AWS Awareness - SharpSchoolp1cdn4static.sharpschool.com/UserFiles/Servers/Server_21009225/File... · AWS Awareness 2014-15, Summer Page 3 Our Trip to Oaxaca (In verse and rhyme!)

AWS Awareness 2014-15, Summer Page 1

AWS Awareness

Alabama Waldorf School1220 50th Street SouthBirmingham, AL 35222

AlabamaWaldorf.orgBlog: AlabamaWaldorf.wordpress.com

Summer 2015

In this Issue...2 Marietta Johnson’s Organic Education

3 “Our Trip to Oaxaca”

by AWS 8th graders

4 Events Calendar for July & August

5 Movin’ & Groovin’ Walkathon Success

Summer Fun with Ms. Andrea

6 Teaching Sensible Science

7 Screen-Free Week 2015 Re-cap

8-9 Raising Children in a Digital Age

10 Classroom Clips

12 News on Graduates, Honors, Awards

11, 13

Signature Health and Idewild Sponsor Pages

Summer Events

Tie Dye naturally! Alabama Waldorf School will be participating in the Homewood Farmer’s Market sev-eral Saturdays in June and July as a children’s activity provider. Stop by between 8:30am and noon and dye a handkerchief using vegetable juices. The results are surprisingly beautiful! Information about our school-year programs will be available at the booth, as well. We hope to see you there! Saturdays on June 13, June 20, July 11 and July 25. SOHO Parking Lot, 2850 19th Street S. Homewood, AL 35209

Waldorf Puppet Play at Irondale Library! AWS Early Childhood teachers Ms. Sadhna and Mr. Huck will put on a puppet show as part of Irondale Public Library’s sum-mer storytime series. Join them at 10:30am on Thursday, July 2nd for a performance of the Grimm’s “Queen Bee.”

Graduating Onward & UpwardLast month Alabama Waldorf students and

alumni took steps toward a bigger and brighter future! From top: Madeline Hall (AWS Class of 2011) graduated from the Jefferson County

International Baccalaureate School with hon-ors and will attend Barry College in the fall; Lilla Mwenja crosses the bridge (metaphori-

cally and literally!) from Kindergarten to start 1st grade in the fall; and Jack Hickerson, AWS Class of 2015, presents his 8th grade project.


In 1907 in Fairhope, Alabama, Marietta Johnson founded The School of Organic Education. Hers was a progressive phi-losophy at the time -- according to the Fairhope Organic School website, she “created a school that had no examinations, no homework, and no possibility that any child would ever fail...She was one of the first to advocate the prolongation of child-hood - a period of intense, natural education - so that its attitude would extend to the whole of life.” Though endorsed by educa-tional philosophist of the time John Dewey, Marietta Johnson’s ideas still seemed radical to most people of the early 1900s. But like Waldorf education founder, Rudolf Steiner, Johnson was thinking ahead of her time, and today educational experts are beginning to re-align their thinking with the child-development-centered philosophies of these pioneers.

Recently, AWS Class teacher Crystal Gibb read Johnson’s book about her educational philosophy and was inspired to write a review. See the table below for a comparison of Waldorf and Organic Education ideals.

In Marietta Johnson’s book, Organic Education: Teaching without Fail-

ure, she transforms modern education into a place of healthy growth.

In fact, she redefines education as growth itself

and explains that in order for teachers to minister to healthy growth, they

must give the children opportunities for development that is appropriate

for their age. These activities include singing, folk-dancing, handwork,

woodwork and living outdoors (to develop an observational spirit and

appreciation for the natural world). Foreign languages are included in a

practical and alluring way by melding themselves into other classroom

activities, because, according to Johnson, to let the children live peacefully, joyfully and unselfconsciously is the true aim of education.

In the eyes of Marietta Johnson, educating is about letting children

unfold -- uninhibited and unhindered -- by seeking to expand the power of

the child through their own feeling of self-satisfaction. Without the anxiety of trying to satisfy the external demands of the current education model or appealing to their teachers, children can grow more healthily and unselfconsciously.

In modern education, external demands too often focus on preparing

the students for what is expected

of them in the future instead of

giving them what they need now.

