CWS Seasonal Journal v12 i01

Seasonal Journal VOL 12 ISSUE 1

CWALDORF.ORG

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AUTUMN 2023

The Charlottesville Waldorf School 120 Waldorf School Road Charlottesville, VA 22901 www.cwaldorf.org cwsoffice@cwaldorf.org 434-973-4946 EIN: 54-1209069 SEASONAL JOURNAL Volume 12 Issue 1 - Autumn 2023 Amanda Polson, Editor & Designer Kate Walter, Copy Editor Front Cover Photo by Michael Wright of student work with chalk on the blackboard CWS BOARD OF TRUSTEES Ted Jones, Chair Carroll Ann Friedman, Vice Chair Nick Rader, Treasurer Barbara Gehrung Emily Irvine Matt Curreri, Faculty Amanda Tipton, Administration

The Charlottesville Waldorf School promotes respect for all students, employees, and applicants for admissions or employment, and prohibits discrimination to the full extent required by law, including discrimination based on race, color, ethnic or national origin, religion, creed, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, pregnancy, familial or marital status, military status, or any other category which is protected by applicable federal, state or local law. These nondiscrimination policies apply in administration of our educational policies, hiring policies, admission policies, financial aid programs, athletics and other school-administered programs.

CWALDORF.ORG

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Dear CWS Community, As autumn gives way to winter and the days become shorter, Waldorf schools unite in celebration of the light we hold inside and the light we create when we come together. This observance begins with the celebration of Michaelmas at the end of September, when the leaves still shine golden on the trees and remind us of the courage and inner strength needed to face the coming colder months. The celebration continues through the shortening days of November with lantern walks in the Early Childhood classes, when our youngest students trek around campus at dusk with their handmade lanterns and sing songs about shining their light in the darkness. At the same time, our grades students are fortunate to celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights, with the loving guidance of Ms. Bajpai and her family.

Before we close the calendar year for Winter Break, we celebrate our inner light once more with the Spiral of Lights, a meditative experience in which both children and adults participate. The spiral formed with evergreen boughs, with a candle lighting the center, becomes a spiral of stars as each participant walks to the center with a personal candle to light and then place reverently along the walk back out.

something meaningful. We are not extractable from the natural world, even as we become further and further removed from our connections to nature. When we participate in these festivals and celebrations, we can rediscover the threads that bind us to both nature and each other. We are all connected, and observing festivals together reminds us of that profound truth.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The theme of connection is guiding many of our strategies at CWS this school year. We continue to make plans to connect areas of our campus with safe and accessible walkways, and we have funded a scholarship to connect our teachers with Waldorf training opportunities, a new program you can read about on page 14. In addition, the Community Association, previously named the Parent Association, has been doing great work connecting individuals in our school and nurturing the whole community. We are also working to be more connected to our wider community of alumni, friends and supporters - through planned events, updated databases, and publications like this one.

2023/24 Faculty and Staff.................................7

Welcome...........................................................2 Happenings on Campus................................4-5 Thank You to our Donors..................................6

Modern Illustrations for Timeless Fairytales...8 A Smorgasbord of Poetry...............................12 The Walter & Wright Teacher Fund...............14 Community Association Spotlight..................15

On behalf of all of us here at CWS, I wish you a wonderful winter season, enriched with the celebrations that are most meaningful to you and your family.

In Service,

Amanda Tipton School Director

In our modern world, we have to work a bit harder to access the rhythms of the natural world. We can light up a room with a flip of a switch, and so the longer nights no longer have the same hold they did on our ancestors. Now that our collective experience is so different, why is it still meaningful to acknowledge the changing seasons through festivals and celebrations?

I think the answer to that question is connection. We observe holidays and festivals as a way to maintain a connection with Page 3 - CWS Seasonal Journal, Autumn 2023

HAPPENINGS ON CAMPUS

HAPPENINGS ON CAMPUS

RING IT IN, RING IN THE NEW YEAR!

BOTANY OF GUMBO

As we do each year, CWS began the 2023/24 School Year with a beautiful Rose Ceremony, welcoming the new First Grade students into the grade school.

