Tuesday News - September 21, 2010

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Merriconeag's Community Education Speaker Series

Mark your calendars and be sure to attend "The Talk: What Your Kids Need to Hear FROM YOU About Sex" by award-winninig author, Dr. Sharon Maxwell, on Friday, October 1, 7:00 PM in the Community Hall. She will be speaking about how to raise sexually healthy kids in a hyper-sexualized, online, in-your-face world.

Dr. Maxwell is an author, educator and practicing clinical psychologist. Her work has been featured in TIME Magazine, US News and World Report, Working Mother, The Boston Globe, on NPR, Oprah and Friends and Fox News. The Boston Parents Paper voted her a 2009 Family Advocate of the Year. Read more

Circus Smirkus 2010 News

With the 2010 Big Top Tour behind us, we’re excited to report that it was a stellar Smirkus presentation. Read our 2010 Circus Review for the Wilderness Wonderful news.With much gratitude for everyone’s help,

Trace Salter, Smirkus Coordinator

From the Development Office

Fall Fair, November 5^th and 6^th - What is the Fall Fair?

Many parents in our school were first introduced to Merriconeag, and to Waldorf Education, by attending our infamous Fall Folkcraft Fair.  For the past twenty-six years, this Fair has brought together our greater community for a daylong celebration of the season, with fine crafts, music, food, puppetry, outdoor games, and unique entertainment for the whole family.  This year, the Fair is on Saturday November 6^th, with a preview sale for adults on the prior Friday evening.  Saturday is a mandatory school day for all students – it is also one everyone looks forward to!   Read more…

Gently Used Outerwear and Cross-Country Ski Sale (Community Recycling)

Start Looking Now! You won’t want to wait until the last minute to start looking through your children’s outerwear to see what they have outgrown.  We are seeking donations of gently used outerwear and Nordic skis for our Outerwear Sale which is Oct. 13 and 14. The more high quality items donated, the better the selection at the sale.  Everyone benefits!

     This is a wonderful opportunity to pick up good quality children’s rain gear, snow jackets and pants, snowsuits, boots, hats, and mittens, all for extremely reasonable prices. Cross-country skis, boots, and poles are also sold for a good price. The sale is intended to fit toddlers through young adults (ages 2 – 18). 

     We still need a few volunteers to help with sorting the day before the sale, and selling during the 2 day sale. Outerwear Sale volunteers get first dibs, so email Lynne Espy or call 865-3900 Ext 116 now if you can help! You can read more about the event here. Submitted by Lynne Espy, Development Coordinator

Grandparents and Friends Day – October 22, 2010

Invitations for this event will be sent out this week to all grandparents listed on your web form that you were to have updated in our Renweb database. Please let us know if your parents should not receive an invitation to this event, or if their address is different from what is listed on your web form. If you are inviting a special friend instead of a grandparent, please send Lynne Espy their name and complete address as soon as possible so they may be included in the mailing. Lynne Espy, 207-865-3900, Ext 116.

School Community Updates

MWS has automated our phones: Whenever you call you will receive a recording guiding you to various extensions.  At any time, you may dial by name, dial by extension number, or press x100 to reach Lisa and x105 to reach Deeda and anyone at the Early Childhood Center.  A complete school directory and handbook will be available in the next week and all extensions are listed there.  Lisa Mainella

Class Photo Day: MWS class photos day is scheduled for this coming Monday, September 27th  (rain date Tuesday, October 12th) .  Each student in grades 1-12 will have a class and individual photo taken by Robyn Ivy Photography.  This is the same photography studio who took such beautiful photos last year.  Samples of her work may be viewed at robynivy.com.

Common Ground Community Fair

For the third year in a row we will have a “Waldorf Education in Maine” booth at the MOFGA Common Ground Community Fair, September 24 – 26. We are working with the Ashwood Waldorf School and The Bay School to staff the booth and the shifts that still need coverage are Sunday, 11:00 - 1:00, 1:00 - 3:00 or 3:00 - 5:00. We will provide each volunteer with their own pass to the fair for the day they work. If you are attending the Fair and can support this important outreach effort for Merriconeag by volunteering for a 2 hour shift, please email Deeda Burgess right away. Be sure to include your name, cell phone number and the shift you can cover. Thank you for your support.

Michaelmas Celebration for this year:
Next Friday, Oct 1, MWS grades and HS students and faculty will celebrate St. Michael's victory over the dragon.After a regular morning lesson, festive preparations and project crews will commence for the rest of the day. Student activities will include Michaelmas stories, food preparation, gardening, trailwork, cider pressing, and picnic lunches. This year a pagent will be performed for the students by a secret cast of upper grade and HS students. (Please note that this is a change from the Grade 1-4 pagaent of past years.) Parents are not expected but are certainly welcome to attend. If you wish to assist with the afternoon work crews please contact Sandy Pearson (at home 353-9696) See next weeks Tuesday news for more detailed information.

