WWS Boys Win Kimberton Basketball Tournament

From Kate Knuth (G5 Class Teacher and Parent G11 & G12)

Go, DC! Go, DC! Go!

Waldorf schools from throughout the region gathered at Kimberton Waldorf School over the weekend, to take part in the annual Waldorf Basketball Tournament. The Washington Waldorf School boys’ team won it all, undefeated in four games including the final! And the girls’ team made a very strong showing, winning two of their three games.

Teams participating in the tournament hailed from the Waldorf schools of Garden City, Green Meadow, Hawthorne Valley, Kimberton, New York City, Toronto, and Washington (Go Hawks!). The packed Kimberton gym featured back-to-back boys’ and girls’ games, and a cacophony of encouraging fans, garbage pail drums, friendly jibes during free throws (“I’ll have two glasses of milk, please!”), and many well-fought games and come-from-behind victories. What an atmosphere! What an experience! 

Beyond the highly competitive games, the best part is watching the students rub shoulders, on and off the court. Waldorf students are reminded, in an atmosphere such this, that they each know something special (and not just how to spell their name in eurythmy) – that they are kindred spirits, well-rounded individuals who specialize in their own learning. 

Every Waldorf high school student paints portraits, studies optics, discusses Thoreau, dives into the history of architecture, completes a calculus course, acts in the senior play. And, uniquely in the private school environment, each Waldorf high school student has the opportunity to play every sport available. We don’t have “jocks” and “nerds” in Waldorf schools. Our "nerds" are our "jocks!" 

When Waldorf schools play one another, the glint in the eye of every player is that sparkle of confidence, goodwill, and love-of-life that is the hallmark of a Waldorf high school student. Those in the stands can only wonder, watching them, “Is that young lady getting a scholarship to Princeton for her math prowess? Is that young man a chemist in the making? A saxophonist? An animator? Will she win the Nobel in physics? Or will it be their writing that makes the mark in the world? Will he be the next Michael Jordan?” It could be any one or all of those things. For a Waldorf student, the sky's the limit.

We will return next year to the Kimberton tournament as champions, and I – not a parent of a player but a superfan of all who play – encourage each of you to join in cheering on these wonderful students. There is nothing like witnessing the grace of these versatile teenagers in competition, camaraderie, and colleagueship. They give their all and in so doing make their communities so proud, win or lose. We hope that they feel as richly rewarded by playing as we do by witnessing their greatness unfold. Congratulations to all of our players. Let’s go, Hawks!

Photos by Sebastian Chang-Leung & Bill Merkel

Portrait of the Hackmans, Hawks Fans Forever

From Maria Monteverde-Jackson (TC Vice-Chair, Former Faculty, Alum Parent, Parent G12)

This past weekend marked a poignant moment in WWS’s basketball history. For over a decade, Shelly and Andre Hackman have faithfully attended every Kimberton tournament spanning the WWS basketball careers of their three children. For the entirety of the tournament, they could be found in the front row, cheering on the players with enthusiasm. Shelly (WWS’s Delegating Nurse) wore many hats throughout the years, her roles extending far beyond the sidelines. She served as chaperone, medical staff, cheerleader, trainer, nurturing presence, and perhaps WWS's biggest fan.

The Hackmans' presence at the games extended beyond mere spectatorship. Shelly and Andre were renowned for keeping track of stats, scores, and even scouting opposing teams. Their support transcended school allegiances; they cheered on every player, regardless of the jersey they wore. Through the highs and lows, victories and defeats, they have been unwavering in their commitment. Their dedication didn't stop at the Kimberton tournament. Back home at WWS, they have been fixtures at all the basketball games, often attending not only their children's matches but also supporting the girls' games and the boys' JV games.

As their youngest child, Micah, graduates this year, the Hackmans will bid farewell to Bethesda and return to Reisterstown, MD, near Baltimore. While their physical presence may be missed in the stands, their spirit and legacy will undoubtedly linger. We hold onto the hope of seeing them grace our stands from time to time, for their support and enthusiasm have become an indelible part of the WWS basketball legacy.

Thank you, Shelly and Andre, for 11 years of unwavering dedication, passion, and love for the game. Your presence will be sorely missed, but your impact will be felt for years to come.

Help celebrate and recognize our amazing faculty!

WWS families annually honor and appreciate our hardworking, dedicated, and beloved faculty by offering them a delicious luncheon. This year's event is on Friday, Feb 23 in the school library.

We need your help in two ways: 1) setting up, staffing, and cleaning up, and 2) food offerings. Thank you in advance for your contributions of food and time -- the faculty treasures this chance to spend time together while sampling the delicious range of cuisines our families offer!