Onions and peppers, celery and herbs - gumbo is a regional specialty that uses local vegetables, the flavors and style reflecting its history and the movement of peoples and seeds: an excellent way to learn botany! The 4/5 grade donned their chef hats (quite literally and colorfully!) to cook up a batch of gumbo which they served with aplomb to parents and friends.

TEAM BUILDING AND WALKING THROUGH THE TREES The Middle School students spent a morning at Triple C Camp at the beginning of the school year, playing team-building games and facing down fears by climbing high into the trees and walking on a wire!

MICHAELMAS Several members of the audience claimed this year's Michaelmas Pageant to be the best they've ever seen! Of course, they say that every year, but that just shows how much our community appreciates this unique event acknowledging the changing of the seasons and the ways we each must pull on our inner fiery strength to move into the darker and colder months ahead. As is tradition, the 8th grade class led the procession of students, and the full grade school took part in the Pageant - the smallest gnomes, the stars and meteors, the villagers and farmers, the fierce dragon, the royal court, and of course St. George and St. Michael.

CAMPING AT SHERANDO LAKE On the last weekend of September CWS families camped out at Sherando Lake with the full Harvest Moon overhead. There was a chill in the air, especially on the first rainy night, but that didn't stop the children from swimming! It was a wonderful community outing, and we look forward to another camping trip in the Spring!

MIDDLE SCHOOL ATHLETICS Soccer and Volleyball brought out the competitive spirits in players and spectators alike this year! The Girls Volleyball team ended the season 8 and 2 (including a first ever win against Charlottesville Catholic School!) and the Boys Soccer team was 6 and 2 with 1 tie. We are very proud of the hard work these students put into learning these games, and of the reputation they have gained in the local area as kind and respectful players.

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COMMUNITY CLASSES "The healthy social life is found when in the mirror of each human soul the whole community finds its reflection, and when in the community, the virtue of each one is living." (Rudolf Steiner) Building on the inherent social goals of Waldorf education and recognizing the extra effort needed to meet these in a rapidly changing world, our new Community Class periods in the grades reflect our commitment to preparing our students for a healthy social life at CWS and beyond.

APPLE FEST FUN Our annual Apple Fest took place on a somewhat rainy Saturday, but the gloomy weather didn't slow us down! We grilled in the Pavilion, judged the impressive Apple Fest Bake-Off contributions in the breezeway, and pressed several bushels of apples with the old apple press. We were very happy to have some alumni helpers keeping the press going!

LUNCH WITH FRIENDS Most of our pandemic habits we have happily left behind, but some were good enough to keep, including most of the classes eating their meals out of doors.

An older tradition that we are glad to restart is the class "buddies" - here first grade and their 7th grade pals enjoy lunch together on the playground!

GLIMMER, LANTERN, GLIMMER Early childhood students - Rosebud, Bluebell, Marigold, and Sunflower - worked hard in their classrooms throughout October creating beautiful lanterns, and gathered with family to walk the paths of the school in the early dark with their little lights shining brightly. Little stars a-shimmer...

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THANK YOU TO OUR 2022 DONORS The CWS Board of Trustees would like to thank our 2022 donors for their philanthropic support of the Charlottesville Waldorf School. These generous contributions have strengthened our school in our ongoing mission of providing Waldorf education on this beautiful campus to not only our current students, but future students as well. We are truly grateful for the partnership and commitment of each and every donor. Thank you!

INDIVIDUALS & FAMILIES Patricia Atkinson Shilpi Bajpai Millie Bankston Elizabeth Boudette Katie Boyts Fredrik Buch Cyndy Caughron Corinne T. Cayce Jim Coate Jeremy Coerper Lynne D. Conboy Natasha Copeland Madeline K. Copson-Frantz Matt P. Curreri Jenny Dees Lise Dobrin Dr. Rebecca Downey Karen Durland-Jones Nikki Edgecomb Udo Ehrenberg Tatiana Ferro Barbara Fincham Tiffany Fishman Nicholas S. Frantz Karen E. Fraser-Morris Barbara J. Gehrung David Germano Cindy Hamady Jeff Hansen Lindsey Hepler Wolfgang Hermann Charlotte Hoopes

