MOUNTAIN LAUREL WALDORF SCHOOL
In March we were recipients of the $500 Educational Alliance Math & Science Grant from Exxon Mobil. It was awarded by our local service station and Exxon Mobil Fuels Marketing Company.
this time of the school year. Many schools require a larger deposit up front. Families that take advantage of the early pay discount help us to keep the deposit required of our families low.
In February we received a PAR (Pupil Attendance Reporting) Grant from the state of New York in the amount of $12,454.00. For the past ten years Klaus Jaeckel has applied for this grant which is based on our completion of the BEDS (Basic Educational Data System) Report.
An All School Finance Meeting took place on Friday evening March 22nd. Our financial advisor, Cliff Keyes, was present.
Thank you to twelve families who paid their 2013/14 tuition up-front. Every school faces a cash flow issue
Annual Independent Audit Presentation Date To Be Announced
We had our independent financial audit in February and our New York State worker’s compensation audit in March. The independent audit will be available for distribution later in the spring. On Tuesday, April 16, Gary Lamb gave a presentation on Education Investment Tax Credits: What Independent School Communities Need to Know regarding an Act being considered by the NYS Senate.
May Day Celebration May 1 N/K and May 3 Grades
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We have been very involved in the AWSNA accreditation process. We enjoyed our team visit on April 7th through 10th. The parent community had an opportunity to meet our visiting team members on Sunday, April 7th.
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“The more we are able to integrate parents, inwardly and outwardly, into the life of our schools, the more our schools will have the warmth, life, and light, as well as the strength, to grow in vigorous and healthy ways.” —Robert Schiappacasse DIRECTOR, WALDORF SCHOOL OF LEXINGTON
Purpose of the Parent Council In a Waldorf School there is an implicit understanding that the children and their education are supported by three pillars—the board; the staff and faculty; and the parent body. The Parent Council at Mountain Laurel Waldorf School is a group of inspired parents who are interested in studying, growing and serving together in an effort to support the school community. We meet the second Tuesday of every month, and meetings are open to all. Please come and bring your questions, gifts, and energy! New This Year: Childcare So more parents can be present, we hope to offer on-campus childcare regularly during the meetings.
That it encourage and support parent understanding of Waldorf education by inspiring and facilitating learning opportunities. That it organize and utilize the gifts and energies of the parent body to initiate and support events that enrich the life of the school community.
Join us on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 6:15 pm in the Community Room.
School Newsletter: Published 2-times this year
Find out about more initiatives you can help with!
Community Outreach: Clean Sweep: date to be announced
Super-important things like:
Fundraising Committee: Raising contributions for Annual Giving Campaign
Fundraising, Community Outreach Please bring your ideas...
That it bridge communication among the faculty, administration, board and parent body.
Faculty Nourishment: A meal for the long Thursday afternoon meetings mountainlaurel.org
MOUNTAIN LAUREL WALDORF SCHOOL 3
I had the pleasure of accompanying the nursery class on their weekly walk. It was a joy to see the little children enthusiactically and obediently taking thier spots along the rope. They are all just so cute at that age. The little rugrats all daydreaming, singing, and walking along with Senora Elsa at the helm. We arrived at a beautiful spot on Hugenot street where the children got to run free and play. It was peaceful and serene. Then it was back on the rope and back to school. It was a truly wholesome outing and welcome break from the stress and routine of my workweek. —David Gandin, parent 4
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Good morning maple trees strong and tall. It’s maple sugaring day! Sunny warm days and frosty cold nights That’s when sugaring time is right. Your sap will flow our way! Drill, drill, drill the hole. Hammer in the spout. Hang the bucket from the tree To catch sap dripping out.
