DaVinci Waldorf School 847-526-1372 » 5th Grade

Upcoming Events

Amy Howard — Thu, 28 May 2009 16:34:18 +0000

The following events are coming up at Water’s Edge School:

May 30, Saturday, 4:30 p.m. 5th-8th grade class play, The Miracle Worker, Matthews Middle School, Island Lake

Monday, June 1, Fees due

Thursday, June 4, 7 p.m., Where Do the Children Play Screening at Water’s Edge. Please RSVP to 847-526-1372.

Friday, June 5, Last Day of school, Potluck/Picnic

Also, Preschool/Kindergarten class – please remember that (despite what one of the calendars from the beginning of the year says) classes continue to June 5th, on the same schedule as the rest of the school. Kindergarten parents should also be aware that Kindergarten Graduation is on June 3rd. Please direct any questions to Donna Brooks.

Did you stop by for Bagel Breakfast this morning? If not, you missed some great food and music! Be sure to catch the last one for the year, next Thursday morning at dropoff.

The Water’s Edge Waldorf School Weblog will continue with it’s regularly scheduled programming through next week. During the summer, check back weekly as we hope to still get one or two posts in each week throughout the summer. If you have any great summer stories or pictures to share, please send them along to either watersedgeschool@sbcglobal.net or amy@rayndragon.com.

Weekend Update: May Faire Picture

Amy Howard — Sun, 17 May 2009 01:27:18 +0000

(click to view larger)

May Faire 2009 – Onlookers watch as the 4th & 5th grade students weave an intricate pattern with ribbons of the May Pole as they dance to music performed by the older students. This was just one of the many fun events at the Water’s Edge School May Faire today.

Parent's Corner: Fifth Grade Pentathlon

Susan Love — Thu, 07 May 2009 15:00:30 +0000

In the fifth grade, Waldorf students learn that the Olympics were an expression of that golden age when the ideal of the human form, in physical beauty and inner grace, comes together to create something heroic within the individual and blesses all those who are fortunate to witness the event. As the stories brought by the class teacher take the children deeply into the imagination of this period in time, they begin to intellectually, physically and emotionally experience an entire culture. And to this end, the fifth grade Pentathlon emerges.

Last week, our fifth graders met fifth grade students from six other Waldorf schools from the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Louis areas. They divided into five city-states of Greece and competed with those in their particular city-state in five events: discus, javelin, long jump, Greek wrestling and running. As they compete, the students strive with great intention to give form to the hero (the union of the divine and human) within themselves and can win laurels for both Truth (measurement) and Beauty (form) as they participate in each event. One child in each city-state also wins the laurel for Goodness.

Andrea Shaffer, the movement teacher from Chicago Waldorf, described it this way, “After watching the event in various forms for 11 years, I would describe the event as fun, difficult, strenuous, beautiful, disappointing, triumphant, painful and celebratory. It is an amazing way to bring to the fore the multi-faceted issues of competition and compassion and community.”

As a parent watching, I was struck by the respect and support that all the children had for each other. They watched each of their teammates perform and did not talk during their efforts. Afterwards, they congratulated each child on her/his effort with sincere celebration, even though the child was a competitor. It was touching and inspiring to watch all the children step up to this experience with grace, focus and heart. My daughter made friends with children from other schools and experienced that you can feel happy for a teammate’s success while still feeling disappointed that you did not win the laurel. A wonderful life lesson hidden inside a memory she will treasure forever.