Cary M. Hubbard Tom and Wendy Hubbard Lucy Ivey Augusta Jacobs Joseph Kelly Tom Kelly Estela Knott David LaMotte Pitsuda La Russa Calandra Lake Anna Lane Jesse G. Luckett Anna Milena Manos Erika Martinez Sophie Massie Carolyn McGee Erin Micheletti Chris Novak Patricia Oppenheimer Sharifa Oppenheimer Kristen Parker Susan Pauly Amanda & Cameron Polson Erica Quarterman Anna Quirk Claudia S. Reinhardt Thomas Olivia Rivard Hill Alice Scruby Timothy M. Scruby Marlena Simon Amy Smith Sara Smith Ellie Sokolow

Susan Sowers Linda R. Stearns Lise Stoessel Eric J. Sundquist Amy R. Taylor Allison L. Thomas Rodriguez Amanda J. Tipton Vishal Tiwari Annie & Craig Tourangeau McClung Ed Tourangeau Patricia Ann Tourangeau Lanz T. Travers Deborah Wyatt

BUSINESSES & ORGANIZATIONS The Huntly Foundation Louisa Care Center Meghan McSweeney Photography Mountain Laurel Foundation and Sophie Massie S&P Global Foundation Virginia Credit Union, Inc Wegmans Wonderling/ FreePlay child

JOIN THIS LIST!

Charlottesville Waldorf School welcomes your donations to our Annual Fund!

Scan here or visit cwaldorf.org/giving to make an easy online donation.

CALLING ALL ALUMNI! We love hearing from our alumni! Please use this form to get back in touch with us and share your life updates with the CWS community, or submit a story, CWS testimonial, upcoming event, news item, or opportunity to feature on CWS Seasonal Journal, website, or social channels. We would also love to invite you to join the CWS Community Portal, where you can get updates on upcoming events and the schedule for Middle School athletics.

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2023/24 FACULTY AND STAFF We welcomed many familiar faces and several new teachers to the CWS faculty this year; some completely new to Waldoef, some returning after other ventures, and some moving to different positions within the school.

AFTERCARE

GRADES

Lise Stoessel, Early Childhood Aftercare Ajaneé Robinson, Grades Aftercare Liv Reid, Aftercare & Early Childhood Assistant

Ariana Marie, First Grade Alissa Hansen, Second/Third Grade Claudia Reinhardt, Fourth/Fifth Grade Michael Wright, Sixth Grade Richard Nootbaar, Seventh Grade Karen Fraser-Morris, Eighth Grade Sabastion Ericson, Grade School Assistant Lorie Henry, Education Specialist

PARENT AND CHILD Anne Coyner, Parent and Child Teacher & Enrollment Linda Stearns, Parent and Child Assistant

PLAYGARDEN Jen Edelson, Bluebell Class Teacher Jan Coerper, Bluebell Class Assistant Natalie Rader, Bluebell Class Assistant Jessica Kiley, Rosebud Class Teacher Sheena Dawson, Rosebud Class Teacher

KINDERGARTEN Shilpi Bajpai, Marigold Class Teacher Jocelyn Sandberg, Marigold Class Assistant Sue Horne Lim, Sunflower Class Teacher Christiana Mitchell, Sunflower Class Assistant

SPECIALTY SUBJECTS Becca Bauer, Music/Choir and Orchestra Matt Curreri, Math and Technology Katie Harper, Middle School Language Arts Maria Nootbaar, Spanish Dana Pauly, Gardening Tess Przyuski, Handwork Jose Rodriguez, Woodworking and Drama Kate Walter, Painting and Form Drawing Andrew Wilkinson, Movement

ADMINISTRATION AND STAFF Eamon Cunningham, Facilities Manager CarrollAnn Friedmann, Business Manager Augusta Jacobs, Custodian & Gardening Assistant Amanda Polson, Events & Marketing Coordinator Katie Reynolds, Administrative Assistant Amanda Tipton, School Director Page 7 - CWS Seasonal Journal, Autumn 2023

Lessons were built around these stories, and in doing their school work the students stepped through the golden door to literacy, in number, word, and idea.

That meant of course that I had to explore the literature of fairy tales. I borrowed books from the library and scoured second hand book stores, building my own book collection so that I had at hand during the school year lots and lots of stories from which to select.

often accompanied by illustrations Fairy tale publishers through the reproduced with woodblock and later years called on artists who had metal engraving and etching. developed artistic reputations.