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MOUNTAIN LAUREL WALDORF SCHOOL 5
The First Graders have worked happily and wholeheartedly this year. We have explored the soul quality of numbers in nature, worked with stories of finding or creating necessities (addition and multiplication), and sharing those things fairly (subtraction and division). We are boisterously singing and playing flutes, and enjoying the magic of forming words through our writing. 6
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The second grader presents as more individual, awakening to their likes and dislikes, and more aware of their place and role. The curriculum seeks to support them in their development by providing stories of saints who often had to suffer, face adversity, and take a stand for what they believe. The fables of second grade provide the second grader with amusing stories from nature and the animal that have inherent truths and moral life lessons. The children are working on writing and reading in the language arts. In arithmetic they study place value, the four operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, and learn to borrow and carry. They practice their times tables, and perform mental math tasks on a daily basis. In form drawing the students continue to work with the straight line and curve. They work on horizontal and vertical mirror imaging, running forms—a good practice for cursive writing—and freehand geometric shapes. Although nature study and observation is ongoing and incorporated in various ways, the children recently examined the water cycle with the help of snow flakes named Sparkle and Christelle, and water droplets named Drip and Drop. We also performed a couple of experiments in class. Most recently we looked at the wonderful process of converting sugar maple tree sap into sweet syrup. We had a wonderful wet morning in nature celebrating this special time of year. We went to Phillies Brige on Tuesday, March 12. It was a wet, rainy day, but we did not mind. We learned about maple sugaring. We hauled, emptied, and replaced buckets, filtered the sap, and sampled sap at various stages to becoming syrup. We also saw and petted baby chicks, went on a nature walk, and enjoyed the tree swing. Finally we ate yummy pancakes with berries, yoghurt, and delicious maple syrup.
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MOUNTAIN LAUREL WALDORF SCHOOL 7
The Third Graders have had a wonderful winter. In February, we spent a week at the Hawthorne Valley Farm, for the annual Third Grade trip. The experience was magical, nourishing and very rewarding. During our stay, the children took turns sharing the responsibilities of taking care of the farm, the animals and each other. The days were filled with laughter, hard work, and delicious farm-fresh food. Our class apparently made quite an impression on the staff there - one worker remarked on the last day that she had never met children who could eat so much salad! Very recently, the Third Grade performed our class play, “The Book of Esther,” which was a huge success. The class greatly enjoyed the entire process of the production, and they were so proud to present their work to their parents and school community.
April will bring a Main Lesson Block on Shelters. We will study various shelters from around the world and each student will research and construct a model of his/her choice to present in the classroom at the end of the month. Spring visits to Phillies Bridge Farm will complement work we do at school, as we finish the last few chapters of our wonderful class reader, “Farmer Boy.” The Third Grade is looking forward to a very lively spring!
In early March, we attended a morning of sheep shearing at the White Barn 8
Sheep and Wool Farm. We watched as the sheep calmly allowed their huge coats to be removed and then we helped to skirt the fleeces, removing parts which were too soiled or matted to be processed. We even had a bit of time to visit with the cuddly sheep! At the end of the morning, we brought home some of the wool and will process and spin it into yarn this spring.
<< Third Grade Sculpture Project mountainlaurel.org
The fourth graders have two main lessons this year about local history and geography. Initially we lived into the incredible process of how the ice ages profoundly shaped our landscape with a hike up Bontecue Crag, becoming intimately engaged with the Shawangunk conglomerate. We explored legends and lives of the Lenape who called themselves the Ordinary People. Now we are looking at reasons why people would want to travel to and even settle in a place like New Paltz. Also we are concerned about what people have done with places that they settled in culturally and economically. What pressed Henry Hudson to venture all this way from England? We are looking at why Walloon Calvinists from the north of then France, fled persecution by the Sun King Louis XVI and sought refuge in Die Pfaltz of Mannheim, Germany, and eventually settled here on the banks of the Wallkill River.
Maps as earth pictures began with drawings of our bedroom and classroom, now aim to capture our homes and neighborhoods and the town of New Paltz, and eventually will include broader New York State.
