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February 2019 E-News

~ Celebrating 100 Years of Education Worldwide ~

| February 2019 |

Don’t Forget You can Shop and Support the
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A Note from the Faculty Chair

Dear Community,

Welcome back from the Mid-Winter break. I often find around this time of year that the momentum of the New Year pauses, just a bit. The fresh New Year, which started with a spark of hope and promise, now moves more slowly, with ebbs and flows. Sometime in March I begin to wonder if we are moving forward or backward. Do you ever feel this way? This uncertainty and these natural “pauses” require me to have a little more trust in the wisdom of the universe — to trust what I can’t see.

In the classroom, our teachers make wise use of this rhythmic ebb and flow in their lessons. Very purposefully, they present new material one day, allow the students to “sleep on it”, then review the content that following day — before presenting further new material. Experienced teachers will tell you that the review is often the most important part of the lesson. What had been newly presented has now been worked on, thought through, and transformed with insight and understanding, anchoring the students more deeply to the learning process.

This way of learning is at the core of our request to parents that screen time for their children be limited. Don’t you agree it would be better for the students to ponder theirs lessons rather than the latest video or game? Pauses are important — vital, really — for our future. It is a chance to recalibrate before the next wave moves us forward – whether in the classroom or in our daily lives. So cheers to the quiet moments!

On a not so quiet note, Jack Petrash is visiting our School in March. A master Waldorf teacher, with humorous and deep insights into child development and parenting, Jack is presenting a topic that is important to all of us — Waldorf Education: Does It Really Make A Difference? Mark your calendars for Wednesday, March 20th at 7:30pm. You might want to visit our library and check out his books before his visit. RSVP here.

Another important date is Monday, March 11th. Please be sure to sign up for Parent/Teacher Conferences (Grades 1-12). You’ll want to hear about the growth of your child this year. Information on how to sign up will be sent to you shortly.

Lastly, as we look toward next school year, I want to update you on some changes. After many years of dedicated service to this School and our music and orchestra programs, Dr. Dale Stuckenbruck is retiring. We are grateful for Dr. Stuckenbruck’s creativity, his commitment to musical excellence and the pure kindness which he brought to our School and our students every day. We will also bid farewell to Ms. Andrea Crozier, our Middle School and High School Fiber Arts teacher, at the end of this year. With her daughter graduating in the spring, Ms. Crozier has decided to explore new opportunities. A dedicated teacher and talented artisan, Ms. Crozier has assisted dozens of students to explore their creative projects more deeply. Her extra work with the students has been an act of love. Please join me in thanking Dr. Stuckenbruck and Ms. Crozier for their contributions to our School. We wish them well on their respective journeys.

Sincerely,

Kelly O’Halogan
Faculty Chair

Facebook PageInstagramyoutubeTwitterWhat’s New in Athletics?

The varsity boys and girls teams ended their season with another wonderful Kimberton Tournament. We thank our graduating seniors for showing excellent leadership throughout the season and wish them the best in the future.

Our middle school basketball teams ended their season with a tournament of their own as they competed in the LIAAIS basketball play day. The girls had strong showing at the tournament and qualified for the championship final, however lost in the final round. The boys meanwhile went undefeated in regular play and won the championship final beating the East Woods team by 4 points.

We looks forward to the spring as our baseball and softball seasons are about to begin.

Please check the Waldorf athletics calendar for updates and to make your plans to attend and cheer on our teams!

Announcements

Register Today for Gala 2019

Visit www.waldorfgarden.org/gala today to register for our Gala 2019 – Celebrating 100 Years of Waldorf Education Worldwide.

Early Bird pricing is available until April 1st.

Proceeds will benefit the Early Childhood Playground renovation and Camp Glen Brook projects.

The Drowsy Chaperone Opens this Weekend

Come enjoy this fun and charming homage to the Jazz Age musical. Proceeds benefit the School’s Music Program. Tickets are now on sale for this weekend’s performances:

March 1st – 7:30pm
March 2nd – 2:00 & 7:30pm

Winner of five Tony Awards, including Best Book and Best Original Score, The Drowsy Chaperone is a loving send-up of the Jazz Age musical, featuring one show-stopping song and dance number after another.

Due to mature themes, parental guidance is suggested.

