Meeting, Wednesday, March 17, 5 to 6pm

Dear Butterfly Nursery Families,

      While I intend to leave space for discussion and your topics at our meeting this Wednesday, here are subjects I'd like to touch upon.

1)  Your thoughts on home visits.
2)  Your thoughts on the morning ritual and our expeditious departure to the teepee.
3)  Looking toward the Auction, April 24 (it would be great if a parent or parents could lead this part).
4)  Checking in with strategies that have worked other than determining who "had it first!"
5)  Brief introduction to Child Study at Waldorf Schools  -- why, when, what might be different with an early childhood child study.

I know you have given some thought to topics 1, 3, and 4.  Please prepare reactions, if you have any, about how our morning transition is going.  To my mind, the clarity of the bell and the pretend boat leaving for the woods helps our children feel secure; this is also a shift from some of the flexibility I have offered parents in the past, so I want to check in.  I am definitely keeping this form for the remainder of this year, but your feedback will help me plan for future years.

With warmth and light,

William Geoffrey Dolde

William's Summer Program

Dear Families,

     I have received several inquiries about my summer program, and it seems best to provide you information sooner rather than later.  Visit this link to find more details about my 8 week, 3 day, mixed age summer program at the Whidbey Island Waldorf School. 

    In the interest of fairness, I will let you know that this is an independent program renting space from the school.  Please consider it as you would any other summer program on Whidbey Island.

Thanks,

William Dolde

Spring Festival, Friday, March 19, 9 to 10:30am

Please consider attending our Butterfly, Rosebud, and Dewdrop Spring Festival.  Please invite friends as well.


Location:  Outside the Butterfly Classroom and in the woods nearby, Whidbey Island Waldorf School.
Invited Guests:  In addition to current Butterfly, Rosebud, and Dewdrop children and parents, friends, and grandparents, we invite all families with young children to attend.
This is mainly an outdoor festival.  Be prepared for the weather.


Brief Synopsis  This festival provides an imaginative picture of how seasons change to reflect the way young children experience the changing seasons as a vivid drama.   After a puppet show, we will walk to meet Mother Earth, Father Sun, Brother Wind, and Sister Rain; these friendly characters may even give us gifts. After the walk, we will return to the playground for snacks, play, and conversation. If weather permits, I will end our festival with fiddle tunes and dancing outside.

Why a Festival?  There are a number of good books about festivals in the Kathrine Dickerson Memorial Library (in the lobby of our school). Here also is an article written by an experienced kindergarten teacher from Santa Cruz Steve Spitalny about festivals. Although Steve is writing for teachers in this article, he helps us as parents as well simplify and clarify our thinking about marking the seasons of the year to support our children.  Festivals can be seeds of renewal, to help children adults frame the year.


Music  While there may be more songs, here are lyrics to two songs we will sing often.

While the children often find the festival more magical and nourishing if they can have the experience without explanation beforehand, this more detailed description for adults will prepare to help if needed (please do not share with children).

9 to 9:30am  Children and parents come to the playground outside the Butterfly classroom.  Bread and butter, water, and herbal tea will be available in the shelter.  Children play and/or eat.

9:40am I will lead you into the Butterfly Classroom and will present a puppet show (children can keep shoes and coats on; we are going right back outside).

9:50am  William will lead us into the woods to the teepee (the walk is 200 yards at the most).  There, Mother Earth will silently greet us.  She will present William with a fiber pot and plant cosmos seeds into the pot.   Ideally, Mother Earth will present a pot and seeds to each child.  If there are many children, and the waiting seems too stressful, William (and other parents) will help.  It is nice, however, if things do not feel rushed.  Some children, of course, may be intimated by Mother Earth, so a parent could receive the gift for the child.  Be prepared to help your child carry the pot.  We will have extra potting soil and seeds at the end of the walk if, as is possible, your child's pot spills.  We thank Mother Earth.

9:55am (or so) We walk a few more yards to another clearing in the wood.  There Sister Rain will greet us and water each pot.  We thank Sister Rain.

10am (or so)  We walk farther.  Father Sun greets us.  He ties a spring crown around William's head.  Next it is ideal if Father Sun ties a spring crown on each child's head.  If there are a lot of children, William and parents can help Father Sun.  Again, it is nice if we avoid a sense of hurry.  Some children, of course, will not feel comfortable with a stranger putting on a crown; parents are welcome to help their own child with their crown.  We thank Father Sun.

