GMWS Blog

GMWS in Times Square

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 10:46:47 EST

Last month, Green Meadow participated in an ad campaign in Times Square, as part of an initiative sponsored by NYSAIS (the NY State Association of Independent Schools), of which we are a member. Our name was listed alongside other independent schools in NY state, and one of our photos was used. You can watch a 36-second video of the ad (Green Meadow appears at the 10-second mark) and see a screen shot below, which shows one of the photos we submitted (featuring Eighth Grader Utchaa Williams in the bottom left quadrant).

GMWS 8th grade alumnus in The Journal News

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 09:54:01 EST

From The Journal News, 6/10/13:

E. Ramapo alumnus to teach French GIs (Our note: He's a GMWS alum too!)

EAST RAMAPO – Christopher Smith of Chestnut Ridge, a Spring Valley High School graduate, was chosen to train with and teach English to French troops in Europe and participate in Normandy D-Day exercises as part of a NATO deployment. He is a sophomore at the State University of New York at Albany and is completing his second year of the Army ROTC program. He is a history and communications major. He attended kindergarten through eighth grade at Green Meadow Waldorf School.

Join Us at the Nyack Farmers' Market!

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 10:57:27 EST

Green Meadow is a proud sponsor of the Nyack Farmers' Market. (See opening day photo below.) Come visit us every Thursday through November!

Spring 2013 Alumni Magazine Online Now!

Tue, 28 May 2013 09:11:54 EST

Take a look at the Spring 2013 Alumni Magazine, featuring GMWS alumni in health care.

Movement and Memory

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:19:07 EST

This article from last month in The New York Times is an interesting follow-up to a recent blog post about movement in Waldorf Education. One of the most interesting quotes: "...the way the brain records and remembers movement in space may be the basis of all memory."

The Auction Has Already Begun!

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:57:26 EST

Anxious to start bidding? Go to our online Auction today (and share this link with friends and family)!

If you can't come on May 4, buy a raffle ticket.

Our Gala Auction raffle and all proceeds from the Auction on May 4 will raise funds to expand the Common Room in the High School (see sketch below), and construct much-needed additional classroom space and faculty office space.

Celebrate Screen-Free Week: April 29-May 5

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 12:16:26 EST

Check out my recent blog post about Screen-Free Week (on Nyack Patch) here!

http://nyack.patch.com/blog_posts/celebrate-screen-free-week-april-29-may-5

Movement Is Our Method! From Eurythmy Teacher Laura Radefeld

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 10:14:37 EST

Green Meadow Waldorf School does not supplement our curriculum with movement: our curriculum IS movement. Starting with the youngest children in the Early Childhood section, our pedagogical approach recognizes that healthy, self-initiated movement is the best foundation for physical and cognitive development at every age. The Waldorf School's curriculum and method of teaching recognizes that nimble, imaginative, full-body movement in the youngest child becomes nimble dexterity in thought after puberty, and that the capacities of free and responsible action in young adulthood are developed through an artistic, holistic education based on movement.

Waldorf Schools throughout the world are grounded in a commitment to movement and are being recognized as leaders in cutting-edge learning techniques, though Waldorf Schools have been working this way since their founding in 1919.

Every subject in the Waldorf School develops foundational skills through movement. A subject unique to Waldorf Schools is eurythmy, a movement art that integrates language, music, geometry, and spatial awareness in lively weekly classes from Early Childhood through High School. Artistically, students learn to use their whole body to listen, speak, sing, perceive, and think. In First Grade, students learn eurythmy movement through the rich language of fairy tales, Sixth Graders learn by moving complex geometric forms collaboratively with classmates, and High School students learn to perceive and express the inner nature of poetry, music, and themes from the curriculum through expressive choreography and gesture. Being in touch with the expressive capacities of the body is to be in touch with a way of intuitive understanding. As students' capacities for higher cognition develop through thinking, eurythmy supports students healthy thinking through highly conscious movement.

Check Out Clips from Recent Parent Education Talks!

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 13:48:32 EST

Every few weeks, we are posting new clips from our Parent Education talks.

