Parent Bulletin, December 2008

Ru d o l f S t e i n e r S c h o o l

B ULLETIN

SPEECH BY EMMA WEINSTEIN – STUDENT COUNCIL PRESIDENT THE WEDNESDAY AFTER THE ELECTION

CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS: “Why Waldorf?” Lecture for LS Prospective Parents; 7 :00 pm

12/2

Festival Crafts Workshop & Lecture; 8:45 am

12/10

Free Jazz Concert; Lower School Assembly Rm; 7:30 pm Diversity Committee Meeting; Open to all-4:15 in the 4th gr. classroom Holiday Choral Concert; 7:00 pm at All Souls Noon Dismissal; School Reopens Monday, January 5th

December 2008

It’s hard to say how monumental this election is without sounding trite. But something happened here on Tuesday that everyone watching will remember, democrat or republican, because we witnessed a sea change in this country.

The slave trade started in Virginia in 1619 and it was eradicated there last night 12/10 with a four-point victory and a pledge to heal. The country has been broken.

The American dream for so long has been about the individual. What can I do to further myself. The American dream has been taken as financial. Anyone can make a million because the freemarket is color blind. Well that wasn’t just untrue, it was un-American. The American dream is not about money or the isolated man, sick 12/16 with ambition. The American dream is about unity. It is about prospect and responsibility. You can be whatever you want to be because America is always a place of progress. And I mean the vostotros you.

12/10

12/19

On the back of the dollar-bill there’s this enigmatic little unfinished pyramid. It’s the flip side of the American seal, which bears the eagle on the front. In the trianFor a complete and up-to-date Calendar of Events for the month gle above the pyramid is the eye of providence, fate, the future. The Latin reads: o f D e c e m b e r , l o g o n t o He (god) watches our undertakings. The pyramid is unfinished for a reason: we meant to always keep rebuilding. America is meant to be a place of constant reforwww.steiner.edu. mation, constant revolution and constant progress To All Our Families, Students, Faculty and Staff –

This year’s Fall Fair was wonderful in its preparation, execution and participation. We extend our warmest thanks to the workshop and area leaders, class liaisons, classroom teachers, and all volunteers. We couldn’t have given our children this most extraordinary of experiences without the participation of the whole community. We feel “blessed and grateful” to have been a part of this unique Steiner tradition.

Lena Armel & Jamie Carter Co-Chairs, Fall Fair 2008

We have the responsibility to teach our children about racism and bigotry, about the civil rights movement and the civil war. But last night the ending changed.

Those little children’s books about the presidency will be re-written. We are not all created equal. We are not born equally tall or equally intelligent or equally funny.

We all have the right to it though, we all have the right to be treated as equals. In turn, not anyone can be president. But every person, every person born in the united states, has the right to possibility. And that’s what we were given here last night. We were given possibility. We showed the world for the first time in a long time, that America is a beacon of light for the outside world. For those watching last night in Kenya, in China, in Palestine, in Nigeria. That the creed on the statue of liberty lives on yet.

"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

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Please Join the Social Inclusion Committee in Welcoming Back Kim John Payne Thursday, January 15, 2009/6:00pm in the Lower School Assembly Room As many of you may remember, the school began conversations with Kim John Payne two years ago on Social Inclusion. As a result, the school has formed a Social Inclusion Committee (SICG) to work with Mr. Payne on bringing his social inclusion initiatives into our community. This is a three year initiative involving educating our faculty and staff as well as our parents and students. We will be sending out questionnaires in January so please participate and respond. We will use this information to help us shape Social Inclusion policies appropriate for our school.

Our group has begun meeting regularly and will be bringing you updates on our progress via the Bulletin. We look forward to sharing our exciting work with you as this process unfolds over the next three years. Please join us for an evening workshop with Kim John Payne.

The Soul of Discipline: Raising Respectful Children in a Culture of Disrespect A presentation with Kim John Payne A parent's journey is filled with both precious moments and difficult situations. Our sense of how we are doing is often determined by the way in which we respond to the flashpoints of parenting. These moments will either refine or consume us.

Parenting and discipline styles have changed over the years yet often these influences flow into our family and classroom life today. It is so revealing to explore discipline styles past and present, from the old “blind obedience” to behavior modifications based on punishment and reward or even to our present day behavior affirmation, often expressed as the “good job” culture.

While these tools have their place, this presentation will set out three cumulative discipline phases. Firstly, training creative compliance for the young child, secondly, building emotional skills for the elementary age, and lastly, for the teenager, managing critical choices.

