Parent Planner

April 30, 2026

Meet Our New First Grade Teacher!

We are thrilled to announce that we have hired a first grade teacher for the upcoming school year!

Meet Jessica Barrett, who brings a wealth of experience in Waldorf education, especially Early Childhood and lower grades, along with a strong anthroposophical foundation and musical, artistic, and theatrical gifts.

We feel confident that she will graciously and skillfully nurture and support our rising first grade class as they take this important step into the grades.

Mark Your Calendars

We ask your special attention for canceled Tea Garden tomorrow! It is postponed to May 8.

Key Dates

Tea Garden Tomorrow is CANCELED

Because of the rainy weather forecast, tomorrow's Tea Garden and subsequent Tea After the Tea are canceled.

They will instead be held next week, on Friday, May 8.

Tomorrow: Parent Society Popsicle Sale

Tomorrow, Parent Society launches their Popsicle Cart! It will be stationed at the lower grades pickup near the main office from dismissal through 4:30 p.m.

The Popsicle Cart will make appearances at different locations across campus each Friday in May.

Buying Tokens

Popsicles can be bought with tokens only.

Tokens for popsicles can be purchased in the main office between 8:00 and 8:20 a.m. and between 3:35 and 3:45 p.m. and cost $4 each. Please bring cash only! Small bills are preferred.

Next Head of School Coffee:

Media Use

We warmly invite you to our next Head of School Coffee on Thursday, May 7, at 8:30 a.m., on the topic of media use.

We will present the school's perspective and would love to listen to your experiences as well.

This monthly gathering is a wonderful opportunity to connect with school leadership and other parents of the community.

Head of School Coffee

Thursday, May 7

8:30 - 9:30 a.m.

Recital Hall

Seniors to Perform Knives Out
for Class Play

We warmly invite you to our seniors' class play, a very unique adaptation of Rian Johnson's screenplay of the murder mystery Knives Out!

The Waldorf link

When trying to decide on a play, one of the students suggested the Knives Out movie. Our Humanities teacher, Mr. DiLeo, did some research and he found out that the movie had been adapted as a play by a student in California for her senior project. That had a familiar ring to it, and sure enough, she turned out to be a Waldorf student.

Mr. DiLeo reached out to her, and she responded with enthusiasm, giving her permission, along with a video of their performance in their adorably tiny performing arts room (reminding us how lucky we really are here at AWS). She also handed over Rian Johnson's email address, who gave us his blessing.

Grade 12 Play Knives Out - Community Performance

Thursday, May 14

7:00 - 8:30 p.m.

Recital Hall

Plastic Film Drive Result:

We Saved 75 lbs from the Landfill!

Our Plastic Film Drive last week, initiated by 8th grade in partnership with Ridwell, helped save 75 lbs of plastic film from the landfill!

Thank you to everyone who brought their plastic film to school to contribute to this sustainability project.

Now Hiring: Summer Camp Staff

and Substitute Teachers

Become A Camp Teacher or Counselor

Summer is just around the corner, and with it comes the warmth, wonder, and magic of camp life at Austin Waldorf School. We are delighted to announce that we are now hiring teachers and counselors for our beloved Camp Roadrunner and Summergarden Camp programs!

Camp runs from June 8 – July 31, with hours from 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. You are welcome to join us for some or all of the weeks.

Camp teachers teach the kids arts, crafts, and games, while camp counselors hold the group throughout the day. The latter is a great opportunity for college aged students.

Interested or know someone who might be a great fit?

Please reach out to Steffani Mitchell to learn more.

Come be part of a summer filled with warmth, creativity, and connection!

Join Our Team as an Early Childhood Substitute

We are warmly inviting individuals to join our team as Early Childhood substitutes. If you feel called to spend your days with our sweet kindergartners—tending to their play, wonder, and gentle rhythms—we would love to connect with you.

If this speaks to you, or if someone comes to mind who would be a wonderful fit, please reach out to Steffani Mitchell. We would be grateful to welcome you into this work.

Sign Up For AWS Summer Camp!

Speaking of which... our Summer Camps spots are starting to fill up! Register now to secure your spot at one of our camps:

Summergarden - ages 3.5-5


A little haven for PreK- and Kindergarten aged kids, where they can revel in outdoor play, storytelling, nature exploration and more.