• Sign up to help with set up, staffing and clean up.
• Sign up to contribute food offerings. Please leave a comment saying what you plan to bring. Each class has a type of food assigned to it, but they are merely suggestions; if you’d like to contribute a type of dish that is assigned to a different class, go for it!

Wednesdays Are Pizza Days

We are pleased to announce that a group of parent volunteers, together with the 8th grade students, will be serving pizza made in our kitchen on Wednesdays starting 2/21! 

More information coming soon in ParentSquare...

February

16/ Friday

• No School for the Children's Garden & Lower School - CG & LS Parent-Teacher Conferences (as needed)
• 12:30 Dismissal for the High School

19-20/ Monday-Tuesday

• No School

21/ Wednesday

• Lunch Music - MS & HS Guitars, 12:35pm
• Trustees Council Meeting, 7pm (see below)

22/ Wednesday

• Senior Night (Girls), 5:30pm (see below)

23/ Friday

• Faculty Appreciation Luncheon (see above)

26/ Monday

• Senior Night (Boys), 5pm (see below)

27/ Tuesday

• Eurythmy Spring Valley Public Performance, 7:30pm (see below)

29/ Thursday

• G7 & G8 Dance, 7pm

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

Simplicity Parenting Family Life Course

February 29 - March 21

Thursday Evenings 7-9pm at WWS

Register

Too often, navigating our current cultural context to raise a family with deeply centered values can feel like a constant, or maybe near impossible struggle. 

To help families find more balance, more harmony and joy, and a shared sense of purpose and meaning, WWS is pleased to be able to offer WWS families the opportunity to join this session of Simplicity Parenting Family Life course for just the $30 materials fee.

Rooted in evidence-based research and the clinical experience of family counselor Kim John Payne, the course provides effective and doable practices and techniques for enjoying a more peaceful and connected home life. Best of all, it's done with a group of other WWS parents who share similar challenges in parenting and desires for their families. 

Through a series of meetings facilitated by WWS parent and Simplicity Parenting facilitator, Drew Sample, parents will get the structure and supportive environment needed to adapt these powerful practices in their household.

Contact Drew Sample with questions or learn more on the website. 

Washington FAMILY "Best for Families" Nominations Are Open

Please take a few minutes and nomiate WWS for Washington FAMILY magazine's "Best for Families" awards. This is a simple way to help us spread the word about WWS.

Nominate WWS today!

Trustees Council Meeting

Wednesday, Feb 21 at 7pm in the WWS library

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

WWS Trustees Council (TC) meetings are held montly in the WWS library. They are typically scheduled for the third Tuesday of every month but, due to a professional development day on Feb 20,  this month's meeting will be held on Wed, Feb 21. 

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. 

Senior Nights - Please Note the Dates!

We will celebrate our senior basketball players over two nights this year. Both games will be played at WWS.

Thursday, Feb 22 at 5:30pm - High School Girls vs JDS

Monday, Feb 26 at 5pm - Highs School Boys vs Washington Latin 

We hope you will join us in the John & Mary Brauer Gym to celebrate our senior players and their parents as their high school basketball careers come to an end.

Eurythmy Spring Valley Performance

Tuesday, Feb 27 at 7:30pm

The Greater Washington Branch of the Anthroposophical Society and the Washington Waldorf School look forward to hosting a visit of the Eurythmy Spring Valley touring group. The Branch will sponsor a public performance to be held at the school on Tuesday, Feb 27 at 7:30pm (approx 90 min program). The School will sponsor three assemblies for our students, one each for the Childrens' Garden, Lower School, and High School during the school day on Wednesday, Feb 28. 

You can help provide meals for the Eurythmy Spring Valley group.

If you are interested, please see the meal train page for information and to sign up.

Do you want to help out with the WWS Spring Gala?

We are recruiting Buy-In Party hosts to create experiences based on their talents and interests. Are you great at entertaining? Do you have a skill or craft you would like to teach others? Or would you just love to throw a dinner party for a good cause? Past Buy-In Parties included walking tours, family cookouts, classes, dinners, and children’s activities. If you are interested in hosting a Buy-In Party for our Spring Gala, please fill out the Gala Buy-In Party Donation Form. 

If you have questions, or are interested in hosting, but can’t decide what kind of experience you would like to host, we can help! Please email Meg Kneisl, Assistant Director of Development and Events.

This year’s Spring Gala will also include an exclusive Wine Cellar Silent Auction. Please help us by donating a bottle (or bottles!) of your favorite wine for others to bid on and enjoy. If you would like to donate, please fill out our Wine Donation Form. All donations should be brought to the Front Desk in a bag labeled with the donor’s name so they can be properly stored and their donation credited by the Development Office. If you have any questions about donating wine to the Wine Cellar Silent Auction, please email Meg Kneisl, Assistant Director of Development and Events.

