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“A healthy social life is found only when, in the mirror of each
soul, the whole community finds its reflection, and when, in the whole
community, the virtue of each one is living."
Rudolf Steiner
Founder of Waldorf Education
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Greetings, Emerson Waldorf Community
We hope the school year is off to a great start for everyone! We are excited to launch our monthly Emersonian newsletter this year on a new digital platform and welcome your feedback and suggestions.
Our theme this year as a Faculty & Staff is 'Relationship'. The Steiner quote above is one that is frequently spoken at the start of Faculty and Board meetings at Emerson. Waldorf schools continue to be built on a foundation of relationships: the relationship between student and teacher, between teacher and parent, amongst teachers, between ourselves and the natural world and many more. These relationships really are the heart of Waldorf education and we look forward to exploring the many facets of each of these types of relationship throughout the year with all of you. To kick off the year, we want to start building relationships by introducing you to many of the new faculty and staff faces on campus.
If you haven't already taken a Simplicity Parenting class (free to all enrolled parents), please see the opportunities starting soon. Parents consistently find that these classes strengthen their relationships with their children and help them create a more harmonious family life.
Please mark your calendars and remember to wear red for Michaelmas on Friday, September 29th. We will be taking the festivities back to the field this year, and I look forward to the full community spiral.
As always, please reach out to your teacher, section chair, or the office if we can support you in any way.
Thank you for all that you do for our school,
Christina Wise
Director of Administration
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A Word from Admissions
Raelee Peirce, Director of Admissions
TOUR SCHEDULE
All parents at EWS and in the greater community are encouraged to tour with Raelee Peirce, Admissions Director. Curious about what's coming up for your current student? Attend a tour!
Early Childhood Tour and Information Session
Wednesday, 9/27 5:15pm-6:30pm
Personal Tours and Information Sessions (Grades 1-8)
Weekdays 9am-10:30am
Personal Tours and Information Sessions (Grades 9-12)
Weekdays 9am-10:30am
NEW STUDENTS!
Please welcome our 50 new 2017-2018 students into your classes! It's another great start for EWS welcoming new families into our community. There will be events in October, November, and December for any new parent in 2016 or 2017. We look forward to continuing to get get to know you!
WERE YOU NEW TO EWS IN 2016 OR 2017? JOIN US!
Tuesday, October 10, 2017 6-8pm
Dinner with the EWS Board in the Brown Wing
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Happy Emerson Families
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Each month we will feature a family at EWS who will share their story about when they arrived, what brought them here, and why they love it!
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Tell Us About Your Family...
Our family, Akira & Kayoko, Ohrie (10th grade) and Towa (3rd grade) Hasegawa moved to Chapel Hill in 2014 from the Waldorf school of the Peninsula (Los Altos, CA).
What attracted you to Waldorf Education?
We see that our daughters are nurtured as whole human beings; they are true to themselves and they are so ready to fully participate in the world. –
From Kayoko
What influences you to stay at EWS?
We appreciate the support of this community. It feels like we are in a big (yes, big!) family. All of the children are just like our own nephews and nieces! We feel that we are all growing together in beautiful surroundings, backed by deep wisdom.
– From Kayoko
The balance between the arts and academics that Emerson Waldorf provides is what initially attracted me to the school, but there are so many other qualities and experiences that you can only have at this school. I am so grateful to be a part of EWS.
– From Ohrie (10th grade)
I love school, because I love my teacher. I love my friends, too!
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From Towa (3rd grade)
With much love,
The Hasegawa Family
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Simplicity Parenting Gatherings Start!
Mondays 7:30-9:30pm in the Brown Wing
9/18 - The Governor Course Begins! Didn't get a seat?
Contact Raelee
if you want to squeeze in.
9/25 - The Gardener Course Begins! Seats Still Available
Register Now!
Encourage friends to attend! There are still community seats available!
A Note About the Reading Homework
Please get a copy of both books
Simplicity Parenting
and
The Soul of Discipline
by Kim John Payne. It is very important that you read or at least peruse and highlight the assigned reading. Our class discussions, and what you will get out of the course, will be 100x more meaningful.
