June 11th News
On Behalf of the WSRF Board of Trustees: Thank you for an incredible School Year!
Valery Kelly, on behalf of the WSRF Board of trustees would like to extend a thank you to the entire community for the success of the school year. As we reach the end of this challenging, yet successful year, we are filled with gratitude for the work that’s been done and the nourishment our students received. We look forward to welcoming our community back to campus in the fall.
To the Families & Friends of WSRF
Dear Parents,
Well, here we are, the final school day of 2020-21 has finally arrived. The students and teachers are excited to depart for summer trips, extra rest and the time to do absolutely nothing if that is the wish. Summer is a time for expansion and with it, comes an inner freedom that allows us to feel the depth of life right into the soul. For all of us, old or young, summer can carry rich memories.
With that, please enjoy this beautiful piece of prose written by Kristie Helms from Utne Reader as she looks back on her childhood and her days of summer. Her words are so rich, I could not muster anything better myself.
"We lived on the banks of the Tennessee River, and we owned the summers when we were girls. We ran wild through humid summer days that never ended but only melted one into the other. We floated down rivers of weekdays with no school, no rules, no parents, and no constructs other than our fantasies. We were good girls, my sister and me. We had nothing to rebel against. This was just life as we knew it, and we knew the summers to be long and to be ours.
The road that ran past our house was a rural one lane route. Every morning, after our parents had gone to work. I'd wait for the mail lady to pull up to our box. Some days I would put enough change into a mason jar lid and leave it in the mailbox. I hated bothering the mail lady with this transaction, which made her day longer. But I liked that she knew that someone in our house sent letters to the outside world.
I liked walking to the mailbox in my bare feet and leaving footprints on the dewy grass. I imagined that feeling the wetness on the bottom of my feet made me a poet. I had never read poetry, outside of Emily Dickinson. But I imagined that people who knew of such things would walk to their mailboxes through the morning dew in their bare feet.
We planned our wedding with the help of Barbie dolls and the tiny purple flowers growing on our side yard. We became scientists and tested concoctions of milk, orange juice and mouthwash. We ate handfuls of bittersweet chocolate chips and licked peanut butter off spoons. When we ran out of sweets to eat, we snitched sugary Flintstone vitamins out of the medicine cabinet. We became masters of the Kraft macaroni and cheese lunch, and we dutifully called our mother at work three times a day to give her updates on our adventures. But do not call too often or speak too loudly or whine too much, we told ourselves, or else they'll get annoyed, and she'll get fired and the summers will end.
We twirled in the living room in the wind and in the music. We twirled and we imagined that we were poets and dancers and scientists and spring brides. We twirled and imagined that if we could let everything - the thunder, the storm, the wind, the world - into that house on the banks of the Tennessee River, we could live in our summer dreams forever. When we were girls.”
With summer holiday beginning today, I hope these past 16 months have been ones that we can forget. Yet, there has been so much enjoyment in being together with your children. We thank you for the trust; for the grace you have given; for the ability to have some normalcy in the classrooms each day. I like to think that while we have not been together, that over these months, our hearts have continued to beat as one.
I sign off to you this final time and send you my gratitude for allowing me to serve the school community in this way. We are blessed to live in such a time. There are troubles, of course, as there always will be, but I send you my heartfelt appreciation and gratitude for your kindness and the giving of grace.
With much appreciation,
Tim Connolly
Faculty Administrator
Last Sunday morning the campus was aglow with the joy of graduating the Class of 2021. The 13 students were dressed in their finest and spoke with joy of memories past and the gratitude that they have for what they have learned over the 115 years that the group has been together at the school. Ms. Mullally graduated her third class in the last decade at WSRF and placed together a ceremony that was filled with warmth, joy, humor and love. One of the unique aspects of the ceremony was her excellent decision to invite a parent to speak at the graduation to reflect on that perspective. Oz Hightower’s father, Brian, spoke and shared warmth and laughter as he recalled his family’s years as part of the school community. It was an excellent addition to the ceremony and one that perhaps need be carried forward.
As we turn the calendar toward summer, appreciations are sent to McKenna, Camille, Nina, Oz, Jacob, Hunter, Henry, Rio, Monte, Canyon, Teo, Aidan, Josiah and Ms. Mullally. You will be missed and thank you for leading us with such love and laughter!
Volunteers Needed! WSRF at Mountain Fair This Summer
Every year Carbondale celebrates together at their summer festival, the Carbondale Mountain Fair, put on by Carbondale Arts and a family of volunteers. Proceeds from the fair go to support arts programming in the local community and schools. There is music, food, artisans, fun contests, and lots and lots of people. This year the Carbondale celebrates it's 50th annual Mountain Fair, so it is the Golden Fair. The Golden Fair takes place July 23-25 at and around Sopris Park.
WSRF has had a presence at the fair for many years in different ways. Our contribution over the last few years has been to offer a free Flower Crown Making Station in the family friendly corner of the fair known as the Oasis. With all of the supplies for flower crowns and volunteers from the Waldorf community on hand, fair goers get to make their very own flower crown, like we have done in the past for May Day's at WSRF. For many, it is the first time and people are thrilled to make and wear something of such beauty for a day.
This is a very hands on activity where help is needed to make our Flower Crown Station a success. Teachers, staff, parents, and older children are all welcome to help. Flower crown making will happen on Sunday July 25 from 10:30 – 2:30. There are plenty of jobs: prepping materials ahead of time, gathering supplies, setting up, helping people make crowns, and breaking down and packing up. This is a great opportunity to connect with the broader community and share a bit of Waldorf magic. If you have never made a flower crown, have no fear! The Head Flower Fairy has simplified the process and anyone can do it with a little bit of willow branch, a bit of floral wire, some ribbon and of course, a few beautiful blossoms!
