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We are back from spring break, and Mountain Laurel is humming. Buds are pushing through on the trees, children are spilling outside at every opportunity, and on the front lawn, a maypole stands ready – grades one through eight will weave their ribbons around it before the season is out.
It is a lot to hold. Teachers are finishing lesson blocks, rehearsing spring plays, preparing end-of-year concerts, and tracking where each child is – not just academically, but in all the ways that matter. They can see the end of the year from here, and they are quietly, steadily tending everything between now and June.
If you haven't yet seen Mountain Laurel's recent feature on The Balancing Act – a nationally broadcast program focused on health, wellness, and family life – we invite you to watch it. This five-minute segment captures something that can be hard to put into words: what it actually looks and feels like when children are fully engaged, screen-free, and seen.
This month, we're launching our Teacher Appreciation Campaign. Gifts made during this campaign go directly toward teacher salaries and continuing education – the foundation that makes everything else possible. We'll be sharing more in the days ahead, but for now: if a teacher at Mountain Laurel has touched your family's life, this is a beautiful way to say thank you.
| | WORDS FROM RUDOLF STEINER | | Teachers who have a feeling for this growing, creative life have already found their relationship to the children because they contain life within themselves, and such life can then pass on to the children who demand it of them | | |
7TH GRADE SETTING SAIL: THE AGE OF EXPLORATION
Last month, Jake Ciofalo's 7th grade embarked on a sweeping journey through the Age of Exploration, tracing the voyages of Renaissance-era European explorers across land and sea. Students are discovering how names we know intimately – the Hudson River, the continent of America itself – carry the stories of these daring travelers. Alongside the history of exploration, the class is examining the geography of the Americas and the rich civilizations of the Indigenous peoples who had called these lands home for thousands of years before European contact.
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SHAPING ANCIENT WORLDS: 5TH GRADE SCULPTURE
In sculpture class with Tricia McCloskey, 5th graders brought their India curriculum to life in clay. Lotus flowers, Bodhi trees, and serene Buddha figures took shape in their hands, connecting students to a civilization whose art and philosophy have shaped human culture for millennia. Ms. McCloskey's warmth and love of making brought the work to life.
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"WOMEN ARE AMAZING…" AND OTHER WORDS OF HONOR
In celebration of Women's History Month, students across the grades came together during Morning Assembly to contribute to a collective mural, organized by Tricia McCloskey and displayed in Jaeckel Hall. In drawings, poems, portraits, and words, students gave voice to what women mean to them – resilience, courage, creativity, strength, gratitude, unity, and love. The result was a vibrant, heartfelt tapestry of appreciation that spoke in many voices at once.
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GROWING SEASON IN KINDERGARTEN
Kahlia Pelligra's Mountain Rose kindergarteners welcomed the season by planting wheatgrass in spring baskets – small hands pressing seeds into soil, tending something alive and growing and capturing the magic of spring.
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MYTHS, MAGIC & A CELTIC KNOT: 4TH GRADE PLAY
Preston Neel's 4th graders brought Norse mythology to life in Runes, an original play performed for their schoolmates by day and for families in an evening performance. Gods, giants, tricksters, and nature spirits filled the stage with drama, humor, and heart. In their final scene, students recited their lines and sang as they walked a Celtic knot pattern on the floor – a quietly stunning moment that captured the magic of what a 4th grade performance can be.
| | SIMPLICTY PARENTING CORNER | | |
Going on a News Cleanse
In this podcast episode, Kim John Payne addresses how constant news exposure erodes our ability to be present with our children. He explains that modern news cycles, with autoplay, doom scrolling, and half-hourly updates, repeatedly trigger the amygdala even when we're hearing the same story again. Each repetition builds a micro emotional trauma and baseline anxiety that children absorb through a kind of emotional osmosis, sensing that part of our attention is elsewhere.
Kim shares strategies that parents have found successful in reclaiming their presence. The first is appointing a "catastrophe buddy," someone trusted who will alert you if something truly significant happens, so you can let go of the fear of missing out. Others have switched from visual news to audio, or limited themselves to a single five-minute summary each morning. Some replace news-checking habits with soothing podcasts that bring relaxation or joy, which children also absorb. Kim encourages parents to consciously substitute news time with connection: telling "I remember when" stories, sitting with a teenager, or simply being present. He suggests a month-long cleanse, noting that most parents who try it never return to their previous level of consumption. The goal is to stop feeding attention to provocative content and instead invest that attention in the people right in front of us... and maybe a little bit of calm and love to ourselves.
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MORE THAN PRETTY LETTERS: WHAT CURSIVE HANDWRITING DOES FOR YOUR CHILD’S BRAIN
Research shows that handwriting, and especially cursive handwriting, has positive impacts on children’s cognitive development. In the past decade, many students relied increasingly on digital devices to communicate. Meanwhile, the research has continued to build up: students learn better with hands-on writing methods that increase retention, engagement and understanding of content. The brain makes more neurological connections when writing letters by hand, particularly cursive! The Waldorf elementary and middle school curriculum integrates handwriting, and cursive, into all aspects of the child’s school experience, including handwriting essays, note taking, research projects and lab reports. Waldorf education is a research-backed approach to learning. Click here to read more.
