Thank you, Steven Faryna, who has been guiding Grade 5 students in beadwork and hide tanning
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Dear <<First Name>>
As parents of children at school, we are often called upon for volunteering. Yet what does happen when we volunteer? We enter into the experience of doing something that has no relation to money or payment, and how this feeds us. We enter into a feeling of community and fraternity – of supporting others in their goals. And we are suddenly free again – doing something in the moment for no other reason than life has called us to do this right now.
In doing so, we step out of our usual modus operandi and encounter a certain freshness of experience. It may be from being around children who aren’t ours – their energy absorbing and filling us (as we must admit our own eyes can become dull to the magic of our own children), or it may also be that the mood of service grips us, that we are filled with a deep satisfaction from serving others, and we are then in touch with what is holy in that.
Join us to take a moment during the upcoming National Volunteer Appreciation Week, April 19-23, to say thank you for all the many people who volunteer with great energy and selflessness at VWS, in whatever capacity they can.
Warmly,
Anne Pepper
Parent, Volunteer, Development Committee
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Monday, April 19
Grade 7 Parent Evening 7:00 pm, Zoom
Thursday, April 22
Earth Day
Full Faculty & Staff Meeting 3:30 pm, Zoom
Friday, April 23
World Book Day
On the Horizon
April 28-30 | Grade 7 Class Play
April 28 | Rising Grade 1 Evening
May 1 | May Day
May 8 | Native Plant Sale
May 10 | Continental Waldorf Alum Social Hour
May 13-14 | Grade 4 Class Play
May 29 | Loutet Farm Stand
May 31-June 4 | Bike to School Week
June 18 | End of Term, Early Dismissal
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These sweet visiting hens enjoyed their perch in the courtyard. Thanks, Noe, for bringing them!
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NATIVE POLLINATOR PLANT SALE - Check out our online store for BC native plants, which will be ready to take your orders by Friday afternoon on April 16. Help restore the earth and support the local pollinator populations. Pick up will be at the VWS on Saturday, May 8. We will have a large variety of plants to choose from. All proceeds will go to the VWS Community Fund.
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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FOR STUDENTS & FAMILIES - With National Volunteer Appreciation Week just around the corner, we wanted to share some great opportunities for our students and their families to get involved with various community organizations on the North Shore. www.vws.ca/community-engagement-for-students-and-families
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BECOME A HOST FAMILY - Our Waldorf Student Exchange program often has more inquiries than we can fill. As a result, we offer students the chance to gain many of the experiences of an exchange by enrolling with us for a year and boarding with a host family in our International Homestay Program. If you have interest in hosting an international student, please complete this application and submit it to Carman at admissions@vws.ca. Learn about our exchange and homestay programs here.
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SUMMER CAMP - Our Summer Camp is open to all children and is a great way to taste what Waldorf School is like in a relaxed and fun atmosphere. Following the rhythm of the day and week, we endeavour to provide a healthy balance of directed activities such as woodworking, games, baking, crafting, hiking, weekly excursions, and supervised free play. Our program is sure to create wonderful summer memories to last a lifetime.
Offering programs for three age groups: Preschool (3.5-5), Junior (6-8), and Senior (9-13). For more information and to register, visit www.vws.ca/summer-camp.
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COVID PROTOCOLS REMINDER - As indicated in a recent email, the Ministry’s Health and Safety guidelines now indicate: “All students in Grade 4 to 12 are required to wear a mask indoors in schools and on school buses – both within and outside of their learning group.” There are a number of exceptions to this requirement identified within the documentation and staff have been made aware of these.
Details are on our website. vws.ca/updated-mask-guidelines-for-k-12-schools
The updated guidance and guideline documents are public and available online.
Please keep in mind that masks remain one layer of protection. To keep each other safe, we must continue to:
- Use the Daily Health Check before arriving at school
- Stay home when feeling ill
- Practice diligent and frequent handwashing
- Practice physical distancing when possible, even outdoors
- Spend time close to home with members of our own household
- Adhere to province-wide restrictions
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The laws of thermodynamics meet icecream in Science 9
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(Diversity, Equity and Inclusion)
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Anti-Racism at Home and in our Community - Understanding Racial Injustice, Implicit Bias, Whiteness & Structural Racism workshop
Island Discovery School (on Bowen) has invited our families to participate in a workshop on April 22, from 5:00-6:30 pm with antiracism educator Selam Debs. Selam will explore with us topics such as racism in Canada's history, how unconscious bias impacts our behaviours, how to actively engage in conversations about race and racism with our children, and moving from being 'not racist' to being actively 'anti-racist'
When: April 22, 5:00-6:30 pm
How: Register here
Fee: By donation, please note that the complimentary tickets are for Island Discovery parents.
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Thank you for supporting the Vancouver Waldorf School with your grocery card orders! You, your friends and extended family can use the grocery cards on multiple shopping trips in stores right across Canada (wherever stores are located). They never expire. You can find the specific details of each store at vws.ca/giving/grocery-card-program. If you have any questions that are not answered on our website, please contact program manager Huy Pham at vwsgiftcard@vws.ca.
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Russian revolution 1905 paintings in Grade 8
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The Anthroposophical Society in America is hosting a virtual community circle to explore the mystery and experience of the divine feminine, Sophia, in our time. This 12 part series will occur monthly on Wednesday from May 5, 2021, through April 6, 2022. Registration closes May 3.
When: Wednesdays, 9:30 am
How: Register here
Fee: Flexible
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"Sophia is the name of a Divine Feminine being, a creative mother presence, bearing all that that was, and is, and will be. Throughout times she has been revered and described in myths from around the world. She has been known by many names—The Great Mother, Isis, Tiamet, Gaia, Mary, Kuan Yin, Aditi, Ala, Skywoman, to mention only a few. Now, this great wisdom being, she who embraces human becoming in all its striving and suffering, is calling in new ways into our consciousness." ~ Signe Schaefer
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