Alabama Waldorf School

Wednesday, October 26th, 2011

AWS AWareneSs

AWS Events Calendar: Oct. 26th—Nov. 22nd

Grandparents Day Celebration! Thu, 10/27

Trunk or Treat! AWS parking lot—p. 6 Thu, 10/27

5:45-7pm

Fall Holiday — NO CLASSES! Fri, 10/28

WECAN Conference — Emerson Waldorf School,

Chapel Hill, NC

10/28-29

El Día de los Muertos (All Souls Day)—p. 6 Wed, 11/2

Tours of AWS! Open to both current and pro-

spective parents.

Tuesdays,

9am

Eurythmy at AWS!—p.3 10/31-11/18

Family Association Meeting — p.6

5:30-7pm. Auditorium.

Thu, 11/3

The Timeless Quality of Waldorf Education by Lisa Grupe, Ph.D., Administrative Director

When I speak to

people about the wis-

dom of Waldorf educa-

tion, I am struck by its

timelessness. I often

say that things are dif-

ferent here at the Wal-

dorf school because we know what we

are doing, the curriculum is set and

was built around the development of

the healthy child, and it’s been prac-

ticed and honed to a fine art over 92

years. There is sometimes a fear that

we aren’t “current with the times” or

“progressive.” But it’s funny how the

fundaments of healthily raising and

educating the child really doesn’t ever

change. Consider what children

need:

- a healthy diet full of grains, fresh

fruits and vegetables, and lean pro-

tein

- a lot of time outdoors

- story time, to learn language (and, if

stories are carefully chosen, morality

can be learned, too!)

- unhindered play time to work out

the stresses of their daily lives (e.g. a

household move, a new job for mom

or dad, or the death of a beloved pet)

- engaging, uncluttered learning envi-

ronments

- a curriculum that is attuned to the

appropriate developmental stage and

age of the child

- time for social interaction among

peers of both genders

Students in both our preschool and

grades programs receive all of these

things (and more!) because the Waldorf

curriculum was designed to promote

health in both the body and brain of

every child. From Movement to Hand-

work to Physics to free time on the play-

ground, everything in the Waldorf cur-

riculum has an underlying rationale.

This is in stark contrast to what we hear

said about the state of public education,

in the media; I hear education col-

leagues frequently complaining about

changing standards, changing objec-

tives, changing funding. I hear parent

friends complain that their children

watch TV at school and don’t learn any-

thing. Outwardly, I commiserate. But

inside, I am so grateful to be working at

a school that actually does what schools

are supposed to do: offer students a

healthy environment for learning.

(Cont’d on p.4)

Grades Assembly. All invited! Auditorium. Fri, 11/4

2:30-2:45p

Moss Rock Festival! —p.2 Fri-Sat,

11/5-6

Marketing Committee Meeting—11:30-12:30,

Auditorium.

Wednesdays,

11/9,16, 30

Secondary Schools Night—Open to AWS

6th-8th grade parents and students. Auditorium

Thur, 11/10

6-8pm

Veteran’s Day — NO SCHOOL Fri, 11/11

Windows on Waldorf (WOW) presents:

The Pre-academic Waldorf Kindergarten — p.2

Mon, 11/14

5:30-7pm

AWS Board of Directors Meeting. Grades hallway. Tue, 11/15

5:30-7pm

Thanksgiving Holiday — NO SCHOOL! Wed-Fri,

11/23-25 Looking Ahead… Winter Break begins

Wed, 12/14 @ 3pm

Page 2 AWS AWareneSs

How you can support AWS by AWS Finance Director, David Carpenter

Alabama Waldorf School is sustained and enriched through gifts made by parents, grand-parents, alumni, faculty and staff, and friends. This support ensures that our school is able to continue to offer the most relevant and inspiring education to children today and for many years to come. Your support enables our school to recruit and retain talented, dedicated teach-ers, support a full Waldorf curriculum, provide tuition assistance, and maintain and enhance our campus. All independent

schools rely on extra sup-port above and beyond tuition and fees. This is because the real cost of educating our children and giving them a solid cultural and academic foundation is more than the cost of tui-tion. The rich, full Waldorf Education we provide re-quires generous tax-deductible gifts to preserve our offering of a vibrant and diverse curriculum to as many students as possible. There are two main ways for families and friends to support AWS: volunteering and finan-cial support. Everyone can find a balance between the

two that works for them. Volunteering can take many forms: classroom parent, committee member-ship, joining our Family Association, or becoming involved in one of our fund-raising events such as the upcoming Holiday Faire. Financial support can take the form of a monetary do-nation directly to the school, or donations of goods or services for one of our fund-raising events or individual class fundraisers.

