Winter Break News (December 18th 2020)
Student Reflection from the Advent Spiral
"The Advent Spiral is an experience completely unique to Waldorf schools; it is a chance to leave behind all of the worry and negativity of 2020, and enjoy the moment. I have participated in the Advent Spiral all 11 years I have attended WSRF, and have found it to be an absolutely wonderful experience. The spiral ushers me into the holidays, helping me transition from school to being with family and loved ones. After the chaos of 2020, the Advent Spiral reminds us that taking one small, intentional step at a time, will always bring us back to the light."
Nina Villafranco
8th Grade
Dear Parents,
Happy Holidays to you all and hoping that these days ahead will be blessed for you and your family. Yet, the days behind us have proven to be a remarkable test of strength! With gratitude to so many, we have made it! We send you more gratitude than words can offer. Eighteen weeks of school are now past since we first began teaching in the Kinderhaus, 1st and 2nd grades in mid-August. Given that the wider community has continued to feel the negative effects of the virus, it is quite a testament to every one of us that we have been able to accomplish this. From all of the staff and faculty, we extend a hand of gratitude whether that be keeping your child home with a sniffle being the only symptom to washing masks every day to washing your hands multiple times a day to wearing a mask more than one wishes to, and being willing to do all the unspoken tasks to keep the students healthy and able to be in the classroom. It is through our collective effort that we can begin this four-week respite with the knowing that we did something that seems so normal and yet improbable - keeping school doors open.
As we begin the holiday, we offer a few reminders:
-School will re-open on Monday, January 18 which was originally a planned holiday.
-8th grade projects are still planned for the week of February 8. At this moment, we are not sure if the projects will be livestreamed, available on Zoom or be taped for the wider community. For those wishing to view them, communication will be forthcoming about how they will be available for viewing. Ms.Mullally will be communicating to 8th grade families directly for viewing for you all.
-If you choose to travel during these holiday weeks, please be sure to take into consideration the need to quarantine should you travel to any area that is red or out of the country. If you are unclear, please communicate to Larry Smith and he is more than pleased to help you to determine what your travel may mean. For your edification, herein is the school policy again: "Travel out of Colorado increases your chance of getting or spreading Covid-19. Staying at home is the best way to protect yourself and others. You can get Covid-19 during your travels. You may feel well and not have any symptoms, but you can still spread Covid-19 to others. You and your travel companions (including children) may spread Covid-19 to other people including your family, friends and community for 14 days after you were exposed to the virus.” Accordingly, we require that after you return from travel to “red zone states” or an international destination, you must remain at home for 14 days upon return. Please share your travel destinations to Administrative Council and a determination will be made if quarantine is required based on the most current data regarding incident rates.
-As many of you are aware, the Grades Parent-Teacher Conferences have been taking place over these past weeks due to the need to re-schedule with the calendar change. If you have not met with your child's teacher as yet, please know that these will continue into January and February. Please be in touch with your student's teacher if you have not been able to schedule one as yet.
-Please note the attached updated calendar below for the remaining weeks of the school year. Please note that if we do not need to hold any remote learning in the weeks and days ahead, that the last day of school for the Kinderhaus is Wednesday, June 2 with the Fly Away being held on campus, with the best of hopes. The 1st and 2nd grade's last day of school remains on Thursday, June 3 while the 3rd - 8th grade last day of school is June 11.
With that, on behalf of each teacher and each staff member, we send wishes for the happiest of holidays. Gratitude and love are clearly in the forefront of our minds. In closing, we offer to you the words of O. Henry who graced the world with these words so many years ago in the closing of his short story, The Gift of the Magi. The story is based on the love a young couple who give up their greatest possessions for the love of the other. O. Henry uses this theme to offer words of eloquence and beauty in a tale about gratitude and love.
"The magi, as you know, were wise men--wonderfully wise men--who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents. Being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones, possibly bearing the privilege of exchange in case of duplication. And here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the magi."
Our words of gratitude are deep and rich, and perhaps in some small way, these words of O. Henry more adequately express our sentiment. Thank you all for trust, your guidance and your desire to work hand in hand with us to make in school education possible.
With full hearts and the happiest of holidays to you,
The Faculty and Staff
School News
Thank You, Parents!
