Education for the 21st Century
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Dear families,
A new, warmer season is almost upon us! We've become accustomed to snowy mountains in the distance, torrential rains and biting cold winds...truly a real winter for sunny SoCal. This is a busy month, with Re-Registration around the corner, Tea with the 12th Grade next week, Track and Field for 7th and 8th grade, and our big 30th Anniversary Gala coming in April! Make sure to get your early bird tickets by March 8th. We are welcoming auction item donations of all sizes and shapes- just bring them to the front office! Donation forms are available in the office and online.
Thank you to all who attended our Grades 6-8 Curriculum Night, and our other curriculum events this year. Our teachers greatly enjoyed sharing little slices of lessons they work so hard to prepare and share with our children each day. Experiential education is great for people of all ages!
Have a beautiful Friday, and thank you for reading!
Alyssa Hamilton
WSOC Communications Coordinator
(Pictured: Ms. Arieta and her kindergarten class taking a nature walk on a brisk February afternoon)
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Fri 3/1
5:00p - 9:00p • Foundation Studies
Mon 3/4
3:00p - 4:00p • Tea with the 12th Grade
6:00p - 7:30p • Grade 3 Ms. Peterson Parent Evening
Monday & Fridays starting 3/4
HS Boys' Basketball 3:15p - 4:45p (Grade 8 included)
Tue 3/5
6:30p - 9:00p • Foundation Studies
7:00p - 8:30p • Grade 12 Parent Meeting
Wed 3/6
7:00p - 8:30p • Grade 9 Parent Evening
7:00p - 8:00p • Ms. Catherine Parent Evening
Thu 3/7
6:00p - 8:00p • Grade 4 Parent Evening
Mon 3/11 - Fri 3/15 • WSOC Re-Registration Week
Wed 3/13
7:00p - 8:30p • 11th Grade Parent Meeting
Fri 3/15
5:00a - 4:00p • Track & Field Grades 7-8
Thu 3/21
9:00a - 2:00p • 6th, 7th and 8th Orchestra Music Festival
Fri 3/22
Playgroup Session 2 ends
5:00p - 9:00p • Foundation Studies
8:15a - 9:15a • with Board and College Members- bring your questions! Company of Angels.
Weekend lecture with Master Waldorf Teacher Michael D'Aleo
Fri 3/22
6:30p - 8:30p • Introduction to Living Thinking Lecture with Michael D'Aleo
Sat 3/23
9:00a - 4:00p
Mon 3/25
9:00a - 9:00a • Session 3 Playgroup Begins
Tue 3/26
6:30p - 9:00p • Foundation Studies
Thu 3/28
7:00p - 9:00p • High School Spring Concert in Meadows Hall
:
a beautiful display of our students' work - instrumentally and vocally - in the areas of: Choir, Piano Performance, String Ensemble, and Concert Band. All Waldorf community members are invited to attend, including family and friends!
Sat 3/30
10:00a - 11:30a • Playgroup Parent Meeting
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WSOC Gala & Auction: Early Bird tickets & donations
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Please support WSOC!
“Early Bird” tickets are on sale through March 8, 2019 for $120. They increase to $140 thereafter. Please get your tickets now and secure your seat for this wonderful event in support of our school! Go to
https://501auctions.com/wsocgala2019
for tickets.
The Gala Committee needs your help in securing items for our live and silent auctions. What we would love:
- Gift cards (premium dining, premium services, retail stores)
- Fine Wines
- Theatre Tickets
- Vacations (hotel or vacation stays, family destinations, both local and abroad)
- Exclusive experiences (sporting/outdoor events, amusement parks, concerts)
- Children & Toys (Waldorf-inspired toys, silks & clips, dolls, trains)
- Memorabilia
- State-of-the-Art Electronics
- Handcrafted Items/Artwork
If you are unable to provide a donation and would like to support the 30
th
Anniversary Gala, please consider attending or sponsoring the event.
WE GRATEFULLY REQUEST THAT ALL AUCTION ITEMS BE DONATED BY MARCH 22, 2019.
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From the Admissions Office
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Re-registration for the 2019-2020 school year will begin on Monday, March 11 and end on Friday, March 15. You will receive an email from TADS and will be asked to sign in to your account, pay registration fees and sign your tuition agreement for the 2019-2020 school year. Registration for outside applicants will take place immediately following, once we know if there are spaces remaining.
Please don't miss this deadline. The knowledge that we will begin in September with a confirmed number of students allows us to budget effectively and to be ready to bring your children this rich, full curriculum.
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WSOC welcomes Denise Ogawa to the Board
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We are thrilled to announce that WSOC alumni parent and former development director (2011-2015) Denise Ogawa has accepted a position on our Board of Trustees. Denise currently serves as Director of Planned Giving for CHOC Children's Foundation.
