Congratulations to the class of 2022 who graduated this past weekend!

The graduates are shown above in self portraits they painted this year.

Congratulations to the graduates' families! We know that the love and support you give them is the foundation of our students' success. 

Our thanks to Jennifer Page for joining us and meeting the students with her graduation speech full of insight, challenge, and hope. 

Many thanks to PM1 for providing the stage, lighting, sound, and livestream for our senior graduation this past weekend. The content offered by students, faculty, and our guest speaker all came through beautifully for both our live and livestream attendees. PM1 produced our Gala and our Spring Festival as well and we happily recommend their high caliber event production services. It is an absolute pleasure to work with them.

From the Student's Farm Trip Journals

From Leela:

From Yana:

From Rio:

June

8/ Wednesday

• G7 Parent Meeting, 7pm

9/ Thursday

• Middle School Dance (G7 & G8), 5pm

13/ Monday

• Eighth Grade Commencement

15/ Wednesday

• 12:30pm Dismissal, LAST DAY OF SCHOOL

16/ Thursday

• Retirement & Farewell Celebrations, 3pm

View the 2022-2023 Calendar of School Days & Holidays

Thursday, June 16 from 3 - 4:30pm

On the School Blacktop

Please RSVP by Friday June 10th to join us in celebrating our Faculty Retirements and Farewells on Thursday June 16 on the school blacktop. There will be music from local band CrushFunk who were a huge hit at our end-of-year faculty gathering last year.

In our February 16th Bulletin, we announced the upcoming change of our school mascot. The selection process was led by the Anti-Racist Curriculum Group and involved the middle and high school students. The College approved the final selection and we are excited to announce that our new mascot is:

The Red-Tailed Hawks

Photo courtesy of The Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Next steps...

We will now begin the design work for what the WWS visualization of a Red-Tailed Hawk will be. The middle and high school students will again be asked for their input.

Do you have a word or phrase that the red-tailed hawk brings to your mind? Share with us and help us in the mascot design process!

We are delighted to welcome Aleksey Gibson as our new College Advisor.

Prior to joining WWS as our College Advisor, Aleksey taught Humanities at independent schools throughout the greater Washington area for almost 20 years.

With his BA Hons & MPhil from the University of London and PhD from the University of Virginia, Aleksey is also a scholar of Russian literature and has translated two books from Russian. In his free time, Aleksey is involved as an assistant raiser of puppies in training for careers as service dogs.

We are excited to announce that Kate Knuth will take on the position of Middle School English teacher next year.

Kate came to the school three years ago as a class teacher, to work with the class of 2026 as they entered sixth grade (they commence 8th grade on Monday, June 13). Kate has been working in Waldorf Education, and as a Waldorf classroom teacher, since 1999. She has served as a high school humanities teacher, English as a second language teacher in Germany and Switzerland, and as a middle school class teacher. She also has extensive Waldorf administrative and organizational experience.

Before finding Waldorf Education, Kate worked in Hollywood as a writer’s and director’s assistant, publishing a number of short stories and authoring a novel during that time. She also took part in a number of writers’ workshops, including at UCLA, after graduating with a degree in fine arts. Kate has offered her creative writing work in readings at venues such as Beyond Baroque in Venice, CA and the Museum of Contemporary Art in downtown Los Angeles.

Kate is thrilled to be taking on this new role at WWS. She has a deep appreciation for the adolescent soul, and simply loves working with this age group. Partnering with colleagues is also a place of joy for Kate. There is a great working relationship that forms amongst the Middle School faculty at this Waldorf school, and Kate is very much looking forward to contributing to co-carrying the students, with her colleagues, in her new capacity.

Kate’s eldest son just graduated with WWS’s Class of 2022, and she has two other sons in the high school, in the rising sophomore and junior classes. She is hoping that her love for history, baseball, national parks, reading, and writing (not to mention teaching!) will continue to rub off on them as they enter their adult years.

