portland waldorf may 2013 heartbeat

heartbeatCELEBRATING 30 YEARs

may 2013

Come one, come all... By Dena zimBel

may FaiRe iS HeRe! Come one, Come all and

celebrate the annual PWS may Faire on Saturday,

may 4th. are you ready to wish winter farewell and

welcome spring? Come gather from 11:00 to 4:00

to celebrate the season at our may Faire Celebra-

tion. This year’s festival will revive some traditional

favorites and toss in some new fun - from food carts

to “better gnomes and gardens” … and … a miniature

horse! look for activities for all ages throughout

the grounds. enjoy the musical guests, folk dancing,

unicycles and - oh yes – The may Queen at noon!

The Vendor marketplace will offer wonderful artisan

crafts and be worth a visit for young and old alike.

The Spring Creek Store will be open from 1:00 ‘til

3:00.

What to Bring

in keeping with may Faire tradition, consider dress-

ing in white or spring colors.

Bring your picnic blanket to settle around the

maypole at noon and enjoy the 6th grade students

doing the traditional maypole dance. Bring a picnic

lunch, or support the 7th Grade Food Carts, which

will offer delicious and nutritious selections to enjoy.

We haven’t ordered any hurricanes this year, but our

spring weather is quirky, so plan accordingly - from

sunscreen to raingear - the ground may be wet.

Transportation and Parking

We encourage using mass transit or bicycles as transportation to the event (however, there is no bike riding on the school grounds during the event). Please do not park in the local neighbor-hoods. Parking lots at the Chase Bank, Key Bank, and City Hall are available for overflow parking. look for tulip signs to indicate these overflow parking locations. (cont on page 2)

may EvEnTs5/4May Faire

In ThIs IssuE

page 2Work Party Thanks! page 3 12th Grade Graduation page 7 Media Symposium

page National Screen Free Week

page 9 Offerings & Opportunities

P o r T l a n d Wa l d o r f s c h o o l ’ s a n n u a l

May FaireSaturday, May 4, 2013 • 11 am-4 pm

mayPolE (aT noon), GamEs, vEndors, food, musIc, famIly fun....EvEryonE Is WElcomE

hear tbeat / PORTLAND WALDORF SCHOOL

PaGE 2

neighborly advice This event is open to the public; please invite your friends and neighbors. Because it is open to the public, we ask that you directly supervise your chil-dren. Please set an example for visitors by following all the normal playground rules. For instance, the hexamid is only for children Grade 2 and up. it is not safe to have early childhood children on this climb-ing structure. We appreciate all parents playing a part in keeping this event safe for all. There will be a welcome area where scrip is sold and this will also be the location for questions about activities, first aid, lost children, and help of any kind.

Thank you to all the parents, faculty and staff that have come together as a community to make this a magical day for the children. We all know the more who join together to help out, the easier it is for all. Please see the volunteer sign-up sheet on the bul-letin board in the entrance hall to donate your time.

Have a Great time Everybody!

spring Greens needed We need spring greens and flowers from your yards! Bring them to school on Friday, may 3rd . look for buckets and signs near entrances to indicate where to leave them.

Please lend us your canopy’s or pop-up tents for the event. make sure they are marked for easy identifi-cation, and leave them in the hall by the boy’s locker room.

Better bears and bunnies The fifth grade is collecting gently used stuffed ani-mals for prizes for their may Faire activity - Better Gnomes and Gardens. cake Walk The much loved cake walk is back this year! Dust off your aprons and cake pans and bake a cake, cup-cakes or other delectable treat to help make this a delicious and fun activity. all types of ingredients are welcome.

*This year our onsite co-ordinator is Shaun lowcock. if you need info on the day of may Faire his contact is 503-206-1207.

**Prior to the event please contact Dena zimbel at [email protected]

mayfaire food carts

The forecast says sunshine on Saturday!!! So leave

your umbrellas at home and bring your hungry bel-

lies to mayfaire where you can enjoy a feast and put

your $ to a great cause! Please bring a cup and

napkin to help elimnate excessive waste!!!

The Class of 2018 parents and students and ms.

