February - Portland Waldorf School

hear t beat
FEBRUARY 2014
Community Service
Contents
Community Service..................1
Early Childhood Program
Survey Results............................3
Gratitude.......................................4
It Takes a Village.......................5
The Flour Mill Auction...........6
Community Enrichment.......7
School Store...............................8
Upcoming Events....................9
PWS 5th graders make cards and care packages for fellow 5th graders in NE Portland (photo by Michelle Averill)
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is,
‘What are you doing for others?’” -Martin Luther King Jr.
In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Grades 1-12 spent Monday, January 20 out in
the greater community, participating in service activities ranging from Willamette River
clean-up to sewing blankets for foster children with the Blanket Brigade. We hope you
enjoy this taste of their many and varied activities, and please join us in thanking all
those who serve… in our community and beyond!
The first grade spent the morning pruning the black-eyed
susans, lavender and ferns that grow along the northwest side of school by the aftercare entrance. They were
lively and willful workers, moving on to the next task even
before it was assigned to them! They came inside afterwards and covered large pinecones in shortening and
birdseed, tasty treats to hang on evergreen trees along
the edge of the field. Throughout the week, we checked
the trees every day, and by the third day, the pinecones
were licked clean. Our new crow friends, Mr. and Mrs.
Sassy, seem to have particularly enjoyed the treats, and
now, even as we include stories about them in our indoor
lessons, we can look outside to see them.
Lisa Harrison, 1st Grade Teacher
The second grade also kept themselves busy with the
some of the groundswork necessary to keep our big
campus looking beautiful! This day of work was a wonderful expansion upon the second grade weekly rhythm
of outdoor work and play, which includes regular nature
walks and time spent helping Gardener Brendan.
Jim Conlon, 2nd Grade Teacher
The third grade worked with the Johnson Creek Watershed Council in the same area as the sixth grade. The
third graders worked clearing English ivy from areas
around the watershed, accompanied by Mrs. McCarthy,
and were visited by Oregonian reporter Melissa Binder,
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Community Service, continued from page 1
who included both grades three and six in her article
about the service project!
The fourth grade headed to the Willamette River with
gloves and trash bags. We scrambled over rocks and
into the bushes gathering cans, bottles, plastic, shoes
and everything else you can think of. A group of students even found an old Christmas tree and hauled it
back to the school. When we got back and I was helping
get all our laden bags into the dumpster, one student
complained, “Ms. Taylor, you are making us throw away
all of our treasures!”
Kathleen Taylor, 4th Grade Teacher
Fifth grade attended a Hands On Greater Portland MLK
Service event. We traveled to NE Portland to work with
other community members to prepare packages of dental, hygiene, and school supplies for students and homeless youth. Our fifth graders made cards and wrapped
packages for another fifth grade class at Alder Elementary School where more than 80% of students are on
assisted breakfast and lunch programs. The kids were
excited about making beautiful and creative and personal cards for these 110 other fifth graders, and it was
a wonderful experience for us all to recognize and help
others. As an added bonus, Senator Ron Wyden was a
speaker at the event, and he acknowledged the young
people there to help. Even the fifth graders mentioned
that he was a good speaker!
Nancy Thompson, 5th Grade Teacher
The sixth grade also worked with Johnson Creek Watershed Council along the wetlands west of the Eastmoreland golf course. We were planting alder cuttings and
bare root bushes to help restore the area next to the water and invite more waterfowl. There was a large group
of workers, and the work was being accomplished pretty quickly. After the planting work the sixth grade was
still chomping at the bit for more work, so they started
digging out blackberries in other adjacent areas. The
work concluded at noon, much earlier than expected,
and I received several questions, in quite disappointed
tones, “Why did they end the work so early?”
Nina Churchill, 6th Grade Teacher
Photo by parent Stephanie Baartz-Bowman
The seventh grade joined another school at the Oregon
Food Bank in Beaverton and enthusiastically helped
repack 5000 pounds of oats into two-pound bags. Each
volunteer helped pack enough food to help 60 people!
The Oregon Food Bank distributes food to about 190
food pantries across the state, which helps over 200,00
Oregonians who need food assistance each day.
