Just the Facts

Woodland Star Weekly Update

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Learning to think, to care, to create 

UPCOMING SCHOOL EVENTS

Tonight: Growing and Guiding your Young Child with Penni Sparks. 7-8:30 PM in the Main Hall. *FREE childcare for those w/an advanced reservation. FREE admission for those w/a completed e-scrip or family giving form!*

Wednesday, October 29^th, 8^th grade parent evening, 6-7:30 PM

Thursday, October 30^th, Parent Tea with Penni Sparks, 8:30-10 AM, Main Hall

Friday, October 31^st, 8:30 am, Halloween Costume Parade, parents welcome to stay

Saturday, November 1^st, All Parent Party & social event, 7-10 PM, Burlingame Hall,

   252 W. Spain St, Sonoma

Monday, November 3^rd, 6-7:30 PM, Day of the Dead potluck in the Main Hall

   Activities for children, bring entrée dessert or drink to share

Monday, November 3^rd - Friday, November 7^th, FALL CONFERENCE WEEK, 1 PM    DISMISSAL ALL WEEK

Thursday, November 6^th, Summerfield High School information night, 7:00 PM

Tuesday, November 11^th, Character education evening with Penni Sparks, 7-8:30 PM

Thursday, November 13^th, Parent tea with Penni Sparks, 8:30-10 AM

October 1 - December 31, Nickels for Nonprofits at Whole Foods 

FROM THE ADMINISTRATOR

Come one, come all!  We have a great parent social event planned for Saturday, November 1^st, 7-10 PM, Burlingame Hall , 252 W. Spain St, Sonoma (where we had last year's winter assembly).

We're thinking that by November 1, parents might need a break after the sugar and excitement of Halloween. Get the babysitter lined up and come have a little adult time. Join us for an evening of cocktails, fabulous appetizers, great live music and the unveiling of the WSS 2008-09 Fundraising Calendar of Events. We'll talk briefly about upcoming events, present opportunities for you all to get involved in whatever capacity you can, and then dance the night away.  You won't be asked for money, but rather informed as to how we'll plan on raising funds.  You won't want to miss this night to learn about some exciting, clever and new fund-raising ideas that have never been done in Sonoma before. Once again, the WSS fundraising team is setting the trends and leading the pack.
 
No need to bring anything but yourselves....we'll provide the rest. We look forward to celebrating with you all.
 
Penni Sparks is offering another fabulous community education event: "Growing & Guiding Your Young Child" on Tuesday, October 28^th, 7-8:30 PM in the Main Hall.  Join Penni for a night of wisdom, ideas and humor related to enjoying life with your young one(s).  FREE childcare with an advanced reservation and FREE admission with a completed e-scrip or family giving form! 

Many thanks to the tireless Festival committee for an incredible Sprite's Night.  Our school was represented so beautifully via the efforts of so many dedicated parent volunteers led by the incomparable team of: Marika Schamoni, Andrea Gregory and Monica Conway.  We all enjoyed the creative vignettes, spooky literary tales, delicious and healthy food, talented dancers, beautiful harvest décor, and great costumes.  It was a tremendous success. 

Halloween Parade ~ this year we are doing things a bit different and will have our Halloween parade begin at 8:30 on Friday, October 31^st.  Please have your children come to school in costume so they are ready to go.  Parents are welcome to stay and enjoy the  morning parade.  After the parade, the children will return to class and are welcome to stay in costume throughout main lesson and by morning recess will have returned to their uncostumed selves.   

Below are the WSS costume guidelines:

• Students are encouraged to dress up as characters from the stories they have been hearing in class, or other curriculum-inspired characters, animals, etc.   
• The costume for the school parade does not need to be the same one children wear for Halloween-save your scary costume for Trick or Treat!

Costume suggestions:

Animals, historical characters or period costumes, fairy tale characters, athletes, little old man or little old lady, uniforms or specialized dress of different professions

Prohibited costumes include:  Masks, monsters and other "scary" characters, bloody and gruesome costumes, violent costumes, weapons (except wooden swords in belts?), media characters (superheroes, movie characters, videogame characters, cartoon characters, etc.) Traditional Halloween characters such as skeletons and witches should be ok, as long as they are done with makeup rather than masks.   

Students and/or parents are asked to check out their costume ideas with the teacher first, so that they aren't disappointed on the day of the parade. No inappropriate costumes will be allowed.  

At last week's meeting, the Charter Council approved revisions to the current dress code.  A copy of the revised dress code is listed below and note this new policy will take effect January 5, 2009.  Please familiarize yourself with it and check in with your teacher if you have any questions.  Also, to see what happens at the Charter Council check out the web page for meeting agendas and minutes and note that the public is always welcome to sit in on our meetings and watch our governing body at work.

Woodland Star Dress Code - revised 10/08, effecitve 1/09

Students are expected to wear clothes suitable for an active day of study and play. Safety, simplicity and appropriateness should be major considerations. Woodland Star requests the active support and cooperation of all parents in encouraging moderation in clothing and personal grooming for the sake of creating a student community focused on learning, rather than dress.  We feel strongly that individual expression through dress and hairstyle has its rightful place in the high school and college years, and we invite parents to allow their children the opportunity to experience a childhood focused on study and play rather than fashion. 

Image and imagination: We live in an image-rich culture. Waldorf educational philosophy places strong emphasis on the importance of cultivating the child's imagination, or inner "picture-making" ability. As the child grows, this inner picturing gradually develops into the capacity for original and creative thinking.  We are concerned with the question of how the quality and quantity of images in the environment may affect the development of the child's imagination, and our recommendations regarding images on clothing arise from this concern.

