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701 CABOT STREET, BEVERLY, MA 01915 | 978-927-8811 | WALDORFMORAINE.ORG
TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2015
Curriculum: It Begins With the Joy of a Worm And expands through the years - with the joy left intact In Waldorf education, a theme that arises again and again is that of personal discovery through
direct, independent observation. Through the years, teachers at this school harness natural
excitement and interest to hone powers of observation, leaving intact a habit of inquisitive
learning that can remain through life. In today’s “Curriculum Updates”– beginning here and
continuing on page 7 -- young children’s appreciation for such things as boiling sap and spring
worms grows into the older child’s hands-on, observational approach to more cognitive
discoveries in such areas as astronomy (sixth grade), chemistry (seventh grade), and
environmental sustainability (eighth grade). Please enjoy today’s updates. --Editor
Spring Comes to the Nursery by Caroline Mercier
"Look, the first worm of spring!" called out one little girl, very
enthusiastically, as she held the wiggly earthworm high for all
to see. There was great excitement and joy at seeing this living
creature after a very long and cold winter, and the search for
more was on. Much to our pleasure, we have since been
discovering other little friends that creep, crawl and fly and it
has been a lovely opportunity to learn some gentle
appreciation of our fellow earth inhabitants. As much as we
want to keep these creatures as playmates or put them in our
pockets and take them home, we are learning that where they
really want to be is in our garden. Most of these new friends
are fortunate enough to go back there.
At long last, spring has arrived and the nursery children are
delightfully discovering all of the newness that it brings.
FULL UPDATE ON PAGE 7
Eighth Grade Environmental Sustainability by Jenny Helmick In keeping with our school-wide Science and Nature initiative, I designed with Eighth Grade
Class Teacher Dianne McGaunn a one-week “mini-block” on environmental sustainability and
how people are working on behalf of the environment. During the week we brought in guest
speakers who shared their work and helped us understand various aspects of environmental
science and protection. FULL UPDATE ON PAGE 14
SAVE THE DATE! A Celebration for Our Administrator
Mark your calendars! On Friday evening, June 12, there will be a Contra Dance Celebration in
honor of Susan White. Details coming soon. Since this event is for adults and alumni, we are
also planning an Ice Cream Celebration for all that will take place after the final assembly on
Thursday, June 11.
Welcome to Next Year’s First Grade Teacher
Welcome to Maggie Smith, new teacher with next year’s first grade class, the Class of 2023!
She met with rising first grade parents for the first time last Thursday evening (photo below).
After spending her early childhood south of Boston, Maggie moved to Keene, New Hampshire
with her family. It was then that she began attending
the Monadnock Waldorf School, which she now
considers to be one of the most important influences
of her childhood.
Maggie graduated from Hampshire College earning
a BA in Anthropology with a focus on sustainable
food systems. Maggie is completing a master’s
degree in Waldorf Education at Antioch University
New England and is writing her thesis on the
festival life of the school.
Since both of her parents are musicians, Maggie
grew up with a deep love and appreciation for the
music and dance traditions of New England. She
sings and she plays both guitar and Anglo
concertina (a close cousin of the accordion). Maggie also enjoys the fiber arts, being an avid
knitter and spinner.
Most recently Maggie has been teaching in the fourth grade at the Meadowbrook Waldorf
School in Richmond, Rhode Island. She is very excited for the opportunity to start her own class
and undertake this journey with us.
We are excited to have Maggie join our Faculty and welcome her as the first grade teacher for
the class of 2023!
HOUSING NEEDED
Our rising first grade teacher, Maggie Smith is looking to move into the area in the beginning of July. She would like to live somewhere that is cat-friendly with one bedroom and hopefully not too far from the school. If you have any leads that you think would suit her needs please let her know at [email protected] Thank you!
All Ages May Fair, Friday, 1:30 Open house at the Gatehouse precedes the festivities (12:00)
Excitement is building for Friday’s May Fair, at 1:30 in the lower field. All are welcome. On the
Nursery playground, the children and Mrs. Mercier set up their very own May pole after seeing
the grades children practicing on the big pole for Friday’s festivities. (More on the Nursery
children in Mrs. Mercier’s curriculum update today.)