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MOUNTAIN LAUREL WALDORF SCHOOL 9
The 5th grade has been studying the ancient civilizations of India and Egypt. They are now rehearsing for their play, Short and Tall Tales. They performed on March 27 and it was a great success. Â
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The 6th graders have been exploring the forces which resound in, illumine and enliven our universe. Our physics block encompassed studies of sound light and heat. During our study of sound the students experienced their own acute ability to discern and recognize myriad phenomena through sound. Through musical activities and science experiments we explored the artistic and scientific properties of sound and in the finale discussed the power of sound in speech and witnessed itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s formative power in a remarkable experiment. Our study of light led us into the dark. We spent an extended period in complete darkness, and gained a fresh perspective on the nature and power of light. Through artistic and scientific activities we explored the generation of light, the properties of light, and delved into the mystery of color.
What is heat? How is it generated? Where is it active? We began our study of heat with discussion about the nature of warmth and where it can be succinctly observed. Our class discussion led us to consider the warmth that is active in human interaction and perception. Science experiments and activities helped us to observe the generation and movement of heat and form hypotheses about its fundamental nature. Our physics block proved to be invigorating and challenging. The students are learning to refine their powers of observation and to create hypotheses based on what they perceive. These are no small tasks. The physics block was a powerful way to honor and encourage their natural fascination with the phenomena of the universe and their developing powers of observation and discernment. mountainlaurel.org
MOUNTAIN LAUREL WALDORF SCHOOL 11
The 7th grade is focusing on the transition from the Roman Empire to Medieval times. The study of history concludes with the Renaissance and with an Astronomy block where such pivotal figures as Copernicus and Galileo will be introduced. The study of geography moves from the Americas to Europe and onto Africa. The sciences will include Anatomy, Chemistry, and Physics. New this year is the introduction of a circus class, taught by Mai Frank. All in all, the 7th grade is an exciting time, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re having a joyful year!
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As you all know, we, as the 8th grade, are experiencing our last year at MLWS. We have recently finished working on our 8th grade play, Little Women, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to thank you all for supporting us. It took a lot of collaboration, patience, hard work, and dedication. It turned out to be a great success! Special thanks to Lee for her excellent costumes and for all of her support: We love you so much!
In main lesson, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been busy making friends with Mr. Bones in anatomy, doing experiments with Mr. Aram in physics, and we look forward to finishing our history block. Another highlight of our 8th grade year is 8th grade presentations. We have just begun to work on our projects. These projects will allow us to explore our interests and they will culminate in an evening of AWESOMENESS on May 31, 2013. We hope to see you there!
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MOUNTAIN LAUREL WALDORF SCHOOL 13
Classroom Music by Steve Bernstein 4th Grade: At a recent assembly, Mr. Lundin’s very talented 4th grade performed songs on soprano recorders. They also sang a beautiful round in unison, 2 and 3 parts. The class is now playing both soprano and alto recorders. I’m looking forward to some nice recorder duets with the 4th grade! 5th Grade: For a Monday assembly in January, the 5th grade played a beautiful rendition of Carol of the Bells on recorders in 4 parts (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass) with percussion. Since then, the class has been working on a recorder medley of two songs: My Cape Breton Home and Belles of Edinboro, in addition to songs for their upcoming play. 7th Grade: Mr. Neel’s class has been working on music from the Renaissance, including Volte from Michael Praetorius and the very popular Greensleeves using recorders, percussion, guitar, mandolin, ukelele and vocals. The class is trying to learn all 18 verses to sing in their upcoming play The Prince and the Pauper. (Good luck!) 8th Grade: Mr. Mark Bernstein has been working with the 8th grade on a medley of popular songs from the band Queen. 4th and 5th Grade Chorus directed by Steve Bernstein: This semester, the mighty 4th and 5th grade chorus will be singing 3 songs: The Song I Keep in My Heart (Sandra Howard), Blackbird (Beatles), and The Sound of Music (Rodgers and Hammerstein). Recorder Ensemble directed by Steve Bernstein: Presently, the recorder ensemble is immersed in playing triplets and slurring together in a Jig called The Black Nag. Challenging, but it’s coming along quite nicely. Other traditional music we’ll be playing from Ireland and England include The Bend in the River and Scarborough Fair Plus, a Rondeau by Italian composer R. Valentine from the Baroque era. A concert has been scheduled at the Great Barrington Waldorf School in late April with Mr. Mark Bernstein’s chamber group. 14