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New Faces at EWS
Please welcome new faculty and staff to EWS this year. Some of the many people our parents and students will be forming important relationships with in the years to come.
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Eric Meckley
HS History & Humanities Teacher
Eric Meckley, a husband and father of three, is completing his PhD in American Literature at UNC-Chapel Hill. Eric completed a Master of Divinity degree at Duke University.
He also has a BA from the University of Chicago, where an interdisciplinary humanities major allowed him to study a wide range of subjects including American and Latin American literature, classical philosophy, Enlightenment thought, Reformation history, and Russian history and literature.
Eric will be teaching a number of History blocks and Language Arts track classes this year.
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Catherine Reyes
HS Life Sciences Block & Lab Teacher
Catherine Reyes earned an S.B. in Materials Science and Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2000. She also has a Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Catherine will be teaching Science blocks and hand-on lab classes this year.
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Sarah Hatami
HS Physics Block & Bookbinding Teacher
Sarah Hatami received a B.A. in Physics from Mount Holyoke College and an M.S. in Physics from the University of Colorado and then moved to Cali, Colombia to develop Science and Math curricula for Fundaec, a nongovernmental organization that provides High School education and training to children living in the rural areas of Latin America.
She later relocated to Israel, where she continued her work with Fundaec and also apprenticed in a conservation lab repairing and restoring old books.
Sarah will be teaching Mechanics & Bookbinding this year.
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Metta Prieto
HS Health, Wellness & Sexuality Teacher
MS Coming of Age Teacher
Metta Prieto was born and raised on the island of O'ahu in the state of Hawaii, and grew up attending the Honolulu Waldorf School. She studied Psychology as an undergrad in the state of Utah, and then landed in North Carolina for the Masters in Social Work program at UNC Chapel Hill.
Metta teaches both the Coming of Age Program (to 5th through 8th graders) as well as co-teaching the High School Health, Wellness, and Sexuality Program.
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Praveena Kanteti
First Grade Class Teacher
Praveena Kanteti studied Pharmacy in India, later moved to Michigan in 2000, and worked as a registered Pharmacist at Walgreens for almost 12 years. She loves working with children, so she started volunteering at her daughters' schools in 2010.
Later in 2012, she had to move to India for her husband’s job, where she was introduced to Waldorf education for the first time and was intrigued by Steiner philosophy. Her passion towards helping children made her leave pharmacy and pursue remedial training. She underwent Waldorf teacher training at Sloka teacher training college, India and started working as a teacher at Sloka Waldorf school, India.
Praveena also has two children who have joined EWS in 4th & 5th grades.
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Toni White
Grades Classroom Assistant
Grades Teacher-In-Training
Toni White was born and raised on a farm in Swansboro, N.C. with her parents and three sisters. She played many different sports during her Middle and High School years which helped her know what it was like to be part of a team and work towards a common goal. She relocated to Durham, NC in 1999 to begin her college career. She received a BS and a BA in Criminal Justice and Psychology from North Carolina Central University in 2004. She also obtained her Master of Library Science Degree in 2010 with a concentration in Health Sciences.
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David Hamilton
3-Day Nursery Assistant
David is the 3-Day Assistant in Ms. Kyle's Nursery class.
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Megan Phelam
Kindergarten Assistant
Megan is joining us as a Kindergarten Assistant in Ms. Robin's class. Megan has previously worked as EWS Summer Camp Aftercare Leader.
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Jenifer Minor
EC Nap & Extended Day Lead
Jenifer is joining us as our EC nap and extended day leader. She is currently in training to become a Waldorf Early Childhood Lead Teacher.
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Michelle Kelleher
EC Aftercare Assistant
Michelle is joining us as an Assistant in our
EC Aftercare Program.
