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Date: 2008-12-02 14:21:11

Just the Facts, December 2, 2008

Just the Facts

Woodland Star Weekly Update

Monday, December 1, 2008

Learning to think, to care, to create

UPCOMING SCHOOL EVENTS

Wednesday, December 3^rd, Sweet Pea Kindergarten Class Parent Eve, 6-7:30 PM

Monday, December 8^th,6^th Grade Class Parent Evening, 6-7:30 PM

Tuesday, December 9^th, Morning Glory Kindergarten Class Parent Eve, 6-7:30 PM

Tuesday, December 9^th, "Winterizing Your Child", 7-8:30 PM

Wednesday, December 17^th, Charter Council Meeting, 6 PM

Thursday, December 18^th, Winter Assembly time TBA

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

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Admin/Finance Committee ~ The Admin/Finance committee is looking for a few good members to work closely with Administration to formulate our 2009-10 budget. This six member committee will be comprised of two members of Administration, two parents and two teachers. We are looking for people who have experience working with financial statements and budgets, those who can commit to regular meetings (every 2 weeks or so), and those who can serve for a one-year term. If you are interested in applying, please send a statement to Sheila at: Sheila@woodlandstarschool.org Ideally, we will begin our work in January 2009.

Calling all singers! ~ Our Adult Choir is looking for members! We are currently meeting on Thursday mornings at 8:45am with our Singing teacher, Kate Willens. If you have questions or are intimidated, please contact Shannon Dewees and she'll talk you into it: 935-5969. Come sing with us!

Winterizing Your Child, an Eastern and Western Approach. Practical and quick solutions for keeping your child healthy during the winter months. Presented by Shiroko Sokitch, MD. Tuesday, December 9, 7-8:30 PM in the Main Hall. Free childcare available if reserved in advance.

Sonoma Valley High School ~ Learn about the local High School and what it has to offer...

Wed. Dec. 3, 6:30pm, Sonoma Valley High School Pavilion. For more information, call

933-4030.

Parent Mentoring Program ~ Attention PARENTS & TEACHERS, there is a newly implemented Parent Mentoring Program. Mentors will be meeting with each and every family to discuss governance, committees, important financial information affecting our school and getting to know you. Meetings are about ½ hour or less and can be scheduled at a convenient time for you. We will make sure your escrip is up to date so have your cards handy. We will discuss some changes at the school and make sure there is a way your needs and contributions are being met and acknowledged. Your mentor will contact you very soon if you have not had your meeting yet. Thank you so much!

Calling all Compostphiles!! Please assist the 3^rd grade garden class by bringing decomposable materials to school for us to compost. We would appreciate the following materials:

* Manures

* Grass clippings

* Kitchen scraps

* Leaves (as long as there aren't poison oak leaves in there)

* Soft perennial prunings (please no stems larger than ½ inch, or with thorns)

FYI: I am a proponent of composting oils, meats, etc...but it isn't appropriate on campus as it can attract flies and smell horrible.

Please bring the materials on Monday mornings and place behind the Resource Room in plastic bags, or dump from a can next to our bed of compost (surrounded by straw).

Many thanks for your rotten stuff,

Mollyanne Meyn, Ms. Molly, the Gardening Teacher

Housing Needed: Our Chinese friends from the Cheng Du Waldorf School in Cheng Du, China are wanting to plan a return trip to WSS and are in need of housing. We have a combination of: 1 adult with 2 children as well as as 1 adult, 1 child who are looking for lodging from January 10th thru February 15th. Please let Sheila know if you can provide housing for our guests for part or all of this time. It is a unique opportunity to learn about another culture. All children and adults are English speakers. Thanks!

FUNDRAISING

Party!!!!
Now that I have your attention, I am having a Party, a mailing party this Friday morning in the Main Hall. We will be putting together the End of the year mailing. The mailing will be distributed to 2,000+ recipients. Please join us starting at 8:30 if you can help. Even for 1 hour is helpful. Questions, contact Monica @ pmgconway@sbcglobal.net. Thanks!

Seventh Grade Burrito Fundraiser

The Seventh Grade class will be preparing, with strict parental supervision, wonderfully tasty burritos each Monday.

Burritos will be delivered on Mondays to your Child's classroom right before lunch.

The Burritos will consist of organic whole beans and organic whole grain rice, rBST free cheese and mild salsa lovingly wrapped in a vegetarian flour tortilla.

The food items will be prepared by 7^th grade parents using fresh, natural (organic, whenever possible) ingredients.

Burritos are $3 each

Please fill out a separate order form for each burrito ordered.

Name: ________________________________________________

Class: ____________________ Teacher: ____________________

Quantity: ______ Date(s) of Burrito Delivery:_______________

Special Dietary requests: (please circle)

Dairy-Free Wheat-Free Salsa-Free

Return this form and payment to the school office

and put in the "Burrito Box"

by the Thursday before the Monday Delivery.