Johnson argues that work and

play can become one if children

are given occasions to choose

their way, guided by their hearts.

Then, their passions are unleashed.

The grade-marking system, parental pressure, peers

and teachers can create an unnecessary self-con-

sciousness within the child which may lead to unhealthy

and perhaps arrested development. This deterioration

of the child’s self-satisfaction can reveal itself through

egotism, double motives, fear, anxiety, apathy or low self-confidence.

Johnson also argues against allowing chil-dren to specialize their fields of study too early in their lives. She warns that a sort of crystallization can result

when specialization of knowledge is encouraged. This is regarded by

Johnson as unhealthy, especially for young students, because it inhibits

the expanse of their destinies. Specialization should be used later in life,

perhaps in the 3rd or 4th year of college, in preparation for technical or

vocational professions.

According to Johnson, we as teachers, parents and administrators

would see healthier mental, physical and emotional development in our

students if we eliminated these external standards and focused instead

on the internal development of the child, and give them what they need

according to their development as children. Children naturally look to us

for guidance and will many times be eager and astute when presented

with academic challenges, even if these create imbalance. We should

instead give them activities that will develop coordination, integration,

balance and strength.

This means that as teachers, parents, and administrators we must

strive to know all we can about child development through our own ob-

servations studies.

Marietta Johnson’s Educational Philosophies Organic Education: Teaching Without Failure

Organic Education Waldorf Education

Doesn’t use examinations Formative assessments through teacher observations, including tracking student progress through student-made textbooks; Summative assessments in middle school grades; no standardized testing in any grades

Does not give homework Homework in younger grades is staying away from screens, playing outside if pos-sible, getting a good night’s sleep and listening to stories or reading; Homework in middle school is finishing Main Lesson Book work, reading, subject class projects when necessary, practicing musical instrument

Subject specialization discouraged Subject specialization also discouraged. Instead, all students required to take spe-cialty subjects: 2 foreign languages, music, handwork, painting, Movement & games, gardening, woodwork

Aim of education: Let the children live peacefully, joyfully, and unself-consciously

Aim of Education: To inspire life-long learning in all students and to enable them to fully develop their unique capacities.


Our Trip to Oaxaca (In verse and rhyme!)by the AWS Class of 2015

The 8th grade class trip is the penultimate rite of passage for Waldorf 8th graders across the country. This year’s graduating class adventured to Oaxaca, Mexico! Below are excerpts from the poem they wrote together after they returned to their everyday lives.

Day 1Our trip to Mexico started with a two hour delayed planeFinally we flew a mile high and through the pour-ing rain.We begged Houston to hold our flight.We were trying with United and all our might.We landed in Houston and found to our relief so great A guide who jogged with us to our gate.On we got and down we sot And then the captain said,“Ladies and Gentlemen, A rotor is not working. Please get off again.”After preparing another planeUnited had us in flight again! But what about out guide, Señor Alan,Did he get the text? I hope this trip’s not hexed!

We made a safe landing.Customs took a little while.Then there was Señor AlanHe greeted us with a smile.

Day 2Tuesday in this new country we saw Zapotec ruins.There was a rather smelly temple which you could tour in.Monte Alban stood at the top of a mountain with steps way up high.The stairways there were huge and old and nearly reached the sky.Next we met Santo Domingo, a church covered in gold.With many statues and crucifixes, their statement was truly bold.The church of Santo Domingo had an atmosphere so quiet.It was a very peaceful place -- there could never be a riot.

It was oh so beauti-ful and tallWith a high roof and long hall.

We ate in the his-toric district at a nice Italian place.By the evening we were very tiredSo dreams we began to chase.

Day 3On Wednesday, we saw a great woodcrafter.Whose father, Manuel, he followed afterWe bought a few handcrafted treasuresFor friends and family, our love to measure.

More ruins left by explorers from SpainWere just a walk across the plain.There we saw geometric designsDepicting nature’s mysterious signs.We entered chambers built for priests.They were long rectangles that gave rest from the heat.

Day 4 Our next-to-last day had sadly now comeWe boarded a van and rode toward the sun.The trip was long and the traffic was cruelWorth seeing the exquisite limestone pool!

