YOUR ASSISTANCE

 

--       I am Mrs. Hu Huimin, account officer of the local branch of Hang Seng Bank Ltd,Kow loon Branches, Hong Kong, pardon me for sudden email.I am contacting you because i know i can trust you with this information i need your services to clear funds and invest it in a profitable venture but we can only exchange mails and no phone calls.Please if interested do send me mail as i  will provide you with details, use this code[HU:GD-001 when contacting me: huiminhu986@yahoo.com.hk   My Kind Regards  Mrs.Hu Huimin

YOUR ASSISTANCE

 

--   I am Mrs. Hu Huimin, account officer of the local branch of Hang Seng Bank Ltd,Kow loon Branches, Hong Kong, pardon me for sudden email.I am contacting you because i know i can trust you with this information i need your services to clear funds and invest it in a profitable venture but we can only exchange mails and no phone calls.Please if interested do send me mail as i  will provide you with details, use this code[HU:GD-001 when contacting me: huiminhu986@yahoo.com.hk   My Kind Regards  Mrs.Hu Huimin

YOUR ASSISTANCE

 

--   I am Mrs. Hu Huimin, account officer of the local branch of Hang Seng Bank Ltd,Kow loon Branches, Hong Kong, pardon me for sudden email.I am contacting you because i know i can trust you with this information i need your services to clear funds and invest it in a profitable venture but we can only exchange mails and no phone calls.Please if interested do send me mail as i  will provide you with details, use this code[HU:GD-001 when contacting me: huiminhu986@yahoo.com.hk   My Kind Regards  Mrs.Hu Huimin

Wilder's birthday!

Dear friends,

We are having a simple birthday celebration for Wilder at Castle Park on his Real birthday, April 9, from 3 to 5. 

Presents are welcome!

Let us know ahead if you need a ride for your child or to drop them off.

Caramel bars and other festive snacks will be served.

Please let us know if you can come!

No need to bring anything, just dress for the weather. 

Let's not do bikes, just to help the group be together more.

Hope you can join us!!!!

Lucy Peter Grace and Wilder

On Fri, Mar 22, 2013 at 8:07 AM, William Dolde <wdolde@gmail.com> wrote:

No grandparents day.

On Mar 22, 2013 7:38 AM, "William Dolde" <wdolde@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Families,

Most of you are already planning a day off for your kindergarten children.

For those intending to bring your child for the Grandparents' Day visit (whether you let us know or not), please not the following:

School starts at 10am for grades students.  Grandparents' hoping to visit 2 children should go to the grades class at 10am.

From 10:30 to 11am we will have an early childhood experience for grandparent (or special friend) and child.  Please plan to drop off and pick up your child.

If the snow is pleasant, our experience may include a walk on our lovely trails through the snow.  Please dress appropriately.

Sincerely,

Dyanne and William

PS:  Please stay posted on www.schoolclosure.org in case of full cancellation of school (and therefore grandparent's day)

--

You walker, there are no roads,
only wind trails on the sea.

- Antonio Machado

Update. School closed.

No grandparents day.

On Mar 22, 2013 7:38 AM, "William Dolde" <wdolde@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Families,

Most of you are already planning a day off for your kindergarten children.

For those intending to bring your child for the Grandparents' Day visit (whether you let us know or not), please not the following:

School starts at 10am for grades students.  Grandparents' hoping to visit 2 children should go to the grades class at 10am.

From 10:30 to 11am we will have an early childhood experience for grandparent (or special friend) and child.  Please plan to drop off and pick up your child.

If the snow is pleasant, our experience may include a walk on our lovely trails through the snow.  Please dress appropriately.

Sincerely,

Dyanne and William

PS:  Please stay posted on www.schoolclosure.org in case of full cancellation of school (and therefore grandparent's day)

Snow Delay -- EC plans

Dear Families,

Most of you are already planning a day off for your kindergarten children.

For those intending to bring your child for the Grandparents' Day visit (whether you let us know or not), please not the following:

School starts at 10am for grades students.  Grandparents' hoping to visit 2 children should go to the grades class at 10am.

From 10:30 to 11am we will have an early childhood experience for grandparent (or special friend) and child.  Please plan to drop off and pick up your child.

If the snow is pleasant, our experience may include a walk on our lovely trails through the snow.  Please dress appropriately.

Sincerely,

Dyanne and William

PS:  Please stay posted on www.schoolclosure.org in case of full cancellation of school (and therefore grandparent's day)

Grandparents' Day!!!!!!!

Dear parents.
As you know, tomorrow is Grandparent's Day at WIWS and there will be no regularly scheduled EC classes.
If your kindergarten child is planning to come with a grandparent(s), please bring your child at 9:00 am and pick him or her up at 10:00.  The grandparents will be escorted off at that time to do other special and honorable things.
 
