March 2019 E-News
Admissions
~ Celebrating 100 Years of Education Worldwide ~
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A Note from the Faculty Chair
Dear Community,
One good thing about moving across the country is experiencing spring in a new land. I have no idea what flowers are going to pop into view outside my office window, but I can sure sense the stirring underfoot — the anticipation is exciting!
Anticipation is an important inner sensation for our young people to experience, and it has become undervalued as the urge for immediate gratification consumes our culture. “Timing is everything” is a deeply wise saying. When we are in harmony with timing, we experience synchronicity. The Waldorf curriculum is timed to work hand in hand with the development of the child. It is not a matter of what to bring to the students and what not to bring. The question is when. We don’t stop young children from reading; we present reading at a time when the child is most ripe to take it in deeply and work with it. We don’t deny technology; we present it at an age when children are developmentally ready to use it as a tool.
This shift in perspective can be helpful for parents to adopt when being inundated with the relentless will of a child! Haven’t we all heard the whining voice, “But mom, everyone has one!” And with a little investigation we find out that perhaps four classmates have one. Working with timing and anticipation allows the child the opportunity for a deeper appreciation of the outcome. Waiting gives the child time to develop. It might foster patience, awareness of the other, a sense of responsibility, and it may allow time for a new perspective to form. Knowing they have inwardly grown and matured enough to now obtain their desire is inwardly meaningful for the child, even if that appreciation is not outwardly expressed to the parent. Hang in there! They do come around later in life with gratitude.
Right now, I’m anticipating what the fall will bring. We are in the process of interviewing for our open positions, and we are saying farewell to those who have decided to move on. Mike Flood, our Middle School Assistant, Gr. 4-5 Movement teacher and Middle School ENL teacher is taking his life in a new direction. He will be leaving the School in a couple of weeks. Please join me in wishing him well. We are welcoming in Anthony Yaeger as next year’s Sixth Grade Class Teacher. I’m not sure who is beaming more about this news: the rising sixth grade students and parents, his colleagues, or Mr. Yaeger himself! It’s all very exciting.
Warmly,
Kelly O’Halogan
Faculty Chair
What’s Happening in Athletics?
Spring is certainly in the air with Waldorf Sports! Our varsity baseball and softball teams are into their 3rd week of preseason and things are looking bright. Our Senior Athletes are showing great leadership and are helping the younger players to prepare for a competitive season.
Please come out and support our varsity teams once the season starts in early April. Our Varsity Softball (led by Coaches Steve Pitz and Ann Mulvehill) team kicks off their season at home on Monday, April 1st at 4:30 pm vs Our Savior New American; while the Varsity Baseball team (led by Coach James Hughes) opens on Tuesday, April 2nd at 4:30 pm vs Portledge, also at home. Go Waldorf!
Please check the Waldorf athletics calendar for updates and to make your plans to attend and cheer on our teams!
Announcements
Last day for $200 Early Bird Tickets is April 1st
Register today and see the flyer below!
Proceeds will benefit the Early Childhood Playground renovation and Camp Glen Brook projects.
Mark Your Calendars: Spring Festival is Approaching
We invite you to join us for the Waldorf School’s annual Spring Festival on Sunday, May 5th, 10:00 am – 2:30 pm.
Come and celebrate the season with a traditional Maypole dance, music, gardening and seasonal craft activities, and more, all in a fair-like atmosphere.
The festival will feature:
- Maypole dancing and musical celebration led by grades 4 and 6
- Puppet play presented by our Early Childhood teachers
- Floral crown making
- Gardening and seed planting
- Heirloom vegetable plants and flowers for sale
- A guided Nature Trail walk – an opportunity to learn about our beautiful outdoor trail
- Intergenerational games
- Petting zoo
- Information tables for Waldorf Summer Program and Hawthorne Valley CSA
- Camp Glen Brook – purchase eggs and maple syrup from our school’s farm
Bring a picnic blanket and a packed lunch; sandwiches and refreshments will be available for sale.
The PTA will also be collecting books for their book drive. Click the image to the left to see the full flyer.
This festival is a wonderful spring tradition – rain or shine. Bring your friends and family and enjoy the day!
News
Our Early Childhood Program: Physical Activity as Pre-Literacy Training
Active play strengthens bones, muscles, and the brain and establishes vital connections between them. As children grow, the need for strong motor skills becomes even more evident. For this reason it is important to ensure that young children participate in regular physical activity to develop and grow properly. Waldorf Early Childhood teachers create educational settings that foster broad, diverse sensory experiences and encourage movement that is purposeful, finely focused, and vigorous in order to help develop the physical body in a way that sets the stage for reading skills to bloom.
