Photo credit: Jennifer Robinson

From Barb Bancroft, High School Art Department Chair & Art Teacher

ARCHITECTURE – What’s the point?

We humans have answered the primary needs for shelter, ritual, and community in many ways over the centuries. In its explicit language of form, the developing narrative of architecture paints a picture of our human awareness in broad strokes, revealing not only our conscious strivings but also, magnificently, what we took for granted. That is the real prize: the collective intuitions that informed the efforts of peoples unknown to one another throughout time and all over the world. How can this be, and how can we discern it? 

As the ancient Greeks knew, all education is self-education. First we learn to observe objectively, and thereby to separate ourselves from our own assumptions. Then we learn to reflect – to hold the mental image next to all that we have learned and distilled into concepts. We look for patterns, for thematic recapitulations that test our hypotheses. Eventually (and with a little help) a story line fleshes itself out. In such a journey, the final destinations depend upon the setting of one’s compass. My work with the seniors in the History Through Architecture block was to build an appreciation of humanity’s evolution imbued with meaning and collective, over-arching intent. Because learning to discern meaning in chaos is empowering, and it brings joy and love for the world. A teacher’s job.



Part of this block was given to looking within. The students had the task of designing a 150 square foot structure that supported an activity central to their motivating purpose or identity. Most had never conceived of space in architectural terms – plan, elevation, and section – so there was a lot to learn in very little time (3 weeks!). I hope you will see how they rose to this occasion, pouring themselves into their efforts, despite the many basketball games, obligations, and other coursework that claimed their evenings! Once again, I felt so lucky to work alongside these amazing young people. They are among the most generous folks I know!

Applications for 2024-2025 Due Friday, Jan 19

Do you have another child who isn't at WWS yet, but you'd like them to be here next year? Or perhaps you have a neighbor, friend or family member who would love WWS? 

Applications for the 2024-2025 school year are due on Jan 19. Please contact Torie and Drew in the enrollment office with any questions.

Please note that returning families do not need to reapply for currently enrolled students.

Summer camp registration is coming next week!

We are finalizing details for our 2024 summer camp offerings and are excited to be planning a variety of camps for a wide range of ages. Camps will run in week long sessions from June 17-July 19.

Registration will open by Friday, Jan 26 - stay tuned!

January

19/ Friday

• 2024-2025 Applications Due (see above)
• **G6 Circus Performance moved to Thurs, Feb 1**

20/ Saturday

• WiW Parent/Guardian Meeting, 9am

22/ Monday

• Sunflowers Parent/Guardian Meeting, 7pm

23/ Tuesday

• Trustees Council Meet & Greet, 6pm (see below)
• Trustees Council Meeting, 7pm

24/ Wednesday

• *New* Whole School Tour for Prospective Families, 9am

30/ Tuesday

• G1 Parent/Guardian Meeting, 7pm

View the Calendar of School Days for the 2023-2024 School Year

Join us for a home game in the John & Mary Brauer Gym!

Check the wws website calendar for upcoming games. Home games are marked as "@WWS."

Note that the sports calendars are hidden by default. To view, select a team calendar listed at the top.

Trustees Council Meet & Greet

Tuesday, Jan 23 at 6pm in the WWS Library

Ahead of the first Trustees Council Meeting of 2024, the TC is hosting a casual meet and greet to get to know the TC in the school library. Snacks and drinks will be served! The first hour of the 7pm meeting is also open to the community.

Appreciating the World, the Earth, and All People: Deepening Our Relationship with the Six Nations’ Thanksgiving Address

Wednesday, Jan 24 from 7-8:30pm

Online

At last year’s WECAN Early Childood Conference, Otsistohkwí:yo of the Everlasting Tree School spoke the Thanksgiving Address of the Haudenosaunee, based on the belief that the world cannot be taken for granted, and that a spiritual communication of thankfulness and acknowledgment of all living things is needed to align our minds and hearts. Our work with young children supports this inclusive appreciation. Otsistohkwy:io and Wahsontiio, members of the Everlasting Tree community, will join us for this session.

This event will be guided and facilitated by our WECAN I.D.E.A. Coordinators, Lynn Turner (former WWS Faculty), and Leslie Wetzonis Woolverton.

Sliding scale donation $5-100. Pre-registration is required.

To register contact [email protected]

Mental Health Panel: Supporting Balance

Tuesday, Jan 30 from 7-8:30pm

The Parents Council of Washington invites you to a panel discussion with psychologists and school counselors. The panelists will discuss finding balance in our achievement-focused society and ways parents and caregivers can partner with schools to enhance a culture of balance for their students. A question and answer period from the audience will follow the panel discussion.

This event will take place in person at The Lab School of Washington Performing Arts Center, 4759 Reservoir Road, NW, Washington, DC 20007

Learn More & Register

Do you have a student athlete at WWS?