AWS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization; therefore, your dona-tions are tax deducti-ble. You can chose to give

a restricted donation for a par-ticular purpose—for example, teacher training, supplies for a subject teacher, improving school grounds, etc.--or you can chose to give an unrestricted donation, to be used as deter-mined by the administration. We have recently added a Paypal link on our web site to make donating easier. Click on the link below to access it:

http://alabamawaldorf.org/index.php?option=com_chronocontact&Itemid=142

We will gratefully provide a re-ceipt for your tax deductions pur-poses. Thank you for keeping us in your thoughts this holiday sea-son.***

Enrollment & Marketing Moment — by Opal South

Last month’s Windows on Waldorf (WOW) event fo-cused on the subjects pre-sented in the Waldorf grades. Both current and prospective parents came out to hear about the curriculums of the AWS Spanish, Russian, Handwork, and Movement courses. I was so honored to attend and sit beside our out-standing faculty, all of whom presented their subjects, not only clearly, but with enthusi-asm. When Ms. Cripps was introducing herself as the teacher “with the best job at AWS,” the others interrupted to argue that theirs were best! Thanks to all of our subject teachers for taking time out of their evenings to visit with parents and share the unique advantages the Waldorf grades curriculum offers stu-dents. I am honored to work beside you!*** In just a few weeks, the next WOW event occurs. It’s been a hot topic in the news recently and it has to do with the healthy devel-opment of the preschool aged child. The question is this: How do we best prepare our pre-school children for 1st grade

and beyond? Waldorf curricu-lum answers with a resounding, “Let them play!!! Tell them sto-ries!!!” Cynics would argue against this, perhaps thinking that when we say “play,” we mean it as an activity in and of itself. But in the Waldorf Kinder-garten play achieves: learning social cues, developing critical and creative problem solving skills; and, symbolic play is the beginning of preoperational thought, a capacity crucial for math (algebra, anyone?). Per-haps most importantly, though, symbolic play culti-vates an interest—imbued with joy—in the great wide world. What does telling stories to a child do to their young minds? It puts the responsibility of building the pictures to accompany the story on the child. Unlike televi-sion or the computer screen, the child has to work to provide the images that accompany the storyline. This, of course, is called THINKING, and at the same time, listening to stories also builds the child’s capac-ity to think, strengthening their willpower to do so. Ever notice how kids who watch a lot of TV are difficult to impress? It’s not that what you’re present-ing to them is any less fabulous

than, say, Dora the Explorer. It’s that they don’t have the picture-building muscle in their brains beefed up, so they can’t follow as easily. But don’t just take my word for it—come to the WOW event on Mon, Nov, 14th and hear how, specifi-cally, the Waldorf Kindergar-ten is designed to prepare children for learning how to read and write! 5:30-7pm. Childcare is provided. Ad-mission is FREE and open to both current and prospec-tive parents. RSVP’s are appreciated. Call 205-592-0541, or email Enrollment@AlabamaWaldorf. Org.*** Recently, NPR interviewed a director of the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Develop-ment about the effects of media on the young brain. Click on the link below to read the transcript. http://www.npr.org/2011/09/15/140513398/how-can-parents-navigate-childrens-tv-shows

“A new study done at the University of Virginia with a group of 4 year olds found those who'd watched the fast-paced cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants performed worse on mental function tests than their peers who watched the slower-paced cartoon Calliou or who simply spent their time drawing. Christakis

Moss Rock 2011! Join us for the Moss Rock Fes-

tival on Saturday and Sunday,

11/5 and 11/6! For the past

several years, AWS has hosted

a booth in the kids’ Imagination

Festival section. Stop by and let

the kids “pound” some muslin

headbands using a mallet and a

wide variety of colorful flower

petals!

