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Community * Respect * Integrity * Commitment * Reverence
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Playtime in Dandelion Preschool (photo by Brendon Purdy)
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CONTENTS
*links may work only when viewing in browser
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Next Week
Monday, March 4
Grade 8 Projects 6:30 pm GS |
Tuesday, March 5
Grade 8 Projects 6:30 pm GS |
Wednesday, March 6
Grade 1 Readiness Evening |
Friday, March 8
Community Coffee Morning 8:30 am GS |
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Upcoming
March 4 & 5 | Grade 8 Projects
March 6 | Grade 1 Readiness Evening
March 13 | Festival of the Arts (GS early dismissal)
March 15 | End of Term (no early dismissal)
March 18-29 | Spring Break
April 1 | Spring Term Begins
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Thank you to our hardworking and creative Playground Committee who built these gorgeous benches during February Break!
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GS/HS Re-Enrollment 2019-20
Confirm your child’s enrollment for next year by logging in to your Parent Portal and completing the online paperwork TODAY. Contact Karen Broom at admissions@vws.ca if you have any questions about the process. |
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Welcome New Families - Please help us extend a warm welcome to Sana Yago (Japan) Mulberry Preschool, Audur Kjartansdottir (Iceland) Red Rose Kindergarten, Daichi Yago (Japan) Grade 3, Vera Koller (Germany) Grade 9, and Maja Fischinger (Germany) and Chantalle Pilscheur (Switzerland) in Grade 11.
Childcare Tax Receipts - GS parents, you may pick up your CTR from the Accounting office at any time. HS parents, your CTR will be sent home with your child next week. ECC parents, your CTR have been distributed. Please contact accounting@vws.ca if you have any questions.
Festival of the Arts - A letter will be coming home next week regarding this artistic showcase featuring all students from Grade 2 through 12. Be sure to mark your calendar for March 13, which is not only rehearsal and performance day, but is also early dismissal for GS students.
Call for Vendors! - Our Spring Fair is around the corner on April 13 and we are on the lookout for vendors. If you are interested in selling your wares, visit our website to download an application here vws.ca/spring-market-call-vendors/
Upcoming Community Events - VAM Community Concert Series, Spacial Dynamics, The Magic Flute, Music of the Spheres: inspiration from the heavens, and An Exploration of the Mystery Dramas. Visit our website to learn more.
Community Classifieds & Marketplace - Listings include rain gear for sale, making water kefir, accommodations needed for February Break, co-housing opportunities, and part-time work with Foodie Kids Inc. in the Waldorf Classifieds. Visit our website to learn more.
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It's an "Ice Pop Shoppe" at Recess in Grade 1
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FACULTY FEATURE
Andrea Siradze - Violin, Viola, Co-teacher of 7/8 String Ensemble
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Andrea is an alumna, parent, and daughter of longtime VWS teacher Joe Reuter, and comes to us with a wealth of private and ensemble teaching experience. After graduation from VWS, Andrea studied classical violin at the Hamburg University in Germany and, since returning to Vancouver, has played in many of our local professional orchestras such as the VSO, the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, as well as for special CBC radio recordings with artists such as Michael Buble, Brian Adams, Rod Stewart and Barbara Streisand (to name a few). Andrea is currently the Concert Master of Sinfonia of the North Shore and is very active with her private teaching studio, as well as with her string quartet, Microcosmos.
Andrea was interviewed for our Alumni Corner in 2014. You may read that conversation here.
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Bees, these creatures of the sun, help many of our food crops to multiply, and at the same time show us the state of our souls. And as Rudolf Steiner observed, “The entire beehive is actually permeated with love life.” Bees are an image of the spiritual power that lends dignity to freedom: for the power of love that wants to become effective. read more
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Our Grade 8 students have been working on their self-directed research projects. They will present their essay and showcase an artistic or practical aspect of their topic on March 4 & 5. Join us for this Grade School highlight and show your support to these bright students.
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How a Cigarette Factory Sparked an Educational Movement - The first Waldorf school was born in the wake of the hopelessness, chaos, and devastation of World War I. Rudolf Steiner argued for a social structure that would separate the economic, cultural, and political realms.
The School Culture and Curriculum Relationship - Research indicates allowing schools to be places of distinct culture, rich curriculum, and varied, but effective pedagogy is a way forward to collective academic success.