Up now: Kim John Payne's talk from last year, Elizabeth Hall introduces the Lower School, and our Early Childhood teachers on child development from birth to seven and First Grade Readiness.

Coming soon: Farmer and author Joel Salatin, Anna Silber on Literacy the Waldorf Way and Renate Kurth on Teaching Science.

Take a look at www.gmws.org/videoclips.

Are AP Classes Beneficial or Detrimental?

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 10:03:38 EST

From the Washington Post, February 9, 2013: "For more than a decade now, we have heard that the high-stakes testing obsession in K-12 education that began with the enactment of No Child Left Behind 11 years ago has resulted in high school graduates who don't think as analytically or as broadly as they should because so much emphasis has been placed on passing standardized tests. [In the article linked to below], an award-winning high school teacher who just retired, Kenneth Bernstein, warns college professors what they are up against. Bernstein, who lives near Washington, D.C. serves as a peer reviewer for educational journals and publishers, and he is nationally known as the blogger "teacherken." His e-mail address is kber@earthlink.net. This appeared in Academe, the journal of the American Association of University Professors."

Read the full article.

Distraction-Free Education

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 10:50:51 EST

From WTOP radio, Washington, DC, 1/7/2013: another article on the benefits of a Waldorf Education.

As Waldorf teaches students, parents are taught patience

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 20:12:12 EST

A good article from Boulder County Business Report.

Let Them Play!

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 10:58:24 EST

More support for the importance of unstructured play here, from TIME magazine.

Holiday Slideshow 2012

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 14:54:42 EST

Happy Holidays! Click here.

Parenting: The Movie

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 08:59:43 EST

We are excited about a new documentary in progress from Ana Joanes, the director of the film Fresh.

Watch a clip from her newest endeavor: it's called Taking Our Places, featuring another favorite around GMWS, Joel Salatin (who spoke here last year and is the author of Folks, This Ain't Normal).

You can also read a post about education, which mentions Waldorf Education, from the Taking Our Places website blog here.

Plus: we'll have a clip up very soon (at www.gmws.org/videoclips) of Joel Salatin speaking at GMWS last year. Prepare to be inspired!

Our Hands Belong to Levity

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 13:31:30 EST

We encourage you to read this excellent article!

Our Hands Belong to Levity
By INGUN SCHNEIDER

http://www.waldorftoday.com/2012/10/our-hands-belong-to-levity

Ingun Schneider is the director of the Remedial Education Program at Rudolf Steiner College.

Education Toward Freedom

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 11:43:01 EST

"Education Toward Freedom" was once a Green Meadow tagline: the idea being that we capacitate children to become anyone they want to become. By giving them skills, experience, knowledge, confidence, and community, we help them freely choose their future.

Part of the way we do that is by giving them freedom throughout their education: to play, explore, fail and try again, persevere, question, ponder. This article from Psychology Today confirms the wisdom of our approach.

Benefit Concert Tonight! GMWS Alumnae The Chapin Sisters Support the Rockland Farm Alliance

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 09:07:45 EST

Join us! Details here.

Support Those Affected by Superstorm Sandy

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 12:10:42 EST

As we all recover from the effects of the recent storm and find ourselves grateful for basics like light, heat, and water, many of us are thinking about how to help those still in need. A great way to get involved is to support the 11^th grade at Green Meadow, which is collecting food and other supplies for those affected by the storm locally. Items can be dropped off at 307 Hungry Hollow Rd., Chestnut Ridge, NY 10977.

Here's a note from the students: "We urge you to bring in non-perishable food items and toiletries, such as canned goods, soups, pasta, rice, beans, peanut butter, diapers, shampoo, and laundry soap. We have collection boxes in the lower school and high school, and as they fill, we will deliver them to families and to the People to People Food Pantry. Please be generous! We will continue the food drive through December."

Still another way to help, through Green Meadow, is to supply impoverished local families with Thanksgiving dinner. For participants in our Neighbor to Neighbor program, we are collecting food suitable for a Thanksgiving feast. Items can be dropped at the address above, marked "Neighbor to Neighbor".