Gustave Dore, Walter Crane, Arthur Those single color line illustrations Rackham, Maxfield Parrish and were reproduced in modern black others established a high standard and white in many of the fairy tale in book illustration. As people write collections I perused, and I copied new stories and as we continue to some of the illustrations in chalk for enjoy and republish the old stories, my blackboard drawings at school. modern artists take their turn at portraying the often supernatural creatures who make the fairy stories so much fun.

When former Waldorf teacher Leni Covington began her fairy tale project, The These stories of Shoemaker and the course originated Elves, published by before books, and Kenyon Avenue Press the illustrations were this year, she called before books, as well. on an artist friend Before they were put Taylor B. Randolph, on paper, or drawn to collaborate. on rock or stone, the Taylor Randolph’s first fairy tale pictures elves danced about emerged in words as (left) H.J. Ford illustration for "Kari Woodengown" in The Red Fairy Book, Andrew Lang, in promotional the story was told. 1890, from Dover Publications, 1966. (right) Kari Woodengown, drawn in chalk on my blackboard, based on the illustration from the Red Fairy Book. announcements of They were visualized the new book, and I was eager to meet by each individual who heard and was I particularly liked the Red Fairy Book the artist whose illustrations clearly touched by the tale, and so they fed edited by Andrew Lang, and I often captured the friendly good spirit of the soul. found stories there that fit my class. the Shoemaker tale, continuing in the The development of writing in human I told the story of Kari Woodengown tradition of early book illustrators. history led to the beginning of books, and put on the board a drawing taken written out by hand with hand drawn from an illustration by H.J.Ford (Dover Born in southern Virginia, Taylor decorations. The reader could still publications, The Red Fairybook, Randolph attended Salem College in picture personal images to accompany illustrators H.J.Ford and Lancelot North Carolina, where she considered a biology major before shifting her the story, and now they had as well a Speed). course to a degree in art. Further visual interpretation from someone I was so glad that those drawings had study in the arts took her from the else, the illustrator. been published, because the creative southern United States to Europe.

Fairy tales, collected from the oral task of illustration extends beyond tradition by writers and historians, mere graphic execution, and I was In Europe, Taylor Randolph met her were written down. And as the able to reproduce rather than invent husband, and returning to the states, development of books led to the much of what I drew to illustrate the two moved to Louisiana. Their family life included a stint at the Red printing press, fairy tales found lessons at school.

Cloud Reservation in the Dakotas, their way to print. They were It was a delightful assignment.

MODERN ILLUSTRATIONS FOR TIMELESS FAIRY TALES

by Kate Walter, Artist and Waldorf Teacher, from "Living Traditional Arts" (livingtraditionalarts.com) August 2021, reprinted with permission

Teaching first grade at the Waldorf school, I visited with dragons and elves, fairies, giants, gnomes, and all the mythical creatures that our ancestors in the very early days described in stories they told one another.

My blackboard drawing grew over time as I told fairy tales to my scholars in the first grade.

The Waldorf curriculum framework was designed to support children as they retrace the human journey into literacy.

Fairy tales, old old stories that predate writing, are the stories of choice in first grade academic classes.

As the teacher, it was my role to choose which fairy tales to tell, and that meant finding the stories appropriate to each group of children I taught, learning the stories by heart, telling them to the children, and then, in some cases, drawing blackboard pictures to suggest a magical world to my students, in my real life classroom.

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But her illustration work, she told me, didn’t develop until after she left Italy for Germany, where she supported herself doing layout work for magazine advertising.

where they both taught school. Her husband, who is an engineer, taught science, and she taught art, and she continued teaching when they moved to Charlottesville, Virgina, substituting as an art teacher in local schools and keeping her own artistic practice alive at home.

me, ’This is not going to go fast,’ and it didn’t.”

With no publication deadlines in place, Covington worked on the story, Randolph drafted the pictures, Living in the city of Heidelberg, she and their discussions included approached a publishing house that visualization of the illustrations and specialized in medical illustration. the relation of the pictures to the text.

