On April 27^th, over thirty-five teachers, administrative staffers, board members and parent representatives met at the Germantown Historical Society for The Waldorf School of Philadelphia’s second school leadership retreat.

At our inaugural retreat last year, consultant Torin Finser oriented school leaders toward the idea of “servant leadership” and the Leadership Team model of governance. This year, the Leadership Team hosted the retreat organized and guided by current Faculty Chair/incoming Interim School Chair Kerry Hoffman.

“Strengthening the Spirit of the School” was our theme, and harmony was our medium in the “discussions” that took place in a variety of activities: answering a shared set of questions in small groups; singing a round conducted by music teacher, Mandy Rogers-Petro, facing a challenge in a game that couldn’t be won except by cooperating; and painting the glorious, watercolor mural now installed in the main entrance stairwell.

The vibrant spirit of the Waldorf School of Philadelphia shows in the color garden 8^th grade teacher Lesya Parashchuk guided us in painting/planting. It was also spoken in our answers to questions Kerry Hoffman posed about who we are (“established, but not hidebound,” “organically created community,” “heart-centered leadership”, “courageous holding to our passion for Waldorf Education”) and about what we want to be (“truly reflecting the diversity of Philadelphia,” “more inclusive,” “more responsive to working, busy parents,” “better at transparency”).

What can the larger school community expect to grow from the seeds we planted that Saturday? Members of each constituent group met at the end of the retreat to share ideas about action goals. Reflecting on their role scaffolding the many activities that make it possible for WSP to offer Waldorf Education to Philadelphia, the administrative team proposes to strengthen their working relationships to parents with a communications survey (look out for it in the many ways you connect to the school!). Our teachers resolve to open discussion in their meetings about more parent enrichment opportunities. Parent representatives propose to work on involving more parents to the Parents’ Association by drawing on the varied strengths and talents of our parent community. Board of Trustees members discussed developing descriptions for the board advisory committee to bring more parents and friends of the school into their leadership circle. Keep on blooming, WSP!

We are pleased to invite you to our 2013 Grandparents and Special Friends’ Day on Tuesday, April 23 from 10:30a.m. to 1p.m.

PROGRAM

10:30a.m. Welcome reception

(Gilpin Hall gymnasium; take driveway past Sanctuary and Founders Hall)

11a.m. Assembly showcasing Grades 1 — 8

11:45a.m. Special Guest presentation

12p.m. Cross campus to Eagles II, main building

12:15-12:45p.m. Visiting time in student’s classroom (except Kindergarten and Nursery)

12:45p.m. Brief Closing Reception in Applied Arts Wing, Eagles I

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RSVP by April 15 to Allison Budschalow at 215-248-1662 x 225 or development@phillywaldorf.com.

If you forgot to submit your Grandparents and Special Friends’ form at the beginning of the school year, please let Brooke know, office@phillywaldorf.com.

This is also our first year of our Grandparents and Special Friends’ Giving Circle.  The goal of this Giving Circle is to further create a sustainable community at our school.  To learn more about the Giving Circle and how you can join, please visit our Annual Fund page and scroll down.

Please make sure you hold Sunday, March 3, 2013 from 5-7p.m. for an all ages “happy hour” to celebrate Waldorf education in Philadelphia.  We are inviting all alumni and alumni families – you too, parents – of The Waldorf School of Philadelphia, as well as alumni of ANY Waldorf schools who are currently living in or spending time in Philly.  This includes current and former teachers of a Waldorf school.

We’ll be hosting this event at the High Point Café located at Allen’s Lane Septa Regional Rail train station in the Mt Airy section of Philly.  Delicious hot and cold beverages and yummy treats provided!

