Thank you, Leila and Nazli, for the Haft Seen table at the Grade School entrance - items symbolically represent the coming of spring, well wishes, and hopes for the new year.
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Dear <<First Name>>,
I want to share with you a lovely online resource I found back in the fall. The author writes with a refreshing openness and curiosity about the world around her. By doing so, she refrains from centring herself and her lived experience and instead opens the floor for discussion and collaboration.
In the future, I would like to ask these questions in our own community, but for now, I hope you will visit her post, Simple Preparations for Nowruz, and read how two Waldorf families recognize the Persian New Year in their homes.
If you are open to sharing your family's traditions and celebrations, please reach out; I would love to speak with you about collaborating for future newsletters and window displays at the school.
I wish you a beautiful beginning to spring and look forward to seeing the children back after Easter Monday.
Warmly,
Laura Bergstrome
Communications & Events
lbergstrome@vws.ca
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“When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy!” ~ Rumi
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We are incredibly excited to share with you the Grade Eight Projects! Since October, the students have been researching, writing and editing, working on a practical or artistic component, and preparing an oral presentation, all under the guidance of their teacher, Ms. De Ceuster, and with their family's support. The projects will be ready for you to view on Monday, March 22 at vwsprojects.ca.
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The ECC prepares for a visit from Lady Spring and for Nowruz.
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The College of Teachers has been reviewing existing programs and processes, such as the VWS Teacher Mentoring Program, to ensure they are continuing to meet the needs of our students, teachers and community; while supporting wonderful initiatives such as the virtual Parent Education evenings. In-depth conversations around the use of colour at Waldorf schools and how Waldorf pedagogy can support a healthy transition for Grade One students were just two of the topics explored recently at the meetings, with the aim of continuing the development of our programs here at VWS.
Sarah Vondruska
on behalf of the College of Teachers
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My Lady Spring is dressed in green she wears a primrose crown
The little baby buds and twigs are clinging to her gown
The sun shines when she laughs at all
But when she cries the raindrops fall
My Lady Spring, my Lady Spring, my Lady Spring is Here.
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Don’t miss your chance for a fun-filled, safe week of summer camp at VWS this year. Leave your children with us for a week, or six, with the peace of mind that they will be cared for in a manner congruent with our Waldorf philosophy. Camps will be themed each week and organized by our teachers to include favourite activities such as woodworking, games, baking, crafting, hiking, and weekly excursions to popular Vancouver attractions. Junior Camp (ages 6-8) and Senior Camp (ages 9-13) will both run from 9:00-3:00, Monday – Friday from June 21 to July 30. The cost is $375 per week and includes activities, excursions, and food. Details on our Preschool Age Summer Camp will be forthcoming in April.
For more information on any of our Summer Camps or to put your name on the list for pre-registration, please contact Ronaye Ireland at reception (rireland@vws.ca or 604-985-7435 ext 0).
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"At its simplest, mindfulness is about noticing and observing. These picture books introduce us to mindfulness and show us how we can practice it in nature, in gardens, and in our backyards. " Read more from Whole Kids Foundation.
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We are committed to providing a safe and nurturing educational environment for every student and continually seek to improve the ways we serve and support all community members. Diversity, equity, and inclusion work isn't simply a passion project at the VWS but is a critical focus of the Waldorf movement itself.
In the UK, the Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship annual conference The Well in the Village attracts participants worldwide and has the theme this year of diversity, equality, individuality, and community.
The spring teacher conference at Sunbridge Institute in New York state is titled "Calling It Like It Is: Uncovering and Dismantling Racism in the Waldorf Movement." On their website, they explicitly state, "At Sunbridge Institute, we recognize that diverse perspectives and voices are integral components of a vigorous educational community," and are currently hiring for a newly created position of director of education and organizational culture.
And closer to home, at our February Full Faculty & Staff meeting, we invited Jessie Nelson, an inclusion consultant of Kith + Common, to lead a professional development session on gender and sexuality. We explored the importance of being a welcoming and safe space for all students to feel included in the school community, feel represented, and have the resources they need.
We recognize that when students are educated in a diverse setting and classroom discussion is enriched with multi-cultural perspectives, they are more likely to see themselves reflected and thus feel safer in school.
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“A healthy social life is found
When, in the mirror of each human soul,
The whole community is living,
And when, in the community,
each human soul finds its reflection.”
~ Rudolf Steiner
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Spring buds in the Early Childhood Centre garden.
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