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MOUNTAIN LAUREL WALDORF SCHOOL 15
In January 2013, our school was fortunate to enjoy the kind of evening that makes our community so unique. Ling Kwan, our very own cello teacher, and mother of AnaIsobel in 7th grade, gave a beautiful concert in the community room. Ling is a member of the Woodstock Chamber Orchestra and has been a soloist with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic and the American Symphony. Her technical ability is exquisite. We were all moved by the unusual combination of pieces from Bach, Pleyel, Villa Lobos, and traditional Spanish folk tunes. She was joined by guitarist Greg Dinger and violinist Rob Murphy, with an enthusiastic audience of over sixty people. We are truly blessed to have her talent and kind heart in our community. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Vicki Koenig and Rick Alfandre, MLWS parents
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CLASSIFIEDS Well-Loved Wooden Toys For sale, beautiful childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wooden stove from Nova toys. Also wooden ironing board and little red iron. Can be sold together or separately. $75.00 for the stove and $20.00 for the ironing board and iron. Call The Evansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 339-3981. Handmade Playthings Juniper Mae, a woodsprite dancing on the wind, recently swept into the fiber art studio of Helen of Memphis, inspiring hand-dyed playsilks and imaginative play accessories. Instruction in knitting, crochet, handspinning, felting, dying, and sewing. Visit www.helenofmemphis.com or email junipermaecrafts@gmail.com House Rental Needed Mountain Laurel teacher seeking a rental home for her family starting July 1st. We are a caring, tidy, responsible couple with two children. Ideally, long term, plenty of light, 3 bedrooms, and green space for a small Biodynamic veggie garden. Contact: bevingill@gmail.com Tutoring Services Available Reading Specialist: Experienced Waldorf and Public School Teacher. Expertise in diagnostics, reading strategies, and developing a love for reading using an integrated multisensory approach. Guidance for parents helping children read with more accuracy and comprehension. Patricia Chana Lunior, MA, 845-626-8732
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MOUNTAIN LAUREL WALDORF SCHOOL 17
A community supported craft brewery from the
lovely folk at Mudd Puddle Cafe on Water St. (Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t worry, we still brew the finest coffee too.)
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PORK
Berkshire Pork
Brookside-Farm.com ~ 845-895-7433 1278 Albany Post Road, Gardiner, New York
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The Village TeaRoom Restaurant & Bake Shop
Breakfast • Lunch • Afternoon Tea • Dinner • Catering 10 Plattekill Ave, New Paltz 845 255 3434 • www.TheVillageTeaRoom.com
J. Joseph Morrissey, III Attorney at Law
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22 North Front Street, Suite 201 New Paltz, New York 12561
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Tel. 845-256-0550 Fax 845-256-0041
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MOUNTAIN LAUREL WALDORF SCHOOL 19
Building Friends Construction complete residential building services
~design and build~ Additions, renovations, bathrooms, kitchens, framing, finish carpentry, cabinetry, tiling, foundations, decks. Photovoltaic design and installation. Fully insured, free estimates discounts for the Waldorf community. ~ Robb Magee 845-590-2632
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Featuring affordable, fairly traded, handcrafted items from the Himalayas.
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Courteous, attentive and dependable service. Country and Contemporary Gifts for Everyday and Special Occasions. An Independent Pharmacy You Can Rely On. 255-0310 â&#x20AC;˘ 190 Main Street, New Paltz, NY
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MOUNTAIN LAUREL WALDORF SCHOOL 21
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MOUNTAIN LAUREL WALDORF SCHOOL 23
Chronogram Kids&Family
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Introducing Chronogram magazineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new monthly section with family friendly events and great places to go, feature length articles, and more!
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Chronogram.Com