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Open House for Prospective Families
Saturday, Dec. 1st
10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Belmont Shore Christmas Parade
Saturday, Dec. 1st
Gather @ 5:30 p.m.
Explore Waldorf Education
Tuesday, Dec. 4th
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Discussion with the Dean
Friday, Dec. 7th
9:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.
Winter Spiral
Sunday, Dec. 9th & Monday, Dec. 10th
Schedule below.
Walk Through the Classes
Tuesday, Dec. 18th
9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Holiday Chorus & Strings Concert
Wednesday, Dec. 19th
Call time 5:50 p.m.
Concert 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Winter Break
December 24th - January 4th
*** NO SCHOOL *** |
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Dear MVWS community,
I was a fairy queen, in a most beautiful grotto, greeting little human guests, who were given the gift of their own wings or gnome hat, and who came to build fairy and gnome houses for all the winged and tiny visitors who would need to sleep over that night.
One particular boy walked in, bee-lined it straight to me with determination and asked, âWhy are you wearing fake wings?â in a very practical, matter-of-fact tone. I bent down, looked in his eyes and asked why he chose to wear his wings. This caught him off-guard and allowed me to tell him the story of all the fairies and gnomes who were at the Harvest Faire, but who would be unable to fly and walk home that night, since it would be too late and dark. They were going to have a big slumber party in all the houses built that day. He was still doubtful, but decided to start digging foundations none-the-less (a very sensible thing to build). The problem was â his little sister had a shovel, and he did not. I heard him complaining to his mom about the unjust system, when I walked over to a large basket without a physical bottom, reached down inside, and pulled out an identical shovel from under the one slat that covered the ground. I presented it to him. He looked at me in wonder and asked, âWhere did you find that?â I told him I had found it at the bottom of that basket. He said, âI looked in there, and there was nothing there at all. How did you do that?!â I casually said, âI am sure you are right. But the gnomes must have heard you saying you wanted to help by digging, and then they suddenly popped the shovel up from under the ground. With his mouth wide open, he began to dig. And dig. He created âfoundationsâ and âplatformsâ upon which houses could be built by others. He dug roads upon roads, telling me how he did not like bugs, but kept finding more and more. He did not let that stop him.
Then, suddenly, on his own, he came to me with his eyes shining and exclaimed, âWhat was that? I keep feeling something under my feet!â And he danced around as if something was poking him from underneath.
I smiled and told him that the gnomes are quite silly, and Iâm sure they are playing with him. I am fairly positive it was just the confirmation he had hoped for. I also told him that sometimes, gnomes are quite sneaky and place rocks in your shoes overnight. To my surprise, he turned to his mother and said, âRemember when that happened to me?â I am honestly not sure if it did. If it did, how lucky was I? If it didnât, how lucky was he?
That precious little doubting boy gave me a gift that day - the gift of possibility and a bit of evidence that even in a world of practicality, we all need a little magic in our lives.
With gratitude,
Lisa
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Harvest Faire Gratitude
What an amazing Harvest Faire we had! The faculty and staff would like to thank Kari Rahni, her chairpeople and to ALL of our parents for helping to make this event spectacular. This was our first time at a new venue, and we heard rave reviews, so we are destined to return! |
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Extended Care Staffing Change
In a recent change of staffing, as Mr. Dan has resigned his position at our school, we would like to update you on our Extended Care teams for December. Our Morning Care team will continue to be Mr. Drew and Ms. Alyssa, with Ms. Jewel joining on Mondays and Wednesdays. Our Early Childhood Aftercare teacher will continue to be Ms. Lori. Ms. Alyssa has been assisting on Wednesdays, and we welcome Ms. Elaine Black on all other days. Our Grades Aftercare team will be Ms. Ciana with Mr. Drew assisting on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and Ms. Jewel assisting on Tuesdays and Thursdays. |
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All current and prospective parents and caregivers are invited! Please note we will not have any childcare provided.
Explore Waldorf Panel:
Charlotte Guest, Waldorf Early Childhood Teacher, MVWS
Kimberly Raine - Waldorf Grades Teacher, MVWS
Janell Carlson - Waldorf High School Teacher & Parent/Toddler Teacher, WSOC
Candice Russell - Regional Director of Environmental Education, LA County, California Department of Education: Parent of 1st grader
Ernie Ruckman - Marine Biologist, Orange County Sanitation District: Parent of 3rd grader
Larry Tong - Structural Engineer, Boeing Corp.: Parent of 1st and 7th graders
Tianna Terry - Coordinator, Downtown Womenâs Center: Waldorf Alumna
Plus..
Three Waldorf High School Seniors!
6:00 - 8:00
Maple Village Waldorf School
Social Hall
Light refreshments served
Adult Only
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Winter Spiral
Winter Spiral will be held on Sunday, December 9th and Monday, December 10th in the MVWS Social Hall!
This is a powerful experience for both family and child. Your child will be going on a journey and we will be able witness their strength and bravery. The music will start and one by one, the children will walk the spiral. Who they are at this time is very special and the Winter Spiral will give you the chance to really see that. If you would like to know more about the meaning of Winter Spiral, we recommend this article from City of Lakes Waldorf School.
Important reminders for Winter Spiral:
- Be on time as we will not be able to open the doors for late families.
