Dear Nursery Parents,
Last week, the Sunflower kindergarten children joined us on the playground. Because it worked so well, Dyanne and I will continue to mix our classes together for another week or two. It was wonderful to see 6 year olds and 3 year olds playing together with joy.
Warmly,
William
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Monday, November 1
Hi Nursery Families,
Here is a note from our kindergarten teachers.
In the nursery, your child is welcome at any time.
Here is a note from our kindergarten teachers.
The day after Halloween Monday November 1st!!!!!
Please feel free to take a late start on Monday November 1st if your child has had a late night on Halloween or you need some extra time to sleep in or sleep off candy. Children can come as late as 9:30am if your schedule allows, I will begin snack at 9:30am. Please also feel free to keep your child home for a catch up day if Halloween activities will prevent them from having a positive experience in kindergarten the next day.
Have fun everyone and see you trick or treating!!
Kim and Dyanne
Have fun everyone and see you trick or treating!!
Kim and Dyanne
In the nursery, your child is welcome at any time.
With warmth and light,
William
More background for November 8's talk
Dear Nursery Families,
Here is more background for next Monday's talk. It weaves together ideas from experienced Waldorf teachers with the wisdom of RIE (Resources for Infant Educarers) to give suggestions for planning our children's day.
Expect more communication soon about our upcoming lantern walk on November 12, welcoming new children to our class, and more.
Our children's play continues to be rich. Play scenarios involve more children inside and outside and sustain for long periods of time. In the woods, children are more and more creating cooperative play scenarios, such as driving cars or motorcycles to a lake or searching for birthday party gifts.
With warmth and light,
William Geoffrey Dolde
Here is more background for next Monday's talk. It weaves together ideas from experienced Waldorf teachers with the wisdom of RIE (Resources for Infant Educarers) to give suggestions for planning our children's day.
Expect more communication soon about our upcoming lantern walk on November 12, welcoming new children to our class, and more.
Our children's play continues to be rich. Play scenarios involve more children inside and outside and sustain for long periods of time. In the woods, children are more and more creating cooperative play scenarios, such as driving cars or motorcycles to a lake or searching for birthday party gifts.
With warmth and light,
William Geoffrey Dolde
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Updated Rhythm, Potluck Reminder
Dear Families,
Here is the updated nursery rhythm of the day and the week that lists soup day on Tuesday and bread day on Wednesday. Because children help bake the bread on Wednesday, our snack time is a little later than Monday and Tuesday, and we don't have soup vegetables to munch on. I've started sharing little bits of pecans or cashews or almonds (prepared by my colleague Dyanne following recipes in Nourishing Traditions) at about 9:45am to tide us over until snack time.
Thank you for bringing vegetables on Monday. Children love helping to make the soup (and crunching on a raw carrot or other healthy snack). If you forget Monday and bring vegetables Tuesday, this is still helpful. In this case, we may peel and chop in preparation for the parent & child class--this gives nursery children who are still tentative about the soup (most eat with a good deal of comfort) another bit of snack as they crunch on a carrot or cabbage or celery.
I look forward to seeing you at tomorrow's potluck. I have an appointment in the afternoon and could be a little late. If you arrive at 5, I'd appreciate it if you send my apologies to others until I show up.
With warmth and light,
William Geoffrey Dolde
Here is the updated nursery rhythm of the day and the week that lists soup day on Tuesday and bread day on Wednesday. Because children help bake the bread on Wednesday, our snack time is a little later than Monday and Tuesday, and we don't have soup vegetables to munch on. I've started sharing little bits of pecans or cashews or almonds (prepared by my colleague Dyanne following recipes in Nourishing Traditions) at about 9:45am to tide us over until snack time.
Thank you for bringing vegetables on Monday. Children love helping to make the soup (and crunching on a raw carrot or other healthy snack). If you forget Monday and bring vegetables Tuesday, this is still helpful. In this case, we may peel and chop in preparation for the parent & child class--this gives nursery children who are still tentative about the soup (most eat with a good deal of comfort) another bit of snack as they crunch on a carrot or cabbage or celery.
