Last week, we celebrated hanging the plaque for the Build Our Vision campaign (2015) with former Trustees, Faculty, and alum families. This campaign set the foundation for the Room to Move campaign and the John and Mary Brauer Gym. The 2015 renovation created the beautiful "swoop" and entrance hall we all enjoy. It also provided essential upgrades to the building - including the HVAC system which fortuitously gave us individually vented classrooms that supported our return to campus as our community navigated the COVID-19 pandemic.

We were honored to welcome back two of our former Heads of School, Natalie Adams and Jennifer Page, who were joined by current Head of School Lelia True and future Head of School Margery Bank. It was the first time that all WWS Heads of School were in the same place. We were also honored to welcome three of the Build Our Vision Campaign Co-Chairs, Chrissie Sant, Dan Wacker, and Carla Wheeler. Caitlin MacKenzie, former WWS Director of Development and Campaign Manager for Build Our Vision, was also in attendance.

Thank you to all those who attended this meaningful event!

Many thanks to all who made the Spring Gala possible! We gathered in our beautiful John and Mary Brauer Gym and enjoyed an evening of fun, fundraising, and dancing.

Our Alum speaker this year was Iliana Flefel ('12). It was especially wonderful - gathered in the gym - to hear how John Brauer and Taisto Saloma had inspired Iliana through the WWS athletics program and how she applies what she learned from them in her current job as the Middle School Math Teacher and Basketball Coach at the Denver Waldorf School. She also shared how her Grade 4 animal report on the humpback whale, and the encouragement of her lower and high school teachers, led to her study of Marine Biology as an undergrad and graduate student. We offer our warmest wishes to Iliana as she returns to her work as a scientist this fall.

Read the full text of Ilana's speech.

Tickets are still available for some Buy-In-Parties!

As usual, we keep the sales of Buy-In-Party tickets open after the Gala. There are sign up sheets in the school entrance hall or you can sign up on the Gala website. Sales close on May 2 at 11pm!

From Jennifer Robinson, Class Teacher

Shhh…. If you’re quick enough with the camera and happen upon a Waldorf Grade 8 class out in the wilds of DC- you might get lucky enough to capture an “SDE” (Spontaneous Display of Eurythmy), but don’t make any noise, because they will stop as soon as they notice you are watching.

This past Thursday Grade 8 spent all day out on the National Mall visiting the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial and the National Museum of African American History and Culture with Mr. Mosher and Ms. Robinson. The visit punctuated the classroom history studies, where Mr. Mosher has been guest lecturing to share his expertise and experience with the class.

There were some delightful moments of camaraderie outside and some deep moments of reflection inside the museum. The students walked away with a more profound appreciation for the power and importance of so many stories they already knew and some they did not. Friday was spent unpacking the experience and sharing their impressions. What a rich week of history studies, and how fortunate we are to live in a city with these incredible free museum resources!

WWS Children's Garden Community Clean Up

Saturday, April 27 from 9:30-11am

Spring is here and at WWS that means tidying up not just our indoor spaces but also the outdoor spaces our kids use so much! 



Come join the PLG as we all give a little back to our school by helping beautify the CG playground with a few small, simple clean up projects. While we work with our kids, we'll also have the opportunity to explore this space as they do every day. 

The CG teachers will provide a list of small projects for us as well as some tools from the shed - just bring your family and a can-do spirit!

Craft & Conversation Update

The remaining two spring dates have been canceled for now.

See you in the fall!

Volunteer for Grandparents & Special Friends Day!

Don't forget to sign up for a shift! Volunteer at the event and/or provide food for our honored guests.

April

26/ Friday

• Spring Festival (Grades 1-12), 4pm (see below)

27/ Saturday

• CG Community Clean Up, 9:30am (see above)

28/ Sunday

• Politics & Prose Book Fair (see below)

May

3/ Friday

• Grandparents & Special Friends Day
• 12:30 Dismissal

7/ Tuesday

• HS Student Council Bake Sale, 3pm

8/ Wednesday

• School Tour for Prospective Families, 9am

9/ Thursday

• High School Parent/Guardian Evenings, 7pm

10/ Friday

• High School Prom

14/ Tuesday

• No School
• HS Student Council Bake Sale, 7am
• Meet the New Head of School, 6pm
• Trustees Council Meeting, 7pm (see below)

View the Calendar of School Days for the 2023-2024 School Year

Spring Festival

Friday, April 26 at 4pm

Welcome one and all, it is time once again for our annual Spring Festival on Friday, April 26 starting at 4pm. We shall all gather as a community to enjoy the various presentations from Grades 1 through 12. This is a wonderful opportunity to get a look into what has been occurring in the various classrooms over the past few months. Eurythmy, poems, music selections, and other classroom presentations await. 

Come join us in celebrating the accomplishments of our students!

*Correction from last week - the festival includes Grades 1-12 not 2-12.  

Politics & Prose Book Fair

Sunday, April 28



• NORTHWEST: 5015 Connecticut Ave NW, DC 20008, open 10am-8pm (coffee bar opens 8am)
• UNION MARKET: 1324 4th St NE, DC 20002, open 10am-8pm
• WHARF: 610 Water St SW, DC 20024, open 10am-8pm

Save the Date for Sunday, April 28 when Washington Waldorf School will partner with local independent bookstore Politics and Prose. Your shopping will support Washington Waldorf School's ONE FUND, with 20% of your Politics and Prose purchase going back to the school. Shopping must be done in person to count, but you can shop at any one of the store's three locations. 

