverings.

The festivities will commence at 8:45 AM in the Grove. Each grade teacher will speak about their class, 8th Grade and 1st Grade buddies will be presented, and the Rose and Sunflower Ceremonies will occur. The event is scheduled to end at 9:15 AM.

The Rose Ceremony is a special acknowledgement of the 1st Grade students during which their 8th Grade buddy will present them with a rose. This will occur after the 1st Grade teacher has spoken about their class and the coming year.

The Sunflower Ceremony will occur at the end of the event. Parents of 1st Grade students will be instructed to receive a sunflower near the 1st grade classroom, and then will be invited to form the Sunflower Arch in front of the 1st Grade classroom for the students to walk under as they enter into their first year as a grades student.

(PHOTO: 1st Grade class of 2016-17 walk under the Rainbow Arch, taken by Robin Fadtke)

Preschool & Kindergarten:

Warming Day, September 8th

Warming day is an opportunity for our youngest students to come to school with a guardian, see their classroom and yard, meet other children, receive their symbol and bring their things to the classroom. This is a relatively short time compared to a full day of school (30 minutes for preschool and 1-2 hours for kindergarten) when parents may be asked to participate in helpful tasks while children have an opportunity to get comfortable in their classroom setting before their first full day of school.

In both the preschool and the kindergarten, there are specific time slots available. Because of COVID precautions, we ask families to be mindful not only of arrival but also of departure times, so that each group experiences a smaller number of classmates and there is ease and time enough to relax. Siblings are welcome. Everyone, including children, will be wearing masks inside. Adults are also required to wear masks outside.

Your child's teacher will create a sign-up sheet to allow families to choose their time slot. Please contact your teacher if you have any questions about how to access the sign-up sheet. We will make every effort to create time spots for families who have specific needs or for those who have children in both programs so we may give each child time to experience Warming Day!

SUPPORT THE DWS COMMUNITY!

Hot Lunch Fundraisers:

Order Forms

This year our 7th and 8th grade classes will be offering four hot lunch options as fundraisers for their 8th grade trips. Hot Lunch will start the second week of school, Monday September 13th. Please use the table below to access the order forms for each day. The forms currently available are for the months of September, October, November, and December. A second set of forms will be shared after the Winter Break.

All individuals involved in the preparation and delivery of the food will be wearing gloves and face coverings in addition to other COVID safety precautions.

DAY	FOOD	PRICE	ORDER FORM
MONDAY	Rice Bowls w/ Veggies (Chicken or Tofu)	$6 per bowl	Click HERE to order Rice Bowls.
TUESDAY	Burritos w/ Chips & Salsa (Bean & Cheese or Bean & Rice)	$6 per burrito	Click HERE to order Burritos.
WEDNESDAY	Baked Potato w/ Chili and Toppings	$6 per potato	Click HERE to order Potatoes.
THURSDAY	Pizza w/ Carrot & Celery Sticks and Ranch Dressing (Cheese or Pepperoni)	$6 per slice	Click HERE to order Pizza.
FRIDAY	NONE	NONE	NONE

Kinder Rooster needs a new home!

One of the chicks that was hatched in the kindergarten last spring has turned out to be a beautiful rooster. If anyone is interested in helping us find him a new home, please contact Casey Powers at cpowers@daviswaldorf.org.

Thank you for your help!

Birch Branch Wood Needed

The woodworking program at DWS is in need of birch branch wood, small and large, for wood working projects. If you notice branches being discarded in your neighborhood, or if you happen to be pruning or removing a birch tree yourself, please send a note to woodworking@daviswaldorf.org.

Thank you,

Bill Critchfield,

DWS Woodworking Instructor

(PHOTO: Last year's 6th grade birch spoons)