- This is a silent event - please, no talking.
- Please dress your child in pants or leggings.
- Have them wear simple, easy to walk in shoes.
- Their tops need to be well fitting, not loose or flowing because of the candle.
- All childrenâs hair needs to be clipped or tied back (buns or high ponytail work best).
- Please, no cameras during the ceremony.
- If you have a small child that is restless please exit quietly.
- If you are not able to attend, please let your child's teacher know.
- If you are planning to have siblings walk during a different time slot, please let their teacher know as soon as possible.
Dates and Times:
Sunday, December 9th
- 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. Poppy Preschool
- 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. Larkspur Kindergarten
- 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. Sunflower Kindergarten
Monday, December 10th
- 9:15 - 10:15 a.m. Sweet Pea Preschool
- 2:00 - 2:45 p.m. 2nd Grade Palms
- 2:45 - 3:45 p.m. 4th Grade Cottonwoods & 5th Grade Manzanitas together
- 3:45 - 4:15 p.m. 6th/7th/8th Grade Shady Trees
- 4:30 - 5:30 p.m. 3rd Grade Willows
- 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. 1st Grade Laurels
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MVWS School Store - Featured Items
Harvest Faire peg dolls are $10-$15 each (priced as marked) and toadstool pocket necklaces are $10 each while supplies last!
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Belmont Shore Christmas Parade
Maple Village will be walking in the annual Belmont Shore Christmas Parade this Saturday, December 1st, and you are invited to join us! The theme of this year's parade is "Parade of Lights"; we will be recreating a bit of our Lantern Walk in the parade by carrying our lanterns and singing our Lantern Walk songs along the route. Read on for more details.
- All MVWS community members and families are invited.
- Please arrive at the route no later than 5:30 p.m. to line up. We are group #23 in the lineup.
- The parade route is about 1 mile long; walking the route will take an estimated 45-60 minutes.
- Please make sure your children have eaten ahead of time and bring water & snacks for your family with you.
- Parents/guardians are responsible for their children during the parade.
- Dress appropriately for the weater and follow school dress code. Children may wear holiday or Waldorf-themed costumes if desired (e.g. nature or fairy tale costumes).
- Please bring your lanterns from Lantern Walk. Battery-powered tea lights are recommended.
- Wagons and strollers are okay; no skateboards, bikes, scooters, etc. please.
- Animals are not allowed in the parade.
- We will be handing out origami cranes and wooden tokens to the crowd. Other small handmade items are also welcome. (No throwing allowed.)
- We are looking for a few volunteers to hold the MVWS and Green Ribbon banners.
- Every child participating in the parade must have a consent form completed by their parent/guardian. Please print and fill out forms ahead of time and bring them to the parade. Parental consent form
- Official parade policies & prodecures
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Hello Villagers,
I want to send a heartfelt "Thank You" to you, our AMAZING community, for all of your help with this year's Harvest Faire. Although there were challenges of time, space and changing the theme, we pulled it off! Celebrating various cultures in our own MVWS community was so beautiful to see. I can't wait to bring more of our cultures to life next year! I heard so many compliments! I even heard a positive comparison to Pasadena's Elve's Faire! That being said I know there is definitely room for improvement and I welcome any suggestions you have to make next year's faire even better! Speaking of next year, I spoke with the Director of Camp Fire and she was overall pleased with our event and made her own suggestions for next year...we have a home for Harvest Faire now!!! Wooohooo!
Again, thank you for all you do. I've said it before and I will continue to say it; it takes a village to pull this event off and working together to bring it to life brings us closer as a community.
I want to send a special thanks to Meghan Wincor who is truly as insane as I am! lol! Thank you for helping me keep things organized and the absolute dedication you kept to the very end! xoxox
In Gratitude,
Kari
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Parent/Toddler Winter Session - Open Enrollment
Enrollment is now open to all for our upcoming winter session of Parent/Toddler classes! If you know someone with a young child who might like to join us, please send them this info. Here are the session details:
Tuesday, Wednesday*, Thursday, or Friday
9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
First Class: week of November 26th
Last Class: week of February 4th
No Class: weeks of December 24th or 31st (school closed for Winter Break)
Cost: $295, all fees included
*Wednesday class will continue to be an outdoor explorers class at Mae Boyar Park in Lakewood. We would love to have some more families join us!
To register, please contact Alice in the office . Spots in each of the classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Currently Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday have openings - you can check the status of each class on our website.
Thank you for helping to spread the word! This class often has a waitlist so now is the perfect time for new families to join. |
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You may have seen him at Harvest Faire; your grade-school students have had classes with him. Mike Fry, of Letâs Jump LA, Maple Villageâs jump rope coach, is offering Friday afternoon jump rope classes at MMS Dance Studio in Long Beach. See flyer above for location, time and registration information. Letâs jump! |
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About Maple Village Waldorf School
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Maple Village Waldorf School aims to create a compassionate and welcoming environment rooted in the traditions and the philosophies of Waldorf education. We endeavor to engage and nurture the whole child resulting in a balance of heart, mind, body and spirit. We strive to provide a full living education integrating academia, the arts and communal awareness in order to inspire, energize and develop creativity and a love of learning in each student.
For more information or to apply, please call us at (562) 434-8200, email us at info@maplevillageschool.org, or visit our website. |
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