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What joy to play in the fallen leaves!
Behind this autumnal scene of children playing is a lovely story about the community we are building here at Mountain Laurel: someone raked the leaves into a pile (thank you!), someone had the idea to jump in (what fun!) and someone invited their friends to play along (welcome!). Each day here at school offers opportunities for the shared work and shared joy that contribute to social renewal, one of the founding purposes of Waldorf education.
The Association of Waldorf Schools in North America (there are 160!) offers eight principles to guide our educational mission. The second principle speaks of social renewal as the cultivation of human capacities that serve both the individual and the larger society. We are educating children to become adults who can think clearly, feel deeply, act with purpose — and work with others.
In this month's newsletter, we’re highlighting four classes, each demonstrating strength of will, depth of feeling, clarity of thought, and the ability to work with others. Our first graders took their first field trip together and carefully chose apples, side by side. Our third graders spent a week at Hawthorne Valley Farm, many of them away from home for the first time, finding out what their own hands and hearts can do. Our fifth graders learned to build a fire from the ground up and took turns keeping it alive and each other warm. And our seventh graders stepped into the shoes of explorers, then stepped back out to consider the Indigenous peoples those journeys affected.
By spring, the piles of leaves around our campus will have become soil, quietly feeding whatever grows next. Social renewal works much like soil renewal: small acts of kindness and respect, repeated day after day, become the firm ground our children stand upon. Thank you for tending it with us.
| | WORDS FROM RUDOLF STEINER | | Joy in living, a love for all existence - such are among the life long results of a right cultivation of the feeling for beauty and for art. | | |
FIRST GRADE FROLICS AT THE APPLE ORCHARD
Ms. Lawson's first grade class took their very first field trip to Hurds Family Farm on a warm autumn day. A bumpy tractor ride carried them through the orchard to trees still heavy with fruit. Once free to roam the rows, the children took their job seriously, carefully choosing apples for their bags and sampling as they went. With bags overflowing, they played on the giant slide and obstacle course, then refueled with cider and donuts before more play. This first outing together marked their arrival as grades children. They headed home tired, happy, and carrying bags full of apples.
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THIRD GRADE BUILDS RESILIENCE ON THE FARM TRIP
The Third Grade Farm Trip supports the nine-year change, a developmental shift when children begin to see themselves as separate from the world around them. Pedagogically, farm work provides a grounding environment that channels their emerging independence into practical stewardship and an understanding of how effort aligns with nature to sustain life. For many students in Ms. Saint John’s third grade class, the week-long residency at Hawthorne Valley Farm was their first extended time away from home, making the journey an essential exercise in inner resilience, independence, and self-trust. Immersed in the rhythms of a working biodynamic farm, the students fed livestock, harvested vegetables for the dinners they made by hand, baked bread, and assisted in the dairy. Abstract lessons became tangible life skills, along with a lasting reverence for the natural world and for their own strength and capacities.
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FIFTH GRADE ADVENTURES IN THE CATSKILLS
Mr. Neel’s 5th grade class spent a memorable camping trip on the shore of North-South Lake, guided by Mountain Laurel alum and outdoor educator Zach Jones. The children learned to build a fire from the ground up. They gathered wood, struck flint to raise a flame, and took turns tending it. On hikes through the woods, they studied the insects and plants along the trail. From the ridge, they sketched the Hudson Valley spread out below, all set against the peak of the fall colors.
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SEVENTH GRADE EXPLORERS STEP INTO HISTORY
In Waldorf schools, the Age of Exploration arrives in 7th grade, just as students are setting out on journeys of their own: testing their independence, questioning what they’ve been told, and looking past the familiar horizon. This fall, Ms. Tomoko’s 7th graders each chose an explorer to research, from Hernán Cortés, Vasco da Gama, and Hernando de Soto to Isabella Bird and Helen Thayer. Their research looked closely at the impact each explorer had on the Indigenous peoples living in the lands they reached. Students then presented in character as their explorer. At the end, they stepped out of the role to share their own view of the person they had studied. It was a demanding exercise in seeing history from more than one side.
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THE HOBGOBLIN STRIKES AGAIN!
The kindergarteners spent October listening to stories about Witchamaroo the Pocket Witch and building a scarecrow of their very own. Then their big orange pumpkin went missing! After watching the Naughty Hobgoblin puppet show one Monday morning, the children were certain they knew who had taken it. The pumpkin was found at last and carved into a fairy house, with plenty of little pumpkins carved alongside it. By Halloween, the classroom was full of squeals of excitement.
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FROM NERUDA TO NOTEBOOKS: CREATIVE WRITING
Each week in the Creative Writing & Poetry Studio, part of our After School Programs, poet and educator Benjamin Goodman opens with a collaborative, improvised story game to loosen things up. The group then dives into the weekly readings and talks through what worked, what didn’t, what confused them, and what inspired them. So far they’ve read Ursula K. Le Guin, Pablo Neruda, Lucille Clifton, Li-Young Lee, and Jorge Luis Borges. Students then write their own stories and poems from each week’s prompt, and October brought some especially spooky ones. Along the way, they’ve been offering one another thoughtful, genuine feedback.