If you’d like to get some of your own practicing in, or
to keep up with those children singing spring songs
around the house this week, please look for some
popular May Fair song lyrics at the back of today’s
Newsletter.
In addition, Please remember to BRING FLOWERS
FRIDAY MORNING for the children to use to
decorate their flower crowns. There will be buckets of
water ready to receive them. Thank you!
And bring a few dollars to the fair for
strawberry shortcake afterwards!
Parent & Child Open House May 15, 12:00. The Gatehouse will be open for play, snacks will be served, and registration for the Fall Session
of Parent & Child classes will begin. Please bring a picnic lunch to enjoy in the meadow with
other Early Childhood families before the May Fair.
Your Second Shirt is Half Price The eighth grade will be traveling to Outward Bound’s Hurricane Island location for their post-
graduation trip in June. The class will enjoy sailing, rock climbing and outdoor educational
programs during their visit. Mrs. McGaunn and Professor Foster will be accompanying the
group as chaperones for four days starting June 7.
The trip is a special opportunity for a graduating class to travel together for the last time before
entering high school. The students have been raising funds all year to pay for the trip by raking
leaves, popsicle and bake sales, and as well as selling Waldorf School at Moraine Farm gear.
With the warm weather on the way, we have stocked up on T-shirts in adult, youth and toddler
sizes. Please support the class over the next month by purchasing a shirt! We will be selling
items after school on Fridays until June. Shirts are $10 each ($15 for Women’s, Adult XL and
2XL). For a limited time, buy a second shirt for half price! Outfit your whole clan, and support
this special experience for the Class of 2015. All these items are also available at our school
store or from any Eighth Grade family.
An Encouraging Meeting for Foundation Studies We had a lot of fun on May 7 meeting some of the prospective members of this fall's Foundation
Studies class. The conversation flowed easily, we laughed, got honest answers to questions, and
there was a camaradery and enthusiasm that we expect our class will embody come September!
Coleen Ryan, Erin Milner and I agreed afterward that the meeting left us even more enthusiastic
to start learning more about the underpinnings of Waldorf Education. “I like that we’re going to
learn together, and discuss and be social,” Coleen said, and I agree!
The Center for Anthroposophy (represented by Mark Levene, who stepped in at the last minute
for Foundation Studies Coordinator Barbara Richardson) made it clear that next year’s bi-
monthly class will be varied and interesting, and tailored to the interests and focus of our group.
It will include readings and discussion from some of Rudolf Steiner’s basic texts, as well as
artistic and spiritual exercises. “The path of self knowledge and self criticism, to support you in
your own personal development,” was one phrase that showed up in our notes afterwards. Okay,
we’re ready.
Registration is now open via this link:
https://www.centerforanthroposophy.org/programs/foundation-studies/foundations-studies-clusters-registration/
Look for “cluster registration” and include the Beverly, MA location when prompted. A fully
refundable down payment of $175.00 will reserve you space. Financial assistance is available.
Questions? Please reach out to Coleen ([email protected]) or me, James Kennedy
BOOKS? Drop Them Off This Week! Please begin dropping books at school as soon as possible.
The book sale is Friday, June 5, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. AND Saturday, June 6, 9:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m.
We are collecting all categories of books, audio books, CD's and Waldorf inspired toys or games
(no text books or encyclopedias please). Items can be dropped off at school next to the main
office. Questions or willing to help: please contact Laura Freysinger [email protected],
Stacey Fisher [email protected] or Jocelyn Schaeffer [email protected].
Violin Teacher in Concert, Saturday in Gloucester Come out to support our own Susan Slowick and her string trio in an all French concert –
Debussy, Ravel, and Faure – on Saturday, May 16 at 7:30 p.m. at Saint Paul Lutheran Church,
1123 Washington St., Gloucester.
COST: $20.00 for adults, $15.00 students and seniors. Flyer on page 21 today. More at
Early Childhood Program Looking for Assistants We are looking to fill several early childhood assistant positions for the 2015-2016 school year
in both the morning and afternoon programs.
