Grade 4 animal reports and figures are on display in the lower school hallway.

From Lynn Wenning-Adelmann, Class Teacher

Grade 6 had a great opportunity to learn about solar energy just before winter break. We looked first at the solar system and how the sun provides energy to all the planets to different degrees. Solar energy is free and available all year. The students got a firsthand tour of our school solar panels on the roof with Head of School, Lelia True. We discussed other kinds of renewable energy such as wind, water, and bio energy. Because of this study, the class earned a $500 grant from The American Solar Energy Tour for our school!

From Trustees Council Chair, James Wise

As indicated in the Bulletin (Dec 21, 2023), the Trustees Council (TC) would like to share a summary of results of the Alma Partners audit and assessment of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) policies and practices at the Washington Waldorf School. 

This status report answers important questions: What are we doing now? How are we doing it? Where might we improve our progress toward our community’s goal to promote these important ideas at our institution - to make it more diverse, equitable, inclusive and to foster a Waldorf school where everyone in our community feels they belong?

Read the full letter for a an overview of the process and a summary with commendations and recommendations across three categories included in the audit - curriculum, community life, and policies/procedures. 

Applications for 2024-2025 Due Friday, Jan 19

Do you have another child who isn't at WWS yet, but you'd like them to be here next year? Or perhaps you have a neighbor, friend or family member who would love WWS? 

Applications for the 2024-2025 school year are due on Jan 19. Please contact Torie and Drew in the enrollment office with any questions.

Please note that returning families do not need to reapply for currently enrolled students.

January

11/ Thursday

• Middle/High School Tour for Prospective Families, 9am
• G4 Parent/Guardian Evening, 7:30pm
• Nursery Parent/Guardian Evening, 7:45pm

13/ Saturday

• CG Open House for Prospective Families, 10am

15/ Monday

• No School
• MLK Day of Service, 10am (see below)

17/ Wednesday

• Whole School Tour for Prospective Families, 9am
• Seedlings Parent/Guardian Evening, 5:30pm
• Songbirds Parent/Guardian Evening, 7pm

19/ Friday

• 2024-2025 Applications Due (see above)
• G6 Circus Performance, 4pm

20/ Saturday

• WiW Parent/Guardian Meeting, 9am

22/ Monday

• Sunflowers Parent/Guardian Meeting, 7pm

23/ Tuesday

• Trustees Council Meet & Greet, 6pm (see below)
• Trustees Council Meeting, 7pm

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

Join us for a home game in the John & Mary Brauer Gym!

Check the wws website calendar for upcoming games. Home games are marked as "@WWS."

Note that the sports calendars are hidden by default. To view, select a team calendar listed at the top.

MLK Day of Service

Monday, Jan 15 from 10am-12pm

Dear WWS Community,

Please join us for our annual MLK Day of Service on Monday, Jan 15 from 10am-12pm.

Here are three ways you can help:

1. View our invitation and RSVP to attend the event (drop-ins are welcome) and help us complete our service projects. This year we are:

• Sewing fleece scarves for Operation Gratitude
• Assembling food bags for the P3 program at Food for Others
• Creating cards for the Nursing Home Card Project
• Giving uplifting feedback on the poetry of incarcerated people in the Free Minds Book Club and Writing Workshop (high school and adult participants only for this activity, please)  

*If your student would like to participate in the baking project, please sign them up in advance. Spots are limited and offered on a first come, first served basis.

2. Contribute food to help us make food bags for Food for Others. Please sign up and bring contributions to the Development Office by Friday, Jan 12.

3. Donate crafting materials that we can use to make cards for the Nursing Home Card Project. There is a collection box in the foyer for donations. Crafting supplies need not be new, and all donations are appreciated. 

Thank you for lending a helping hand to those in need during our MLK Day of Service!

Warmly,

Meg Kneisl

Assistant Director of Development and Events

Trustees Council Meet & Greet

January 23rd at 6pm

Ahead of the first Trustees Council Meeting of 2024, the TC is hosting a casual meet and greet to get to know the TC in the school library. Snacks and drinks will be served! The first hour of the 7pm meeting is also open to the community.

It was a thrill to see so many alums at the first Alum Basketball Game in our very own gym!