About Kim John Payne, M.Ed Kim John Payne is an Australian who has for 27 years worked as a counselor, adult educator, consultant/ researcher and educator.

Kim has been helping children, adolescents and families explore issues such as social difficulties with siblings and classmates, attention and behavioral issues at home and school, emotional issues such as defiance, aggression, addiction and self-esteem.

Kim has researched and implemented a Social Inclusion Approach in many communities, which helps overcome anti social behavior, bullying and teasing in school and at home.

He is the Project Director of the Waldorf Collaborative Counseling Program at Antioch University New England. This is a course aimed at training future Waldorf School & Family Counselors and also teachers to better understand social and emotional issues of children and teens and to support home and school life.

He also regularly consults in colleges, clinics and schools throughout the USA and abroad, focusing especially on helping teachers and parents remove emotional and social obstacles from the paths of their children.

He is presently based in Harlemville, New York, USA. He is the author of the book `The Games Children Play,' (1996) Hawthorn Press and Simplicity Parenting soon to be published in August 2009 by Random House.

Kim strives to deepen understanding and give practical tools for life that arise out of the burning social issues of our time.

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DIVERSITY COMMITTEE UPDATE The Diversity Committee meets once a month. Membership is open to all parents, staff, and faculty. The Committee’s goal is to develop a greater understanding of diversity in our school. We have had two meetings so far. Summaries of those meetings are included here. The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, December 10 from 4:15 to 5:45 pm in the fourth grade room. Childcare (Kindergarten children and older) will be provided.

Minutes from the Meeting of the Diversity Committee, Wednesday, November 12, 2008.

We opened the meeting with a discussion of how best to maintain communication with the entire community. It was agreed that a summary of the minutes would be included in the School’s monthly Bulletin.

A discussion of how the School uses financial aid ensued. This topic, especially the distribution of aid in Early Childhood, Elementary and High School classes, will be addressed in future.

Conversation then turned to the School’s appeal to prospective parents. Do we appear “cultish”? Is our “deliberate” approach to academic studies too slow for parents new to independent schools?

It was suggested that news from and about our alumni/ae currently in college be available.

In the final part of our meeting parents shared some of their experiences at RSS. It became clear that much more needs to be done if we are to be truly inclusive.

As we concluded, we acknowledged that we have yet to address most of the topics outlined at the October 15 meeting. This will be our agenda on Wednesday, 12/10.

For the Committee, Timothy Hoffmann Minutes from the Meeting of the Diversity Committee, Wednesday, October 15, 2008.

It was established that this is a general meeting and that we will define diversity in the broadest and most inclusive sense. This committee will speak to all aspects of diversity. It is intended that we meet once a month.

Parents, faculty and staff were interested in a wide variety of issues regarding diversity. Here are the ones individuals would like to tackle: anthroposophical, diversity of the student body, diversity in the curriculum (history, foreign languages, reading lists, fairy tales etc.), the modernization of certain Waldorf traditions, diversity of the faculty, diversity of the parent body, increased cultural sensitivity.

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DIVERSITY COMMITTEE UPDATE CONTINUED Other topics mentioned: •

Financial aid does not mean that there is diversity.

•

Children need role models (faculty) they can relate to. This is one of the many reasons we need more racial and ethnic diversity among the faculty.

•

Child Study consists of some faculty/staff members and Dr. Karnow who study children that require extra attention. Parents are always asked permission before their child is studied. The group also reads and analyses Steiner’s texts on child development.

•

Related to the Child Study: anthroposophy is a philosophy of individualism.

•

Which Waldorf traditions should still apply to RSS, an independent school in New York City in 2008?

•

One parent noted that parents need to be proactive in suggesting changes to the curriculum.

•

RSS should (be able to) educate all students about who they are, regardless of background.

Children at RSS are encouraged to remain open and receptive. This is what we need for diversity to take hold. This attitude needs to be continued and nurtured.

•

What is RSS doing to better diversify the School?

•

The dolls are more diverse.

•

Grimm fairy tales are being balanced with other tales from diverse cultures.

•

The School attends fairs, such as Early Steps and workshops on diversity.

•

Other cultures’ histories and stories have been added to the curriculum.

•

The faculty and student bodies have become more diverse.

There is sensitivity training for faculty

•

Some ideas for the future: •

Possibly sponsor a person of color to be trained in Waldorf education. This way the faculty will be more diverse and students of color will have a role model to whom they can better relate

•

Discuss diversity more in this community.