Responsibilities include supporting a lead teacher in a program that includes outdoor play, rest,
activities, crafts, and mealtime.
Qualifications:
-basic understanding of Waldorf Early childhood education.
-interest in learning more about the philosophy behind Waldorf education
-ability to effectively communicate with colleagues
-ability to effectively follow the guide of the lead teacher, and
-ability to fill in for the lead teacher as needed.
HOW TO APPLY:
We invite you to send a letter of interest and your resume to Waldorf School at Moraine Farm,
Attention: Teacher Search Committee, 701 Cabot Street, Beverly, MA, 01915. Please send
email inquiries or electronic application materials to [email protected]. We look
forward to hearing from you!
Café Corner - Spotlight on Baking! The next baker to be profiled is Yoko Yeaton! Yoko has three children who have attended
WSMF. Her youngest son, Jei is in the 7th grade. Yoko is the official vegan baker of the café,
and has baked for us since the café opened in April 2012. She grew up in Japan, but moved to
the United States after meeting her husband while he was stationed in Japan with the U.S. Navy.
They lived in Hawaii for awhile and then settled into the North Shore. Yoko loves the U.S., but
misses some things about her home in Japan, especially the food. As a child, she was very
curious and especially fascinated by insects and flowers. She continues to have a reverence for
nature and beauty, and is a thoughtful, loyal and dutiful person. Yoko has a long history with
our school as a gifted early childhood teacher. In addition to baking every week, she is now
working at the café on Thursdays, so please stop by and say hello to her! - Sincerely, Jocelyn
Schaeffer for the Café Team
For the week of May 4, thank you
Ilana Spodick for the eggs,
Mary Mansur for the honey,
Johan Frenje for the coffee,
our kind donor of cups and lids,
Emily Randolph-Silva for getting bagels on Fridays, &
Yoko Yeaton, Emily Randolph-Silva and Dana Dooley for baking.
The café is a 100% volunteer community service run by a small group of dedicated parents. It is
also a general school fundraiser! We sell coffee, bagels and homemade baked goods, M-F from
7:45am-8:45am. If you would like to staff the table or bake, please write to
[email protected]. Please do not bake with nuts or nut products. Thank you!
German Student to Live at Your House, August - November My name is Miriam Merk. I am 19 years old and I live in Ulm, Germany. At the moment I am
visiting the Steiner school in Ulm but I will graduate in a few weeks and leave school with the
Abitur. Then I want to spend about 3 months in the United States of America to get to know the
country, the people and to improve my English. Therefore I am looking for a place to live from the
end of August until the end of November. My "dream" would be a family where I can live with and
care about the children, bring them to school and sports, help in the household and help with other
things which have to be done. I do not want any payment, just a kind family, a bed to sleep in and
something to do.
I have two brothers, several babysitting jobs a week and my mother was a day nanny for 15 years.
So I grew up with many other little children who I had to help and care about and playing, reading
to little children and swaddling babies are no problem for me. I love children and I like it very much
to spend time with them! Besides, I'm very sporty, love animals and have a driver's license since 3
years. I learn English since 13 years, it is not perfect but good enough to understand other people
and talk with them. I would be very thankful I you could ask around in your school if someone is
looking for someone like me or if you could send this mail to interested parents! I would be so
happy if I would find a family! If someone is interested, please write to [email protected] as
soon as possible.
Thank you so much and kind regards,
Miriam Merk
MARKETPLACE
CSA Shares Available at Green Meadows
Did you know that Heidi Thunberg, a mom in the first and
fourth grades, is the farm manger at Green Meadows Farm
in South Hamilton? Green Meadows has supported our
school in many ways over the years, from making land
available for Third Grade farmers to, more recently,
helping us make soup (for fundraisers) and donating items
to support gardening on the campus. Full- and half-share
are available for produce, and there are fruit shares and
flower shares. For more information: www.gmfarm.com. -Ed.
Small ChildLife Swingset Wanted Seeking a reasonably priced, second-hand
ChildLife wooden swingset for my yard. Hoping to find one similar in design & size to the one
at our Gatehouse for Parent & Child Program. Please contact Jocelyn Schaeffer at
[email protected] or 617-756-4923. Thank you!
