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Community * Respect * Integrity * Commitment * Reverence
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A candle's but a little thing
It starts with just a bit of string
Yet dipped and dipped with patient hand
It gathers wax upon the stand
Until complete and snowy white
It gives, at last, a lovely light.
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CONTENTS
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Next Week
Sunday, December 2
Advent Spiral ECC/GS |
Monday, December 3
Lunch Offerings Begin ECC/GS/HS |
Tuesday, December 4
Waldorf Welcome Information Session 8:45 am, GS
Grade 12 Treat Sales at pick-up 3:00 pm, GS |
Wednesday, December 5
Boys Basketball Game VWS vs BS Grizzlies 4:00 pm, John Braithwaite Community Centre
Gr 11 Parent Evening 7:00 pm, HS |
Friday, December 7
Community Coffee Morning 8:30 am, GS |
ECC - Early Childhood Centre | GS - Grade School | HS - High School |
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Upcoming
December 12
Early Dismissal (GS only) 1:10 pm
Christmas Music Concert 7:00 pm
December 20
End of Fall Term
Early Dismissal, No Aftercare or After School Program
Shepherds Play 7:00 pm
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Happy Hanukkah - We wish a very happy Hanukkah to our families who will be celebrating in the coming week. The eight-day festival between December 2 - 10 is a beloved and joyous holiday. Also known as the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah takes place at the time of year when the days are shortest in the northern hemisphere. If you are curious to learn more, this site is a lovely resource www.myjewishlearning.com.
Lunch Offerings - Over the years, many have come to enjoy this parent-lead tradition of showing gratitude for their teachers' loving dedication and hard work by bringing nourishing food during these colder days of December. These lunch offerings are meant to be a sweet and simple gesture of "breaking bread", are completely optional, and should not be a source of stress. If you would like to participate, please sign up here: signup.com
Food Drive - The boxes in the front hallway of the Grade School are filling with all sorts of wonderful food items, thank you so very much for your generosity! The beautiful quilt offered by Ms Chrimes and Grade 4 students is picture above. We will be drawing a winner on Monday, December 3.
Lost and Found - Parents, please come to see if any lost and found items might belong to your child(ren). There is a plethora of jackets, boots, mitts, lunch bags and much, much more. There are clothes for little people too, so Early Childhood families, please come and have a peek! A rack is set up in the front hall of the Grade School. Anything left by Winter Break will be donated to charity. Thank you!
Christmas Concert - Our annual music concert featuring students from Grades 4 through 12 is coming up on Wednesday, December 12. Grade School students will be rehearsing during class time on Tuesday, December 11 during periods 2 and 3, and are required to bring their instruments that day, whether they usually have strings or ensemble or not. The concert will be at Highlands United Church at 7:00 pm. Instructions will come separately regarding student arrival times.
Faculty Announcements - Please join us in sending good wishes to Andrea Mckenzie, our recent Grade 5 teacher. Over the course of the summer and into the fall, it gradually became clear that our dear Mrs McKenzie would not be able to continue her work as a class teacher. Although we will miss Mrs McKenzie greatly, we anticipate with hope that she will continue as part of our community in the years to come.
We are fortunate to have discovered Waldorf trained teacher Sandra Valle, who is delighted to stay for the rest of the school year as the Class Teacher for Grade 5. Ms Valle comes to us from the Whistler Waldorf School and brings warmth, energy, and enthusiasm to her classroom. We anticipate an exciting and fruitful Grade 5 year under the guidance of Ms Valle. Please welcome Ms Valle if you see her in the halls and around the school.
Social Action Committee - As part of Vancouver Waldorf School's commitment to bringing the Social Inclusion work of Kim John Payne to our school, the student Social Action Committee (SAC) has been formed. This is a group of thirteen Grade Eight Students who are volunteering their lunch recess each Thursday in order to learn about, practice, and build skills in social awareness. This week, the SAC had their debut at the Grade School Assembly by bringing the theme of becoming aware of "put-downs". We are asking each class to become aware of when put-downs happen and to practice turning them around or, better yet, avoiding them all together. We hope that everyone can join in with this challenge to put the put-downs to an end! You can look forward to hearing more from the SAC in the New Year! ~ Ms Loughran, SAC Coordinator
Click to read what some of the members are saying about this very important work!
Upcoming Community Events - Spirited Christmas Beauty, Parzival Study Group, The Vancouver Opera tickets. If you have a community event that fits our values and you would like to share, please email Laura at communications@vws.ca. read more
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KEEPING OUR KIDS SAFE
As the days grow darker with the nearing of the winter solstice, we would like to remind everyone about safety in the parking lot at drop-off and pick up.
- The parking lot is exclusively reserved for employee parking until 8:10 am so that our teachers are able to unload their vehicles and be ready to greet their students when the first bell rings at 8:15.
