Inquiring Minds: Science & Mathematics
	Waldorf teachers take a phenomenological approach to Science instruction. Rather than teaching theory first, we begin with observation and experimentation.  In the very early grades, students first meet science through stories and songs.  In middle and upper grades,  direct observation of phenomena in nature is supported with day- or week-long field trips to farms and outdoor centers. In physics and chemistry (grades 6 - 8), a Waldorf teacher sets up an experiment, calls upon the students to observe carefully, ponder and discuss, and then allows them to discover the underlying scientific principles for themselves. The goal of the Waldorf approach is to develop precise observations, accurate reporting, independent thinking, and sound judgment--and to make science a relevant part of the children's everyday lives. We teach mathematics in a multi-disciplinary way. Children learn to count by jumping rope; memorize times tables by stamping and clapping; study intervals while playing their recorders; become familiar with proportion and scale through drawing and woodworking; and come to understand Platonic solids by making origami-like sculptures out of paper.  The stories we tell in the early grades lay the foundation for the imaginative thinking needed to search for the unknown in seventh and eighth grade algebra. The history of computing is explored during the eighth grade year, as students learn to disassemble and reassemble a PC and write simple computer programs. Extra math skills classes in the upper grades give students an opportunity to frequently practice and apply what they have learned.

	Imagination, Compassion, Interpretation: Language Arts & History
	The humanities curriculum begins with fairy tales in the first grade and fables and legends in the second grade. Stories of the Old Testament in third grade, Norse mythology in fourth grade, and the ancient cultures of India, Egypt, Persia, Mesopotamia, and Greece in fifth grade are presented orally by the class teacher. Students also read excerpts from original texts, and literature of or about the period. By the end of eighth grade, the students have journeyed from the days of the Roman Empire through medieval history, the Renaissance, the Reformation, the Age of Discovery, the American, French, and Industrial Revolutions, the World Wars, the economic upheavals of the 20th century, on into the present day. They have also explored in class the continents of Asia, Africa, Europe, and South America. Special emphasis is placed on the biographies of people who have altered the course of world history.

	An Ear for Language: Spanish & German
	Beginning in first grade, the children learn two foreign languages, Spanish and German, in the same way they learned their own native tongue. Through story, song, rhyme, and movement, first, second, and third graders become acquainted with different cultures and widen the horizon of human understanding by looking at the world through the eyes of others. They experience the food, festivals, and dance of these cultures--by celebrating holidays such as the Mexican Day of the Dead or by participating in events like a traditional Viennese ball. Grammar and reading begin with imaginative games in the fourth grade and continue more formally in the higher grades. The children occasionally present short plays, songs, and poems in a foreign language at school assemblies.

	Creating Beauty: Music & Visual Arts
	Music is a constant means of communication and expression in our classrooms and is the "glue" that holds us together as we go through the seasons and festivals of the year. Choral. Singing in a group fosters cooperation with and interest in others. Children in first and second grades learn songs by heart from their class teacher and sing unaccompanied on a daily basis. By third and fourth grade, students are expected to "hold their own" when singing in rounds. Beginning in fifth grade, all students participate in a formal chorus class that meets several times per week. In fifth through eighth grade, the repertoire expands to include more "part" singing. Rhythmic and notation work and concepts of major and minor modes are introduced. Instrumental. Instrumental instruction begins in first grade with simple flutes. By third grade, all children are playing recorder with their class teacher and continue to do so until graduation. Starting in fourth grade, each child learns to play a stringed instrument (either violin, viola, or cello) as well and participates in group lessons. In fifth grade, some children switch to wind or brass instruments and the class is divided into a string ensemble and a wind ensemble. Once children reach seventh grade, they join eighth graders to form a full symphonic orchestra. Private lessons are strongly encouraged throughout, and scholarship funds are available to eligible students to help defray the cost of individual music instruction. The school also offers a handbell ensemble for seventh and eighth graders. Choral and instrumental performances take place regularly through recitals, school assemblies, and seasonal celebrations.

