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Annual Giving Campaign Update

 

You will have received a letter from me launching this year's Annual Giving Campaign by the publishing of this newsletter!  Please take the time to read the letter, share it with family and other community members, and consider making a donation to one of the six pools that this year's campaign will support: (1) summer training for teachers to prepare for the upcoming year’s curriculum, (2) long term teacher Waldorf certification, (3) tuition assistance, (4) maintaining and beautifying our building (5) field trips and (6) other needed school operations. 

Fundraising is so critical to the success of an independent school and our goal this year is to have each family in our school make a contribution!  You can find out more about the areas donations will benefit and see our progress in the office next to the cupboard.  The campaign will run into the new year for those wishing to have  tax receipt in 2015.  Please submit your donations to the office with the little note that was included with your hard copy.

Learn more about the Annual Giving Campaign HERE.


Many thanks,
Crista Thor

Here's a picture of the grade 1 and 2 class wearing the fox ears that they made as a part of their exploration of L'histoire de la gazette dorée.
 
Rouli, roulant.
Tout aval les champs.
Je suis la galette, galette dorée,
Personne, personne ne doit me manger!

(sauf le renard...!)

What's Happening

Dec. 08, 3:30 - Parent Representative Meeting
Dec. 11, 3:30 - Grade School Assembly
Dec. 12, 5:30 - Snow Much Fun Mulberry Choir (Market Square)
Dec. 15, 3:30 - Board Meeting
Dec. 20 - Winter Break Begins
Jan. 5 - School Resumes
Jan. 12, 3:30 - Board Meeting
 

A Winter Fair Note of Thanks

Winter Fair was a tremendous success!! Winter Fair had a magnificent turnout!!

We had so many amazing volunteers: parents and their extended families, teachers, alumni and friends whose contributions made all the difference!  Thank you all so very much!  

I would especially like to acknowledge Patricia, Peelu, Lois, Kyra and the entire Winter Fair committee for their unwavering hard work, preparation and dedication to our school's largest event.

Our school was decorated beautifully. When we entered, the smell of white pine filled the air. Our eyes were drawn to a magnificent window frame illustrating the invaluable depth and breadth of Waldorf education at our school. Special thanks goes out to Jay Piercy and Liz Grier who created this one-of-a-kind masterpiece.  

It was so rewarding to watch the children marvel at the splendour of our Magical Forest. They were also captivated as they watched our devoted faculty perform the puppet show!  We enjoyed the sounds of our children's angelic voices united in song. Thank you Margaret Moncrieff for your leadership in drawing forth their talents. We all thoroughly appreciated the music of many dedicated, talented musicians. Our youngest ones even danced at the foot of the stage!

The children loved crafting treasures from paper, wood, pinecones and beeswax. Their creations are sure to make it into our homes and on our tables and walls this festive season. Adults and children alike enjoyed scouting out that perfect gift for loved ones from our elaborate silent auction and from a wonderful selection of goods from local artisans.  

We enjoyed the delicious, healthy food catered by Epicurious made with vegetables donated by Fare Well Farm. It was fun to indulge in the delicious desserts generously donated by our dedicated parents and grandparents.

Our school community truly exemplified that 'Many hands do make light work'! Thank you all for giving of your time, talents and skills with such positive energy and enthusiasm. It was a wonderful day. Winter Fair is truly a unique gift we give to our children (and, who’s kidding who...we all love it too)!

Now please take a moment to view the lovely pictures on our website. Thank you so much David Chang for capturing the memories in your exquisite photographs.  
At this special time of year, I wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah and Happy Solstice!


Warm regards,

Anne Marie Levac
 
Anne Marie, Lois, and Liz

Recipe of the Month: Thai Red Lentil Soup

 

 
1 onion, finely diced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 - 2 tbsp Thai red curry paste 
5 cups vegetarian stock (I usually do a liter of stock plus a cup of water)
2 1/4 cups red lentils, well rinsed
1 400 ml can coconut milk
(I also add 3 lime leaves and some lime zest, but that is not part of original recipe and is fine without)
 
Garnish: Thai sweet chili sauce, fresh cilantro
 
Add curry paste and stir well. Add the lentils and stock and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for about 20 minutes or until the lentils are soft (add lime leaves and zest about halfway through). Stir in the coconut milk. Ladle into bowls and garnish with a swirl of Thai sweet chili sauce and chopped cilantro if desired. (It is also great served over jasmine rice).
 
Please join us for Grade School Assembly on Thursday December 11 at 3:30pm.
Thursday Parent and Child Group with some of the little felted dolls in
their winter woollies that they created.

Tulip Planting on Remembrance Day

 
On November 11 the Grades 5/6 planted 70 tulip bulbs along the fence line by the school's entrance.  The bulbs were donated  by the Dutch Consulate to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of WW II in Europe next May 2015.

Although the grade 5/6 students have not yet studied the history of the 20th Century, they understand that flowers like the poppy and the tulip are symbols of remembrance,  peace and gratitude.  It seemed therefore  particularly appropriate to plant them on Remembrance Day.
 
It will be lovely to see the bright red tulips provide a splash of colour next May.  With a bit of luck all seventy bulbs will survive both the harsh Canadian winter and the hungry squirrels!
 
Charlotte Schurer
Mulberry has been honoured with the Education Conservation Award of Excellence for 2014!
 
Mary Huggard, Steve Heighton and Peelu Hira were pleased to accept the award at the Foundation’s fundraising dinner.  The following caption was on our award:
 
“The Cataraqui Conservation Foundation is pleased to recognize Mulberry Waldorf School for its project Depave Paradise.  By de-paving and returning areas to green space, the school has provided a healthier and greener play space and demonstrated to the students real ways to enhance urban natural spaces.  Mulberry’s schoolyard focuses on natural materials for play use and native plants.  Children are encouraged to be very sensory and active in the yard.”

