Windows into Waldorf April 17, 2025
Spring is a season of wonder for children. Nature is transitioning from a time of stillness and darkness to an explosion of new and vibrant life. So when you go out walking, look for signs of spring, such as the smell in the air and the birds singing up in the trees. - message from Meadowroom Pre-School
This Week’s Issue includes:
Director’s Note
Parent reflects on Conor’s ‘Delivering on the Promise’ Presentation
Key Dates
Earth Day April 22
Mayfair details May 3
Registration open for summer camp
In the community
DIRECTOR’S NOTE
Dear Waldorf Community,
We received wonderful news this week, the Directors of the Cawthra Mulock Foundation approved Waldorf Academy’s grant application. The Foundation will provide $24,000 towards the repair and improvement of the school play areas.
The Cawthra Mulock Foundation supports Rudolf Steiner based educational and curative organizations in Ontario. This grant will assist the school in maintaining and improving the school playgrounds, specifically addressing our wooden perimeter fencing and play structures. We are indebted to the Cawthra Mulock Foundation for their ongoing support and financial generosity.
We will need volunteers to help with some of these playground renovations this summer - stay tuned for how we as a community can participate in this renovation.
Wishing all in our community a safe and happy long weekend.
Conor
We received some thoughtful letters from the community reflecting on Conor’s presentation last week. We wanted to share one in particular from Ms. Blok on the values Waldorf brings to the world.
Our School Should Have a Line Up Around the Block
By Rebekah Blok (grade 3 and grade 9 alum parent)
Our school should have waiting list all the way down the block. Conor said this is the Town Hall last Thursday. I've been saying it for years. I’ve heard other longtime parents say it. But it doesn’t.
Our school remains one of the best kept secrets in Toronto. How can we change that?
I'm a long-time parent at Waldorf Academy — my eldest was a student from JK through grade 8, and is now thriving in grade 9 at an arts-based high school. My youngest is in grade 3, so while I'm one of the "oldest" parents around, I still have another 5 years to go. That is to say: I am very invested in our school and in the success of our students. We chose Waldorf Academy for our children because this school sees each child (very deeply) as the individual that they are while simultaneously holding that the children also make up a classroom and school-wide community. Learning to be a community member is part of my education as a parent. Alum parents often say to me "the education was for me too."
At last week's Community Council Town Hall, Conor gave a presentation called "Delivering on the Promise." The slides that inspired me most were the ones titled "What Does it Mean to be a Waldorf School," "What Are the Priorities," and "Call to Action."
My biggest take-away was: what is our central mission that we can all share in one sentence? How can we say who we are and why we're here so succinctly that it reverberates out and attracts the families who will love the school as much as we do? At Waldorf, we often say that we are “Educating the Head, Heart, and Hands” or that we are a community that delivers “an education designed for joy.” I invite you to think about that ‘one sentence’ that inspires you to be in this community and share it with those around you.
Because, if our classrooms were full, our kids would have a robust complement of classmates, we could pay our teachers what they deserve, we could have more specialist teachers and more programming, and we would be offering this unique education to more children who need it and are preparing to be a different type of leader.
*
On Saturday night Daryl and I went to see an art exhibit of ink drawings by a local artist. The paintings, and the framed poetry and quotations the artist chose to hang on the wall at intervals between paintings, moved me deeply. They spoke to me about what Waldorf means to me, and how I believe our school is preparing our children to be the remedy that our hurting world so badly needs.
KEY DATES
Apr 18 & 21 - School & CCC Closed - Good Friday & Easter Monday
Tuesday, April 22 - Earth Day Activities! (if you haven’t done so, please remember to sign the permissions form we sent out earlier this week!)
Saturday, May 3rd - Mayfair (poster below)
SUMMER CAMP REGISTRATION NOW OPEN
Led by Ms. Garcia, we’re excited to announce that registration is now open for this year’s summer camp. The theme for camp will be: The Living Earth: A Journey Through Nature’s Wonders.”
Camp Details: 6 weeks as follows:
Week #1- Camp is open to Kindergarten AND Grades 1 to 5 students.
The theme for Grades 1 to 5 camp week will be “Nature Quest” exploring the four elements — Earth, Water, Air, and Fire
Week #2 through Week #6 is for children ages 4 to 7 years old. Daily schedule and activities to follow.
**Children must be 4 years old by the start of the Summer Camp as outlined in the Child Care and Early Years Act.
Dates:
Week #1: June 16th to 20th
Week #2: June 23rd to 27th
Week #3 June 30th to July 4th (4 day week, no camp on Canada Day)
Week #4 July 7th to 11th
Week #5 July 14th to 18th
NO CAMP - July 21st to 25th. The Child Care center is closed for this week.
Week #6 July 28th to August 1st
Location: 250 Madison Ave.
Registration Deadline: May 23rd, 2025
Spots are limited, so we encourage you to register soon to secure your child’s place. We can’t wait to share this magical summer experience with your children!
**When you reach the payment portion of the camp registration please do not use the fast check out button only use the paypal button. At that point you can select your payment method and it will process your payment.
GRADE 3 SHELTER BUILDING
Last week we shared that the Grade 3 students took to the ravines to build shelters. Today, they display their dioramas of shelter examples from around the world to their fellow school mates.
GRADE 6 - ADVENTURES TO SOUTH AMERICA!
For weeks the Grade 6 students have been ‘travelling’ South America! Each student chose a country to research and ‘explore’, sending postcards back to their friends at Waldorf Academy about their experiences climbing coconut trees, visiting the Galapago’s, paddling Lake Titicaca and eating mangos.
The exercise culminated in a South American potluck lunch as each student read ‘dispatches’ aloud of their adventures.
MAYFAIR! COME CELEBRATE SPRING WITH US, SATURDAY MAY 3rd
IN THE COMMUNITY
APRIL IS EARTH MONTH - Arts and crafts lovers in Toronto are invited to Evergreen Brick Works every Sunday in April from 10am – 3pm for a free, drop-in community artmaking space with @arthivepopup! They have the supplies, you bring the creativity! Art Hive is accepting donations of unwanted materials for creative reuse.
Also, our friends at TRCA are hosting a series of family friendly Community, Conservation, and Citizen Science in Action activities designed to inspire environmental stewardship. Did anyone have Turtle Tally on their Earth Month bingo card?
JANE’S WALK RETURNS TO TORONTO MAY 2-4
Jane’s Walk is an annual festival of free, community-led, neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood walking conversations inspired by citizen activist Jane Jacobs—a journalist, author and proud Torontonian. She lived near Waldorf Academy in the ‘Republic of Rathnelly’.
On the first weekend of May every year, Jane’s Walk festivals take place in hundreds of cities around the world. Jane’s Walks encourage people to share stories about their neighbourhoods, discover unseen aspects of their communities, and use walking as a way to connect with their neighbours.
PINE PROJECT OPEN HOUSE MAY 4
Our friends at Pine Project are hosting a free, activity filled Open House on Sunday, May 4, from 1–4 PM at Stan Wadlow Park. Drop in for a little while or stay for the whole afternoon. This event is open to everyone—kids, families, educators, organizations, and anyone curious about nature.