	Visual Arts
	In every subject and at every grade level in the school, art is seen as an essential instructional tool. In the early years, artistic work precedes academic work. Instruction in drawing, painting, and modeling happens daily in the grades. The first medium the children use for modeling is beeswax, a natural material that warms to the touch. Clay is introduced in fourth or fifth grade. With drawing and painting, children in the early grades begin to bring forms out of the colors: mountains, trees, horses, people. In first grade children encounter the letters of the alphabet in the form of pictures. A picture of a fish may be transformed into the letter "F." In math lessons, children sometimes learn fractions and multiplication tables through the use of form drawings that illustrate the relationships between various numbers. Students often draw or paint themes from stories they hear in Main Lesson as a way of experiencing their lessons more deeply.

	100% Natural: Biodynamic Gardening
	We simply can't say enough good things about learning in nature, hands in the dirt, or leaves crunching underfoot.  The earth  sustains our life journey, and our curriculum fosters children's awareness of the human connection to the nature world.  Through our biodynamic gardening program, students are first exposed to principles of planting and growing that will later be explored in the classroom through botany, geology, and meteorology.  They plant and cultivate flowers and beans in our gardens, record the growth and changes of trees on our campus, and observe native flora and fauna in the Great Meadows--acres of meadows and marshes in our backyard.  Students learn about bees by assisting our beekeeper in tending our own hives.  Highlighting the elementary years are weeklong field trips to Hawthorne Valley Farm in upstate New York.  Here, students participate in the day-to-day work of a biodynamic farm:  mucking, feeding animals, weeding, and planting.

	Strength of Will: Physical Education
	Physical fitness builds self-confidence and self-esteem, laying the foundation for a happy, healthy, and fulfilling life. As children progress through the grades, they grow into conscious awareness and control of their bodies. Games, movements, and other activities in the early grades make them more aware of the space around them and how their own bodies relate to that space. Games also help them develop social and recreational skills that can serve them well for the rest of their lives. Team sports are introduced in fourth grade, and when they are, good sportsmanship is stressed. Fifth graders, who have an improved sense of balance, spend a good portion of the year preparing to reenact the ancient Greek Olympics. These students train for the long jump, the javelin, the discus, the long run, the Olympic wrestling event, and the 50-yard dash. Points are given for grace as well as for speed or distance. Older students are expected to show increased discipline and precision. Sixth graders, for instance, prepare a long-sword dance, which is performed as a part of the Mummer's Play in December. Seventh and eighth graders are challenged with ropes courses, endurance tests, and team sports that require them to defend a position. The athletic program begins in the sixth grade with after-school sports including soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter and cross country running in the spring. These teams compete with other private schools.

	A well-founded belief in their own capacities: Handwork & Woodwork
	Handwork teaches the children to carry through with a task, a practice which is essential to the development of thinking. In first grade, boys and girls learn to knit, bringing together a long string of yarn to make a recorder case or a small animal. In third grade, the students crochet a winter hat. In the next several grades, the students learn to sew by hand and do embroidery. In sixth grade, as the students' bodies are changing, the children make a doll. The curriculum culminates with the use of the electric sewing machine in eighth grade. Throughout the grades, projects are of a practical nature: pot holders, toys, scarves, socks, and other articles of clothing. All work is done with an appreciation for and development of aesthetic qualities. The formal woodworking curriculum begins in fifth grade, when students develop a feel for their material by rasping and sanding a darning egg out of a square block of wood. Once this project is completed, the students can move on to concave shapes like bowls, which involve digging into the wood. Sixth grade projects, typically forks and spoons, begin to reflect the style of individual children. Seventh graders build wooden boats, using scaled drawings as a guide. Eighth graders build furniture, usually chairs or stools, and are introduced to power tools.

	Eurythmy
	The purpose of the eurythmy program is to introduce the students to the laws underlying speech and music, through movement. Created by Rudolf Steiner in 1912, the art of eurythmy brings speech rhythms and musical rhythms into the experience of the whole body. Speech is made up of vowels and consonants, nouns, verbs, adjectives, rules of grammar, thoughts and feelings, and "moods of soul." In eurythmy, these are expressed through movements. The idea is to understand the principles behind speech, and to enliven the experience we have of speech.

	Learning Support
	The school provides a well-rounded classical education for children who are able to learn in a group setting. In choosing a Waldorf education parents should understand that their children will receive an education that is highly social in nature. For those children who need special help, learning support classes are added on an individual basis. In addition, the school maintains a list of tutors in reading and mathematics who may be employed by the parents. A full-time learning support teacher coordinates the learning support for the students, which occurs in the classroom as well as in individual sessions.