Her son Ben is "just weeks away" from earning his degree from UC Santa Cruz, School of Engineering, and her daughter Sam is a sophomore studying psychology at Point Loma Nazarene.
What inspired her to step onto the Board?
"Two reasons," she says. "I'm grateful, and I miss the community."
"Some of the coolest, most interesting and genuine people I've ever met were through WSOC," she says. "I believe the school attracts parents with the passion to do the best they can for their children, which is seldom easy. I find it inspiring to be around people who care so deeply. Although I originally came for my children, what I learned from being part of WSOC is inseparable from who I am now. It was an unexpected surprise bonus for which I will always be grateful.
The faculty and the education has made such an impression on my own kids, I find it impossible to imagine who they would be without Waldorf education. I suppose you could say it's woven into the very fabric of their being (and I'm not talking about knitting!). They are thriving academically, with a strong work ethic and drive to succeed, which of course is wonderful. But more priceless to me is that I have peace of mind in their ability to make decisions. Waldorf education allowed them to grow up with a solid sense of the individuals they were uniquely meant to be, and because they value and know who they are, they're able to make decisions from an authentic place that works for them.
I recall many times over the years that a WSOC teacher would observe something about my own child that was not visible to me, and those moments allowed me to be a better parent. How can I adequately thank someone for that? I'm honored to return to serve on the board and maybe, in some way, to support the important work of the faculty to help WSOC to advance its mission."
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Michael D'Aleo: An Introduction to Living Thinking
Friday, March 22, 6:30pm
Saturday, March 23, 9am
Meadows Hall
Pay online (both days only)
here
or at the door (both days or single days) via check or cash. Don't miss this special opportunity to learn from this Master Waldorf Teacher! Click
here
for more details.
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WSOC Choir Invitational with Westside Waldorf
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On Friday, February 8th, WSOC hosted our first ever Choral Fest and Invitational in Eurythmy Hall. 65 students plus faculty from Westside Waldorf School, Pacific Palisades, joined our grade 5/6
and 7/8 choirs for a morning of friendly competition, where each performance was rated by an “adjudicator,” a professional guest director.
Our 5/6 Choir offered a spiritual, “Didn’t It Rain;” the 7/8 Choir presented a beautiful a cappella piece and also our version of “Barbara Ann.” A special moment was when the Planet 911 Choir (comprised, in part, of members from both schools), joined
together to sing “What About Us” (part of Waldorf 100). After the morning’s performances, guests were treated to a delicious homemade soup luncheon provided by WSOC parents Kristen Krofina and Yasmine Mason and served by parent volunteers. Thank you to all of the parents who provided delicious sides as well!
The invitational culminated with a discussion about Black History Month, and our WSOC lower school students came to watch the two schools perform “Lift Every Voice” together.
It was a beautiful event and a treat to invite another Waldorf school to our campus. We are thankful to Rusty Vail for organizing, and look forward to doing another invitational next year.
“It is a sincere pleasure to see our students host another school with genuine interest and hospitality," said Grade 8 teacher Brooke Natzke. "These types of events showcase the very best values instilled through our education and community!”
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Are You Taking the Scrip Challenge?
Don't forget, the Scrip office is giving away $1,000 this school year to any class that meets the following:
- 100% participation with PrestoPay
- Each family per class: Five or more PrestoPay purchases, with a total of at least $500
It takes a community of amazing people to come together to make this happen for our classrooms. Thank you for stepping up for the benefit of all of our children.
If there are any families who would like some additional help to get started, please come by the Company of Angels and let us help you. It really is very easy and convenient.
If you have any questions or need any help we are here to help in the Company of Angels! See me any time during store hours Monday through Friday, 8am to 3:30pm.
Warmly,
Pam Lusk
Scrip Coordinator
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"Don't do nothing just because you can't do everything."
A year ago,
I spent months undercover
on the popular video-making app, Musical.ly. (It’s since been renamed. Nice try, but we see you hiding your lame-app self behind TikTok.) My commitment to using the app as an engrossed child, and not a mildly interested adult, led me on a distressing journey into a social network where kids as young as eight sexually objectify themselves. I found hundreds of self-harm videos. It only got worse from there.
Nearly every kid in my daughter’s fifth grade class was using Musical.ly to film themselves or each other. Parents insisted the app was harmless fun. (And it can be — initially.) I was prepared for my findings to be met with silence. No one will ever read this, I said to my husband as I published
the resulting article
, it’s way too long. Parents don’t have time to dive into this sewage. I went to bed that night acutely aware that I’d spent the last few months pushing a Sisyphean boulder up a mountain only to, probably, discover it sitting at the bottom again come morning.
Wow. Was I ever wrong. Not only did parents dive into the sewage with me, they continue to sort through it even now, bringing to light things I missed a year ago. The article has now been read and shared by over a million people across the globe. The lesson I learned? Don’t do nothing just because you can’t do everything.