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EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AT MOUNTAIN LAUREL
Do you know someone who would love to be part of our school? We’re looking for:
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First Grade Class Teacher – A Waldorf-trained educator to welcome a new first grade in the 2027–2028 school year, with the invitation to carry the class all the way through eighth grade.
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Substitute Teachers – Reliable, caring professionals ready to keep the rhythm of the classroom steady when our teachers are away.
If someone comes to mind, please send them our way. Full details can be found on our website.
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THE WINTER FAIR NEEDS YOU!
The Winter Gift Making Fair on Sunday, December 6th is a parent-run day, and it comes together through the many hands of our families. Current families, please sign up for a shift. Whether you’re pouring cider, staffing a craft table, or helping set up, a shift is one of the warmest ways to be part of our community and to support the school.
Want to sell your handmade wares to our community? Apply to be a Vendor.
Student vendors also welcome!
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SHARE YOUR CULTURAL TRADITIONS WITH OUR COMMUNITY
If your family has cultural festivals and traditions that you would like to bring to school, please contact your child's class teacher and/or send an email to vie@mountainlaurel.org.
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GIVE NEW LIFE TO LOVED ITEMS
Donate your gently-used children’s and adult clothing, shoes, outdoor gear and select toys to support the Third Grade Farm Trip.
Drop off items from October 19 through November 6 during school hours behind Jaeckel Hall.
No household items, please.
Mountain Laurel’s Annual Clothing Sale will be on Sunday, November 8th, from 9am-2pm.
| | THE LAUREL PATCH - OUR ONLINE STORE | |
"On a late afternoon of lantern festival day, all the children and parents gather... We go out with the lit lanterns. The children are astonished when they see all the little lights burning..." ~Celebrating Festivals with Children
Share the beauty of the season with "Lantern Walk" and "Advent Spiral" greeting cards, featuring lovely chalkboard drawings from by Mountain Laurel teachers ($2.50 each). Explore these and many other Waldorf celebrations in Celebrating Festivals with Children ($19.00) and find inspiration for nurturing seasonal celebrations at home.
Explore this month's featured items in the display case outside the Reception Office in the Main Building, in the Admin Building at 7 Innis, and of course at The Laurel Patch, Mountain Laurel's online school store.
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Click here to peruse our Lost & Found!
Pictured items will be retained for 30 days from the published date, after which they will be donated.
Belongings pictured may be retrieved from the Administrative Building at 7 Innis. More recently lost items, not pictured here, may be found in the Lost & Found in the Reception Office in the Main Building. Email reception@mountainlaurel.org with questions for Krysten and Lydia.
| UPCOMING EVENTS
NOVEMBER & DECEMBER | | |
NO SCHOOL - PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES
Tueday, November 3
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DIA DE LOS MUERTOS
Wednesday, November 4
Dia De Los Muertos is holiday that reunites the living and dead. Families create ofrendas (offerings) to honor their family members that have passed. Students are invited to bring in photos to place on our school altar, decorated with bright yellow marigold flowers, candles, and photos of the departed.
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EMERGENCY EVACUATION DAY - BUSSED STUDENTS ONLY
Thursday, November 5
Bussed students will be dismissed 15 minutes early. For students residing in the districts of Kingston and New Paltz who are riding the bus home at the end of the day.
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ANNUAL CLOTHING SALE
Sunday, November 8
9:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Coordinated by the Third Grade (and supported by the entire school through our clothing donations), this event raises funds for the annual Third Grade Farm Trip to Hawthorne Valley Farm. This event is not to be missed, with great deals on gently-used clothing, outerwear and more. (Drop off donated items through Nov. 6 during school hours behind Jaeckel Hall.)
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BOOK CLUB - "ON THE WINGS OF WORDS"
Mondays, November 9 & 23 and December 7 & 21
3:30 PM - 4:45 PM
Please sign up if you would like to join!
This book is approachable and brings profound and practical insights by Steiner about how to meet and interact with others to address antisocial forces in the world. This text on social renewal focuses on further developing unselfish love and taking a greater interest, both in other people and the world around us.
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REHEARSAL FOR WINTER FAIR CAROLING
Mondays, November 9, 16, 23 & 30
3:30 - 4:30 PM
Led by Lisa Berry with support from Miss Lydia! Attendance at rehearsals is not required to sing at the Winter Fair. Recordings of the songs are provided so you can learn at home!
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NO SCHOOL - VETERANS DAY
Wednesday, November 11
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LANTERN WALK
Thursday, November 12
5:30 - 6:30 PM
Location will be provided to Nursery through 2nd Grade Families
In November, as the natural world darkens, the inner light of humanity wants to shine forth. During our annual Lantern Walk, this light appears as the flame enclosed in each child’s lantern. This seasonal event is for families with children in Nursery through Second Grade.
