This Week's Highlights:
Parent Events: (click here to view the online Parent Portal calendar)
1) Thanksgiving Recess November 23 - November 25
2) Kindergarten & LS Closed-Parent Teacher Conferences Monday, November 28
3) Advent Gardens Monday, November 28: Kindergarten 4:00PM, Grades 1-3: 5:30
4) Early Dismissal for K & LS Friday, December 2 12:30PM
5) Yuletide Fair Saturday, December 3rd 10:00-4:00PM
6) PTA Meeting Tuesday, December 6 8:15AM
Wildcats Sports News (click or scroll down to view the full event details & schedule)
Come support the boys and girls varsity basketball team at their first home game of the season! Thursday, December 1st, 5:30 & 7:00PM @ Montgomery C. Smith Intermediate School
Boys Basketball Clinic for boys in grades 5-8. Email Taylor for more information.
School News
Congratulations to 9th grader Solomon Bergquist '20 for winning the Edith Wharton writing competition! Each year The Mount honors Edith Wharton’s remarkable literary legacy by recognizing the talent of emerging young writers in her beloved Berkshire region.
We want to update the community on the receptionist’s position, following on our email communication of November 15th. We are so grateful to Laurie Schmolz for all her gifts of caring and dedication to the School and want to remind everyone that her last day is November 25. When school begins again on Monday, November 28th (remember there are lower school and early childhood conferences that day and school is only open for high school), Aleta Dellenback will be in the office through Wednesday. We are really pleased that after James Thompson’s opportunity to explore the position last week, feedback was positive on all sides. It was agreed that beginning Thursday, December 1, he will assume the role of receptionist. We look forward to welcoming him into this new work. He will continue with his teaching of grade 12 English uninterrupted.
- We ask that parents help James to settle in by calling in to reception by 8:30AM if your child is ill or late. Clearly identify your child’s full name and grade when you call in – especially if you need to leave a message.
- Also, please send your children to school with all they need for the day – lunches/snacks, musical instruments, homework should not be delivered during the course of the school day. Remember that in the event that you have forgotten an important item, it may be left on the table in the foyer of the school with your child’s name clearly on it.
- We ask that you make all afterschool plans before the start of the day – messages regarding changed pick-up arrangements are very difficult to deliver during the day. Of course in the event of a genuine emergency, we will get the necessary information to the child and teacher.
- If you have an outstanding payment due for the hot lunch program, please go online to https://hvamarketing.wufoo.com/forms/z1rvm7dk1qmeotk/ and make your payment. James will be sending out the new lunch program sign up information early in December.
You shop. Amazon gives to Hawthorne Valley.
AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support Hawthorne Valley Association every time you shop, at no cost to you.
The AmazonSmile Foundation (smile.amazon.com), will donate 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to the Hawthorne Valley Association. Use your same Amazon or AmazonPrime account and visit smile.amazon.com, where you’ll simply need to select Hawthorne Valley Association as the charitable organization to receive donations from your eligible purchases before you begin shopping. That’s it! Amazon remembers your selection, and then every eligible purchase you make will result in a donation, at no cost to you when you shop from smile.amazon.com.
Take a brief moment and visit smile.amazon.com to show your support for Hawthorne Valley!
Tools For Schools
Shop at Price Chopper to help our school earn free classroom equipment! Please link your AdvantEdge card to our school code. Each time you shop, our school will earn points towards free classroom equipment. Enroll your card at
www.pricechopper.com with our 5-digit school code: 15772
PTA Announcements
Upcoming PTA Coffee Hours:
Our remaining November Coffee and Conversation date is the 29
th. Please Join us for conversation and wreath decorating for the Yuletide Fair. Michael Frosch will be stopping in to most of our Coffee Hours to catch up with parents.
**Coffee Hours are hosted by each class, if you are interested in signing up please contact your class PTA Rep.
Recent and Upcoming Meetings:
Thank you John Cronin, Karin Almquist and Caroline Geisler for joining us for the November 14
th’s conversation on Discipline. Notes will be posted under the PTA Section of the website soon.
Due to the Holiday’s and general busyness of December we have one meeting scheduled and we will have Coffee hours every Tuesday school is in session otherwise.