We need to allow ourselves to be open to change and we must work together to make RSS a more diverse community.

•

There will be another large meeting, after which we may wish to break off into smaller groups, which will focus on different aspects of diversity at RSS. These meetings may be at times more convenient for those parents who work late.

Respectfully submitted by Stefanie Casillas

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MICHAELMAS CONFERENCE AND

FROM RACHEL ANDREWS, US EURYTHMY 2001 EURYTHMY SPRING VALLEY GRADUATE

"How can the Anthroposophical movement support active spiritual research in a way that will practically impact the world?"

Henry Barnes

The weekend of September 26th-28th, a conference took place at The Threefold Community in Spring Valley entitled "Honoring the Past - Recognizing Our Way Forward". At this event over eighty individuals of all ages came together from over the country to celebrate seventy-five years of summer conferences and engage in inter-generational dialogue around the subject of economics. From the initial purchase of the 140 acres of land for Threefold in 1926 until the present day, the Rudolf Steiner School community has been connected to Fred Heckel (L), Alice Heckel (R), and coworkers, 1920s events at Threefold, not only through proximity, but through the individuals who have bridged the two centers. Perhaps our dearest connection was the late Henry Barnes, long time Steiner faculty chair, Secretary of The Anthroposophical Society and resident of The Fellowship Community. As a young man of twenty-one, Henry met his destiny in Anthroposophy at the first Spring Valley Summer Conference in 1933 and over the past year, showed unfailing support and insightful advice for the formation of the 75th anniversary conference. He passed away at the age of ninety-six one week before the fulfillment of this celebratory event and thus it could be said that he became part of the event itself.

I hope in these pages that you will gain a window into this exciting weekend conference and an overview of the history of this vibrant community in which many of the Rudolf Steiner faculty and staff have been sought training and renewal.

Thanks to all who contributed and especially Jordan Walker, Project Coordinator at the Threefold Educational Center and also www.threefold.org for many of the photographs and much of the text of this introduction and the following chronology.

Chronology of Threefold Education Foundation 1926

Members of the NYC Threefold Group go to Rockland County and purchase property on Hungry Hollow Road.

They start the Threefold Farm to cultivate local biodynamic produce to support their vegetarian restaurant at 318 W 56th Street, the first vegetarian restaurant in the city.

1929-1933 Major renovations are undertaken to make the property into a working conference center. The original farm house (today known as Main House) is made into a guesthouse and restaurant, and the original cow byre (today known as Brookside) is converted into a lecture hall.

1933 The first Anthroposophical Summer Conference is held in July. Except for the World War II years, summer conferences have been held every year.

1946-1961 Ehrenfried Pfeiffer lives and works at Threefold, teaching, consulting and conducting research in agriculture and food quality.

1948 First year of the Kindergarten that eventually evolves into Green Meadow Waldorf School.

1966-1974 Continued Green Meadow expansion: Construction of the Lower School in 1966, the Gym in 1970, the Arts Building in 1973, and the High School in 1974.

1966 The Rudolf Steiner Fellowship Foundation, a community-based retirement facility, is chartered by the New York State Department of Social Welfare.

1972 Lisa Monges begins the Eurythmy Training centre later to become Eurythmy Spring Valley.

1973 The Hungry Hollow Co-op begins operations as a natural foods buyers’ club from the basement of a Green Meadow teacher’s house.

1986 The Waldorf Institute relocates to Threefold from Detroit and is renamed Sunbridge College.

1996 Gunther Hauk arrives to found The Pfeiffer Center for Biodynamics and the Environment.

2004 Renovation of the Co-op includes construction of a 3,000 square foot rain garden.

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FROM ATHLETIC DIRECTOR CHARLIE SEWELL

It was the final day of the 2007 (yes, 2007) middle school soccer season and the top two teams in the Independent Schools Athletic League (ISAL) met to determine which of them, Steiner or Browning, would be crowned regular season champion. That day, Browning got the better of Steiner in a fairly onesided match. Despite the loss, Steiner finished second in the regular season earning a rematch with Browning to be played three days later.

their desire to exact revenge on this school called “Browning.” Having come to the team this year, neither coach understood the rising tide of obsession with one opponent.

Upon seeing that the match against Browning would not be played until the last day of the regular season, the coaches quickly turned their players’ attention to the task of preparing for their first league opponent, rather than their last. Still the rumbling about a rematch could be heard from time to time, a rumbling that grew ever louder with each successive victory.