10:05am (or so) Back at the playground, Brother Wind greets us and presents us with a large spring cloth for dancing.  We thank Brother Wind.  Unless it is bitterly cold, William will play the fiddle as parents and children dance with the large cloth from Brother Wind.

10:15am Children play some more, children and parents eat more snack.  Each child is welcome to take home a pot.  There will be extra in case one is misplaced or spilled.  This particular cosmos (which you can plant outside after 6 weeks or so) is supposed to help attract butterflies. to remind you of your time in the Butterfly Room.  Each child is welcome to take a crown home.  If you enroll in the spring session of parent and child classes (beginning ), please bring the crown to class.  We will decorate the crowns with wool roving and embroidery for May Day.  

10:30am  Children and parents depart.  Beginning at 10:45am or sooner, elementary children come outside for recess, and it will be good to leave them space.

Please call 341-5686 or contact wdolde at gmail.com with any questions.


With warmth and light,

William Geoffrey Dolde

Looking toward Grandparents' Day, Friday, March 12

Dear Nursery Families,

     Expect a note from the early childhood teachers this weekend or early next week about grandparents' day in early childhood next Friday.  We will not conduct class as usual (and of course our nursery children do not normally attend).  Children from our parent & child classes through kindergarten will be invited to attend a mixed age grandparent & child morning from 9 to 10:15am; we will use 1, 2, or 3 classrooms depending on how many early childhood grandparent & child couples or trios or quartets rsvp.  Expect more details.

Do also save the date for our Butterfly, Rosebud, Dewdrop, and Community Spring Festival on Friday, March 19, from 9 to 10:30am.  It is an outdoor festival for parent (and grandparents and friends) and child; siblings are welcome.  Expect more details here, too.

     On another note, I have observed in the variety of play this week that has been a pleasure and miracle to watch (continuing the trend) that when conflicts do arise (as they always do, but really pretty infrequently in our group of 12), children are moving pretty quickly to solutions or ways to make the situation fluid and flexible.  I don't know if this is because I have a bias and am looking at this because I assigned you homework to avoid figuring out who had things first, or because our work at home is paying off, or because our intention to do this work gives the children confidence to work things out themselves.  I will look forward to hearing your observations on March 17.

With warmth and light,

William Geoffrey Dolde

Article about kindergarten next year

Dear Families,

     What follows is an article Kim, Dyanne, and I wrote together.  You may also receive this in a kindergarten newsletter or the school newsletter.  Please contact me with any questions.  I apologize about the formatting.

Exciting programming changes in early childhood next year.....

 

As a Waldorf school and as Waldorf early childhood educators we are constantly looking at the question of how to meet the needs of children and families in our community and times in a healthy and sustainable way. Every day, as teachers we ask, what do the children need from us? What would help them in their development? How can we as a school best serve the needs of all the children, build strong programs and make changes that will build a strong foundation for the future of the school and all the children that attend here? How can we assist them in healthy development? How can we engage them in activities that will help grow and build strong imaginations and strong will and life forces? How can the children in our care build social relations and skills that will give them growing tools for their life so they can better communicate and potentially love each other more?" We live with these questions, consult with mentors, research programs at other schools, meditate, and ask questions.

This fall we had the honor of a mentoring visit from world renowned Waldorf early childhood educator Helle Heckman. We used our time together to review the programs we offer at our school and engaged in pedagogical conversations around the changing needs of today's children. We contemplated the basics of Waldorf early childhood pedagogy including a healthy rhythm, food, sleep, warmth, movement, spiritual intuition, mixed aged programs, full day and half day programs, protection and over protection of children, adults as role models, the importance of domestic and real willful work, story, care taking, play and continuity of care. Her insights were very enlivening and inspiring, and we were very grateful for our time with her.

