On Windy Hill

Welcome Back!

Here's to the Class of 2020, and to all of our other students starting a fresh new year at Waldorf School of Princeton!

Almost ready!

Community Work Day was Saturday, August 25; parents, students, faculty and staff spent the morning engaged in a variety of tasks, all in preparation for the first week of school, which begins Wednesday, September 5. Thanks to all who gave of their time and talent to making Windy Hill a beautiful place to be!

Mr. Mantis Takes Work Week Very Seriously

It's all hands and forelegs on deck at Waldorf School of Princeton, as teachers, staff, and predatory insects ready the campus for the first day of school.

"It's strenuous work," said one volunteer helping out in the garden, who would only go on the record as Mr. Mantis. "To my knowledge, I'm the only insect around here fast enough to catch mosquitoes and flies, and that keeps me busy all day. At night, Ms. Cunningham and the others go home, but I'm on moth duty."

Employing this natural form of pest control is how Mr. Mantis does his bit for WSP. "In addition to giving to the Annual Fund each year, eating other bugs is how I like to support this extraordinary form of education," said Mr. Mantis, eyeing a nearby fly on the Golden House siding. "Plus, bugs are delicious."

 

Hey, that's not a weed ...

Gardening teacher Ms. Cunningham discovered some wee visitors in our garden while weeding last week--a litter of baby rabbits! Apparently, their mama had been enjoying some of our late summer produce!

Farmer's Market at WSP Summer Camp!

Campers from Suzanne Cunningham's "From Farm to Fun" session harvested garlic, onions, cherry tomatoes, kale, and wildflowers from the school's biodynamic garden to offer at a farmer's market held today, the last day of Waldorf Summer Camp, here on Windy Hill. In addition to learning basic business concepts needed to run a market stand, this group spent the past two weeks learning how to care for plants; grow and prepare fresh food and herbs; and give back to the community through harvest donations to a local soup kitchen.

Lands' End Offering July Promotion on WSP Spirit Wear!

Have you seen our new WSP spirit wear from Lands' End? Starting Fri., 7/13, Lands' End is offering Penny Logo, $20 off orders of $75+, and Free Shipping on $50+!

Grandparents' & Special Friends' Day/May Fair Weekend at WSP

We were so fortunate here in Princeton to have two glorious days of blue skies and sunshine for our hundreds of guests! On Friday, May 18, grandparents, relatives, and special friends convened on our campus for a warm reception and peek into the children's school lives. In the early childhood classrooms, maypole dances were performed, and in the grade school, guests were treated to an assembly of songs and more.

On Saturday Waldorf School of Princeton hosted its annual May Fair celebration, and the grounds really came alive with the sounds of live music, children laughing, and food cooking on the grill! The cake walk was just one popular children's activity that day!

 

Clay in the First and Third Grades ...

The first graders have been working in pairs, small groups, and finally the whole class together on a clay landscape with water, mountains, bridges, and boats. Learning to work collaboratively through the fluidity of clay is one of the goals of sculptural arts. The day before the third graders built a fire in a pit they had dug. They carefully placed in their clay instruments, rattles, drums, and whistles, made in the previous weeks. When the fire was at its peak, dirt was thrown on to smother the fire so that the pit kiln smoked for the rest of the day. The pots were marked in black and white and there were even irridescent flashes! At the end of the day, the third graders took apart the kiln with shovels and tongs as if they were opening presents out of the earth. We sang, " The earth, the air, the fire, the water, return, return, return, return, " a Native American chant.

Princeton Area's Only Student Morris Dancing Team Ushers in May Day

Waldorf School of Princeton’s Morris dancing team began Tuesday, May 1, at Princeton Battlefield Park at 5:30 a.m. Unfortunately, heavy rain and lightning prevented the team from performing; however, Princeton Friends School generously let us begin there 1½ hours earlier than scheduled so that the traditional dances could begin by sunrise. The team danced with several other adult Morris dancing teams until 8:30 a.m., with a break for an amazing breakfast put out by PFS. But May Day had just begun! The rest of the schedule was as follows:

8:45-9:30: Danced at University League Nursery School after their nursery classes danced around the Maypole. The young children were in awe of the Morris performances!

9:50-11:15: Danced at Princeton University Chapel and East Pyne Archway and Courtyard. Amidst college students, professors, and passersby, our students danced in and out of the rain.

11:30-12:15: Danced at Nassau Street Kiosk and Palmer Square. Spectators stopped to enjoy the performance, and many photographed and filmed them on their cell phones.

12:15: Break for lunch at Library Plaza.

12:30: Dance at Library Plaza, entertaining many who were on their lunch break.

1:15-2:00: Danced at American Boychoir School (of which Mr. Watson is an alumnus). Our children were delighted to have the boys at the school reward them with a song afterward.

2:15: We returned to WSP for the much-anticipated dance at dismissal. After approximately 8 hours of dancing throughout Princeton, the children were all very excited to share their day with their friends and community!

 

WSP Seventh Grader Places in State Tae Kwon Do Championship

Congratulations to Melina, who won the bronze medal at the NJ State Tae Kwon Do Championship in Individual Poomsae (14-17 yr olds), which qualifies her for the upcoming National Championship in Dallas, TX. Melina, who's been practicing for 7 years, took home the gold at last year's National Tae Kwon Do Championships (Junior Olympics) in black belt Team Poomsae in San Jose, California.