Peirce will be hosting a mayfaire Cartopia with deli-

cious home-made lunches (and then dinner-to-go)

to support the students’ eighth Grade trip! (Seems

like yesterday they were singing their lantern songs

and learning their times tables, but their last class

trip is just around the corner, next year!) There will

be carts offering something for everyone, including

omnivores, carnivores, vegetarians, vegans and glu-

ten free folks...here’s a sneak preview to whet your

appetite:

Waldorf bowls (rice/beans and tasty topings)

Salad rolls with dipping sauce

(handmade and rolled by 7th grade students)

Chicken skewers

Hot Dogs and potato salad

Sweet desserts ...and more!

Come by, say hi and grab a bite! We appreciate

your support! ~the 7th Grade

We had a successful work party april 27. Trees were planted, weeds were pulled, playground rules signs

were constructed, cedar chips and sand were spread in play areas plus many areas in and out of the school

were cleaned. Thank you so much to all those that helped out. Big thanks to Kelly Tidrick for all her help picking up and making food and big thanks to Jeff Bergstrom for coordinating and picking up all the trees.

Join us for a big back to school clean-up/work party/ BBQ August 24th.

May Faire cont. By Dena zimBel

Thank you to Work Party Helpers By BRenDan eiSWeRTH


PaGE 3

may 2013

Spring Creek Store By yVonne CSeKo

By JeFFRey leVy

12th Grade Graduation welcomes Beth Burns of p:ear

may make one Take one calendar Calling all crafters! Join us for our Thursday

morning craftiness.

may 2nd– Table top may Pole for seasonal table

may 9th– Fairy House ($5 for take home house)

may 16th– Felted tree (part 1)

may 23rd– Felted tree (part 2)

may faire The store will be open during the may Faire, from

1:00 -4:00 pm. We will be having our annual sale.

everything will be 20% off (except consigned

items) and Dr. Hauschka will be on sale at 25%

off. look for our PWS cookbook and t-shirt table,

with a selection of goodies from the cookbook.

Knitting with stacy make a Triangular scarf with a “tattered” design.

Starting Friday, may 17th, may 24th and finishing

up on may 31st. no charge for the class, however

you will need to supply your own needles and

yarn. Please contact yvonne for more information

and to register.

If you have not attended a graduation ceremony

at PWS, this is the year to experience a Saturday

of celebration on June 8. as much as any event at

PWS, the high school graduation shows a picture

of the meaning and results of Waldorf education.

not only for family and friends of the graduates,

the ceremony makes clear in a heart-warming way

how independence, community and compassion

are fostered in our school. each of the sixteen

graduates is presented to the audience with insight

and love by the faculty and both the individuality

and the group character of the class becomes

palpable. if you are a new parent at the school, or

an interested community member, graduation makes

clear the benefits and values of PWS.

along with the presentation of each students a

class member is chosen to give a brief talk and a

keynote speaker addresses both the class and the

audience. This year, Beth Burns will be sharing her

insights. ms. Burns is the executive Director of

p:ear, a Portland-based non-profit that is dedicated

to "creatively mentoring homeless youth." Her

passionate work has made a difference in the lives

of numerous young people and helped them beyond

the immediate struggles of homelessness.

Please consider the opportunity to rejoice in the

completion of 12 years of Waldorf education for

these students, their families and all of us that are

part of the PWS community. Graduation: PWS

Gymnasium, Saturday, June 8 at 2:00 pm.

A big thank you to all our wonderful crafty handworkers for your participation on Thursdays. To date we

have generated $800 in sales with our handmade items. We look forward to next autumn when we start up

again. A very special thank you to Kayt Lejeck for her exceptional, creative energy in leading many of the

classes.


PaGE 4

may 2013

Office of Admissions By maRy BeaTon

only seven more weeks of school! With the year winding down,

we are starting to host our “lasts” of the 2012/13 school year.

on may 9th we will be hosting our final Walk Through the

Grades. The Walk Through, a behind the scenes tour of PWS

includes visits to classrooms (while they’re in session) and closes

with a Q&a with faculty and administration. This is the perfect

opportunity for new parents to be introduced to PWS and for

current parents to get a peek ahead at what comes next. PWS

middle school parents are warmly welcome to attend the high-

school-only tour.

also in may are two introductory events specifically for parents

with children age 6 and under. on may 13th the eC Faculty

are hosting an information evening for parents who’d like to

learn more about PWS, Waldorf education and our mixed-age

preschool/kindergartens, which now serve 3/4/5/6 year olds.

