November 2018 E-News

~ Celebrating 100 Years of Education Worldwide ~

www.waldorfgarden.org

| November 2018 |

Don’t Forget You can Shop and Support the
Waldorf School of Garden City with the
following
organizations!

Welcoming Winter

As we rapidly approach the end of 2018, winter has begun to make itself heard. The days are shorter, the air is colder, and our School has seen the first snowfall of the season.

As the holidays draw near, we would like to take the opportunity to thank our Waldorf Community for all the support they have shown us throughout the years. 2019 is the 100th anniversary of Waldorf Education worldwide, and we look forward to seeing what the future brings us, both next year and beyond.

Conversations with the Faculty Chair

Hello! I will be holding the next Conversation on January 15^th from 9:00-10:00 am, in the library. Our topic will be The Purpose of Adolescence – How Waldorf Education Sets Students Up for Success.

I have a friend who teaches parenting classes. She often says, “We all get older but we don’t all grow up!” I’m sure we can all recall someone in our lives who, as an adult, is stuck in adolescent behavior. And I’m sure we all hope for greater growth and development for our children. The delicate balance between form and freedom experienced in a Waldorf Education, along with the age-appropriate curriculum, creates an environment where the successful maturation process is fostered. In order to make this possibility truly flourish, parents and teachers must partner together. Then the real success stories multiply.

Over the next few weeks, through the holidays, you will have more time with your child. Regardless of the age of your child, take a few moments to think on what a successful passage through adolescence looks like to you. If your child is young, what do you imagine it being for your child? If your child is older, reflect on what worked well and what didn’t.

When we come back to school, we can meet on January 15^th, gather impressions, and learn what we can do as parents to take advantage of what Waldorf Education is offering for this life transition. In the meantime, I wish you a wonderful holiday season and hope you have fun with this “assignment.”

Sincerely,

Kelly O’Halogan
Faculty Chair

Athletics

Basketball Season Kicks off!

Both varsity basketball teams worked hard through pre-season and are ready to really kick it into high gear as they prepare to take on their competitors in the PSAA. Head girls coach, Paul LeSueur and newly appointed boys head coach, Mike Flood are keeping their players focused and ready for what will be a long and competitive basketball season. Stay tuned online for updates.

Middle School basketball practice began this week and the 7^th and 8^th graders are excited to get their season under-way.

As we look forward to the upcoming season, Please congratulate our soccer players: Chloe Koubel (7th Grade), Mollie Resnick (11th Grade) and Justin Priester (12th Grade) who were named as All-PSAA student athletes for their performance this past fall!

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

Announcements

#GivingTuesday with a Purpose

Many hands made for a successful #GivingTuesday on November 27^th. Throughout our Waldorf Community around the world from Asia to London to California we received over 180 gifts totaling over $66,000! This total includes our match challenge for $19,000 graciously raised by 12^th grade parents and $1,000 raised by a few alums.

With every gift, our Gnome traveled around the globe to visit Waldorf schools in over 60 countries to spread the very important message of “Celebrating 100 Years of Waldorf Education Worldwide!” Thank you for returning our Gnome home safely and for once again showing your Waldorf pride on #GivingTuesday

With Appreciation and Gratitude,

Nicole S. Littrean
Director of Development

Carol Sing

All are invited to join us on Friday, December 21^st at 8:00 pm for our Annual Carol Sing. The Carol Sing is a peaceful event which brings a gentle transition from the hectic pace of the season into the celebration of the holidays.

The Alumni rehearsal will begin at 7:00 pm in the music room, and an Alumni/faculty coffee & dessert reception will follow in the student room.

Alumni Basketball Games & Community Three-Point Contest

All Community Members are Welcome!

SAVE THE DATE!

Saturday, January 12^th 2019

There will be a $10 entry fee for the Three-Point Contest, with all proceeds benefiting The Interfaith Nutrition Network (INN), in celebration of the Martin Luther King Day of Service on January 17th, 2019. “The INN provides a broad variety of essential services to assist those challenged by hunger, homelessness and profound poverty”.

For more information and to RSVP to play in the games or participate in the Three-Point Contest, CLICK HERE

Calling All Shoppers!

Please join us on Thursday, December 6^th from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm for a Holiday Jewelry Shopping Event at the ALEX AND ANI store in Roosevelt Field Mall.

ALEX AND ANI will donate 15% of gross sales made during these two hours to The Waldorf School of Garden City.

Best Mall Entrance:
Use the Grand Entrance near Bobby’s Burger Palace

Location in the Mall:
Located on the upper level near Bloomingdale’s.

Enrollment for Early Childhood

Parents who wish to enroll younger siblings in the Nursery and Mixed-Age Kindergarten for September 2019 are encouraged to submit an Admissions Application now.

Enrollment in these classes is currently underway. While priority is given to families who have siblings in the school, spaces are limited and fill up quickly. Please contact Carol Proctor at (516) 742-3434 ext. 301 or via email at proctorc@waldorfgarden.org with questions.

Register Today for Winter Parent & Child Classes!

Registration for the Winter 2018 Parent Child classes is now open! Click here to register.

Please contact Suellen Gentile if you have any questions at gentiles@waldorfgarden.org

Explore the extraordinary power of LESS to raise calmer, happier and more secure children. Parents in all grades are invited to take part in this series of workshops!

Join Stephanie Cleary for a series of parent workshops on “Simplicity Parenting,” at the Waldorf School of Garden City located in our NEW Parent Child Classroom.

Show your Waldorf Pride!

Shop and Support

Until December 29th, receive 15% off an order of $75 or more on the Waldorf BSN Sideline store by entering the code HOLIDAY18. A variety of merchandise for students, teams, alumni and current families is now available to show your Waldorf pride.

