September News (Sept 15th, 2023)
As we complete our fourth week of classes, it is a joy to watch the students settle back into the rhythm of the year. Michaelmas songs ring in the lower grades; the smell of baking bread once again fills the Kinderhaus; and the playground is alive with the special energy and magic unique to autumn.
The coming weeks and days are filled to bursting. Whether you are looking to become more involved as a volunteer, participate in Winterfaire as a vendor, or deepen your own relationship with parenting and Waldorf Education --- fall at WSRF offers all this and more.
Thank you for a wonderful start to the school year. We hope to see you on campus soon, taking part in the experience of WSRF firsthand!
Are you interested in getting more involved at WSRF this school year? Looking for ways to volunteer and plan your year ahead? Explore our newly updated volunteer page on our website for more information and to submit our volunteer interest form today to get in touch with our Community Development Administrator.
Submitting the volunteer interest form can help you plan ahead for the year and learn about opportunities well in advance for the year ahead!
Dive into the WSRF community today! Our community is built by incredible volunteers like you.
Vigorously calling all local creators, makers and secret incredible creatives! This year, WSRF is hosting a Winterfaire Store and shopping market with space for local talented creators and makers to showcase and sell their work! This beloved annual winter festival draws hundreds of families to our campus and the Great Hall this year will be a festive market of holiday shopping! Do you or someone you know have a local business or creation who’d like to participate in this exciting opportunity to share their work with the Roaring Fork Valley Community for holiday shopping? Please fill out the Vendor Application, deadline to submit is October 13th, 2023. Please share with anyone who might be interested!
Please note: Shopping hours will be Thursday November 30th from 5-7pm, on Friday December 1st from 8:30-3:30 pm and on Saturday December 2nd during Winterfaire from 11am -3pm at the Waldorf School on the Roaring Fork. The store will be located in the Hall. This event will be promoted to thousands across the Roaring Fork Valley and we anticipate hundreds of families joining us on campus for this event. Please read application for full details and terms.
Can we borrow your canoe on September 28, Thursday?
I have a wish for the 4th Grade to experience canoeing together at Harvey Gap on September 28. I would love for all of us to be rowing on the lake at the same time. We only need 2 or 3 more canoes to make that goal happen! We would need these canoes from 8:15am to 3:00pm.
Do you have a canoe we could borrow for that day? We will have enough vehicles to transport it and could come pick it up from your house the day before and bring it back if needed. Please contact me at (970) 963-1960 asap.
Thank you,
Patti Connolly
Join us this coming Tuesday, September 19th, 6:30-9pm for Bringing Meaning as a Waldorf Dad: a one time, low-pressure opportunity for conversation & connection among fellow Waldorf dads. Join current WSRF dad Travis Cox to explore how parents can bring meaning to the lives of our children at the different stages of their lives. Hosted in the Hall at WSRF. We understand if you have to leave before 9pm, but didn’t want anything to feel rushed. If you are so inclined, you can find a readinghere to explore beforehand to spark ideas and conversation. All WSRF Dads welcome and encouraged to join!
WSRF friends and Community,
Please join us on Friday, September 29th for Michaelmas!
Michaelmas, a celebration of courage, is also our annual fall festival. The pageant shares the story of Saint George and the dragon, a reminder that each and every one of us carries the light of courage necessary the tackle the challenges before us.
Additionally, Michaelmas celebrates the Fall harvest and the bounty of summer. The day culminates with a community-wide meal, created and shared by all in gratitude for the harvest and nourishment from the earth.
With so much to be thankful for, and with so much ahead, we hope that you will join the faculty and students of WSRF on this special day.
Look for more information in the upcoming Michaelmas newsletter. Until then here are some key details to help families plan for the day:
12:30 Dismissal on September 29th
Buses depart 10 minutes after dismissal
Aftercare is provided until 5pm
Pageant at 9:00am (Parents welcome to join!)
Community meal beginning at 12:00pm (Parents welcome to join & volunteers will be needed, too. Stay tuned!)
There will be no Friday morning assembly on September 29th. Instead the Michaelmas pageant will begin at 9am and will run for an hour. Please note that the pageant and its fearsome dragon is frightening for younger children. Following the pageant, students will resume their day with Michaelmas festivities and games.
The community meal will be hosted at noon. We hope that one and all will join us in celebration of courage in the face of adversity, and in gratitude for all that we are given. Happy Michaelmas, one and all!
Tuesday afternoon Chess Club, led by Mr. Arundale is off to the races as kings and queens battle it out with pawns, knights and horses! Students and parents alike are learning the rules, strategies and game plays of this fun and dynamic game. Some participants are starting from scratch while others are diving head first into tactical and strategic problem solving at various opening, middle-game and endgame positions. This after school opportunity has drawn students from across the grades as well as adults curious to learn! Involving strategy, problem solving and forward thinking, chess is proving to be both challenging and fun for all!
To learn more about this or future sessions of the Chess Club, please contact Mr. Arundale directly here.
Dear Parents of Middle School Parents,
We are writing to ask for your continued support in reminding your child(ren) of the WSRF dress code policy as stated in the handbook. We strive for students to hold themselves responsible for ensuring their clothing choices are best suited for all activities at school and adhering to the community expectations. In the instance that a student’s choice of clothing does not adhere to the dress code, parents may be asked to bring a suitable replacement.
Dress Code
The Waldorf School on the Roaring Fork strives to be a model of quality and beauty in the educational process and to bring an atmosphere of care and respect to everything that concerns the children at school. Physical warmth is vital to the healthy development of children. Children need to be dressed in layers for ease of movement and comfort. Their clothes should allow them to run, jump, raise arms above their heads and bend over to touch their toes with complete freedom of movement and without embarrassment to themselves or others. To further these ideals, we ask all parents and caregivers to direct their children to the appropriate standards of dress. The school environment is one where we wish to encourage and nurture reverence for what is noble, true and beautiful. To create a suitable environment for learning, we try to surround the students with living images rather than movie or cartoon characters. To create a working and learning environment that is as free as possible from such distracting influences, the following dress code was developed by the faculty:
Grades 6th – 8th
We understand and support the free expression of the developing grades 6-8 student and value the underlining education that comes with and through self-expression. When a student's dress hinders their ability to move comfortably, this warrants a teacher/student dialogue.
Students need to come to school dressed in:
• Sensible, practical, clean, well-fitting clothes, hats and accessories that allow for active movement and are weather appropriate.
• Clothes and accessories that reflect a positive self-image and are free of negative, offensive, illegal or violent words or imagery.
• Clothes and accessories that reflect a positive self-image and are free of explicitly "mediabased and sourced" images, graphics, and slogans.
• Well-fitted, sturdy, practical, weather-appropriate shoes that allow for active movement and a variety of surfaces including the grass field. A change of shoes for recess and movement activities in different classes is acceptable.
• May wear jewelry, temporary or semi-permanent hair dyes, and nail polish. Students in grades 7 and 8 may wear makeup.
• Students who are on teams or have participated in activities they are proud of may show their pride with clothing earned from their efforts.
As these guidelines may not cover all situations, we request that parents embrace their role as the responsible party for supporting the dress code as they purchase clothing for and with their children. If in doubt about any item, take the "maybe” as a "no" and have your child wear something else. Teachers may need to address attire not listed in the above dress code and thus have a student change or remove clothing, hats and/ or accessories that interfere with sensible and safe learning.
Morning pick-up stops have been moved to 5 minutes earlier, effective Monday September 18th, see here