- Please drive slowly through the parking lot and be mindful of children crossing and exiting vehicles.
- The "Kiss and Go" lane is for drop off only. Do not park or leave your vehicle here, or in the bus lane, at any time (including at pick-up).
- If there are no parking spaces remaining in the lot after 8:10 am, you will need to park on the street in the surrounding neighbourhood and walk your child to class. Plan to arrive a few minutes early; the fresh air and short walk can be a lovely and invigorating way to begin the day.
- Be mindful of driveways and not blocking neighbouring vehicles.
- The wooden gate near the ECC pathway is the only emergency vehicle access to the Early Childhood Centre. Do not park here at any time.
Thank you so much for helping keep our school a safe place for our children.
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The VWS Class of 2019 is raising money for their year-end trip, where they will be participating in two weeks of international community service. Thank you for supporting their fundraising initiatives.
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Bring your loonies and toonies for an after school treat or beverage offered by our Grade 12 students! You'll find them weekly. And be sure to ask them about their ever-evolving travel plans. Watch for upcoming samosas ready to take home for your dinner!
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Beautiful, locally grown Poinsettias and Tropical Planters - Visit Growing Smiles Fundraising to order via Paypal, or bring cash or cheque (payable to Vancouver Waldorf School) to the Grade School, High School, or any Grade 12 student.
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HAVE YOUR SAY ONLINE
Shape Our VWS Future!
Last month an in-person session was held for any community members wanting to provide input to the AWSNA Self-Study currently being drafted by the school. Please see here for background information on this work if you missed it previously. Next week we will be launching an online platform for those who wish to provide input in that way and we ask that you please look out for more information in Monday's Week-At-A-Glance email and next Thursday’s Current.
The question you will be asked is:
What are some key things the school is doing well and where do we have the greatest opportunities for growth or improvement?
We ask this question in the context of the seven AWSNA Principles for Waldorf Schools which can be found here. You will be able to confidentially add as many thoughts as you wish as well as consider to what degree other people’s thoughts resonate with you. Your input is of great value to the school as we reflect upon our strengths and possibilities in order to confirm our priorities and planning for the future.
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EVGENY SHCHERBAKOV
Two New Works for Solo Piano
In Solitude: Midnight Moon and Loneliness (Video)
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On September 28th and 29th, composer and pianist Evgeny Shcherbakov performed two of his new works for solo piano, In Solitude: Midnight Moon and Loneliness, at the 2018 Cambridge Music Conference at SFU's Goldcorp Centre for the Arts.
Evgeny Shcherbakov writes as follows about In Solitude: Midnight Moon: "When I look at the moon, it seems that it is a human being, who as fate has willed, was immured into solitude. Even though the moon is surrounded by beautiful stars, she can never reach them. The moon weeps and silver tears are streaming down from her sad eyes into a very mournful, but beautiful melody." (click to view the video)
For the first time in Canada, on September 28 & 29, Evgeny Shcherbakov’s piano & eurythmy piece Loneliness (premiered at the 2006 Eurythmeum Zuccoli Commission, Dornach, Switzerland) was inspiredly performed by the composer in collaboration with exceptional Maren Stott from Eurythmy West Midlands. Of Loneliness, Shcherbakov writes: “What are the sounds of loneliness? We all experience this heavy and desperate feeling sometimes.” (video embedded above)
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REFLECTIONS ON THE 48th CHILDREN'S CHRISTMAS FAIR
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Since the Children’s Christmas Fair wrapped-up for another year on Saturday evening, I have been reflecting upon the many moments over the past few months that once again brought the Fair to its gorgeous fruition. From setting a positive intention for the Fair with Laura Bergstrome in the summer, to early conversations with Class Reps about coordinating activities, to parents stopping by our offices to ask how they could help, to volunteer shifts being filled with ease, to honest conversations about the challenges the Fair presents, to problem-solving those challenges together, to beautifully decorated cookies arriving at the school... read more
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Thank you so much to Brendon Purdy, Stephanie Norris, and Mary Henly for the photos. See more! |
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Learning from Mistakes and Not Grades - Studying mistakes, instead of focusing on a grade, can lower the stakes and give students space to learn from errors and better absorb material. read more
Success in Life Requires More Than Good Grades - Skills like self-regulation, perseverance, cooperation and empathy contribute as much to a successful life as academic success. read more
Why Routines Matter - Children who have nourishing routines at home show better executive function than those with an unpredictable home life. Routines require impulse control and focus, so the very practice of executing routines strengthens our capacity for learning. read more
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Knitting with Mr Debelle in Handwork
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This is a very full newsletter! Please reach out if you need any clarification on the coming events. I'm happy to help you to sort the details as best I can, or to direct your questions to those who are in the know.
Many blessings
Laura Bergstrome
Communications & Events
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