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 | | Sunday, September 25, 2011 | Volume MMXI-XII, Issue 4 | |
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No School on Thursday |
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Please note that in observance of Rosh Hoshana, the school will be closed this Thursday, September 29. Please check with instructors about private lessons. |
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Parking Reminder |
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Parents, please remember that the small parking lot adjacent to 703 Mass Ave (Nursery classrooms and Business Office) is for faculty and staff parking only. For detailed information on permitted parking areas, please click here. |
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Seventh Grade Available for Chores |
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Do you need help with yard work, babysitting, pet sitting, or other chores around the house? The seventh graders are ready and willing to help you out! They are raising money for their class fund by offering their services to the community. For a full list of contact information and availability, please visit the Parent Pages. |
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Upcoming Events at Waldorf |
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Monday, September 26
Rosebuds class begins
Tuesday, September 27
Roses class begins
Board Meeting, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, September 28
Foundation Studies, 5 p.m.
Thursday, September 29
Rosh Hoshana
No School
Friday, September 30
Fireside Chat, 7 p.m.
Saturday, October 1
East Lexington Fair, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Monday, October 3
PCA Meeting, 7 p.m.
7th Grade class evening, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, October 4
4th Grade class evening, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, October 5
Development Committee Meeting, 5:30 p.m.
Sunflower Kindergarten class evening, 7 p.m.
6th Grade class evening, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, October 6
Blue Sky Kindergarten class evening, 7 p.m.
Friday, October 7
First Night of Yom Kippur
Monday, October 10
No School
Columbus Day
Tuesday, October 11
7th and 8th Grades to Hulbert Outdoor Center
Board Officer Committee meeting, 6 p.m.
Finance Committee meeting, 7 p.m.
1st Grade class evening, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, October 12
Foundation Studies, 5 p.m.
Friday, October 14
7th and 8th Grades return
PCA Dad's Group, 6:30 p.m.
Fireside Chat, 7 p.m. |
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Michaelmas Festival |
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Come join the festivities next Saturday, October 1, from 6:30-9:30 p.m. here at the Waldorf School of Lexington. Beginning with a pot luck dinner, our community evening will experience short talks, poetry, free offerings, and fun. Please let Barbara Martin know what you will bring to the dinner. Sponsored by the Anthroposophical Society of Greater Boston. |
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Events in the Larger Waldorf Community  |
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There are many anthroposophical events in and around the Boston area, and beyond, that support and enliven what we do here at school. Please click "read more" above for frequently updated information and resources from the Anthroposophical Society of Greater Boston, AWSNA, The Pfeiffer Center, and others. |
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Community Classifieds |
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Remember to check the Community Classifieds page on the school's website every week for information about any items of more general interest, such as music lessons, professional services, real estate, items for sale, workshops or events in locations other than the school.
You can easily access the Classifieds on the school's website in the Community section, where you will also find the submission form and guidelines. Please contact Luana Preston with any questions. |
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You can also "like" us on Facebook!
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In this week's edition: |
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 Celebrate Community at the East Village Fair- From the Health Office
- Seventh Grade Community Work
- Volunteer for the Halloween Walk
- The Secret to Success is Failure
- Evening Fireside Chats Coming Soon
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Celebrate Community at the East Village Fair |
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"Human beings really must continue to learn throughout their whole lives if they wish to tackle the tasks of life. It is vital that we should be permeated with this feeling. The study of the reciprocal relation between the social and the anti-social is extremely significant for our time. This anti-social spirit can only be held in balance by the social. But the social must be nursed, must be consciously cared for.
The social element is essential; it must be cherished. We shall see that in this time there is a tendency to take no notice of the social in merely acting naturally. Rather it must be acquired consciously in working with one's soul forces, while formerly it was felt instinctively in humans. What is necessary and must be actively acquired is the interest of humans in other humans. This is indeed the backbone of all social life."