First snow of the year

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 08:54:27 EST

SCHOOL OPEN TOMORROW

Sun, 04 Nov 2012 11:22:01 EST

Dear Parents,

Green Meadow will be OPEN TOMORROW for school at the normal time. Unless the power is restored tonight by the local utilities, the school will be running off a generator that has been professionally installed and will be monitored by an onsite technician. The buildings and grounds have had multiple inspections and all is well. We were very lucky and only had very minimal damage to the periphery of the school property.

We understand that getting to school may be difficult and even impossible for some families. Please do not do anything that will put you in harm's way. Only you can determine what is possible for you and your family. The teachers will do their best to support each student who needs to get caught up on work and you are welcome to contact the teachers with any questions. Please note that many teachers are still without power and may have limited access to Internet and phone in the evening.

There is likely to be limited or no busing available tomorrow, so please check with your local bus company. Some families are talking about carpooling; perhaps you can make a phone call to offer or request a ride.

There will be no Hot Lunch program until the Threefold Cafe notifies us that they are up and running again. Credit will be given, by the Cafe directly, to all families who have already paid for the week. Tomorrow and Friday, the 8th grade will offer pizza and salad (no organic option this week).

For Nursery and Kindergarten Parents:
All Nursery and Kindergarten classes will resume tomorrow. Mrs. Grieder's Nursery children will meet in the Parent & Child classroom, located on the ground level of the Lower School building, next to the 8th grade classroom. All other Nursery and Kindergarten classes will take place in their regular classrooms. Please note that tomorrow, all children will need to bring a "ready-to-eat" wholesome morning snack, and full-day children will need to bring a bag lunch as well. Please refrain from sending juice and sugary foods. We will serve water and tea as usual.

Other points to note:
* No after-school sports will take place until the power is back on.
* After-School Program is only until 4pm until the power is back on.
* Your child's daily schedule may vary from the usual this week.
* There WILL BE SCHOOL on November 9 &12.
* The Kim John Payne lecture scheduled for November 6 has been postponed until further notice.
* Dress your child warmly, as the temperatures may vary and start off chilly in the morning.

We will see you tomorrow.

Tari Steinrueck
Administrator

Fall Fair 2012 Photos

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 21:52:52 EST

Celebrating Seasonal Festivals

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 20:32:08 EST

One of the integral elements of a Waldorf Education (and one of the things many of us love most about being in a Waldorf community) is celebrating seasonal festivals. These celebrations create beautiful memories for the children and connect the whole family to the seasons, giving the year a lovely sense of rhythm.

At Green Meadow, we pride ourselves on celebrating a diverse collection of holidays that resonate with our multicultural parent body, knowing that every celebration honors different virtues and values. In September, we celebrate Michaelmas, which remembers the courage of St. Michael as he fought the dragon, and we look forward to the sweetness of Rosh Hashanah , the Jewish new year, and the sacredness of Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. The Muslim families in our community fast each year for the month of Ramadan, which is usually in the fall but moves according to the lunar calendar. Each October, we hold the beloved Fall Fair (coming soon--details below), with pumpkin carving, cider pressing, hayrides, face painting, and much more. We also celebrate Diwali, the Indian festival of light, in many classrooms, and our sister organizations, the Threefold Educational Center and Eurythmy Spring Valley, host a magical Lantern Walk on Halloween. In November, Green Meadow families from all over the world gather for a US-style Thanksgiving, and December, of course, brings Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, as well as Santa Lucia Day and our Advent Garden, both beautiful celebrations of light from the Christian tradition, and the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, which pagan families commemorate in various ways. We enjoy Valentine's Day in February with a special, formal tea in the Kindergarten and many families celebrate Easter, Passover, and/or the equinox in the spring. May 1 finds us enjoying a traditional Maypole celebration and dance.

The school year closes in June as it opens in September, with our emotional Rose Ceremony: at the start of the year, the 12^th graders welcome the 1^st graders with a rose, and on the last day of school, those same 1^st graders, now older and much more confident than when the year began, say farewell to the graduating class by presenting each of them with a rose.