Treering's mix up is your opportunity! The WWS Library has 4 extra copies of last year's yearbook (2020-2021) that they are selling for $40 per copy (or best offer).

Email Susan Walsh with questions or to purchase. 

Seeking new members for the Parent Leadership Group!

Jesse Travis, chair of the Parent Leadership Group (PLG), is seeking up to five new members to join the PLG for the 2022-23 school year, ideally representing the Children’s Garden, Lower School, and High School.

The PLG's mission includes:

• strengthening the community of WWS families by providing opportunities to gather, get to know and form meaningful connections with each other;
• representing parent interests and concerns to the administration and Trustees Council, and
• coordinating volunteers to produce the Fall Bazaar and other annual events.

The PLG meets for one hour approximately every other week during the school year. Serving on the PLG offers the opportunity to learn more about WWS, develop strong connections with other families and the faculty and staff, and influence the causes that the Parent Organization decides to champion.

The PO needs a variety of perspectives from the community represented in leadership, and we welcome your interest. Please consider contributing your ideas and voice to the PLG!

If you have any thoughts or questions about this opportunity, please email plg@washingtonwaldorf.org.

Donate Outgrown Outdoor Clothing to the Gear Shop! 

Now that the weather has turned warm, you may have outdoor garments that won't fit your children next fall.

Please donate them (sizes CG-G8, outerwear and boots only) to the Gear Shop by placing them in the box in the front entry anytime before school is out. 

Thank you!

Special Eurythmy workshop with Gail Langstroth

From Tina Daub, WWS Alum Parent

Come join me in celebrating the gifts that Eurythmy can bring. No knowledge or experience is needed. We will begin at the beginning! Bring eurythmy slippers or soft soled shoes, a notebook and pen/pencil. 

Friday, June 10 from 7 – 9 pm Introduction and beginning workshop

Saturday, June 11 from 10am – 12:30pm &  3 – 5pm movement workshops

We will begin with an in-depth look at the indications Rudolf Steiner gave for these three vowel sounds: I (as in see), A (as in father), O (as in behold). Then - with poems and texts by Friedrich Schiller, Carl Sandburg, Wendell Berry, Juan Ramón Jiménez - we will find our way into the three movement qualities for our soul capacities: Thinking, Feeling, and Willing.

Donation: $150 for entire workshop. Friday evening: $30, Saturday sessions: $120, healthy lunch included

Questions/sign up, please contact: 

Yuka Taylor at yuka.taylor@gmail.com or (703) 340-9564

All events at The Christian Community Parish House, 4221 Metzerott Rd., College Park, MD.

Do not let lack of funds keep you from attending if you want to take part. 

Fiber Art Summer Camps

From Anja Caldwell, WWS Alum (as of Saturday!) Parent

Hello WWS Families,

I still have some room in my fiber art summer camps in the Bethesda neighborhood if anyone is interested.

• Camps are 9 am to 3 pm, sign up is weekly, ages 6 to 16.
• WWS Families enjoy a 10% discount and scholarships are also available for qualifying families.
• After School Classes will resume in September.

Learn more on the website, or email me with any questions.

Anja

Farm Fresh Products Delivered Near WWS

From Torie Gorges, WWS Faculty and Parent

Whiffletree Farm delivers orders monthly (first Tuesday of the month) to the home of a WWS family, just around the corner from the school. They offer meat, eggs, cheese, and a variety of other farm products. Items are local (Warrenton, VA), pasture-raised, non-GMO, raised with sustainable land practices.

Learn more and order on their website.

Adventure Camp Openings

From Emma Heirman, WWS Alum '03

Adventure Camps - an initiative of the Christian Community - still have some spots open for children and high school students. We make these camps out of bailing twine, sticky mud and a whole lot of love and attention. 

