Dear VWS Parents, Guardians, Alumni, Alumni Families and Friends,

As you may have heard, the VWS is currently working our way through a self-study as part of our membership with the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA). The Faculty, Staff and Board of Trustees began their self-study input in the Fall. We are now ready to hear from you! We would like to invite you to have your say in how the school is doing well and where we have opportunities for growth:

IN PERSON

Please RSVP to asc@vws.ca for planning purposes

Saturday, October 27th, 9:30-11: 30 am
Grade School campus
Coffee, tea and refreshments will be provided
Please bring your feedback and reflections!

ONLINE

More details to come in November but we’re excited to announce we will be using an innovative online tool for this process called Thoughtexchange that will allow for you to confidentially respond from any device in your own words as well as reflect upon whether other people’s thoughts resonate with you.

Why are we doing the self-study?

Membership with accrediting bodies helps the VWS to continually review how well we are following best practices for delivering a Waldorf education as well as receiving access to Waldorf-specific shared resources for our staff, unique training opportunities and a connection and support network with our fellow schools. Our two main accrediting bodies, AWSNA and the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America (WECAN), both have accreditation processes that require a self-study to be completed periodically and this year these processes will be aligned.

What is a self-study and who is involved?

The principal objectives of the self-study are to provide a stimulus for excellence, to help the school assess its strengths and possibilities, and to help the school confirm the validity of its priorities and planning for growth. Ideally, each member of the school including Staff, Faculty, Board of Trustees, Parents/Guardians and the extended community finds their ideas and values reflected in the self-study report. Practically, the input gathered is summarized by delegated writers and brought back to the larger group for consideration before approval by the Board of Trustees and College of Teachers. There are page restrictions in writing the self-study report so not every point received can be prioritized but ultimately, the self-study report needs to be recognized and embraced by the entire community as its purpose is to help the school move into the future with increased strength and clarity.

Want more information?

Keep an eye out for accreditation updates in the school’s weekly newsletter, The Current. Over the coming months, we will be sharing information about:

• the timeline of AWSNA and WECAN accreditation processes
• the AWSNA Principles for Waldorf Schools
• the April 24, 2019, Community Forum where we will review the key findings in the draft self-study report
• how parents and guardians may be involved with accreditation team visits
• and more!

In the meantime, if you have any questions please reach out to an AWSNA Steering Committee member (listed below) or email asc@vws.ca.

Regards,
Lorna Fortin

on behalf of the AWSNA Steering Committee:
Lorna Fortin (Principal)
Susan Connon-Wilby (Business Manager)
Marlies De Ceuster (Grade 6 Class Teacher)
Jann Winters (Parent representative)
Rachel Garratt (Parent representative)