High School Musical 2019: The Drowsy Chaperone
To kick off March, The Waldorf School of Garden City High School put on their production of The Drowsy Chaperone. Directed by the School’s Music Teacher, Mr. Andrew Fallu, and produced by Ms. Erin Fitzgerald, the show featured a talented cast of high school students supported by a dedicated stage-crew and pit band. View the full cast and crew list here.
High Schoolers Benefit from Unique Partnership with Research University
For many years, Waldorf high school students have been taking advantage of the Waldorf School of Garden City‘s unique partnership with Adelphi University that allows them to take college courses for credit on the Adelphi campus. Leveraging its location directly next door to the recognized research university, Waldorf students are able to get a sense of what will be required of them in a collegiate setting while also enhancing their academic study and satisfying their growing intellectual curiosity. This huge benefit extends to the college application process demonstrating to admissions officers that the students are more than ready for college-level work. While Waldorf graduation requirements exceed college admissions standards, this rare opportunity is an added advantage not normally afforded to high school students.
Acclaimed Writer & Director, Rachel Holder ’01 Shares Insight into Navigating Creative Careers
For Alumni, the opportunity to come back to their School and connect with current students can be just as rewarding for them as it is for the students. Rachael Holder ’01, writer and director, visited earlier this month to talk about her life after the Waldorf School of Garden City, and her journey to becoming a successful screenwriter
Waldorf Model UN: Empowering Future Leaders
Each year, high school students with a passion for international affairs have the opportunity to join the Model United Nations elective led by History teachers Emmie Yaeger and John Devaney. After spending the majority of the year studying world issues, practicing debate, and writing research papers and resolutions, the rigorous elective culminates in the National High School Model United Nations Conference (NHSMUN) in New York City. There, student-delegates spend four days with hundreds of other students from around the world doing research and engaging in thought-provoking debate about both historical and contemporary issues, heightening their problem-solving and diplomatic skills.
Sprachfest 2019
Our 7th-12th grade German Students represented our School at the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG)’s 30th annual Sprachfest held in late March. Demonstrating their hard work and dedication, the 39 students who participated in Sprachfest brought home more than 25 1st place prizes from the academic and artistic activities held at the event, with dozens more 2nd and 3rd place wins. Congratulations to Ms. Schneider and all the students for this achievement.
Alumni
How One Alum is Paying it Forward
Inspired by his experiences at The Waldorf School of Garden City and Camp Glen Brook, Daniel Howard ’81 made the decision to make a donation to the School’s Capital Campaign and a bequest of $100,000 to Camp Glen Brook. Dan’s hope is that Camp Glen Brook is a part of Waldorf’s unique educational offerings for many years to come, and that it does for other students, what it did for him.
We had a chance to sit down with Dan in February for an intimate conversation on the impact the School and Camp Glen Brook made on his life. Here are a few highlights from that crisp winter day as told to Samantha D’Aleo, Alumni Relations Associate.
Dan Howard began High School as a freshman at the Waldorf School of Garden City in 1977. Dan remembers coming to school each morning and starting the day with a lecture lead by Class Advisor, Mr. Kelly. He always felt a special connection to him and enjoyed his jokes. Dan says he felt so fortunate to have the opportunity to build a true friendship with Mr. Kelly that still exists now, almost 40 years later.
Dan recounted his experience at Glen Brook during the summer of 1978. Right after school ended and just before summer camp began, a small group of students and teachers took a ten day trip that he remembers as the “wilderness survival trip.” The group camped out on the grounds and spent one week hiking up to the White Mountains. Dan remembers the trip being a true challenge but most definitely worth it. He loved being at Glen Brook so much so that he spent the following summer working at the camp. He was so passionate about everything the camp offered that after High School, decided to go to college for Agriculture. The work ethic and knowledge he gained from his many trips to Glen Brook made every moment spent there an invaluable and unique experience.
Dan described the process of initiating and finalizing a bequest to an institution as “very easy.” The process can be completed as quickly as one to two weeks and is absolutely worth it. Dan highly recommends taking this step to all community members and says he knows he will never regret it.
If you are interested in learning more about bequeathing the School or Camp Glen Brook in your will please contact Nicole Littrean, Director of Development littreann@waldorfgarden.org.