Waldorf Education: Does It Really Make a Difference? – With Mr. Jack Petrash

The short answer is, “Yes,” but an important question is “How?”

This talk looks at what children will need to find their way in our rapidly changing world, as well as what Waldorf Schools are doing to help meet the demands placed on young people by these uncertain times.

Wednesday, March 20th
7:30 pm
The Waldorf School of Garden City

Refreshments will be served.
Please RSVP at: www.waldorfgarden.org/speaker
space is limited

Show your Waldorf Pride!

Shop and Support

Until March 30th, receive 20% off an order of $100 or more on the Waldorf BSN Sideline store by entering the code HOOPS19.  A variety of merchandise for students, teams, alumni and current families is now available to show your Waldorf pride.

Apply for Tuition Assistance Today

One of the core values of our School is ensuring that, to the greatest extent possible, Waldorf education remains affordable to the families in our community. With more than half of our students receiving need-based assistance, and finite institutional resources, effective administration of the tuition assistance process is critical. We therefore ask that all families review these important policies surrounding the tuition assistance process.

The deadline for your Tuition Assistance application continues to be April 1st, and includes the following:

  • A completed TADS (Tuition Assistance Data Services) application at www.mytads.com.
  • Receipt of 2018 personal and business income tax returns, along with all supporting schedules, uploaded to the TADS portal.

Apply for Assistance today.

News

Congratulations to the Class of 2021 for a Great Sophomore Play

At the beginning of the month, the Class of 2021 proudly stood together at curtain call knowing that they had collaboratively created a contemporary rendition of Nicolai Gogol’s The Inspector, a comical story of corruption in a small town in Russia. Audiences laughed along with the comic antics of the performers, and the play was a success.

After Saturday’s performance the students eloquently thanked the many adults who aided them in producing the show, including Anthony Yaeger, Libia Gallo, Sue Cheney, and Martin Somers.

Congratulations to the class for a job well done!

Senior Speech Recaps

Every Friday the High School gathers for the weekly Student Assembly that consists of an extended speech by a senior on a topic of particular interest to them. The Senior Speeches are a rite of passage for Waldorf students and are a required part of the High School curriculum. Click below to read recaps of the speeches from the second quarter of the High School Year!

Congratulations Early Decision Acceptances

As the Class of 2019 continues with the college application process, we would like to congratulate two more seniors on Early Decision acceptances to their top choice colleges.

We look forward to sharing more good news in the months to come! Click here to see recent college acceptances from past years.

 

Alumni

Alumni Notes

Earlier this month, through the Junior Achievement program, Julia Gonzalez ’16 taught Waldorf ninth graders financial literacy. They discussed topics such as budgeting, credit, savings, and the importance of forward-thinking financial planning. Julia says “It was so rewarding to return to the high school and give back to an academic program that gave me so much!”

We’d also like to congratulate Julia on making the Dean’s list for the fall semester at Colby College.

Two musical Waldorf grads, Dan Strauss ‘88 and Franklin Rankin ‘13, joined forces on Sunday, February 17th for a standing room only show at Rockwood Music Hall in Manhattan.  Strauss and Rankin are also members of the Alumni Brothers Band. The two played a one hour set which featured songs written by Strauss with Rankin adding his guitar playing.  It was their first collaboration and they are looking forward to working together in the future. For updates, visit danstraussmusic.com or franklinrankin.com.

Congratulations to our Gala 2019 Master of Ceremonies, Michael Tammero ’89 for being named Senior Vice President and Entertainment Host at Fox News Channel. Click this link for the full article.Carole Davenport ’60 will be hosting her Asia Week Show entitled “Relationships”. The show will run from Thursday, March 14th – Saturday, March 23rd from 11am – 5pm daily and will take place at 5 East 82nd Street, Suite 2 @ Tambaran, New York, NY 10028. For more details, please visit this link.

Visit or Join our Alumni Facebook Group:

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We are proud of our Alumni! Please tell us what’s new:

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Camp Glen Brook

Greetings from Camp Glen Brook, we just completed our Winter Camp where we enjoyed good skating and sledding and lots of happy Waldorf School of Garden City students who headed north for a week of winter fun. We were delighted to have all of our winter campers with us. You can see lots of photos on our Facebook page.  We had a wonderful Winter Family Weekend in February and look forward to welcoming many WSGC families to our second one in March.

