Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year! Our weekly Bulletin newsletter will be sent on Thursdays this year. We look forward to connecting with you and sharing windows into our school happenings. We hope to see all of you in person at our gym opening on September 9!

While the work of the school is ongoing through the summer, this week has been a particularly busy time of preparation at the school. New faculty members joined us, we gathered for full days of meetings, and we tackled numerous tasks required for the school year to begin.

Along with all of the practical logistics, our work week always includes time for movement and artistic exploration as well as an in-depth group study. This week our time of inner work and community building included discussion of a Rudolf Steiner lecture, individual study of a plant, singing, folk dancing, movement, speech, charcoal drawing, and more.

Student Forms

We use the Magnus Portal for annual forms. 

**Forms are required to be submitted before a student can join us on campus.**

Log Into the Magnus Portal.

Morning Start Times

Children's Garden

• Seedlings
• 8:30 Classrooms Open
• 8:45 Class Starts
• Nursery
• 7:45 Early Bird Drop Off Starts
• 8:30 Classrooms Open
• 8:45 Class Starts
• Kindergarten Classes
• 7:45 Early Bird Drop Off Starts
• 8:15 Classrooms Open
• 8:30 Class Starts

Grades 1-6

• 7:45 Early Bird Drop Off Starts
• 8:00 Classrooms Open
• 8:30 Classes Start

Grades 7-12

• 7:45 Drop Off Starts
• 8:00 Classrooms Open
• 8:15 Classes Start

Afternoon Pick Up Times

Children's Garden

• Seedlings & 1/2 Day - 12:30
• Full Day - 3:00

Grade 1

• 3:00 Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri
• 12:30 Wed (optional half day)

Grades 2-12

• 3:00

Drop Off & Pick Up Flow

Please reference this map for drop off & pick up flow.

View or download a full-size version.

After School Program

From 3-6pm

Starts on Wed 9/6

Full Year Discounted Rate: 

$3,000 for Children's Garden Students

$2,700 for Grade 1-6 Students

$25/day Drop-In Rate (as space is available). Drop-Ins will be billed at the end of each month.

Any pickup after 6pm incurs a $5 per minute fee. 

The program is not available on half-day dismissals.

If you are planning to add a full year of our After School program, please let Chiedza Mazonde know to add the charges to your contract.

Email Chiedza Mazonde, Business Manager

Lunch Program

We have a new lunch provider for the 2023-24 School Year, Yay Lunch! Thank you to our hard-working Lunch Committee, made up of WWS parents, for researching new lunch providers for this upcoming school year and recommending our switch to Yay Lunch.

Yay Lunch works with chefs and caterers - from brands you recognize to local mom and pop shops - to curate custom menus for schools, filled with a wholesome variety of daily options. Meals are made fresh every day using simple, real ingredients.

Lunches are pre-ordered through the Yay Lunch app or website by WWS families. Menus are organized by daily themes and are prepared fresh by local chefs + restaurant partners. Food is delivered, individually labeled, to our school and delivered to students for lunch time. This meal service option is available for students in Nursery - Grade 12. 

Make an account with Yay Lunch for your family today! Click here for a YayLunch FAQ.

Other Questions?

First, check ParentSquare for posts from your teachers, your departments (Children's Garden, Lower School, High School), and the administration.

If you cannot find the information you are looking for on ParentSquare, please email your department coordinator/administrator:

• Children's Garden - Cecilia Berg-Benson
• Lower School - Christen Leonard 
• High School - Bonnie McClelland

September

5/ Tuesday

• 1st day of school Grades 1-12 - 12:30pm Dismissal - No After School Program
• Nursery Orientation, 8:45-10am
• Kindergarten Orientations, 10:15-11:15am
• Outdoor Gear Sale, 10am-12pm for WWS families, 12:45-5:30pm open to the public as well

6/ Wednesday

• 1st day of school Children's Garden 
• Seedlings Orientation, 8:45am
• Welcome Back Tea, 8:15-9:45am

8/ Friday

• Rose Ceremony, 2pm (G1 & G12 Parents/Guardians Only)

9/ Saturday

• New Family Orientation, 4-5pm
• Welcome Back & Gym Opening Picnic, 4:30-7pm

View the Calendar of School Days for the 2023-2024 School Year

Welcome Back Tea

Wednesday, Sept 6 from 8:15-9:45am

Join us for the Welcome Back Tea on Wednesday, September 6 in the school entrance hall. It will be an opportunity to connect with other WWS families, both new and returning.

