October 1st News
Welcome, Starflower Toddlers
Our education programs continue to grow by leaps and bounds! Please join us in welcoming our youngest students, the children of the Starflower toddler program. These brave students can be seen making their way on exciting treks around campus, ably led by the equally fearless Ms. Allison and Ms. Marina. Here is a picture of a day in the life of the Starflower class.
Walking with Toddlers in the Starflower Way
Each morning in the Starflower class after the parents drop off their children, we take a walk. There are 7 toddlers named Hugo, Will, Reece, Emi, Sloan, Theo, and Johannes and 2 teachers. We leave our gate, dressed for any weather; Some children are eager for the walk ahead, while others are feeling mom and dad’s departure. However, once we round the fence past our play yard, tears have disappeared and the children are ready for the discoveries of the day.
Ahhh, the wood chip pile awaits - some children run up and down, again and again, while others sit and look for feathered friends floating on the pond. I can see that these toddlers need and love to move: climbing, crawling, running, rolling, falling, to name just a few.
Wednesday’s rain brought a whole new level of adventure with puddles large enough to put our Oaki Wear to the test, and plenty of splashing, stomping, running, and jumping. As I stood and watched in their shear joy in the simple act of jumping in a puddle, I was overcome with gratitude. Gratitude for being with children that find delight in the smallest things, gratitude for being in a school where puddle jumping is allowed and even encouraged, and gratitude for being witness to young children having the space and time to play. This time when children are young is so short and what a gift it is to slow down and be present.
The toddlers are all settling into the rhythm of our days marked by in-breaths and out-breaths. They already know to go right to their cubbies when we come inside to take their shoes off and get their slippers on. Some even manage to take their shoes off all on their own. They know we all wash our hands before snack and lunch, and they all know which seat is theirs around our table. They watch with wide eyes as we say our blessing and some have begun to try and say it along with us. Our days are sweet and simple yet filled with the awe and wonder of the world. Navigating one’s day through the eyes of a toddler brings joy and excitement around every corner.
Save the Date
Oct 7: Annual Giving campaign kickoff
Oct 8-11: Fall Break
Oct 22: No School - Kinderhaus
Oct 22: Early Chilhood Parent-Teacher Conferences
Upper Grade Service Work
A key component of our upper grades curriculum is work done in service of the larger community. This past week saw grades 5 through 8 doing cleanup and trail work throughout the valley.
Grades 5th & 6th on the Rio Grande
Grades 7th & 8th on Perham Creek
A cool, crisp, colorful, autumn day on Perham Creek offered the ideal setting for the 7th and 8th graders to dig into some community service and work as a team to renew the beauty of a local hiking trail this week.
In cooperation with the Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteer (RFOV) Program, middle schoolers headed out for a full day of trail maintenance and improvement. With shovels and clippers, saws and rakes, stewardship of the natural world and for the benefit of our valley’s community were the primary focus for the day. But the experience and shared adventure provided an ideal venue for so much more. Being of service is a core goal to our middle school curriculum. While our classroom learning is rich, it is through authentic experiences like this, that our middle schoolers gain a deeper learning about themselves, their potential, the value of collaboration, and being of service. The rewards of doing for others can be challenging to teach; but when a middle schooler walks down a trail, newly improved by their own handy work, the value of doing for others is palpable.
Watching the students integrate across the grades and encourage one another, the group was able to restore water drainage systems, improve the safety of the trail, and open up the space for healthy growth and beauty for years to come. New steppingstones were placed for water crossing and trail cuts were closed off to limit misuse and erosion. Each task brought greater awareness and appreciation for the natural beauty of our valley and for the energy and effort that true stewardship requires.
Our day was threatened by dark clouds and thunder, but the sun prevailed and we ended the time with some reflective journaling and gratitude for the guidance of our RFOV guides. Perham Creek is a challenging, but spectacular trail, especially when Colorado is in full autumn colors – get out and enjoy the colors and send out gratitude for the beauty of where we live the and invaluable opportunities that our valley provides for our children to become their best selves.
Vision & Hearing Screening
Good hearing and vision skills are important for children’s abilities to see, listen, learn and make progress in our school. For these reasons, WSRF takes a special interest in the vision and hearing of our students.
WSRF will be conducting basic distance vision and pure tone hearing screenings October 5th and 6th. Screenings will be conducted for all grades this year due to these screenings not being conducted last year because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
We have also teamed up again this year with the local Lions Club Colorado Kid Sight Program who will be providing the vision screening for our Preschool through 2nd grade students. The program currently uses the Plusoptix Mobile 12 vision screener which detects vision problems in children quickly through a non-invasive process. The equipment is designed specifically for children and is "kid friendly". This equipment allows them to detect six common vision problems in children.