Does your little hawk dream of playing in the new gym?

Join the WWS Red-Tailed Hawks Athletic Booster Club to boost school pride!

Our school strives to meet the needs of our students. We believe that athletics play a significant role in the healthy development of our children through competition and teamwork, cheering each other on, and hard work and dedication to achieving goals.

What is the booster club? The purpose of the WWS Red-Tailed Hawks Booster Club is to provide WWS student athletes and their fans with the best possible sports experience.

The Booster Club is a 100% volunteer organization comprised of parents, guardians, alums, coaches, teachers, school personnel, and community members.

The Boosters support all school sports programs through planning, promotion, coordination, and fundraising.

Our primary objectives are:

• Maintaining and improving the school’s athletic facilities, uniforms, and equipment
• Supporting and recognizing the efforts of our teams, coaches, and athletes
• Increasing community awareness of WWS athletics and events
• Providing additional funding for sports programs not covered by the school

Our fundraising efforts include WWS all-school activities, snack bar sales, spirit wear sales, and other community activities.

What can you do? Join us and get involved! 

Membership is only $50 per year per family. Your membership fee gives you access to exclusive Booster Club events and giveaways. We need new and fresh ideas and volunteers to implement them. Monthly meeting dates and times will be posted in the Weekly Bulletin and in the Events Calendar. All members and prospective members are welcome to attend. Please join online or email the Booster Club ([email protected]) for more information. Go Hawks!

If you are a current family - first, check ParentSquare for posts from your teachers, departments (Children's Garden, Lower School, High School), and the administration.

If you cannot find the information you are looking for on ParentSquare, please email your department coordinator/administrator or our Operations Manager:

• Children's Garden Coordinator - Cecilia Berg-Benson
• Lower School Chair - Janet Dunwoody
• High School Administrator - Bonnie McClelland
• Operations Manager - Laur Garner

Building Bridges Program - Coming to the Baltimore/DC Area in March

We are delighted to announce the start of our Building Bridges Program in the Baltimore/DC region starting on March 9, 2024! Building Bridges sessions are designed as engaging and inspiring in-person learning experiences consisting of a series of workshops designed to introduce the anthroposophical foundations of Waldorf education through study, group discussion, and the practice of the arts. With in-person long weekends, supplemented with some virtual learning, participants in Building Bridges will earn the equivalent of the first semester of teacher education, and upon subsequent entry in Antioch University can be awarded 7 graduate credits in advance standing.

Who should consider Building Bridges?

1. Part-time teachers already in a Waldorf school who might want to move towards full-time work as class teachers, subject teachers, or a high school training through CfA.
2. Parents in area Waldorf schools who are considering Waldorf teaching and see BB as a “try us out” opportunity.
3. Public school teachers looking to make a career change.

Participants need to have completed our Explorations (formerly Foundation Studies) Program or demonstrate equivalency through life experience and/or willingness to do the online courses simultaneously with the face-to-face BB courses. Tuition and schedules are on the website. We offer group discounts for three or more from one school.

Learn More & Register

Service Opportunity In Georgetown

From Jennifer Page, Alum Parent & Former Faculty

I am sharing a service opportunity open to adults and HS students. It's cooking/hosting/serving a meal for unhoused friends in Georgetown run through the Georgetown Ministry Center which works with the homeless population in the Georgetown/GW area (I’m on the Board). The dinners will be served in the big activity room at St. John's Episcopal Church in Georgetown, but the dinners are not religious activities.

Dates: weekdays February 5-23 4-6pm with setup beginning at 3pm. 

If HS students are interested, I will commit to meeting with them ahead of time and being present with them on the evening they choose to serve.

Learn More & Sign Up

Best to everyone!

Jennifer

Acupuncture and Massage in Arlington, VA

From Tova Steiner, Alum Parent

Hello! My name is Tova Steiner, mother of former WWS student Molly Bishop. I am a licensed acupuncturist and massage therapist. If you are looking for an integrative way to approach a health concern, acupuncture and massage are wonderful complements to other health approaches. Acupuncture can be an effective treatment for acute and chronic pain, stress, anxiety, and other emotional concerns, hormonal and reproductive issues, and many other conditions. I would love to help you address any health concerns you might have. I am located in the Old Dominion neighborhood of Arlington.

You can contact me with questions about my services or take a look at my website www.innerpasswellness.com

Introduction to Anthroposophically-extended Ortho-Bionomy

Lecture & Demonstration with Miranda Monkhorst-Prenger

From Miranda Monkhorst-Prenger, Grade 7 Parent

Sunday, 21 January, 12.30-2pm at the Christian Community 

4221 Metzerott Road College Park, MD 20740

OPEN TO ALL

Presenter Miranda Monkhorst-Prenger has worked in the healing arts as a researcher, practitioner and educator for 40 years. She was introduced to Anthroposophy at a young age and she maintains a family Ortho-Bionomy® practice in Florida since 1996. She is an adept herbalist and educates others in food medicine and movement arts. Miranda has worked in Waldorf education, including teacher education, for 14 years. She draws upon her life experience and lifelong search for truth in all her sharings.