Camp Roadrunner - ages 6-11

Filled with crafts, outdoor play and skill-building activities, each of the 8 weeks features its own unique theme!

Both camps: 8 week-long sessions, June 8 - July 31, 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Sports Camps - ages 11-15

Older kids are welcome to learn or improve their skills at our sports camps. Perfect for Middle Schoolers to get ready for High School sports, and perfect for prep ahead of the new season!

3 week-long sessions, June 8 - 26, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Become a Host Family for an International AWS Student!

Picture from this year's Oktoberfest celebration in high school

Bring the world into your home!

As we launch our international program, Austin Waldorf School is offering the exciting opportunity to become a host family to one of the international students who will be attending our school in the coming school year.

This experience can bring exposure to a different culture, enriching conversations at the dinner table, and the opportunity for the entire family to build empathy, curiosity, and global awareness.

Host families will receive a stipend from the school to cover the related expenses.

Please note that this is not an exchange program; rather, you would be hosting a foreign high school student for the duration of a school year.

If you're interested or have questions, please email us at enroll@austinwaldorf.org.

Lost & Found Items

Rain jackets have been flooding our lost & found!

You can browse pictures of each item via the link below. Please check all folders, as items often get moved around!

Even if you think you didn't lose anything, we encourage you to check.

Please swing by to retrieve any item. We would love to see them reunited with their rightful owners!

High School & Middle School

Sports Corner

Middle School Track & Field

Photo: Pixabay

AWS Girls Win AIPL Championship!

Last Saturday, 35 of our Middle School track and field athletes competed at the AIPL Track and Field Championship Meet at St. Andrew's High School. Under the tremendous leadership of head coach Ross Bomben, our girls won the 7th & 8th grade division championship by a whopping 99 points!

Our other teams also did really well! Out of 8 competing schools, these were their results:
7-8 boys: 2nd

6th grade girls: 3rd

6th grade boys: 5th

Well done Roadies!

Many Wins and New AWS Discus Record!

A few individual highlights:

• Our 6th grader Siri Tammana finished first in the long jump, and also tied for first in the high jump! She finished second in the 50 meter dash, and 5th out of 37 girls in the 100 meter dash.

• Maeve Smith won the 7-8 girls' 100 meter in hurdles!

• Savan Lamb finished first the 7-8 boys' 400 meter dash!

• Tula Broesche won the 7-8 girls' triple jump! She landed at 29' 10.5".

• In the 7-8 girls' 400 meter dash, our girls won the top 5 places!

Aria Orsinger won all five of her events: the 800m, the 400m, the 200m, the high jump and the discus. Not only did she break the AWS record in the discus (63' 4.5"), she also tied the AWS record for high jump (4'10"). Impressively, this is also the AIPL record!

High School Tennis

State Championship on the Line Today

Today, our High School Track team is competing at the TAPPS Regional Track Meet in San Antonio. The top 4 finishers in each event will advance to the TAPPS State Track & Field Championships in Waco next week.

Go Roadies!

Middle School Tennis

Photo: Pixabay

Our Middle School tennis team will host Trinity Episcopal School at Dripping Springs Racquet Club this Saturday, May 2, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

These games will help our players prepare for the AIPL Tennis Championships, which will be played at St. Stephen's from May 5-8.

Kindergarten Highlight

Little Chopsticks Experts

In our Moongarden, Wednesday is rice day. The children enjoy their brown rice with seaweed, cucumber, sesame seed and soy sauce. Their favorite part though? Using chopsticks! Needless to say, they have become very proficient at it over the course of the year.

A Waldorf Moment

Last Friday and Saturday, our campus transformed into a busy beehive as we hosted the annual 5th Grade Pentathlon.

With six schools visiting from near and far—including as far as Kansas City—we welcomed 92 athletes who danced, sang, and practiced the five Greek disciplines: javelin, discus, running, wrestling, and jumping. As tradition has it, they did not compete against one another. Instead, they worked together to surpass their group score from one day to the next.

It was a magical celebration of friendship, cooperation, and unity.

Thank you to all the visiting schools for gracing us with your presence and helping make this event so special: City of Fountains, Prairie Moon Waldorf, Rose Rock School, Back to Earth School, Great Oak Waldorf, and Waldorf School of New Orleans.

Missed a Parent Planner? Consult them on our website:

www.austinwaldorf.org/parents