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Lantern Walk Tomorrow, Nov. 11

Lantern Walk
4 pm @ Madison Waldorf School

Madison Waldorf School would like to invite all our students and their families to join us for our annual Lantern Walk at the school tomorrow at 4 pm. The grade 5/6 children will have some herbal tea and homemade breadsticks for you to snack on while your grade school children gather in their classrooms for a few minutes to prepare for the celebration. All families and EC children are invited to socialize in the front parking lot around the fire. The grades children and teachers will then join you around the fire for singing and flute playing. As darkness falls, we will light our lanterns and venture out into the night walking along the sidewalk on Schroeder Road to a path in the Spectrum Conservancy carefully carrying our lanterns in a mood of quiet reverence and singing.

Each November we have a Lantern Walk to celebrate Martinmas, a festival of inner light in the outer darkness of the approaching winter. St. Martin was a soldier in Rome in the 4th century. Legend says that one wintry night he met a poor beggar, half-naked and freezing. Martin removed the heavy military cloak from his shoulders and, drawing his sword, cut it in two, and gave half to the beggar. Celebrating Martinmas at MWS serves as a reminder that each of us has a divine spark that we must carry out into the world and share with others. Our lantern walk symbolically reminds us of a deeper truth, in the words of Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism (563-483 B.C.): “There isn’t enough darkness in all the world to snuff out the light of one little candle.” After our lantern walk is finished, we ask that you preserve the reverence and beauty of this event on your way home to enjoy your dinner together. Also, we ask that you take “pictures with your mind” of this beautiful sight rather than with your camera.

See you there!

November 10, 2011 | Categories: Event | Tags: celebration, lantern walk, martinmas | Comments Off

Alfie Kohn talk “Performance vs. Learning” 11/9

Alfie Kohn writes and speaks widely on human behavior, education, and parenting. Kohn has been described in Time magazine as “perhaps the country’s most outspoken critic of education’s fixation on grades [and] test scores.” His criticisms of competition and rewards have helped to shape the thinking of educators — as well as parents and managers — across the country and abroad. Kohn has been featured on hundreds of TV and radio programs, including the “Today” show and two appearances on “Oprah.”

Mr. Kohn is in Madison next Thursday, November 9th, join educators and education administrators for this thought-provoking session on Performance vs. Learning. Alfie Kohn will present his thoughts and research findings, followed by a moderated question & answer session. Details below:

Date: November 9, 2011
Check-In: 6:15pm
Time: 7-9pm
Location: UW-Madison Union South, Varsity Hall II
1308 W. Dayton St.
Madison, WI 53715
Cost: FREE!
Registration Deadline: November 2, 2011

For more info:

https://www.ohrd.wisc.edu/OHRDCatalogPortal/Default.aspx?tabid=29&CourseKey=36566

November 2, 2011 | Categories: Event | Tags: Alfie Kohn, education, University of Wisconsin | Comments Off

Magical Halloween Walk Friday (10/28)

The Madison Waldorf School invites you to attend our Annual Halloween Walk this Friday, October 28th. This is a magical and inspiring event is created for young children in Pre- K through to Grade 2. This memorable treat begins as young children and their parents embark on an enchanting journey that unfolds along a lantern lit pathway with fairy tale characters from timeless treasured stories offering vignettes and Halloween treats. Our walk ends with a warm dinner gathering of friends and firelight. We look forward to seeing all students and families in our Early Childhood program through Grade 2. The schedule is as follows:

Walk from 4:30 – 5:30
Dinner from 5:30 – 6:00

See you there!

October 26, 2011 | Categories: Event, Uncategorized | Tags: early childhood, festival, grade 1, grade 2, halloween | Comments Off

Explore Our School Store’s New Digs!

As many of you may know, our parent volunteer, Nicole Avery, has begun running our School Store in its new location on the second floor of our building. Marie Brown, who did an amazing job of running the store last year, moved everything up to the new location in August, so that the store’s previous room could be transformed into our lovely Practical Crafts Studio, and worked with Nicole to turn over all School Store business to Nicole. Since then, Nicole has been working tirelessly to keep all those high demand items in stock (like our Just Coffee Blend, You May Wake Up Now) and has made the new location a warm and welcoming space for parents, friends and family to purchase Waldorf inspired craft materials, toys, books, stationary and more.The School Store’s new location is on the second floor, directly to the left as you come up the stairs, and across from the Parent Resource Room and Parent & Child Class room before the bridge to our Front Office. It is open from 8:15 – 9 am Monday through Wednesday, and on Thursday from 8:15 – 10am and again from 2:00 – 2:30. And always by appointment with Laurie Nagus, call (608) 270-9005 if you would like to set up a time.

For a slideshow of all our wares and more info, check out the School Store’s Web site.

October 19, 2011 | Categories: Announcement | Tags: books, crafts, presents, school store, toys, waldorf | Comments Off

Tuesday Morning (10/18) Coffee & Tea

Join us after drop off Tuesday morning (October 18th) to needlefelt 3-D pumpkins or apples just in time for the Fall harvest. You can purchase felting supplies in the school store (minimal start-up cost $3-$5 ) and we’ll get you on your way. Folks will be around to teach you the technique, as well as show you how to work with your grades-age child (2-D) and your kindergartner (wet felting). If you know your way around a felting needle, bring your supplies and join us for some tea and conversation in the resource room. Email Jill Stevenson (jillbean70@yahoo.com) If you are interested and cannot make the date/time.

October 17, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off

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