“I didn’t have a portfolio,” she said, “She’s a Waldorf teacher,” Taylor speaking of the collection of work said, “and I knew I would be way too that an artist usually presents when literal. I told her, tell me anything seeking employment. “I showed them you want changed.” Neither woman my travel diary.” And they clearly saw had particular connections in the promise, giving her an entry level book industry or to modern printing position that included on the job specifications, but they shared training in the illustration techniques a feeling for the story and the of their publication house. impression they hoped to achieve.

“Basically, I did an apprenticeship,” The illustrations Taylor Randolph she remembers, moving step by step, contributed to Leni Covington’s fairy drawing with pen and diluted wash for tale project were painted in watercolor, the medical books, employing water color in books aimed more at the lay person market. With her interest in both biology and art, the world of medical illustration suited her well, and she honed her artistic technique on the job. When she returned to the United States, she continued to paint. “I did illustration for medical doctors here,” she said, and in her home studio worked in watercolor and oil, exploring other aspects of artistic expression.

Though she has traveled the world, Taylor Randolph is in Virginia now.

When I stopped by her house to pick up a copy of the newly released fairy tale, I mentioned that I liked her drawings, and she made mention of German artists. I wanted to hear more, and she agreed to meet me at the Mud House on Charlottesville’s downtown mall, a perfect setting for coffee and “It’s just in me to paint,” she said. conversation in the open air.

“I’m so happy I’ve had art in my life.”

With the light of an artist in her eye, Taylor Randolph told me that When Leni Covington began her as an American college student she project retelling the story first participated in a study abroad program presented by the Grimm brothers, in Italy. She still recalls with visible Jacob and Wilhelm, she knew she pleasure the feeling she experienced wanted an illustrator and approached seeing in person the Italian art she her friend and colleague Taylor had studied as reproductions in Randolph.

family, but the women continued to Now with one book in the world, develop their ideas. having experienced the journey of idea to printed page, Covington and “Finally, last fall,” Taylor said, “Leni Randolph have begun thinking of the told me all right. I’m on it.” And The next project. While pleased with their Elves and the Shoemaker moved to first publication, they plan to exert the top of the list.

Covington had found a mentor in the printing industry, and the book the author and illustrator had imagined changed format. Pictures were digitalized and enlarged, and colors changed. “The reds and greens” Taylor explained,”were some of the more difficult colors, and the yellows — they didn’t print like the originals.”

more editorial control on the next project, a fairy tale that Covington has chosen from the Spanish tradition.

While Leni Covington works on the text, Taylor Randolph is beginning to plan the paintings that will illustrate the next collaboration at Kenyon Avenue Press.

••• The Shoemaker and the Elves, as told by Leni Covington, with illustrations by Taylor Randolph, has now been translated into Spanish as well! English and Spanish versions are available in the CWS School Store.

More information at kenyonavenuepress.com.

Taylor Randolph, Downtown Mall, C'ville

and the author and artist maintained close contact, deciding together how the story’s characters should appear as they worked together to bring the old story to life in the modern world.

school, saying, ”It was a real rush just “Leni’s the one who came to me,” Work continued sporadically for quite to stand in that space.”

Taylor said of the collaboration. “She some time, giving way to other life had the project in mind, and she told events, including visits to out of town Page 10 - CWS Seasonal Journal, Autumn 2023

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A SMORGASBORD OF POETRY

by Claudia Reinhardt, CWS Grade School Teacher

Pumpkins pop up Apples appear Harvest season is here Soups and stews Pickles and pies and poetry...

Inspired by Naomi Shihab Nye’s poem The Traveling Onion, fourth and fifth grade young writers wrote a poem about their favorite food. It can be difficult to come up with writing topics that gets everyone’s creative juices flowing, but in my experience everyone has a favorite food and loves to write about it. We started with a “show don’t tell” writing exercise: Think of your favorite food and write a riddle about it!

Baking in the oven, it smells like a crisp autumn morning.

Resting on a cooling tray, the temptation is unbearable.

Eating each bite is like warm, fluffy clouds slipping down my throat.

Always have I dreamed of eating this all day long, all year round.

Do you have a guess for this crumby yummy-in-my-tummy baked delight?

(LH) This young writer wrote the riddle as an acrostic poem, so look at the first letter of each line to find the answer.