As of this afternoon, Sheila confirmed the following children coming with grandparenst or special friends:
Michael Martinez
Sonja Toombs (?) 
Nicholas Shomper
 
If this information is incorrect or incomplete please email me back by tomorrow morning 7:30.
 
Thank you,
Dyanne and William

Sweet Day, Freeze Tag, Donkey, Spring Colors

Molly and I hold with ever more reverence and joy the breathtaking cooperation and imagination taking place amongst the children.  Here were some highlights:

There were many scenarios with boys and girls playing together in new combinations.  When you can play with a child of the opposite gender, you free yourself to play with every child in the class; you free yourself to play in a variety of play scenarios and moods.  These gender-inclusive games bring scrumptious twists to preexisting scenarios.  What a delight it was to watch the pirates busy baking birthday cakes in the sand today!  And the miners digging kept on switching for what they sought depending on what the newest player sought, whether jewels or worms for fishing or a rock lost yesterday in a field far away.

Shortly before we came inside, almost every child was involved in a game of Freeze Tag.  While this would not be remarkable in first grade, it was impressive how well our kindergarten children could freeze and move and could touch one another in an appropriate way--not too hard and not so soft no one could feel.  Children seemed happy to be frozen.  They seemed happy to be the chasers.  They seemed happy to be the liberators.  Every role seemed to provide an avenue toward bliss.

Inside I have been telling the story, "The Donkey," in which a prince grows up in the enchanted form of a Donkey, yet remains noble and true inside, and ultimately keeps his true, noble form all the time.  It is weird and magical.  A number children seem to hang on every word.

We've introduced yellow and blue for our spring paintings.  As with a nice spring stream, there was a smooth flow from indoor imaginative play to the painting table and back to the imaginative play.

With Appreciation,

William

Molly's Birthday Saturday, Calendar clarity

Hi Parents,

Molly perked up when I mentioned Wander on Whidbey is having a big sale.  I plan to get her a $50 gift certificate and give it to her Thursday.  If any of you want to contribute and get her a bigger one, feel free too.  I will leave an envelope marked (GIft for M) in my Dolde parent folder.  Feel free to leave a check (to me) or cash in that envelope.  Also, there are two flower fairy post cards in that envelope if you wish to write birthday wishes (feel free to do so even without contributing money).  I will write a generic blessing and appreciation from all of us as well. 

I don't always do this for assistants (one should always do this for music teachers in our school who have had daughters in my class, of course!).  I feel inspired about doing so this year; it seems a nice way to continue to welcome Molly, her husband, and their three children to our island and community.

I WILL BE BUYING THE GIFT CERTIFICATE ON WEDNESDAY AT 1PM,  so please get your words or wealth or wisdom into the envelope by lunch time on Wednesday.

I plan to surprise Molly and the children with some sort of scrumptious and healthy treat (maybe a raw coconut and roasty toastie and honey cookie) as dessert on Thursday.  If any of you are inspired to create something at home for us to share after snack time Thursday, let me know.  Please come up with a covert manner in which to transport it to me (e.g., leave it upstairs with directions where I can fetch it, practice your magical powers of teleportation, or other ways).

CALENDAR CLARITY

Our kindergarten morning proceeds as usual every day this week.  On this Thursday and Friday, grades dismiss at 1pm.  Our own aftercare on Thursday and Friday (for children who stay past 12:30) is altered; it is on an as-needed basis with Cordula, with a fee paid to Cordula (it was not billed as and is not counted as the official extended care session--because the grades students are out of school).

Next week Monday to Thursday EC proceeds as normal.  Next Friday (the 22nd) is Grandparents and Special Friend Day.  Children who do not attend Friday ARE invited to attend from 9am to 10am with a grandparent  or other special friend to join me and Dyanne for a briefer version of our walk and a story or circle with Dyanne.  Children who normally attend on Fridays ARE invited with a grandparent or special friend.  From past experience with the manner in which our young children take in deeply the excitement of all the visitors (known and unknown) and all the schedule shifts that take place on such a day as Grandparents, we continue to set the schedule with NO REGULAR DROP-OFF EARLY CHILDHOOD on Friday the 22nd.

Please write me or call me or talk to me with any questions.

With appreciation,

William

Twelve Senses (from Dyanne)

Dear parents,
As mentioned in my recent newsletter, William and I will be looking into the sense of balance and sense of self movement at our upcoming parent meeting.  Although Kim John Payne has created a tidy outline which we plan to pass out that night, it can also be said that tidy outlines can be misleading without enough contextual information to fill out the bullet points. To that end, we decided it would be wise to offer up a little more background information for those interested.

