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701 CABOT STREET, BEVERLY, MA 01915 | 978-927-8811 | WALDORFMORAINE.ORG
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2014
Kindergarten Children Step Further Into Nature By Lindsay Miles, Kindergarten Teacher
Nobody can discover the world for somebody else. Only when we discover it for ourselves does it become common ground and a common bond and we cease to be alone. Wendell Berry, A Place on Earth
kindergarten has taken an even larger step into nature by creating a daily rhythm that is
held primarily outside. While indoor work and play remain a part of the curriculum, our meals and circle time have been brought outdoors, and we have added a nature walk and extra time for gardening to our outdoor routine. With work in the social realm being so prominent in the Waldorf Kindergarten, what better place to foster these lessons than the natural world around us?
Gathering together and sharing a meal is an important part of the Kindergarten curriculum (photo J. Benoit). The children take part in preparing the snack and setting the snack table, and they take turns serving their friends. This year we are eating more food harvested from our very own gardens. Continued on page 4
Picture Day This Thursday Picture day is Thursday, Oct. 2 for most of us (the three-Wednesday, Oct. 1). Photo authorization/order forms attached. (Rain dates 10/7 and 10/8)
Renowned Nature Education Author to Speak, Lead Workshop Here at School Saturday, Nov. 1 Start Learning Now by Joining Our Community-Wide Reading Group!
Childhood and Nature: Design Principles for Educators, as the school implements its new science and nature program here at Moraine Farm. Please join us on Saturday, Nov. 1, for a lecture and workshop with the author, including keynote talk, Childhood and Nature: Design Principles for Parents and Educators, as well as small group discussions and hands-on activities outside (dress for the weather!). More information in the flyer on page 10 of today s Newsletter. Buy Tickets at School on Monday! The workshop, The Peace of Wild Things: Nature Education for a
Frenzied World, runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and is $20.00, which includes lunch. On Monday morning, Oct. 6, you can buy tickets at school -- look for Jennifer Helmick and Laura Freysinger at a ticket table. Jenny is an English teacher and naturalist and is organizing our new outdoor science and nature education program; Laura is a board member and one of the chairs of the WCA, our parent organization. Join Our Book Club! And please consider joining in this great reading project of ours! Check out the book, Childhood and Nature, online (http://www.amazon.com/Childhood-Nature-David-Sobel/dp/157110741Xm), and/or borrow a copy from the school by contacting Coleen Ryan, Assistant to the Administrator, at [email protected]. Come with us to Hear E.O. Wilson speak in Portsmouth Meanwhile, a number of faculty and staff will be going to hear Harvard Professor E.O. Wilson speak at the Portsmouth Music Hall on Tuesday, October 14 at 7:30 p.m. His latest book is entitled The Meaning of Human Existence. We'd love to see you there! Tickets at: http://www.themusichall.org/. Early Childhood Expert Anna Rainville, Thursday, Oct. 9 Parents are invited to hear early childhood expert and seasoned Waldorf teacher Anna Rainville speak next Thursday, Oct. 9, at 7:30 p.m., on Making Friends: Development Stages in Social Behavior.” Free and open to all. Please join us. Read more on Ms. Rainville at: http://www.annarainville.com.
Hands-on experience at the
critical time, not systematic
knowledge, is what counts in the
making of a naturalist. -E.O. Wilson, excerpted from Childhood and Nature by David Sobel.
A Warm Welcome From the WCA! Our First Meeting is Tuesday, Oct. 7 with the Administrator The chairs of the Waldorf Community Association (WCA) would like to welcome you to the 2014-2015 school year. The WCA is an organization of parents, teachers and others in the community wanting to suppo s three volunteer chairs are Laura Freysinger, Stacey Fisher and Jocelyn Schaeffer. Please feel free to contact any of us with questions or suggestions for discussion topics during our meetings. The WCA hosts four parent meetings throughout the school year in which community members can gather to share their joys, concerns and ideas about the school and its events. These meetings are a great way to get to know other community members, to work on projects, or to get further involved in the school. We look forward this year to hosting Administrator Susan White at our first meeting Tuesday, Oct. 7, at 8:30 a.m. In addition, the WCA seeks to enrich the Waldorf School at Moraine Farm experience by reaching out to our community as well as to our friends and neighbors on the North Shore and offering events such as the esteemed Adult Speaker Series, public service talks (such as "Internet Safety"), used book sales, and the annual Learning Conference. If you are interested in becoming active within the WCA, please contact Laura, Stacey or Jocelyn.