I look forward to seeing you at tomorrow's potluck. I have an appointment in the afternoon and could be a little late. If you arrive at 5, I'd appreciate it if you send my apologies to others until I show up.
With warmth and light,
William Geoffrey Dolde
Monday, October 18, 2010
Parent Evening, Confident Captain, Zen Captain
On Monday, November 8, I will host a parent evening in the Butterfly Classroom from 6:30 to 8pm. This is open to nursery and parent & child families as well as to others in our school community and the Whidbey Island Community. While I will direct my talk toward parents of young children, some insights may be of interest to parents of older children as well.
The topic will be
As preparation, parents may wish to read the following selections I have put together.
"Beyond Personal," my summary of a way of speaking described by Polly Berrien Berends in Whole Child/Whole Parent.
Here are some general thoughts on speaking to toddlers that I have collected.
Sometimes the seas are rocky. Here are thoughts I collected on how to speak to a young child during times of tantrum and other intense times.
With Warmth and Light,
William Geoffrey Dolde
The topic will be
Confident Captain, Zen Captain
Guiding Our Family Ship Through Calm Waters
and Wandering Rocks
As parents and teachers, we find ourselves presented with a wealth of resources on how to parent, how to teach, how to discipline, how to speak to our children. At times it often seems we have too much information and would wish for clarity and simplicity. Should we be stricter? Or are we being too strict? Are we giving enough choices or too many? Many well written articles and books seem to contradict one another: some argue that what our children need most is form; others petition for giving our children freedom.
Our children, of course, need form and freedom, and--here is the rub--every child or group of children needs a different mixture of the two at different times. Using the metaphor of a captain at sea, William Dolde will gather insights he has gained from teaching, from reading, and from his own mistakes (shipwrecks) to suggest ways we can find a balance that works for individual families. The captain has to be confident to gain the trust of the crew; the captain has to be competent. Yet the captain must also be flexible and respond to the winds and the waves. The captain must also be observant and friendly to the crew; otherwise, the captain invites mutiny.
As preparation, parents may wish to read the following selections I have put together.
"Beyond Personal," my summary of a way of speaking described by Polly Berrien Berends in Whole Child/Whole Parent.
Here are some general thoughts on speaking to toddlers that I have collected.
Sometimes the seas are rocky. Here are thoughts I collected on how to speak to a young child during times of tantrum and other intense times.
With Warmth and Light,
William Geoffrey Dolde
Sunday, October 17, 2010
One more potluck, sand muffins, trails
Potluck this Friday, 5 to 6:30pm
I want us to be able to get together as adults and children; to this end, I propose we see if weather permits us to have another potluck for any interested families (an invitation, not obligation), this Friday, from 5 to 6:30pm at Maxwelton Beach. If the weather is foul, we can crowd into my house at 7467B Maxwelton Road. We may have new families starting in a few weeks, and I will invited them as well.
Although the school calendar is packed, I intend to schedule a talk/parent evening for nursery and parent & child families, also open to the community, in early November. It will likely be on a Monday or Tuesday evening.
Sand Muffins
At the playground, groups of 3 or 4 children have been baking sand muffins in the shelter. Girls and boys have been working and playing together in this groups, and this play has seemed inclusive, flexible, and relatively peaceful.
Trails
A number of children look forward to walking the short trails near the teepee. Some are choosing to explore on their own (right nearby where the teachers are are). As a group, children seem to be warming up to our time in the woods.
Speaking of warmth, I have noted that it is warmer in the woods than it is on the playground. I don't know if this is because some sun peeks in, the trees block the wind, or nature itself is warming us. Please take this to heart as you prepare your child in these darker, colder months of the year.
