CWS Messenger
Farmer Friday Farmer’s Market Helps the Neighborhood
This summer Chicago Waldorf School has partnered with Harvest Moon Farms for fundraising, charity and good times at the Farmer Friday Farmer’s Market at Uncommon Ground on Devon. CWS volunteers assist Harvest Moon by unloading produce and delivering pre-paid boxes of organic foods to customers at the market. In exchange, CWS gets to keep all the proceeds from any additional food sales made to walk-up customers. To sweeten the deal further, all leftover produce is donated to Care for Real – a local food bank that works to feed a roster of around 3000 people in need in the Edgewater area.
While summer is winding down, there is still plenty of time for you to benefit the school and yourself by shopping at Farmer Friday Farmer’s Market, which continues weekly from 4-8pm through September 24. Enjoy the Honky Tonk Happy Hour from 6-8pm, tour the nation’s first certified organic rooftop farm and buy some tasty organic produce for your own family while you are there. You can also enjoy a wonderful selection of unique items from the other vendors including granola, tea, jewelry, silks (by CWS parent Cassy Smith) and much more. Uncommon Ground is located at 1401 W. Devon, just a few blocks south of the school.
For more information, click
www.uncommonground.com
www.harvestmoonorganics.com
Email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
CWS Summer of Outreach
While most of our families have been enjoying their time away for summer vacation, many of our community members have been donating a little of their break time to help with a plethora of outreach events. Our trusty crews have provided the faces of Chicago Waldorf School to crowds at the Evanston 4th of July Parade, the Folk & Roots Festival, Andersonville’s Midsommarfest, the Glenwood Sunday Market, the Uncommon Ground Farmer Friday Farmer’s Market and the Chicago Pride Parade, which got us mentioned in several media publications including the Chicago Tribune. In addition to the wonderful exposure for the school, participants all reported having a blast and feeling really energized from the incredible responses the school received from the crowds.
There are still plenty of outreach events where you can catch us or volunteer (even better!) including the fabulous Glenwood Arts Festival on August 21 & 22 and the Renegade Craft Fair on September 11 & 12. For more information, check out the event websites at www.glenwoodave.org and www.renegadecraft.com/chicago. If you would like to volunteer for the CWS booth at either or both of these fun events, contact Jennifer Zielinski at 773-828-8468 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). You can also check out some photos from the Pride Parade by clicking the Media button
at our website www.chicagowaldorf.org.
New School Year Kicks Off With Rose Ceremony
As the summer winds down, we are preparing to welcome back our students with the annual Opening Assembly and traditional Rose Ceremony. A beautiful observance that is a highlight of the year, the Rose Ceremony welcomes the new 1st Grade class through an introduction to the student body and the presentation of a rose to each new student from the members of the 12th Grade class, symbolizing the passing of the torch and the beginning of the 12-year journey of Waldorf education. A second Rose Ceremony is conducted at the end of the school year with the 1st Grade students presenting each member of the graduating class with a rose to symbolize the completion of the 12-year journey. Be forewarned – there is not a dry eye in the house at the end of this ceremony.
This year’s assembly and ceremony will be held on Wednesday, September 8 at 8:15am in the auditorium. Family and friends of the school are warmly welcomed to attend. Due to the nature of the event, parents of younger children are encouraged to keep in mind the quiet solemnity of the occasion and please take your children out of the auditorium if they become restless or disruptive. We encourage you to experience this beautiful tradition and be a part of the excitement of the new school year.
Alumni Spotlight – Liz Wilson
Many people wonder what happens to our graduates once they leave the school and head out into the world. 2009 graduate Liz Wilson has jumped whole-heartedly into post-high school life, just completing her 1st year at Sarah Lawrence College, where she is majoring in sociology with a focus in feminist theory. A recipient of merit scholarship awards as a graduating senior at CWS, she has received 2 additional financial awards for her academic performance this year.
Liz began attending CWS in the 5th grade. She credits the broad curriculum with giving her the chance to experience and appreciate many different aspects of life and education that she believes she would not have had in another school environment. "I really enjoyed working with my class on the 10th and 12th Grade plays," she said, when asked about favorite memories of the school. "There is a unique student-to-student and student-to-teacher relationship that Waldorf cultivates in order to shape an individual, mentally and socially, that is exceptional life preparation."
New Bee Hives Buzzing
After the sad losses of our bee hives at the Kovler Center due to extreme weather and other hostile conditions, we are thrilled to have 2 new bee hives right on our own school campus! Located behind the science lab, the new hives are fully populated and thriving. Students will be able to study and interact with the hives through a variety of projects throughout the school year. We also look forward to eating the honey when it becomes available – always a popular treat.
Teachers Brian Gleichauf and Patricia Holdrege are holding the bee hive project for the school. Patricia is also the keeper of the natural garden in front of the administrative offices, a hot hangout spot for our buzzy new residents.
While many people know about Waldorf founder Rudolf Steiner’s contributions to education, architecture, philosophy and biodynamic farming, it is a lesser known fact that his interest and writings extended into the study of bees. His book Bees is a compilation of a series of lectures on the subject given in 1923. It is still considered one of the definitive books on the subject.
Summer Parent-Child Classes a Huge Success
The Parent-Child program held its first summer session and it was an unmitigated success! Led by veteran teacher Susan Bruck and assistant Kate Randolph, the class was formed in response to requests from the spring session PC parents who asked for additional sessions to bridge the gap between spring and fall. To accommodate the need, a class was added to meet 2 times a week for 4 weeks. It was so popular that a second class was added and immediately filled to capacity as well!
Parent-Child classes are a wonderful resource for parents of little ones as well as the children themselves. They provide the opportunity for parents to learn more about Waldorf education from qualified teachers, ask questions about parenting issues and concerns, and spend relaxing time with other parents while their children play and socialize in a safe, warm environment.
Registration for the fall PC classes begins August 13 with classes themselves beginning September 13. For more information about the Parent-Child program or to register for a PC class, contact Jennifer Zielinski at 773-828-8468 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).