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Tuesday News - November 16, 2010Click here for Tuesday News Archives All submissions for the Tuesday News should be sent to publicrelations@merriconeag.org by Friday at 3:00 pm.
From the Admissions Office
High School Information Night We invite all Merriconeag parents and any other interested and curious adults to an evening focused on the Waldorf high school. This is what’s planned: David Sloan: The goals of a Waldorf high school Leif Anderson (12th grade), Haydee Jacobs (11th grade ), and Ben Tindall(10th grade) will share their perspectives.
Upcoming Events
The Critical Need for an Artistic Education, Early Childhood - Grade 12 A conversation with Patrick Stolfo Thursday, November 18, 1:30 pm Farmhouse Conference Room Please plan to come to our first parent coffee of the year. Bring your questions and join in a lively conversation with our guest speaker, Patrick Stolfo. Patrick Stolfo has been at Hawthorne Valley School in Ghent, N.Y. since 1987, teaching high school main lesson blocks in Art History and the History of Architecture. Other courses have included Sculpture (in clay, wood & stone), Drawing, Modern Art History, Anatomy for the Artist, along with Social Studies and Philosophy as electives. He has taught woodcarving, clay modeling, and ceramics in the middle grades as well. Over the years, Patrick has been active as a freelance artist via gallery shows and private commissions in sculpture, 3d design, drawing, graphic design, and lazure wall painting. He has also been commissioned to carry out large scale, indoor and outdoor sculpture in England, Sweden, California, and New York. Patrick has been a visiting instructor in various Anthroposophical programs and trainings in North America. He is one of the founders and core faculty members of the Alkion Center for Adult Education (Foundation Studies and Teacher Training) at Hawthorn Valley and regularly teaches in the summer intensive programs of the Antioch, New England Waldorf Teacher Education Program and the Center for Anthroposophy in Wilton, New Hampshire. Patrick is currently at Merriconeag Waldorf High School as a visiting instructor, teaching Art History to our Ninth Graders. Life is Movement, and Movement is Life: Eurythmy and the Neurological Basis for Learning through Movement November 29th in the Community Hall at 7:00 PM and A talk and activities by Barbara Richardson and David Beringer to help understand Therapeutic Eurythmy at Merriconeag Waldorf School. Barbara Richardson is a former Waldorf Class Teacher and Eurythmy teacher. After completing the additional training for Therapeutic Eurythmy, she has worked with doctors in clinical settings and brought this healing artform to infants, children, and adults in schools, teacher-training institutes, and in the workplace, masterfully using the power of speech and music to help individuals find wholeness and healing. David Beringer has his Masters degree in Education and an additional three-year training in Transdisciplinary Therapeutic Education that combines movement and learning strategies from several areas of neuro-developmental research. He has been a teacher for 28 years. The Race to NowhereDecember 2, 7:00 pm, Community Hall Click on image below to view the movie trailer.
Merriconeag Waldorf School proudly presents the Maine premiere of the documentary, The Race to Nowhere. Tickets are $10 and available only online at rtnmerriconeag.eventbrite.com. (A very limited number of tickets will be available at the door the night of the show for $15.) This movie is being promoted to the general public, so be sure to buy your tickets soon. Please help us promote this movie far and wide. Posters, postcards, and an email "card" are available for distribution. Please contact Deeda Burgess, Public Relations Coordinator, publicrelations@merriconeag.org for any or all of the above. Who should see this film? Anyone who shares a stake in the future of education, which means everyone! The film is appropriate for parent groups, school faculties, student groups, participants in education conferences, PTAs, health care organizations, universities, business groups, faith-based or interfaith organizations,media/film centers, civic groups and policy makers. The film can raise powerful conversations and lead to action among these groups. Following the showing on December 2nd, there will be a discussion of the film fascilitated by David Sloan and David Barham. Please note that the movie is PG13. We believe it is appropriate for high school and up. See the reviews and praise for Race to Nowhere.
From the Development Office
Cynthia Taliaferro Tree Dedication, a Lovely Tribute: On Veteran’s Day, we honored one of our own heroes, Cynthia Taliaferro, whose talents and passion helped build and strengthen our school over the past two decades. Faculty, friends, and family processed from the Community Hall to the lower grades play area, and formed a circle around the linden tree which was recently planted in her memory. With stories, anecdotes, verses, origami tree ornaments, and songs, we remembered Cynthia with laughter and tears, and celebrated all that she brought to this community. Submitted by Lynne Espy, Development Coordinator Another Important Fall Fair & Open House Thank You: We would like to thank Clare Murphy for being our volunteer photographer at the Fall Fair & Open House and for all beautiful photos she took on Friday evening and Saturday. Deeda Burgess & Lynne Espy
Fair Composting
School Community UpdatesPlease Help us Find the Merriconeag Banner: Has anyone seen, or know anything about, the teal-colored vinyl school banner? We brought it with us in the van, inside the tent bag (I think), to the XC meet in York, before school started. I picked the tent bag up at the farmhouse, put it in the van, and left it there. We never took the tent out of the van. That was the last time I saw the tent bag. The tent and its bag has since been located, but the banner has not. PLEASE email me or Greta, highschool@merriconeag.org, with any leads whatsoever. We very much need the banner. Jennifer Chace Cross Country Ski Rental: Once again we are happy to offer the
opportunity to rent ski equipment for the upcoming season. This will happen on Tuesday, November 23th from 3:15 to 4:30pm in the Community Hall.