Please make checks payable to: WSCS Class of 2010

FESTIVAL LIFE

The Story of St. Nicholas:

Saint Nicholas lives hundreds of years ago in the city of Myra, which is in Turkey. He was a bishop, and was known to be a very wise, kind old man.

One morning, when he was walking through the streets of the city, he saw three pretty girls sitting in the doorway of a house, looking very miserable. The youngest was crying. Saint Nicholas stopped and talked to them. "What is the matter?" he asked kindly. "We are in terrible trouble," said one. "We're sisters, and we were all engaged to be married, but because we have no money for out dowries, out finances' families have cancelled the weddings. We have nowhere to go, and will have to bed in the street." The other sisters began to cry too. "Oh dear, oh dear, I wish I could help you," murmured Saint Nicholas, and went on his way, thinking hard. He had no money but he knew plenty of merchants who did. Quietly, he visited them, and told them the sad story of the three sisters. When he went home that afternoon, his pockets were heavy with gold.

In the evening, after dark, he went out and silently dropped three bags of hold through the window of the house where the sisters lived. In the morning, when they found the gold, there were overjoyed. Now they could get married.

Everyone in the city heard about the three bags of gold, and was delighted. No one knew where such riches came from, but some nodded knowingly to each other. From then on, when anyone had a gift that seemed to come from nowhere, they said it must come from good, kind Saint Nicholas.

Legend has it, that if you leave a slipper outside your door, Saint Nicholas will leave a special treat. Saint Nicholas Day is celebrated on December 6^th. So, don't forget to leave your shoe out on the eve of the Saint's day.

Many Blessings~

CLASSIFIEDS

Homework Clubs ~Attention 6th,7th & 8th grade parents and students. I am offering various Homework Clubs for the upper grade students. The main emphasis is on math, but if your student needs help and a quite place to work on any homework assignment space is available. We will meet in the Mail Hall or in a classroom at 3:10 PM or 2:10 on Thursdays. The cost is $10 per student. The intention is for certain grades to meet on certain days and there is some flexibility here if needed. Here is my tentative schedule:

             Mondays for 8th graders.
             Fridays for 7th graders
             Tuesdays and Thursdays for 6th graders

Calligraphy Class ~ On Thursdays at 1:10 PM, I would like to offer a Calligraphy Class for 6th-8th graders. In my experience with teaching the upper grades, this is a class they really love and it gives many benefits for their development. It can obviously improve their handwriting and it can also work on their fine motor development, tactile and spatial awareness and increase their sense of appreciation for beauty in this world.
Please contact me if you are interested, Carlos Gonzalez, 694-7500 or abczcarlos@netscape.net.

Guitar Classes at Woodland Star! ~Ralph Cetola will be giving group guitar classes to students at Woodland Star beginning this month. One hour classes will be held after school on Thursdays at 1:15. Woodland Star students, 4^th grade and over, are welcome to join. There will be a maximum of 6 students per class. For more information please contact Ralph at 938-1357.

Whole Foods Shopping ~ Shop at Whole Foods for the holiday and BRING YOUR REUSABLE CLOTH BAGS so that you can donate your 5 cents to Woodland Star!

*Items needed for ebay auction! ~ *We want to get our ebay auction up and running with the holidays fast approaching. We will start as soon as we have enough items so, please donate as soon as you can. Smaller items (e.g. jewelry, gift certificates) are the best, but we thank you for any donations. Please bring them to school and complete the donation/gifting form (available in the office). Thank you.

*eScrip Recycling Program* ~ This program is FREE. Please bring to school and drop off in the main office, laser/toner cartridges, inkjet cartridges, used cell phones, iPods and laptops. How the program works: There is a collection bin in the main office near the copy machine. You can drop off your recyclable cell phones, cartridges, iPods and laptops whenever it's convenient for you. Periodically, we will mail the items collected at our school to the *eScrip Recycling* offices. *eScrip Recycling* will then deposit funds electronically in Woodland Star's account!!! We get anywhere from $.05 print for cartridges to $35.00 for iPods. It all adds up to funds for the school. I send in 3 or 4 boxes a month of stuff collected from Paul's work! We would love to send more. Any questions, contact Monica Conway 707.225.5557 or
pmgconway@sbcglobal.net

Summerfield Winter Faire December 6^th

The Winter Faire is an opportunity for children and families to share an old fashioned holiday outing. It features craft-making for children and adults, such as beeswax candle-dipping, gingerbread cookie-decorating, wreath-making, and wool-crafting. A puppet show is offered, as well as a hearty lunch and holiday desserts for sale. In addition, a unique selection of classic books and handcrafted gift items make the Winter Faire an excellent day for seasonal shopping! 11am to 4pm

Holiday fun ~ Looking for a way to start your Holiday Season off right? Come see Woodland Star Parents, Rick and Jaime Love, and 8th grader Emilie Marenec in a live 1940's style radio presentation of the classic IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE. Nicholson Ranch 4200 Napa Rd/121. Dec. 5^th and 6^th, at 7 pm and Dec. 7^th at 3:00 pm. Contact Rick Jaime Or Emilie regarding Tickets or call 996-9206 $15.00 adults, $12.00 12 and under.

