MLWS NEWS FROM THE PARENT COUNCIL
March 5, 2021
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Hello MLWS Families...
Welcome to the merry month of March! It is almost time to shift the clocks forward by an hour, the days are perceptibly growing longer and Spring will be upon us shortly, along with warmer temperatures, wet weather and mud. Please read on to find out what is blossoming within our school community! We hope you enjoy this issue of our newsletter, which includes a Parent Council update, highlights the activities of various classes and other school-related topics, offers Classified listings, and provides information about upcoming events in the MLWS community.
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PARENT COUNCIL UPDATE
Parent Council is holding monthly meetings via Zoom during the 2020-21 school year. Please join us at our next meeting on Friday, March 19, 12:30-1:30pm. We may hold smaller working group meetings via Zoom as necessary as well, to work on some of our priority projects. These efforts include a monthly Brown Bag Lunch Series (via Zoom) featuring MLWS community speakers, Grounds Beautification Projects, Food Drives, a Welcome Committee for New Families, “Art for the Elderly” Community Outreach, and this newsletter.
If you are interested in being involved in one of the working groups for a priority project, or if you have an idea for another initiative you would like to work on through Parent Council, please send us an email at parentcouncil@mountainlaurel.org. We also have a MLWS Parent Council Google group that is open to all MLWS community members. If you are interested in joining, please send an email to parentcouncil@mountainlaurel.org as well. Please consider getting involved and offering some of your time to one of our projects. Many hands make light work!
Here is the Parent Council meeting schedule for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year:
- Friday, March 19, 12:30-1:30pm
- Friday, April 16, 12:30-1:30pm
- Friday, May 21, 12:30-1:30pm
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WELCOME NEW FAMILIES
If your family is new to Mountain Laurel Waldorf School and you are looking for support as you find your way, please reach out to the parent rep for your child’s class (your child’s teacher can tell you who it is!) and/or contact MLWS Parent Council at parentcouncil@mountainlaurel.org and request to be paired with a mentor family. Our monthly Brown Bag Series, Basket Craft events and Parent Council meeting are all wonderful ways to strengthen your connection as well! |
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Tuesday, March 9, 1:00-2:00pm: MLWS “Brown Bag Lunch Series” via Zoom with Mark Bernstein and Steve Bernstein, MLWS music teachers, for a discussion about The Role of Music at Mountain Laurel and in Waldorf Education
Wednesday, March 17, 10:30-11:30am: MLWS Basket Craft via Zoom – Make a Window Star! Scroll down to the “News and Happenings” section of the newsletter for all of the details.
Friday, March 19, 12:30-1:30pm: MLWS Parent Council meeting via Zoom. If you would like to request a topic be added to the agenda, please send an email to parentcouncil@mountainlaurel.org by Wednesday, March 17.
Monday, March 29 - Monday, April 5: NO SCHOOL / Spring Break
Tuesday, April 13, 1:00-2:00pm: MLWS “Brown Bag Lunch Series” via Zoom with Prim Ormanovich, MLWS Kindergarten teacher, for a discussion about Early Childhood and The Importance of the Lower Four Senses
Friday, April 16, 12:30-1:30pm: MLWS Parent Council meeting via Zoom. If you would like to request a topic be added to the agenda, please send an email to parentcouncil@mountainlaurel.org by Wednesday, April 14.
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Introducing MLWS Basket Craft Series!
MLWS Seasonal Basket Craft: Make a Colorful Window Star
Please join the MLWS Parent Council on Wednesday, March 17, 10:30-11:30am, for a cozy home-based craft hour. During this session, we will walk you through how to make a series of folded kite-paper stars to decorate your winter windows. These window stars bring brightness and color into our homes during a time of the year that can seem bleak and cold!
- $10 Materials Fee for a supply kit that includes printed instructions, 6 sheets of kite paper and a glue stick (All proceeds go to MLWS fund)
- $5 Optional Fee for additional materials (Crafting with your child(ren) is a lovely, bonding opportunity to share your new craft skills with your child(ren) on a lazy weekend afternoon.)
Deadline to sign-up is March 10. Kits can be picked up after school on March 12 and 15.
A Zoom link will be provided to attendees prior to the event. This event will be recorded for those who would like to participate, but are unable to attend in “real time.”
We are excited for this fun way to bring new skills, crafts and color into our homes as well as the opportunity for casual time to be together. Please email parentcouncil@mountainlaurel.org with any questions. |
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Announcing March’s Brown Bag Lunch:
"The Role of Music at Mountain Laurel and in Waldorf Education"
with Steve Bernstein and Mark Bernstein, MLWS music teachers
Join us on Tuesday, March 9, 1:00-2:00 pm for an exploration of the role of music in the Waldorf curriculum and at Mountain Laurel in particular, which has a robust and notable program. "According to Rudolf Steiner, the human being is a musical being, and the making of music is essential in experiencing what it is to be fully human. Music in the Waldorf curriculum awakens and nurtures the deep inner life of the child." ( Waldorfmusic.org) We welcome Steve Bernstein, chorus and recorder ensemble director, and Mark Bernstein, orchestra and ensemble director, both beloved and long-standing teachers at our school.