Our Next PTA Meeting is: December 6 – ‘Debriefing of the Yuletide Fair’
For the full list of PTA Meetings see the 2016-2017 school Calendar or look here:
PTA Meeting Calendar
We are grateful for all the parents, staff and faculty who come together to enrich our conversations and collaborate on the festivals and fundraisers for the school.
Your PTA
Yuletide Fair
Saturday, December 3; 10:00-4:00PM
Join us for our 39th annual Yuletide Fair on Saturday, December 3, 2016, as we celebrate the holiday season! The school assembly hall will be transformed into a winter wonderland with dozens of original gingerbread creations on display. Children and adults are invited to enter this year’s Gingerbread Contest, a perennial favorite of the fair. Friends, families, and neighbors will have an opportunity to bid on their favorite entries at the Gingerbread Auction – take home an original work of gingerbread art and support Hawthorne Valley Waldorf School! Interested in participating? Click for
Gingerbread Contest directions, entry form, and early bidding sheet.
Dozens of artisan vendors will fill the school’s classrooms with beautiful handcrafted items ~ you’re sure to find the perfect gifts for everyone on your holiday shopping list!
Get your tickets for this year’s Magical Puppet Tree performance, “The Little Troll,” a moving story of good deeds and transformation. Performances at 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. Tickets are $4.
Enjoy activities for children, visit the Community Craft Room for handcrafted items and the Hand to Hand Room for gently worn wool clothing and wooden toys, and stop for a tasty treat in the Cozy Café.
For more details visit the
Yuletide Fair webpage.
The Fair is less than two weeks away!
December 3rd, 2016
Shift Sign Up – Is Underway! Please sign up for your class activity. If you have more time to offer,
please sign up for multiple time slots. We encourage parents to sign up for extra shifts in different areas. See below for activities that need volunteers. Online sign up link
here. Or cut and paste this exactly as it is here into your browser:
bit.ly/hvsfairshifts
Kindergarten - “Tiny Treasures” crafting kits are available in the Kindergarten. Look out for the basket and make sure you sign the list so we can keep track of who’s doing what project. Don’t wait until the last minute!
Note: It’s a great time to organize crafting parties with other parents.
HVS Community Online Silent Auction - The Silent Auction will be starting soon. We will be sending out the announcement. If you have a big-ticket item to donate, please contact Sanne.
(Contact: Sanne Ameln-Pietzner) Online sign up link
here.
Handcrafted Bench Raffle - The Yuletide Gnomes have been hard at work creating a very high-end, black walnut bench with wrought iron legs and hand hammered copper inlay. This bench is on display and raffle tickets are being sold now. Check it out!
(Contact: Jeff Shea) Online sign up link
here.
Hand to Hand - Book Hearth Donations - Donation bins are located in the lobby of the main building. We are looking for donations of: woolens, hats, gloves, scarves, boots, outerwear (jackets, snow pants). Wooden toys, games and books for readers K-12.
Note: Please only woolens, outerwear, wooden toys, games and books.
Class Activity List - The updated
2016 Yuletide Fair Class Champions & Fair Activities is available on the HVS website.
WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!!!
COZY CAFÉ BAKING: We need every household to participate in baking for the Cozy Café. Baked goods are an essential part of this room and we need supplies in numbers. Thank you!
(Contact: Emma Hershauzer) Online sign up link
here.
COMMUNITY CRAFT ROOM: We need families to contribute hand made crafts for the Community Craft Room. Crafts are an essential part of this room and we need supplies in numbers. Thank you!
(Contact: Gisela Franceschelli) Online sign up link
here.
HAND TO HAND & BOOK HEARTH: We need volunteers to fill shifts in the
1st Grade Classroom. Please sign up!! Online sign up link
here.
FAIR CLEAN UP: We truly need all hands on deck for the Fair clean up. This starts at 4 pm. The more volunteers we have the faster things can get back to normal. Please donate your time and efforts and help wrap up the Yuletide Fair. **Community Service points for High School students who can help with the clean-up.** Online sign up link
here.
(Contact: John Cronin)
ARTISAN RAFFLE: We need volunteers to man the raffle tables in the
School Hall. Online sign up link
here.
CAKE WALK: We need volunteers to help with the Cake Walk. Online sign up link
here.