Parental consent is not required for students to participate in the vision and hearing screenings. However, if you DO NOT want your child screened for any reason, please print and sign the form linked here and send it back to the class teacher. If you have any questions, please feel free to call the school at 963-1960.
The Little Acorn School Store is sending out shoots and roots!
Stop by the Sunroom in the big school to shop for a one-of-a-kind Waldorf gift.
The Willow Forest Yurt has arrived!
Ms. Stephanie's yurt has been delivered! After Herculean efforts by Mr. Gabe and Mr. Ryan, with help from Yoel Reyes, Stacey Garrett, and Mike Spayd, we are ready to raise the roof on our latest classroom!
Join us tomorrow, Saturday, Oct 2, for the yurt raising. Under the steady guidance of Mr. Spayd (parent of Scott, Willow Forest and Cole, 1st grade) we will begin at 8am and conclude when the classroom is done. Stop in for an hour or the day, and help us to bring the Willow Forest classroom to completion!
Waldorf Curriculum Spotlight: What is a Main Lesson Book?
You won’t find textbooks in any of our classrooms. You will however, find each student working and creating their own Main Lesson books, a unique element in Waldorf Education. Main Lesson books are one of the (many) hands on ways that students engage with learning and synthesize material from their daily lessons.
These books, created by hand by each student, not only replace textbooks and worksheets but serve as a space for students to capture the core elements of their lesson and allow for deeper, more dynamic learning. In a New York Times article, A Simple Way to Remember Things, Draw a Picture writer, Tim Herrera, looks at several recent studies that show drawing can help young and old alike remember “word definitions, pictures, and abstract thoughts and ideas.” This is because turning to illustration when processing information relies on more areas of the brain, leading to “a seamless integration of semantic, visual and motor aspects of a memory trace,” which is neuroscience language for “better recall.”
Illustrations, writing, diagrams and more are all intertwined into Main Lesson books which engage both creativity and intention in the students. Explore a tiny window into a 7th Grade Main Lesson book from last year for an idea of the complexity of a Main Lesson book!
Thank You, Ms. Rosenthal
It is with sadness, but deep respect, to announce that Pam Rosenthal is moving on from WSRF. She has been such an integral part of the school, offering her gifts and talents across many disciplines. She has been a class teacher, movement teacher, handwork assistant, Kinderhaus assistant, after school program lead, substitute teacher, served on the board, and a devoted parent volunteer! In commenting on the school’s growth throughout her time here, she says the school has matured in many wonderful ways. A couple examples being the ability to attract amazing faculty and the continued focus on developing strong community. While her favorite memories are too many to list, she is thankful for the opportunities to have seen the school thrive in many ways, and will always enjoy seeing the children grow and mature through this wonderful education.
Her words were: “It has been an honor and great joy to work with these sweet children and their families.”
We will miss Pam, her warm smile and her presence at school, but look forward to visits and hearing of her music adventures as she steps into a new chapter of her life. Please read a departing note from Pam below.
Dear Waldorf Community,
It is with excitement and joy that I share an upcoming transition for me. I had a very successful return to the professional music world this summer and opportunities continue to come in, so to make room in my life for my musical passions to manifest I will be leaving my full-time position in the Kinderhaus and After School at the end of the 1st semester. I am not going far! I plan to continue on as a substitute in the Kinderhaus and in the grades, and I hope to offer music programming for children and adults in the future. Last July I attended a two-week training in Orff-Schulwerk Music for Children, which weaves beautifully with the Waldorf approach to music. My vision is to join these awesome approaches to music education to offer unique joy-filled music learning space for all ages. I have also recently started the Carbondale Community Choir, which is open to anyone who wants to sing, no experience required! Please reach out if you would like to be added to my email list for future music programs :-)
With love and gratitude,
Ms. Pam
Congratulations to MOUNTAIN PARENT's Annual Student Essay Contest Winners
MOUNTAIN PARENT's Annual Student Essay Contest invites opinions, reflections, and observations from students of every school in the Roaring Fork Valley. The magazine also invites teachers and administrators to join their staff in a blind review process.
This year, MP received 142 submissions, and WSRF's Tim Connolly joined the reviewers. MP's Autumn edition spotlights three overall winners from grades 1-8, two high school winners, and two honorable mentions; plus one winner from each participating school. WSRF alumni Daisy Kelly, Ari Chacos, and Rio Smith were among the students recognized.