Adventure Camps are filled with tons of all the good things: improv, crafts, singing, stories, made up games, good food, and kids hard at work to care for each other. We create a community together. Examples:

• Backpacking for children and High School students in the Catskills
• Camping on the beach and flying kites for children at Camp Henlopen State Park in Delaware

Our camps have changed through the years as the needs of children have changed. We are an intentionally diverse group of adults - mostly young. We are a welcoming and affirming community. We also recognize that to say one is affirming is an active task. It is not just said - it needs to be made real. We also have seen in the last years the needs of kids to help heal trauma. We can offer a safe space in nature to experience the enormity of the natural world as a secure and loving place. This can help, as I know you all know!

Visit the website for dates and to learn more.

If you know a child that could benefit from another community, a chance to see themselves in another community, please pass this on. There are no financial barriers. Contact us with any questions.

Warm Regards,

The Adventure Camp Team

Biodynamic/Organic Food CSA

Pick up near WWS or a location near you!

From Sunny Kaplan, WWS Alum Parent

Shares are available for the CSA for the 2022-23 farm year! Different options are: school year only (Sept-May), full year, winter/spring season (Dec-May) and summer/fall: (June-Nov). Registration info is here (a discount is available if you pay with cash/check). We've had three new WWS families join this year and we'd love to have more!

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 Kaplan, WWS alumni parent and WWS/CSA coordinator. 

Here are some of the vine-ripened, high quality, freshly picked produce awaiting you this summer if you register now: berries, summer squash, lettuce nearly weekly, other greens, cucumbers, onions, garlic greens, parsley, dill, cilantro, beans, corn, colorful peppers, eggplant, and avocado from a biodynamic farm in Florida. Supporting farms is investing in our future!

Pet Sitting Opportunity

From Jessie Sincavage, WWS Parent

Hi Everyone,

We are looking for a pet sitter to stay at our home in Arlington with our 4 month old Labrador Retrievers and feed our 15 year old cat while we drop off our kids at different camps.

Dates needed:  July 15-July 16 and August 1-August 2.

You would have your own bedroom and bathroom in the basement. Because our labs are still puppies we do need someone at the house at all times and we only crate them for 1 hour twice a day to pick up our kid at school or run errands. They are crated at night. They do sleep a lot and they’d love for you to play with them in the yard and give them a morning walk separately.

Please let know if you are interested at jessie.sincavage@gmail.com and I can send you more details. Thank you!

Summer Teacher Positions 

From Sylvia Szankay, WWS Parent

Summer teaching positions are open with Horizons Greater Washington. Contact Lauren Simmons, Program Director, with any questions at  (202) 939-4068.   

Summer Program Art teacher 

Summer Program Lead Teacher 

Summer Playgroup Leader Opportunity

From Susan Michels, Potomac Crescent Waldorf School Parent

We are a group of current or former Waldorf families creating a summer play group that is age appropriate and fun. The Michels’ family lives in Lake Barcroft in Falls Church and could “host” the program. Generally, we are looking for a program that takes place Monday through Friday (barring holidays), from about 9 am – 1 pm (the children would eat lunch together). We’d like some programming similar to the Waldorf kindergarten, like a circle with songs and movement and a story. There is a beach at Lake Barcroft with lifeguards, so swimming could be part of the day, along with free play and lunch.

• We would need to explore what we do if there is inclement (thunderstorms) weather. But if solely showers, we’d plan to still meet.
• There are porta potties at the beach and we would explore using a luggable loo.
• Under Lake Barcroft rules, the Michels’ can have up to 8 guests. So this could accommodate a leader(s)/assistant leader and 6 additional children (plus Verity).
• In terms of payment, we would want to work this out with the leader(s) and assistant, but generally are thinking $225 per child.
• We would like the leader of the program to be vaccinated against Covid, be Covid safe and follow current CDC and Fairfax County Covid recommendations and know first aid.

Contact Susan: susandmichels@gmail.com

Published by the Washington Waldorf School

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