Tuesday News - May 1, 2012

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All submissions for the Tuesday News should be sent by Friday, 3:00 pm. to publicrelations@merriconeag.org

Upcoming Events

Senior Project Presentations Part 2

Tonight! Tuesday, May 1, 7:00 PM

Community Hall, Desert Road Campus

     The senior project presentations are always a special time and this year they are doubly special. Since this is the largest senior class our fledgling high school has ever had (11 students!), the class will be presenting their projects over the course of two nights. The entire community is warmly invited to both of these evenings.

     Students this year took up projects ranging from writing short stories and novellas to working at an acupuncture clinic with veterans, from creating works of art in photography, jewelry making, stained glass and pottery to recording original music in a Portland studio, from making perfume to investigating the relationship of language to culture and to building a working wind turbine.

     These two nights promise to be informative and inspirational. Please come out to support our oldest students and also to catch another glimpse of some of the gold that awaits at the end of the Waldorf journey rainbow.

     If you have any questions, please contact us at the high school at 688-8989

Regine Whittlesey & David Barham, Senior Class Advisors

Tuesday, May 1
Carson Davis - Pottery
Cyrus Fenderson - Perfume
Wyatt Dowling - Writing Short Stories
Ellen Wise - Jewelry Making
Liza Simmons - Original Recorded Music

High School Coffee House—Elevating Your Taste and Taste Buds

This Friday, May 4, 7:00 p.m.

Community Hall, Desert Road Campus
What has become one of the most eagerly awaited traditions in the life of our young high school will take place on Friday, May 4, at 7 p.m. in the Community Hall. Juniors Jack Pierce and Phoebe Clewley will co-host a program that should satisfy all Worshippers of the Word, music aficionados, and sweet-toothed dessert addicts in the community. Come hear award-winning poetry, stirring

short stories, and moving music.  Although there is no entrance fee for this memorable evening, donations at the door will be gratefully accepted, which will help support the Model UN and help defray the cost of Merriconeag's first literary/artistic journal—The Linden Tree. Mouth-watering desserts and beverages will also be sold during the program. David Sloan    

Merriconeag Poetry Festival

This Sunday, May 6, 3:00 p.m.

Community Hall, Desert Road Campus

May Celebration and Medieval Faire

Saturday, May 12, 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

57 Desert Road, Freeport

A family day of festive activities: Maypole dancing, games, delicious food & drink.

     Hear ye all good folk of Merrye Conneague! The Faire approacheth with all haste! Don yer tunic and hosen, yer gown and festive kirtle and be prepared for a wondrous day of may dancing and singing, and stamping the earth.
      Savories and fresh roasted meats there'll be, with mead or a cup of ale to wash it down. Then look about for a cake or biscuit to satisfy yer sweet tooth.

     Please feel free to bring your entire family (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.) and any guests you'd like!    
New this year:

~ Follow the stars (6th grade sword dance stars) to the new Community Pole - hold your little one and hold a ribbon and round the Pole you go.
~ Look for the tumblers and troubadors - bring your sausages and savouries to the white tent where Sixth Grade is offering a performance - be generous with your pennies and half-crowns when they pass the hat; they'll be selling your favorite medieval sweets - jumbals and gingerbread, pears and almonds...

     Surely ye won't want to miss a moment of this rare event, so come by forty-five minutes past the hour of nine (9:45) dressed in yer Medieval best. The Faire is from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., rain or shine (Note: The event will be cancelled if there is severe weather, i.e. dangerous, not just uncomfortable.)

     Come greet the spring and chase old winter away. Halantow!

For those new to the school: The May Celebration and Medieval Faire is considered one of our school days and is for everyone. Students should arrive with their families by 9:45 so we can begin the processional promptly at 10:00. If you have questions about the event, please call Lisa in the Grade School Office, 865-3900.

Open to students in 4th grade and up, parents and friends of the school. Please sign up with Lisa in the Grade School office.

Wed. May 2, Crocheted Bags:
Let’s put the final touches on those wonderful bags!

Wed. May 9, Felted Geode
Wet felt a rainbow inside gray of wool and enjoy the surprise when it is cut open. This is a one day project. All materials supplied. $10.00

Wed. May 16, Open Session: Free! Come and use this time to finish up an old project.

