Tuesday, September 28, 2010

West Wind

The West Wind
Wellspring Waldorf Newsletter
September 28, 2010

The next board meeting is on Monday, October 4, at 6:30 pm. Meetings are
open to all, and we are always looking for new, committed members!

If your child had vaccinations since last September, please have your
pediatrician fax us the update: 685-9974. Thanks.

Saturday, November 20th is the date for the annual Wellspring Holiday Fair
from 9:30 to 3:00 at the Town Hall in Chelsea. We are looking for
volunteers, especially to work a two hour shift at the craft table and to
take a shift as the Pocket Man. We are also looking for small handmade
items for Pocket Man's pockets. Pocket Man is a Waldorf tradition. He/ she
walks around the fair wearing a giant apron covered with pockets. Each
pocket is filled with a wrapped gift. Children pay $1.00 for a gift from
Pocket Man. Please feel free to create and collect items for Pocket Man.
Hold onto them for now. We'll let you know when we want them! Also, at our
next Parent Council meeting, we will be making Pocket Man items while we
have our discussion. All are welcome! Lava will lead the craft, materials
will be supplied.
Let us know if you would like to have a booth at the Holiday Fair (even if
you have had a booth in the past). Booth space is $30.00. This year we are
offering Wellspring parents a great opportunity to share booth space. We
will put a few tables together and have a Wellspring Parent Booth. You can
pay a bit less (for a bit less space) and have the benefit of taking shifts
selling your crafts. This is a great opportunity for those who want to sell
just a few things but don't have enough to warrant a whole table. To offer
help as a volunteer at the event, or to sign up for a booth, please contact
Lava Mueller, Holiday Fair Chair (that rhymes) at limeyfoe@sover.net or
call Lava at 802-728-7173p.s. Even in you are on another very busy
committee i.e. Silent Auction, you can also work at this event. I am!!! Go
Wellspring!
Reminder: letters still helpful for our Grade 5/6! Just ~two paragraphs on
a North American area you've lived--its climate, animals, interesting things
about it. Handwritten or email responses to Mr. Rovainen, or
dogpianoman@wildmail.com
The Chelsea Health Center is offering dental care for all the school
children in town again. Please let me know if you are interested. I have the
sign-up forms here in the office.

Silent Auction: Deadline for submissions Oct. 8.
Please bring your offers in!

We are getting many Silent Auction donations with no information attached.
It is really helpful if we know who the donor is. We would like to give
thanks or credit where it is due and sometimes it is helpful to know who to
ask questions of. If you do not have a blue sheet or another auction form
please just include a slip with your name. If you have already donated
things that are unidentified please tell Amy, Lava or myself what you have
donated. Many thanks to all who have donated thus far.
Also, if any photographer has a great shot from the Harvest Fest could you
pls send to my e-mail.
Thanks, Lisa

Coming up: Workday, Sat. Oct. 16, 10 to 2.

All Parent Evening: Thursday, Oct. 14, 6:30 pm.
Heidi Hoffecker's parents will be there to give us some of their 20-year
Waldorf knowledge. Refreshments.
Call if you need childcare.

This year's Parent Council would like to organize a book group discussion on
Kim Payne's new book Simplicity Parenting. We might also help create some
small items for this year's pocket man at the Holiday Fair. Email Alyson
Mahony (alyson@suncatchervt.com) or drop her a note in her mail box if you
are interested. Also note any ideas about time and location. Late October
after drop off is one idea.

This year's Golden Volunteer List will be in mailboxes soon. Please look
over carefully for corrections or suggestions. Please let Alyson Mahony our
Parent Volunteer Coordinator know as soon as you can!


Community Announcements

Peter Blum is accepting a limited number of additional string students for
private lessons after school on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays. If
interested, please call him at 885-3587 or e-mail to
skiingcellist@yahoo.com.

Mr. Rovainen looking for ride to Providence RI, Boston, or Connecticut
Friday October 8th or early Saturday the 9th? Help him get to a college
friend's wedding! dogpianoman@wildmail.com


Heartbeet Conference
Smell, Taste, Sight, Warmth: Exploring the Four Middle Senses. October
9-10, 2010 Heartbeet Lifesharing in Hardwick, Vermont
The conference is part of a series on the 12 senses. It will include talks
on the theme and artistic sessions with Peter Bruckner and Nathaniel
Williams. We will also have singing with Don Jamison and an evening
performance by Laurie Portocarrero. As usual there will be lots of
conversation, delicious food and fun! For a full conference program and
registration form, please contact Rachel Schwartz at raugustina@hotmail.com
or 802-472-9573