The following guidelines may not cover all situations, and teachers may need to address particular attire. Please feel free to contact your teacher if you have any questions about specific articles of clothing.

• Children should arrive at school clean and well-groomed.

• Come appropriately dressed for the weather.

• Come wearing comfortable, practical flat-soled shoes that are firmly attached to the feet. Shoes are to be free of lights and wheels. Toes and heels should be covered.

• Appropriate attire for movement class consists of lace-up athletic shoes and clothing that does not restrict or inhibit movement (e.g. gym shorts or sweats that tie securely at the waist).

• Outer wear should be simple, modest, and not distracting.

• Woodland Star strongly encourages parents to provide their children with clothing free from media advertisements, photo reproductions, cartoon images, slogans and commercial logos of any kind. Children are prohibited from using clothing, backpacks, lunchboxes, etc., decorated with writing, pictures or any other insignia which are crude, vulgar, profane or sexually suggestive, or which bear drug, alcohol or tobacco advertising, promotions and likenesses, or which advocate racial, ethnic or religious prejudice.

• Woodland Star school T-shirts and sweatshirts, or special school event shirts (Waldorf Olympics) are allowed.

• Outer clothing must conceal undergarments. Attire that exposes breasts, midriff or buttocks is prohibited. All clothing must fit appropriately; overly baggy or sagging clothes are prohibited. Other inappropriate clothing styles include see-through or fishnet fabrics, half-shirts, crop-tops or sideless shirts, backless shirts or blouses, strapless or tube tops, and clothing that is torn, ripped, ragged or holed. Chains hanging from clothing, dog collars and studded jewelry may not be worn.

• Extreme hairstyles and dyed hair are strongly discouraged for all students, and are definitely inappropriate for the younger grades (K-5). Hair should not hang in the eyes; students should either tie hair back from the face or trim bangs accordingly.

• Leave dangling jewelry and earrings at home.

• The use of makeup, fingernail polish, tattoos and jewelry is strongly discouraged in the younger grades (K-6). Discreet make-up and jewelry may be allowed in the two upper grades; class teachers will have final decision about what is appropriate.

• Children arriving at school in inappropriate attire may be asked to change, asked to turn shirts inside out to conceal inappropriate images or sent home to change.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Dias de los muertos, Day of the Dead festivities, Monday November 3^rd, 6-7:30 in the Main Hall.  Join us for a potluck featuring activities for children and a great community gathering.  Please bring an entrée, dessert or drink to share and RSVP to Annie: 996-6904 or Heather 935-1598.   We will also be creating an altar on Monday 11/3 and invite anyone who is interested to bring your photos to the Main Hall to be part of the creation.

Receipts ~ If you need reimbursement from purchases for Sprite's Night, please bring your receipts to either Andrea Gregory (1^st grade and 4^th grade parent) or Marika Schamoni (3^rd grade and 4^th grade parent) by THIS FRIDAY.

Afterschool violin, viola and piano lessons offered at WSS ~ Long-time music teacher Gail Claus is coming to WSS to offer our students the opportunity to continue  music lessons at a reasonable rate and maximum convenience.  Gail will offer 45 minute lessons on a first-come-first-served basis starting with Thursday afternoons. Private ($160/mo)  and semi-private- 2 to 3 students, ($100/mo) lessons available.  For an added incentive, parents are able to rent the WSS violins for a refundable $100 security deposit to enable your child to have access to this incredible opportunity.  For information please call Gail at: 953-4470 or gailclaus@comcast.net

Recession Busters' Bash at Live Oak Charter School, Friday, November 7^th, 7-9:30 PM~"The Pine Needles" bring their fresh interpretation of Bay Area Acoustic Roots and Jazz Music to:  A Post-Election Family Style Dance that includes goodies and warm drinks!

In The Multi Purpose Room, $10 per person, $30 per family.  100 Gnoss Concourse | Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds, Petaluma, California 94954

GRATITUDES

On behalf of the Festival committee, we would like to thank everyone involved in helping with Sprite's Night.  You all contributed to a magical evening for our children and community -  Marika and Andrea 

Many thanks to Mary Mullen and Kelly Dillman who diligently scrubbed the 7^th grade classroom floor to make it beautiful and spotless.  It was not an easy task (think hands and knees) and their efforts are so appreciated.  Also thanks to Jaime Love for washing the desks and adding to the beauty of the 7^th grade's learning environment.

CLASSIFIEDS

MISSING:
Missing from Sprite's Night, last seen on Kidergarten picnic table:  small black leather fanny pack w/video camera and wallet (irreplaceable memories on camera). Please call Anthony Abate: 494-4649 or via email: anth.abate@gmail.com 

"Girls Rising" ~ Specifically for 6^th through 8^th grade girls ~ Discover adolescence, self-confidence, agency, creativity, compassion, mindfulness, and learn to be yourself!  We will:  share stories; write a play and poems; perform; sing; paint; make collages; cook; hike; garden; play; serve in the community.  We meet at Woodland Star on Thursdays, 1:15-2:45 PM     October 23^rd & 30^th, November 6^th & 13^th, December 4^th & 11^th.  Girls' parents will meet twice during the six week sessions, dates to be determined.  The cost is $100-$150, sliding scale, per child for 6 sessions + 2 adult sessions.  To reserve a spot or for more information, contact:  Kathy Hargitt, M.A., at (707) 235-8488 or/and kathyhargitt@vom.com

Help Needed ~ Gianna, single mother of four, is looking for a house to rent ASAP!

2-3 bedroom, no more than $1500 per month.  Please call her @ 935-7865 or 695-2348 if you have any information.