If you are interested in helping, the Head Flower Fairy, Holly Richardson (holly@waldorfcarbondale.org), would be so grateful! Please see the link here to sign up for a volunteer shift! The Head Flower Fairy or a helper will be in touch in July to coordinate any additional details!
Support needed: Sign Up here
Saturday, July 24 9 – 11 am Prep: Making willow crown bases at WSRF 4 people
Sunday, July 25 9:00 – 10:30 Setting up shop at Mountain Fair 4 people
10:30 – 12 Making crowns 4 people
12-1:30 Making crowns 4 people
1:30 – 3:30 Making crowns, breaking down 4 people
Waldorf Curriculum Spotlight: Why do we nurture human capacities such as resilience, flexibility and compassion?
Waldorf Education emphasizes rigorous academics, dynamic artistic endeavors and the nourishment and development of human capacities. We believe in the development of both skills and capacities. The world is rapidly changing and we believe our students are best equipped with not only skills but also the capacity to adapt, show compassion and leverage inner resilience.
The whole human being is taken into consideration in every element from Parent Child to 8th Grade. The result is individuals who not only carry knowledge and skills but are self aware, internally developed and emotionally in-tune.
Human capacities such as perseverance, creativity and empathy are as much a part of Waldorf Education as academics that explore diverse perspectives and complex subject matter. We believe in nurturing graduates with capacities to engage in conversations and reflection while also having the skills to impact the world around them.
We constantly ask: in a rapidly changing world, what human capacities will our students need to thrive in the future? For a closer look at educating for the future, explore this 4 minute video from the Association of Waldorf School’s North America (AWSNA).
Parent Volunteers for Committee Work
This past year has limited parent involvement on campus due to the pandemic, yet as matters begin to normalize again, we see the brightness on the horizon. Two committees are forming wherein parent assistance will be sought. During budget work this year, the Board allocated up to $150,000 for playground improvement on the yard. To gain community input, this committee seeks two parents to join Faculty and Board members to work towards a plan to determine how best that these funds can be spent. While the Faculty has consented to this committee mandate, the Board has not seen it yet and will consider its intent in August. Please consider if this is the kind of work that you may wish to be involved in.
The other committee that will seek Board approval in August is the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee that the Faculty has approved. It too seeks two parent volunteers to serve with the Faculty and the Board. Again, if this be an interest of yours, please ponder if this may be a way to serve.
If you are interested in participating in these, or any parent committee at WSRF, please send an email to Ms. Bellack.
Playspace Mandate Committee
Purpose and expected outcomes: The primary purpose of this group is to:
1. Solicit input from Faculty to include ECC, lower school and middle school regarding updates/changes to the school’s play spaces
2. Form a proposal to be vetted through Faculty, B&G and AC to go to the Board for approval and implementation
a. Proposal to provide detailed recommendations of any equipment purchases, installation location and suggested timelines.
b. Concepts must be vetted for compliance with pertinent rules and regs – ECC, insurance/safety, appropriate setbacks, fall zones, substrate materials, ect,
c. Cost of upgrades to include site improvements, material acquisition, construction/installation, required substrate – all costs involved.
Authority and responsibility:
The group is advisory in nature, providing a vetted proposal to the Board. The Group’s responsibility is to consider pedagogically appropriate solutions that meet health and safety guidelines, and incorporates a consensus process.
Individual(s) receiving mandate:
Suggested representation from Board, Faculty reps from ECC, LS and MS, and any interested/qualified Parents.
DEI Committee
The DEI Committee would be a working group of parents, faculty, and administration. The role of the committee would be to catalyze and support meaningful transformation in critical areas of diversity, equity and inclusion at every level of our community.
The specific goals of the committee would be to:
• Research and recommend modifications to our curriculum to ensure our education becomes more global and free of bias and emphasizes lessons which share global perspectives that prepare students to become active citizens.
• Develop and support strategies to recruit and retain students who are under-represented within our community, such as broadening our outreach and making scholarships available.
• Develop and support strategies to recruit and retain employees from diverse backgrounds.
• Help strengthen our connections to underrepresented communities in our area.
• Help all members of our school community better understand and respect the myriad of cultures of the world we live in. This might include recommending that all faculty & staff engage in training that supports the undoing of racism, study and discuss racism with the Dismantling Racism – A Resource Book together, engage in a book study group of books which highlight implicit bias such as White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo, Me And White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad and How To Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi.
• Coordinate with the Restorative Council to find ways that teachers, students and parents may learn from one another, to see themselves within their peers and become citizens of the world, enabling them to understand and appreciate varying viewpoints and ways of being.
DEI Committee meetings would be held once a month and would be open to all members of our community.
Covid protocols 2021-22
As today concludes this school year, we look forward to next year already. During these summer weeks, the Administrative Council will continue to collect data and recommendations from local health officials to help determine what policies, if any, may be necessary to keep the community safe, healthy and together during the 21-22 school year. It is likely that the formation of any policy will be ready from community distribution during the first weeks August.
Faculty News
We have been blessed this year to have Gabe Mead, aka “Mr. Gabe” join the staff as the ‘up valley’ bus driver. Gabe’s easy going way is loved by all. He was a welcome addition to many e year end field trips, and much appreciation is extended to him for the extra time that he has given over these past weeks. Next school year, Gabe’s duties will expand to include helping Mr. Scher with school maintenance and become an afternoon assistant to the Willow Forest Class. We are happy to have more of you next year!
