Education for the 21st Century |
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Dear families,
We have an action-packed month coming up! Our high school open house takes place Nov. 12. Our grade 8 students are selling holiday greens to support their upcoming 8th Grade Trip, and Baba the Storyteller is coming for a special all-community performance on Wed., Oct. 27. Company of Angels is hosting a pop up on Oct. 20 and our Friday craft group is growing weekly! Please scroll down to learn more about these and other upcoming events.
Happy Monday, everyone!
Warmly,
Alyssa Hamilton
Communications Coordinator
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Supporting Your Adolescent's Developmental and Academic Journey
The Waldorf high school curriculum reflects awareness of the developmental journey of adolescents and their quest for identity, independence, and purpose. Each year, our students study themes that resonate with their individual growth; each year's focus building on previous years. With a curriculum designed around students' developing consciousness, we feed and balance their intellectual, social, physical, and spiritual growth.
The high school journey is not just a preparation for college; it's a crucial time to nurture and fortify the adults that will soon emerge from this deeply formative period. We focus on building a resilient inner core that will serve our students long past adolescence. Join us to learn more!
Thursday, Nov 11
WSOC Grade 8 - High School Visit Day
(8:15 am - 3:15 pm, no sign up required)
Friday, Nov. 12, 9 - 11:30 am
Walk Through the High School for our community
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Early Childhood Admissions Events |
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If you are a parent in Playgroup, Bridge or Nursery Classes, these events are for you! The transition into Pre-Kindergarten is an exciting one. Join us to learn more about the Waldorf journey and the beginnings of this rich curriculum. Now is the time to attend these events in advance of the January application deadline.
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Our CIF volleyball team is on fire this season! "These young women came into this season without much experience but with a great attitude," said head coach Chad Weiss. "Through their learning mindset, their desire to develop and their commitment to collaborating with each other and their coaches, every one of them has really earned all of the success they are having. We are so happy to see the enthusiasm the players, families and classmates have for the team, and really excited that they’ll get a chance to carry that into the playoffs. Go Wildcats!" |
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When in Rome...Mr. Storm's Grade 6 students practiced Roman marches on the blacktop as they studied ancient Rome in Main Lesson. |
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Craft Group parents and friends completed gorgeous felted pumpkins with tiny little mouse friends inside. Join us every Friday! |
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Our Kindergarten classes both recently walked to "train park" (where the mini train adjacent to the nature preserve runs) and took a moment to greet drivers as they passed under the bridge. We are so blessed to be next to the gorgeous Talbert Nature Preserve with its glorious open space! |
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On Friday, Oct. 15, grade 9 partnered with Project Hope Alliance to created "Boxes of Hope" filled with Halloween goodies, toiletries, pumpkin carving kits and more to gift children and teens experiencing homelessness in the Orange County area. Project Hope Alliance deploys a long-term, onsite intervention model for children and youth experiencing homelessness who face obstacles that prevent them from accessing resources, being a kid, and achieving educational and life goals.
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Please follow us on Instagram and Facebook to enjoy photos and excerpts of what your students are learning and participating in here at WSOC. Click here for easy Social Media links. Like our posts, comment and share! By doing so, you help to introduce our beautiful school to new friends.
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Baba the Storyteller - Family Performance |
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Click on the image above to RSVP for this special event! |
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FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
Kim McGovern, Business Manager
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Kim McGovern most recently worked at Brethren Christian School, where she was leading the school through a financial review for their accreditation. She was formerly the Human Resources Manager at First Christian Church and schools for six years and brings many years of HR and business management skills. Kim is a graduate of UC Davis, and holds a Certificate of Continuing Education. She has two children who attended Playgroup at WSOC years ago and her nephew is currently a student in our high school.
Tell us about your original connection to WSOC.
Just over 20 years ago, I joined the playgroup program here at WSOC with my children Abigail and Benjamin. We attended for 3 glorious years! What I noticed right away was the response my children had to attending the playgroup. They loved running around with the chickens, playing in the mud, making a snack with their friends, and listening to stories. More often than not, they would fall asleep on the drive home. This was a very different experience from other age-related activities we were attending in the community. We attended classes that were fun and high energy, but on the drive home, my children were often cranky, and still full of energy. Right away I knew there was something special about the playgroup at WSOC. What an amazing way to start my parenting journey.
What intrigues you most about Waldorf education?
What intrigues me most about Waldorf education is Eurythmy. What a beautiful, artistic expression for student life. I value the idea that Eurythmy provides students with a sensitivity to where they are and to where other students are in a space. Self awareness is a powerful tool for healthy relationships in life.
Describe a typical day on the job.
Ha! Is this a trick question? It has been my experience working in education that no two days are the same, and as the day evolves you should be ready for just about anything! I typically start the day with coffee which is very good here in the Admin trailer! Then, I start working through the emails that have come in overnight. Checking in with my team everyday is a high priority for me. I work with some spectacular colleagues, and enjoy spending time to connect and see how we can help each other do the very best job for the school. The only other typical event is saying hi to the goats that reside just outside my office window. What a treat to hear them talking to the students.
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BELONGING AT WSOC
Kristen Kuczenski
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Welcome to our new column! Here you’ll find monthly features and updates on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion work at WSOC.
Our staff DEI committee, a mandate group working with support from the College of Teachers, has met twice so far this fall; the first meeting was to reconnect and the second was to identify specific strategic priorities for the year.
We quickly realized at our first meeting that in order to invite possibilities for deeper conversation, we’d need to find fresh language with which to meet one another. Words are so powerful and necessary, yet often slippery and imprecise. Where, on a deeper level, were we really wanting to start? Our questioning led us, of course, to another question, but one that felt closer to the heart of the matter.