-Rudolf Steiner, Social and Anti-Social Forces in the Human Being
Next Saturday, October 1, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Waldorf School of Lexington community will be co-hosting the East Village Fair in conjunction with Follen Community Church, Sacred Heart Church, and Wilson Farm. This event is the oldest neighborhood fair in America and features old-fashioned games, crafts, food, and fun for young and old inside the horseshoe in front of the school and around our campus. There will be children’s games, an outerwear sale, and refreshments including coffee, baked goods, and other treats provided by members of our school community. The Early Childhood Program will be putting on marionette shows in the afternoon.
This is a great opportunity for children and adults to spend time together as a community and fundraise for various classes. So come eat, play, and enjoy--rain or shine! |
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From the Health Office |
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The health office would like to remind parents that they should be checking their children for lice on an ongoing basis. If you do find that your child has lice, please inform the school immediately. For detailed information about how to check for and remove lice, you can visit Headlice.org, Headliceinfo.com, and Center for Disease Control. Please click "read more" above for a letter from our health office. |
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Seventh Grade Community Work |
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Our seventh graders have been working hard behind the school in the Arlington Great Meadows. With the assistance of Don Miller and Sandra Ruggiero, the class has been clearing the trail along the Lily Pond boardwalk. Their photo is also featured on the FoAGM website, where you can learn more about the Great Meadows and find information about volunteering. |
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Volunteer for the Halloween Walk |
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The annual Halloween Walk is quickly approaching. On Monday, October 31, the early childhood students will take a special walk through the Great Meadows adjacent to the school. The classes will be led through the woods by their teachers and a musical guide. On their way, they will observe several characters at  work—including Mother Earth, a farm family, and a stone mason. This can be a truly magical experience for our children. To make this possible, we need parent volunteers to become characters, bake treats, provide props, and help set up prior to and on the morning of the walk. On Wednesday, October 5, sign-up sheets will be posted in both the Nursery building lobby and in the Adams building, in the hallway near the kindergarten classrooms. Volunteer opportunities are open to all. In order to preserve the magic of the day, please do not discuss your participation or particulars of this event in the presence of the children (it is a secret). Questions can be directed to this year’s Halloween Walk Coordinators, Allison Moody and Lori Wright. |
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The Secret to Success is Failure |
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If you have not already, we suggest you have a look at a recent article in the New York Times entitled What if the Secret to Success is Failure? The article examines current thinking in the field of education about how a student's attitude and character can play a large part in their educational success:
"Seligman and Peterson consulted works from Aristotle to Confucius, from the Upanishads to the Torah, from the Boy Scout Handbook to profiles of Pokémon characters, and they settled on 24 character strengths common to all cultures and eras. The list included some we think of as traditional noble traits, like bravery, citizenship, fairness, wisdom and integrity; others that veer into the emotional realm, like love, humor, zest and appreciation of beauty." |
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Evening Fireside Chats Coming Soon |
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Fireside Chats are an opportunity for you--small groups of parents--to meet in parent homes with a representative of the Board and College to hear about the result of the recent Long Range Planning process. The small size of these gatherings provides you an opportunity to reflect and provide feedback on the school’s plans in light of your experience at the school.
At these evenings a school representative will briefly share initiatives identified in the Long Range Plan. Most of the evening is reserved to hear your feedback on the plan. We look forward to finding out:
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What you like about the plan -
What issues/concerns you have -
What suggestions you have for successful implementation.
 Some highlights of the 2011 Long Range Plan on which we look forward to getting your feedback include (click "read more" above for details):
Campus & Finance
Curriculum & Teaching
Educational Programs
These and other areas for school improvement arose during long range planning and we want to share them and hear from you. Chats will take place at 7:30 p.m. on the evenings of September 30, October 14, October 21, November 5 and November 11. Parent community feedback from all of the Fireside Chats will be gathered, collated, and used to guide the future of our school. We look forward to your participation in one of the many scheduled evenings. Please email Joe O’Regan to reserve your spot. See you at a Fireside Chat! |
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