WCA Parent Meetings are scheduled to take place from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. on: Tuesday, October 7 Administrator Susan White will be our guest, speaking on the upcoming accreditation visit (later in October) and available to answer any questions. Thursday, December 4 -- Faculty member Jenny Helmick will speak on nature -focused, place- based learning. The discussion will follow up on David Sobel talk November 1 as we seek to implement new learning opportunities for our community. Thursday, February 26, 2015 Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Please mark your calendar; more information to come. Adult Speaker Series talks are scheduled to take place from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. on: , ntoring the Creative Spirit in Children. Also, please mark your calendars for: Tuesday, December 9 Tuesday, March 17, 2015 Thursday, April 14, 2015 We hope you and your children have a wonderful year. Warmly, Laura Freysinger [email protected] Stacey Fisher [email protected] Jocelyn Schaeffer [email protected]
Kindergarten Continued from page 1 To prepare for the day, the children begin indoors in our newly designed two-room classroom. In the larger room, everyone is bathed in sunlight as we chop apples, prepare the basket for our nature walk, fill our canisters with dried teas and other supplies, water plants and otherwise tend to the important chores of everyday life. Play goes on simultaneously, with the children tending to babies, creating fairy and gnome villages and building elaborate creations out of large wooden blocks. In our smaller room, there are two tables for indoor activities such as painting, bread making and coloring. As the children grow accustomed to the rhythm of our weeks, they know which activities to help prepare for each day. Our smaller room is also a welcoming place for quieter play, and some
corridor (built over the summer) even when they are not helping teachers with our work.
From here we are quickly off for our day outside, setting off on our nature walk. We are headed to the field for apple snack and circle time, but the walk is more than just a means to a destination. While walking, the children experience singing and quiet, talking and listening, holding hands gently and running vigorously changing ways we already feel the changing sun and cooling temperatures, and look forward to snow, rain, and wind! Through the year we will expand our nature walks to include more of our
to name a few destinations. On Fridays, our walk includes the gathering of kindling for the soup fire.
Once at our destination, these same changing weather conditions embrace us for apple snack and circle.
-- only now we are truly stomping on the earth and reaching up to the varying colors of the sky!
Returning through the woods to school, we remain outdoors to enjoy free play and the practical work of our gardens and playground. Some children run right off to the climbing structure while others enter the cabin to pull out horse reins or shovels (photo below). Others join Mrs. Sappia to finalize preparations for our meal or outdoor table activities, and yet others gather with me to tend the gardens (photo previous page. All photos thanks to Jen Benoit).
Right now, we have several gardens to tend! There is our Tea Garden where the children cut mint and chamomile for our daily tea; the Soup Garden where the children harvest garlic and herbs for our soup and recently planted more garlic and cold weather crops; and our Green Garden where the children pick various lettuces for our Mexican salad we have on Beans and Rice Day, spinach and mustard greens for sauteing on millet day, and arugula that we have made into pesto. Our Living Teepee garden is surrounded by rocks harvested from the Moraine Farm CSA and right now the teepee is decorated with corn stalks and hay bales generously donated by one of our families. We also have beans growing slowly up the walls, and in spring we will plant peas, nasturtium and morning glories to create living walls to seek respite in! As the teachers focus on meaningful work, the children join with us, chopping vegetables for soup, chopping fruit for fruit salad, and even making fresh salsa with the recent abundance of tomatoes from our CSA share (photo next page). Also on the tables outside we work with different fibers -- wet felting, plant dying and making salves from the calendula we have grown. Each Friday, we bring out our fire pit to cook the soup. Fire is a fulfilling element for the children, and bringing it into the center of our sand box seems to instill a reverent mood; even before a match is struck, play quiets down as the kindling is brought and Mrs. Sappia makes final preparations for the fire.