By the middle of October it was clear that these two schools were on a collision course, neither likely to be diverted from the inevitable clash.

This one-match tournament, which the ISAL schedules at the conclusion of the regular season between the top two finishers, carries with it the title of ISAL Tournament Champion. Steiner’s Dragons were determined to avenge their defeat from the previous week. The rematch, held downtown at the Pier 40 Athletic Complex, proved to be a much more closely By now you must be wondering how the end of this contested affair. story could possibly live up to the hyperbole…just keep reading and see for yourself.

After 60 minutes of regulation play, neither team had surrendered a goal. This tournament championship would be decided by a set of five penalty kicks. Each Two days before the regular season finale with coach selected five players to represent their team. Browning, Steiner had a perfect record. The Dragons After all ten players had taken a turn, the match was had won all seven of their matches without conceding a single goal in the process. Browning too, had won deadlocked again, this time at 4-4. every match and had shut out every opponent as well.

Five more kicks from each team would be needed to The anticipation was impossible to ignore. Each determine a champion. In the end, Browning again team had one match left to play before they would emerged triumphant, scoring on all five of their re- meet on Halloween to decide the regular season championship. The athletic directors of both schools maining kicks to win the match 9-8. exchanged phone calls, each encouraging the other to Of course, if that were the end of the story…you make sure his team not only won the final match bewouldn’t be reading about it a year later…would you? fore the showdown, but kept their string of perfect matches in tact by shutting out their respective opponents.

Flash forward 10 months to September, 2008. The first-year coaching team of Daniel Correa and Na- And so it was that on Friday, the 31st of October, thaniel Morgan are introduced to their team on the under clear blue skies, two teams with identical 8-0 first day of preseason workouts the week before records, whose goals had been literally impenetrable classes resume. Having graduated a number of tal- the entire season, got what they had wanted all ented 8th graders from the previous year, Steiner’s along…a shot at one another.

2008 squad included many new faces. September would be the month for preparation, four weeks for the coaches to evaluate each player’s strengths in or- At halftime, after 30 minutes of attacks and counterder to maximize the team’s opportunity for success. attacks, the score was, as expected, 0-0. Not long into October promised to be a grueling month with nine the second half, Browning did what no team had regular season matches crammed into four short done all season. On what appeared at first to be a harmless ball played out to Browning’s left wing, a weeks.

As the first match drew closer, Coaches Correa and Browning midfielder struck the crossing ball from Morgan heard repeated references to “Browning.” nearly 25 yards out. High in the air, the ball floated Veteran players from the previous campaign spoke of toward the goal. Steiner’s goalkeeper, Peter (Class of 2013), who’d come off his line to cut the angle of the

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would-be attackers on Browning’s left side, could only was home nursing a badly bruised right foot, hoping watch along with the rest of his team as the ball sailed he would recover sufficiently to play on Monday. over everyone’s heads, but under the crossbar.

Browning had broken the tie. Steiner’s Dragons found themselves in a position they hadn’t been in all season long. They were down a goal. When the cheers from the Browning faithful finally died down, Steiner’s crest-fallen footballers were met by the voices of Coach Correa and Coach Morgan on the sideline whose exhortations buoyed their spirits and restored their confidence.

For about 10 minutes Steiner’s intensity seemed magnified. The Dragons pressed deep into the Browning end of the field, but failed to score an equalizing goal.

In the aftermath of one such attack, Steiner’s defense was caught off guard and Browning’s counter-attack netted another ball. A 0-2 deficit with less than 15 minutes to play against a team that still hadn’t surrendered a goal all season proved too much for Steiner’s courageous lot. In the final minutes, with Steiner down, but not quite out, the young Dragons landed one solid blow. They did what no other team had done all season. They broke through Browning’s formidable defense and midfielder, Wolfgang (Class of 2013), buried one in the back of the net. This one moment not withstanding, Browning would leave the field that day as ISAL middle school soccer regular season champions for the second year in a row.

Steiner, again, was second best.

After the match, as the coaches tried to console their team, the players and their fans, who’d gathered around them in support, were reminded that in this case there was something special about being second best. It meant a rematch with Browning three days hence, on Monday, November 3rd, for the tournament championship. The Dragons left the field that day bloodied, but not bowed. They’d put up quite a fight.

They’d put a ball where no team had put one all season, passed Browning’s keeper. And now they had three days to regroup, recharge, rededicate themselves and meet their rival one more time.

