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EVENTS
Handwork for the Handcraft Fair
Happy Handcrafters at work
We have started handwork sessions this winter on Wednesday mornings which began last month. It starts at 8:15 am in the handwork room. We welcome all skill levels; there will be handcraft teachers who can give instruction. We look forward to some wonderful sessions. Look for the posters announcing the days and crafts to be made. Mrs. Palmer and Mrs. Carr.
Scrip Contest
The contest is for the month of February. The class (grades 1-8 and EC) with the biggest total order for the month takes a portion of the total earned for their class fund!
Are you rolling your eyes and already flipping this piece of paper over to see if the back is blank so you can use it as a grocery list? Ah-HA!!
Exactly my point. If you buy groceries, and I feel sure you must, and you do not use SCRIP to buy at least part of those groceries, then you are essentially throwing away hundreds of dollars that could support the school.
Let’s say you spend $100 a week at Guido’s. Maybe you spend more than that, but for now let’s roll with that figure.
Let’s call your SCRIP year 40 weeks long (you can take the summer off, if you like).
Guido’s gives 10% of the SCRIP money to the school. So just by shopping and eating as you normally do, but using a gift card purchased with SCRIP, you have just contributed $400 to the school without breaking a sweat. If ten families sign on, that’s FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS. Twenty families? You get the idea.
I don’t shop there! Is that what you are saying? Well, Big Y (4-6%), The Co-op (4%) and the Hawthorne Valley Farm Store (10%) are part of the SCRIP program, too.
You can place a standing order for SCRIP (available here), sit down once and write post-dated checks to cover the order for as many months as you would like it to continue, and the SCRIP cards will come to you on the date you specify.
I hate writing checks! Is that what you are saying? You can purchase these cards online, in your pajamas, at home, in the middle of the night, by taking ten minutes to set up an account at shopwithscrip.com (click on “register”). A world of instant gratification becomes yours once you do. More on that next week.
Questions?
Call or email: Janet 413 229 2003 janetelsbach@gmail.com; Rebecca 413 528 1954 mcfarland135@verizon.net
EARLY CHILDHOOD
Early Childhood Eurythmy Circle
The month of February in Early Childhood is filled with winter-time stories and activities. The Nursery children ask if King Winter is the father of the Northwest Wind. One good snowfall and we’ve got a hillside full of snow people created out of the truly hard work of rolling those big snowballs! We also notice where Brother Crow has left his tracks over by the compost pile. (The crows always gather and wait for us to empty our compost buckets, calling out with good crow-cheer.)
This is the month of the annual WECAN (Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America) East Coast conference in Spring Valley, NY. This year’s topic is “Offering Support for the Incarnation Process.” Over 300 early childhood teachers attend this weekend-long conference which offers lectures and workshops accompanied by singing and puppetry. Every year one school is invited to present a puppet show after the Friday evening opening talk, and for this year our school was honored to be asked! So, on the weekend of February 10-12, the “Pumpkin Hollow Players” (EC teachers Somer Serpe, Jo Valens, Elly Peterson and Kimberly Lynas, along with puppeteer colleagues Trice Atchison and Andrea Lopez) will be travelling south with a van-load of puppets and props to present “Pico the Gnome” (by local author, Martina Muller) to hundreds of our colleagues. Wish us well! Some of the workshops we will be attending include “The Importance of Sleep for Toddlers”, “Working with Wood” and “Enriching the Relationship between Our Work and a Child’s Play.” We always return from this conference full of new ideas and inspirations to bring to our work.
For more local puppetry, come to Matrushka on Saturday, February 11, to experience “Mashenka and the Bear,” a Russian story of a little girl who cleverly outsmarts a bear to find her way home. Michelle Kuzia will be offering this puppet show at 10:30 and again at 11:30.
Classroom updates: the Robin’s Nest nursery has taken in a new child as of January and the winter Parent Toddler session has begun with a full class. We stay warm with our bread and our soup, our engaged activity and our loving ways, which we enjoy expressing on Valentine’s Day. And great thanks to those parents who keep up teachers well-fed with delicious Tuesday lunches! We are twice nourished: by the food itself and by the kindness with which it is offered. Aren’t we lucky! Jo Valens
Rhyme Time at Matrushka Toys and Gifts
Rhyme Time is every Tuesday at 10:30am. Rhyme Time is a weekly collection of rhymes, finger plays, circle games and simple puppetry designed to delight and engage infants, crawlers, toddlers and young children. This program is led by moms in our school community who share our desire to create free community events for families. Free, no sign-up necessary.
The Robin’s Nest Nursery will be having its class night next Wednesday, February 1, at 7 PM.
ELEMENTARY
The GBRSS welcomes Renate Moskowitz as she joins Ms. Suberg’s class in teaching the Fiber Block. This block is part of the 3rd grade curriculum. Ms. Moskowitz is a well-known fiber artist from Washington DC where she is on the staff of the Smithsonian. Among the many ways she has worked in her field is her long standing commitment to the Washington Opera where she sewed and felted many costume designs. She teaches in Germany, Italy and Switzerland as well as in Washington. We welcome and look forward to having her here.
8th grade fundraiser
Hot Lunch on February 10. See an 8thgrader for details. All proceeds of fundraising contribute to their class trip.
SPORTS
Ice skating
We may have more ice skating at Lake Mansfield during games classes. So keep those skates ready. Notification is short as we check weather conditions. If your child does not have skates the school has a bunch to lend and friends usually come through with some more.
Basketball
Come and support our teams. Home games are played at Bard College at Simon’s Rock. Check the Sports Update line (x150) for any changes during the week.