We contemplated Helle's observations, ideas and comments, and then we began the work of looking at our community of children and what would serve them best. What changes could we make to enrich the children's experience? So we reflected on the experience of our current and previous kindergarten children, and it was clear to us that the children who stay for a full five days have a richer school experience than those who only stay for three days. The social connections and ease is stronger, the play richer as the week progresses, the children penetrate the rhythm of school fully. They seem to relax and breathe into our rhythm and they seem ultimately more "filled". The change in the play happened on the fourth day of school and then by the fifth the day we saw real penetration. We wondered why we had not considered a four and five day program before and were excited about the possibility of offering this to the children next year. We considered offering a three day, four day and five day option but after much consideration we chose simplicity and continuity as a priority for the children.

The kindergarten experience is such that a community is formed throughout the week, the seasons and the year.  This "community" is an essential element of the necessary socialization that is so age appropriate.  Through 20 combined years of teaching experience, as well as numerous sources from wise mentors along the way, we have learned that this "community" grows itself with the core strength of the teacher and the rhythm he/she provides.  This community is tender, in that its skin can be weakened by too many transitions, too many changes, and too many alterations in the "groupness" from day to day.  We might say that it is out of our desire to protect the children and their growing community that we would choose to offer two options for enrollment, and not more.  In other words, when the constellation of children changes too often throughout each week, the community skin becomes more fragile. We also considered only offering a five day option as most of the other established Waldorf schools do and decided this would be ideal but that this was too much change too soon for our community and that we would look at that question down the road.

We also are excited to continue our model of mixed aged kindergartens. The gift of having the older and younger ones together has many benefits and we have seen rich rewards from beginning this model four years ago. Our kindergarten will welcome 3 1/2 - 6 1/2yr old (some turn 7) children next year. The continuity of care and the long relationships that are formed between the children, parents and teachers is very rewarding and enriching for the child, teacher and parents.  Currently this relationship begins in the parent child and nursery classes with William and over the next year we will look at the question of ways to offer more of a mixed age experience, a longer school week to the younger 2 1/2 - young 3 year olds and possible ways to keep one teacher through the whole early childhood program, there is more work and research for us to do here. In the meantime we will continue with our strong nursery rhythm and program next year.

We believe that we have a strong early childhood program at our school, and our desire is to develop and change and be flexible with what will best serve the children. Sometimes change is uncomfortable. We need to adjust.  It will be a change for us as teachers, too, but we see the change as a positive step for the children, the community and our school. We will continue to reflect, tweak, study, observe and integrate all we continue to learn from others, the inspiration the spiritual world has to offer and look at what the children are asking from us. Annie Gross (WECAN board member) recently just visited our school and commended us on our ability to adjust, change, develop and remain open and flexible to what is being asked from us from the children, and we hope that you will join us in this endeavor to build the strongest, healthiest and vibrant early childhood program that will be ever moving and developing to meet the needs of the children and our changing society.

Please feel free to talk to an early childhood teacher if you have any questions regarding this programming change that will begin next fall. Pass on the word to friends, family and those you do not know yet.

Below is a list of all the early childhood programs available next fall at WIWS.

Blessings

Kim, Dyanne and William

Rosebud and Dewdrop Parent child classes

Schedule coming at a later date

Robin Song Extended Care For kindergarten aged children and "ready" nursery aged children.

 (To determine readiness for nursery extended care a conversation would take place between the nursery teacher and parents).

7:45am - 8:30am Morning Care (Four children need to be enrolled to make this viable)
12:30pm - 1:15pm Lunch Bunch (For siblings of first grade students)
12:30 - 3:00pm Extended Care
1:30pm - 3:00pm First Grade Extended Care

Butterfly Nursery 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 yr old's (must be potty trained)

 

For Children close to the age of 3 1/2 teachers will consider carefully the most appropriate placement.

Monday - Wednesday 8:30am - 12:30pm

Sunflower and Golden Forest Kindergartens 3 1/2 - 6 1/2 yr old's (some turn 7) (

 

For Children close to the age of 3 1/2 teachers will consider carefully the most appropriate placement. children near the age of 3 1/2, teachers will work to find the most appropriate placement)

8:30am - 12:30pm Monday - Thursday (4 days)

8:30am - 12:30pm Monday - Friday (5 days)

We ask that all children who are six or will turn six during the school year attend five days.
Once in a while an exception is made for the older child to attend less days because of the child's needs.
The teacher and parents work closely together to look at what is best for the child and typically a plan is

formulated which would include the child moving to five days after winter break if this better serves the child.