The entry was cold, into this mineral water.The view was fantastic of Nature’s fair daughter. We were high in the mountains, and pools --there were three.The footing was tricky, but what a sight did we see! Then on for more victuals on our fourth day,Another buffet? Well, what can we say!We had two sickies who felt pretty bad.We weren’t sure what tacos those two had had.

Then on to the weaver where he carded and spunThe wool into thread then dying was begun.We even were able to watch right besideAs he wove a rug using a pattern to guide him.He quickly moved the shuttle with his foot and his hand.A work of art emerged by this talented man.One more adventure on our way back to the

hostel.We stopped at the brewery for the tasting of Mescal.Not the children, the adults were able to taste.The children just laughed at the adult’s sour face.

Home sweet La Villada and a dip in the pool.and eating the taco pizza was cool.We swung in the hammocks as long as allowed.“Now pack all your stuff,” all the adults said real loud.

Day 5Our flight back to Houston went smoothly and quickly.Customs was fine and no one felt too sickly.We were not looking forward to our 10-hour layover.But our maestro had wisely planned for the stayover.To the Downtown Aquarium we travelled.We were tired and hungry and about to unravel.The Aquarium was good and cool and interesting.There were even rides we were successful on entering.It was fifteen till nine when we boarded our flight.Hooray! We got back! BIRMINGHAM! GOOD NIGHT!

----

But, if you want to go to MexicoI’ll be glad to come with you --To the cathedral and the world’s largest treeAnd everything-colored hues.It’s a great country and it’s perfect for me.So if I disappear, you know where I’ll be!


AWS Upcoming Events : July-August 2015 Keep up with events online at AlabamaWaldorf.org

Holiday/No School

Parent At-tendance expected. Free Childcare provided by AWS.

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CranioSacral. Rolfing®. Feldenkrais®. MassageTherapy.

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July August1

2 AWS puppet play, Iron-dale Library 10:30am

3 AWS closed4 for Indepen-

dence Day5

6

7 Tour 9-10am8 Faculty Mtg

10am9

1011 AWS booth

@ Home-wood Farm-er’s Market 8:30am-12pm

12

13

14 Tour 9-10am15

16

17

1819

21 Tour 9-10am22 Faculty Mtg

10am23

24

25 AWS booth @ Home-wood Farm-er’s Market 8:30am-12pm

26

12

34 Final Tuesday

Tour til 9/1

5 Fac Mtg 10am...

11 Faculty Work-shop week

12

13

14

15

16

17 BACK to School Night 6pm

18 No Tour / Preschool Open House 9:30-10:30am

19 First Day of School

20

...

24

25 No Tour26

272829

30

September1 Tuesday Tours

resume! 9am

7 Labor Day - No School


Including registrations ($1705) and pledge dona-tions ($9,375), AWS’s Movin’ and Groovin’ Walkathon Fundraiser has raised over $10,000, which means we met our goal!!! Thanks to all who came out for our Final Mile Event on April 30th, and to Church Street Coffee &

Books for donating the yummy tree-hugger treats and coffee.

On May 28th the students gathered for some dunking booth fun - our top fundraisers won 3 chances each to dunk a teacher. Below, Kindergarten teacher Mr. Huck and 1st grade teacher Ms. Bennighof volunteered to be the sitting ducks!

Thanks to all who registered for our fundraiser and participated in Movin’ and Groovin’ 2015! Without all of you, we couldn’t have reached our $10k goal! Thank you for doing your part.

Class Total raisedMs. Bradley (Grades 5/6) $2,130Ms. Bennighof (Grade 1) $2,080Ms. Gibb (Grades 2/3) $1,353Mr. Lucas (Grade 4) $1,261Ms. Sadhna & Ms. Valarie (Kindergarten)

$1,020

Ms. Powell (Grade 8) $606Mr. Huck & Ms. Andrea (Kindergarten)

$560

Ms. Lucas (Grade 7) $201

Summer Fun with Ms. Andrea!Join Kindergarten teacher Andrea Holley for a “Simply Silly Summer,” from June 1 to July 31.

