Upcoming Important Dates
Back to School Nights (Via Zoom!)
Mon, August 17 at 5:30 pm: Grades 1-5
Tues, August 18 at 5:30 pm: Grades 7-8
Thurs, August 20 at 6:30 pm: Early Childhood
Saturday, August 22 at 9:00 am
Outdoor Beautification and Work Day
First Days of School:
Tues, August 25: Magnolia & Oak Early Childhood (5-day)
Thurs, August 27: Acorn Early Childhood (3-day)
Mon, August 31: Grades 1 to 8 (NOON DISMISSAL)
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Messenger At A Glance
Weekly Bulletin:
Preparing for On-Campus Instruction
Health Policy Updates:
- Quarantine Two Weeks Before School
- Temperature Checks
- Parents on Campus
- Masks Requirements
Classroom & Learning Space Updates:
- Inside Classroom Changes
- Outside Classroom Spaces
Getting Ready for Back-to-School
- At-Home Learning - Decisions due Aug 7th
- BigSIS and the RWS Parent Portal
- Virtual Back to School Nights
- Outdoor Work Day - Aug 22, 9 am-2 pm
- Aftercare Registration due Aug 17
- Volunteering with the PA
- PA Grant Survey - Safety & Outdoor Learning
- BigSIS Security Alert
Program & Pedagogical Announcements:
- At-Home Learning Program Overview
- Faculty Updates
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Preparing for On Campus Instruction |
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As we approach the start of the school year, we continue to monitor the impacts of COVID-19 and are planning for a very different type of school year. Unlike a "normal" year, many new policies and procedures are being implemented to ensure that we maintain the integrity of a Waldorf education while putting the safety and wellbeing of our staff, students, and community at the forefront of our decision making.
Richmond Waldorf School is planning to be open for on-campus learning, as long as Virginia remains in Phase III. Our Board of Trustees has affirmed this decision, and our administration, faculty, and staff have been planning extensively to safely reopen our doors, as well as contingency planning. We feel confident in RWS' ability to adapt to changing circumstances and prioritize the health and well-being of our community. We believe that with careful planning, small class sizes and overall small school population, we are well suited to return to campus.
It is likely that COVID-19 will continue to impact the Richmond Waldorf community for the foreseeable future. We will continue to keep you informed through email and through the website. We welcome your questions, your voice, and your ideas as we continue to navigate our return to learning.
We are using this week's Messenger to inform you of the latest updates. As always, please reach out with any questions.
Interim Director of Administration
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Health Policy Updates as of 7/29/20 |
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Quarantine and Physical Distancing in the Lead-up to School:
For the two weeks prior to the beginning of school, families are asked to diligently follow physical distancing.
If traveling to what is designated as a high-risk area by the CDC, students are asked to self-quarantine for two weeks before returning to school. We strongly encourage you to maintain physical distance, avoid travel, and monitor your and your child's symptoms. For the well being of the whole, we ask that if you or your student will be traveling in the two weeks before school, you report this to the Director of Administration.
Temperature Checks:
Students will have their temperature taken by a staff member before entering the building. This will take place in addition to daily symptom monitoring by parents and/or students at home. Anyone with a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher will not be able to enter the building. A doctor's note may be required to return to school.
Parents on Campus:
Parents will not be entering the building for pick up and/or drop off. We will be making other modifications to limit and control the flow of traffic into the building.
Mask Requirements:
Richmond Waldorf School has affirmed that for children over 3 years old, face coverings / masks will be worn at all times except for when eating and drinking.
If you have any questions, concerns, or would like to further discuss this, please contact Nancy Cross.
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Classroom and Learning Space Changes |
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Inside Classrooms:
We are so fortunate that our small school size is enabling us to continue to learn in person, with some changes of course. As we prepare for the year, class size capacities have been capped to account for social distancing in the classrooms. Classes are being measured to finalize maximum capacities, and desks will be spaced 6 feet apart.
We've also been creative with how we are using our space. Classroom assignments are being finalized, and a few changes will be made to ensure we are making the most of our largest spaces for our students.
Outside Classrooms and Learning Spaces:
Outdoor learning spaces have been identified for Grades 1 to 8, as well as in Early Childhood. A team of teachers, administration, and board members are working out space and schedule logistics for classes to be held outside throughout the year. We are excited about Waldorf's ease to transition to outside learning spaces and can't wait to see our plans become reality!
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Getting Ready for Back-to-School |
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At-Home Learning - Decisions due August 7th |
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This Friday, August 7th, is the due date to inform me of your request for At-Home Learning for your student. Once I receive your request, I will inform the teacher who will schedule a zoom meeting with parents and student, if age appropriate, and also Loretta Walker, Specialty Lead. This meeting is to gain understanding of the delivery and expectations for this model.
Should the parent wish to have the student back on campus, we ask that you give two weeks notice to the classroom teacher and myself. The two weeks will be time for the student to self quarantine before returning.
Please contact me with questions or email the class teacher with questions in helping to make your decision.
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BigSIS Student Information System & RWS Parent Portal |
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Returning families will recall that RWS now uses BigSIS for our Student Information System. This includes end-of-year reporting, attendance, and now this year, back to school forms! https://richmondwaldorf.bigsis.com/portal/
Additionally, the Parent Portal on our website is also a great resource for parents to access links at-a-glance, handbooks, and other useful information. You can go to https://richmondwaldorf.com/parents/ to take a look!
LaToya Good will be sending communication out soon to all families for how to update your student's forms in BigSIS. These will include:
- Emergency Contact Form (all students)
- Health Form & Immunization Records (For all new students. Returning students ages 2.5 to 6 must provide annual records.)