LOCAL WORK, GLOBAL AID: In response to 350.org¹s call for an international
climate change work day this fall, a group of students and faculty at The
Mountain School would like to work to raise money for Ladakh, India, which
has recently been severely affected by flooding. We are looking for jobs in
the area that we can perform to earn money to help counteract some of the
major negative effects of climate change. It would be great if these jobs
were related to preventing climate change, such as weatherization of houses,
getting in wood or garden harvests, but we are open to any jobs that can be
done by a group of teenagers in 1-3 hours.
For Elementary students who are interested in helping earn money with
us, parents could pay them for doing household chores, and they can give the
money to us to donate.
Our actual day of work is going to take place in the morning of Saturday
October 9th. We will also be hosting cider pressing and a bike repair stand
at the Vershire harvest fest at the Vershire Town Center on that day and any
donations made will go to the same cause. For more information, please
contact Rosalie Sharp (roasaliesharp@aol.com) or Kathy Hooke
(kathy.hooke@mountainschool.org 685-4353.)

Connect with us:
Visit our Website

New Campus Blog
Contact Us:
wellspringwaldorfschool@gmail.com

Monday, September 27, 2010

New Campus Update


Our new school is currently a construction site. It's exciting to see the building transform. Above is a view of the new entrance in progress.



The fire escape can be seen above.
Many parents and other Wellspring community members have done several hours of volunteer demolition work under the guidance of parent and New Campus Volunteer Coordinator Dave Williams. Those among the parent demolition crew have included Nate Kokernot, Ken Borie, Andy Meuller and Larry Satcowits.


The south facade with new windows.
Parent volunteers save the school real money by preparing the site for work by our builder, John Parker. There is still much to do and many volunteer work opportunities available. Contact Dave Williams to get on board. Dave will be at the new campus this Wednesday from 4:30 until 6:30 or 7. Anyone is welcome to show up but that is not the limit for work times available. Dave says the mission this week is to clear out the first floor so John Parker and his crew can begin framing the new classroom walls. Stay tuned for further updates.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

West Wind

The WEST WIND September 7, 2010

Allergies – If your child has an allergy, please call the office and let us
know.

The next board meeting is on Monday, October 4. Meetings are open to all,
and we are always looking for new, committed members!

I put an updated parent handbook in every new family's box. Everybody else,
please take one from the pile by the mailboxes if you feel you need to be
updated or refresh. Also look for forms to fill out and return, and remember
your vaccination forms.

Tuition statements are in your boxes. Tuition is due on the 15th.

Here is a slight change to our dress code:

Sundresses are welcome for students up to and including 3rd grade. A grade ¾
combined class is treated as a grade 4 class.

Shorts must be long enough so that they are as low as the wearer's
fingertips when the person is standing up with arms straight.

Skirts and dresses will be at least as low as the student's knee when
standing upright.

Shoulder straps will be at least 1 inch wide.

Please help your students to adhere to our dress code. See parent handbook
for more details.

Art in the Park – was a wonderful event and made $1,000 for the school!
Thanks to Emily Ferro who was spearheading this first time
Fundraising/Outreach event for Wellspring. Thanks again to chefs Jeff and
Jeff – you guys are just amazing!!! all the other volunteers and artists and
shoppers who supported this event. Thanks to our wonderful band Nancy's
Problem as well. It was fun listening and dancing to your music!

Silent Auction - Save the date! Saturday, December 11th at the Tunbridge
Town Hall. It's that time of year again for Silent Auction donations. You
might remember a blue sheet of information you received this summer with
information about donations to the Auction. Please check your blue sheets
and dates and get us your donations as soon as you can. We have a lot of
work to do on the catalog. Any questions, please check with Amy in the
office.

Our guitar raffle is up and going. We have sold 100 raffle tickets so far –
700 more to go. Please spread the word and when you see Michael Millard,
thank him for this wonderful generous gift to Wellspring! Buy tickets - $20
a piece, or six for $100, and win a beautiful $9000 guitar!

Please add Mary Borie's email to your directory: mary.borie@mac.com.



Community Announcements

Peter Blum is accepting a limited number of additional string students for
private lessons after school on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays. If
interested, please call him at 885-3587 or e-mail to
skiingcellist@yahoo.com.
The Chelsea Farmer's Market is hosting an Open Mike for Talented Local Youth
on September 24th, 3 – 6 pm. Just show up and perform! Questions: Heidi
Goodrich, 685-9987.

There is a family from Maine with three girls and lots of animals who is
interesting in moving to Chelsea and joining Wellspring. They are looking
for a rental. Any leads?

In case you haven't seen the Wretches and Jabberers website recently,
www.wretchesandjabberers.org, there has been a lot of new content put on the
site including behind the scenes video clips and more commentary from Larry
Bissonnette and Tracy Thresher. Both Larry and Tracy will be doing a regular
blog so people will have a chance to write comments back to them. The site
also has a Facebook page so if you are on Facebook, you can become a fan and
get updates that way too.