Then on Saturday, may 18th whole families are welcome to come

play in our kindergartens and get a Taste of the magic that

happens each day in the Trillium, Rose and lily classrooms. This

special morning includes creative free play, circle time, bread-

making and puppet show, allowing prospective parents to

personally experience our dynamic curriculum. PWS preschool

and parent/child families are also welcome to join us!

Hope to see some of you this month! and thanks again for

referring your colleagues, neighbors and friends...it’s been great

to meet and introduce them to our wonderful school!

Feel free to share our may events as well.

Upcoming Events at PWS Thursday, may 9 from 9:00-10:30am Walk Through the Grades a complete look at PWS for parents interested in preschool through high school classes monday, may 13 from 6:30-7:30pm intro to Waldorf Preschool for parents of children age 6 and under

saturday, may 18 from 10:00-11:30am a Taste of Waldorf for families interested in our parent/child, preschool and kindergarten classes


PaGE 5

may 2013

a young man barely out of his teens, married with

three children, can find no peace within the rigid

small-town order in which he finds himself. His

words, his thoughts, his feelings fly, but everyone

around him wants humdrum obedience. When

a troupe of players appears with their gift of

imagination and poetry, Will finds himself torn

between what is and what might be. The local

mayor is determined that Will’s wildness comply

with his authority, and Will’s wife anne is equally

torn between love and betrayal.

although a Cry of Players is allegedly about

young Shakespeare, it is really the story of any

young artist who will not obey what is. The class

of 2013 is setting the story in the old West and is

proud to invite the Waldorf community (mature

themes, grades 7 and up) to performances, may

30, 31, June 1 at 7p.m. and Sunday, June 2 at 5

p.m. The production will once again be in the

Cellar Theatre (egvedt Hall) on the campus of

Warner Pacific College, $8 adults and $6 students.

A Cry of Players (Senior Play)By JeFFRey leVy

The Seniors will be reciting poetry in the music

room at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, may 8.

muscular, passionate, silly, intimate - the selection

of voices by the seniors will awake your ears,

touch your heart, elicit a laugh and remind you

how much the human spirit can sing! amid

the welter of advertisement, faux news and

thoughtless speech, take the opportunity to hear

real speech again and rise to the occasion.

By anne-maRie Bley

Walnut Hill Garden

Come visit the early childhood garden at Walnut

Hill and watch the sunflower house grow tall and

strong.

Peas and beans are soon to be planted on the

new trellises. Thank you to Bryan and son Florian

(lily Kindergarten) for their helping hands.

appreciation to Jacob Campabello (grade 12) for

single-handedly and in no time at all, digging and

shaping a bed that took ms Sonia and ms anne-

marie a full day of brow mopping. and lastly,

thank you to grade eight for your plant sale. We

plan to be loyal customers!

The College of Teachers is pleased to announce

that mariama loos-Diallo will be joining our faculty

as the lead Handwork teacher for grades 1-5.

miss mariama has been the capable Handwork

assistant to mrs. munske for the past 5 years. She

has seamlessly stepped into the lead position

whenever mrs. munske was in need of a substitute.

The children know her well as their other

Handwork teacher and will find the transition to be

a smooth one.

mariama graduated magna Cum laude from

Whitman College where she received a Ba in

Post-Colonial Studies. She is now in the process

of completing the Waldorf Handwork Teacher

Training at the Rudolf Steiner College. a Waldorf

student herself, and an alumna of the Portland

Waldorf School, mariama is an ardent hand worker

and fiber artist with a great many talents and

skills in the field. We are confident the Handwork

program will thrive in her strong and very capable

hands. Please join with us in welcoming her to this

new position at the school.

By FRanCine aDamSHandwork News!