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INTRODUCING THE HAWKS: NEW SUMMER PROGRAM FOR AGES 9–12
We're excited to announce a new addition to Mountain Laurel's 2026 Summer Program: Hawks, offering two-week specialty classes for children ages 9–12. This summer features two distinctive sessions:
Studio Verde (June 29–July 10) with beloved Spanish teacher Marta Porras invites children to explore the plant kingdom through all five senses — sketching botanical art, cooking with fresh herbs, and discovering the medicinal and culinary properties of plants, with a sprinkle of Spanish woven throughout.
Visual & Literary Arts (July 20–31) with Liv Galesi combines short story writing, bookbinding, printmaking, and mixed media into a two-week creative intensive that balances the lively spirit of summer with real skill-building — culminating in a finished project each participant can take home.
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MOUNTAIN LAUREL SPRING SWAP
Registration is open for our first-ever Mountain Laurel Spring Swap, organized by Parent Council! On Saturday, May 16 from 10:00 – 11:30 AM in the school play yard, our community will gather to exchange homemade, homegrown, and foraged creations – think jams, ferments, spice blends, baked goods, teas, balms, saved seeds, honey, ceramics, handknits, sewn dolls, and beyond. It's a moment to give, receive, and delight in the creativity and care of our community. Quantity details will be shared with registered participants. Register by April 15 to join the swap!
| | UPCOMING EVENTS
APRIL & MAY | | |
VOICES FOR INCLUSION & EQUITY (VIE) GROUP
Tuesdays, April 7 & 21 and May 5 & 19
7:00 - 8:00 PM via Zoom
The VIE Group is dedicated to fostering a diverse, equitable, inclusive, just, and welcoming school environment. Meets every other week; see School Calendar for all dates. Email vie@mountainlaurel.org for more information.
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OPEN PARENT MEETING
Friday, APRIL 17
2:00 - 3:00 PM
2nd Floor at 7 Innis Avenue (enter at back of building)
All MLWS parents and caregivers are welcome to participate in a meeting designed by and for parents and caregivers. Email parentcouncil@mountainlaurel.org for more information.
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SCHOOOL PICTURES: MAKE-UP DAY
Tuesday, April 21
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HALF DAY: STAFF DEVELOPMENT DAY
Friday, April 24
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SPRING FOOD DRIVE
Monday, April 27 - Friday, May 1
Please take a moment to recognize the gifts and abundance in our communities and help to support those in need by donating to our Spring Food Drive. We will be accepting donations on the porch of the administrative building Monday through Friday, any time between 8am - 3:30pm. Volunteers will also be needed to drop off donations at Family of New Paltz and St. Joseph's Church.
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SPRING CONCERT
Tuesday, April 28 @ Christ the King Church in New Paltz
Featuring the High School Ensemble, the Chamber Group and the 4th & 5th Grade Chorus
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8th GRADE PLAY: SLEEPING BEAUTY, BRIAR ROSE
Wednesday, April 29 & Thursday, April 30 @ Boughton Place
Evening performances open to all (Exact Time TBD)
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EARLY CHILDHOOD MAY DAY CELEBRATION
Wednesday, May 1
Morning Time TBD on the Lawn at 7 Innis
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GRADES 1-8 MAY DAY CELEBRATION
Wednesday, May 1
1:00 pm at Deyo House Lawn at Historic Huguenot Street
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OPEN PARENT MEETING
Friday, May 15
2:00 - 3:00 PM
2nd Floor at 7 Innis Avenue (enter at back of building)
All MLWS parents and caregivers are welcome to participate in a meeting designed by and for parents and caregivers. Email parentcouncil@mountainlaurel.org for more information.
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SPRING MUSIC SHARE
Friday, May 15
7:00 pm at New Paltz High School
Music is an integral and thriving part of the MLWS curriculum. Music Shares are special opportunities for students in 1st through 8th grade to share the music they’ve been working on in our school’s various ensembles, choirs and orchestras. Family and friends are welcome!
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MOUNTAIN LAUREL SPRING SWAP
Saturday, May 16
10:00 - 11:30 AM
Play Yard at 6 Elting
Exchange homemade, homegrown, and foraged creations. Register by April 15 to join the swap!
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5TH GRADE PENTATHALON
Thursday, May 21 - Friday, May 22
Saratoga Waldorf School
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NO SCHOOL - MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND
Friday, May 22 - Monday, May 25
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8th GRADE PRESENTATIONS
Thursday, May 28 @ Rosendale Theater
Evening event open to all (Exact Time TBD)
Our 8th Grade students will be showcasing a wide variety of interests and skills carefully honed over the course of the school year. The students are thrilled to share their personal accomplishments with our community. All are invited!
| | CLASSIFIEDS & COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS | | |
Regeneration Symposium
Join SUNY New Paltz for a daylong symposium on sustainability learning and action. Friday, April 10 on campus. Learn more.
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Rosendale Rental Available
5th grade family renting out beloved 4-bedroom, Rosendale home for the year to come. Please contact Edie at edie@edieart.com or call/text 917-600-7944.
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Submit your listing
To have your classifieds or community announcements listed in our next issue of The Laurel, please submit entries here by April 15th. Thank you!
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