It's commonly said that no real education can take place without parent support, but this has been doubly true these last few months. Thank you for being our partners in education, and for making the magic possible.
To wit:
The sixth grade class would like to give an enormous shout out & best parent award to Hanna Gronlund, Finn O'connor's mom, who helped us with our epic holiday gifts to 6th grade parents. Of course, we can't reveal the project in its entirety - that would give it away. We wonder if you can guess our artistic endeavors by using your imagination. Our class could not have done it without Hanna's creativity, patience, love and executive functioning skills.
Thanks Hanna!
Love,
The Sixth Grade
Alumni News
Colorado Rocky Mountain High School (CRMS) released their listing of honor roll students for their just completed Fall semester. We are pleased to announce that 23 WSRF alums are on the list. As you may know, many of our students matriculate there. In the past two years, 60% of our graduates have been accepted and attend the school.
Class of 2024 (Ms. An)
Asher Bier-Moebius
Marlee Brinson
Isla Brumby Nelson
Scarlett Carney
Vitti Gortan
Beck Jennings
Daisy Kelly
Amelie Ogilby
Ben Oldham
Skylar Picard
Class of 2023 (Ms. Mullally)
Luke Baetz
True Bure
Lily Johnson
Maya Menconi
Mayan Schmidt
Class of 2022 (Ms. Gilman)
Alice Amdur
Orion Cherney
Stella Guy Warren
Lola Villafranco
Class of 2021 (Ms. Thomas)
Wren Kelly
Radhika Koss
Sidney Pfeifer-Picard
Zane Mullally
We send you all our hearty congratulations, and know the hard work that it takes to accomplish such achievement. We continue to wish you all of our best and feel so proud for you!
The Faculty and Staff
A Window into the 1st Grade curriculum
To say our students have been busy on campus this semester would be an understatement!
Please explore this newly launched window into the 1st Grade curriculum at our school for a tiny glimpse at the learning, joy and engagement that has filled the WSRF campus over the past 18 weeks. Stay tuned for curriculum videos highlighting other grades across our school in the New Year!
Cleaning out the closets over break?
We are seeking your retired gear for the Movement and Outdoor Education Programs. In particular, old climbing rope ( used for jump ropes) , tennis balls, and in particular need this year . . . .Cross Country Ski gear for smaller feet in grades 1 - 4 or boot sizes 30 - 33 and either SNS or NNN bindings on 120 - 140 cm skis. Any donations can be dropped off at the Movement Shed by first grade.
Water quality update
WSRF drinking water is sourced by a well on campus. Our system is monitored and maintained by a 3rd party. The linked report here shows the results of our most recent lead and copper testing. All levels are below actionable levels.
Additionally, each classroom has a reverse osmosis filtering system, further assuring that any potential contaminants are removed from the schools drinking water.
Our Kinderhaus is Growing! New class starting January ’21
We are thrilled to announce the growth and expansion of the early childhood programs at WSRF.
We are adding a third mixed age kindergarten class launching in January 2021. We are now accepting applications for a very limited number of spaces for our mid-January opening. Applications for children ages 2.5 to 6 years will all be considered at this time.
If you or anyone you know is considering this opportunity for your child, now is the time to submit an application! Space is extremely limited due to the continuation of distancing and safety measures taken to support the health of our entire community.
Come this spring 2021 we will be further expanding this class as we take advantage of our great on-campus outdoor space of the Willow Forest Camp! This unique program calls the outdoors their home; and leverages a curriculum that fully immerses students with the world around them. The growing desire for education outdoors and the slew of research supporting its benefits, both physical and cognitive is a desire within our community we can no longer ignore. We have hired a most wonderful teacher for this group of students, Stephanie Warner. Stephanie’s passion and experience with teaching children is coupled with her love and expertise in the outdoors- what a perfect combination of skills to fully lead these children in their education!
Applications are now be accepted for a very limited number of spaces in this exciting new program. Please contact Catherine, Enrollment Coordinator to learn more (catherine@waldorfschoolrf.org). Please see the newly launched Enrollment Referral program section to learn how you can earn a discount on your re-enrollment fee by helping us to spread the word about this exciting expansion at WSRF.