With warmth and light,
William Geoffrey Dolde
I want us to be able to get together as adults and children; to this end, I propose we see if weather permits us to have another potluck for any interested families (an invitation, not obligation), this Friday, from 5 to 6:30pm at Maxwelton Beach. If the weather is foul, we can crowd into my house at 7467B Maxwelton Road. We may have new families starting in a few weeks, and I will invited them as well.
Although the school calendar is packed, I intend to schedule a talk/parent evening for nursery and parent & child families, also open to the community, in early November. It will likely be on a Monday or Tuesday evening.
Sand Muffins
At the playground, groups of 3 or 4 children have been baking sand muffins in the shelter. Girls and boys have been working and playing together in this groups, and this play has seemed inclusive, flexible, and relatively peaceful.
Trails
A number of children look forward to walking the short trails near the teepee. Some are choosing to explore on their own (right nearby where the teachers are are). As a group, children seem to be warming up to our time in the woods.
Speaking of warmth, I have noted that it is warmer in the woods than it is on the playground. I don't know if this is because some sun peeks in, the trees block the wind, or nature itself is warming us. Please take this to heart as you prepare your child in these darker, colder months of the year.
With warmth and light,
William Geoffrey Dolde
Sunday, October 10, 2010
School Open Tomorrow, Columbus Day
Dear Families,
We do have school tomorrow, Columbus Day.
Our nursery class will continue without interruption until the week before Thanksgiving. During that week, there is no school for students. Traditionally those days are used for parent & teacher conferences. Early childhood families traditionally have 1 conference during the year, either during the fall or spring. Some families choose to have two. Kim, Dyanne, and I have also found that the official conference dates are not necessarily the ones that work for student, teacher, or parent and are working in different ways to see what rhythm works best. For parents who want a fall conference, I will make some times during the day on Friday available in the weeks before Thanksgiving; I could also likely provide a Tuesday night conference.
On Friday, November 12, families will be invited to join us in the early evening for our Lantern Walk at the school. I will let you know the exact time of the walk (probably around 5pm) once the kindergarten teachers and I have set the time.
Lynne will be away this week. Carrie--who has worked with us already--will substitute for her. Thank you for your patience this week if rain pants or coats end up on the wrong hook. If it is very wet this week, we will likely hang up some of the wettest clothes on a separate drying rack. Please look there at the end of the day.
In my attention to the children's emotional comfort in the first weeks of school, I feel I may have missed some variances from our traditional dress code (rain pants every day, slippers for inside, nail polish, and the like). For your and my convenience, I am including text from our Children's Garden Handbook below. In a young nursery, children tend not to notice variations so much; as they get older and move into kindergarten, they notice very much, so it will help set them up for more equanimity in kindergarten if we adhere to the dress code as best as possible now. As always, I do provide mittens for children at school, so you need not bring those.
• Clothing
School is a place of active work and play where we often spend 1 to 2 hours outside
every day. (Rain or shine) To allow the child to experience nature and the elements
in an enjoyable, open way, clothing is extremely important. It is no fun climbing
mountains if your legs are cold. Clothing should be sturdy, practical and fit
properly. It is also important that the older children can dress and undress
themselves (5 and 6 yr olds). Please avoid clothing that has difficult zippers, tight
buttons or otherwise complicates dressing.
Please look through the WIWS parent handbook to see the guidelines for school
attire. Clothes should not include flashing lights, advertising, media images or
writing. In addition, make up, face paint, henna, tattoos, hair dye, and nail polish
are not permitted at school. If your child’s ears are pierced, studs should be worn.
No other jewelry should be worn at school.
Please label all clothing. Labels can be purchased from various label companies
online or you can use a permanent marker.
~ Waterproof Coat, Rain Pants and Rain Boots
The children will be expected to wear rain pants, rain boots and a waterproof coat
rain or shine from Michaelmas (September 29th) to May Day (May 1st).
Children will need to have rain gear at school all year. We will be wearing rain
pants even if it is not raining as children often dig in the mud and play in the water.