Homework for March 17 Meeting

Dear Families,

     Again, I look forward discussing topics of interest to you during our meeting on March 17.  As I wait for ideas or interest from you, a couple of topics have come to mind.  One of them involves homework.

Looking Toward Home Visits for 2010-2011 for next year's nursery class

      I have had some wonderful, opening, transformative conversations with former nursery parents in the past month, and from these conversations I have a question about how I can change as a teacher and in my interactions with parents to make myself more approachable.  Specifically, parents confessed the terror or fear they felt when I was coming over to their house for a home visit or other event, that if things are not perfect, I might. . . (and here is where I need to the work, because I am not sure what they were afraid of:  that I would hold it against their child, hold it against them, consider kicking their child out of class, be angry--I am not sure what I was projecting, but I would like to stop projecting that).

      In any event, I would like to talk about home visits.  If they cause more stress than joy, I would prefer to dispense with them for next year's nursery group.  To do something because this is "what we always do" or "this is what all Waldorf early childhood teachers do" is not helpful; rather, I would like to create forms and norms that are nourishing.  To be honest, I revel in dismissing Waldorf traditions that are no longer helpful, because Waldorf education is not about confining traditions but about being present in the moment, observing the children, and creating the form that nourishes the children in your care.  One idea I had was for next year to have home visits involve inviting all the nursery children and parents in small groups or one by one to my cottage to lay open all my imperfections--my 7 year old blasting Beethoven on the CD player, non-organic food, clutter, and the like.  In Broken Open, Elizabeth Lesser writes fondly of Wavy Gravy the clown, who is known for saying something like, "We are all bozos on the bus, so let us sit back and enjoy the ride."  I would love to convey to next year's group of parents that I, too, am a bozo without making them lose all confidence in me.  I would appreciate your input at our class meeting on the 17th.

"I Had it First!"

      Even as our nursery children experience long periods of complex, cooperative, nuanced, and dynamic play where teachers need do nothing else but bear witness to the sacred work going on (and remain calm and open ourselves), conflicts still arise, especially over toys and play objects.  Lately I've noted how often a child will say, "I had it first!" as a justification for grabbing a toy a way.  "I had it first!" has come to mean "I really want it, and I don't care that the other child has it" rather than at all portraying a judge's picture of reality:  a child who has not touched a toy all morning may grab it away declaring, "I had it first!".  Now it is true in a child's mind, she or he may have had it first because the imaginative picture is so strong (or a child might be referring to a time 3 months ago when she had the toy).  In any event, this gave me an idea for homework for me and you, and we can discuss it at the meeting.

      For the next few weeks with our children, in all their conflicts and interactions, let us as adults try to avoid serving as judges with the phrase, "Give it back to your brother.  He had it first" and the like.  We can still be observant and protective (if one sibling is always taking a toy away from or needling another, it is our job to free our children from this stuck pattern), but let us rack our brains to come up with any other approach than being a judge and trying to determine who had a toy first.  I will be curious to see what you have come up, and I will share what I have tried (but I want to hear from parents because there is no official or right answer here).

With warmth and light,

William Geoffrey Dolde

Glorious Weather, Fruit Reprieve

Dear Butterfly Families,

While we should be prepared for cold weather to return, I remember last year on glorious spring days some of our nursery children became too warm in their snow clothes. When dry, I would let them take off a jacket. It would be good, for this reason, to be prepared to have spring rain clothes ready. That being said, we are outside first thing in the morning; I would be tempted to dress for the 60 degree sunny afternoon weather, so please avoid my enthusiasm for the sun and provide enough warmth first thing (layers are good).

Our class continues to thrive outside and inside in the play--many children playing with many others, complex and sustained scenarios, children who were less talkative at the beginning of the year now speaking freely in their imaginative roles--all in all, it is a blessing to be with the group. On a number of occasions, I have experimented with holding back a second, informal fruit snack: to me it seemed it would interfere with the robust learning through play that was occurring; I noticed no complaints about hunger. Children seem to enjoy the form of the sit-down snack more when they are a little hungry (again, no child has complained of being hungry). Anything I can do to help us toward freedom is something I want to do, so I want to free you from bringing fruit to the nursery class. Please continue to bring a plethora of soup vegetables; our children love to help peel and chop.

With warmth and light,

William Geoffrey Dolde