Curriculum Updates, May 12, 2015: Reports from Nursery through
eighth grade, including a grade-by-grade update from the handwork teacher
Nursery
By Caroline Mercier
"Look, the first worm of spring!" called out one little girl, very enthusiastically, as she held the
wiggly earthworm high for all to see. There was great excitement and joy at seeing this living
creature after a very long and cold winter, and the search for more was on. Much to our
pleasure, we have since been discovering other little friends that creep, crawl and fly and it has
been a lovely opportunity to learn some gentle appreciation of our fellow earth inhabitants. As
much as we want to keep these creatures as playmates or put them in our pockets and take them
home, we are learning that where they really want to be is in our garden. Most of these new
friends are fortunate enough to go back there.
At long last, spring has arrived and the nursery children are delightfully discovering all of the
newness that it brings.
As the piles of snow slowly disappeared, it was as if everything underneath was brand new. All
of a sudden, like magic, we had a sandbox and a garden again! The bulbs we planted in the fall
are emerging and we check everyday to see what colors they might bring us. We have planted
seeds of peas, lettuces and kale which have begun to grow in our little vegetable garden, and we
created an herb garden with basil, cilantro and parsley and we hope to have a taste before the
year is over! Our sleds are put away until next year and the wheelbarrows and wagons are back
in action. On warmer days, a few buckets of water come out, which inspires all kinds of ideas...
Lately, we've been "painting" the little house and anything else we can find that needs a fresh
coat!
A recent highlight of our mornings has been watching the big kids as they practice their maypole
dance. As we sit on the grass outside our garden fence, we are so surprised every time we see
what the children can do with those long, beautiful colored ribbons. This week, our own little
maypole arrived in the nursery garden which we have been singing and dancing around and this
has been quite satisfying! In addition, Mr. Mercier came to help us put together another much-
needed wheelbarrow and to fix a broken wagon... with real tools! This was such a hit with the 4-
year old (hammer-loving) sect, that he'll be returning a few more times, tools in tow, for more
projects.
As the spring awakens, so too are the children beginning to awaken and we are seeing new
vitality and growth all around. They are bigger, stronger and more capable. They are climbing to
new heights, pumping their strong legs on the swing, learning to give and share, and wait for a
turn. The children are more aware of their surroundings and of each other, always noticing a
new person or thing that has come, and fully aware when a friend is missing. To meet the
abundant energy that accompanies all of this new growth, we are spending more time outdoors,
which feels just right. It's a merry month of May in our nursery garden, and with open arms we
welcome the warm sunshine and new sprouts, the bugs and beetles, the fresh spring air and
colored ribbons that fly!
As we sing at the ending of our May circle in the nursery:
Ring the bells of Norwich and let the winters come and go,
All shall be well again, I know.
Kindergarten
By Lindsay Miles
Spring has sprung in the Nature Kindergarten!!
After a long winter of sledding, snow fort making and shoveling, the children in kindergarten
are happy to be shedding all those winter layers and running free! Our garden beds were dug out
from the snow just a couple weeks ago and with the warmth from our greenhouse cover,
we already have seeds in our Greens Garden sprouting! Our other gardens are slowly coming to
life with bulbs coming up all around our Living Tepee as we keep checking on the peas and
beans we've planted that will climb the tepee making walls. We are looking forward to having
the third grade, who are in a Farm Block, help us with planting seeds, building new raised beds
and anything else we can have their able hands
work on!
We are happily eating outside again at our picnic
tables and at each meal we are serenaded by the
new spring birds. The photo shows some of the
pretty vegetables chopped by the children.
These warmer days brought an end to our maple sugaring, but we are thoroughly enjoying our
syrup with our oatmeal! The children were fascinated by how
much sap it took to make syrup; they watched the sap boil
away over the fire outside (photo) and get finished off on the
stove in the classroom.