At Politics and Prose, you may purchase a book for your own family's use and/or donate books to Washington Waldorf School. View the school Library's wish list. The books in this list should all be in stock at Politics and Prose.

Please present this flyer at checkout. You may either show the flyer on your phone or present a paper copy. If you purchase books from our school's wish list, there will be a book drop box outside or in the school vestibule from April 29 - May 3, with a sign that says "Politics and Prose Book Donations". 

Thank you so much for your support!

Questions? Email Stephanie Hanson, Director of Development

Trustees Council Meeting

Tuesday, May 14 at 7pm

(open to the community 7-7:45pm)

WWS Trustees Council (TC) meetings are held monthly in the WWS library. They are typically scheduled for the third Tuesday of every month. The first 45 minutes of the meeting is open to the community, and all are welcome to attend. 

At the beginning of each TC meeting, there is a brief study of Waldorf Education/Anthroposophy. Following the study is a comprehensive report from our Head of School/Faculty Chair that includes updates from the various administrative departments of the school as well as other pertinent information. The Parent Leadership Group (PLG) also shares updates from their work with the school community during this portion of the meeting. 

May Lunch Schedule -- Announcing Chickpea Curry on Tuesdays!

May will be the final month for our volunteer-powered hot lunch. We are delighted to announce a third day of service on Tuesdays, led by WWS teacher Janaki Srikant and parent Alexis Starkey. 

Tuesday's menu is Chickpea Curry with Rice and Raita (no raita for V/DF).

Don't miss this delicious new offering, in addition to our awesome Pizza Wednesdays and Chili Thursdays!

May schedule:

• Curry Tuesdays: May 7, 21, and 28
• Pizza Wednesdays: May 1, 8 and 15
• Chili Thursdays: May 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30

To order:

• Visit wws.boonli.com. Order by Monday evening for that week's lunches, or order the whole month in advance!
• Instructions for new accounts.
• For all food and ordering questions and concerns, please contact amutschler@washingtonwaldorf.org.

Also new for this month -- earn two lunch credits per kitchen volunteer shift!

• Credits will be issued in Boonli, so you must have an account to earn them. Use the credits yourself, or contact Adam (amutschler@washingtonwaldorf.org) to transfer them to someone else with a Boonli account.
• Sign up to help in the kitchen. You will have the direction of a Kitchen Lead, and no experience is needed.
• For questions about volunteering in the kitchen, contact jessetravis@gmail.com.

Saturday Mornings in May & June from 9-11am

May 11 & 18 and June 1 & 8

Too often, giving our children the kind of nurturing, values-centered family life we know serves them best can feel like a constant or even impossible struggle. Thankfully, the Simplicity Parenting Family Life course offers parents the resources and supportive environment to transform struggle into a more peaceful and harmonious family life. 

Based on the research and clinical work of renowned family counselor Kim John Payne, the course offers a Waldorf-aligned approach for parents to implement simple and doable techniques and practices at home to achieve less stress and overwhelm and more joy and connection. 

The course meets over 4 weeks on Saturday mornings and is a terrific opportunity for parents to not only discover new tools together but also to build a supportive environment for each other that sustains positive change. 

The course will run on Saturdays at WWS from 9-11am and is taught by WWS' own Drew Sample. Parents/Guardians are encouraged to attend all four classes as the content will be different each week and build upon previous weeks' content.

Register Today!

The course fee is covered by WWS but there is a small ($30) materials fee to be paid directly to Simplicity Parenting, which you'll receive a link for after registering. 

TASTE, CREATE & MOVE CAMP

Instructor: Joaquin Moreno

Ages: 6-10

Session 1: June 17-21*

Session 2: June 24-28

Session 3: July 1-5*

Session 4: July 8-12

Session 5: July 15-19

*There is no camp on June 19 or July 4.

Campers will go on a food tasting adventure each week to various places around the world and explore flavors from across America. This is an exciting way to learn or improve cooking skills and experience the foods of new cultures!

The fun continues with endless opportunities to CREATE & MOVE, from handworking such as finger knitting and jewelry making to staying active with jump roping, climbing, or an age appropriate ball game. Be prepared to have an endless summer of fun!

Learn More & Register

Join us Saturday, June 1 as we celebrate the anniversary years for the High School classes of 1989 (35 years), 1994 (30 years), 1999 (25 years), 2004 (20 years), 2009 (15 years), 2014 (10 years), and 2019 (5 years)! Connect with classmates, current and former faculty, and WWS alums from across the decades.



This event is open to all those who identify as alums of Washington Waldorf School, whether you graduated 8th grade, 12th grade, with the class or not, and whether or not you graduated in one of the above years.

Learn More & Register

Have an alum update to share?

We love to hear from our alums and their families! Send us an update.

If you are a current family - first, check ParentSquare for posts from your teachers, departments (Children's Garden, Lower School, High School), and the administration.

If you cannot find the information you are looking for on ParentSquare, please email your department coordinator/administrator or our Operations Manager:

• Children's Garden Coordinator - Cecilia Berg-Benson
• Lower School Chair - Janet Dunwoody
• High School Administrator - Bonnie McClelland
• Operations Manager - Laur Garner

The Waldorf School of Baltimore KidSTOCK Family Concert Series

Last Weekend!

Join The Waldorf School of Baltimore for three weekends of Grammy Winning Family Artists, Children's Crafts, and Nature Activities -  April 13, 21 & 28. 

Learn More & Buy Tickets

Published by the Washington Waldorf School

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