Upcoming Events

Here at Glen Brook we have often heard adults say that they would like to come to Glen Brook for a program just for them. Well the time is finally here. This March, we are excited to partner with local artisans and teachers to offer two Adult Weekends for adults of all ages. Delicious Farm-to-Table meals are a hallmark of all of Glen Brook’s programming, with much of the food grown on our farm. Register now!

March 15 – 17 – “Make Things and Sing” will be offered in the tradition of folk art schools around the country. Four crafts will be taught, by local artisans: Wade Smith of Mill Hollow Works in Alstead will teach Shaker bentwood boxes, Marcy and Hans Schepker of Pear Tree Studio in Harrisville will teach needle felted tapestries and stained glass centerpieces respectively; Brenna Morris of Luna’s Herbals will teach participants how to make herbal tinctures and salves; and Janet Archer will offer yoga each morning. Participants will delve into their chosen craft during the day and enjoy singing by the fire at night.

March 22 – 24 – Women’s Retreat Weekend will include Soul Collage taught by Maggie Cahoon of Marlow and singing in the outdoors led by Marybeth Hallinan of Peterborough and yoga offered by Kristin Froling of Dublin.

To learn more about the artists and programs, and to register, visit https://www.glenbrook.org/adult-weekends.

We hope to see you at Glen Brook soon!

Summer at Waldorf Approaches!

The Summer at Waldorf program is open for registration. Learn more by attending the Open House on Sunday, March 17th from 11 am -1 pm.  For questions contact Co-Director Carol Purdie at (516) 742-3434 ext. 327 or email summerprogram@waldorfgarden.org.

Winkler Center Annual Conference

The Winkler Center invites you to the annual conference on Saturday, March 23rd (8:30 am to 3:30 pm). We are celebrating Waldorf 100 so we hope many can attend and join the festivities. This conference is an opportunity for the Foundation Studies Program participants to share what they are learning and to form and run all aspects of the conference.

Our keynote speaker is Dr. Douglas Gerwin ’68, a graduate of WSGC, Executive Director of the Center for Anthroposophy, and the leader of Waldorf teacher training in Wilton, NH. In his talk “Learning by Linking,” Dr. Gerwin will focus on how teaching in Waldorf schools is about making connections for depth learning. Dr. Gerwin has substantial experience with Waldorf Education worldwide and will share the most recent survey on Waldorf graduates.

Please visit this link to register and for more information about the keynote speech and workshops, offered by faculty members.

News from AWSNA

Keep up with all the news from the Association of Independent Waldorf Schools in North America by subscribing to their monthly E-News. Learn more by clicking the button below!Save these Dates

High School Musical – The Drowsy Chaperone
Friday, March 1st – 7:30 pm
Saturday, March 2nd – 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm
Due to mature themes, parental guidance is suggested.

High School Model UN Conference (Model UN Students Only)
Wednesday, March 6th – Saturday, March 9th

PTA Meeting
Friday, March 8th at 8:30 am

Parent-Teacher Conferences (Grades 1-12) – SCHOOL CLOSED
Monday, March 11th

Textbook Requests Forms Due to the Bookstore (Forms were mailed earlier this year)
Friday, March 15th

Introduction to the Nursery
Thursday, March 14th at 6:30 pm

Parent Child Tea & Play
Tuesday, March 19th at 2:00 pm

Guest Speaker – Jack Petrash – Waldorf Education: Does it Really Matter
Wednesday, March 20th – 7:30 pm

Winkler Center Annual Conference
Saturday March 23rd

Sprachfest 2019
Saturday March 23rd

Spring Session of Clubs & Activities Begins (Registration will open in March)
Monday, March 25th

Transportation Applications Due
Monday, April 1st

Tuition Assistance Applications Due
Monday, April 1st

High School Spring Concert
Tuesday, April 9th

Grades 5-8 Spring Concert
Wednesday, April 10th

Earth Day Celebration
Friday, April 12th

Gala 2019 – Celebrating 100 Years of Waldorf Education Worldwide
Friday, May 31st – Heritage Club at Bethpage

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