This Week at WSRF: The Early Childhood Programs

The Early Child programs are the foundation for all we do at WSRF. The steady rhythm and calm routine of the classes, hand-in-hand with the celebration of nature and its seasons, teach our children trust in the world and their own growing capacities.

This is where our students discover the importance of kindness and warmth towards each other, and the certainty that hard work and right deeds will win out in the end. The tenants and truths established in the Kinderhaus resonate throughout the grades and into adulthood.

With this in mind, we take a look at how our youngest students are meeting the world (and themselves!) this week at WSRF:

The Sunflower classroom is vibrant with autumn colors and festivity as the children prepare for Martinmas by making lanterns. They have been watching the puppet play about Johnny Appleseed and his journey to plant seeds that eventually grow into trees of all sizes. With a splendid visit from King Winter, the children have been bundled up in their warm layers and playing together in the snow. And every day magic swirls in the many ways the children help each other and care for the classroom and play yard. We had a birthday celebration and the children helped to make apple crisp. We are grateful for each day we get to spend together.

-Miss Sigrid

Moonflower Kindergarten: Snow! Snow! Snow! From Heaven snows the snow! Happy Autumn! What a magical time it is in the Moonflower Kindergarten! With the beautiful autumn colors dancing in the changing breeze, and most recently SNOW! The children’s imaginations are soaring as they delve into deep play with each other. All of the little one’s have finally arrived from Fairy Mother, our wool pumpkins have magically grown stems and we even carved a Jack-o-Lantern! We have some very special 4th grade buddies that gave us some Halloween joy this week and today we all tasted some roasted pumpkin seeds and yummy pumpkin soup from Ms Pam!

Our Kindergarten hums along every day with a strong rhythm of practical work that is meaningful whether it be chopping vegetables, washing dishes or folding the napkins. We love our meals together and we have so much to share with one another there never seems to be enough time for everyone. We know that even if we do not get a turn to share this time, there will be the next time for sure.

Outside our time is spent making fairy houses, rolling down the hills-or recently sledding! We all raked the leaves into a large pile and jumped into it over and over again! Did I mention we harvested all of the beets and greens from our garden? They made our soup taste extra yummy. Now we are turning towards the days becoming shorter, the cold outside and King Winter peeking up his head to remind us of the days we have ahead and the brightness that lies within. It is a very special time in the Kindergarten and we look forward with great warmth and anticipation-glimmer lantern glimmer!

-Miss Heidi

School News

Help Keep WSRF Open

Community Health is School Health

Please be aware of the new Executive Order issued by Governor Polis on 10/21/20 which restricts personal gatherings to 10 people from no more than two households.

Please recognize that personal choices we each make have the potential to impact the school’s ability to remain open for in-person learning. Our wish is to remain open, are we ask for your support and consciousness when making decisions.

This conundrum has been voiced effectively by 6th Grade Class Teacher, Ms. Noll to her class parents:

Covid-19

Covid-19 numbers are on the rise.

Hopefully you were able to read my article in the last school newsletter. It really is true that I feel every day together is a great day! In order to keep ourselves together, more indoors now than ever due to the changing weather, we are faced with making some difficult choices. I cannot necessarily tell you not to have that birthday party for your child or some other type of social gathering. How far can the hand of the school extend?

It is, however, the year for us to look at what we value more. Everything we do puts in-person teaching at risk. Our social gatherings, our travel plans, etc. all contribute. If there was ever a time for us to unify, it is now. Unfortunately, we cannot have it all and it is up to us to make safe and smart, although difficult, choices. I have teacher friends across the nation. Some are still in school with their fingers crossed (a shout out to my WI teacher friends!). Others have not set foot for in-person teaching as of yet. And others have gotten Covid.

My hope is that we can all stay happy and healthy as we navigate our way through this time. Presently, we are not just making our own personal choices, but we are making choices that affect all of us. The snow can bring down the tents, but our spirits continue to rise!

Face covering standards

As a school we believe that providing the safest environment is paramount. Our policy requires mask wearing when indoors and on the school bus. Masks are the type of face covering that includes ear loops, and effectively covers the mouth and nose. Bandanas and buffs do not meet this standard. Please equip your students accordingly. Especially on the bus, we are rapidly using our supply of masks to outfit riders.

Your help in this area is appreciated and will help WSRF to stay open to in-person learning.

Video Premiere: Window Into Waldorf Fall 2020

We are excited to share our new Window Into Waldorf Early Childhood Education! This 6 minute introduction is an opportunity to see Waldorf early childhood education come to life on the WSRF campus and learn more about our curriculum and programs from our incredible teachers. Please enjoy and feel free to share with families outside our community who might be interested in learning more about our early childhood program!

Don’t forget: our upcoming Live Virtual Q&A on Thursday November 12th at 7:30pm which is a chance to ask questions and learn even more about our early childhood programs. You must RSVP for this event here.

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. Please explore a tiny window into Main Lesson books that have started to take shape on the WSRF campus so far this year!

The School Store is now open for shopping by appointment!

Thank you to Robynn Dorffi and Kay Graybill who spent time getting the school store ready for shoppers over the fall break. We are excited to announce shopping in the school store is now available by appointment only during school hours. Please email robynn@waldorfschoolrf.org to set up a time to shop our incredible collection of gifts, toys and games.

An Early invitation to (Virtual) Grandparent’s Day!

Grandparent’s day is being re-imagined this year to allow families and friends to join from near and far in celebration of their support and dedication to Waldorf Education, plus enjoy a window into all the hard work taking place these days on our campus. Please mark your calendars and pass this early invitation along to grandparent’s and special grand friends who may be excited to hear about this upcoming event.

Stay tuned for more details and we look forward to this special opportunity!