Please bear in mind that rain coats are often thin and cold and so children will need
warm layers underneath. In the winter, waterproof snow pants work well.
Please make sure boots fit well. Ideally they would have a liner so feet stay warm.
Walking boots or shoes will also work as long as they are waterproof. Shoes and
boots will get dirty and wet every day, it would be ideal to have an extra old pair
around in case they get wet.
Rain/snow pants can be bought from REI, Lands End, Hanna Andersen or other
outdoor stores. (They are hard to find on the Island.)
~ Hat
Please bring a warm woolen hat for the fall and winter and in the spring please
bring a sun hat.
~ Many Layers
We have found that children stay warmer with many layers instead of one thick
sweater. In the early morning our playground is quite cold but as the day progresses
we find that the children layer down. We suggest long underwear if possible and
ideally wool/silk long johns keep children especially warm. These can be purchased
at various online companies.
~ Socks
Please dress your child in thick, warm (ideally wool) socks. Socks should be tall
enough to stay up in rain boots so the children’s feet stay warm. Please have lots of
extra labeled pairs at school. (Four pairs would be ideal).
~ Mittens or Gloves
These should ideally be waterproof and allow free movement for the child.
~ Slippers or Inside Shoes
Slippers or inside shoes should support movement and activity, not inhibit it. Please
make sure the slippers cover the heel and toes. They should be simple, practical and
stay on the feet. They should not have any media advertisements or flashing lights.
~ Extra Clothes Bag (We will provide the bag)
This will need to be checked and filled regularly and should be CLEARLY LABELLED
Underwear (4)
Pants (2)
Shirts (2)
Socks (4)
Sweater (1)
Thanks for helping the children be present and engaged in the work and play of the classroom.
With warmth and light,
William Geoffrey Dolde
We do have school tomorrow, Columbus Day.
Our nursery class will continue without interruption until the week before Thanksgiving. During that week, there is no school for students. Traditionally those days are used for parent & teacher conferences. Early childhood families traditionally have 1 conference during the year, either during the fall or spring. Some families choose to have two. Kim, Dyanne, and I have also found that the official conference dates are not necessarily the ones that work for student, teacher, or parent and are working in different ways to see what rhythm works best. For parents who want a fall conference, I will make some times during the day on Friday available in the weeks before Thanksgiving; I could also likely provide a Tuesday night conference.
On Friday, November 12, families will be invited to join us in the early evening for our Lantern Walk at the school. I will let you know the exact time of the walk (probably around 5pm) once the kindergarten teachers and I have set the time.
Lynne will be away this week. Carrie--who has worked with us already--will substitute for her. Thank you for your patience this week if rain pants or coats end up on the wrong hook. If it is very wet this week, we will likely hang up some of the wettest clothes on a separate drying rack. Please look there at the end of the day.
In my attention to the children's emotional comfort in the first weeks of school, I feel I may have missed some variances from our traditional dress code (rain pants every day, slippers for inside, nail polish, and the like). For your and my convenience, I am including text from our Children's Garden Handbook below. In a young nursery, children tend not to notice variations so much; as they get older and move into kindergarten, they notice very much, so it will help set them up for more equanimity in kindergarten if we adhere to the dress code as best as possible now. As always, I do provide mittens for children at school, so you need not bring those.
• Clothing
School is a place of active work and play where we often spend 1 to 2 hours outside
every day. (Rain or shine) To allow the child to experience nature and the elements
in an enjoyable, open way, clothing is extremely important. It is no fun climbing
mountains if your legs are cold. Clothing should be sturdy, practical and fit
properly. It is also important that the older children can dress and undress
themselves (5 and 6 yr olds). Please avoid clothing that has difficult zippers, tight
buttons or otherwise complicates dressing.
Please look through the WIWS parent handbook to see the guidelines for school
attire. Clothes should not include flashing lights, advertising, media images or
writing. In addition, make up, face paint, henna, tattoos, hair dye, and nail polish
are not permitted at school. If your child’s ears are pierced, studs should be worn.