Prents, we’re looking for volun-

teers! If you’d like to help, email

Enrollment@AlabamaWaldorf.org. We’ll

also be collecting your end-of-

season flowers and wilting pro-

duce leading up to the week-

end. For more information

about this popular, ecological

festival, visit

mossrockfestival.com.***

says young children's brains get over-stimulated by the faster-paced programs…***

Page 3

Welcome to our new feature: Who Is…? This month’s question is, “Who is Rachel Baay at AWS?” (pictured left)

A preschool parent (of Asher) A grades parent (of Madi) A designated liaison between Preschool and the Office An Extended Care teacher in Preschool and Grades A Marketing/Development Committee member ALL OF THE ABOVE If you guessed “All of the Above,” you’re right! It’s hard to imagine one person doing all of those things, but it’s really true, and I know because I have the pleasure of working with Rachel every day. And it first became apparent to me last year, when Rachel was already such an

active, idea-generating Mar-keting Committee member with great initiative and follow-through. That’s a tough com-bination to find! As the school grows, so does the Administrative Staff. Our gov-erning body, the Association of Waldorf Schools of North Amer-ica (AWSNA) recommends one office staff person for every 33 enrolled children. Our current enrollment is 142, so that divides out to approximately 4.25 full-time office staff members. AWS has 3.5: I serve as the Administrative Director, Opal South is the Ad-missions/Marketing Director, David Carpenter is the Finance Director, and Rachel Baay is the Community Development Liaison and also works in afternoon Ex-tended Care. Being slightly un-derstaffed, we all wear many hats; our small office space is cramped but allows for a lot of cross-pollination! Because we do not yet have a full-time Development position, Marketing takes on a lot of this function. Opal South chairs the Marketing committee, but Rachel is second in command. To that end, she is the keeper of the many fundraising ideas that come

Eurythmy

Alabama Waldorf School...

Understanding the connection between Arts & Academics

For

three

weeks

in No-

vember, AWS will, for the fifth

consecutive year, host a stu-

dent of the American Eurythmy

School in California. Student

Karen Robertson is completing

her practicum for Euruythmy

Certification here, which

means that AWS students will

get to experience this unique

Waldorf art form! AWS par-

ents Rachel Cornelius and Ms.

Carole (also a Kindergarten

teacher) accompany Ms.

Robertson’s musical eurythmy

exercises on the piano.

So, what is eurythmy?

Teachers at AWS, especially

to us from both inside and outside the community. The school is sensitive to inundating parents with too many fundraisers, so AWS abides by the policy that the fundraiser must provide a service to the parent. You may have recently purchased Snack-Taxis, for example. This was a mom-at-home business idea that has been successfully marketed to Waldorf schools because we are known to be environmentally conscious. Other fundraisers don’t cost a thing but benefit the school due to an affiliation; Box Tops for Educa-tion is one example—www.boxtops4education.com.(Check them out online and see fun, game opportunities for win-ning upwards of 30,000 box-tops!). Withwww.goodsearch.com you can shop through their web-site and AWS receives a percent-age of your purchase. Labels for Education are on Glad products, Dannon yogurt, etc. Stop by the Office or ask Rachel about their promotions when you see her in the hallways. Thanks to everyone who contributed to Cartridges For Kids last month, we received a $30 check yesterday! If you’re a Publix shopper, grab one of our

Publix keyring cards in either hallway, and just hand it over to the cashier when you are check-ing out. We racked up $119 this quarter! Lastly, Target’s Red Card is awesome! I applied for one last month, and it was easy and took about 50 seconds. When you check out at Target, give them a check from your checkbook, and they will swipe it and create a Target Debit Card for you on the spot. You get 5% off your Target purchase every time you use it, and the school also receives a portion of your purchase. It costs you nothing and is just the same as writing a

check from your bank account. These small acts of phi-lanthropy add up to more than $1500 for AWS each year. Thanks for doing your part to help our school! ***

those who have attended Wal-

dorf Certification courses, have

had exposure to this move-

ment-based form of art. Part

dance, part gesture, as Wal-

dorf educator Thomas

Poplawski explains*: Eurythmy

seeks to make speech visible.