In a show of remarkable resilience, 18 of the 19 players on Steiner’s roster were in attendance the very next day, Saturday, November 1st for a special practice called by Coaches Correa and Morgan to prepare for Monday’s rematch. Only team co-captain, Jasper (Class of 2013), did not attend the practice. Jasper, who could barely stand at the end of Friday’s match,

Bear with me. The end is near…and well worth the wait.

On Monday, the two teams met again. Browning had the swagger of a favorite, Steiner the determination of an under-dragon. (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.)

The match started well enough, but it quickly became clear that Jasper, who served as the team’s centermidfield, play-maker and defensive stalwart, was scarcely able to run, his bruised foot severely limiting his movement. His coaches had no choice but to bring him to the sideline early in the first half.

Jasper’s absence served not only to hinder Steiner’s attack, but to intensify the pressure on Steiner’s defense. Through shear will force Steiner’s defense, which sometimes brought all 11 players behind the ball, turned back wave after wave of Browning attackers. In the final 15 minutes of regulation, Steiner’s coaches brought Jasper off the bench and positioned him up front hoping to bolster the team’s attack that had been playing on its heals the entire match. In the closing minutes of regulation Wolfgang struck a ball from over 30 yards out that stopped the hearts of spectators, coaches and players on both sides of the ball before sailing just wide of Browning’s goal.

The entire match was characterized by the exceptional play, remarkable fortitude and exemplary sportsmanship of players from both schools. But no one stood taller, nor played bigger than Steiner’s goalkeeper, Peter who managed to put his body between his team’s goal and every shot Browning could muster, including a point-blank blast in the final two minutes when a Browning attacker squeezed between Steiner defenders in front of the goal.

When the final whistle blew, these two titans were right back where they’d started a year ago. It was the first Monday in November, again. The site of the match was the East Field in the Courtyard at the Pier 40 Athletic Complex, again. It was Steiner and Browning, again. And the coaches were choosing five players from each team whose feet would soon decide the match, again.

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RIVALRY CONTINUED

In the memorable words of Yogi Berra, “It was de ja For those who’d witnessed this match and the one the previous year, the similarities were not simply unvu, all over again.” canny, but foreboding, given last year’s outcome. As It started well for Steiner. The Dragons found them- the five players from each team selected to take the selves up 3-2 with two kicks remaining for each team. second set of penalty kicks lined up, some of the When Browning scored on their next attempt, and Steiner faithful had to be channeling the ghost of RuSteiner missed, wide left, the score was tied 3-3, with a dolf in search of a different outcome this year. single kick for each team remaining.

Browning’s last penalty taker steadied himself behind the ball, then strode forward and drilled the ball to the back of the net. For the first time in this set of five kicks, Steiner found themselves behind 3-4 with only one kick left. As their fifth and final penalty taker, Steiner’s coaches had pre-selected their goalkeeper, Peter.

In order to keep his team alive in their quest to dethrone the reigning champions, Peter had to score a goal, rather than save a goal this time. The tension was overwhelming. The irony was priceless. With the confidence of a man who’d played the match of his young life, Peter drilled the ball past Browning’s keeper and extended the match for at least five more kicks. The score after the first five kicks was 4-4, again.

If by chance that is what it took…then that is what it took.

Browning missed on two of their next three attempts.

Peter saved the third. And the first three kickers for Steiner each found the back of the net. The battle had ended. A new tournament champion would be crowned. As the two teams shook hands at the conclusion of the match, neither the disappointment on the faces of the kids from Browning, nor the elation on the faces of the Steiner kids could hide the mutual respect that flowed between these two not-so-bitter rivals.

SPORTS SCHEDULE BOYS’ JUNIOR VARSITY BASKETBALL Day/Date Tue/12-9 Fri/12-12 Mon/12-15

Day/Date Mon/12-1 Fri/12-5 Wed/12-10 Wed/12-17

Day/Date Fri/12-5 Wed/12-10 Mon/12-15

Opponent Birch Wathen Lenox Lycee Francais Columbia Prep

Location Sokol Hall/420 East 71st St. Lycee Francais/505 East 75th St. Columbia Prep/5 West 93rd St.