Visit CRCA




 
Photo courtesy of Krista Fazackerley at 
The Cataraqui Conservation Foundation
http://www.crca.ca

An After Dark Update


Mulberry After Dark was a fun, light -hearted and fabulous treat for our eyes, ears, noses and taste buds! Holly welcomed our visitors with the beautiful sounds of her harp and many other talented musicians played and sang all evening. Our school was transformed with pine boughs and trees that adorned the windows and staircases. The smell of delicious meats and cheese filled our halls and many enjoyed them along with a glass of wine or beer.  Folks nibbled on focaccia  and enjoyed fancy, decadent desserts!   It was a shopping extravaganza topped off with an amazing silent auction! It was a fabulous evening that could not have been achieved without the help of many, many volunteers who decorated, served, set up and cleaned, and much more behind the scenes!  Thank you to everyone who so enthusiastically gave of their time and energy to make the evening a huge success. A very special thank you to Anne Marie Levac, our Fair coordinator and the steadfast dedicated team who helped me put Friday night together: Megan Robert, Chelsea Stelmach and Nanette Morin.

Special thanks to local businesses: Alton Tree Farm, Three Dog Winery, Big Rig Brewery, Seed to Sausage, Farmstead Cheese, Pasta Genova, Bread and Butter Bakery for their contributions to this wonderful event.  

Patricia Weidmark, Chair of Mulberry After Dark
 

Nanette Morin, Chelsea Stelmach, Patricia Weidmark and Megan Robert
The Mulberry After Dark Crew

Grade School Woodworking Project


Old fashioned tool boxes

The grade 5/6 children made design drawings, measured and cut wood, drilled, hammered, sanded and then waxed for over 2 months to make these practical tool boxes. They also make great gardening or storage boxes. Good work enjoyed by all.

Christmas Ornament Fundraiser

 
We are very excited to announce a Christmas Ornament Fundraiser.  A generous donation by local potter Jackie Jamieson of Jac’s One of a Kind on Princess St. provided Mulberry with 44 pottery Christmas tree ornaments.  The proceeds will be directed to Long Term Teacher Training, specifically for further Waldorf Training which helps our whole school.  Ornaments are available in the office for $4 each. 
 

Yoga with Kristie


Kristie Gambrel is offering yoga classes at Mulberry on Mondays, beginning January 5th, from 2:00 to 3:15 pm.  The cost is $60 for 6 weeks.  The maximum number of registrants is 10.  The cost for drop-ins is $13 provided space is available.  Kristie is generously donating the proceeds to Mulberry and hopes to inspire good health for all.  
To register, please contact Kristie at 
yogawkristie@gmail.com


An Interview with Gary Rasberry

 
Gary, you have a long history with Mulberry School. Will you tell us about the ways in which you have been involved here?
 
Both our children attended Mulberry School.  Our son, Hayden joined Mulberry in pre-school in 2002. Zinta, who is 2 years younger arrived shortly after that.  Hayden continued through to Grade 6 at Mulberry.  Zinta stayed at Mulberry through Grade One.  During that time, our family moved to Australia for a year and the children attended a beautiful Steiner School in Canberra called Orana.  (Waldorf schools are called Steiner schools in Australia and Europe.) I remember our years at Mulberry as very rich and important times in the lives of our children and our family.  My involvement with the school was primarily (and simply) to fully support our own children as well as all of the children and parents in the Mulberry community.  It felt very much like a family and it was a gift to be able to be part of a loving and caring exchange of hearts and minds. (Oh yes, and I was part of MANY a committee striving to help make the school a good and happy place for the children.)
 
As most parents of young children will attest, it is a beautiful, crazy time of life. It's full-on, intense, demanding and rewarding. To be able to share this very personal journey within a loving community is a privilege and a gift. 
 
You have a great job description for yourself on your website. What's the best part about your job?
 
In addition to calling myself an artist and educator, I describe myself as "a small animal with a fast metabolism, a reluctant enthusiast, a risk taker and a scaredy cat."  I am a philosopher, poet and imagination consultant.  I  suppose the job description itself captures the best part about my job.  I have the ability to 'define myself' through my work.  My work as an artist enables me to continue to articulate what matters to me vis-à-vis my community and the world at large. Working and playing and creating with children is a privilege, always.
 
There are lots of fans of your last CD here at Mulberry School - can you tell us a bit of what to expect from your next album?
 
My last CD called What's the Big Idea?!? was a rootsy, acoustic record fuelled by the amazing energy and musicianship of the old time fiddle-banjo duo, Sheesham & Lotus.  (Sheesham—Teilhard Frost—is also a parent at Mulberry and our children grew up together.)  It was a collection of songs, many of which, I grew up with as a child, others that I had performed live with children for many years.  
 
I made the new record, The Very Next Day, with The Woodshed Orchestra from Toronto.  The Woodshed, led by drummer extraordinaire Dave Clark, is a band of pure joy.  They're a 9-piece band that includes a 5-piece horn section, so the songs are shaped by the energy of an extremely gifted group of musicians.  As a result, the album has a happy pop feel to it. In my promotion of the record, I describe it as "a joy-filled children's album of beautiful roots music, with party hats and a horn section, for every member of your family."
 
Your CD release date is December 3, 2014. How do we get a copy?
 
The Very Next Day is available online in the following ways:
•                     Gary's website http://garyrasberry.com/
•                     cd baby
•                     bandcamp
•                     i tunes
 
It will also be available at Brian's Record Option and by appointment at Gary's place on Bagot St.

Join Gary Raspberry for a live show December 19th at 10:30 at Go Green Baby, 293 DIvision Street! CD's will be available for purchase that day as well.

 
Thanks, Gary!
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