Primarily with gestures of the

arms and hands—though also

with movements of the feet

and the entire body—the Eu-

rythmist manifests the individ-

ual sounds of speech...Speech

eurythmy thus shows in three-

dimen-

sional

movement

the key

expressive

sounds of a

Who is… Rachel Baay? by Lisa Grupe, PhD

Check out next month’s Aware-

ness to see Who Is… featured

and learn more about our AWS

individuals!

verse or poem. This is done in

an artistic fashion, so that the

beat, the meter, the stresses,

and the pauses are also made

visible...Neurology might speak

of euythmy as creating a rich

network of synaptic connec-

tions. Psychology might praise

the art for its engagement and

development of several of the

multiple intelligences...An im-

portant part of eurythmy in the

schools is the visualization and

the movement of geometric

forms...the children move in

invisible,

inwardly

visualized

circles,

squares,

triangles, and

five-,

six-,

and

seven-

pointed stars…”This helps

them in their study of geometry

and also with centering and

mental concentration.”

Parents, look for details in

November about a student

Eurythmy performance before

the Thanksgiving Break!***

*Excerpts quoted from “Eurythmy Unveiled” by Thomas Poplawski. Renewal magazine. Spring/Summer 2010—vol 19, Num 1. Re-printed with permis-sion by the author.

Left: Eurythmy intern, Nolan Ryan, who interned at AWS in 2009, performs during the Eurythmy showcase. Above:

Ms. Downs’ then 3rd graders at the 2009 showcase. Right: 2009 ninth graders performing with copper roads.***.

...Parents often ask ques-tions about computers and why we don’t have them in the classrooms. I have three answers for this: 1) It is generally not healthy for children—especially young children—to have “screen time”; it is not good for their eyes or their brains 2) A computer shouldn’t be a substitute for a human teacher, 3) There is going to be PLENTY of time for com-puters in 8th grade and be-yond. My students took a com-puter apart in 8th grade, put it back together, and then created their own web pages—all in the space of four weeks! This year’s 8th graders will get this same opportunity during a Com-puter Science block next semester. The underlying rationale for this block is to put the students in the role of mastering the computer, not vice versa.

It is my studied opinion that students learn quickly and therefore aren’t “damaged” by waiting for the appropri-ate time to engage in com-puter play/work. Whether the Waldorf edu-cational method is “current with the times” or “pro-gressive” is a matter of per-spective. We are current and even cutting edge with our incorporation of unhindered play time in the preschool curriculum; this is borne out by the research almost every day. The use of the phe-nomenological approach in teaching the sciences to the upper grades creates active yet contemplative learners that both high school and college faculty notice and admire years later. Language-intensive lessons require students to write their own textbooks, and this result in students who have excellent and above-the- national-average writing skills. Handwork pro-

jects reveal tangible capa-bilities for students of all grades and give children a sense of self-sufficiency. Exposure to foreign lan-guage gives students a global picture of our world which, through technology, is becoming smaller and smaller. Our 8th graders progress to all the finer secondary schools, public and private, in and around Birmingham (Altamont, Alabama School of Fine Arts, Jefferson County International Bacca-laureate School, Indian Springs School, Homewood High, McAdory High, Shades Valley Academies, Pleasant Grove High, etc.). The students make good grades, take AP classes, practice their music or art, and make new friends. They pick up computers in a matter of days, join the band, create costumes for school plays, sing in choirs,

the Timeless Quality of Waldorf Education (cont’d from p.1)

AWS AWareneSs Page 4

and play sports. Waldorf education for children in preschool through Grade 8 gives them a strong foundation to succeed in whatever they may choose. That’s progress enough for me!***