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Five Things
High Schoolers Need to Know More than Computer Science
A
recent opinion piece
in the
New York Times
discussed how the College Board is pushing for students to focus on mastering “two codes” — computer science and the US Constitution — but are those truly the right areas of focus? In the article, columnist Thomas Friedman spoke with College Board President David Coleman and chief of global policy Stefanie Sanford about why the organization (which produces the PSAT, SAT, and SATII standardized tests and AP classes and exams) had chosen those two areas of focus. Although I agree in principle that these ‘two codes’ are useful, there are more than a few areas that, in my opinion, need to be addressed before computer science.
(Hint: emotional intelligence and life skills!)
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Elena Turner, WSOC Class of 2018
Current School: Reed College, Portland, OR
Elena Turner (pictured on the left, with visiting WSOC 11th grader Lily Lieberman)
"When I was applying to colleges, I was searching for a place that would allow me to have a similar classroom experience to Waldorf," she says. "I appreciated the intimate class settings at WSOC that allowed for powerful and personal discussions in class. Now at Reed College, I feel comfortable in the smaller classroom settings and I am confident in approaching my professors with any questions I may have due to the close relationships I formed with my teachers in high school.
"Additionally, I feel that the variety of subjects taught at Waldorf has given me the ability to approach topics presented in class from multiple lenses and consider differences in significance when viewing from another perspective. I felt very prepared academically in my transition to college, but it was a dramatic shift socially from the tight-knit classes and enduring friendships of WSOC to navigating new relationships with those around me at Reed. However, a month into my second semester, I feel much more connected to and supported by my new friends.I greatly value and cherish my Waldorf education as it allowed me to become confident in the gifts I can bring to both academic and social settings. Now, in college, I continue to be enthusiastic about learning and experiencing new things, exploring multiple points of view, and engaging with my professors and peers."
Reed College is a coeducational, independent liberal arts and sciences college. Referred to as one of the most intellectual colleges in the country, Reed is known for its high standards of scholarly practice, creative thinking, and engaged citizenship.
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Grade 11 Monologues: Perfectly Imperfect
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On February 15th, our WSOC 11th graders performed their Monologues to a packed house in Eurythmy Hall. Developmentally, the Grade 11 student is beginning a quest of self discovery, and one way we meet this curiosity is through the transformative art of drama. -- Gina Garrison, Monologue Teacher
I am incredibly grateful for the experience and process of monologues because it revealed so much to me. Through the process that I have never done or thought I would ever do, I have the validation that anything is possible with the right work and community. Through the laughter, tears, smiles, and hardship, this was an experience I will never forget and cherish forever.
– Cami Landreth
The entirety of this experience is transformational. It transforms absolutely every aspect of your physical, mental and emotional body, affecting not only the production process but the result of the monologue itself. I found this experience to be an extremely positive and grounding one. Creating this production has helped me realize interesting things about myself that I wouldn’t have otherwise known; I cannot wait to create more profound magic as a class.
– Sydney Severn
The process of writing my monologue was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Coming up with an idea seemed almost impossible, but with the help of my classmates and Ms. Garrison, I was able to transform a lack-luster idea I had at the beginning of the block into a fully produced monologue! I really appreciate how much this block took me out of my comfort zone in ways that I would never imagine and I am so happy at the feedback that we received after the show. It was truly an amazing experience and I will cherish the memory for years to come!
- Mathilde Collins
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Grade 4 Play: The Fate of Baldur
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"I chose
The Fate of Baldur
by Arthur Aueras because it heralds the end of the Norse gods' world (and by extension Grade 4 is the end of early childhood and now we are in the "Heart of Childhood." as Rudolf Steiner says). Baldur is beloved by all (when he is around the flowers grow and trees and rocks love him as do all the gods) is killed through trickery by the blood brother of Odin, Loki. The year starts with stories of Loki's fun tricks and ends with hearing about a death brought on by Loki guiding the hands of Hodur (the blind) with an arrow. He kills the most beloved Norse myth god of all: Baldur. Developmentally, after the nine-year change, the growing child now knows that he/she is separate from his/her parents. This story is a symbolic representation of this new phase of growing up."
- Ms. Emahiser, Grade 4 teacher
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Lunar New Year Celebration at WSOC
In China and in ethnic communities around the world, the lunar new year is the most important and most festive holiday of the year. Through centuries of China’s agrarian tradition, this was the one period when farmers could rest from their work in the fields. Family members from near and far would travel to be with loved ones in time to usher out the old year and welcome in the new, with great celebratory flourish. With a calendar dating from the third millennium BCE, the Chinese people have for thousands of years been building on ancient customs of New Year celebrations.