BOYS’ MIDDLE SCHOOL BASKETBALL Opponent Location Abraham Joshua Heschel Heschel/270 West 89th (Scrimmage) Lycee Francais Lycee Francais/505 East 75th St. (Non-League) Birch Wathen Lenox Sokol Hall/420 East 71st St. Browning Pace University/ 3 Spruce St. GIRLS’ MIDDLE SCHOOL BASKETBALL Opponent Location Garden 92nd Street Y/92nd St. & Lex Ave. Dwight Pace University/ 3 Spruce St. United Nations UNIS/24th St. & FDR Dr. International School

Time 4:00 5:15 4:15

Time 4:45 4:00 4:00 4:00

Time 5:00 4:00 4:15

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CLASS AGENTS TO MOUNT ANNUAL APPEAL EFFORT This week, the Annual Appeal Corps of Volunteers, most familiarly known as Class Agents, gathered together at the School to better understand their roles on behalf of the Annual Appeal. For those of you new to the School, the Annual Appeal is the mechanism through which the School raises unrestricted funds in support of the general operating budget (the Annual Fund). Tuition alone does not cover the cost of an education at Steiner, nor at most other independent schools in the country. Hence, akin to their counterparts in the Fall Fair and Spring Benefit, the Annual Appeal Corps of Volunteers sets out every year on its charge of getting the message of support and participation to fellow parents. They carry out their task in a number of ways. You may hear your class agent speak about the Annual Appeal in class meetings. A class agent may send an e-mail blast reminder to your class. Your class agent may call you at home. You may even be approached on campus by your class agent asking if you’ve made your commitment yet to the Annual Appeal. Please don’t be offended by these tactics. These are all well intentioned approaches by your class agent to ensure 100% participation in the Annual Appeal. The School needs your support!

Class Agent Gretchen Weir & Ed Rakowicz Cindy Seibels Alex Hartnett Denise Sharp Anne Golden-McGinn Beth Lee & Brad Zola Hillary DeFrancesco Leslie Gat, Co-Chair

B

Grade 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5

Class Agent Allen Kraus, Co-Chair Joy Phelan-Pinto Claudia Stone Joe Albano & Chrisann DiDonato Michael Steiner Jaqui Lividini Mimi Visser & Braden King Mark Reed & Daria Ilunga

Grade 4 3 2 1 UK DK MN BN

G

LESSINGS AND RATITUDE REFLECTIONS FROM THE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE BY PARENT CHAIR, JOY PHELAN-PINTO Each season brings its own rhythms and pleasures but I must confess to being especially partial to the warm festivals and holidays of this chilly time of year. In our family, it begins with the enormous anticipation and delight surrounding Fall Fair Day, with the enthusiasm flowing directly into the school’s inspiring Thanksgiving Assembly at All Soul’s Church, which fills our soul with music, beauty, joy, gratitude. A perfect introduction to Thanksgiving Day itself.

Indeed, it’s a rich season…. Within the next two weeks, there will be the Faculty Concert, the Paradise and Nativity Play and the Winter Assembly. Wow! These gatherings are powerful gifts to the entire community. They lovingly reveal the dedication and talents of our faculty and reaffirm my gratitude for Waldorf education and the blessings Rudolf Steiner School bestows to everyone—parents as well as students.

The community returns its gratitude to the school in myriad ways from volunteer hours to loving gestures, kind thoughts, supportive words and generous contributions. All of which are tangible expressions of our commitment to the school.

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BLESSINGS AND GRATITUDE CONTINUED As Parent Development Chair, I often reflect upon the various ways of supporting our school, with the Annual Fund as the bedrock of all support. By now you have received the Annual Fund appeal in the mail. While our nation faces an economic crisis, I look inward at Rudolf Steiner School and am grateful for this oasis of peace and stability for my children.

In such turbulent times, there is no better use of my charitable contribution than to the school that is embracing, sustaining and educating my children. A generous Annual Fund gift will also help to ensure financial assistance to families who may be seriously affected by the financial downturn. Every gift, of any amount, is received by the school with deep appreciation.

And the school’s gifts to us will be myriad this month! The Winter Assembly on December 16th is perhaps my favorite assembly of all. With blessings and gratitude, I look forward to sharing the beauty of the holiday season with the entire Rudolf Steiner School community.

MICHAELMAS CONFERENCE CONTINUED On the Saturday night of the conference weekend, Sofia (Class of 2009), Caryl (Class of 2010) and Jeremy (Class of 2011) prepared and managed the Rudolf Steiner High School Blue Tree Cafe, integrating four seniors from Green Meadow Waldorf School into their team for the event.

Jeremy enjoyed "communicating with the attendees about their experiences of the conference whilst serving a large buffet of home-made desserts and drinks such as pumpkin and apple pie, rice pudding, chocolate cake, soy hot chocolate and mocha".