Windows into Waldorf Nov 29, 2024

IN THIS EDITION

• Director’s Note 

• Key dates

• 30 Wishes Campaign

• Winter Fair

• Open Houses

• BIA AGM and local outreach

DIRECTOR’s NOTE

Dear Waldorf Community,

This past Tuesday all Grade 1 to 8 students attended a wonderful live production of The Ice Queen at Wychwood Barns Theatre. All tickets for this event were purchased using funds donated to the Head, Heart and Hands campaign. This is an excellent example of your donations directly improving the educational experience for our students. Our school was able to take advantage of this opportunity due to contributions to our fundraising efforts. I learned this was the first live-stage performance that some of our students had ever attended; from their reaction it will not be the last!

Our Grade 4, 5 and 6 students are participating in the Forest of Reading program this year, also funded by the Head, Heart and Hands campaign. The books are curated for this age group, both fiction and non-fiction, all authored by Canadians. These books will benefit our current classes and will eventually live in our school library to benefit students for years to come.

Thank you for your support. Your donations improve the lives and experiences of our students.

We had a significant turn-out to the Annual General Meeting (AGM) this past Wednesday. Thank you to all who attended, faculty and staff, class parents and community members. A particular thank you to Ana Aur, Board Secretary, for organizing the meeting and ensuring the formal business was conducted in a timely and efficient manner. Thank you to Diana Spacca, Andrea Van Leeuwen, Vice-chair of the Board, and Amit Khana, Chair of the Finance committee, for the informative reports they delivered. Gratitude as well to all the board members for providing the wine and cheese for the post-AGM social.

Hope to see you at the Winter Fair on Sunday.

Conor

KEY DATES

• Dec 1 - 10am to 1pm - Winter Fair - get your tickets!

• Dec 2 - NO SCHOOL for K-8 (Childcare is open)

• Dec 11 - 4pm - Gr 1-8 Parent Festival (gems from each class)

• Dec 13 - Gr 1-8 Spirit Day - Ugly sweater day! 

• Dec 20 - Last day of Term 1, usual dismissal & aftercare

• Jan 6 - NO SCHOOL for K-8 and Childcare (PD day at for entire school)

• Jan 7 - First day of school for Childcare and K-8

CLAYS & PLAYS 
Would you like to have a hand in shaping our pottery studio? Would you like to play a role in setting the stage? This is your chance! Our kiln and stage are both partially funded, but we need a few more donations to turn these summer night dreams into new year realities. Please feel welcome to send your contribution to: donations@waldorfacademy.org

WINTER FAIR IS THIS SUNDAY, DEC 1st!

Please Bring Cash! Please note we will be CASH ONLY on the day of the Winter Fair for the Bake Sale! We will accept cash and e-transfers for Wristbands and the Vendors Market.

Parking & Traffic: Please bear in mind extra time needed to find parking on Winter Fair day, and possible traffic due to the first magical winter flurries we are expecting this weekend. The lot just west of Spadina at MacPherson and Walmer is a good option for parking.

Getting Tickets: Access $15 Wristbands, as well as $20-$30+ Supporting Wristbands will be available for advance purchase until Fri Nov 29 at 4pm, and in person at the Admissions Tent on Sun Dec 1 starting at 9am. There will also be a very limited number of $20-$30 Meal wristbands available for purchase on Dec 1 on a first come, first served basis (cash and e-transfers welcome). Orders placed on Fri Nov 29, and any advance purchases not picked up at the office by end of day Fri Nov 29, will be available for pickup at the Admissions tent.  bit.ly/wa-winterfair2024

Last Call for Volunteers: Together we are weaving a Winter Fair of wonder and joy, and building friendship and community. Dear parents, alumni, alumni parents, and anyone in our school community, we are calling you to join us. Please step in to help us set-up, take a shift during, or be a part of our clean-up afterwards. PLEASE NOTE that you can toggle between rooms via the tabs at the bottom. You can sign-up where you are most inspired to offer your time and energy, not necessarily just in the room your child's class is hosting:
Winter Fair Volunteer Sign-Up Sheets 2024

Bake Sale Donations: Can't come to the Fair but want to support? We welcome contributions to our bake sale from one and all! 

Wreaths and Trees available for Purchase at the Winter Fair
We are delighted to offer beautiful wreaths and trees for sale! Support our school, and help us reuse our beautiful WF decor! Wreaths and trees can be purchased at the school's Vendor table where all proceeds go to support the school. Wreaths will be available right away for you to bring home, and trees can be picked up after the Fair (cash/e-transfer).

• Wreaths: $60/each

• 1 x 9' tree: $300

• 5 x 6' trees (without decorations): $100/each

Questions?
Please reach out to us at winterfair@waldorfacademy.org
With much gratitude, The Winter Fair 2024 Committee

WIZARD WORMS AT WINTER FAIR!

Did you know that food waste constitutes 35 percent of a typical household's garbage?  To help address this, Grades 4 and 5 have been doing scientific experiments on vermicomposting, and will have Red Wigglers (aka ‘Wizard Worms’) for sale in beautiful aerated packaging at the Winter Fair. 

Many of us know the three R’s of waste reduction: reduce, reuse, and recycle. A fourth “R” has been added to this shorthand, standing for “rot”. Rot in this case refers to transforming food waste and other organic materials through composting or vermicomposting. In vermicomposting, earthworms or Red Wigglers eat the food waste, and transform it into nutrient-rich organic fertilizer and soil conditioner.

The Grade 4 and 5 students have been experimenting with what types of food waste the worms prefer, and how to best prepare it (e.g., cutting it small, leaving it as is). They have discovered that their Wizard Worms particularly like vegetables and fruit peels, are moderately comfortable with coffee grounds, crushed eggshells, pasta, grains, rice and bread, and less inclined to eat meat, fish or dairy. 

Not only are our students becoming scientists in service to the environment, they are also deepening their appreciation for nature and its creatures. Every student is comfortable handling worms, managing food waste and interacting with compost and dirt. We hope you are too! Get your new composting starter kit before they run out! 

DUPONT BY THE CASTLE BIA AGM 

In addition to our own recent AGM, members of our staff attended the AGM of our local Business Improvement Association (BIA), Dupont by the Castle, with whom we collaborated on the highly successful Garlic Festival in September. Waldorf Academy was publicly and profusely thanked for our significant contribution to that event. We took the opportunity to mix and mingle, and to make new connections with other businesses and organizations in our neighbourhood — further spreading the word about our wonderful Waldorf school by the Castle. 

OPEN HOUSES

We are happy to share that our recent Kindergarten Open House was a wonderful success, with over 70 guests! Our visitors were treated to beautiful puppet plays in the Kindergartens, a tour of the grade school, and play time in the side yard where families connected with our staff, teachers and current parents while enjoying warm cider and freshly-baked bread with jam. Applications are pouring in, including from families who are keen to join our community right away! 

We are busy planning for our next Open House - for Grades 1 to 8 - scheduled for February 8, 2025. We are looking forward to your help as parent and student ambassadors! Details to come over the following weeks. 

In the meantime, see you at the Winter Fair! Please sign up for a shift if you have not done so yet. Winter Fair Volunteer Sign-Up Sheets 2024

SEE YOU ON SUNDAY!