Miranda asks fundamental questions: What is the true nature of the human body? Why does it fall ill? How does it heal? These questions have turned in her since she was 10 years old. She has come to realize that Anthroposophically-extended Ortho-Bionomy is a lens through which we may catch clear glimpses of the mysteries of self-healing and thereby renew faith in our trustworthy human frame. In this experiential lecture and demonstration, Miranda hopes to share with you an understanding of the nature of our self-healing capacities and our capacities to heal others, focusing on the Hand. 

Donations are welcomed.

Hosted by the Christian Community of Washington-Baltimore.

All are warmly invited to attend the lecture and demonstration. Please consider participating in an open discussion about developing an Anthroposophic Healing Arts Network in our region 2-2:30pm.

Further info:  [email protected]  [email protected]

The Sword, The Pen, and The Arrow

Spacial Dynamics Summer Program Ages 11-16

From Judith Graff, Faculty & Alum Family

The fire of fencing

The lightness of the pen

The flash of the arrow

Freedom is born out of form and function

The young individual will be introduced to the disciplines of fencing, writing, and archery where goal-orientedness, word-smithing and social interaction pave the paths for sovereignty, inventiveness, and independence. The elegance, expression, and exactness of these three disciplines will remain with your child long after they have returned home from this life-altering experience. 

This unique summer program is designed to give middle schoolers, girls and boys ages 11 through 16, an invaluable experience that will last a lifetime.

Learn More & Register

Free Books from Ronald Oechsler

From Ronald Oechsler, Alum Family & Former Faculty

I have 17 classic Steiner and Waldorf education books that are available for free to a good home. Contact me at [email protected] if you are interested. See photo for the titles.

Play Workshop for "Grown-Ups"

From Liz Hagerman, Alum Family & Former Faculty

Hi WWS friends! I wanted to let you know I'm offering a Play workshop for "grown-ups" on Saturday, Feb 3 from 9:30-noon at The Center For Family Well-being (right next door to Comet Pizza in NW DC). Fee is $65. It's for teachers, child therapists, parents and any grown-up who wants to re-ignite their playfulness.

In this 2 ½ hour workshop, you’ll come home to the natural reservoir of play within you by reacquainting yourself with the playfulness, creativity, and lightness that has never left you.

Register online or if you want to ask me more about it, email me at [email protected] or call/text 301-233-7264.

Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement® Series In Person: Walking & More

From Alison Babil, WWS Alum Parent

In Person Classes at the Carderock Springs Clubhouse

Seven Thursdays, Jan 18 - Feb 29, 10-11:15 am.

Walking is an essential movement that involves a high degree of coordination. This Feldenkrais® series will focus on bringing comfort and efficiency to walking and running for improved balance, grounding, posture, and overall well-being. Feldenkrais ATM classes are an incredible tool for gently transforming pain, tension, and movement challenges. Each class takes the student through a series of movements which create new pathways in the brain and body. The aim is greater freedom in one's body and life.

"Feldenkrais works from the inside out. I've found it to be extremely beneficial mentally, physically, and emotionally" -- B. G., Owner, Spiritual Silks

$125.  

First class free for newcomers.

For more information and Registration:  

Email Alison: [email protected] 

• Discounted rate for Carderock Springs members.
• A limited number of discounted slots available for those who truly need it.
• Participants are welcome to join after the start of the series.
• Another series will begin after this one. The next series will be Feldenkrais for Stress & Anxiety. 
• No refunds or transfers after your first class regardless of illness or pandemic.

Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement® Series: Online

Feldenkrais Classes for Melting Freeze with Maintain Alignment

Free Introduction Class

Wednesday, January 24th, 12:30 - 1:30 EST

Zoom link for free class:  Zoom link

Freeze shows up in many ways in the body, mind, and heart. These classes will gently meet and transform patterns of freeze and tension. 

"Since the Feldenkrais class with Alison I have more energy, strength, mobility, and presence. This is such powerful work. THANK YOU Alison!" -- Feldenkrais for Melting Freeze Participant

Four Seasonal Feldenkrais Series through 2024.  

Topics include:  Breath, Posture, Walking, Early Developmental Movement. Topics will interconnect. Sign up for one or all four at a discount.  

Learn More & Register

Missing Cello

They all look so similar! If you have a 3/4 cello, please check it to see if there is a sticker on the bottom of the cello from Potter's with the SKU #81313-34. We think there may have been a mix-up on campus. 

If you find that you have the missing cello, please write to [email protected]. (...and please look for your correct cello on campus.)  

Thank you!

Published by the Washington Waldorf School

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