Saturday, March 24th, beginning at 10:00am at the White Mountain Waldorf School 

Parents and children!!!  Join Jen Perkins, our 2nd/3rd grade teacher, who will lead a discussion on how reading is taught in Waldorf schools. Discover how reading is introduced in Early Childhood through story and puppet play, and how its approach transforms as students reach the Elementary program.  Afterwards, we invite you to stroll through the classrooms to see our students’ work and talk with teachers.  The best way to get to know us is to visit us.  This event is free and open to the public; hope to see you there! 

We are honored to offer a FREE public lecture on Simplicity Parenting, presented by Kim John Payne, M.Ed. 

Please join us at Salyards Center for the Arts in ConwayVillage on Thursday, March 8, 2012.  Doors will open at 6:30pm for a meet and greet reception and the lecture will begin at 7pm… donations are appreciated; Adults only please!

This talk on Simplicity Parenting will address how too much stimulation causes distraction, disconnection and needless stress in children, as well as ways to counteract this growing problem. For more information on Mr. Kim John Payne, please visit his websites at:  www.simplicityparenting.com and www.thechildtoday.com. 

Storytelling is vital in the life of a young child!

At the White Mountain Waldorf School, nature stories and fairy tales are told, or presented through puppet shows to foster creativity in the children’s imaginative play.  The simplicity and calmness of puppet play allows the children to follow the story step by step, it stimulates their fantasy and strengthens their life forces.  For more information, please call 447-3168 and ask for Diana. 

JAVA DROP-IN

If you enjoy a good cup of Joe, mark your calendars! 

Come and join us on Wednesday, February 29 at 8am in the WMWS Handwork room (across from the Administrative office) for the Java Drop-In ~ sponsored by the White Mountain Waldorf School Parent Association.  We hope to see you there.  For more information, please call Diana @ 447-3168.

At the White Mountain Waldorf School all children learn how to finger knit in Kindergarten and knit  in the first grade.  

Knitting:

 • helps students increase their math & reading skills 

• improves levels of concentration & self-control 

• develops pride in work & a sense of mastery 

• develops the motivation to complete tasks 

• Students who knit have improved hand/eye coordination, small motor skills & communication skills

Schedule : 10:00-10:15 Greet and meet 

10:15-10:30 Introduction to knitting 

10:30-11:30 Knit and snack 

11:30-12:15 Tour of the school 

12:15-1:00 Discussions and wrap-up

Come knit with us and learn about other aspects of Waldorf Education on January 21, 2012 from 10am to 1pm 

For any questions call (603) 447-3168, email info@whitemountainwaldorf.org 1371 NH Route 16, Albany, NH 03818

This event is ONLY for White Mountain Waldorf School Early Childhood students ages 4 & up, as well as White Mountain Waldorf School students  in grades 1-3. 

This time of the year, the realm of Nature is still and quiet.  People are busy inside their homes preparing for the coming festivals of the season.  Inwardly, it is a time of preparation, quiet contemplation and hope.  We look within to find the light that will carry us through the darkest days of winter.  During this time we offer the children the opportunity to experience the mood of this season through the Advent Garden.  They walk through a spiral of evergreen boughs carrying candles- representing the light of the Spirit within the house of the body.  They light their candles from a single candle in the center; as they walk out of the spiral they place their lit candles along the path.  The darkened room is gradually illuminated by the shining of the many candles, just as our inner striving brings the light of understanding into the world.   

WMWS children who are aged between 4 & 9 are welcome to participate.  Younger siblings must sit quietly with parents for up to 45 minutes.  If your child becomes restless, please quietly leave the room. 

• Please arrive on time and wait in the entry hall to be seated.  If you are suddenly unable to attend, please call 447-6991 to let us know. 
• Please refrain from taking photos or videos.  These make the children self – conscious and does not allow them to fully experience the garden. 
• Please do not discuss the garden in advance, except to present it as a special event where they may help to bring light to the darkness of winter. 
• Parents are welcome to walk the garden with their children.
• We will close with a few caroling songs sung together; afterwards, please leave quietly to help continue the mood that has been created.
• Children will carry lit candles in the garden, so for safety please tie back any loose hair and choose clothing that will not drape too close to the floor. 
• We need to know how many people will be attending and how many children will be participating during each time slot, so please sign up no later than Noon on Thursday, December 1st.