Please drop your child off before attending the tea and plan to park off-campus. The neighborhoods just north and just east of the school usually have plentiful, unmetered street parking. 

New Family Orientation

Saturday, Sept 9 from 4-5pm

We look forward to welcoming all new families with an orientation hosted by the Administrative Faculty and the Parent Leadership Group (PLG). Following the orientation, we will join the Welcome Picnic.

Welcome Back & Gym Opening Picnic

Saturday, Sept 9 from 4:30-7pm

We are thrilled to welcome all of our families back to school and to celebrate the opening of the John and Mary Brauer Gymnasium! Rocklands BBQ will provide the main dishes, and the Parent/Family Organization asks that everyone bring a side or dessert to share. We need help with setting up and cleaning up for the picnic -- please consider signing up for a shift. 

Parking will be available on the streets in the neighborhood and in The Shops at Sumner Place parking lot. Thank you to Avison Young for providing additional parking. A shuttle from WWS will run from The Shops at Sumner Place to WWS between 4:15 and 4:45 pm and again between 6:30 and 7:00 pm. If you need support for mobility, please contact Meg Kneisl.

If you have not already, please RSVP!

Offering our great thanks to the Room to Move committee and Site Committee for all of their work in making the John and Mary Brauer Gymnasium possible!

• Room to Move Committee includes:
• Vanessa Beckman, Co-Chair
• John Beckman, Co-Chair
• Brad Clark, Co-Chair
• Stephanie Hanson, Director of Development
• Jon Jackson, Co-Chair
• Pat Jackson, Campaign Counsel
• Maria Monteverde-Jackson, Co-Chair
• Taisto Saloma, Athletic Director
• Lelia True, Faculty Chair/Head of School

• Site Committee Includes:
• Anja Caldwell, Alum Parent
• Bill Caldwell, Alum Parent
• Michael Gibson, Current Parent
• Stephanie Hanson, Director of Development and Alum Relations
• Adam Lotinsky, Project Manager
• Caitlin MacKenzie, Alum Parent
• Taisto Saloma, Athletic Director
• Lelia True, Faculty Chair/Head of School
• Dan Wacker, Former Trustee Counsel Chair and Alum Parent
• Scott Wilets, Current Parent
• James Wise, Site Committee Chair, Current Parent

Fall Bazaar

Saturday, Nov 18 from 10am-3pm

Preview Night: Friday, Nov 17 from 7-9pm

We are looking forward to our annual Fall Bazaar. Many hands make light work for this annual fundraising and community building event. We expect every faculty member, high school student, and parent/guardian at WWS to work a shift. Please save the date and plan to lend a hand! Volunteer sign up information is coming soon from the Parent/Family Organization.

We are currently accepting vendor and artist applications. View the Vendor Application. The deadline to apply is Friday, September 29th.

Please contact Meg Kneisl with any questions.

We are continuing a quarterly e-newsletter specifically for our alums with opportunities to connect, class notes, and school highlights.

See the Spring 2023 issue including class notes.

Sign up to receive the Alum Newsletter.

We'd love to hear from alums with news or contact changes. We need your updates by September 6 to be included in the class notes of the Fall Quarterly Newsletter.

We're excited for the return of the back-to-school outdoor gear sale this year! One of our favorite vendors, Polarn O. Pyret, will be back this year to sell their gear - some at a discount. There will also be more brands available and we are opening the sale up to other schools.

Other brands include Helly Hansen, Oaki, Didriksons, Muddy Puddles UK, Reima, and more... Gear for ages 1-12 and a limited adult selection.