No other jewelry should be worn at school.
Please label all clothing. Labels can be purchased from various label companies
online or you can use a permanent marker.
~ Waterproof Coat, Rain Pants and Rain Boots
The children will be expected to wear rain pants, rain boots and a waterproof coat
rain or shine from Michaelmas (September 29th) to May Day (May 1st).
Children will need to have rain gear at school all year. We will be wearing rain
pants even if it is not raining as children often dig in the mud and play in the water.
Please bear in mind that rain coats are often thin and cold and so children will need
warm layers underneath. In the winter, waterproof snow pants work well.
Please make sure boots fit well. Ideally they would have a liner so feet stay warm.
Walking boots or shoes will also work as long as they are waterproof. Shoes and
boots will get dirty and wet every day, it would be ideal to have an extra old pair
around in case they get wet.
Rain/snow pants can be bought from REI, Lands End, Hanna Andersen or other
outdoor stores. (They are hard to find on the Island.)
~ Hat
Please bring a warm woolen hat for the fall and winter and in the spring please
bring a sun hat.
~ Many Layers
We have found that children stay warmer with many layers instead of one thick
sweater. In the early morning our playground is quite cold but as the day progresses
we find that the children layer down. We suggest long underwear if possible and
ideally wool/silk long johns keep children especially warm. These can be purchased
at various online companies.
~ Socks
Please dress your child in thick, warm (ideally wool) socks. Socks should be tall
enough to stay up in rain boots so the children’s feet stay warm. Please have lots of
extra labeled pairs at school. (Four pairs would be ideal).
~ Mittens or Gloves
These should ideally be waterproof and allow free movement for the child.
~ Slippers or Inside Shoes
Slippers or inside shoes should support movement and activity, not inhibit it. Please
make sure the slippers cover the heel and toes. They should be simple, practical and
stay on the feet. They should not have any media advertisements or flashing lights.
~ Extra Clothes Bag (We will provide the bag)
This will need to be checked and filled regularly and should be CLEARLY LABELLED
Underwear (4)
Pants (2)
Shirts (2)
Socks (4)
Sweater (1)
Thanks for helping the children be present and engaged in the work and play of the classroom.
With warmth and light,
William Geoffrey Dolde
Friday, October 8, 2010
Articles from Parent & Child
Dear Nursery Families,
Some of you have read the articles I mention below before. Some of you are new to our school. We had an enlivening discussion about types of praise in our parent & child class, and I wanted to share what I posted to those families with you. In general, I find our children in the nursery class to have a great deal of intrinsic motivation, industry, and initiative.
Dear Families,
Thank you for your presence in class this morning. It is wonderful to observe the joy and engagement of our children as they work and play.
Some of you heard a discussion about the phrase "good job" and how praise can inhibit learning. I mentioned two articles and am making them available below. Too much global praise (good job, good girl, great job, you're so smart) can make a child risk averse and less likely to prosper academically, emotionally, and socially. I have published links to these articles before, but I offer them again here to make them easy to find.
This article from New York Magazine offers a parent's perspective on the research.
This article from Scientific American Mind is by Professor Carol Dweck (the researcher mentioned in the previous article) and is a bit more formal in nature.
Parenting and teaching is an art, and we are always moving toward balance. I would be remiss if I suggested you should never praise your child. Specific, appreciation of a child's effort and loving and perhaps silent witness of our children's achievements every day are wonderful. Without worrying too much about it, the more we can be fully present in the situation and describe what we actually see ("You put on your boots all by yourself. It took a while, but you kept trying") rather than leaving the present moment with an evaluative statement ("You are a good boy.), the more we help our children stay in the present moment, learn from it, and develop in a graceful way.
Next week I will write more on this from the perspective of discipline and guiding our family ship through the waves and currents of the day.