Through the Brown Bag Lunch Series, we are hoping to create a stronger and more connected parent body at our school by offering opportunities to connect socially while providing information about our school, Waldorf education and the broader community of like-minded organizations and individuals. We offer a special welcome to new families, as this is a great way to get to know our community and the educational model. Each meeting will feature a speaker on a given topic.
** PLEASE NOTE: Due to the very wintery weather in February, we were unable to hold our talk with Prim Ormanovich on The Importance of the Lower Four Senses. We have rescheduled this conversation for April 13th. Hope to see you there!
Please save these dates! Join us on the second Tuesday of each month, from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm, as follows:
- April 13: “Early Childhood and The Importance of the Lower Four Senses" with Prim Ormanovich, MLWS Kindergarten teacher
- May 11: “The Governance and Structure at MLWS" with TBD
- June 9: "Celebrating the Journey: Reflections on the Year and the Class of 2021" with Takken Wish, MLWS Eighth Grade teacher (and rising First Grade teacher!)
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MLWS Parent Council Spreads the Love!
On the Thursday before Valentine’s Day, Parent Council gifted all of the wonderful MLWS teachers and staff with MLWS water bottles, to show our appreciation and LOVE for all of their incredible work, patience, flexibility and heart that have been so vital to the success and enjoyment of this school year. Each one had a water-colored heart, a pink ribbon and a note that said "Thank you for all that you are and all that you do".
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Thank you to all of the families who have contributed to this collective gift. If you would like to make a donation, you may do so through the "Donate to the Mountain Laurel Fund" in our school shop.
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A Peek Into the Classroom |
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Offering a glimpse at the work of two of the classes in our school community… |
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Ms. Prim and the Mountain Garden Kindergarten class:
The Mountain Garden children have been busy enjoying their traditional rhythmic activities such as wet-on-wet watercolor painting, and of course playing in lots of snow! We cut and stitched some heart pouches for Valentine's Day and the children handmade cards for one another. We have also been busy with handwork activities such as weaving "god's eyes," finger crocheting, and the rising First Graders are even stitching together their needle books in preparation for baby doll making. We have had a very busy February and look forward to the Spring!
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Mr. Evans and the Sixth Grade class:
The Sixth Grade is studying economics. During this block, the students will learn about historical trade practices, commodities, and currencies. We will explore cultural economies like that of the Yap people (who today live in the UFS of Micronesia). The Yapese used carved stones as currency, and these stones were not pocket-sized. Some measured 11 feet across and weighed as much as 4.5 tons. How did they exchange these massive coins? The Mayans used a certain seed as a form of currency that is still highly valued today: cacao seeds. We will explore economic traditions from around the world, and the students will compare and contrast the various economic systems and discuss the positives and negatives of each. In addition, we will create our own class economy, beginning with bartering and moving to commodity and then currency-based systems. We will also start a class business, in which the students will manufacture and market a product or service and handle all of the book-keeping. A portion of the proceeds will go to a charity of their choice.
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Our Remote Students:
Although we have all enjoyed the essential social emotional benefit of on campus learning, celebrating our 100th day of in person learning on March 3rd, two students in the middle school have been participating in their class remotely, for main lesson as well as special subject classes, since opening school in September.
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Ethan is a beloved 6th grade student in Mr. Evans' class. His bubbling personality brings light and joy to everyone who meets him and we are missing his presence very much.
Ethan recently presented his beautiful State report to his classmates and teacher, with a life size cutout of his smiling self.
Bravo Ethan!
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Whether you are new to Mountain Laurel and the Waldorf philosophy or you have been a student of Waldorf pedagogy for many years, here are some of our favorite books that we recommend: |
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Simplicity Parenting
by Kim John Payne
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You are Your
Child’s First Teacher
by Rahima Baldwin Dancy
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School as a Journey
by Torin Finser
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Waldorf Education
A Family Guide
Pamela Johnson Fenner, editor
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In an effort to support our community, we present to you the Health Corner:
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A Healthy Recipe to Try at Home!
Note: The following recipe is shared for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical, health or nutritional advice, diagnosis or treatment.
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Making Sprouts
Sprouts can be grown indoors from many types of seeds such as alfalfa, radish, mung beans, broccoli, garbanzos, adzuki, soy or other legumes/grains! Not only are sprouts fun and easy to grow, they are nutritious. Sprouting increases the Vitamin B and C content and fiber and are an excellent source of antioxidants and essential amino acids. With snow still on the ground, these sprouts provide two benefits, fresh greens in your diet and the visual of green growing plants in your kitchen. By March, I think we are all in need of the mental uplift that green plants provide!
Yield: about 2 cups of sprouts
Total Time: 3 to 6 days
Ingredients/Supplies:
- 2 tablespoons sprouts
- cool water
- sprouting lid or cheesecloth and rubber band
- sprouting stand
- wide-mouth quart mason jar
Instructions:
- Soak desired sprouting seeds in wide-mouth mason jar for 4 to 12 hours in a warm and dark location. Smaller seeds require less time, while larger seeds such as adzuki, garbanzo, soy, etc. require about 12 hours.
