Last week's Lower School Strings Concert

We would like to share that Clopper Almon passed on Friday, May 17. He was 90 years old. 

Clopper was a founder of the Washington Waldorf School along with a group of people deeply committed to Waldorf education, including Gene & Esther Smith and Roberta van Schilfgaarde. Clopper was a pillar for many of the teachers in the early years of WWS, and served as a Board member. He was a stalwart supporter of the school, Waldorf Education, and Anthroposophy. 

A longtime Economics professor at the University of Maryland, Clopper received his PhD from Harvard University in 1962. He taught at Harvard until 1966, when he joined the faculty at UMD where he taught until his retirement in 2003.

Read Clopper's full UMD biography to learn about his work as a professor and his international work in economics after his retirement.

Clopper Almon speaking at the WWS 50th Anniversary Party in 2019.

Washington Waldorf School's Day(s) of Giving were a success!

• Overall, between March 14 - 17, we raised $34,881.24 for the One Fund.
• Washington Waldorf School earned a total of $27,381.24 in matching funds.
• We achieved 80% Current Parent participation, and 83% Faculty participation.
• Grade 2 achieved 100% participation and earned popsicles for the class!

We are grateful for the ways the Washington Waldorf School community showed up in the last week, from champions near and far. 

Thank you to all those who gave during the "Vote for WWS" participation campaign, and all those who volunteered their time to make the effort a success. Your support is truly appreciated, not only on the Day(s) of Giving, but throughout the year. We are especially grateful to our Challenge Gift donors for their generosity in helping to make the day a success. A special thank you also goes to Lisa Catalone (Grade 12 and alum parent), Founder of Catalone Design, who created our Gnome character, and other materials for this campaign.

The high school classes, Grade 3, and Grade 6 are away on trips this week. We're happy to share glimpse from each class.

Grade 12 Lakota Waldorf School

Grade 11 Camphill School

Grade 10 Hawthorne Valley Farm

Grade 9 camping with Calleva

Grade 6 Medieval Games

Grade 3 Hawthorne Valley Farm

And a collage from the Grade 5 Pentathlon earlier in May.

Many thanks to Charlie Fox for the great pentathlon photos!

From Drew Sample, CG Parent & Enrollment Associate

On a drizzly April Saturday, several WWS Children's Garden (CG) families gathered for a day of spring cleaning on the CG playground. A little rain didn't dampen spirits, as children had a chance to play with friends and show their grown-ups some of their daily tools and activities while everyone chipped in to help beautify the space for spring and summer. Garden beds were weeded and tended, the sandpit was leveled, and the tool shed got a good scrubbing! 

*Apologies for the typo in last week's bulletin that listed May 24 as Wednesday. The correct Date/Day is listed below.*

May

24/ Friday

• Lower School Field Day
• 12:30 Dismissal
• Family Brown Bag Picnic, 12:30pm (see below)

27/ Monday

• No School

28/ Tuesday

• High School Athletic Awards, 6pm

31/ Friday

• Rose Ceremony

June

1/ Saturday

• Graduation, 1pm
• Alum Reunion, 4pm

4/ Tuesday

• Volunteer Appreciation Brunch, 8:30am (see below)

9/ Sunday

• End-of-Year Party & Faculty Farewell, 3:30pm (see below)

10/ Monday

• Grade 8 Commencement, 2pm

12/ Wednesday

• Last Day of School - 12:30 Dismissal

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

Friday, May 24

As the school year draws to a close, we look forward to our annual Lower School Field Day on Friday, May 24. The event will begin at 10:45 am, and you are welcome to come and watch your students participate in the events. 

Field Day is a half day, and there is no aftercare. After pickup, our Field Day Picnic will take place from 12:30 to 2pm on the main playground.

The Field Day Picnic is for all WWS families. We invite you to bring a blanket and picnic lunch for your family. We will treat everyone to popsicles. Please note that this is a family event outside of school hours, so all student attendees must be accompanied by a parent or caregiver.

Come enjoy this great opportunity to mingle with other WWS families as the school year winds down!

Tuesday, June 4 at 8:30am

Volunteerism has a special place in our community. Our Trustees Council, Parent/Family Organization, and so many other special committees and initiatives rely on the power of volunteerism. Our school’s volunteers enrich our students’ educational experiences every day, and make our community a vibrant, welcoming place. We want to thank you for lending your time and talent to our school, and honor the amazing contributions you have made this school year! 