You won’t want to miss this opportunity to see old friends, make new connections, and to share in the telling of stories that only get richer with the passing of time.  Please come out whether you went to the Kimberton Waldorf School, Great Barrington Rudolf Steiner School, the Rudolf Steiner School – NYC, the Washington Waldorf School, High Mowing, Hawthorne Valley, the Princeton Waldorf School, and more.  Please forward widely to others who you know in the Philly area that are Waldorf (any school) alums.

Thanks and see you then!

Exploring with Imagination & Creativity, Nature & the Elements

 Join us for up to seven weeks of camp, June 17th – August 2nd  2013

Summergarten models the gentle rhythm of the Waldorf kindergarten that so lovingly nourishes the child’s developing coordination, cooperation and creativity. Each week a theme is offered that explores nature or one of the four elements.  Days are filled with singing, stories, creative play, craft making and water play; with plenty of time to explore, create and dream amidst the lovely environment of The Waldorf School of Philadelphia and the green space of our beautiful 38 acre shared campus in the heart of Mt Airy, Philadelphia.  Campers are guided and cared for by our experienced Waldorf Kindergarten teachers and each day includes a healthy, organic lunch and snack.

Week One – A Garden for a Gnome

Week Two – Blessed Bees

Week Three – Birds, Butterflies and Bugs

Week Four – Water Wonders

Week Five – Glass Gardens

Week Six – Forest Friends

Week Seven – Kites, Planes and Pinwheels

Summergarten Camp is a five day program open to children ages 3 – 6 years old including children entering first grade in September 2013. Camp Hours are 8:30 am to 3 pm Monday – Friday *no camp on July 4^th

***** Register before 15th March and receive a discount *****

Summergarten Flyer

Summergarten Camp REGISTRATION FORM 2013

Beautiful, hand-selected, soul-nourishing gifts

November 30th – December 2nd

Friday, 11-8, Saturday & Sunday, 9-5

@ Green on Greene, 6819 Greene Street, Philadelphia, PA 19119 – opposite the Weavers Way Co-op, High Point Cafe and Big Blue Marble Bookstore

The Whispering Wood Popup Store is more than a place to buy gifts. It is a multi-sensory conceptual shopping environment that melds core aspects of Waldorf Education with the selection of beautiful hand-made toys and gifts for family and loved ones. Visitors will be transported out of the ordinary with unique sound and music, the scent of essential oils, together with the sight and touch of natural elements and materials that have been transformed into children’s playthings and fine crafts. This year there are eleven vendors participating in our venture. Come visit and explore our collection of  jewelry, hand-knits, quilted and wood-worked items, hand-made books and photography. All proceeds benefit the WSP tuition assistance program.

PS – Don’t miss these events this weekend!!! The WSP holiday chorus on Friday @ 6.30, and the Sustainable Fundraising talk @ 4.00 and exclusive Alumni After Hours @ 5.00, both on Saturday.

As part of the Spanish curriculum, Maestra Elena will lead WSP students in an assembly introducing the Mexican celebration of “Día de los Muertos” or Day of the Dead.

More than 500 years ago, when Spanish conquistadores landed in what is now Mexico, they encountered the native people celebrating a ritual which honored the dead. It had been practiced for at least 3000 years. Originally celebrated by the Aztec for a full month, Spanish priests co-opted and moved it to the Feast of All Souls, November 1. That date had been established when Roman priests co-opted Samhain, the November 1 celebration of the dead by the Celtic peoples of Britain and Gaul – giving rise to All Souls and Halloween!.

While the celebration of All Souls can be a sad occasion in many countries, in Mexico, it is a joyous remembrance of the departed. Unlike the Spaniards, who viewed death as the end of life, the Aztec and other Meso-American peoples viewed death as a continuation of life. Life was a dream and only in death did they become truly awake.

In Mexico, people visit the cemetery and decorate the gravesite with marigold flowers and candles. They bring toys for the children. They sit on picnic blankets and eat the favorite foods of their loved ones.