Have fun with us as we explore our silly side! Simply Silly Summer includes craft activities, singing, reading, making new friends and of course LOTS of silly play!

Ages: 2 1/2 to 8 years oldTime: 8am - 1pm*

3-day weekly fee: $955-day weekly fee: $125

* After care til 6pm, add an additional $6.25/hour

Children will need to bring snack and lunch, water bottle, extra clothes, and a bathing suit for water days.

Register by emailing [email protected], or call the Crestwood Community Education School at 231-8980. Camp is located at 1220 50th St S., Birmingham 35222 in an Alabama

Waldorf School Kindergarten classroom.

Movin’ and Groovin’ 2015 Reaches Fundraising Goal!


Teaching Sensible Science

On April 16, Alabama Waldorf School middle school students and teachers presented a Middle School Science Showcase for current and prospective parents. AWS seventh graders demonstrated the concepts they learned through the phenomeno-logical approach with physics and chemistry experiments focused on magnetism, electricity, acoustics, heat, optics, salt solutions, and me-chanics. Sixth and 8th grade science tables were also be on display. Former middle school teacher and cur-rent AWS Administrator, Lisa Grupe, Ph.D. spoke about how the Waldorf science curriculum is designed with the development of the emerging adolescent in mind (see sidebar). Ms. Bradley, who will be teaching a combined 6th and 7th grade class in the fall, will attend the second installment of a course of stud-ies called “Teaching Sensible Science,” offered to Waldorf teachers. Ms. Bradley’s first session was in February, and the third and final session will be in October. The classes are held at the Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI. A description on the Waldorf Research Institute’s website reads:

Of the many subjects taught in a class teacher’s eight-year cycle, few are more challenging than the science main lessons of the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades, presented to students at a time when they develop a much stronger ability to perceive the world as being separate from them, a capacity crucial for scientific inquiry. To culti-vate in students these powers of perception in a

healthy way, Waldorf teachers approach science by means of a “phenomena-centered” method rather than testing and application of theories.

The part-time course supports teachers in devel-oping a deeper understanding and experience of phenomena-based science so that they can feel confident using the method in their own class-rooms.

Teaching Science the Waldorf Way

Set the mood for quiet observation by starting the experiment without speaking.

It’s not about answers; it’s about how to find an-swers

Use materials found in everyday life when possible

Provide a simple, clear experience for the students

Every student should reflect on the experience she or he had:

Then, ask the class about the patterns or rela-tionships they find in the individual experiences.

Avoid the word “conclusion” -- replace it with “rela-tionship.” This encourages future questioning.

Teach in a way that allows the student to come back to their senses. Sense impressions should inform concepts.

Shift from object-based, epistemological thinking to phenomenological, sensory-based thinking

Integrate poetry - a good example is “Who Shall be the Sun” by David Wagoner, or other works whose themes revolve around observations of nature, written with reverence and awe


Every year Alabama Waldorf School participates in challenging the faculty, students and families to put down their digital devices, ignore their televisions, and not ask Google ANYTHING for seven consecutive days.

If you’re scoffing that that actually can’t be done, read the article on the next page for some motivation and inspiration. Not only can it be done, but, especially for children, it MUST be done!

Many in our Waldorf community already strive to be-come less dependent on cellphones, ipads, computers and all of the other useful tools for communication and learning that have become easily accessible in our lifetime. What Screen Free Week is about is letting go of the attachment to these tools and becoming more open to searching the outside world to find your answers. It encourages you to stray from your comfort zone -- instead of having to know the answers to anything at any time, it can be healthy to do some wondering, some imagining, some hypothesizing.

Instead of asking Google your questions, try ask-ing the person closest to you. If they don’t know, ask another. Eventually, you will end up learning, not just the answer to the question you originally asked, but much more. For example, Ms. Gibb came to the of-fice one day during Screen Free week to find out if someone knew how long she should marinate the fish for the ceviche she was making for dinner that week. No one in the office knew, but someone suggested that she call one of our parents who owns a restau-rant in downtown Birmingham. It was after the lunch rush hour, so she called, and not only did she find out straight from the expert’s mouth how long to marinate the fish, she was able to thank him for the excellent treatment she received at his restaurant the week prior. In the end, Ms. Gibb walked away, not just with an answer, but with a memorable experience, a story, and a stronger relationship to another member of her

community.