(Pictured: WSOC Grades 2 and 6 joined forces to celebrate The Year of the Pig by making Chinese dumplings with loving help from parent volunteer Ann Chen, Grade 4 made kites, and several classes performed at a Lunar New Year student assembly on February 5th)
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Grade 6 Medieval Games
On February 6th, Ms. Lorri's 6th grade class participated in the annual Medieval Games tournament at Journey School in Aliso Viejo.
"Six Waldorf schools from southern California met on a cool February morning at Journey. The students participated in jousting, archery, balance-beam combat, four way tug-of-war and, of course, highlighted by the mud pit finale. A fantastic day of chivalry and merriment." - Mr. Brad
Ancient Rome, with its law and order, engineering prowess, and mastery of the solid physical matter of the world, appeals to the sixth grader, who seeks for this concrete view of the world. Medieval history demonstrates how human beings were able to organize themselves in communities and make sense of the world as students explore the role of chivalry, guilds, and the social systems of the time. Medieval Games is an extension of this block of study with competition in jousting, archery and more.
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Mr. Troedson's Grade 1 received a Valentine's Day visit, complete with Waldorf T-shirts and other goodies, from their 8th Grade Buddies on Friday, February 14.
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Curriculum Night: Highlighting Grades 6-8
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Our latest Curriculum Night focused on Grades 6-8, and parents got to dive into chemistry experiments, split logs and begin a wooden bowl, experience a mini Eurythmy class, a Spanish lesson and Revolutions history class.
Waldorf education supports the emerging adolescent during the often turbulent middle school years. The curriculum grounds middle school students and prepares them to face the challenges ahead. They develop the capacity to be complex thinkers, problem solvers and also compassionate people. These are qualities that are essential for success in today's world.
"If a child can do advanced math, speak three languages, or receive top grades, but can't manage their emotions, practice conflict resolution, or handle stress, none of that other stuff is really going to matter."
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Grade 3 Building Projects
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Ms. Peterson's Grade 3 students recently fashioned creative, innovative building structures ranging from a shoe house to an Airstream trailer made of foil. The projects are part of the Grade 3 Practical Life and House Building Block.
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Community News & Announcements
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After School Tutoring Available Now!
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Members of our High School National Honor Society, headed by Christian Trinh-Tran, have started an after school tutoring club.
Mondays and Tuesdays
3pm - 4:30pm
Juniper Room, WSOC HS
One-on-one-tutoring/homework help is open to all grades in the following subjects:
- Math
- English
- Spanish
- Science
- History
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Waldorf 100, Part 2:
"Learn to Change the World: Encounter, Engagement, Inclusion"
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Click to see and hear students and teachers from Waldorf schools around the world talking about today's children, the challenges and rewards of education, and how we encounter each other, engage, and include each other in relationships and in community.
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WSOC Spirt Wear Available Now!
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We are so pleased to announce our new line of WSOC Spirit Wear! Visit
http://wsoc.logosoftwear.com
and choose from over 50 unique items, from clothing to bags and more! For men, women, teens, children and toddlers. And the quality is AMAZING- soft and cozy and long lasting.
15% of proceeds support our WSOC 8th Grade fundraising efforts for their end of year adventure together.
Support your school & show your spirit...order today!
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WSOC Students Perform at Pre-Oscar Gala
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On Wednesday, February 20, WSOC students participated in the Waldorf 100 orchestra and choir, which performed for the Hollywood community, political leaders and eco-luminaries at a Pre-Oscar Gala at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills to benefit Global Green, an environmental organization fostering a sustainable and secure future for the planet, with a focus on climate change.
Hundreds of celebrities turned out for the event, where WSOC students performed with Westside Waldorf School and Compton Kidz Club to open the event, performing such hits as “I’ll Fight” by Diane Warren, who was in the audience and complimented the rendition.
Waldorf had an information table at the event, which was shared with WSOC 12
th
Grade activist Pia Cano. Pia was raising funds and awareness for the Waldorf School on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, one of the poorest indigenous communities in the country. Thank you to everyone who made this opportunity possible for all of our students.
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Working Together in Community: The Heart of Collaboration
Whidbey Island, WA, July 7-12, and
Alkion Center, Hawthorne Valley, NY, July 16-21
New participants welcome in either week.
Deadline for registration May 1
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Pick Up Basketball Fun with high school, alums and parents
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Looking for a fun way to stay in shape? Plus build some community spirit? Come join us for pick-up basketball Saturdays from 10 to noon. High school, alums and parents are invited. For questions contact Joe DeMichele (
[email protected]
or Hugh Brennan (
[email protected]
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C
lick
here
for WSOC College of Teachers, Board Members, Administrative Rotation and Ombudsmen
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Waldorf School of Orange County
2350 Canyon Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92627-3948
(949) 574-7775
wwww.waldorfschool.com
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