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Ashley Frueler
Student Support Coordinator
Ashley Freuler earned her Doctorate at UNC Chapel Hill where she studied under an NIH funded interdisciplinary Autism Leadership Grant. She earned a B.S. in Sociology from the University of Georgia, and an M.S. in Counseling from Mercer University. Ashley has worked with children and families over the past 12 years in public school, community, and inpatient hospital settings as a mental health counselor and early intervention coordinator, and served as a graduate teaching assistant at Kansas State University’s Early Childhood Center while completing graduate coursework in Special Education. Ashley has most recently worked at UNC Chapel Hill as a Doctoral Research Assistant and Project Coordinator focusing on resilience within everyday routines for families with children with an Autism diagnosis and has served in the role of Adjunct Faculty while teaching a graduate level course for Occupational Therapy students. Ashley lives on a homestead in Pittsboro with her husband, three boys, and menagerie of farm animals.
Ashley will be coordinating Student Support at EWS for students in grades Kindergarten through 8th.
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Michaelmas Festival - Friday, September 29th
Note EWS Wall Calendar Error which lists Thursday 9/28
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Festival Schedule
1:25 Grades Performance (Hinoki Theater)
2:00 Procession to Festival Field
2:30 Festival Closing w/ Community Spiral & Dragon Bread Distribution
3:00 All students return to classrooms with teachers for bread and dismissal
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Every year at Emerson Waldorf School we have a festival at the end of September. We put on red, eat dragon bread, and make plays about slaying dragons. Why do we do any of this stuff and what does it mean? This is a great question, and one you might hold if you are new to the Waldorf School community or even if you have been in the community for years.
In the Waldorf School, the festival life is concerned with meeting what faces us as human beings. As the earth makes her journey around the sun, through the seasons, we feel the weight of the darkness and the joy of the returning light. As the darker days come towards us, we all must find the best part of ourselves and share it with the community. The festivals are meant to help us as a community reach towards what unites us as human beings no matter what our individual religion or culture might be. We all experience the expansion we feel in spring and the contraction and foreboding of the change of seasons towards the darkness. This is a human experience.
Today with our modern conveniences and artificial illumination, we do not face mortal fear in the way human beings did in ages past. The darkness we face today is one of subtler and more insidious nature. In our modern life, we are faced with inherited and dissatisfying social forms. We are faced with social and economic injustice, resistance to clean and free energy sources, resistance to sustainable agricultural practices – resistances so ingrained in our society and its social forms that we can feel crushed by the improbability of our being able to meet the challenges before us in the world. This is the multi-headed dragon that we face today. This is the darkness we must inwardly prepare for. We must gather inner purpose, clarity and compassion to meet what is before us.
Michaelmas is the time we come together as a community to say “ Yes! We stand together and are committed to taking up the difficult task of forming a new culture where we all can be individual and united.” This is difficult social work in busy, challenging times. And, it is exciting! The possibilities of creating a new world are upon us! (wearing the red helps a little).
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Waldorf Weekend:
Foundations & Fundamentals of Waldorf Education
Friday, October 27th - Saturday, October 28th
in coordination with The Sunbridge Institute
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Workshop Schedule
Friday, October 27th:
5:45pm Registration
6 - 7:30pm Opening Talk by Anna Silber
(free and open to all)
7:30 - 9:30pm Emerson Waldorf High School Open Mic (free and open to all)
Saturday, October 28th:
9am - 3pm Workshop (registration required)
Fee / Registration:
* Opening Talk is free and open to all
* Saturday Workshop is $40 / $20 for students (sliding scale available, please contact us for more information)
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Informative and lively, Sunbridge Waldorf Weekends are designed to provide an in-depth and experiential survey of the basis and basics of Waldorf Education. Emerson Waldorf School is excited to host the upcoming Waldorf Weekend experience on our campus October 27 - October 28, 2017. These popular workshops include a discussion of the Waldorf curriculum and how it relates to the growing child, an exploration of the anthroposophical ideas that serve as the underpinnings of the Waldorf impulse, and a look at Rudolf Steiner’s insights into human development. In addition to presentation and conversation, participants enjoy hands-on artistic activities common to the Waldorf experience, such as music, movement, and drawing, and will have time to ask your most pressing questions. Workshop participants leave with a deeper understanding of and a greater appreciation for Waldorf Education and a most memorable—and fun!—learning experience.
Sunbridge Waldorf Weekends are open to all, but are especially relevant to anyone interested in a career in Waldor Education, for new and prospective Waldorf community members, including parents, grandparents, staff, and board members. Past attendees have also included students of education, public and private school teachers, and homeschooling parents.