Other advice we had for Screen-Free week: instead of checking your email whenever your mind starts to wander, turn your notifications off and decide to check your email 2-3 times at the same time each day. If you can, turn your phones, computers and televisions, etc. completely OFF when you get home from work or school and do something out of the ordinary with your family. Like, turn off all the lights and light candles at dinner, bedtime or breakfast. Take a walk with your kids after dinner or make a campfire. Play a game that you used to love to play when you were a child. The possibilities are ever-expanding.

AWS students enjoyed a screen-free activity after school each day, including Russian games at the green space downtown (photo above), hiking at Ruffner Mountain, string games and story hour, and even a Talent Show! Teachers reminded students that they didn’t have to wait till next year for the next screen-free week. They could host their own screen-free activities whenever they wished. All they need is a little imagination and some encouragement.

Screen-Free Week 2015: A Re-capfrom Opal South and Crystal Gibb

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In “Raising Children in a Digital Age,” developmental psychologist Gordon Neufeld discusses how parents can prepare children to live and thrive in the digital world. The presentation (on Youtube) was re-corded at the KMT Child Develop-ment and Community Conference in Toronto in 2012 is more relevant than ever.

As a parent, I find myself losing the battle of screen time on a weekly basis. If my stepson, after a long day of outside play and work, wants to spend some time traversing the digital world he created on Minecraft, a short stint of non-violent, arguably educational screen time can’t be terrible for him. Right?

If you’ve ever observed a 10-year-old boy playing Minecraft on a handheld device, you may see what I do: a boy holding a screen so close to his face he could fog it up with his breath; a boy so immersed in the virtual world in front of him he can’t hear or see what’s going on in the real world around him, which includes my voice or his little broth-er’s building block project next to him; and, a boy whose sense of self is based on how well he is succeed-ing in this virtual world (he is always wanting to show off what he’s done to his dad and me -- we usually just ask a lot of questions, and I have as yet been unable to figure out the point of the game); and it makes him happy. Is all of that good for him?

Gordon Neufeld bypasses that question in favor of a more critical one -- Is it what he needs?

That answer is “no.” He does not need this virtual world which we all seemingly just woke up to overnight because, as Neufeld describes, it is competing with us when it comes to raising our children. Scarier for me was the fact that I didn’t even real-ize it.

Research shows that screen time leads to lack of mobility, lack of sleep, etc. But Neufeld’s particular interest is how it affects brain de-velopment. To understand this, we have to first acknowledge,

What do Children Need?

“They need to emerge from child-hood as separate, independent be-ings….they also need get to a place where they feel like ‘doing it them-selves.” In Waldorf schools, we call this the need to develop their “will.”

Children also need to be able to adapt to sadness, to develop resil-ience, to be able to transform when confronted with “that which we can-not change” - things like accidents and tragedies and circumstances we are born with.

How do our Brains De-velop?

As humans we have always suf-fered from information overload. Even before the digital revolution came along, we didn’t need more information. Now, we are ingesting more than we can digest. When this happens with our physical bodies, we get sick. Attention mechanisms are already in place to tune out the overload, but, digital media is actu-ally able to tune out these defenses and thus interfere with brain devel-opment.

We used to liken the brain to a computer, an information proces-sor, but, really, it’s a problem solver, and the problem-solving capacity is developed through play. You don’t learn to solve problems by learn-ing your ABCs, and brain develop-ment doesn’t happen by learning to count. One learns problem-solving by being immersed into one’s world -- not being crammed with informa-tion.

We used to think that the more

information children had, the more they could problem-solve. But from studying brain development, we now know that’s wrong. Neces-sary for problem-solving is a sense of curiosity and a sense of agency and an ability to make your own meaning out of things. Information should come last -- there has to be developmental readiness.

Children are supposed to be de-pendent on adults, but this is erod-ing. They’re not looking to adults for company because they have each other. They aren’t looking to adults for information because they have Google.