- Drain the jar using a sprouting lid or secured cheesecloth.
- Rinse the sprouts twice a day (morning and evening), allowing the jar to rest upside down on a stand or propped at a 45-degree angle. Soybeans need to be rinsed four times a day.
- When sprouts reach about an inch long, between 3 to 6 days depending on the seed, they are ready to eat!
- Place the jar of sprouts in sunlight for a few hours to green the leaves.
- The sprouts can be refrigerated for up to a week. Enjoy!
Notes:
- Sprouts can be eaten raw, added to salads, sandwiches, soups, and smoothies.
- Grocery store sprouts have been linked to outbreaks of salmonella and e.coli. Getting a food-borne illness is greatly diminished when sprouting at home. Just practice cleanliness when handling the jar and seeds. If you are still worried, sprouts can be lightly cooked.
- Sprouted kidney beans should not be consumed raw; boil for 10 minutes before consuming.
- Remove hulls of alfalfa and radish sprouts (because they will rot) by agitating them in water.
- Save the rinse water for cooking, plants or animals!
- Sulforaphane is a chemical found in cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, kale, brussels sprouts, cabbage (red and white), arugula, bok choi and watercress. For more scientific research on the benefits sulforaphane found in broccoli sprouts, clock on the below link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=broccoli%20sprouts
- Mucilaginous seeds such as chia and flax are tricky to sprout.
- Cruciferous vegetables may develop a light sulfuric smell this is normal!
- Rye, wheat, einkorn, etc. can be sprouted, dehydrated and milled to make your own homemade sprouted grain flour!
- Bad sprouts smell “off” and rancid and can develop a rusty or brown color.
We would love to hear your stories about making sauerkraut, elderberry syrup, fire cider or sprouts, and we would also love to hear your requests for future Health Corner recipes and topics. Please send them via email to parentcouncil@mountainlaurel.org
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The Fund for Mountain Laurel |
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T-shirts, water bottles, kids' face masks and now tote bags are all available to purchase at Mountain Laurel's online school store!
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SEEKING OPPORTUNITIES
ISO Long-term Housing. Michele Turner, MLWS Second Grade teacher is seeking a place to live. The ideal "roof over my head" would be located in a rural setting close to Mountain Laurel. I would appreciate a cottage/barn with amenities including two bedrooms, a porch, parking, and a wood-burning stove. I would welcome creativity in finding my ideal space. Please contact Michele at 603-543-7045 or mturner@mountainlaurel.org with suggestions, leads, and offers.
STUFF (For Rent, For Sale, For Free, ISO…)
ISO Beeswax: If your family or neighbors have a bee hive, I am looking to purchase local beeswax for candle making. Please contact me at kate.m.klein@gmail.com
For Rent: Office space available to friends and family of Mountain Laurel Waldorf School at 7 Innis Avenue, located opposite the school. We have 1 space remaining, 338 sq ft, a beautiful light-filled room, offering sweeping mountain views! Separate entrance/shared kitchen & bathroom. Wifi and utilities included. Contact us Here for more information.
For Rent: Serene and lush three-bedroom newly renovated vacation rental with new pool near five beaches in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Kaethe Fine, 4th grade parent is offering MLWS families and administration a 20% discount on her new home! If interested, call or text 917-916-9065 or email stitchbubble@gmail.com. Or request to book and say who you are to receive special rate! Last two weeks of July currently open, as well as November and all of next year!
For Sale: Beef and Eggs Regeneratively raised grass-fed and finished beef and pastured eggs for sale from Mitten Rock Farm. Whole, half, and quarter cows available for $8.50/lb. For individual cuts, prices vary. $6 per carton of eggs. Please contact Zoe Supina for more information: (914) 582-7905
For Sale: Upright Bass (1/2 size) w/ black horsehair German bow, includes a storage bag. $1,800 obo. Great condition, beautiful walnut color, great sound. Please email with interest, questions, for photos: alethea.mcelroy@gmail.com
LEARN
Drum lessons with a professional Drummer with 15+ years of experience teaching all ages and levels. Learn rudiments, any style, world rhythms, and reading music. Available for virtual or in-person lessons (socially distanced, masks worn and windows open). Contact Andrew Greeney, MLWS parent: 845-430-4773, andrew.greeney81@gmail.com
Guitar and mandolin lessons with Mr. Steve Bernstein at his home in Gardiner, NY. Children, teens and adults are all welcome. Please call: 845-255-0822 or drop a note in his mailbox (2nd floor) at school.
SERVICES
Residential Design and Architecture - Blejer Architecture. With all of us spending more time at home, working, cooking, and being with family, many are looking to improve, expand or build new homes. I am happy to discuss all types of projects. Contact Justin Blejer at justin@blejerarch.com, or call 917.637.0341.
Valentine and Wilder's Pet-Sitting Service Serving the greater New Paltz area. Experience with cats, dogs, guinea pigs, mice, turtles, fish, chickens and cows. Email, text or call Seana at 917-309-7790 or seanaskye@me.com
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