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Jack Petrash: PO -Sponsored Talk & Workshop for Parents
November 3rd 6:30 - 8:30pm
November 4th 9:00 - 12:00pm
EWS High School Brown Wing
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Stay tuned for more info about Jack Petrash's upcoming talk and workshop topics!
Jack Petrash is the founder and director of the Nova Institute. He is an educator with over thirty years of classroom experience and a teacher of teachers. He has written extensively on issues pertaining to innovative classroom instruction and is the author of
Understanding Waldorf Education: Teaching from the Inside Out.
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Welcome EWS First Graders! The Annual Rose Ceremony on August 22nd welcomed 1st graders, as the EWS Kindergarten teachers lead them to cross the Golden Bridge to greet their new, 1st Grade teacher who welcomed them with a handshake and a celebratory Grade 1 rose. They were then led to their seats by an EWS 12th grader, where they hear their first Grade 1 story. Thus begins the Grades journey. See the full
photo album
.
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Back-to-School Picnic & Playground Opening
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We once again opened the school year with a delightful Back-to-School Picnic sponsored by our EWS Parent Organization. The weather was perfection this year as so many families turned out and offered delicious dishes for the potluck.
Grades Chair, Jason Child, kicked off the picnic with a few words of gratitude for our parent community who came together in the spring to graciously donate towards the construction of our new Lower School play structure. The structure represents the first step towards revamping the entire Lower School play area to eventually include tree platforms, a climbing structure, and a water play area.
Thank you to everyone who came out to join the picnic and of course to all of the parents and community members who contributed to the playground fund!
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Alumni/Student Highlights
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Our 10th graders completed a Main Lesson Block in Conics today. They worked with visiting teacher Liudmila Self to explore conic sections, parabolas, hyperbolas, and their equations.
Samples this month are from the work of Mia Vinas and Ohrie Hasegawa.
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A Word from Development
Deb Feinberg, Director of Development
7 EASY WAYS TO EARN MONEY FOR EMERSON!
We are always grateful for the support of our generous donors! In addition to volunteering and making a gift to the Emerson Fund, here are some more ways to support to Emerson:
Shop Amazon Smile
Visit
smile.amazon.com
, register Emerson as your preferred charity and Amazon will donate 0.5% of eligible purchases to the school.
Donate a Vehicle
Go to
careasy.org
, click "Find a Nonprofit" and select Emerson as the beneficiary of your donation.
Use Giving Assistant
Label their Stuff
Order labels for clothing, lunch containers and school supplies through
oliverslabels.com/emerson
and the school will receive a donation.
Visit Harris Teeter
Buy Healthy Stuff at Mighty Nest
Visit
https://mightynest.com
and click on "Schools" in the upper right corner. Enter Emerson's zip code "27516" then select Emerson from the drop down menu and shop for all kinds of natural products!
Shop at Nova Natural
Have another idea? Need Help?
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9/15 9th Grade Field Trip to Jamestown
9/15 12th Grade Field Trip to Duke Chapel 8:30am
9/15 HS Soccer vs. Fletcher Academy @ HOME 4pm
9/18 Varsity Volleyball vs. Carolina Mustangs 5pm
9/18 4th Grade Parent Evening
9/18 6th Grade Parent Evening
9/19 MS Cross Country vs. CFS, S. Wake & Expedition @ HOME 4pm
9/19 HS Soccer vs. Camelot Academy @ HOME 4pm
9/19 Varsity Volleyball vs. Chatham Thunder 5pm
9/23 Donor Appreciation Event 6:30pm
9/25 HS Soccer vs. S. Wake Academy @ HOME 4pm
9/27 Varsity Volleyball vs. Fletcher Academy 3:45pm
9/27 HS Soccer @ Hawbridge 4pm
9/27 MS Cross Country @ Durham Academy 4pm
9/28 HS Cross Country vs. Camelot @ Piney Wood Park 3:45pm
9/29 Michaelmas 1:25pm Gr 1-4 play at Hinoki & 2:00pm on the big field
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