Inside in the mornings, the rising first grade children are busily
working on their baby blankets and are eager to begin sewing
their flannel babies, a tradition here at our school for those
children who are ready for first grade next year. With their
laps covered in pastel shades and sweet prints as they sew, they
are surrounded by some very elaborate obstacle courses and
houses made out of wooden blocks, rocker boards and cloths.
Grade 1
By Ana Reiselman
The first grade has made amazing strides since coming back from our winter holidays! In this
new year of 2015, we have learned to draw all the lowercase letters of the alphabet, become
comfortable with the mathematical processes of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and
division, and discovered word families. In watercolor class (photos), we have learned how to
blend our primary colors together to create vibrant oranges, greens, and purples. These new
colors add so much more depth and possibility to painting our color stories.
“Imagine if Prussian Blue woke up and Ultramarine Blue was this close!”
–Ms. Reiselman, painting class, May 8
Through Handwork and beeswax classes, our students' hands are gaining dexterity. The children
each received their very own pentatonic pear wood flute in January, and our class is learning to
play songs in unison, in call and response groups, and sometimes a brave student even
volunteers to try a melody on his or her own. We play guessing games with the the different
"birds," when I play a note and the children guess whether it was bluebird (B), avocet (A),
golden dove (G), or eagle (E). This, along with even more singing in the mornings is developing
their ear for music, timing, and blending their voices or instruments with a group. Our class
continues to develop a strong social relationship with each other as well as other students and
teachers. We strive to imbue all our work, play, and activities at school with thoughtfulness,
kindness, and willingness. We also have many things to look forward to in this last part of the
school year. In the second week of May we will begin to officially rehearse our class play,
"Snow White," which we will perform twice.
Grade 2
By Anita Warren
The second grade main lesson curriculum alternates between language and math blocks. The
length of the blocks is either three or four weeks, depending on the overall school schedule with
vacations. In a three-week math block in January, for example, the students worked on
basic math concepts. These included the addition and subtraction facts to 20, the times tables 2-
12, place value to 1,000,000, spelling numbers properly, and problems with the four processes.
Of course, these were enveloped in rhythmic and artistic exercises to
enable them to be practiced and absorbed more fully and easily.
The story material for this block was fables and stories of saints, with
an emphasis on fables. There were also numerous verses that were
incorporated, such as ‘Silver’ by Walter de la Mare (“….A harvest
mouse goes scampering by/ With silver claws, and silver eye/ And
moveless fish in the water gleam/ By silver reeds in a silver stream”).
We are currently in a four-week math block: covering telling time, the
9 and 12 tables (and reviewing the others), and continuing our work
with place value (photo, right). After that there will be a two-week
review of the year’s work so far, emphasizing the language arts but
also including various math concepts, the verses and stories that were
used and told, and all of the circle activities that were done this year.
Outside the main lesson are the various subjects, including
Spanish, German (photo,left), form drawing, painting, gym,
handwork, beeswax, drawing, pentatonic flute, and tea and
sharing. I always feel the students are lucky to have such a
varied curriculum.
Grade 3
By Sabrina Babcock
The third grade has had an eventful late winter and spring. In March we headed to Ghent, New
York and attended the (HVF) Hawthorne Valley Farm School one week from Monday through
Friday. We met our pen pals from the Princeton (New Jersey) Waldorf School third grade who
were at the farm at the same time. The students had very full days feeding and caring for the
cows, pigs and chickens, cleaning the barn, collecting eggs, milking the cows, making butter,
making bread, hiking in nature, riding horses,
felting, planting seeds in the greenhouse,
tapping maple trees and visiting the HVF
creamery. They were also helpers in preparing,
serving and cleaning up at meal times and were
responsible for keeping the common areas of
the farm house neat and clean. A great time
was had by all and the third grade tradition of a
farm trip continues on!
Third grade on last day of farm trip, photo by K.
Indresano
We have also been farming here at school under the guidance and preparation by two third grade
parents Caroline Horner and Jennifer Snell Rullman. We have planted seeds, visited the Brick
Ends Farm Compost Center in Hamilton, and most recently built two new raised beds in the
kindergarten playground, three trellises, planted some of our seedlings, and spread compost.