Click on the link below to read “A Silicon Valley School that doesn’t Compute,” a NY Times article by Matt Richtel. Published 10/22/11. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/technology/at-waldorf-school-in-silicon-valley-technology-can-wait.html?_r=2&scp=3&sq=matt%20richtel&st=cse

“The Waldorf School’s computer-free environ-ment has become a draw for parents at high-tech companies like Google.”***

AWS Alumni Updates

Shelby Carpenter, a 7th grader at the Alabama School of Fine Arts, received her first re-port card and earned A’s in Eng-lish, Computer Applications,

Health & Wellness, and her specialty classes in Creative Writing. She has quickly made new friends and is enjoy-ing the social activi-ties at ASFA, includ-

ing her first school dance. She has made an easy transition both academically and socially from AWS to one of the nation's finest public schools.

Duncan Strawbridge, an 8th grader who moved to Flor-ida and now attends Mariner Middle School, was recognized for his outstanding behavior. Out of a school of 850 stu-

dents, Duncan received all ten Outstanding Behavior Awards—the most any one student can receive, and the most of any student in the school’s history—and he’s only been attending since August!!

Stone Herrin, a 9th grader at McAdory High School, has been accepted into AP courses this semes-ter, and is doing well in all of his subjects. His mom, Jodie, says that she is grate-ful to AWS for preparing Stone for the rigors of high school academics.***

Open your eyes and see the scenes of All. Shine your personality, Stand tall.

Believe in your future, forget the past of sullen dreams. With a hand to help, you will do many things.

Written by Grayson Cusimano, AWS Class of 2008, when she was a 7th grader. Grayson is now a senior at Shades Valley High’s Theater Academy where she certainly “stands tall,” earning top marks in her classes, including her specialty courses in costume design!***

SAVE THE DATE!

Alabama Waldorf School...

Excellent Academics Enlivened by the Arts.

Page 5

Mr. Daly on duty in

Extended Care!

Photo taken by 3rd

grader Geneva.

Photo Gallery: Field Trips, Fall Gardens, Artwork and more!

Teacher chalkboard art at its

finest! Left: 4th grade class

teacher Michelle Lucas’s de-

piction of a Viking ship to ac-

company their Language Arts

block on the Norse Myths.

Right: Mr. Lucas’s drawings of

a squirrel to accompany the

student’s lesson on the |s|.

Next to it is the teacher-led

example for the students to

put in their Language Arts

Main Lesson Books.***

Ms. Bradley’s 2nd graders visited the apple orchard as part of their fall Nature Studies block. Students picked apples

(above, left), heard stories of the first “ecological saint,” Johnny Appleseed (above, middle), and took some time for

climbing and exploring (far right). Hey, picking apples is hard work! Below left and right: after the field trip, students

brought what they’d learned back to school and prepared some of the garden beds for fall planting.***

Left: 3rd graders celebrate the Jewish festival

of Sukkah by building a temporary shelter

called a Sukkot, and enjoying lunch together.

Right: A plump radish from the 3rd grade gar-

den. Ms. Spencer’s third graders were proud of

their green thumbs and can’t wait to share their

goodies with grandparents this Thursday! The

radishes were planted just 25 days before the

students harvested more than 70 of them!***

Classroom clips! Grades’ Spanish Classes Celebrate

El Día de Los Muertos

Trunk-or-Treat 2011! Wondering just what in the world Trunk-or-Treat is?? It’s an AWS annual favorite among the students, and a good alternative (or healthy addition) to your own family’s Halloween festivities. Par-ents decorate the trunks of their cars and stock them with goodies. After all of the cars are parked in the AWS lot, children go from trunk to trunk and pick up healthy

snacks or Waldorf-inspired treats or crafts. This year, Trunk-or-Treat will be celebrated this coming Thursday, October 27th. Load-in time will begin at 5:45, and at 6 o’clock sharp, the lot will close to thru traffic. Treating goes till 7pm. All current AWS students are welcome and may bring along a friend if they would like! We hope to see you there!**

Want to get involved in planning these festivities? For details about upcoming events and more, come to the next Family Association meeting! Thursday, Nov. 3rd, from 5:30-7pm. Childcare will be provided.***