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FALL FOOD DRIVE - HOSTED BY PARENT COUNCIL
Monday, November 16 - Friday, November 20
Please take a moment to recognize the gifts and abundance in our communities and help to support those in need by donating to our Fall Food Drive. A list of suggested items will be sent home with your child with a paper bag. Feel free to fill it and bring it back during the drive. We will be accepting donations on the porch of the administrative building November 16-20, anytime between 8am and 3:30pm.
Volunteers needed: If you are able to lend a hand, please sign up to pick up donations at the school and deliver to select locations.
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TEA & PLAY: A WALDORF EARLY CHILDHOOD GATHERING
Tuesday, November 17
1:30pm
Curious about the Waldorf early childhood experience? Families with children ages 3–5 are warmly invited to an afternoon of tea, play, and conversation in our early childhood classrooms. Meet our teachers and see learning through play firsthand. Email admissions@mountainlaurel.org to register. Know a family who might love Mountain Laurel? Please pass this along!
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VIE - VOICES FOR INCLUSION & EQUITY GROUP
Tuesdays, November 17 and December 1 & 15
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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WORLD HERITAGE DAY PLANNING COMMITTEE
Wednesday, November 18
3:30-4:30 MLWS Sculpture Studio
This community-wide event of culture sharing is scheduled for April 18, 2027. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out! If you have ideas or would like to be involved, but can’t attend the meeting let us know as well! vie@mountainlaurel.org
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PARENT COUNCIL MEETING
Thursday, November 19
2:00 - 3:00 PM
2nd Floor at 7 Innis Avenue (enter at back of building)
All MLWS parents and caregivers are welcome to join a meeting designed by and for parents and caregivers. Come as you are, and bring your ideas, questions, or just yourself. Questions email parentcouncil@mountainlaurel.org.
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WORKSHARE
Tuesday, November 24
1:00 - 2:30 pm at Saint Joseph's Church, 34 S Chestnut St, New Paltz
Workshares are events that usually take place twice during each school year, just before Thanksgiving and on the last day of school in June. Parents, grandparents, and friends are welcome to come and watch the children in Grades 1 through 8 as they offer a sampling of what they have been working on.
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NO SCHOOL - THANKSGIVING BREAK
Wednesday, November 25 - Friday, November 27
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WINTER SPIRAL
Monday, November 30
Exact Times TBD
Jaeckel Hall
To the sound of soft music, and by the illumination of candles, each child walks a spiral path of evergreens, journeying toward an inner light to be brought out into the world.
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WINTER GIFT MAKING FAIR
Sunday, December 6
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
All are welcome!
Join us as Mountain Laurel's Main Building turns into a winter wonderland with food, crafts, puppets, artisanal vendors, music and cheer to delight the whole family. Admission is free and open to the public, so please invite family and friends. Learn more.
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OBERUFER SHEPHERDS PLAY
Thursday, December 10
6:30 PM in Jaeckel Hall
A gift from the MLWS staff to parents and children. A traditional peasant play handed down through oral tradition in the small, remote village of Oberufer, Austria, the Shepherd's Play takes the Christmas story from the point of view of the Shepherds in a unique, humorous and warm-hearted way. Performed since Medieval times by people around the world, it is an annual tradition at Waldorf Schools.
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SANTA LUCIA CELEBRATION
Monday, December 14
Santa Lucia – a Festival of Light in the Waldorf Calendar of Festivals – is celebrated on December 13, which was, under the Julian calendar, the Winter Solstice. In Waldorf schools, the Second Grade students have the privilege every year to lead the school in the celebration of Santa Lucia.
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PARENT COUNCIL MEETING - VIRTUAL
Tuesday, December 15
Noon - 1 PM
All MLWS parents and caregivers are welcome to join a meeting designed by and for parents and caregivers. Come as you are, and bring your ideas, questions, or just yourself. Zoom link will be added closer to the event.Questions email parentcouncil@mountainlaurel.org.
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WINTER MUSIC SHARE - ALL ARE WELCOME!
Friday, December 18
7:00 PM
New Paltz High School
Join us for an evening of music as every child in the grades takes the stage! Grades 1–3 sing and play together as a class. Grades 4–8 perform in our ensembles, choirs, and orchestras. There’s plenty of room, so bring family and friends.
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NO SCHOOL - WINTER RECESS
Monday, December 21 - Friday, January 1
| | CLASSIFIEDS & COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS | | |
The Games teachers are looking for lightly used pickleball paddles and yoga mats for use in class. If you have any to donate, please bring them to the Front Office.
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The Early Childhood program is seeking donations of chicken eggs. Please contact Lydia at administration@mountainlaurel.org to make arrangements.
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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 November 15th. Thank you!
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