Miss Miles is also instrumental in making our farming work successful this spring. In the near
future we will be hearing from Michael Mansur about bees and hope to have a school grown
salad before the end of school.
Another big event for the third grade was the two performances of our class play Moses, Servant
of God. Other grades' students, teachers, parents, grandparents and friends attended the play to
rave reviews. The students worked hard to learn all their lines (and everyone else's) and to move
and act as naturally as possible on stage while speaking with energy and feeling.
It was wonderful to see the progress from year to year as each student met the challenge of
presenting this dynamic story from the Old Testament. We have continued with stories from the
Old Testament recently as we also continue the work begun earlier in the year with
measurement. We have reviewed linear measurement, weight, time and money thus far and will
be exploring liquid measurement in the weeks ahead.
Grade 5
By Vanya Yoors
The fifth grade recently finished our Geography Block of North America. Students initially
learned that North America encompasses Canada, The United States of America and Mexico
and that some geographers include the countries of Central America under it’s designation as
well. Along with learning folk songs, drawing a map of North America, learning all the States
and their Capitals and hearing about some of the adventures of “Travel Tales of Mr. Yoors,” the
theme of the lessons fell into three major areas. All these areas brought the physical geography,
topography, flora and fauna to life and spoke of how human beings interacted with these
features of the land.
We began with the French discovery of the St. Lawrence River, the Great Lakes, the Mississippi
river and how French explorers followed these inland water routes to the Gulf of Mexico where
they established New Orleans. Students studied the Biography of Pierre Radisson and his friend
Groseilliers who spent time living with the Mohawk, “discovered” a passageway past Lake
Ontario to the other great lakes and was told, by the Cree, about a water route to the Hudson
Bay. They heard about how his initiative to establish fur trading posts on Hudson Bay was
scoffed at by the French Governor of New France in Quebec, how Radisson then turned to
England who acted on his insight and established trading posts which in time grew to be the
international Hudson Bay Company. This gave the British a foothold in Canada from which they
eventually conquered the territory from France.
A short Biography of Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) led us on our explorations of the
Mississippi, on over to mining adventures in Nevada, journalism in California and Hawaii and
eventually back to Connecticut. From here in New England Mark Twain reached back to his
youth and left us unequalled writing of life along the Mississippi River.
Our third learning expedition was led by Lewis and Clark. Meriwether Lewis had been working
as an aide for Thomas Jefferson when the Louisiana Purchase was made. Together with his
friend William Clark, he led an expedition to explore this new territory and find a route to the
Pacific Ocean. They struggled up the Missouri river, across the Rocky Mountains and down the
Columbia River. Students heard of their many meetings with Native tribes. The help of the
Mandan, Shoshone and the guidance and friendship of Sacagawea stood out as examples of
how, without the help of these people, the men of the expedition would never have succeeded or
survived.
Now the fifth grade class is in their second block about Ancient Greece. The students have been
preparing for the events of the Pentathlon and the Waldorf Fifth Grade Olympics. They have
been practicing running, jumping, wrestling and throwing the discus and javelin. They are off to
participate and compete this Friday, May 8. Wish them luck !!
Grade 6
By Rebecca Rugo
The sixth grade Waldorf
curriculum includes an
introduction to
astronomy. At an age when
students are facing the
uncertainties of adolescence,
particularly the social
challenges that can arise
among peers, they study the
majestic relationship of Sun,
Moon, and Earth and learn
how what one experiences
can be dependent on one’s
perspective.
Half of the Moon is always lit by the Sun, yet we see a monthly waxing and waning, the full
Moon and new Moon. The apparent movement of the stars was also introduced. The class took
advantage of one of the few clear nights in December to observe the stars. We climbed a small
granite outcropping in W. Gloucester that offers a 360-degree view and rolled out sleeping bags
against the crisp winter night. Each student chose a star and mapped its apparent movement
over the next 2 1/2 hours. The next day in class, the star
trajectories were compared and sorted depending on the
direction in which the star appeared (east, south, west, or
north). The students were then able to extrapolate from
their data how the different star tracks seen in the four
directions are connected. They were further able to
imagine what they might see in the skies from different
positions on the Earth. This was exciting, challenging
work. (Photo, left – Mrs. Rugo’s chalkboard drawing.)