(Contact: Anna Taiga)
ADVERTISING RUNNERS: We need volunteers to hang and distribute Yuletide posters and flyers around the HVS community: local towns, businesses and public spaces.
(Contact: Heather Gibbons)
Gingerbread House Auction
It's Gingerbread House Game Time!
This year we have even more holiday excitement and cheer surrounding the entire Yuletide Fair and have changed things up a bit with the Gingerbread House entries and auction.
Please download the following document containing gingerbread house information packets:
Gingebread House Information and Contest Form
Printed gingerbread packets can also be picked up in the main office of the school.
Bid Sheets
We are asking that you help your child solicit in advance friends, neighbors and family members who otherwise won’t be in attendance by using the attached bid sheets. These advance bids are a great way to open bidding and raise funds, which will then roll into live bidding the day of the auction. Bid sheets will be submitted when house is delivered.
Entry Form
Must be completed when your house is delivered on Friday 12/2, between 3-6pm in the school hall with completed form and bid sheets.
Recipe and Building Instructions
Have fun and make sure all ingredients and decoration are edible.
If you have any questions, please contact Jason Duffy at 201.519.5669 or
jason@fieldstoneins.com
Weather Related Closings and Delays
As we have now entered the season when our days are sometimes interrupted by the weather, we want to reiterate our policies in our Handbook on this topic:
We will follow the closing or delay decision of Taconic Hills School District in case of inclement weather. When they are closed, we will close. If they are on either a one-hour or two-hour delay, then so is Hawthorne Valley. Closings and delays are placed on the school website (www.hawthornevalleyschool.org) and school voice mail, 518-672-7092, as early as we have the information available. Early dismissals will be placed on the website and recorded on the School Information Line as soon as a decision to close early is made. PLEASE NOTE: on mornings when school closings or delays are likely, we recommend that you check our website or call the School. The Times Union website, www.timesunion.com or the following television or radio stations: Television stations—WRGB (channel 6), WTEN (channel 10), and WNYT (channel 13). Radio stations carrying these announcements include WGY (810 AM), WHUC (1230 AM), and WSBS (860 AM) will also have the school delay or closing information.
Please also note that there are times when the weather conditions interrupt communications – we make every effort to send out an email as well as utilizing the above communications methods, however, do not rely on this as if electricity is out, we may not be able to do so. And, if there is disruption in electricity and phone lines, again we may not be able to let you know. As always, your best judgement for the safety of your children is primary.
In the event that districts other than Taconic Hills are closed or have delays, we will still follow the Taconic Hills policy. On occasion this may mean that there will not be busing for some children. If the school district in which you reside is closed, there will not be a bus to bring your child to Hawthorne Valley so it also important that you check the local television or radio stations to determine whether your home school district is closed or delayed. We will not consider children late or absent if they come from a district that is either closed or delayed.
The Early Childhood programs have their own policy which is designed to support the needs of younger children with regard to delays:
In event of a one hour delay, the Early Childhood Programs of HVS will begin at 9:15 and end at the usual times. In event of a 2 hour delay, the Peachblossom Nursery will be closed. The Rose and Morning Star Kindergartens will begin at 10:15 and end at 12:45 with the usual afternoon playgroups to follow.
Parent Directory Corrections
The phone number for Amanda and Kevin Hall and their children Rainer, Leo and Stevie (Nina) is listed incorrectly. The correct telephone number is (646) 248-1058.
All corrections will be listed in this section during upcoming newsletters. Please be sure to correct your copy.
Come support the girls and boys varsity basketball teams at their first home game of the season on Thursday, December 1st! Girls will play at 5:30PM and boys will play 7:00PM at Montgomery C. Smith Intermediate School (the old Hudson Middle School). Hope to see you there!
We are thinking of offering a boys basketball clinic starting in December for boys in grades 5-8. If you would be interested in this clinic, please email Taylor Race.
Around The School
Seniors are currently in their Economics block taught by Martin Ping, Hawthorne Valley's Executive Director. They traveled to Philadelphia for the Tempus conference for young entrepreneurs.
11th Grade Woodworking
Alumni News
We are proud of our alumni and love to share news with our friends and families, so please send any information about our alums to Caroline Geisler.
News from the Girl Scouts
Our troops have been busy this Autumn. Several of the middle school girls participated in an outdoor challenge and competed with other troops in a variety of outdoor skills at a camp in Rhode Island. The girls placed first in outdoor cooking!!