We anticipate these days of celebration all year long, and are grateful to be part of a community that stops to celebrate and mark the passage of time and nature's rhythms as often as we can.

Our next big festival is this Saturday, October 20, and we invite you to join us: it's our Annual Fall Fair, which is more than 30 years old and attracts about 3000 people from the tristate area to our campus. You can read more here: www.gmws.org/fallfair.

Thank You for Making Those Socks!

Mon, 24 Sep 2012 14:51:42 EST

This recent article from Huffington Post echoes the insights in Po Bronson & Ashley Merryman's fabulous book Nurture Shock.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/american-anthropological-association/school-and-self-esteem-or_b_1728969.html

Why Waldorf Education is a Great Choice for Environmentally Conscious Parents

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 09:53:44 EST

The article linked to below is a great introduction to the ways that Waldorf students learn stewardship of the planet from the very beginning of their education. We would also like to direct your attention to our Sustainability page, and to last year's article in The Bulletin about our school's Go Green initiatives. We are proud of what we have been able to accomplish, and strive to make meaningful progress each year toward our "green goals". For more information about the GMWS Go Green Committee, email Lyn Barton at lbarton@gmws.org

Be sure to read this: http://www.inhabitots.com/why-waldorf-education-is-a-great-choice-for-environmentally-conscious-parents/

We love this!

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 11:46:37 EST

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=306653852755321&set=a.139959482758093.37034.118881824865859&type=1&theater

Photos from Last Week's High School Camping Trip

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 14:30:59 EST

Obama to Kids: No Tech Time During Week

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 13:45:40 EST

An interesting article about restricted use of technology in the Obama Family: http://mashable.com/2012/09/07/obama-kids-no-tech/

An Important Reminder: Disconnect

Fri, 03 Aug 2012 09:23:37 EST

From The New York Times on July 23, 2012: "Silicon Valley Says Step Away From the Device"

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/24/technology/silicon-valley-worries-about-addiction-to-devices.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&pagewanted=all&adxnnlx=1343999460-BIBZ6nFh/KuUMZMQ7/fhdA

End-of-Year Wishes!

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 06:41:32 EST

We happily kick off summer with this look back at the year:

http://secure.smilebox.com/ecom/openTheBox?sendevent=4d7a49784d7a45324f446c384e7a4d774e6a4d774e444d3d0d0a&sb=1

Many thanks to Bill Pernice, and all those credited, for the wonderful photos. Thanks to intern Justine Bellew for her technical assistance.

Turn on your speakers, so you don't miss Vivaldi's Gloria performed by the High School Chorus.

Sensory Overload or Sensory Poverty?

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 06:33:35 EST

Diane Ackerman, author of A Natural History of the Senses, wrote a great piece last week for The New York Times exploring the idea that while many of us are experiencing information overload, we are also "living in sensory poverty, learning about the world without experiencing it up close, right here, right now, in all its messy, majestic, riotous detail".

She examines the importance of presence (awareness of, and connection to, where we are in any given moment) and ends with this: "On the periodic table of the heart, somewhere between wonderon and unattainium, lies presence, which one doesn't so much take as engage in, like a romance, and without which one can live just fine, but not thrive."

Read the full blog post here: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/10/are-we-living-in-sensory-overload-or-sensory-poverty/

Lazure Workshop in August!

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 11:53:14 EST

LAZURE WORKSHOP IN AUGUST: Saturday, August 11- Thursday, August 16. Lazure Rose Hall with Master Lazurist Charles Andrade! Workshop begins with a lecture on color theory. $300/person for the week. Contact Larry Fox at lazureworks@aol.com to register. Space is limited!

Senior Class Play: "Temptation" by Vaclav Havel

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 11:46:51 EST

The Economics of Happiness

Tue, 22 May 2012 19:10:13 EST

Last Friday night at Green Meadow Waldorf School, we screened The Economics of Happiness. A project of the International Society for Ecology and Culture (ISEC), this 65-minute film looks at the effects of globalization through the lens of a region called Ladakh in the Indian state of Kashmir, and then examines the localization movements around the world that have taken such strong root in recent years.