Math Specialist at Merriconeag: Cristina Post will be offering her services as a math specialist at Merriconeag through her new business, MathAffect.  If you would like schedule your student for math support services, please email Cristina. If you would like to learn more about MathAffect, please click here.

A Warm Welcome: Please join the Second Grade Class in welcoming two new members of our community.  Ron and Jennifer Jenkins welcomed Adrian James Fitzgerald Jenkins on August 27 at 3:46pm.  He weighed 6 lb 9 oz. and 19 inches long.  Derek Libby and Kate Skinner welcomed Samuel Porter Skinner Libby on September 7 at 4:59pm.  He weighed 7 lb 9 oz and 20 inches long. Congratulations to both families.  Submitted by Melissa Hoy

Foundation Studies Has Begun, But It's Not Too Late to Join

Our next meeting with be on Sunday, September 26. We want to encourage anyone who is interested to come see what it is about, and also offer a discount for Foundation Studies Alumni to come for a section of classes if interested. Many of you are curious and interested in learning more about Waldorf education and anthroposophy and how to incorporate it into your own lives. Foundation Studies students will participate in a thought provoking, spiritually awakening, and artistically developing course/study group, guided by knowledgeable, skilled, and inspiring teachers. Read more...

High School News

     What a wonderful first few weeks of school. The trip to Hog island received glowing reviews and the first week of classes was a blur.  I hear several remarks from students at end of each day, "Is the day over already?"

     On Sunday afternoon, the seniors left for Hermit Island in Phippsburg where they will study zoology with almost 100 other seniors from Waldorf Schools from Burlington, VT, Saratoga Springs NY, Great Barrington MA, Hawthorne Valley NY, Kimberton, PA, and Lexington, MA. They return on Friday afternoon. Mr. Sloan and Ms. Buck are chaperoning. Jeff O'Brien, High School Faculty Chair

Athletic News - Sports Updates

Cross Country

Grades 6 – 8 Cross Country

Last Thursday at the Royal River Park in Yarmouth, our cross country runners from grades 6 through 8 had their first meet of the season. Many of the participants ran a

two -mile -race for the first time in their lives! Naturally, the children were both excited and a bit anxious. The anxiety was gone, the excitement tremendous after the race- boys and girls made the first place! The children showed again a tremendous sense of community and true sportsmanship. I was also very grateful for the strong support from all the parents who help facilitate this meet and cheered alongside the two-mile track. Oliver Kinzer

High School Cross Country

Our first home cross country race was an unqualified success. It was great to see so many people out supporting our teams.  As I talked to other parents and coaches from other teams they were very appreciative of the welcome they received and the friendliness of our community. One parent from Fryeburg told me that it was very nice of us to have a bake sale. She had forgotten to get some food for her runner for after the race and its a long ride back to Fryeburg. I told her that it wasn't a bake sale, the food was there for the runners after the race. She was so pleasantly surprised.  Hosting such athletic events gives us the opportunity to show others what a wonderful, welcoming community we are. It was great to see such huge improvement in all of our runners from the first race, and huge improvement as a team from last year.  Less importantly, both the boys and the girls won their races over Waynflete, Fryeburg, and Sacopee Valley. A huge thank you to Coach Tom Ryan, Parent Coordinator Jennifer Chace and to all the parent volunteers whose efforts made hosting the race possible. Jeff O'Brien

On Saturday, the 25th the high school cross country running teams will be racing in the Southwest Classic (WMC & SMAA) at Twinbrook in Cumberland. The boys will race at 1:30 p.m. and the girls at 2:15. We hope to see you there! Link for a complete race schedule.

High School Sailing News

On Saturday at SailMaine our JV team raced. We had a great racing day! It started out with light wind and filled into a beautiful moderate breeze by the afternoon.  Hallie Ojala-Barrett,  Sierra Jeffers and Evie Pennoyer raced in their first High School Regatta, and our team came in fourth overall.

      On Sunday at Bowdoin College, our varsity had a very successful day, in spite of light winds with 45 degree shifts and puffs building and dying out of nowhere.  It was a day with big lead changes because of unpredictable wind shifts.  With 12 schools racing, SMHS placed fourth.  The first three schools were St. Johns Prep, Kingston RI, and Falmouth.  Tim Morse and Nina Jarrell were the outstanding SMHS boat of the day with a 1st and a 3rd.

      Looking ahead: to Saturday 9/25 the roster calls for Tim Morse to sail at the Casco Bay Open (SailMaine), and Seirra Jeffers to Sail at Burlington VT (devoted spectators are welcome). Link for a complete race schedule. Nate Morse

In the News

For links to recent articles about technology and brain development click here

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Community Classifieds Link