Do you have a student athlete at WWS?

Does your little hawk dream of playing in the new gym?

Join the WWS Red-Tailed Hawks Athletic Booster Club to boost school pride!

Our school strives to meet the needs of our students. We believe that athletics play a significant role in the healthy development of our children through competition and teamwork, cheering each other on, and hard work and dedication to achieving goals.

What is the booster club? The purpose of the WWS Red-Tailed Hawks Booster Club is to provide WWS student athletes and their fans with the best possible sports experience.

The Booster Club is a 100% volunteer organization comprised of parents, guardians, alums, coaches, teachers, school personnel, and community members.

The Boosters support all school sports programs through planning, promotion, coordination, and fundraising.

Our primary objectives are:

• Maintaining and improving the school’s athletic facilities, uniforms, and equipment
• Supporting and recognizing the efforts of our teams, coaches, and athletes
• Increasing community awareness of WWS athletics and events
• Providing additional funding for sports programs not covered by the school

Our fundraising efforts include WWS all-school activities, snack bar sales, spirit wear sales, and other community activities.

What can you do? Join us and get involved! 

Membership is only $50 per year per family. Your membership fee gives you access to exclusive Booster Club events and giveaways. We need new and fresh ideas and volunteers to implement them. Monthly meeting dates and times will be posted in the Weekly Bulletin and in the Events Calendar. All members and prospective members are welcome to attend. Please join online or email the Booster Club (boosters@washingtonwaldorf.org) for more information. Go Hawks!

Elena Day ('88) recently lead the cast of Cirque du Soleil’s Drawn to Life through play workshops and private coaching sessions. Elena also observed the show 5x in three days and gave feedback to the artists. She described the experience as "magic." Elena works as the ProTrack Director and Head of Physical Theater at The New England Center for Circus Arts.  

One artist later said to Elena, “I don’t know how to say in English…workshop made my Soul feel comfortable.”

Do you have an alum update to share or new contact information?

We'd love to hear from you.

WECAN Online Parent Evening - Parenting in an Anxious World with Adam Blanning, MD and Nancy Blanning

Jan 17, 2024 at 8:30pm

Online

Many children came out of the last years with heightened stress and lingering patterns of anxiety. This evening will share ways to assure children, help them find a sense of safety, and build greater resilience. There will be practical suggestions for how to strengthen many of the good things we are already doing as parents.

Learn More & Register

Appreciating the World, the Earth, and All People: Deepening Our Relationship with the Six Nations’ Thanksgiving Address

Wednesday, Jan 24 from 7-8:30 pm

Online

At last year’s WECAN Early Childood Conference, Otsistohkwí:yo of the Everlasting Tree School spoke the Thanksgiving Address of the Haudenosaunee, based on the belief that the world cannot be taken for granted, and that a spiritual communication of thankfulness and acknowledgment of all living things is needed to align our minds and hearts. Our work with young children supports this inclusive appreciation. Otsistohkwy:io and Wahsontiio, members of the Everlasting Tree community, will join us for this session.

This event will be guided and facilitated by our WECAN I.D.E.A. Coordinators, Lynn Turner (former WWS Faculty), and Leslie Wetzonis Woolverton.

Sliding scale donation $5-100. Pre-registration is required.

To register contact lturner@waldorfearlychildhood.org

Mental Health Panel: Supporting Balance

Tuesday, Jan 30 from 7-8:30pm

The Parents Council of Washington invites you to a panel discussion with psychologists and school counselors. The panelists will discuss finding balance in our achievement-focused society and ways parents and caregivers can partner with schools to enhance a culture of balance for their students. A question and answer period from the audience will follow the panel discussion.

This event will take place in person at The Lab School of Washington Performing Arts Center, 4759 Reservoir Road, NW, Washington, DC 20007

Learn More & Register

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

Missing Cello

They all look so similar! If you have a 3/4 cello, please check it to see if there is a sticker on the bottom of the cello from Potter's with the SKU #81313-34. We think there may have been a mix-up on campus. 

If you find that you have the missing cello, please write to mametzger@me.com. (...and please look for your correct cello on campus.)  

Thank you!

Published by the Washington Waldorf School

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