If you haven’t already participated in the Family Association events and meetings at Alabama Waldorf School, what are you waiting for?! Get involved in your child’s school, and make some new friends, too! For more information, contact your room

parent: Sunni Parrish & Emily Gray (Samantha/Holly); Erin Pradhan & LK Har-los (Ashley/Huck); Jennifer Ernest & Julie Carpenter (Sadhna & Valarie); Ra-chel Cornelius & Ebony Ameen (Carole & Andrea); Sandra Duca (1st grade); Monica Spiegel & Jackie Frazier (2nd); Jill Housch (3rd); Kathy D’Agostino (4th); Chrissi Douglas (temporary 5th); Elizabeth Lasseter (6th); Maybe You (7th)! We’re looking for class parents for both the 5th and 7th grades. If you’re interested, contact Rachel Baay — rachelb@alabamawaldorf.org.***

AWS AWareneSs Page 6

To celebrate the Mexican holiday of El Día de los Muertos, or “Day of the Dead,” Señora Mixon had grades students build altars and create masks in her Spanish classes. Part of the foreign lan-guage curriculum that Rudolf Steiner set forth involves learning about the culture surrounding the language. In this way the class becomes not just about learning vocabulary, but also about geogra-phy and cultural studies. El Día de los Muertos is a festival which many Spanish–speaking countries hold as important to their heritage. It is a day of remembering those who have passed on, and a way of honoring their memory. For some students, altars are even built for pets! Placed in the altars is memorabilia or items that were treasured or enjoyed by the loved ones during their lives. El Día de los Muertos is a festival celebrated in different forms across the world. Christians, for example, cele-brate All Saints Day on Nov. 1st, and All Souls Day on the 2nd. El Día de los Muertos is celebrated on November 2nd.***

Alabama Waldorf School...

Excellent Academics Enlivened by the Arts

Page 7

Classroom clips!

5th Grade, History and Mathematics From Ms. Downs, Teacher of AWS Class of 2015

“Throughout this block, our stories during Main Lesson related to our upcoming block on Ancient India. I told a Hindu story of

creation, stories of Vishnu’s incarnations, the story of Rama and Sita, and the beginning of the story of Krishna. Sometimes, we

were even able to relate the stories to our math work. We especially enjoyed the story of the peasant who earns a reward only to

have various palace guards and servants demand portions of it as they deliver him to the king. Each demanded a fraction of his

reward, and the clever peasant asks for 60 lashes with the cane as his reward! We had a good time figuring out whether there

were any lashes left over for the peasant and how many lashes each of the palace employees earned. We also enjoyed visits

from AWS Kindergarten teacher Ms. Sadhna who taught us a song (Gandhi’s favorite praise song) which we will later perform at

one of the assemblies this year.”***

As part of the block, students not only learned traditional Indian dance, but dressed in traditional clothing and costumes as well. And teacher Ms. Downs (pictured center) was no exception! Above are photos of the chalkboard art she had on display during the lessons.

A special thanks to AWS founder and Indian dance specialist Sheila Rubin for coming to show and teach Indian dance, and to Vikas and Megha Hegde-Gavin for costuming fun!

6th Grade, History

The study of Rome in the Waldorf middle school grounds the 6th grader in biography and history. Students learn about law and order, about the Senate and government, about roads and cities. The subject matter rings true to the 6th grader because s/he interacts with these institu-tions every day—Rome is such a marvel because it is at once completely contemporary yet steeped in ancient history! Like the clarity of Roman law, the 6th grader lives in the world of black & white, right & wrong, and this will continue to be the case until they reach their next de-velopmental milestone in grade 7, when compromise once again enters the realm of possibility! Rome is the perfect context for the polar, dichotomous nature of the pre-adolescent student.***

Main Lesson Book work... ...from the students in Lynda Powell’s 2014 AWS graduat-ing class. Left: Silas’ essay and accompanying illustration on Cleopatra. Right: Ella’s page on The First Triumvi-rate. Upper right, Silas’s title page for his History Main Lesson Book.

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