Alynn Nelson, 7th Grade Teacher
Photo by parent Scott Bergen
The eighth grade traveled down to GeerCrest Farm for
our Day of Service. There are several students in our
class right now that were not part of our third grade
farm visit to GeerCrest, and this was a way to introduce
them to one of our special class memories. We hauled
and stacked firewood, washed milking stanchions,
picked up horse manure from the pasture and wheelbarrowed it to the new garden sports, turned compost
piles, washed and sterilized buckets, swept and cleaned,
and just made ourselves useful with the myriad of farm
chores that pile up each day and week. It was a beautiful, sunny visit to the farm. Now we are all hoping that
GeerCrest is where we get to spend our ninth grade
Farm Week!
Nancy Peirce, 8th Grade Teacher
To commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, all of our
high school students and faculty participated in service
projects throughout the city. We teamed up with Hands
On Greater Portland, joining seven different non-profits
on projects (listed below).
Valerie Pufahl, HS Student Assistance & Outdoor
Program Coordinator
Friends of Tryon Creek
Activity: ivy & invasive species removal
SnowCap Charities
Activity: garden clean-up, organizing food pantry
Habitat for Humanity ReStore PDX
Activity: organizing & processing donations, painting,
customer service
Bink-a-Thon: Sewing Machine Blanket Brigade
Activity: sewing blankets
ReBuilding Center/Our United Villages
Activity: sorting materials, sweeping, pulling nails, measuring doors
Community Service, continued on page 3
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Community Service, continued from page 2
Housing Authority of Clackamas County
Activity: building garden beds to expand community
garden
Meals on Wheels
Activity: prepare & package meals to be delivered to
homebound seniors
FEBRUARY 2014
From the Pedagogical Chair
by kelly rae o’halogan, pedagogical chair
Greetings from the Pedagogical Office!
I want to take a moment to thank those of you who participated in our Early Childhood Program Survey in
November. The response was wonderful, and your input
was essential in designing our program for the 2014-15
school year. Here is some of the data collected from the
survey:
· 12% of our current EC families would use a beforeschool program.
·63% of all responders felt a longer KG day would benefit
the community.
·71% of our current EC families prefer a KG for ages 4-6.
·29% of our current EC families prefer a KG for ages 3-6.
·0% of our current EC families prefer a KG for ages 2 ½ - 6.
·65% of our current EC families prefer to have the same
teacher for their entire KG experience.
·68% of our current EC families would like to be able to
choose their teacher.
“The giant can opener I got to use was really cool. I’d
never been in a production kitchen. It was like a large
warehouse and there were so many different types of
people that work and volunteer there that are all working together to help provide meals for elderly folks in
need. I really enjoyed it.”
Inian Moon, 11th grade, Meals on Wheels
“I really liked what I did and would really like to go back
and do it again.”
Liam Erickson, 11th Grade, Meals on Wheels
“We delivered fliers to people in the neighborhood
because the store is new. We also worked together to
move a large stack of wood panels that were donated
and haphazardly put together in the parking lot, to help
make it nice.”
Makena Ketchum, 10th Grade, Habitat for Humanity
ReStore
“I worked at the Blanket Brigade, where there were
probably over 100 volunteers all sewing blankets that
would get distributed to kids in foster care and a few
other organizations for children. It was really fun and
everyone was really nice.” -Athena Sweetwater, 12th Grade, Bink-a-Thon
·75% of all responders thought a 2/3/5 day option for
Pre-K would be beneficial.
Thanks again for your feedback. It was invaluable!
After considering the survey results and the expertise
from our early childhood teachers and early childhood
program evaluator, we have come to a new configuration for the early childhood program, which we believe
will strengthen our program and provide optimal possibilities for growth in the coming years.
Beginning in the fall of 2014 we will offer the following: ·One Pre-Kindergarten for children ages 3-4, with a two,
three, or five day option
·Two Kindergartens for children ages 4-6
·Parent/Child will be offered as enrollment demands.
This could be a full program of five days per week.
I’m happy to meet if you have any questions or concerns, and I hope you always feel free to stop by or call
with questions, concerns, or a good joke.
“We raked leaves and sorted big bins full of canned food
donations to help organize their food pantry.” -Zahira Zuvuya, 12th Grade, SnowCap
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FEBRUARY 2014
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Gratitude
Making the Halls Beautiful
We offer our heartfelt thanks to the legion of painters,
led by the Aesthetics Committee, who undertook the
work of lazuring the back stairwell over winter break.