May 16 will be the final craft class of the school year. We have enjoyed spending our time with you on Weds afternoons and look forward to beginning again in the fall. If you have a project idea or wish to teach one, please, get in touch with one of us. Our Best to You, Sandy Pearson and Julie Pennington

From the Admissions Office

    Don’t forget the myriad opportunities in May to invite a prospective family to a school event; the Poetry Festival, Medieval Faire, Spring Concert, class plays, all showcase wonderful aspects of Waldorf education. Lyn Baird

Coming up:

Wednesday, May 9, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m., Early Childhood Information Session

. . . an introduction to our unique approach to the early years.

To register, contact Lyn Baird, 207-865-3900, ext.103 or admissionsdirector@merriconeag.org

News from the Circus Coordinator

Step Right Up and meet the newest member of the Circus Smirkus team at Merriconeag, Victoria Stefanakos: She will be our Director of Sales and Marketing for our Circus Smirkus shows to be held on Monday, August 6th & Tuesday, August 7th. Victoria can help you to shine the spotlight on your business to our 3,000+ circus-goers from the greater Portland area. She will also be grateful for any contacts you may have who would be interested in partnering with us to share the joy of the 25th Anniversary Big Top Tour as either Playbill Advertisers or Magic Matinee Sponsors. Please take a look at these ad rates - Playbill ad rate sheet - and get in touch with Victoria at bigtop@merriconeag.org. She'll do all the follow-up; we need only your suggestions. Many thanks and hope to see you down the road! Trace Salter

News From the High School

The First Annual Merriconeag Waldorf High School Prom:  This year marked the first annual Merriconeag High School prom! Zoe Oswald had been campaigning for a prom since she arrived in 9th grade, this year, with Skyler Samuelson and Devon Murphy-Anderson, her dreaming paid off. The Murphy-Andersons graciously offered the 2 Echo Community house as the location for the dance. This house was transformed into a fun dance hall during the course of Saturday by the hard work of the three 11th grade girls. Ms. Flath arrived in the afternoon to set up a photo booth, and a disco light was secured to the ceiling. Once the preparations to the space had been made, the 11th graders switched to cooking mode. The senior class had been invited to the community house to enjoy a dinner hosted by the 11th graders, Nowell Stoddard, Ben Tindall, Zoe O., Skyler, and Devon. Seniors dined on homemade soup, salad, and tortillas. Each senior also received a personal poster, on which students would write comments over the course of the night. Lucie James and Sarah Buck came to chaperone, just as the senior dining experience was coming to an end and the dinner clean-up music started up.
      Each student attending the dance had been assigned a “date” by the senior girls. The extent of the responsibility of the date was to dance one dance and to have a photo taken in the photo booth. This made the atmosphere fun and inviting, no one was left to stand as a wallflower during the date dance, and each student came away with at least one photo taken with a fellow high schooler. The night was also filled with fun activities, a raffle for gift certificates and a dance with Nowell Stoddard (won by Andrew Hastings), and the choosing of prom king and queen. Since the much vied-for position of prom king and queen produced a tie vote, a “veggie-off” was necessitated to decide the winner. Nowell and Holly Perkins, and Zoe Chace-Donahue and Joe Newlin squared off and when the veggie of choice was called out, “Leek!” The clear winners were Zoe and Joe. Ben Tindall provided music for the dance and it played through the evening until the last dance at 10:30. Students all pitched in to return the community house to its original décor and many smiling faces returned home. Merriconeag’s first successful prom came to an end. Thank you to all who participated and worked to make this prom a great success and set the tone for more such events in the future. Sarah Buck