Rudolf Steiner presents a picture of the human being having "windows" through which the earthly can meet the soul.  Through our senses, we receive information about our earthly and incarnated experience.  Common to us all is the idea of five senses; touch, sight, smell, taste and hearing.  However, another model suggests 12 senses, which include these five and add seven more.   In this model of 12 senses, there are four that are considered foundational to the others and are developed in the first seven years of life.  This is not to say that the other eight are stagnant during this time period.  Rather, that their full development will ride on the backs of the development of the first four.  These four foundational senses are the Sense of Touch, Sense of Balance, Sense of Self Movement, and Sense of Life or Well Being.

William and I have chosen a chapter in the book "Beyond the Rainbow Bridge" by Barbara Patterson that covers sensory development in the young child according to this model.  It is a fairly easy read and a nice overview, especially for those not so familiar with the model of 12 senses.  Some of you will likely already own this book.  We have a few copies of this book in the library for check out (in the lobby).  We also have made 6 photo copies that are stashed in the little wooden pocket shelf to the right of the Sunflower door.

May I also recommend (for those who would like further reading, and a good read it is) "Our Twelve Senses, Wellsprings of the Soul"  by Albert Soesman.  And yet another title (whose title is left wanting), "Working With Anxious, Nervous and Depressed Children" by Henning Kohler which presents a very thorough and accessible picture of the four foundational senses as they relate to parenting.  These books are also available in the library upstairs.

Any time you can take in advance to orient yourselves will be helpful.  Also, we would like to suggest using this week to observe your child during free movement activity in light of what you have read on this topic.  We are hoping for a lively and fruitful conversation at our parent meeting.

With anticipation,
Dyanne

Upcoming events, Appreciations

It was wonderful to be with your children yesterday.  The glorious weather allowed us to journey to the sunny meadow.  It provides a great opportunity for me to observe the flexible and shifting play of your children--sometimes playing in groups of two, three, five, eight, then back into smaller groups with new comrades.  I am particularly impressed with some of the friendliness evident amongst some of youngest children and older children in the class--they seem aware and open to one another.

UPCOMING EVENTS (in tune with the Sunflower class)
 
The month of March is upon us and will slip by as quickly as the breezes that blow.  Please be sure to note our upcoming parent meeting on Tuesday March 19th 6:00-7:30.  We will share this meeting time with the Sunflower parents, focusing on Kim John Payne's information on the senses of Balance and Self Movement (vestibular and proprioception).  Then, on Friday March 22nd, our school will host interested grandparents for the morning.  There are no early childhood classes that day.  Grandparents who would like to "come to school" with their Grandchild will come for a brief "experience" that is yet to be created by Dyanne and me.  If you are aware of grandparents who are hoping to attend in this way, please ask them to RSVP to Maureen or Sheila.  An accurate RSVP list will help us in our planning.

 APPRECIATION OF MOLLY AND LYNNE

Molly has been a wonderful match for our children and for me.  And she has been so consistent as I have attended to the panoply of illnesses visiting our children and ourselves.

Illness in her family finally caused her to stay home, and the children and Lynne Lesson had the treat of being together in class for the first time since Lynne was their assistant teacher in the Butterfly Nursery with me (11 of our 14 children were in the nursery with me and Lynne over the past 3 years).  The children enjoyed Lynne.  Lynne really enjoyed seeing the children and witnessing how well our children play and move together as a cohesive group.  Thanks again to everyone for making this possible.

AN APPRECIATION OF COOL RANCH DORITOS

"Do we love our times?"  -- Kim John Payne

I've heard Kim say this often, and it sounds helpful, and a little anguished.  Often he says this as he talks to adults about the put-down diet:  we can't, he suggests, guide our children in an inclusive behavior if at home we are railing against the president or big business or this or that body of society that outrages us.  Again, I have always found this really helpful--it just also feels like a lot of work.

Recently I heard a little talk about nutrition that suggested that in order to receive maximum benefit from whatever healthy or life-giving food we are eating, we do best to appreciate all other sorts of food.  If I eat my raw veggies while condemning Cool Ranch Doritos, I deny myself all the goodness that could come from the vegetables.

This is not to say I or this expert was recommending eating Doritos over vegetables (and they didn't mention Doritos).  I really appreciate the relatively diet I provide myself.  There was this watershed moment (you can say a weird moment) in which I laughingly really appreciated all those days in college when I woke up in the morning and popped open a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos (I realize how much I am dating myself; I think they are called Cooler Ranch or Cooler than Cooler Ranch Doritos by now); that was the perfect, next logical step for me then, and puts in me in great shape to take a perfect, next logical step now, full of bliss and happiness and well-being and health.

Odd, I know, but really useful.  This can translate--as we think of Kim Payne--into other realms.  Even, for example, as I redirect exclusive behavior, can I find the logic and appreciation in it before I guide it to something more inclusive?

Thanks for contemplating with me.

With warmth and light,

William