Thank you for adding light and warmth to such a busy
entrance to our building! Your work and care for the
beauty of our school are so appreciated.
Lazuring: During & after
From High School Enrollment
A huge thank you to…
The Aesthetics Committee:
Carrie Mass, Tom Myers, Katherine Pomeroy, & Mariama
Loos-Diallo
Francine Adams | Cyndia Ashkar | Julian Ashkar | Virginia
Berg | Henrik Bothe | Sandra Burch | Jim Conlon | Brendan
Eiswerth | Jolanda Frischknecht | Leo Goodrich | Oscar
Goodrich | Emma Lacy | Matt Malmsheimer | Elizabeth
Webber Malmsheimer | Daniel Parecki | Kathleen Taylor
This month I would like to give a shout out to our 9th
grade for so graciously and enthusiastically hosting over
forty visiting eighth graders in the last four months! I’d
also like to thank our Student Ambassadors in the 10th,
11th and 12th grades who hosted visiting students, spoke
on panels in front of prospective families, played music
and led tours during our several Open Houses. Student
hosts have an immense impact on whether a visiting
student feels welcome at PWHS, and the feedback from
visitors has been hugely positive! To date, we have received thirty applications for next year’s 9th grade! The
application deadline was January 17, but we welcome
late applications. Please encourage your friends with
teens to contact me for a visit – we have great hosts!!
P.S. If you have great things to say about Portland
Waldorf High School and would be willing to give a
written quote or speak with me to parents at our feeder
schools, please contact Shanti McCarter, High School
Outreach & Enrollment Coordinator, at [email protected], or 503-654-2200 x221.
Thank you!
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FEBRUARY 2014
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It Takes a Village
The administrative offices would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the wonderful parent, alumni, and student volunteers who have made our work possible during the first half of
this school year. It truly takes a village to care for such a large and wonderful school, and we
are so grateful that you are ours!
Thank you, thank you, thank you to…
...for your help with...
Eve Ashkar (12th Grade)
Development Support
Barbara Andersen (Alumni Parent) Annual Support Campaign
Tadan Baartz-Bowman (4th Grade) music at the Open House
Stephanie Baartz-Bowman (Parent)
Isabel Beaton (Grandparent)
Auction
shelving library books
Beth Braunstein (Parent) Robert Cseko (Parent) Wreath Sale
Katie Dimick (Alumna)
HS Enrollment
Mary Elverhoy (Parent)
food for HS Interview Night
Phil Favorite (Parent)
Media Releases
Eva Folsom (Parent) food for HS Interview Night
Janine Francolini (Parent) Ben Fowler (Parent)
food for HS Interview Night
Sonia Geisler (Parent)
website SEO
Enrollment & Spring Creek Store
John Harrison (Parent)
Annual Support Campaign
Dusty Hanson (Parent)
Jennifer Holle (Parent)
HS Enrollment
food for HS Interview Night
EC Enrollment
Vesa Holle (Parent)
media research support
Rachel Hitchcock (Parent)
Gelareh Kourgiantakis (Parent)
database support
Kate Lejeck (Parent)
Spring Creek Store
Patti Michaels (Parent)
Holiday Market
Jenny Nielson (Parent)
Wreath Sale
Handmade for the Holidays & HS Interview Night
Jennifer Pultz (Parent)
food for HS Interview Night
Dave Renzema (Parent)
Julianne Renzema (Parent)
Judy Renzema (Grandparent)
Heesuk Steffen (Parent)
SCRIP
chalkboard art
Library
food for HS Interview Night
Allegra Wyatt (12th Grade)
The entire 8th Grade
Enrollment Support
Grandparents’ Day nametags
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FEBRUARY 2014
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Flour Mill Auction
by christina carpenter & suzanne shelley,
2014 flour mill auction co-chairs
Join us for the much anticipated annual Flour Mill Auction on April 5th! Come celebrate the riches and bounty
of Oregon with our “Farm to Feast” theme.
Indulge in the tantalizing appetizers and sumptuous dinner provided by Field Day chef Jeremy Larter. His focus
is hyper-seasonal themed multi-course market dinners.
Working with local farms and suppliers the menu is the
perfect pairing to the Farm to Feast theme. It will be
amazing!