The 9th World Waldorf Teacher's Conference at the Goetheanum in Switzerland

     On Easter Sunday, April 8th 2012, I arrived in Dornach, near Basel Switzerland, to attend the 9th World Waldorf Teacher's Conference. I joined some 800 other participants, mostly Walforf Teachers from schools all around the world (48 countries participated to this conference!) and we would gather daily for a week of Anthroposophical Lectures, Scientific Plenum and diverse workshops in the huge, splendid auditorium at the Goetheanum. The Goetheanum is an enormous building, built of freely sculpted concrete, from 1925-1928, on the basis of a model made by Rudolf Steiner. It is an extraordinary place with a very interesting exterior and interior architecture. Working and studying there takes another dimension!
      The main theme of the Conference this year was “ When Future is Now – How the Self finds its Way.”
It was very rich and varied, with lots of music, Eurythmy performances, challenging lectures and active workshop participation. I loved every minute of it!
      I had many opportunities and the great pleasure to meet and share conversations with teachers from Israel, China, Germany, Romania, England, South Africa, New Zealand and more. Every time, I would talk about our our wonderful school in Maine and they were very interested to hear about us. Who knows? This may become a base for future exchanges between teachers and/or students.
      It was a great privilege to be able to attend this conference and I hope I can continue sharing some of the insights I gained there with my colleagues. It certainly enriched me as a Waldorf Teacher and I believe I gained some more profound understanding of this philosophy which is not only a (very sane!) way of approaching education but is also a way of life.

     After the conference in Dornach, I took a train to Geneva where I was expected at the Rudolf Steiner Waldorf School. This is the 1st year that Merriconeag does an exchange program with the Geneva school and it's very promising. Our 10th grader Soren Donisvitch spent three happy months in Geneva in the Fall, then we hosted two of their students, Elodie Trebossen and Ulysse Goudal. At the present time, Carlin Tindall is in Geneva, living with Elodie's family. I saw Carlin and her friends in her new school and she seemed very happy in her new surroundings. I had the whole tour of the school which is similar in size to ours, except that students leave after Grade 10. It was fun exploring one of our Exchange program schools!

     I want to thank my colleagues at the High School for supporting my participation to the conference, especially our intern, my assistant Lucie James who handled gracefully my classes, and Merriconeag School for helping defray some of the costs of this voyage. I hope that many more teachers will have the opportunity to go to Dornach in the future and experience the power of the Goetheanum! Regine Whittlesey

School Community Updates

Heartfelt Gratitude from the Eighth Grade: The Eighth Grade wishes to express our heartfelt gratitude to the community for all the support of our play. We were so fortunate to have Christine Sloan and Madam Whittlesey help with directing. Lucy Ahearne, Jim Ahearne, and Tom Henze illuminated our stage for us. Sue Rhodes and Rosita Moore sewed and hammered on the set, and Sandy Pearson outfitted the actors. Linda Kelly was everpresent and fulfilled any need any time, and Emma Rhodes-Armstrong became our acclaimed make-up and beard artist. All eighth grade parents were involved in some way, and the audiences, from small kindergarteners to giant high school seniors, from toddlers to grand-folks, were wonderfully attentive. Many thanks from us all!
Mrs. Rackmales and the Eighth Grade

Employment Opportunity:

Merriconeag Waldorf High School - Education Support Teacher, commencing in September, 2012.

The High School Educational Support Teacher, is a one-quarter-time position (averaging 10 hours per week.) This position will include direct individual and small group work with students, as well as support within regular classrooms. Administrative duties include coordinating support for students with academic, social, and emotional challenges. Regular presence at High School Faculty and Educational Support meetings, as well as time for classroom observations and consultations with individual teachers are a necessary part of this position.
General Responsibilities:
1. Work closely with the full faculty of teachers to help understand, develop, implement, and document individualized support for students within and outside the classroom.
2. Coordinate all Educational Support for students and maintain records of the support being accessed by our students.
3. Write and follow up on Personalized Education Plans (PEPs). This would include assessment of incoming students at all grade levels when necessary.
4. Coordinate individualized support with local school districts and therapeutic or educational consultants.
5. Meet with parents and participate in relevant parent-teacher conferences.

     This position requires a Bachelor’s Degree. In addition, a Waldorf Teacher Training, Therapeutic training, and a Master’s Level Pedagogical or Therapeutic Degree are highly preferred.

     Merriconeag Waldorf High School is a school for highly motivated, academically oriented students in which some types of special needs can be accommodated on a case-by-case basis. Please send your resume and two letters of reference to Christine Sloan, at administrator@merriconeag.org.

Geraniums for Sale: The enthusiastic 7th grade class is selling beautiful, healthy, and hardy 4½” potted Geranium plants from Estabrooks Farm in Yarmouth. The flowering plants will be available in your choice of RED, PINK, or WHITE, the cost is $5.00 per plant and the 7th graders will be taking orders until the end of the day on Friday, May 11. Please drop off completed order forms with payment at the 7th Grade classroom. You may also simply stop by the office to drop off your order anytime. We are planning to have the GERANIUMS delivered to school the week before Memorial Day (exact date TBA). So think SPRING and place your order soon! Many thanks for your patronage . . . The 7th Grade. Click here for order form.