It was so much fun to read the riddles aloud and hear the guesses from classmates!

favorite food. Thanks to zippynippy Google, this wasn’t as timeconsuming as I’d feared. The students read the article and highlighted the most important historical facts about their food. They learned a lot of interesting things. Did you know that lasagna originated in Greece? That the Great Fire of London was started by a baker? That, as summed up by Hippocrates's famous words “food is medicine”, some foods actually did originate as medicine?

“Zhongjing took mutton, herbs, and chilis and wrapped them in dough, then steamed them to bind everything together and keep them warm. These steaming, pillowlike treats helped people overcome I then provided young writers with the cold weather.” — History of Dumplings; Chef One Foods an article about the history of their

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We proceeded to play with some poetic Here are some tasty poetic food * devices, mostly rhyme, alliteration, samples: Sushi and similes.

Bread A fourth century Chinese dictionary delicious, nutritious (dumplings) The Great Fire of London in 1666 mentions salted fish being placed reportedly was started by a baker. fishy, squishy (sushi) in cooked rice, causing it to Oops.

The French Revolution is * undergo a fermentation process. thought to have started because of — PBS Food History Kitchen plump peaches French mobs demanding bread (and firmly frozen (ice cream) Forgive me you thought you liked bread!) — The I have eaten gooey gourmet gouda Origin of Bread, Lyon Bakery All the sushi luscious lasagna layers Forgive me It was so sweet I have eaten an extraordinarily exquisite and sticky the bread equilateral triangle (pizza) and squishy It was soft and doughy and soft cloudy, creamy (broccoli It was warm and yeasty I couldn’t help myself cheddar soup) It went from long to short It was delicious * Baked in the oven for 25 minutes It smelled fresh It was perfectly made lettuce layered like green like the ocean sea In all its glory garments of gold (FYI) There were no mistakes bread soft like fluffy clouds And no flaws If you make more cheese aged like my grandparents I stared at it in awe you should put fish in it (considering that the oldest edible And then it was gone I’m a vegetarian cheese in the world was a 40and won’t be tempted (EK) year old cheddar from Wisconsin, to eat it. * this isn’t as bad as it sounds) (SS) Broccoli Cheddar Soup * If you are longing to share some Medieval cookbooks LeViandier and food stories with your children this Le Menagier de Paris include several autumn, I highly recommend the recipes for pureed vegetable soups.

But it wasn’t until the 19th century following books: era of luxurious eating that creamed Chinese Menu: The History, Myths, and vegetable soups, with their velvetyLegends Behind Your Favorite Foods by smooth texture and rich buttery flavor Grace Lin became a popular part of classic French cuisine. — Broccoli Cheese Chef Edna by Melvina Noel Soup by North Country Kitchen Forgive my request But broccoli cheddar soup Is such a delight Warm and cheesy and velvety Creamy as a cloud Each bite filled with vegetables and chicken and milk Silky soup simmered on the stove saving it for later Microwaved chicken chunks and broccoli branches Better yet Put in on a baguette (EF)

Pies from Nowhere by Laura Freeman and Dee Romito Lunch At 10 Pomegranate Street by Felicita Sala The complete anthology of A Smorgasboard of Poetry by 4th and 5th Grade is available upon request. Enjoy alongside your favorite dish!

•••

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PROUDLY INTRODUCING THE WALTER & WRIGHT TEACHER FUND “The heart of the Waldorf method is that education is an art - it must speak to the child’s experience. To educate the whole child, his heart and his will must be reached, as well as the mind.” ~ Rudolf Steiner It is a tall order to be a Waldorf teacher. Weaving academic content into stories and experiences to make learning come alive is what our teachers do every day. Waldorf teacher training engages educators as the whole individuals that they are, integrating artistic expression, a deeper study of child development, the Waldorf curriculum, and spiritual exploration. This preparation is distinct from other teacher training programs, and at CWS, we see it as invaluable support for teachers, both new and experienced.

We are pleased to announce that we have inaugurated a fund that supports CWS teachers to complete Waldorf training. In managing the funds we received from the Employee Retention Credit last year, the Board of Trustees decided to allocate $25,000 to a teacher training fund.

This celebratory achievement is made even more meaningful by being able to acknowledge the teaching careers of Kate Walter and Michael Wright in naming the fund in their honor.