A Roadmap for Teaching the Whole Child - The promotion of social, emotional, and academic learning is not a shifting educational fad; it is the substance of education itself.
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Our Jr Boys wrapped up their Basketball season with a 44 to 24 sweep. Under the guidance of coach Tibor Jeremias, they have steadily grown and come together as a small but mighty team.
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COMMUNITY STORY
Rachel Garratt, Red Rose Kindergarten and Grade Two Parent
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Gift Card Program - passing the torch
When my son started preschool in the fall of 2014, I was almost immediately on the lookout for a way to get involved in the school community. Because my parents were founding members of a Steiner (Waldorf) school in Australia and my sister and brother-in-law are Waldorf teachers, I grew up learning that Waldorf schools are strongest when parents offer their time and resources in whatever ways they can best manage. I also learned that Waldorf teachers do not work a job with standard hours; they devote their lives to the children in their charge and hold them deeply in their hearts and minds. When I thought about how I would get involved, I knew that I wanted to support our hardworking teachers so I started looking for a way to do just that.
I stumbled upon the idea of fundraising with gift cards and realized that raising money for the school would benefit our whole school community, including our teachers. Being a new parent, I was unsure of how to bring the idea forward as I did not know how to navigate the school. After chatting with more experienced parents, I decided to approach the Board of Trustees with the idea of launching a gift card program for the school that I would run and manage. Running the program since then has required many volunteer hours but I have found the time very fulfilling. Through the Winter Term, I have transitioned the Grocery Card Program to Huy Pham, Finance Manager, and Wei Liu, Bookkeeper, in the Accounting Office. Before I step back altogether, I wanted to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has made a change to their grocery shopping habits to support the school through this program. It would not have worked without you!
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ALUMNI CORNER
Matthew Roberts, Class of 2014
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MR: After graduating from Waldorf, I was accepted into a Bachelor of Arts program at Mount Allison University. Mount Allison is a small liberal arts university in New Brunswick and is constantly ranked among the top undergraduate schools in the country. I then decided to pursue a degree in International Relations, combining my interests in languages, politics, and economics. ... I have had the opportunity to study and work abroad. I first attended the University of Strasbourg in France for the winter semester and then travelled to Washington DC, where I interned with the Organization of American States. The OAS is similar to the United Nations, with the exception that it serves only North America, Latin America, and the Caribbean. I worked in the International Development department all summer, helping manage various OAS projects in Jamaica. read more
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Grade 6 finished their French block about 'Les boulangeries' on Wednesday with a visit to 'Le Bon Macaron' in Vancouver. The students learned about the history of 'le macaron', as well as its traditional recipe. They were treated to a demonstration of how to prepare the mixture and then they were put to work piping the mixture onto the template! Everybody was invited to choose three macarons to take home, as long as they ordered them 'en français'! ~ Madame Perry
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Chinese New Year Celebration - thanks to the generosity of everyone involved, we raised $1180 towards repairs to the Grade School roof.
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We're in the final stretch of the winter term! I hope you’ve all enjoyed your family day and February Break. Even though students were away, the Grade School campus was far from quiet. Over the long weekend, we hosted Spacial Dynamics Vancouver for the kick-off to their two-year certification training. Then during the week, West Coast Institute arrived to continue their Waldorf teacher training. While this was happening, members of the Playground Committee braved the cold and snow to continue work on the project to help preserve the root systems of the three trees at the top of the playground, by adding large stones and beautiful new benches to the willow structure around the circumference of the trees.
Before I sign off, I would like to extend my gratitude to Alexandra de Montigny and her colleagues from the Faculty of Education at SFU who volunteered to facilitate the Blanket Exercise last night, and to the Indigenous Council at VWS for creating this opportunity to help deepen our understanding of the historical and current impacts of colonization on Indigenous peoples in Canada and BC. I was encouraged to see so many of our youth in attendance and to hear them speak with wisdom beyond their years.
Many blessings
Laura Bergstrome
Communications & Events
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The Vancouver Waldorf School is situated on the unceded ancestral territory of the Musqueam (xʷməθkʷəy̓əm), Squamish (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw) and Tsleil-Waututh (səl̓ilwətaɁɬ) Nations.
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