Poetry Recital By JeFFRey leVy


PaGE 6

Dear PWS Community,

Thank you! Thank you for your time, support, excitement, and many volunteer hours over the recent months

to help put on an amazing event celebrating our 30 years as a school. The tables and decorations have all

been put away, but the community experience will not soon be forgotten.

We also exceeded our goals on Saturday! Numbers are still preliminary, but it looks like we grossed just

over $135,000 and netted $115,000. This is $45,000 over our goal! Included in this is $18,650 raised to

support faculty development. Andrew Cohen, 2nd and Rose K parent, stood up and asked the community

to join in helping our teachers and the response was amazing! Thank

you, Andrew!

There are so many people that made this event possible and so many

thank yous, hugs, and high fives to make this week! Today, however,

I would like to acknowledge our Auction Chair, Christina Carpenter,

who worked tirelessly and without whom this event could not have

been possible. Her excitement and enthusiasm kept us all going

throughout this entire process. I’d also like to thank our amazing

Auction Committee, who worked evenings, weekends, and everything

in between to ensure a successful event. Thank you Suzanne Shelley,

Barbara Andersen, Yvonne Cseko, Kristi Damour and our data guru

Michelle Averill. And last, but certainly not least, I’d like to thank our

auctioneer, Grant Putnam. Not only did Grant help make the evening

a wonderful success and donate exciting items to the auction, he

dedicated so many hours to helping make this auction a success.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

And thank you to Christopher Zinn for his moving words about the

importance of supporting Tuition Assistance. For all who missed the lovely video (click here to watch)

shared just before Christopher spoke, or for those who would like to enjoy it again, we have added it below!

Auctions take a full year to plan, and if you’d like to be on the Auction Committee for next year’s auction,

we’d sure love to have you join us! Please let me know!

Flour Mill Auction a huge success!

may 2013

Andrew and his wife Lisa began their journey at PWS in 2006 with the Parent Child program. They have

two sons, Ezra, in Second Grade, and Reuben, in the Rose Kindergarten. Andrew is a full-time Instructor

of Composition, Literature and Creative Writing at Portland Community College (Sylvania), where he has

taught for the last ten years. He has also taught literature and writing at Clackamas Community College,

Pacific University, and University of Portland, as well as through the Literary Arts program, Writers-in-the

Schools. He currently serves on the PWS Seismic Committee. Andrew grew up in New York City, received a

BA in English from Tufts University and an MFA in creative writing from the University of Michigan.

Welcome Andrew Cohen, new board member By WenDy Rea

By SaRa CaSe

https://portlandwaldorfschool.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/theFlourMillCelebrating30Years/TicketSales/tabid/436303/Default.aspx


PaGE 7

Media, Electronics and the Waldorf Student By ViRGinia BeRG

How can we help our children develop a healthy relationship with media and technology?

Spend an evening with experienced

educators, a doctor, and a PWS

alumni and software developer to

explore this question. a special

panel discussion during national

Screen Free Week. Wednesday, may

1st 7-9pm in the HS music Room.

Panelists: aaron Parecki, PWS

alumnus, co-founder of Geoloqi,

a location-based software co

(obtained by esii in 2012). aaron

was listed in inc. magazine as one

of the top 30 under 30. dr. Padeen Quinn, Physician at Quest center

for integrative Health and faculty at

east-West College and mother of

three grown children. Dr. Quinn and aaron will be joined by our own chrstopher Zinn, HS Humanities

Teacher, cyndia askhar, early Childhood Teacher and Kathleen Taylor, our 3rd Grade Teacher.

Join us for what is sure to be a great conversation!

may 2013

Farewell Mr. Cromie By KaTHleen TayloR

Michael Cromie is retiring after 24 years at PWS. It

is hard to imagine PWS without Michael Cromie in

the gym and on the field. Michael joined PWS in 1989

after moving here from Michigan with his family. His

daughter Leah entered the kindergarten that year.

Michael had been working for 12 years in the Detroit

Park and Recreation department as a recreation

therapist. Michael dove into the running of the school

right away. He was on the Board of Trustees, the

College and working on the grounds and facilities

committee helping guide the school through several

moves. He taught PE classes part time and drove the

bus.