Summer camp registration is open!

For camp related questions, please contact camps@washingtonwaldorf.org.

We've reopened our Request for Proposal (RFP) for Financial Advisor Services for the school. Qualified providers are invited to submit their proposals by Feb 23, 2024. For any questions related to the RFP, please email ltrue@washingtonwaldorf.org.

Read the RFP

Time for Three at Strathmore Next Week

Alum Nick Kendall ('97) and his Grammy award winning band Time for Three will play with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at Strathmore on Feb 17 at 8pm.

Learn More & Buy Tickets

Some of you may have had the pleasure of attending the Tf3 concert in celebration of the WWS 50th Anniversary almost 4 years ago. Take a look back at this interview with Nick from that visit.

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

Building Bridges Program - Coming to the Baltimore/DC Area in March

We are delighted to announce the start of our Building Bridges Program in the Baltimore/DC region starting on March 9, 2024! Building Bridges sessions are designed as engaging and inspiring in-person learning experiences consisting of a series of workshops designed to introduce the anthroposophical foundations of Waldorf education through study, group discussion, and the practice of the arts. With in-person long weekends, supplemented with some virtual learning, participants in Building Bridges will earn the equivalent of the first semester of teacher education and, upon subsequent entry in Antioch University, can be awarded 7 graduate credits in advance standing.

Who should consider Building Bridges?

1. Part-time teachers already in a Waldorf school who might want to move towards full-time work as class teachers, subject teachers, or a high school training through CfA.
2. Parents in area Waldorf schools who are considering Waldorf teaching and see BB as a “try us out” opportunity.
3. Public school teachers looking to make a career change.

Participants need to have completed our Explorations (formerly Foundation Studies) Program or demonstrate equivalency through life experience and/or willingness to do the online courses simultaneously with the face-to-face BB courses. Tuition and schedules are on the website. We offer group discounts for three or more from one school.

Learn More & Register

Final Donation Collection at WWS for Hearts and Homes

From Robin Leake (WWS Alum Family)

I want to start by saying a huge thank you for your support and donations over the course of the year that we have been running this project. Because of your generosity we have collected and distributed over 3,000 pounds of donations to our new neighbors in the immigrant community. Way to go!

I have decided to pause the project for the time being. As you can imagine, it takes a lot of hard work to inspect and deliver 3,000 pounds of donations and I find that this year I really need to refocus my energy back into my family. As a result, Sunday, Feb 18 will be my last collection event at the Washington Waldorf School.

Please know that you can still take any items that you would like to donate directly to the same organizations that I delivered to. It might also be fun to take things a step further and volunteer at one of the organizations you’ve supported to learn more about the work they do.

Homes Not Borders

A Wider Circle

Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network

Thank you again for making this project such a big success. It was wonderful to meet you and I wish you all the best.

Fiber and Fire Camp (Grades 10-12)

A camp of self reliance, empowerment, and art run by Waldorf educators.

• Camp Dates: June 15-23
• Location: Hawley, Massachusetts (We will offer a shuttle from Boston Logan Airport)
• For students in Grades 10-12. Space is limited to 12 participants 
• Price: $2600 (Current Promotion: $200 off if you register by March 1)

Learn More & Register

Join us this summer for a nature-based experience deeply rooted in early crafts of self-reliance. We offer a modern take on timeless techniques attractive to a newer generation of self-empowering artists. At this camp, you will learn to sew clothing (from beautiful, sustainable materials) that fit your unique body. You will hone the art of lighting primitive fires using classic methods and cook nourishing and delicious meals over an open fire...to include fire pies!

We will spend our time atop a high meadow in northwest Massachusetts on a family-owned organic farm with expansive vistas and dark night skies. We will stay in a lovely lodge built with timber from the land in a peaceful, wild setting. Artists in the group will have plenty of time to absorb inspiration from the natural world. In contrast, those seeking a more active experience will have opportunities to explore the vast trail system as we immerse ourselves in nature on this 450-acre property. 

This camp is a collaboration between Cassie of Morning Rove and Adria of Empowered Threads Studio, seasoned teachers with years of experience in Waldorf Education. Adria and Cassie are passionate about self-reliance, art, and sustainability; they feel inspired to bring together like-minded students from Waldorf Schools across the country for this unique and powerful experience. 

Please check out this video highlighting some of our past capstone trips!

Looking for a Loom

If you know of someone or an organization with a loom that they might donate to the school, please contact Cecilia Berg-Benson at cbergbenson@washingtonwaldorf.org.

Published by the Washington Waldorf School

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