The film's title comes from its analysis that globalization (despite its promises of a rising tide for all) actually increases unemployment and overall quality of life for most, and makes us less happy. The film posits that relationships and connectedness are among the things that increase our well-being the most, and proposes that quality of life be measured by a Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) rather than Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The first part of the film tells the story of life in Ladakh before and after globalization arrived, defines globalization, and lays out "8 Inconvenient Truths about Globalization". The second half of the film provides not only inspiration, but also offers practical solutions to the problems we face as individuals and nations. Spelling out the policy changes needed to enable local businesses to survive and prosper, the film features "community initiatives that are moving the localization agenda forward", including urban gardens in Detroit and the Transition Town movement in the UK. We hear about local food, local money, and more, from the people leading these diverse movements.

As I have been thinking and writing about unplugging (for Screen-Free Week) these past few months, I have also been reminded of the importance of local. We are so lucky to be well-connected and well-informed, thanks to technology, but it is clear that we have paid dearly for our global citizenship. Many of us have outsourced our lives, and many feel powerless: we don't like what's happening in politics, but feel that we can't make a difference; we don't agree with the policies of our banks, but we don't move our money; we want to connect but don't have time for face-to-face relationships. The Economics of Happiness reminds us that we can control our lives, and inspires us to do so.

The Economics of Happiness features perspectives from six continents, including Vandana Shiva, Bill McKibben, David Korten, Michael Shuman, Juliet Schor, Richard Heinberg, Rob Hopkins, Andrew Simms, Zac Goldsmith, Samdhong Rinpoche, Clive Hamilton, Mohau Pheko, Keibo Oiwa and more. Read more about the film, watch the trailer, or sign up to host a screening at theeconomicsofhappiness.org.

In the News: May 4 concert at Green Meadow

Tue, 15 May 2012 09:25:00 EST

The May 4 concert at Green Meadow was profiled on northjersey.com on May 2. Read the article here.

Waldorf Education in the News

Tue, 15 May 2012 09:19:19 EST

As we continue upgrading our In the News page, we thought you might enjoy seeing what the Chicago Waldorf School has done with theirs. This page leads the way, in terms of both multimedia and its comprehensive coverage of the attention that Waldorf has received in recent months. Look for an updated Green Meadow "In the News" page soon.

Screen-Free Week Update and Stories

Mon, 07 May 2012 09:28:28 EST

As you saw from the photos we posted last week, Green Meadow hosted a fabulous event on Saturday, April 28, to kick off Screen-Free Week, a national event organized by the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC). This year, Screen-Free Week ran from April 30-May 6, ending yesterday. More details about the annual initiative are available at the CCFC website.

About 50 people joined us at the kickoff event on the 28th to learn how to go screen-free for a week: enjoying crafts and learning how to create music by listening to nature, making jump-ropes, participating in a cooking demonstration by Chef Anthony of Threefold Cafe, and taking a nature walk with the inimitable Ed Bieber from The Nature Place Day Camp.

As Waldorf families who enjoy the benefits of reduced screen time all year long, we would love to hear from you about whether or not you did anything special in terms of media usage during Screen-Free Week! Share your successes and challenges in the comments section.

Photos from Our Screen-Free Week Kickoff Event on 4/28/12

Wed, 02 May 2012 09:59:51 EST

Welcome to our new website!

Tue, 01 May 2012 13:07:20 EST

We are thrilled to be launching our new website today. It resides at the same address (www.gmws.org), but features a new look, as well as separate portals for different communities (Current Families, Prospective Families, and Alumni/Alumni Parents). Each portal has custom content for each type of user.

The new site also includes lots of new functionality, such as a new calendar, this blog, online application forms for each section of the school, and an online school store where you can purchase GMWS gear.

We will be adding features in the coming months (including video clips from many recent Parent Education talks), and hope that you find the new site easier to use. Please remember to save new pages as new bookmarks, and send us your feedback!

Vicki Larson, Director of Communications and Marketing
Katie Ketchum, Enrollment Outreach Coordinator (currently out on maternity leave, through October 2012)