The nursery children soon will be joining us for Friday soup, bringing with them a meaningful experience of sharing they will bring their bread to share with us just as we will share our soup with them. We will all eat together outside on our picnic tables, expanding the reach of our community, and delving into new social interactions and responsibility. With fall temperatures coming, we will soon have a cider press going to make fresh cider and we will harvest apples to make fresh applesauce. As the winter creeps in we will work even more with wood and woodworking projects like houses for owls to nest, and when winter turns towards spring, we will tap trees to make our own maple syrup. The sap will bubble away on our fire pit. In spring we will begin working in the earth again creating new garden spaces and sewing seeds for flowers, herbs and vegetables. As part of our weekly rhythm we will be making yogurt and butter for our snacks from the cows milk from Appleton Farms. The festivals will continue to weave their way into our days through stories and circles and with seasonal activities
such as plant dying silks, construction of lanterns for our lantern walk, and the making of natural crowns for May Fair. On days when the weather allows we have snack outside in a warm little nook where our two new picnic tables rest. The children help to set the table and we light lanterns as we have
olden moment, a special time of quiet eating that is honored by the children. On days where we need to be inside for snack, the children are quite happy to revisit their rooms. So far, millet day has become a favorite for the students with them even asking for seconds of our sautéd Moraine Farm greens. I tell stories to the children each day outside, nestled under the canopy of trees in our play yard. Through the year, our seasonal tales will take the shape of spoken stories, puppet shows and even as plays. In all ways, our days are deeply rich. All of our activities are carried out with an organic breathing in and out, so the children always feel held, rhythmic and intrigued. And so much of our kindergarten experience the
days that turn gradually into seasons are taking place out in the real world of nature. This year promises to be year of discovery. In addition to Kindergarten teacher, Lindsay Miles is the current chair of our Early Childhood faculty. She is also mom to a fourth grader at our school and has young twins at home. She can be reached at [email protected]. -Ed.
Did You Know that Our School Has a Hot Lunch Service? Please give it a try! More information on page 13 or check out http://www.smartlunches.com.
Cafe Corner More New Volunteers! A new family will be helping out on Friday mornings! Mariah Titlow and Brian Tinger live in Beverly, and they have a child (Harrison) in the Buttercup Nursery. Please stop by and say hello to them! -- Yours truly, Jocelyn & Christine For the week of 9/22, thank you: Mary Mansur for the honey, Johan Frenje for the coffee, our kind donor of cups & lids, Emily Randolph-Silva for getting bagels on Friday & Dana Dooley, Yoko Yeaton, & Jinju Fong for baking. The cafe is a community service run by a small group of dedicated parents. It is 100% volunteer, and is also a 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 use nuts or nut products. Thank you.
Welcome, Daniela! Welcome to Daniela Endara Heyer! She is assisting two days per week in our later afternoon program and we are glad to have her back. Daniela was born and raised in Quito, Ecuador, and graduated from university there with a degree in Psychology. She has been in the U.S. with her husband since 2010 and has been working with children in different settings for many years, both in Ecuador and the North Shore. In addition to working at Waldorf School at Moraine Farm, she teaches children about the environment with a non-profit in Beverly, and loves to serve with pre teens at her church. She is passionate about real traditional foods and when not teaching, she is either cooking or reading on the grass under the sunshine!
Movie Night in Gloucester! Movie night in Gloucester is coming up Monday, Oct. 16, to support our friends at Kestrel Education. at the Cape Ann Community Cinema at 6:30 p.m. Tickets $10.00. See whether commercial branding can be used to market Mother Nature
Patrick Barkham, The Guardian. More below, page 12, and at www.Projectwildthing.com/film.
Kitchen Lost and Found Mrs. Collis Puro has cleaned out the school kitchen as part of her Michaelmas work this year. In the process, she has filled a giant box filled with kitchen items that could belong to you water bottles, pots and pans, etc. Please take a look.