New and exciting this year is admittance to our preevent party from 5:00-5:45PM for all Cultivator table
and Orchard ticket purchasers. A special time to sample
delicious local wines and savor hors d’oeuvres and bid
early on silent auction items.
Exceptional, special and unique Silent, Live, and Class
Projects are being crafted and donated!
PWHS Students Win Spots in CityWide Art Show
Do you have an item to donate? Use our online donation form: https://portlandwaldorfschool.ejoinme.org/
flourmilldonation or contact Sara Case at 503-654-2200
x210 or [email protected].
For the first time, PWHS will be represented in the
Oregon College of Arts and Crafts Juried High School
Exhibition. The selection committee, who visited our
campus to review samples of high school art and select
the entry pieces, said, “The work students are making
is fantastic – the work is well conceived, great craftsmanship and strong personal voice. The art program at
Portland Waldorf is an ideal fit for students interested in
continuing their studies in fine art, design and craft.” The
committee also commented approvingly on how the
high school students spoke to the committee members
with such confidence, enthusiasm for their work, and
poise.
Consider hosting an easel party!! If you are interested,
please contact Sara Case.
Evening’s Events:
5:00 PM
Pre-event Party
6:00 PM
Silent Auction Opens
6:50 PM
First Silent Auction Section Closes
7:00 PM
Final Silent Auction Section Closes
7:05 PM
Gymnasium Opens with Live Music, Dinner and the Live
Auction
The event will conclude with the Live Auction at 9:00pm
but the evening will continue with Live Music and Dancing
to follow!
Watch your mail box for invitations soon! Tickets are
already being purchased! Buy your tickets and tables
online at https://portlandwaldorfschool.ejoinme.org/
flourmilltickets
We look forward to coming together for feasting, bidding
and raising money for PWS with you!
Congratulations to PWHS students whose art was
selected to be part of the show: seniors Joie Bassham,
Elijah Klauder, Karis Lindelien and Bea Steffan; juniors
Liam Erickson and Owen Markel; and sophomore John
Paul Takacs.
The exhibition of high school student art from over
thirty Portland high schools will be on display at the
Hoffman Gallery on the OCAC campus from March 6
through April 1.
Opening Reception
March 6, 4-6pm
OCAC Hoffman Gallery
8245 SW Barnes Road
All are welcome!
Book by Senior Elijah Klauder
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FEBRUARY 2014
Community Enrichment
A Math Talk by Jamie York
by alynn nelson, 7th grade teacher
A Workshop on Diversity in
Education
Pizza, Alligators & Socks: A Math Talk by Jamie York
February 16, 7pm
PWHS Music Room
A few years ago, the grades teachers decided to switch
the middle school math curriculum (grades 6, 7 & 8)
from a traditional math textbook to Jamie York’s “Making Math Meaningful” curriculum. Parents and staff are
warmly welcomed to join us to learn more about how
his dynamic and comprehensive math curriculum meets
and expands the mathematical thinking capabilities
of our Waldorf students and how it prepares them for
math beyond 8th Grade.
photo by Jesse Michener
Jamie York began teaching math in 1985 at a boarding school in New Hampshire. In 1994, after spending
two years in Nepal serving as a Peace Corps volunteer,
his search for meaningful education led him to Shining Mountain Waldorf School, where he is still currently
teaching middle school and high school mathematics.
Since then, he has focused largely on envisioning and
creating a comprehensive and meaningful mathematics
curriculum that spans grades one through twelve. Jamie
consults at a variety of schools, teaches math workshops,
and serves on the faculty at the Center for Anthroposophy training Waldorf high school math teachers.
LifeWays Living Arts: Your Path to
Joyful, Purposeful Living
by anne kollender, student services director
and former pws parent, & mary o’connell,
training director, lifeways portland
Portland LifeWays Training
Apr 11-18, Aug 4 -10, Oct 24 –Nov 1, 2014 and Feb 14-21, 2015.
at the Portland Waldorf School
Are you a parent eager to learn more about living and
parenting with joy, purpose and simplicity, in a way that
supports your home life and your child’s Waldorf education? Or are you currently working professionally in an
Lifeways, continued on page 8
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FEBRUARY 2014
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Lifeways, continued from page 7
early childhood setting, and seeking to enrich your work
with the children in your care? We warmly invite all PWS
parents and extended community to experience the
wonder and soul nourishment of the Living Arts through
LifeWays!