… if you have children in both time slots listed below, please choose the time that works best for you.   

Early Childhood (4 years & up)                  6pm

First Grade                                                          6pm, or 7 pm 

Second & Third Grade                                     7pm

Finally, we are very excited to hold the Advent Garden at TMCC again this year.  It is sure to be a magical evening.  If you have any questions, please see Amy, Kat, Amanda, or Val in the office.  

If you enjoy a good cup of Joe, and good conversation, then, mark your calendars for the Java Drop-In;  sponsored by the White Mountain Waldorf School Parent Association.

Our next Java drop-in is on Wednesday Nov 30th at 8am in the WMWS Handwork room.  Join us for a cup o’Joe and a talk about the cold and flu season. Bill Toretti, Doctor of Homeopathy, has offered to give a 30 minute talk with time afterwards for questions.  You will learn natural approaches to overall health and specific information on what you can do to prevent colds and the flu, as well as valuable information about what to do if you or your child comes down with a cold or the flu.  Bill will also bring hand outs with tips and reminders for home reference.  

Bill Torretti, M M.Ed. in counseling.  Mindfulness Stress Reduction Program / Meditation / Mind Body Techniques / Energetic Therapies /  Homeopathy. 

We would like to say, “Thank you Bill” in advance, for taking your time to inform our parent community of this useful information!

                                                                                                     

Vaughan Food Drive…

It is time again for the annual Vaughan Food Drive. Traditionally, as a service to the community, the 6th grade class sets empty boxes outside of each of the Elementary classrooms in hopes of finding them full of non-perishable items on collection day. Then, they personally deliver the food to the Vaughan Food Drive where they help to sort it out. From there it is distributed to local food pantries to ensure that there is plenty of food for those in need over the holidays.

As an incentive, the class with the most donations will receive a special surprise in the end. So, please contribute some non-perishable food from Monday, 10/31- 11/15. Thank you so much!

The Stones Cry Out…                                                                 

By:  Holly Fortin

Imagine that stones could talk! Where do they come from? How were they made? How long have they been here? How long will they last?Join the 6th grade students of the White Mt. Waldorf School – a “star-studded cast” – for a musical rendition of this age-old question.  Explore the woes of being a common sedimentary rock when metamorphic and igneous rocks (the local bullies) laugh at your expense.  Find out how great heat and pressure can change (metamorphosis) even the most stubborn rebel and make her gneiss.  Discover what is possible when Jasper stops trying to be like everyone else and lets his true colors show.  Witness, Obsidian, the great illusionist, wow the crowds. And enjoy a front row seat at the exciting Ceremony of the Night in which one lucky gem will be chosen Queen.  All this and more is happening on Thursday evening, Nov. 17th at 6:30 at Salyards in Conway Village. This short performance arises out of the student’s study of Mineralogy. Donations, to cover the cost of the venue, will be accepted at the door. Call 447-3168 for information.

This enchanting evening is for White Mountain Waldorf School Early Childhood & students  in grades 1-3 only.  Early Childhood students must arrive by 5:30 pm and 1st, 2nd & 3rd graders must arrive by 6:30pm.  Parents, please park in the Beaver Brook (middle) parking lot.  

Every November 10^th (Martinmas Eve) we have a Lantern Walk to celebrate Martinmas, a festival of inner light shining into the outer darkness of the approaching winter.  St. Martin was a soldier in Rome in the 4th century.   Legend has it that one wintry night he met a poor beggar half-naked and freezing.  Martin removed the heavy military cloak from his shoulders and, drawing his sword, cut it in two and gave half to the beggar.  Martin became the Patron Saint of Beggars, dedicating his life to assisting pariahs.  Celebrating Martinmas at WMWS serves as a reminder that each of us has a divine inner spark that we must shine out into the world and share with others.   The children hear the story of St. Martin and as darkness falls they venture out into the night with their lanterns and quietly walk along a path lit with glowing jack-o-lanterns.   This symbolic act brings home the deeper truth that there isn’t enough darkness in all the world to snuff out the light of one little candle.