GBRSS 2011-2012 BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
Boys
| Date | Team Played | Home/Away | Game time | Return time |
| February 1, Wed. | Washington Montessori | Home | 3:45 | |
| February 6, Mon. | BCD | Home | 3:30 | |
| February 8, Wed. | Indian Mountain School | Away | 3:00 | 5:30 |
| February 13, Mon. | Mount Everett | Away | 5:00 |
Girls
| Date | Team Played | Home/Away | Game | Return time |
| February 6, Mon. | BDC (6th grade only) | Away | 3:45 | 5:30 |
| February 8, Wed | Indian Mountain School | Away | 4:00 | 5:30 |
| February 13, Mon | Washington Montessori. | Home | 3:45 | |
| February 15, Wed. | Hotchkiss | Home | 3:30 |
P.A.
Café Night
Mark your calendars. Café Night is March 17. Doors open at 7 am. Contact Jenny O’Haver at jenny@ohaver.net if you are interested in performing.
DEVELOPMENT
2012 GBRSS Art Show presented by Good Purpose Art Gallery.
Mark your calendar for opening night March 10 at 6 pm. Featured artists are past and current Steiner parents: Dan Bellow, Chrisitne Casarsa, Ben Junta, Christina Lane, John Lawson, Michael McManmon, Alan Papscun, Paula Shalan and Alix Von Avenmueller and Steiner alum, Luke Shalan. Look for your invitation but get the sitter now. All proceeds from the art show will be divided by Good Purpose which is the supporter of the not-for-profit Student Educational Development Fund (SEDF) foundation and GBRSS. Visit Good Purpose Art Gallery & our own website for more information coming soon.
ALUMNI NEWS
Student Exchange!
My name is Iolani deRis. I graduated 8th grade at GBRSS in 2009 with open, curious eyes and a creative mind. When the opportunity of being a foreign exchange student was within reach, I immediately worked toward making it happen. I could sense that being immersed abroad would be an extraordinary learning experience and did not want to pass up this opportunity.
I could have never imagined beforehand what I am actually experiencing now. Being an exchange student has turned out to be the most incredible and difficult experience I may ever be fortunate enough to have! I am learning things about myself, other people, a new culture, and the world: all of which are very essential to life.
As a participant in the Rotary Club’s one-year student foreign exchange program, I arrived in Linares, Chile in August, and was warmly welcomed by my host family. They have helped me to adjust during the last 6 months. My host mother, father, and siblings are very loving people and clearly doing everything in their power to make sure I am happy and have the best experience possible.
Learning the language came easily for me and I am now conversing comfortably in Spanish! Learning the culture, however, is more difficult for me. I am finding that the Chileans I am getting to know have such a distinctly different way of thinking and living that it has been a big challenge for me to pick up on many things by simply observing people.
There are many opportunities for me to get more comfortable with the Chilean culture. By studying in a small school I have been able to participate in all the sports available and assist in tutoring the English language. I am also fortunate enough to be going to Patagonia and other beautiful places in this incredible country!
My host family and new friends have been treating me very well here. I hope to absorb everything and learn from this amazing experience to the best of my ability. I am very thankful to everyone who helped me get here, and who made me into the person I am!
Saludos de Chile! ~Iolani deRis
OFFICE
From the Business Office
Tuition Assistance forms (2012-13) will be mailed this month.
Volunteer Opportunity
The school is looking for a number of volunteers to hang school event posters in the communities in which they live, work and/or shop. The time commitment is about once a month for an hour or less. This volunteer opportunity is as simple as hanging a flyer in the places you already frequently visit. The school will provide all the details and materials you may need.
This is a huge help to the school in letting the larger community know about our program and event offerings. We are looking for parents who live/work in the following communities: Hillsdale, Chatham, Hudson and other communities in NY, towns and villages in Northern CT, and communities in the southern Berkshires including Great Barrington, Lee, Lenox and Sheffield. If you are interested, please contact Tracy Fernbacher, Admissions Coordinator at ex 106 or admissions@gbrss.org
Employment Opportunity at the Visiting Student Program at Hawthorne Valley
Full Time Dining Hall Manager position is available at the Visiting Students and Summer Camp Residential Children’s Program at Hawthorne Valley Farm. Our menu is vegetarian using all organic/biodynamic ingredients, emphasizing the use of local produce. Some major responsibilities include: managing all operations of the dining facility (75 seating capacity); preparing vegetarian meals; hiring/supervising/training kitchen staff for summer camp; purchasing food; performing effective sanitation.
Applicant should have a minimum of two years of experience and an interest to work with children. Excellent communications and people skills are required. Position will require working some weekends. This is a full time salaried position which can start immediately and includes health benefits, and 3 weeks paid vacation. Please send cover letter, resume and the name and phone numbers of three work references to: Hawthorne Valley Farm, Main House, 327 Route 21C, Ghent, NY 12075 or call (518) 672-4790 or e-mail Helen@hawthornevalleyfarm.org or visit www.hawthornevalleyfarm.org
There is also an opportunity to join our team as a Camp Nurse and Summer “Mom/Dad” to our campers. Through our residential camp program, children ages 8 to 15 experience hands-on farm and nature activities. This position is responsible for the medical needs of up to 45 campers and 25 counselors per session. This position also directs children to activities, and performs household chores. Dates: June 25 – Aug. 11. Candidate needs to live on campus in provided housing. Applicant needs to be licensed RN, 21 or older, prior work experience with children, and strong assessment abilities. Same application process as above, send to:Helen@hawthornevalleyfarm.org