*Free class* ~ Why Raw Foods ~ If you are interested in finding out why eating more raw, fresh foods can improve your health and quality of life, then this *free* class will give you some answers.
You will learn:
    * How we are biologically adapted to the raw foods diet.
    * The effects of heat and cooking on proteins, fats,
      phyto-nutrients, and enzymes.
    * The raw vegetarian food groups.
    * How to incorporate more raw foods into your diet simply and
      deliciously!
    * Simple no-cook breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for very busy people!
    * Mix and match secrets for fabulous, new salads every night of the
      week!
    * 10 Tips To Help You Stay Successful On A Raw Foods Diet

When: Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008, 10-11:15am. Where: 724 Broadway, Sonoma, Ca 95476
You must reserve your seat. Space is limited. Email: lesliemarioni@yahoo.com or call 707.939.7016
Leslie Marioni, Sonoma Natural Health 724 Broadway Sonoma, CA 95476
www.sonomanaturalhealth.com

Wanted: For use at school, bookshelves of any and all shape and size.
Please contact Sheila at: sheila@woodlandstarschool.org

Help our school while you do your holiday shopping! In the spirit of holiday giving, Kathy Lee will give 25% of sales to Woodland Star when you shop with her or on her website! She offers a beautiful selection of CERTIFIED ORGANIC products, including body care, hair care, skin care, baby care, cosmetics, and nutritional products such as antioxidants and probiotics. You can shop online at: www.aromatherapist.mionegroup.com Please let Kathy know that you've placed an order online so she can donate 25% to the school: 996-1297. Thank you!

Holiday Gift Ideas ~ For sale in the school store: "Fairy Tale Moons" 2009 Calendar. An interactive calendar designed to bring the cycle of the seasons and the wisdom of fairy tales imaginatively alive for both adults and children alike. Beautifully illustrated! $16 And:"The North American Biodynamic Sowing and Planting Calendar" 2009. Shows optimum days for sowing, pruning and harvesting various plants-crops, as well as bookkeeping. $16

Happy Holidays from Selah Body Care ~ Woodland Star discount: 1 or more items 15% off; 3 or more items 20% off; 5 or more items 25% off. Custom gift bags and baskets available. Pick up in Glen Ellen or have it delivered locally! Pure and delightful quality skin food: water free & packed with nutrients; made with organic ingredients; no phthalates, parabens or synthetic color; kind to those with chemical sensitivities; sustainable sourcing of ingredients; environmentally friendly; never tested on animals. To receive pricing, email or call Haushinka: info@selahbodycare.com (707) 933-9945. Visit www.selahbodycare.com

*Get your holiday photos taken now! *Sue Block is having a "holiday special" for the next two weeks - family or individual in studio on digital. You will receive your photos on a disk - fast turnaround. All for $100. Location can be discussed - call or email for appointment:
938 3909; sueblock@sbcglobal.net <mailto:sueblock@sbcglobal.net>.

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: 2-3 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

Girls Rising ~ Specifically for 6th-8th 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, 1:13-2:45 PM. Girls' parents will meet twice during the sessions, dates to be determined. The cost is $100-150, sliding scale, per child for 6 session + 2 adult sessions. To reserve a spot or for more information, contact Kathy Hargitt, M.A., at (707)235-8488 and/or kathyhargitt@vom.com

WALDORF INSPIRED CHILDCARE PROGRAM (996-1297)

We have a special place for your child! A Child's Garden Childcare offers loving, supportive care in a small group environment, perfect for 1 - 3 year olds. We have a very large yard, and spend lots of time outside in creative exploration and nature "studies" - playing with sand, water, mud, herbs & flowers, bubbles, etc. Our program is rich with both music and language to stimulate brain pathways. Of course, there is no TV, instead we spend lots of time telling stories, singing, playing and exploring. We make homemade playdough, paint and do crafts, as well as baking and gardening. The children pick herbs and make their own

"rosewater", fairy balm, and herb vinegars. We serve all organic, home cooked meals and snacks. Many happy Woodland Star families have had their children in our program, which opened in 2001. CPR/First Aid certified with over 28 early childhood education units, including some Waldorf training. Please call Kathy Lee, WSS parent, to set up an interview.

Woodland Star Holiday Appeal At Woodland Star Charter School, we are starting a new Holiday tradition of sending letters to parents, grand parents, family and friends asking for tax deductible contributions to help fund our work during the coming year. The letter will be mailed after Thanksgiving.

We are asking parents, teachers and staff to contribute names of family and friends, neighbors and coworkers to help expand our mailing list. We will be using our current fundraising data base. Please let us know who you would like to add to the data base to receive our Holiday Appeal this year by completing this form and returning it to the Office as soon as possible, but no later then November 25. Thank You very much for your help!

Your Name ________________________ ⁪ I would like to put a note in the letter, please

Contact me at __________________________

1. _____________________________________ ____________________________________