Boots will be on hand to try on, as well as a couple of MWS Middle School
Nordic coaches to help size equipment. Please do not guess about sizes. Your
child needs to try them on with a warm pair of socks. We also need your child's
height in inches. The price is $55 for the season, payable to MWS. These are
waxable combi skis and need care and maintenance. They are not recommended for
students in Grades 2 or 3.
Our
in-house ski season begins in January for Grades 2 - 8, during their regular
movement classes. Now is the time to get your equipment together. If you have
any questions, please contact John Saccone.
NEASC Survey: We are almost ready to close the survey. PLEASE, PLEASE if you were not able to complete our NEASC survey during parent/teacher conferences, kindly fill one out now. Forms are in the office or available via email bjguffin@yahoo.com It is crucial that we receive a completed survey from every family in the school in order to get the most complete picture of our school’s parent body and your feelings and views about our school. Thank you very much for your time and participation. Barbara Guffin
In Grades 8-12 – Read This If you’re in grades 8-12, you will automatically be billed for a yearbook, so you don’t need to sign up to receive a copy. If you would rather NOT purchase a yearbook and you’re in grades 8-12, then you MUST fill out an order form and check the box that reads: “I am in the 8-12 grade and I would NOT like to purchase a yearbook this year.” A link to the order form is below. In Grades ECC – 7, Faculty and Staff – Read This If you’re in grades ECC – 7, you're faculty or staff and you’d like a copy of the 2011 yearbook, then you must fill out an order form requesting a copy. You will be billed sometime after the deadline of Dec. 3rd. A link to the order form is below. How much will it cost this year? That is a great question and one that we cannot answer until we know how many we will order. We have set a maximum price of $55 per book. We hope that the price will come down. Once we have set the price, the Business Office will bill you for the actual price. We expect it to be somewhere between $45 and $55. When will I receive my yearbook? We expect yearbooks to be delivered in late May or early June before school gets out in the spring. How do I get an order form? Click here to open up an order form or there are forms in both offices. You can fill it out and bring it to either office, or you can mail it to: Shannon Combar, MWS Business Office, 57 Desert Road, Freeport, ME 04032. Any Questions? If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Patty Bright, Yearbook Advisor at 865-1303 or bbfarm@gwi.net. Looking for a sitter? There are a number of MWS students in grades 8 through 11 who are waiting for your call! Student babysitters are available from Portland to Brunswick and most towns in between AND… some parents are available to help you with the driving. To receive a copy of the list, please request it from Lisa Mainella by email, officemanager@merriconeag.org Ostheimer: If you are interested in ordering Ostheimer - Handcrafted Wooden Toys, an order will be placed the week after Thanksgiving. Ostheimer has several new pieces this year, including flower children, construction workers, craftsmen and their tools, and gorillas! The catalogue and price sheet are available in the grade school office. All orders must be pre-paid. Lisa Mainella Shepherds Play: The play, usually performed by members of the faculty and adults in the community, will be presented with a unique twist this year. We warmly invite the entire community to join us at 11:00- 12:00 on December 17, 2010 in the Community Hall to witness this simple, yet profound offering which speaks to what it means to be truly human. Read more. Submitted by David Barham
In the NewsDr. Regalena “Reggie” Melrose, a licensed clinical and credentialed school psychologist and author, An excerpt: “Until MRIs and other sophisticated measures of the brain were developed, we had no way to prove or disprove any of Steiner’s theories, not with the kind of precision and accuracy we can now. An overwhelming body of evidence from the last 20 years of neuroscientific inquiry supports Steiner’s theories, including some of the most fundamental foci of Waldorf Education.” You can read the entire piece by clicking on the link above. For links to recent articles about technology and brain development click here (Click blue to link through) Greater Community LinkCommunity Classifieds Link
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Early Childhood Information Session:Wed, May 15, 2:00 - 3:00 pm. ECC, 60 Desert Rd, Freeport. Learn about our approach to nursery-kindergarten that emphasizes imaginative play, language & artistic development, social skills, singing, storytelling, movement & outdoor play.
For adults. Please register by calling 207-865-3900, ext. 103, or email, admissions@merriconeag.org. Strategic Planning Coffee:Wed, May 15, 8:45, Handcraft Building Merriconeag Hosts Pentathlon:Fri, May 18, 9:00 am. Board Meeting:Mon, May 20, 6:30 pm, Community Hall EC Parent Evening:Tues, May 21, 7:00 pm. Spring Ensemble & Chorus Evening:Thurs, May 23, 6:30 pm, Community Hall.
Grades 5 - 12 perform. 
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The high school composting and recycling team under the guidance of Cordelia Lane, Lucy Ahearne and Ian Gamble composted 69 pounds of compost at the Fall Fair and recycled 21 pounds of waste. There was still 61 pounds of trash. So 60% of our waste was either recycled or composted! This is a great first step as we explore ways to reduce our waste at events. Special thanks to Cordelia, Lucy, Ian and students and parents from the high school for making this an easy and fun task.