Our school assembly will be on November 1, at the beginning of the day. Your children are invited to bring a photo or memento of a loved one who has died. These will be displayed, along with candles and flowers, on the stage at the front of the auditorium. In Spanish classes leading up to the assembly, Maestra Elena will bring a story, and have the children make masks (grades 1, 2), paper flowers (grades 3, 4, 5), and the woven “God’s eyes” (grades 6, 7, 8). At the end of the assembly, they will be given baskets of bread to take back to their classrooms to share for snack.

Please join the Waldorf School of Philadelphia parent community on Tuesday, February 12th from 7-9 p.m. to hear Dr. Douglas Gerwin explore the developmental stage of “earthly maturity”  — specifically the unfolding of the complementary powers of intellectuality and sexuality­­––in his lecture entitled “The Sword and the Rose.”

What is really happening during the parallel processes of sexual and intellectual maturing? How does Waldorf education support human development through the tumult of puberty to young adulthood? These are among the questions Dr. Gerwin will address in his talk.

Waldorf Education trains each student’s whole being. Even basic physiological functions such as breathing are trained in a Waldorf school through the care teachers take to give rhythm to each day’s activities. From early childhood through to 8^th grade, we cultivate the healthy unfolding of a child’s physical as well as metaphysical nature culminating in puberty, a stage Rudolf Steiner refers to as Erdenreife or “earthly maturity.” At this developmental stage a young adult ripens not only outwardly but inwardly in order to take on the demands of the wider world.

In the setting of a Waldorf school, therefore, we understand puberty as a threshold for soul and spirit as much as it is for the physical body. As a result, from the onset of puberty and into the high school years, students need to learn in quite new ways––less through the radiant warmth of their teacher and more through their own discovery. In Steiner’s words, students need to meet the world  “in such a way that it can resound over and over within them, so that questions about nature, about the cosmos and the entire world, about the human soul, questions of history, and riddles arise in their youthful souls.” Children who have been educated secure in the authority of the adults around them and held by the rhythmic breath of each day’s activities can become young adults ready to act meaningfully, responsibly, creatively, and independently in the world.

Douglas Gerwin, Director of the Center for Anthroposophy, has taught history, literature, German, music, and life science at the Waldorf high school level since 1983. He divides his time between adult education and teaching in various North American Waldorf schools. Dr Gerwin is the founder of Waldorf High School Teacher Education Program at the Center for Anthroposophy and editor of several books related to Waldorf Education.

Macrobiotics Family Style with Elizabeth Gollan – Saturday, 1st December @ 10.00 a.m.

What’s healthy and what isn’t? Many parents steer their children away from sweets based on the advice of dentists and physicians. But how can you insure your family’s health, provide a good diet, and offer food that tastes good? What to feed your family is one of the hottest topics of discussion today. Come hear how one health-conscious parent made the choice to follow a macrobiotic diet and made it a family affair!

Elizabeth Gollan has twenty years experience in macrobiotic cooking and philosophy. She has apprenticed and studied for fifteen years with renowned macrobiotic counselor, Denny Waxman, and has assisted Michio Kushi. She studied cooking with Yehudit Flohr and Susan Waxman. She teaches weekly cooking classes from her home in Wyndmoor.

Coffee and Conversation is a series of informal, topic-focused programs for parents that help build connections around the joys and anxieties of parenting.

The event will be held at The Waldorf School of Philadelpha, 7500 Germantown Avenue, Mt Airy, PA 19119.

Join us for the Chestnut Hill Fall for the Arts Festival on their new date of Sunday, October 14th 2012.

Our booth will be located at 8131 Germantown Avenue in front of Norio/Sue’s Dressmaking, a stones throw from Laurel Hill Gardens and Bredenbecks Bakery.

As a fundraiser, the 8th grade students will be making jump ropes and selling beautiful note cards.  WSP parents will also be on hand to talk about our amazing school and to sell a limited array of items  from The Whispering Wood. Please swing to say Hello and show your support.

For More Information Click Here