Thank you Daniel Howard for paying your memorable experiences forward and lighting a path for future generations of Waldorf students.
Full story will be published in the 2019 Annual Magazine.
Alumni Notes
This summer, Gabrielle Martin ’17 will be working in Vermont and Manhattan with the Off-Broadway company, PTP/NYC where she will be assistant stage managing Tom Stoppard’s play, Dogg’s Hamlet, Cahoot’s Macbeth. PTP/NYC, which has been praised by the New York Times, Variety, and Time Out New York, is a company that connects Middlebury College theatre majors with professional union actors, directors, and designers to produce a number of plays at the Atlantic Stage 2 during a five-week repertory season.
Earlier this month a few members of the Class of 1970 had a mini reunion in Manhattan. The alums, Alison (Bradley) Klein, Marilynn (Blend) Carstensen, Marcia (Hoover) Krenzel and Paula (Valentine) Gonthier visited the Morgan Library and Museum. The ladies were most excited to see the J.R.R. Tolkien exhibit as it brought back many High School memories. Marilynn says that visiting the exhibition is perfect for a Waldorf gathering!
Congratulations to Julia Rauch ‘13 who will be starting Medical School this summer in Chicago. Julia graduated from Hampshire College in May 2017 with a Bachelors of Arts in Molecular Neuroscience. Julia currently works at the Max Planck Institute in Tübingen, Germany, researching Lactose Intolerance and the Gut Microbiome.
Visit or Join our Alumni Facebook Group:
We are proud of our Alumni! Please tell us what’s new:
Camp Glen Brook
Camp Glen Brook offers special 10 day Summer Camp sessions for current 3rd and 4th graders. This is the perfect introduction to Summer Camp for your child so that they are ready for a transformative three weeks in 5th grade. A Summer Camp experience at Glen Brook gives your child time in nature with a compassionate, skilled, fun group of counselors on our beautiful farm and woodlands. Visit our website to sign up soon. We welcome your phone call to 603-876-3342 to get your questions answered. We hope to welcome your child for a magical summer at Glen Brook.
Family Camp – August 14 – 18 – Yes, your whole family can slow down and have fun together at Glen Brook! Don’t miss out on the perfect summer family vacation. We feed you delicious farm-to-table meals and provide a variety of summer camp activities for you to choose from. Round out your day singing by the campfire under a starry sky. Register today at www.glenbrook.org.
Camp Glen Brook is an educational facility of the Waldorf School of Garden City.
Summer at Waldorf Approaches!
The Summer at Waldorf program is open for registration. Learn more by attending the Open House on Sunday, April 14th from 11 am – 1 pm. For questions contact Co-Director Carol Purdie at (516) 742-3434 ext. 327 or email summerprogram@waldorfgarden.org.
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
Transportation Applications Due
Monday, April 1st
Tuition Assistance Applications Due
Monday, April 1st
Parent Child Tea and Play
Tuesday, May 14th – 10:00 – 11:00 am
High School Spring Concert (All HS Music Students)
Tuesday, April 9th at 7:00 pm
Open House (Grades 4-12)
Wednesday, April 10th at 8:30 am
Spring Concert for Grades 5-8
Wednesday, April 10th at 7:00 pm
Earth Day Celebration (All School)
Friday, April 12th
PTA Meeting
Friday, April 12th at 8:30 am
Spring Assembly (all classes dismiss at noon, no afternoon programs)
Thursday, April 18th at 10:00 am
Spring Recess
Friday, April 19th – Friday, April 26th
Senior Arts Reception
Saturday, May 4th at 5:30 pm
Spring Festival
Sunday, May 5th 10:00 am – 2:30 pm
Junior & Senior Prom
Sunday, May 5th 7:00 – 11:00 pm
Professional Development Day (ALL SCHOOL CLOSED)
Monday, May 6th
Parent Child Tea and Play
Tuesday, May 14th – 2:00 – 3:00 pm
Open House (Grades 6-12)
Wednesday, May 8th at 8:30 am
8th Grade Play
Friday, May 10th at 1:00 pm
Saturday, May 11th at 7:30 pm
PTA Meeting
Friday, May 17th at 9:30 am
5th Grade Greek Olympics
Thursday, May 23rd 10:00 am – 1:45 pm
Memorial Day (ALL SCHOOL CLOSED)
Monday, May 27th
Gala 2019 – Celebrating 100 Years of Waldorf Education Worldwide
Friday, May 31st – Heritage Club at Bethpage