Belmont, MA A Report on Sierra Leone School from Waldorf High
Each year since 2004-5 the Goderich Support Committee a standing committee of the Waldorf High School Student Council in Belmont, Mass.. -- has raised funds to support projects such as school lunches, medical supplies and mosquito netting for the Goderich Waldorf School in Sierra Leone. The Goderich Waldorf School is a tuition-free charity run school in Rokel, outside of Freetown, Sierra Leone, and is the only Waldorf school in West Africa. It serves a population of
-year civil war, children who early in life learn to work for their survival. The Goderich Waldorf School offers them not only primary education, but a safe haven where they have been able to receive nutritious meals and medical support. PHOTO: fourth grade class with their teacher! Now this school, along with all the people of Sierra Leone, faces more great challenges with the outbreak of Ebola. We have received this letter from Shannoh Kandoh, founder of the school. Dear Friends, The Goderich Waldorf School really appreciates your thoughts towards us and the situation in Sierra Leone and Wecommunities in the Country. The government has declared the crisis as a state of emergency which means that all schools are closed. No public gathering for learning, workshops, recreation and work. Most private employers have closed down affecting opportunities for work for families. In Government, only essential staffs go to work. Movement is restricted.
Because the spread of the Ebola disease is on the increase there is strong ban on visiting family members, sharing and exchanging. Due to the spate of infection, the Ministry of Health has identified Public transport and bodily contact with infected persons as potential hot-spot for contracting the disease. The outbreak has been sporadic (occurring in communities across the Country). In the Rokel communities a whole family of 6 died last month of Ebola. The house and area was sprayed and disinfected. Fortunately, the school children and staff continues to - It can strike anytime and anywhere according to Health care report if awareness is not raised and families are not taking the health advices to contain and eliminate the Ebola. Key issues: Schools may not be opened this year (September-December 2014); World Health Organization has warned that 20,000 persons will be affected in the region in the next 3 months; Food scarcity and the prices of basic food commodities have increased; Families are not working or involved in gainful activities to support their children. We are so intimidated by the fatality of this disease especially when front-line health workers are also dying in the process of helping. We thank all of our Friends for remembering us in their prayers.
Shannoh Kandoh On behalf of the Goderich Waldorf School If you would like to know more about the Goderich Waldorf School, visit their website, http://www.goderichwaldorf.org/index.htm. Waldorf High School Contact: Virginia Buhr
MARKETPLACE Looking for a great place near school? Beautiful two-bedroom, two-bath, well-maintained 1,265 sq. ft. apartment in 3-unit home, circa 1880 in Hamilton. Sunny, bright, hardwood floors, washer/dryer, storage, ample parking, large yard, hiking behind house which connects to Appleton Farms, close to Crane Beach, 12 minutes from school. Avail Oct. 16. $1,600/month + utilities. Contact: Elizabeth Carrington, [email protected]. SCHOOL CALENDAR Third Grade parent evening this Wednesday, Oct. 1, 7:00 p.m. New Parent Reception Friday night, Oct. 17. FULL calendar at http://waldorfmoraine.org/calendar/2014-10/
Moraine Farm Fall Festival 2014
Waiting for Cider photo by Jessica Hanscom
Waldorf School at Moraine Farm September 30 October 25, 2014
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
30 1
3-day Nursery Class Photo 7:00 8:30 3rd Grade Parent Evening
2 2-day Nursery Class Photo and K-8 Individual Pictures
3 8:30 10:00 Puppetry Class
4 10:00 11:00 Puppet Show @ Marblehead Art Association
5 10:00 12:00 Neighborhood Open House at
Home
6 7 8:30 10:00 WCA Meeting Rain date for 2-day Nursery Class Photo
8 Rain Date for 3-day Nursery Class Photo and K-8 Individual Pictures 7:00 10:00 Board Meeting
9 7:30 Anna Rainville: Making Friends: Development Stages in Social Behavior
10 8:30 10:00 Puppetry Class 3:00 Community Sing with Dan Foster
11
12 13 No School
14 Professional Day No Classes
15 First Full Day for First Grade
16 7:00 8:30 Fall Open House
17 Gr. 3 & 6 Families to Camp Glen Brook 8:30 10:00 Puppetry Class 7:00 New Parent Reception at Jen
Manchester, MA
18 Gr. 3 & 6 Families @ Camp Glen Brook 10:00 12:00 Fall Open House
19 Gr. 3 & 6 Families @ Camp Glen Brook
20 21 22 23 7:00 9:00 Adult Speaker Series
24 8:30 10:00 Puppetry Class 5:30 Lantern Walk for Nursery & Kindergarten 7:00 8:30 8th Grade Parent Meeting 7:00 9:30 Middle School Dance
25