News

Alessandra Fraim Receives Peter A. Zimmerman, M.D., J.D. Award in Recognition of Academic and Intellectual Excellence

Congratulations to Alessandra (Ali) Fraim ’19, the recipient of the Peter A. Zimmerman, M.D., J.D. Award in Recognition of Academic and Intellectual Excellence! The award is given to a student who, at the completion of their junior year of high school, has exhibited academic and intellectual excellence in keeping with the highest educational standards of The Waldorf School of Garden City.

Mrs. Beardsley Marched in New York Veteran’s Day Parade

Eighth grade teacher, Janelle Beardsley, marched with the East Coast Doughboys and the Long Island Living History Association in the Veteran’s Day Parade in New York City. This year’s parade marked the centennial anniversary of the official end of World War One.

Long Island Moot Court Competition 2018

High School students, Sophia Conrad ’21, Owen Chernoff ’20, Jovawn McNeil ’19, and John McAuliffe ’19, participated in the Long Island Moot Court Competition Tuesday, November 13th. Under the guidance of History Teacher Emmie Yaeger, and assisted by Hofstra law students and lawyers from the Farrell Fritz Law Firm, the students prepared arguments, and learned about court procedure and the legal system in preparation for the competition.

Fall Glen Brook Trip

The fall season of Glen Brook trips has come and gone, and our students have had many adventures on our New Hampshire campus. See photos from the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th, and 10th grade trips in the gallery linked below.

Be sure to like Camp Glen Brook on Facebook to see photos from all future trips!

12th Grade African Dance

To conclude the Thanksgiving Assembly on Wednesday, November 21st, the class of 2019 impressed the audience when they performed the West African Dance they learned as part of their African History Main Lesson Block. A tradition at the School since 2010, the dance is the culmination of this History course, allowing the seniors to experience firsthand an aspect of the cultures they have been studying for the last month.

See the full performance in the video below.

Thanksgiving Food Assistance Program

At this special time of year, we give thanks for the many gifts in our lives, while remembering those who are less fortunate. Thank you to all for your help in supporting the Salvation Army food assistance program prior to the Thanksgiving holiday.

Transgender Student Day of Remembrance

On Tuesday, November 20th, the High School Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) hosted a special Transgender Day of Remembrance. Students and faculty alike gathered in the student room to remember all those who have suffered due to their gender identity. Thank you to the GSA for organizing this important event.

Tri-M Music Honor Society Induction Ceremony 2018 and Open Mic Night

This week, Chapter 7109 of the Tri-M Music Honor Society inducted five new members, and hosted an “Open Mic Night” that raised over $500 for charity.

Alumni

Alumni Notes

Christopher Smalley ’07 has joined Dell EMC as the Chief of Staff for Isilon and ECS, the company’s unstructured data storage platforms. In this role, he will counsel the group chief executive and senior leadership team regarding business strategy, financial planning and operations. Prior to joining Dell, Christopher held several roles of increasing responsibility at Accenture Strategy. In addition to his role at Dell, Christopher is completing his MBA at the University of Michigan, Stephen M. Ross School of Business.

William Scott Galasso ’70 has released his 15th book of poetry: Mixed Bag: A Travelogue in Four Forms published by Galwin Press. The book is available for purchase on Amazon. His 16th volume of poetry: Rough Cut (30 Years of Senryu), is already in progress and is due for release in the Spring/Summer of 2019.

Congratulations to Irin Carmon ’01 who is now a CNN contributor. Irin will be contributing exclusively to all of CNN’s shows, offering commentary on politics, the Supreme Court, gender, and anything else she is asked to weigh in on. Irin will still remain a full time senior correspondent at New York magazine where she began working in August.

Visit or Join our Alumni Facebook Group:

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

To our California Community Members

The unfortunate circumstances of the wildfires in California have been challenging to watch. The Waldorf School of Garden City is thinking of you and your families during this difficult time, and hoping that you have not been directly affected.

Please know that regardless of distance, we are here for you. We wish you all a peaceful holiday season.

Camp Glen Brook

It is time to sign up for all Camp Glen Brook 2019 Programs:

Winter Camp February 18 – 23 (during February break) for 3rd – 8th graders
Winter Family Weekend in February 8 – 10 and March 1-3, all ages welcome
Summer Camp for 3rd – 10th graders (June 30th – August 10th)
Family Camp, August 14 – 18, all ages welcome
Gap at Glen Brook, September 7 – November 24
Fall Gap at Glen Brook for 18 – 20 year olds
New Adult Weekends, March 15 – 17 & 22 – 24
Visit our website for details.

If you have not yet been to Glen Brook we hope to welcome you for the first time in 2019; if you have been here before please return and be refreshed; we’d love to see you again!

Warm wishes for happy holidays from the whole Camp Glen Brook staff.

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!

A Special Message From the Meadowbrook Waldorf School

On September 29, two months to the day after the devastating blaze that destroyed our school, we returned to our home site to celebrate Michaelmas. It was a beautiful, clear autumn day and the children were excited to explore their favorite play spaces. For many families, it was their first visit to the school since the fire. The empty slab encircled by chain link fence that confronted them brought a poignancy to the festival. It seemed to inspire the students and, as they performed our traditional pageant, their voices were strong and sure. As the forces of heaven and earth united to bring aid to the besieged villagers, we felt a renewed sense of resolve. St. Michael raised his bright sword and the terrible, fire breathing dragon was tamed. The program ended, as always, with a blessing of gratitude and we stood by the cauldron enjoying the community soup as we contemplated just how much we have to be thankful for.