What’s the problem with that?

The problem is that if they are looking to digital realms instead of adults, our ability to filter con-tent so we can give it to them when they’re ready for it is un-dermined. Children need the invitation to exist in our adult presence -- they need to wal-low in that. That’s how they become their own person.

What’s Wrong with Google?

When children Google some-thing and instantly get an answer, their curiosity isn’t nurtured. “Infor-mation is taking the place of curi-osity,” Neufeld warns. “What hap-pens when children aren’t curious? They’re bored.”

“There has to be a thirst for knowledge before you bring on the information. The knowl-edge needs to be used for solving problems.” We can’t compete with Google in terms of providing infor-mation.

“My children know how to access information better than I do, so I (cont’d on p. 9)

Raising Children in a Digital AgeFrom Opal South, AWS Marketing Director


Raising Children in a Digital Age (cont’d from p. 8)

...need to invite dependence in other ways: I need to make them feel belonging. Youtube doesn’t provide the experience of woodwork, of prun-ing grapes -- I want to pass down my skills. What do I have to offer my chil-dren? We all need to find that answer with our children.”

What about Video Games?

Neufeld states that video games fail to connect the generations, they don’t allow for “losing,” for build-ing adaptive capacity (you can start over, purchase more lives, etc.), and they erode the appetite for human intimacy because when people are getting “attachment fixings” for win-ning, they don’t care about deeper relationship building.

What about Social Me-dia?

Neufeld points out that digital social connectivity doesn’t connect gen-erations, doesn’t fulfill attachment needs, doesn’t allow for engaging before interacting.

Neufeld tells us that in Provence, France, you can’t do business with-out first engaging with a smile, a nod, etc. It is human nature to greet, to meet the eyes to get some indica-tion that we are allowed in the pres-ence of the other. Because there is no engagement in digital social me-dia, there is no instinct to make the new virtual relationship work, so it can quickly become a wounding en-vironment. This is not the way hu-mans were meant to work, Neufeld tell us. We must greet one another, must meet the eyes of the other to get some indication that we are al-lowed in the presence of the other.

So, is digital technology bad?

No! Neufeld reiterates this point throughout his lecture. “It was our destiny that we would invent the

technology of attachment,” he says. Being able to keep in touch with your family at home while you’re at the other end of the world is amaz-ing. For Sunday dinners, he sets up the computer at the table so that his grandson who lives in another coun-try, can participate in the family ritual.

But, it’s important that adults lead the way. “Technology is not wrong in and of itself, but we need to under-stand the power and the nature of it,” Neufeld states. “Video games are great if you realize they are not an escape from reality, if you’ve already developed an adaptive response to losing.”

Digital tools are not inherently bad, but we need to catch up to ourselves and ensure we are not letting them run away without human guidance. “Attachment is the most significant human need,” he reminds us, and there is a risk that the draw of digital ‘connection’ may overtake the mere digital search for information.

When are children ready for digital technology?

When is the timing right? Neufeld uses the analogy of dessert: “Des-sert is to be eaten once you’re full of the good stuff. No cookies before dinner because they spoil the appe-tite. If cookies are a shortcut to be-ing full, they will stand in the way to being nurtured.” You must eat dinner first. And dinner consists of a steady diet of resiliency, of bouncing back after a trial or tribulation, of devel-oping the capacity for intimacy with family and friends.

What’s a Parent to do?

Neufeld turned to the advice of Rous-seau, who said that the primary role of parents is “as a buffer to society” -- that was true in the 1600s and it’s true now in the 21st century’s digital world. “Par-ents must slow things down until children are developed enough to handle it.” He points out that digital addiction shows up

in the brain as more addictive than drugs or alcohol. Putting a television in a child’s bedroom is like installing a wet bar.

Parents need to believe that they are what a child needs -- not access to tech-nology. Our job is to make it easy for chil-dren to attach deeply to us. “We need to feed them at our table,” Neufeld states, so that when they do visit social media, it’s just that. A visit. They are not living there as a replacement for real life.

Where do teachers and schools fit in?