The students learned to identify the constellations of
Orion and Taurus during our outing; we watched them
rise. In February we went on an informative field trip to
the Merrimac College Observatory and had an excellent
view of the Moon and the Orion Nebula.
Grade 7
By Connie MacLeod
There are new capacities awakening in young teens. Conceptual thinking comes to the fore and
they are beginning to synthesize their experiences. Their experience of phenomena transforms
into original thinking. At this age they learn the basic attitude of scientific work, the attitude that
thinking integrates the world of phenomena.
Chemistry is first introduced in seventh grade, and this subject provides appropriate
opportunities to observe and think deeply about phenomena. At the end of this month you may
see seventh graders outside during main lesson observing and getting to know the world of
substances and exploring their characteristics. We will be focusing primarily on combustion,
gasses, and salts, acids and bases. What they perceive will help them form concepts, which
brings them into the process and allows them to meet the world in a deeper way. Their
understanding is thus formed through the synthesis of their thoughtful observations and formed
concepts.
Photo: A seventh grader May 6 observing a plant during our main lesson block on Rennaisance
History, a time when the careful observation of nature was revolutionary. This is the very same
phenomenology that you’ll see us putting into practice during our upcoming block in chemistry!
Grade 8
By Jenny Helmick
Language Arts
Throughout this year, I have been running a once-weekly writing workshop in the Eighth Grade,
modeled in part on the workshops that educator Nancie Atwell describes in her book In the
Middle. The idea is to create a community of writers, of which I am one (with a head start!).
Over the course of the year the students produce 12 finished pieces, nine specified (three essays
on topics they care about, one short story, two poems, one book review, one description from
nature, one short memoir) and three pieces of their choice (photo essay, graphic novel, skit,
etc.). We often start the class with writing to a prompt; everyone is encouraged (but not
required) to share what they write. I share my writing with them too. I might give a 5- or 10-
minute lesson on some issue I'm seeing in their writing (run-on sentences, pronoun case,
homophones, etc.). Sometimes we go outside for nature journaling. Then I spend the rest of the
time conferencing with students individually, giving them feedback on their drafts.
My main goal for the workshop is for the students to begin to know themselves as writers who
(like all of us humans) have a divine gift: the capacity to create.
Environmental Sustainability “Mini-Block”
In keeping with our school-wide Science and Nature initiative, I designed with Eighth Grade
Class Teacher Dianne McGaunn a one-week “mini-block” on environmental sustainability and
how people are working on behalf of the environment. During the week we brought in guest
speakers who shared their work and helped us understand various aspects of environmental
science and protection. They included:
Chris Lamie, an environmental scientist who discussed indicators of climate change and
how scientists present scientific data visually.
Heather Collis-Puro, who discussed campaigns for environmental protection she was
involved in before becoming our handwork teacher.
Stan Rullman, who discussed citizen science and his work with EarthWatch. He set up a
wildlife camera on Moraine Farm so we could observe what came by (raccoons, maybe a
fox, and some humans!).
Jennifer Rullman, who described her work with the Snow Leopard Trust, including how she
works with different communities and cultures to build conservation programs and what
tools she uses for research. (The Rullmans are also parents at our school!)
Michael Mansur, who presented techniques of sustainable beekeeping and described his
apprenticeship in biodynamic beekeeping at Spikenard Farm in Virginia.
The class also took a trip to Quarrybrook Outdoor Learning Center in Windham, New
Hampshire, to learn about the geothermal and photovoltaic energy systems that provide heat,
cooling, and power to the building there.
As part of the week’s work, the students read and discussed selections from Thoreau’s Walden
and Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, as well as an article about Frederick Law Olmsted’s design
principles for the environment (as we are on an Olmsted landscape, and he had forward-thinking
views about the relationship of people and the environment), and one about Dr. Richard
Primack’s research comparing Thoreau’s to current observations for the book Walden Warming.
All in all, a wide-ranging week with much food for thought.