We invite everyone who has volunteered to join us for a Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast on Tuesday, June 4th from 8:30-10am. 

Please view the invitation and RSVP.

Thank you for all you do!

*Please note the updated list of farewells*

Sunday, June 9 from 3:30-6pm

We invite you to join us on Sunday, June 9 from 3:30-6pm for an End-of-Year Party and Faculty Farewell. We will be giving a proper send off to our departing faculty members, Shelly Hackman (Delegating School Nurse), Mike Hadjipateras (Visiting HS Humanities Teacher), Lilli Kuth (Early Childhood Educational Support Teacher), Bailey More (HS Math Teacher), Lisa Pitillo (Seedlings Lead Teacher and College Co-Chair), CJ (Leonard) Stumbo (Front Office Manager), and Lelia True (Faculty Chair/Head of School). We will also welcome new families who are joining us for the 2024/2025 school year.

Chef Eron and team will grill up hamburgers, veggie burgers, and hotdogs, while music from Sven Abow and his band will get our toes tapping. We will have basketball on the outdoor courts, volleyball in the gym, and outdoor activities for the whole family. There will even be face painting for children to enjoy. All are welcome to attend.

Parent/Family Organization volunteers are needed to help out with the event. Please sign up to lend a hand!

We ask that all families bring a side dish or dessert to share. Those with last names A to M, please bring a side dish. Those with last names N to Z, please bring a dessert. Please bring all food ready to serve and, if applicable, label it as vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, or dairy free.

We hope you can join us to celebrate the culmination of the school year, and help us bid a fond farewell to Shelly, Mike, Lilli, Bailey, Lisa, CJ, and Lelia.

Next week is the last week of hot lunch -- don't miss out! It's our last chance to show strong demand for the lunch program. Purchase lunch for the upcoming week.

• If you paused your lunch purchases because your student was on a trip, don't forget to purchase lunch for the upcoming week if you haven't yet.
• Please order by Monday evening.

Thank you for all your support!

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

Looking for Family to Participate in Nanny share

From Hannah Shaw, WWS Faculty

We're hoping to share a nanny with one other family beginning (ideally) in September. We'd love to hear from you if you're interested in a nanny share, or if you know a nanny looking for a new family. We live in the Forest Estates neighborhood of Silver Spring.

Hannah Shaw

hshaw@washingtonwaldorf.org

347-488-7385

Online Violin/Viola Lessons

From Julie Stoessel, Former WWS Faculty

Contact Julie through her website or email:

violintechniquewithjulie.com

stoesselje@gmail.com

New High School Urban Forestry Careers Camp at UMD

From Alia Goodyear, WWS Parent, Faculty & Alum

Be one of 40 Maryland high school students selected to spend a week at the University of Maryland with other like-minded students from across the state. Spend a week experiencing hands-on learning with industry professionals and experts in many forestry-related fields.

The one-week camp will be held from July 7 - July 13, 2024.

Students must be currently enrolled in high school at the Sophomore level or higher by September 2024. Newly graduated seniors are eligible as well.

Learn More

Report on Young People and Social Media

From Jess Gottlieb, WWS Faculty

Common Sense and Hopelab, have released the third report in a series that has been tracking the role of social media in how young people age 14–22 support their mental health and well-being. The report reinforces that many young people turn to social media for emotional support, connection to friends and family, community building, and for fun.

But at the same time, they experience stressful content—like harassment and hate speech—and must actively take steps to manage their exposure to it, like curating their social media feeds to see more of what helps and less of what doesn't. 

Read the report

A Chat About ADHD and Its Medications

From R.L. Kramer, WWS Family

Thursday, May 30 at 6PM at WWS

This is not a school sponsored event.

Join R.L. Kramer for a nuanced and informative talk on the challenging decision of whether to medicate children displaying symptoms of ADHD. He himself was diagnosed and medicated as a child and into early adulthood. Only after quitting the medications was he truly aware of their impact and chose to examine the phenomenon of medication and work to understand med-free ADHD treatment. He shares his experience in his book, "Hocus Focus: Coming of age with ADD and its medicines."

Note: The speaker is not a medical professional and is no substitute for professional health care.

Furnished Rental Near WWS

From Torie Gorges, WWS Parent & Faculty

"Just steps from Canal and Potomac River with big deck and all the bells and whistles."

View Zillow Listing

Published by the Washington Waldorf School

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