He joined the first Spacial Dynamics training offered

in the U.S. in 1989. By 1993 he was working full time

as a the PWS movement teacher and knew he had

found his home. Looking back over his 24 years at

the school, one sees how Michael’s stamp is on so

many events and activities that are integral to life at

PWS. Michael began organizing the Olympiad for the

schools in Oregon in 1991. The Regional 7th and 8th

grade track meet began under his direction in 1991

in Portland. It later moved to Eugene. The Medieval

Games have been a regional event for ten years.

Michael said that he has been very happy to be able

to bring marker experiences to the students that

connect to the curriculum. Some of the highlights

of his work here have included the circus arts

program- now twelve years old. He also was happy

to inaugurate the middle school sports program

beginning with cross country and now including

basketball, volleyball, track and ultimate Frisbee.

(cont page 8)

Wednesday, May 1st 7-9pm, HS Music Room

Spend an evening with experienced

educators, a doctor, and a PWS Alumni

and software developer exploring healthy

relationships with technology.

Panelists will include: Aaron Parecki: PWS Alumnus, co-founder of Geoloqi, a location-based software company (obtained by Esri in 2012). Aaron was included in Inc. Magazine’s 30 under 30.

Dr. Padeen Quinn: Physician at Quest center for Integrative Health and faculty at East-West College and mother of three grown children

Dr. Quinn and Aaron will be joined by our own Christopher Zinn, HS Humanities Teacher, Cyndia Askhar, Early Childhood Teacher and Kathleen Taylor, our 3rd Grade Teacher.

Media, Electronics & the Waldorf Student The Answer is “YES.” The Question is “WHEN?”

Portland Waldorf School 2300 SE Harrison Street, Milwaukie, OR 97222 503.6545.2200


PaGE 8

Good-bye Ms. Cox

We are grateful to the many pioneers of the school

who were instrumental in bringing this school and

Waldorf education to Portland and the northwest.

it is rare that these individuals stayed on and taught

throughout the life of the school and were witness

to the marvelous growth and stability the education

has brought to the region. one such pioneer is

lesley Cox, who will be retiring at the end of the

school year.

mrs. Cox was raised in Portland and attended

college at oregon State University where she

received a B.S. is language arts and education

and a 5th year in education. She became a middle

school Humanities teacher in Dallas, oregon, but

soon after began to wonder if there was more

to education out there in the big world. Upon

discovering the works of Rudolf Steiner in a Corvallis

bookstore, she traveled to england, her country

of birth, to complete the Waldorf Teacher Training

at emerson College. Subsequently she decided to

study eurythmy and finished her eurythmy Training

in Spring Valley, new york. lesley returned to

Portland in 1985 after accepting a teaching position

at Portland Waldorf School. lesley began in the

school by teaching Handwork in grades 1-3 and

eurythmy to the Kindergarten through third grade

children. This was a time when teachers needed

to be adept at many skills and mastery was just a

given. multiple hats were the norm, but in the case

of mrs. Cox it was her expertise and attention to the

needs of the children that was so important. early

on, through the guidance of ilse Kolbeschovske from

the eugene Waldorf School, mrs. Cox took up the

mantle of Therapeutic eurythmist in the school. For

a number of years children have spent time doing

“Special” eurythmy with her and will remember the

fun they had with her as she wove their lesson with

her beautiful movement and gifted storytelling. For

a long stretch of years, her two daughters, Sarah

and Raewyn, were students in the school. Sarah

was in the first ever first grade and Raewyn was

here when students were able to go from the early

Childhood through to a twelfth grade graduation.

With her entire family from her husband Ron ennis

to her parents Beryl and Jim Cox there has been no

shortage of love and support lavished on the school.

in addition to the work in the classroom, lesley has

served on the board of Trustees, chaired the College

of Teachers and has held numerous positions on

school committees. most notably she has been a

long standing member serving on the Student Care

and Teacher Search Committees. lesley has been

instrumental each year in producing the grand

multi-tiered “celebration cake” that has come to be

a standard for the senior graduation. lesley is also

well known for her knowledge and love of gardening.

To that end she has contributed her knowledge in

the selection and planting arrangement for many of

the plants growing on our school grounds. lastly,

her vibrant flower arrangements for assemblies,

special events, hallways and classrooms over the

years have added a sense of beauty and artistry to

the school environment. Please join us as we herald

this pioneer of Portland Waldorf School, lesley Cox,

and wish her well as she transitions to a life outside

the school.

By FRanCine aDamS

may 2013

Having taught for so many years in many different spaces, he was thrilled when we were able to move to our

current, permanent site. it did mean that he taught grades 2-12 for our first year in the building, though!

Under his guidance, movement has a place as a core value in our school. He helped develop a program that

meets the children with the right activity at the right time.

michael has a son that is an alumni of the school as well as a daughter, Grace, in 6th grade. While he will no

longer be a fixture in the gym, he will no doubt stay involved in the life of the school.

Mr. Cromie cont. By FRanCine aDamS


PaGE 9

Offerings and Opportunities

may 2013

Hawks Grove: a horse empowerment program

by a Waldorf mom. Camps, therapy, and more.

hawksgrove.com; 503-351-5840.

Now enrolling for Summer!

F A R M – L I F E EXPERIENCE 5 days/4 nights (Monday-Friday)

Various weeks throughout June, July, and August Please contact for availability

Milking goats Feeding the animals

Collecting eggs Gardening/composting

Cooking and baking Arts & crafts

$395 for week long stay Accommodations in the historic farm house

***Limit of four students per week, ages 8-16 ***

GeerCrest Farm & Historical Society 12390 Sunnyview Rd NE, Silverton, OR 97317

503.873.3406 www.geercrest.org

For the month may, PWS 11th Grade parent Jewelie

Randall will be donating 20% of profits from customers

who say they’re shopping for the class of 2014. (Flora is

located at 917 SW Washington Street in downtown Port-

land. open 11-6 mon-Sat & noon-12 on Sunday.)

Funds raised will go towards the class of 2014 Senior Trip


PaGE 10

maymon tues wed thurs fri sat/sun

5/1

Media, Electronics & Waldorf 7pm

5/2 Grade 7 Play 7pm

5/3 PWS Community Choir 8:45 am

Adult Eurythmy 8:45 am

Grade 7 Play, 8:30 am

HS Boys Baseball, 4:30, Portland Lutheran

5/4 HS Track Meet, 11am @ Portland Christian School May Faire 11-4pm

5/5

5/6 Parent Council 7-9pm

5/7 HS Boys Baseball, 4:30 @Faith Bible

5/8

HS Senior Poetry Reading, 7pm HS Music Room

5/9 Walk Through the Grades 9-10:30pm

5th Grade Olympiad @ PWS

HS Boys Baseball, 4:30@Sherwood HS

5/10 PWS Community Choir 8:45 am

Adult Eurythmy 8:45 am

HS Boys Baseball, 4:30, Perrydale HS

5/11 HS Prom @Pendarvis Farm Fifth Grade Olympiad, 8:30-5pm @PWS

5/12

5/13

Anthroposophi-cal Study Group, orchard Rm. 7:30-9pm

5/14 5/15 Grade 8 Play, 7-9pm

Grade 7 Pt. Mtg, 6:30-8:30

lily Pt. mtg, 7-8:30

Grade 3 Pt. Mtg, 7-8:30pm HS Eurythmy Assembly,11-noon in the Gym

5/16 Grade 8 Play, 9-11am

5/17 PWS Community Choir 8:45 am Adult Eurythmy 8:45 am

Grade 8 Play, 9-11am

Grade 8 Play, 7-9 pm

HS Track Districts

5/18 HS Track Districts

Rose Pt Mtg, 9:30-11:30am

5/19

5/20 Board Meeting 6:00 pm

5/21

5/22 5/23 HS Track State


HS Track State

5/25

Grade 6, Medieval Games Regional Event 5/26

5/27

Holiday, no school

5/28

5/29 Grades Eurythmy Assembly, 11am

Grade 5 Pt Mtg, 6:30-8pm

5/30 Senior Play @ Warner Pacific College, 7pm


Senior Play @ Warner Pacific College, 7pm

6/1 Senior Play @ Warner Pacific College, 7pm

portland waldorf may 2013 heartbeat

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