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Virtual Back to School Nights |
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We have decided that Back to School Nights will be held via Zoom this year. While we will miss seeing your faces and connecting in person, we feel this is the safest way to ensure we mitigate our exposure to COVID and ensure a healthy, successful start to the year.
Be sure to join us! There will be much to talk about and review. Class meetings will follow the full session. Save these dates and Zoom Call Link. The same link will be used each night.
Back to School Nights (Via Zoom!)
Mon, August 17 at 5:30: Grades 1-5
Tues, August 18 at 5:30 pm: Grades 7-8
Thurs, August 20 at 6:30: Early Childhood
Save this Zoom Call for all 3 meetings:
Topic: Back to School Nights
Time: Aug 17, 2020 05:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Aug 17, 2020 05:30 PM
Aug 18, 2020 05:30 PM
Aug 20, 2020 06:30 PM
Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Daily: https://us04web.zoom.us/meeting/upwpdeCorD0iG9E9OGQZPzawrHDhdZV_aAs1/ics?icsToken=98tyKu6gqjkjGtaTuBiCR7Y-BojoXfTzpiFHjfp4xTDCMhpjeALhJMpmOrZFJufR
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/78429026815?pwd=eWd4Qkx5VmxVVUhnUzFGNlhzTnd6dz09
Meeting ID: 784 2902 6815
Passcode: 4V3Y98
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Outdoor Beautification and Work Day - August 22, 9 am - 2 pm |
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Our annual back to school Beautification and Work Day will focus only on the outdoor areas this year. We will need help with mulch spreading, sand raking, moving picnic tables and outdoor furniture, sweeping, shrub cutting, weeding, etc.
Date: August 22, 2020
Time: 9:00 a.m - 2:00 p.m.
Tools: rakes, brooms, shovels, plant trimmers, clippers, wheelbarrows (please bring your own)
Provided: heavy duty bags for debris removal
Refreshments: Morning treats, lunch pizza, and bottled water
- Please maintain a minimum 6 foot distance from others
- Wear a mask when 6 foot distance cannot be maintained
- Childcare will not be offered so we ask that you leave please children at home for this workday
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Aftercare Registration for 2020-2021
Sign Up by August 17
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It's time for parents to register for Aftercare for the 2020-2021 school year. At this time, we are planning for Aftercare to run and making necessary adjustments to account for COVID-19 in our plans. As we move our planning along, we need to understand which of our parents will be using Aftercare on a regular basis.
For your child to participate in Aftercare at the start of school, you must complete your registration by Monday, August 17.
If you have questions about Aftercare procedures, please contact Alicia Robinson, Lead Aftercare Teacher, or Nancy Cross, Interim Director of Administration. Aftercare will be similar as years past. Contracted care is scheduled in advance and billed at $8 per hour. To sign up, you will need to download this Aftercare Registration Form, fill out your schedule requests and payment preference, and return to Alicia at arobinson@richmondwaldorf.com. Charges will be added to your TADS billing account or can be paid in full by 9/4/20. Drop In Care will still be available for $10 per hour with a 24-hour notice.
Let us know if you have any questions!
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Volunteer and Get Involved with the Parents Association |
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The start of a new year is a great time to consider how you can volunteer to help Richmond Waldorf School! Volunteering will be different this year, like everything, but there are many areas we need help in. Opportunities very from very minimal commitment to large responsibilities.
RWS encourages every family to complete at least 8 hours of volunteer work each year. This is a great way to get to know fellow parents and develop a deeper connection to your child's school.
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Parents Association Survey - Grant for Safety and Outdoor Learning |
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Hello from the Parent's Association!
As we can all agree, the safety of our community is our first priority. In this spirit, the leadership of the Parents Association is proposing to use funds raised from last year in the amount of $6,000 to facilitate outdoor learning and safety for the upcoming school year. We kindly request that you respond to this survey by Saturday, August 8 so we can expedite this initiative.
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Richmond Waldorf School takes the privacy and proper use of our community members' personal information very seriously. We are, therefore, bringing to your attention news of a security alert involving one of our third-party service providers. Please see letter from BigSIS Student Information System (SIS) regarding the incident.
For more information please contact:
President & CEO, BigSIS
303-459-4747 (direct)
844-4-BIGSIS (844-424-4747) x11
Interim Director of Administration
Richmond Waldorf School
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Programmatic & Pedadogical Announcements |
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2020-2021 At-Home Learning Program Overview |
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Please click below link for the 2020-2021 At-Home Learning Program Overview. If you have any questions feel free to contact Nancy Cross. We ask parents who know they will need at-home learning to notify us by August 7.
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Rae Whitlock, former Oak Class Lead, will move to a virtual position supporting teachers, families, and students in At-Home Learning.
Sue Edwards, former Oak and Acorn Assistant Teacher, will be remaining at home with her family for this school year. Sue will surely be missed and we wish her and her family well.
Cathryn Bump, former 2-day Early Childhood lead teacher, Grades teacher, and Handwork teacher, will take up the Oak Class Lead Teacher role. She will partner with Sarah Hayward, former Assistant Teacher in Acorn, Willow, and Magnolia classes and parent to Julian Hayward, current EC student.
Thank you to all of our Early Childhood faculty for your flexibility and willingness to adapt to these changes to serve our youngest community members.
on behalf of the Faculty College
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Who Can You Contact?
We want to hear from you if you have questions or want to talk, so here are some good people to reach out to.
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Nancy Cross, Interim Director of Administration
Dawn Pollard, College Chair
Valerie Hogan, Enrollment & Marketing
LaToya Good, Administrative Specialist
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Celebrating 100 Years of Waldorf Education
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