They are both currently part of the Charlottesville Waldorf school community, but their journey with Waldorf education began in 1979 when friends started the Pleasant Ridge Waldorf School in Viroqua, Wisconsin.

Wanting to start a development office right away, they hired Kate to create it. When the founding teacher left PRWS in 1987 and the school was in search of a new teacher, Michael left his Masters of Education program at the University of Wisconsin nearly completed, and attended short

For 15 years, Michael taught several different grades and classes and served as faculty chair at Pleasant Ridge. Kate worked in the office and was on the board of PRWS, and later took some of the Waldorf teacher training courses in Colorado and New England, participated in the Bothmer Gymnastics training, and taught grades 1 through 4 at PRWS as well as some classes at a new youth-led Waldorf High School in the area.

Wanting their children to receive the benefits of a full Waldorf education, in 2002 Michael and Kate moved to Toronto, Canada, home of the Toronto Waldorf School, grades k-12. Kate started with a first grade class at Alan Howard Waldorf School (now the Waldorf Academy) in downtown Toronto and Michael taught at the Toronto Waldorf School, graduating several Waldorf training courses in California middle school classes through those and New York before joining the first years and serving as faculty chair. sequence class in remedial education Kate later taught gardening at TWS. offered by the association for Healing Education. That course ran classes In 2005 they returned to the states, over a period of years and in different moving to Arizona and joining the locations across the country. They Tucson Waldorf School. While there, were short and intensive, to allow they were instrumental in designing greater participation from future and building new classrooms and teachers. In his first years, Michael buildings, moving that school from its taught grades 3/4/5 in a mixed age small “starter home” to a thoughtfully classroom, teaching main lessons designed and intentionally built consecutively through the morning. campus. Both taught several grades

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during their 8 years in Tucson, and Michael served as faculty chair once again.

While visiting in Charlottesville in 2012, they stopped by Charlottesville Waldorf School and met some of the teachers. After returning home to Tucson, Kate received a call asking if she would come to CWS as a long-term substitute for a teacher on maternity leave. When that was over, there were two open teaching positions at CWS and both Kate and Michael were invited to return, Kate as a class teacher and Michael, yet again, as faculty chair. They came, and here they are. Both Michael and Kate believe that the Waldorf education training was an incredibly inspiring experience, enabling them

to expand their thinking in order to help children expand theirs.

The Walter and Wright fund symbolizes the Charlottesville Waldorf School’s commitment to supporting our teachers’ growth in their understanding of the Waldorf approach to educating the whole child.

The first recipient of Walter and Wright funding is Jessica Kiley, who started her Early Childhood Waldorf training this past summer at West Coast Institute in British Columbia. We look forward to being able to extend funding to more of our teachers to deepen their understanding and support their work with Waldorf education.

•••

COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION SPOTLIGHT Parent and guardian involvement strengthens the fabric of our school community, and the 2022-23 year boasted an increase in parent involvement with the refounding of the Parent Association’s Executive Committee. Sherrilynn Bottel, Liz Kelly, Saundra Barrett, Lanz Travers, and Katie Boyts breathed new life into the Parent Association and worked in the Spring of the year to renew the mission and rename the association for the 2023-24 School Year.

Now the Community Association, the group has taken on the task of re-forming the parent/guardian portion of our school community in the wake of the pandemic shutdown. While they do feel the responsibility of recovering traditions that lapsed over the past few years, they also recognize the opportunity to re-imagine some of these events and activities, and to set a course for a strong support system around our school in the years to come.

The Vision of the CWS Community Association is to realize: • A highly engaged community to collaborate and organize annually.

• A sense of belonging in a diverse and strong CWS community.

• A sense of service and mutual aid at CWS and between CWS and the broader Charlottesville community.

• Active strategies in place that preserve the future life of Charlottesville Waldorf School.

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Glimmer, lantern, glimmer Little stars a-shimmer Over rock and stock and stone Wandering, tripping, little gnome Pee-wit, pee-wit, tikka-tikka-tik Rucoo, rucoo.

(Early Childhood Lantern Song)

CONTENT WITH THE CONTENT? We want to hear from you! Share your school experiences, photos, and Waldorf related news the Seasonal Journal is published quarterly. Send requests, comments, photos, etc. to apolson@cwaldorf.org

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