Though Neufeld’s presentation was aimed at parents, the implication through-out was that the adults in the child’s world are the ones who must set the standards and boundaries for healthy development of the child. We certainly can’t count on the adults who populate the digital world, or who create the marketing campaigns plastered across screens and billboards and buses and even the clothing the chil-dren wear, to do this. It must be the adults who truly care about the well-being of the child who take on this responsibility.

Waldorf Education holds at its very center that teachers have the important task of educating with love so that the stu-dents can be sent forth in freedom. This love has everything to do with giving chil-dren the proper tools at the relevant de-velopmental time -- whether it be learning through play as preschoolers, learning through story and observations and expe-rience as grades students, and ensuring that the learning materials utilized by the children are life-giving. This includes no screens in the classroom and an empha-sis on, what Neufeld, data and research attest are the most important factor for children learning in the classroom: the student-teacher relationship.

When schools allow screens and tablets into

the classroom, Neufeld says, they are thinking

about information access. “But that’s not what

kids need. The need connection.” Screens in-

terfere with that. As a Waldorf community mem-

ber, I feel relieved that this is one battle I do not

have to wage.***


Russian Lessons in the GradesFrom AWS Russian Teacher Rita Meikson

On May 8th, AWS 5th and 6th grade stu-dents visited elderly Rus-sian people at Highland Manor Apart-

ments and celebrated with them the 70th Anniver-sary of Victory Day. Students also brought cookies they had baked and handmade greeting cards. During their visit, students performed poems dedi-cated to Victory Day and a Russian folk tale. You could see and hear how emotionally the spectators reacted to their performance. These elderly Russian “babushkas and dedushkas were laughing and tears in their eyes. It was a big and heartwarming surprise for them to see and hear American children speak Russian and recite well-known Russian poetry. I am proud to say that our students were courteous and polite, and the Russian audience was grateful to our students and teachers. There were non-immigrants in the audience, as well. One woman approached me after the performance and said she would love to learn Russian. She said she liked the sounds of the Russian language!

Learning Beyond Deskwork As part of their farming block, Ms. Gibb’s 2nd and 3rd graders traveled to Hepzibah Farms in Talladega. There, students

harvested radishes for grilling (and eating!) at lunchtime, fed the pigs (see Kate in photo, bottom left), and played with

the baby angora goats. On a walk through the woods, they explored even more of

the farmland, including a house the farm owners were constructing, and a teepee and

hammock. Kindergarten students also took a spring field trip to Old Baker Farm to see

the hatchlings, pick some cotton, and frolic through the fields (See Morgan in middle

photo). Pictured at right, Mr. Lucas’s 4th graders performed a play based on the Norse

Myths, and performed it for both parents and students.

Handwork LessonsFrom Ms. Gurganus

Matthew matched his doll. No big surprise there since 6th-7th grade “identity” dolls often turn out looking like their maker whether they intended it or not! 1st graders knit washcloths for Mother’s Day, and we bundled them up with a bar of soap, a handmade card, and lots of love.


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Graduates, Honors, and Awards

Congratulations to AWS Alumni, Class of 2011, who gradu-ated from high school in May! Teague McKay, who gradu-ated from Pleasant Grove High School, will attend The Uni-versity of Montevallo in the Fall, majoring in History. Stone Herrin, pictured with mother Jodie, graduated from Tarrant High School. Madeline Hall (AWS Class of 2011), pictured above with proud parents Samantha and Dave, graduated from Jefferson County Int’l Bacc. School and will attend Berry College in Georgia this fall.

Congratulations to AWS alum, Daniel Blokh, who traveled to New York City’s Carnegie Hall to receive a silver medal from the Scholastic Writing competition. Daniel currently attends ASFA and will be in the 9th grade this fall.

Alabama Waldorf School

Summer Office Hours

Tuesday-Thursday, 9am-3pm

Tuesday Tours 9-10am (6/9 - 8/4)


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Documents

AWS Awareness - SharpSchoolp1cdn4static.sharpschool.com/UserFiles/Servers/Server_21009225/File... · AWS Awareness 2014-15, Summer Page 3 Our Trip to Oaxaca (In verse and rhyme!)