We have made a variety of pies and decorated cookies for the food pantry in Mellenville.
The oldest girl Troop is planning a trip to Haiti this February break. We had started planning this before the hurricane and were hoping to include the 8th graders. Since the devastating hurricane hit, we are still planning to visit but we will just include the oldest girls.
Free Columbia
1. Saturday Morning Painting at Free Columbia
December 3,10 and 17, 9:30-12
Free Columbia’s Space on Main
84 Main Street, Philmont NY
Free Columbia’s painting blocks have been moved to Saturdays. Join us for the upcoming session! We will work with single colors, instruction is individual in a supportive group setting. Class will continue in January. Contact Laura Summer for info and to register. Suggested contribution $0-30 per class
BLACK BOX [IIIIIII]
A Collection Of Arrivals And Departures
Black Box [IIIIIII] is a participatory art project where people from all over the world are sharing their testimony of existence. Come witness a Philmont-exclusive collection, with voices from near and far. Opening ceremony will begin at 6 pm, and will feature live music and something savory. You don't want to miss it!
If you would like to contribute to the collection you may do so until Dec 3. Please contact Lina Maria:
lia_idre@hotmail.com
2. Kissing Balls and Stars Workshop
December 3, 9 -12 noon
Taught by Susannah White
Philmont Community Center, Lake View Dr, Philmont, NY 12565
Complex 3 D geometric shapes become the ornaments of the season using colorful cardstock or old treasured holiday cards. Amazingly simple, yet intriguingly complex, you must be able to use scissors with precision, and be a patient soul. The results are worth it.
Suggested Donation $0-15 per workshop.
For more information and to register call Susannah White 716-464-0931 carapacefarm@gmail.com
3. Herbal Gifts Workshop
December 10, 9 -12 noon
Taught by Amelia McIsaac
Philmont Community Center, Lake View Dr, Philmont, NY 12565
Come make bath salts, sugar scrubs, lip balm, and more for those you love. They make perfect winter gifts. We will us the ancient wisdoms of herbs and essential oils to create beautiful, healthy, great smelling products. If possible, bring small clean glass jars with lids, and a mixing bowl. Suitable for all ages.
Suggested Donation $0-15 per workshop.
For more information and to register call Susannah White 716-464-0931 carapacefarm@gmail.com
4. Holiday Wreaths and Centerpieces Workshop
December 17, 9 -12 noon
Taught by Amelia McIsaac
Philmont Community Center, Lake View Dr, Philmont, NY 12565
Bring the outdoors in during the holiday season with centerpieces and wreaths that you have made yourself. We will have plenty of evergreens, baskets, ribbons, candles and ornaments. Start a new tradition or relive an old one. Suitable for all ages.
Suggested Donation $0-15 per workshop.
For more information and to register call Susannah White 716-464-0931 carapacefarm@gmail.com
News From Turose
Black Friday special. We are open 8-3:30 on Friday. The first three customers receive 25% off their total purchase. The next three customers receive 20% off. The next three customers receive
15% off. We have lots of great new items coming in daily.
Small business Saturday. We are open 10am-3pm. The first three customers receive 25% off their total purchase. The next three customers receive 20% off. The next three customers receive 15% off. Plus customers receive a free gift with their purchase.
We wil be open Sundays during December through Dec 18 from 11am-3pm
We have a variety of workshops offered including:
Gift Making Dec 10th from 1-3:30 $20. All ages. Lots of fun and creative gifts to make!! Surprise your family & friends.
Nativity Set: Made of felt and fleece, mostly sewn Monday evenings in December $45.
Mother Earth: Needlefelted plant dyed fleece
Since school ends early this year, we are offering some workshops that take a little bit of time during the week before Christmas:
Knot Doll Mon Dec 19th 9am-3pm Organic cotton flannel and wool. Bring a bag lunch $30.
Embroidered Cape Tues Dec 20th 1-4pm Silk and cotton embroidery on a silk cape $30.
Needle Felted Picture Wed Dec 22nd 10am-2pm Described as painting on wool, layers of plant dyed wool create a lovely picture.
NEWS: Check out our revamped website...Many of our kits and instructions are available online!!!