With warmth and light,
William Geoffrey Dolde
Some of you have read the articles I mention below before. Some of you are new to our school. We had an enlivening discussion about types of praise in our parent & child class, and I wanted to share what I posted to those families with you. In general, I find our children in the nursery class to have a great deal of intrinsic motivation, industry, and initiative.
Dear Families,
Thank you for your presence in class this morning. It is wonderful to observe the joy and engagement of our children as they work and play.
Some of you heard a discussion about the phrase "good job" and how praise can inhibit learning. I mentioned two articles and am making them available below. Too much global praise (good job, good girl, great job, you're so smart) can make a child risk averse and less likely to prosper academically, emotionally, and socially. I have published links to these articles before, but I offer them again here to make them easy to find.
This article from New York Magazine offers a parent's perspective on the research.
This article from Scientific American Mind is by Professor Carol Dweck (the researcher mentioned in the previous article) and is a bit more formal in nature.
Parenting and teaching is an art, and we are always moving toward balance. I would be remiss if I suggested you should never praise your child. Specific, appreciation of a child's effort and loving and perhaps silent witness of our children's achievements every day are wonderful. Without worrying too much about it, the more we can be fully present in the situation and describe what we actually see ("You put on your boots all by yourself. It took a while, but you kept trying") rather than leaving the present moment with an evaluative statement ("You are a good boy.), the more we help our children stay in the present moment, learn from it, and develop in a graceful way.
Next week I will write more on this from the perspective of discipline and guiding our family ship through the waves and currents of the day.
With warmth and light,
William Geoffrey Dolde
Monday, October 4, 2010
Keeping Soup Day Tuesdays
Dear Families,
Because we are blessed to have Eurythmy for students in grades 1 to 8, our 8th grade students are not able to visit our class on Tuesdays until after Thanksgiving. We will continue with our altered schedule (Rice on Mondays, Soup on Tuesdays, Bread on Wednesdays) so that we do not have to change again once the 8th graders start visiting us later in the year.
William
Because we are blessed to have Eurythmy for students in grades 1 to 8, our 8th grade students are not able to visit our class on Tuesdays until after Thanksgiving. We will continue with our altered schedule (Rice on Mondays, Soup on Tuesdays, Bread on Wednesdays) so that we do not have to change again once the 8th graders start visiting us later in the year.
William
course for parents from our librarian
Dear Nursery Families,
MaryBeth Dickerson, who makes the Kathrine Dickerson Memorial Library so wonderful, let me know about a course for parents that begins tomorrow. I am passing along the information she provided me.
With warmth and light,
William Geoffrey Dolde
It's only a few days away and I am really excited about the
upcoming 6-week telecourse,"Essential Elements of Early Childhood".
I had such a great conversation last week with Rahima Baldwin
Dancy, author of, You are Your Child's First Teacher, I've decided
to play the overview/introduction we did for this upcoming series.
This call is free, so jump on early to get a spot!
Here is the free registration link http://www.
230 Melrose Dr, Pawleys Island, SC 29585, USA
MaryBeth Dickerson, who makes the Kathrine Dickerson Memorial Library so wonderful, let me know about a course for parents that begins tomorrow. I am passing along the information she provided me.
With warmth and light,
William Geoffrey Dolde
It's only a few days away and I am really excited about the
upcoming 6-week telecourse,"Essential Elements of Early Childhood".
I had such a great conversation last week with Rahima Baldwin
Dancy, author of, You are Your Child's First Teacher, I've decided
to play the overview/introduction we did for this upcoming series.
This call is free, so jump on early to get a spot!
Here is the free registration link http://www.
Once you are registered, you will receive the call information in your email.
You will also have instant access to the call we presented about a week ago,
"3 Ways to Create a Nourishing Home for Your Child"
It was given by 3 Waldorf early Childhood teachers and chock full of tips!
230 Melrose Dr, Pawleys Island, SC 29585, USA
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