LifeWays Early Childhood Certification is a comprehensive training designed to give you the understanding
and skills needed to develop and transform your living
and working with young children. The training spans
four one-week seasonal sessions over a year, beginning
April 2014, and includes workshops of special interest
that are open to the public without enrollment in the full
program. Interested parents may enroll in one or all of
three workshops:
Puppetry and Language Development, with Suzanne
Down (Oct 28-30),
Nurturing and Home-care Arts, with Julie Griggs, R.N.,
anthroposophical health care provider (Aug 9-10)
Me, Myself and I: Adult Development with Cynthia
Aldinger, Founder of LifeWays North America (Aug
2014).
Come learn how simple activities of healthy home life
provide the foundation of learning for the young child.
Refresh yourself with music, movement and handwork
classes accessible to all, and learn more about the
holistic view of the developing human being offered by
Rudolf Steiner and other developmental theorists.
School Store
by yvonne cseko, spring creek store manager
New From Weleda
Now in stock after many years of waiting, Weleda has
formulated their new hair care line. Developed with the
assistance of holistic hair care experts and with Weleda’s deep understanding of how natural ingredients support health and beauty. Free of heavy silicones, harsh
sulfates, and synthetic preservatives. We have samples
in the store for you to try.
Imbolic/Candlemas -February 2nd
A time to let go of the past and to look to the future,
clearing out the old, making both outer and inner space
for new beginnings. This can be done in numerous
ways, from spring cleaning your home to clearing the
mind and heart to allow inspiration to enter for the new
cycle. It’s a
good time for
wish-making
or making a
dedication.
We have
lovely handmade candles
arriving this
week to light
the way as we
enter into this new cycle. One could make a cleansing
blend to spray your home with using essential oils and
crystals.
Make One Take One Calendar
Join us for crafting on Thursday mornings after drop
off. We usually gather from 8:45–10:45 and registration
is required (bulletin board in the store), as these classes
tend to fill up. You will learn and new craft, make one to
sell in the store, and take the materials home to make
one for yourself.
2/6
2/13
2/20 2/27 LifeWays works creatively and generously with tuition
payment plans. All sincere applicants are encouraged to
apply. For more information, contact Portland Training
Director Mary O’Connell at 414-218-8558 (CST) or at [email protected]. For a full detailed description of the training, or to register online, please check
the website at LifeWaysNorthAmerica.org.
Needle felted mouse
Needle felted tapestry
NO CLASS – Teacher Conference Week
Wet Felted merino wool vessel
Bring in your Gently Used items Now accepting Waldorf inspired items for our “Gently
Used” corner of the store. We are looking for dress-up
silks, wooden toys, Waldorf books, Haba and Ravenberger games and puzzles. For more information contact Yvonne at 503-654-2200 ext 208.
The School Store will be closed during February Break.
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FEBRUARY 2014
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FEBRUARY
events
FEB 4
Simplicity Parenting Class
Tuesdays, 2/4 – 3/25, 6:30-8:30pm, Bluebell Classroom
To register, contact Lisa Weiner ([email protected])
FEB 6
A Walk Through the Grades
9-10:30am
RSVP by emailing [email protected].
FEB 8
Welcome to Waldorf: an Early Childhood Introduction
10-11:30am
RSVP by emailing [email protected].
FEB 12
Awakening to an Understanding of Electromagnetics and
the Human Being, with Michael D’Aleo
6:30-8:30pm, Swallowtail Waldorf School
$10 suggested donation, teachers free
FEB 16
Pizza, Alligators & Socks:
A Talk by Waldorf Math Educator Jamie York
7-8:30pm, PWHS Music Room
FEB 17-21 February Break
FEB 21
Timberline Ski Day
All Day at Timberline Lodge
Buy tickets online at www.portlandwaldorf.org
coming next month…
Bring Your Parents to School Night
MAR 7
6-8pm, Portland Waldorf School
Race & Culture in Education MAR 22-23
An interactive diversity training for parents, teachers &
community organizations
9am-5:30pm, Portland Waldorf School
visit www.motherearthschool.com/diversity.shtml
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