What does it really mean to feel welcome?
Notice I didn’t say what does it mean to be welcome, but rather what does it mean to feel it. Belonging, as an ideal, means that we hold the intention for each of our students and community members to experience an embodied sense of knowing that they are welcome here. To what extent does this ideal resonate through the lived realities of our days? No one can generalize on behalf of all other experiences here; each perspective sheds light on the totality of the whole. So we proceed not by answering our own question but rather by making space in which to begin the conversation.
Our strategic priorities for the year aim to support this space with a phenomenological, non-ideological approach grounded in perpetual process. Community building begins by co-creating a shared space and vocabulary with which to facilitate better listening. Communication means prioritizing accountability and follow through, and this newsletter column will serve as one small piece of that by featuring monthly updates on both our work and other pertinent happenings. Collaboration means listening, first and foremost, and through that listening refining and growing the space of our collective striving. On that note, we will be hosting our first DEI Parent Conversation on Monday, November 8 at 6pm in Meadows Hall. All are welcome.
These are the intentions we hold to get things started. Now we humbly invite your partnership in beginning the real work to, in the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., “Be true to what [we] said on paper.”
Kristen Kuczenski
DEI Chair, 2021-2022
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Community News & Announcements |
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Click here for Color Catalog
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Special POP-UP SALE at Company
of Angels
This Wednesday, October 20, 9am - 3pm
Join us at the Company of Angels this Wednesday to share pure, organic, ceremonial-grade matcha and learn about how it is made. Kentaro Chiba, WSOC parent and creator of Chafinity, has a vision to "create exceptional experiences through the healing power of organic matcha." "Zen is an essence of wisdom that innately exists within us. The Way of Zen connects to The Way of Tea, influences The Way of Life. Our sincere hope is for you to find your own center and way of being that Japanese culture teaches us, and support you on your authentic journey toward your Highest Self." Their organic tea and matcha comes all the way from Kagoshima, Japan. WSOC parent Denise Santulli will have a beautiful display of hand-made, zen-inspired jewelry to enjoy and bring home with you. Her color palette will draw you in and inspire.
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Orange County Oil Spill
Nearly 144,000 gallons of oil spewed from a pipeline approximately 4 miles off the coast of Southern California near an offshore drilling platform on Saturday, October 2nd. This 17-mile wide oil slick is devastating birds, fish, wildlife and humans. Our local Talbert Marsh, a wetlands habitat for at least 90 bird species, is one of the affected areas.
With our beautiful local beaches affected by an oil spill, students are asking, "What can I do?" The public’s help with the cleanup is still needed, the city of Huntington Beach said on Instagram. “Right now the wildlife rescue teams are in dire need of donations,” the city stated; it directed donors to drop off supplies at the Bolsa Chica Conservancy in Huntington Beach or the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach. Grease-cutting dish soap and gloves are some of the top requested donations from organizations.
Volunteer Sign Up -
Volunteer Brochure -
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Mon 10/18 - Fri 10/22 • HS Grade 9 Geology Field Trip
Mon 10/18, 6:00p - 9:00p • Board Meeting
Wed 10/20, 7:00p - 8:30p • Early Childhood information Evening
Wed 10/20, 9:00a Experience Zen Pop Up at Company of Angels
Thu 10/21, 11:30a - 12:30p • Parent Enrichment for Early Years
Sat 10/23, 9:00a - 10:30a • Morning in the Kindergarten
Thu 10/28, 11:30a - 12:30p • Parent Enrichment for Early Years
Fri 10/29 Halloween celebrated on campus
Sun 10/31 • Halloween
Adult Education (Foundation Studies- visit our website for more)
Fri 10/22, 5:00p - 9:00p • Adult Education Program Grades (Foundation Studies: 7pm-9pm)
Sat 10/23, 8:30a - 4:30p • Adult Education Program (all)
Tue 10/26, 6:30p - 9:00p • Adult Education Program (Foundation Studies: 7:30pm - 9pm)
PARENT HANDBOOKS
AFTERCARE
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Strings Teacher Jessica Haddy performs at Pearson Park Amphitheatre |
WSOC strings teacher Jessica Haddy performed at Pearson Park Amphitheatre in Anaheim
on Sunday, Oct. 3. She performed Beethoven, Romance No. 2 in F Major for Violin and Orchestra. Said Waldorf grandparent and community member Gaby Hass, "It was so lovely meeting Jessica Haddy at Pearson Park. I thoroughly enjoyed the concert on that lovely, balmy evening. Welcome to the Waldorf community, Jessica!"
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Waldorf Alum Trains SpaceX Inspiration4 Crew
Shining Mountain Waldorf School alum, Sarah Gillis, has been the primary trainer for the crew of the Inspiration4 flight for SpaceX, which launched on Wednesday, September 15 at 8:02 p.m. The Inspiration4 mission was the world's first...
Read more
www.waldorfeducation.org
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Waldorf Alum Panel: Thriving in the Visual and...
Waldorf alums came together as panelists to share their insights on working and finding professional and personal success in the visual and performing arts. We heard from experienced alums as they shared their ups and downs, joys and successes,...
Read more
www.waldorfeducation.org
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Waldorf Alum Turns Senior Project into Successful Nonprofit
Chicago Waldorf School alum, Ashlynn Boyce, has turned her senior project into a thriving non profit animal rescue. Her organization has saved 414 kittens, puppies, cats and dogs by placing them in foster or forever homes. Ashlynn created her...
Read more
www.waldorfeducation.org
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Click here for WSOC College of Teachers, Board Members and Administrative Rotation
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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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