Handwork Curriculum
By Heather Collis Puro
8th
Grade
For their culminating handwork project, the Eighth Grade made collared shirts with buttons
from material of their own choosing. Although working with the machine is a welcome change
after so many years of hand sewing, it takes a great deal of patience and perseverance in order to
make the machine behave properly. The students have grown in their abilities to work with
written directions, use class time effectively and problem solve when challenges arrive. The
shirts were completed in time to wear them at the Grandparents’ Day Assembly; you can see a
picture of the class in their shirts in a recent Newsletter.
During the final part of the year the class is making three-legged wooden stools. Woodworking
is also a part of the Waldorf crafts curriculum and helps to build hand strength and further
cultivate judgement in the students, as carving with hand tools allows a student to see the effect
of their actions on the materials as they work.
7th
Grade
This year the class has been making hand-sewn animals. Starting with research and drawings,
each student created a pattern for their animal. Taking each creature from two-dimensions into
three dimensions is not an easy task, and the class has had to use their understanding of
anatomy, their powers of observation as well as their sewing skills in order to bring their
animals to life. Creating the pattern requires precision and patience, while the sewing up is not
only technical but also requires an artist’s eye in order to capture each animal properly. Keep a
look out for our final display of student work this spring.
6th
Grade
Doll making continues in Sixth Grade, and the students have been stuffing bodies, taking final
stitches around necks, jointing arms, ankles and legs. There are many details to be considered
with the dolls, and the students will finish the year with completing hair, features and making
clothes for their creations. The class has grown a great deal in their ability to manage time
effectively, understand step-by-step directions, and plan ahead in their work. And as the doll
comes together, there are many opportunities to problem solve and use their judgement in order
to bring their dolls to life.
5th
Grade
The class has spent the spring finishing up their socks. Knitting with multiple needles in the
round is challenging, and the class has had to work steadily outside of class time in order to stay
on task. We are working with written directions for the first time, and the class has created their
own Sock Book where they copy the sock directions and track their progress. The biggest
challenge with the socks is that once you finish one sock – you have to make another! The class
has enjoyed returning to knitting, and has demonstrated the discipline that is required to finish
this complicated project. We have also learned how to make cables this year, which is an easy
task for Waldorf students who have spent so many years doing form drawing. We will be using
cables to make a knitted hat for our final project.
4th
Grade
We have spent the year doing embroidery and working with color. The class has learned the
cross stitch, working with dark and light colors while mirroring their embroidery on both sides
of a center line. Working with color in embroidery fosters an understanding of color values and
their relationship to each other that is different from using color in drawing or painting. Much
of the work in fourth grade complements the math curriculum and the study of fractions,
working from the whole to the parts. The students must correctly complete each stitch, while
considering their whole design. Our next project will require the students to do an eight-way
mirrored design in cross stitch, which will bring top and bottom, left and right as a consideration
as they complete their work.
3rd
Grade
We have been busy this year working with wool directly from the sheep. The class has learned
to card and prepare wool for hand spinning. Using a spindle requires a great deal of patience,
and it often feels like you don’t have enough hands to do it! Once the yarn has been spun, we
plied it and wound it into skeins for dyeing. This spring, we also learned about another magic
fiber, silk. We dyed silk scarves for Valentine’s Day gifts. The class has returned to knitting this
spring, and students have either chosen to make a horse or a knitted doll.
2nd
Grade
The snow days really took a toll on our handwork classes this spring, but right before the
vacation we were finally able to have our gnome party with all of our new knitted friends. See
pictures. The class just begun to crochet, and we have made belts, potholders and bags.
Crocheting is a big change from knitting, as we work with one hand and one needle to create the
stitches one at a time. Having only one working stitch gives us the ability to work with different
shapes in our work, and the student has to observe more closely in order to make their work the
proper shape.
1st Grade
We have been knitting away in first grade, and the class will complete flute cases this week.
The project was knitted in rainbow colors, and we have learned how to count stitches and rows,
and tie on new colors to our work. Our next project is a knitted lion, and we will continue to
master knitting as we learn how to increase and decrease stitches as well as follow simple step-
by-step directions.
Three Mayfair Songs:
