Monday, April 5, 2010

“We have been using Wednesday afternoons to prepare and plant our garden. Each student had three square feet of space and chose three different vegetables to plant. Before we ever put seeds in the garden, we tilled the soil, added some soil amendments,  and built little one-foot fences to mark out the different garden plots. Then we planted our cool weather vegetables – carrots, peas, broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, beets, radishes, and onions. And just before spring break, we were rewarded with the sight of many seedlings!”

Administrator Ad Lib by Lisa Grupe, Ph.D.

This time of year in the life of a school is one of many “firsts.” Certainly, we welcome First Graders into the Elementary program; we also welcome new students into many of the other grades... Personally, it is a favorite time for me. I reflect back on my own Waldorf journey which began a dozen years ago when I started the journey through the grades with my own four-person First Grade class with our “Rose Ceremony” in the Auditorium. This summer I had the opportunity to sit with one of those four students -- now, unbelievably, 17 years old! -- at a college recruiting fair, Colleges That Change Lives. While college may seem a long way off for many of you, some research was shared at this fair that seems relevant to all of you...

Economics in the 6th Grade by Class Teacher, Melissa Downs

With the money-based economy, we looked specifically at the development of businesses, banking, and paper money. Using an imaginary candy factory, we looked at the flow of materials and money through businesses.

Thursday, September 9th, 2010 

AWS Students lend a hand at Birmingham’s Puzzle Piece

AWS Movement Teacher Jennifer Cripps is taking her circus curriculum on the road! Ms.Cripps, who is Level One certified in Spacial Dynamics™, is now sharing her Developmental Circus Arts program with the children at Renee Plata’s Puzzle Piece, an autism awareness outreach program located in the Mountain Brook area.

Friday, October 8th, 2010

Alabama School Service Days
This year, instead of monthly playground workdays, the AWS community will be hosting seasonal Service Days. There will be a total of three. Two will be held during normal school hours. Each class will take on a task or role
in helping to better our classrooms, facilities, and our community.  But, on Oct. 16th from 9am to 4pm, parents, as well as children, will attend and participate.
Please do your best to help make this a successful Service Day! On the agenda for beautifying…
1) Rebuild and paint the playground houses.
2) Prune and trim bushes outside Grades hallway.
3) Clean up and weed Elem Playground.
4) Cut dead limbs from surrounding trees

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

On the last Thursday in May, AWS celebrated its 4th annual graduation ceremony in the beautiful sanctuary of East Lake United Methodist Church. It was a lovely evening, and watching the 8th graders was yet another reminder of why I, especially as a developmental psychologist, truly love Waldorf education— it celebrates meaningful rites of passage deliberately and by design.

The Ruffner Mountain Board of Directors has met and made it official! Alabama Waldorf School is only waiting on the deed that will grant them a little more than 5 acres of land on Ruffner property. At a school-wide meeting on May 20th, Administrator Lisa Grupe  discussed plans for clearing the land and building a new home for AWS, which has been leasing its current building since the early 90s.