April 15, 2020









Upcoming Important Dates

Friday, April 24
Virtual Friday Gathering - 9:00 a.m.

Thursday, April 23
Friday, April 24
Monday, April 27
Tuesday, April 28
Parent-Teacher Conferences

Monday, May 4
Re-enrollment Deadline
All updates and email communications related to COVID-19 will be posted at RichmondWaldorf.com/covid-19-information
Messenger At A Glance
Weekly Bulletin:
  • Parent-Teacher Conferences
  • Video Conferencing and Your Security
Administrative Announcements:
  • Enroll and Help Us Plan for Next Year
  • The Sun Fund
  • Finance Committee News
Community Bulletin:
  • Virtual Friday Gathering, April 17, 9 a.m.
  • CARES Act - Unemployment Resources
Weekly Bulletin
Parent-Teacher Conferences - April 23, 24, 27, 28
RWS will hold Parent Teacher Conferences on Thursday April 23, Friday April 24, Monday April 27, Tuesday April 28 for Grades 1 to 8, and the Magnolia, Oak, Acorn, and Willow Early Childhood classes.

Parent-Teacher conferences are designed to strengthen the parent-teacher relationship and their ability to work together for the benefit of the child, to share teacher evaluation of the child, and to set goals for the child's further progress. We encourage every family to make time for this important reflection of your child.

Conferences:
We hope every family will talk with their child's Class Teacher. If your schedule is not conducive to our schedule, please contact your teacher directly to find an alternate time.

Parents in Grades 1 to 8 are also encouraged to schedule a meeting with Specialist Teachers in Music, Strings, Spanish, Russian, Movement, or Algebra (Grade 8 only). You can sign up for these meetings on the below link as well.

If you have questions or need additional support, please contact your child's Class Teacher.
Video Conferencing and Your Security
We have been following recent news about Zoom and other video conferencing platforms to ensure that our community's safety and well being are at the forefront. We have consulted with other private schools accredited through SAIS as well as our IT consultants, and will continue to use Zoom for our distance learning and to stay connected. We encourage parents to be sure you have the latest software versions and follow prompts to update when asked. Passwords are encouraged to be used when setting up meetings as well as adjusting personal security settings.

If you have any questions please reach out to Nancy Cross .
Administrative Announcements
Enroll and Help Us Plan for Next Year
We are asking parents to complete the enrollment portion of TADS by May 4 so that we can prepare a realistic budget and prepare for next school year. Tight on cash right now? Your $200 enrollment fee can be deferred by emailing me to request that change! 

If you cannot complete the tuition agreement yet because you are going through a TA appeal process or requesting COVID relief, you can still complete the enrollment portion in TADS to give us a headcount and your intention to enroll. Reach out to me for any support or with questions. 

Marketing & Enrollment Coordinator 
The Sun Fund: Helping Our Community in a Time of Need
The Sun Fund is a newly created initiative to support the Richmond Waldorf School community during COVID-19 and specifically, to provide emergency tuition assistance for our families for school tuition payments in the current or next school year. We need each other now more than ever before. Many families in our community are suffering, and RWS is committed to helping families in financial crisis due to COVID-19 to continue their Waldorf education!

That’s where the Sun Fund comes in . Help a family, help our school, help our community. This is our chance to come together in this time of great need to ensure that our children continue to be empowered by this amazing Waldorf education. 

Read more at https://richmondwaldorf.com/the-sun-fund/ and if you are able, please consider making a donation to the Sun Fund in support of our fellow community members. 
Finance Committee News
We are pleased to announce that RWS applied for and received approval, last week, for the new PPP (Payroll Protection Program) loan for operating expenses. Thanks goes to Kim Washburn as she led this effort, getting all 24 documents together and submitted during this hectic time of many other small businesses also applying.

Again, we need your help to prepare a realistic 2020-2021 Budget. Enrollment is critical to all calculations.  
Please re-enroll by May 4, 2020.

Interim Director of Administration
Community Bulletin
Join us for Friday Gathering again this Friday, April 17 at 9:00 a.m. 
We will be using Zoom again this Friday for our next Friday Gathering. Please see Meeting ID and Password below.
Hope to see you there!
Meeting ID: 797 3906 8554
Password: 5ewMh4
CARES Act Unemployment