Foundation Studies: Parental, Professional and Personal Development: About nine years ago, a group of Merriconeag parents decided we wanted to learn more about Waldorf education. We came together in 2003 to begin a Foundation Studies Course. While most of us took the class for one reason (personal, parental or professional development), we all found that the impact of our Foundation Studies rippled through every aspect of our lives. Our teachers inspired, provoked and nurtured us. Our fellow students witnessed, challenged and comforted us. Our two-year course with the masters of Waldorf education was a life-changing experience that fit in so easily to the rest of a busy schedule. We developed deeper connections to our children's education and to each other. I highly recommend this course for anyone looking for an enlightening, lively and restorative educational opportunity. Trace Salter

Foundation Studies Program at Merrriconeag September 2012: We are planning to have another Foundation Studies Program at Merriconeag next fall. It is a lively community building course for interested parents, teachers and prospective Waldorf teachers. Participants go on to teacher education programs, biodynamic agriculture courses, art trainings, etc. FMI: Contact Barbara Richardson, brichardson@centerforanthroposophy.org or 865-6482.

Jack Pierce PR's at Coastal Youth Orchestra's 5K "Go for Barouqe out and Bach" and Kipling Samuelson wins the Fun Run!
82 Runners competed this weekend in the CYO 5K. MWS was well represented! Jack Pierce had an incredible run crushing his old course record of 18:20 coming in at 15:50.54!!! It was a tight race with Jack besting 24 year old Chris Harmon by just over 6 seconds! Samantha Pierce was 3rd overall female. Samantha, Jesse Saffeir and Fiona Ahearne swept the 15 and under bracket placing first, second and third in their age group! Overall Tucker Pierce placed 11th, Nord Samuelson 12th and Zach Neveu 13th. Jim Ahearne 24th and Lincoln Samuelson 30th. Race results can be viewed at this link.  In the One Mile Fun Run, Kipling Samuelson moved from last years 2nd place finish to win the race running a 7 minute mile!! Congratulations Kipling.
Thanks to all from Merriconeag who came out and supported this fun event. Nancy Roderick

Family Businesses support Merriconeag’s Tuition Assistance Endowment Fund:
Thanks to Merriconeag parent Bill Waldron
Business: Portland Volvo-Saab, Southern Maine Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep, Nissan and Kia of Saco
Fundraiser: For every used or new car purchased by a Merriconeag family or friend, $250 will be donated to Merriconeag. Special pricing, rebates and incentives included.
Contact: just mention that you are a Merriconeag family or friend. Any questions, contact Jason Curie (590-7455), another Merriconeag parent and Waldron Motor Group employee.

Thanks to Merriconeag parent Tami Goodrich
Business: Foundations Real Estate
Fundraiser: For every home rental or purchase by a Merriconeag family or friend, 2% of the commission fee will be donated to Merriconeag. Includes free market analysis.
Contact: just let Tami know that you have made a referral or are a Merriconeag family or friend: TamiGoodrich@FoundationsRealEstate.com 207-298-0144

Thanks to Merriconeag parent Tricia Toms
Business: Tricia Toms Photography. Tricia volunteers as Merriconeag’s official photographer for class and school events, and has photos for sale on her website: http://triciatoms.zenfolio.com/merriconeag
Fundraiser: 50% of net photo sales from her website benefit Merriconeag’s Tuition Assistance Endowment Fund
Contact: Tricia Toms: 603-944-0797

Merriconeag Summer Camps for 2012 - Sign up now

This summer we will be offering two summer camps during the week of June 25 - 29, 9:00 a.m. - noon. If there is enough interest, we will consider offering an afternoon program like we did last year.

For more information and to register, please click on the name of the camp:     Circus Arts Camp         Buttercup Summer Garden Camp

Athletic News

High School Ultimate Frisbee: Congratulations to the team for winning their third game of the season on Wednesday, April 25, against Yarmouth. This Wednesday, May 2, 3:30 p.m. at the Cumberland Fairgrounds, Merriconeag Ultimate will play Forest City. Come on out and cheer them on.

You can view the schedule at http://www.maineultimate.com/team-schedules.

(Click blue to link through)

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