Savings are up to 40% off. Cash or credit are accepted and please bring your own bags.

Tuesday, Sept 5

Just for WWS Families: 

10am-12pm - There will be a pre-sale after the Children's Garden Orientations.

For WWS Families and Others:

12:45-5:30pm - The sale will reopen and we will welcome the wider community during this time. Invite your friends!

Volunteers needed to help with set up and break down of the sale and support as needed during. Contact Alia Goodyear to sign up for a shift!

Private Violin/Viola Lessons

Julie Stoessel, violinist and former strings teacher at WWS is available for private violin/viola lessons. Please contact her through her website if you are interested. 

https://julieemilyviolin.squarespace.com/

Openings Now for the Spiritual Foods CSA!

Pick up near WWS or a location near you.

From Sunny Kaplan, WWS Alum Parent

Some shares are still available for the CSA for the 2023-24 farm year! 

Different options are: 

• school year only (Sept-May)
• full year, winter/spring season (Dec-May)
• summer/fall: (June-Nov).

What's the CSA? Spiritual Foods CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) provides biodynamic and organic veggies, fruit, eggs, bread and other seasonal staples, with most of it grown on land leased from the Kimberton Waldorf School in PA! Biodynamics, like Waldorf education, was founded by Rudolf Steiner and is a spiritual-ethical-ecological approach to agriculture, food production and nutrition. Choices for share options include: main share of veggies, fruit & supplements; main share w/out bread; or veggie/fruit only. Please visit the CSA website for more info, costs, and registration forms, or email or call Lakshmi at 301-654-4899 with questions and to check on availability. You can also reach out to Sunny Kaplan, WWS alumni parent and a WWS/CSA coordinator. 

Upcoming Sounder Sleep System® and Feldenkrais Sessions

From Alison Babil, WWS Alum Parent

The Sounder Sleep System® - An online course to Transform your Sleep

Seven Mondays, September 11 - October 30, 4:30pm - 6:00pm EST (no class Sept 25).

This interactive series will teach participants simple, gentle movements that bring you from a wakeful state to a place of deep mental and physical rest. Sounder Sleep draws upon the Feldenkrais® method of movement and ancient Chinese medicine. Each class will include: a brief lecture, deeply calming Sounder Sleep movements, and Q&A. Classes are recorded. Participants will receive a handout with the movements.

Cost: $245

No refunds or transfers after September 11, 4:30pm EST.

Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement® Series, Melting Freeze

An online Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement® (ATM®) series for melting patterns of tension and freeze in the body/mind/heart

Seven Wednesdays, Sept 6 - Oct 18, 12-1pm EST (optional until 1:15, sharing and Q&A).

Are you a somatic practitioner or somatic client with an interest in working with freeze dynamics? Freeze shows up in many ways: body, mind, and heart. Feldenkrais® ATM classes are an incredible tool for melting freeze dynamics with presence, compassion, and easy transformation. Each class takes the student through a series of movements which create new pathways in the brain and body. The aim is greater freedom in one's body and life.

Cost: $120

No refunds or transfers after Sept 7, 12pm EST.

Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement® Series, In Person

In Person Classes at the Carderock Springs Clubhouse

Seven Thursdays, Sept 7 - Oct 19, 10-11am.

Feldenkrais ATM classes, in person.

Cost: $110

(Discounted rate for Carderock Springs members, email Alison to inquire.)

No refunds or transfers after Sept 8, 10am EST.

For more information and registration, email Alison, alison@truenorthhealing.com

A limited number of discounted slots available for those who truly need it. Email Alison to inquire: alison@truenorthhealing.com

Alison Babil, GCFP, LMT, is the owner of True North Healing. She is a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner®, a certified Sounder Sleep System® instructor, certified in Soul Lightening Acupressure, and has been a licensed massage therapist for nearly 20 years. She works with clients in person and via Zoom, helping them transform pain, movement, and sleep challenges. For more information Email Alison

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