Tag Archive for: community

Community Corner – Oct.3

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WWS Spotlight

Miguel Fernandez – Grade 8 International Student

Why did you decide to come to Whistler to study?: It is common in Mexico to study abroad in Grade 8 or 9. We had travelled to Whistler before and I enjoy skiing so it seemed like a good fit. I am from San Luis Potosí and do not go to a Waldorf School, but my parents were interested in having me experience a different method of learning.
And what do you think?: It is different, but it’s been really fun. I enjoy the arts aspect and there are more field trips and hands on things to do. I also studied Shakespeare here and that is new!
What’s been most surprising to you?: I think the people. The teachers talk more to the students and really try to make sure that we understand. All the people have been really nice.
Are there any must-do things on your list while you are here?: SKIING! I definitely want to go skiing.

Bulletin Board Listings:

  • Teacher Accommodation Needed – Hello! My name is Olivia Hanna. I am currently teaching kindergarten at the Whistler Waldorf School. I am searching for a place to live in Whistler long term by mid November, but I can move in sooner. My budget is $1000-$1200  for a room in a shared house. Non-smoking. I have no pets. Tidy, quiet, 35 years old. Just moved to Whistler from Ontario in late summer. Hoping to spend free time skiing and enjoying the beautiful nature here. I also enjoy yoga, hiking, cooking and knitting. If you know of a room that might be a good fit, please send me an email or text. Thank you for your help! Pls. contact me at my email or 647-673-5891.
  • Oct. 5th – Tout l’Monde Swingue (6-10pm)… Howe Sound Performing Arts Association is pleased to provide an evening of traditional French Canadian music and dance. The all-ages cultural event will feature live music from Daniel Gervais and Roger Dallaire, with a silent auction, food trucks, and more! Join us on at Howe Sound Secondary School, 38430 Buckley Ave., Squamish. Tickets: $50/family; $20/adult; $10/child,  purchase online or email Howe Sound Also, check out our Facebook event.
  • Oct. 6-12 – Fire Prevention Week (FPW) & Contest… This year’s theme is: Not Every Hero Wears a Cape, Plan and Practice Your Escape. There will be 2 open houses – at the Whistler Village Fire Hall on Oct. 5 & on Oct.6th in Spring Creek. Both events run from 11-2pm. Have a meet and greet with local firefighters to learn more about the equipment, trucks and fire halls for the afternoon!  Also, the annual Fire Prevention Week Poster & Video Contest is now looking for submissions.
  • Oct. 7th – International Day of the Girl (6:45-9)… Millennium Place will feature three diverse female speakers exploring “equality for girls in Canada and around the world.” Doors open at 7 and tickets are $10 each. For more information, visit Arts Whistler.

Early Years Centre Open House on Oct. 23

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Please join us at for a Community Information Session about our new Spring Creek Early Years Centre opening in November 2019.

Date: Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Time: 6:30-7:30 pm
Location: Whistler Waldorf School – 7324 Kirkpatrick Drive

 

Our Early Years Program is offered for children 30 month-school age, 2-5 days a week throughout the year.

Whistler Waldorf features a caring, thoughtfully designed learning environment integrating arts, movement, music and storytelling into the curriculum daily. This allows children to learn the best way they know how – by doing!

The info session will include tea and snacks with a short presentation on our program highlights including:

  • Developmentally appropriate curriculum & focus on experiential learning
  • Thoughtfully designed learning environments
  • Strong sense of community & parent engagement
  • Focus on fostering of a love of nature and active care for the environment

We will also share practical details including:

  • Projected open dates & annual calendar
  • Admissions process & wait pool policy details
  • Tuition and Fee Schedule

There will also be an opportunity to ask questions and mingle with staff.

For more information please email our Admissions Manager or call 604.932.1885.

Community Corner – Sept. 26

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WWS Spotlight…

Carlos & Itziar Cornejo – WWS Family Members

Tell us a bit about yourselves – Our family originally hails from Mexico City. We have 3 children – Triana, Grade 11; Mikel, Grade 8; and Ferran, Grade 6.We are very close, and we love to do things together.  We are very outdoorsy and love trekking, camping, skiing and mountain biking. We are also avid scuba divers.

How long have you been at Waldorf? – We became a Waldorf Family when Triana was entering Grade 4 and Mikel was in Grade 1. We moved to a small town in Mexico intending to stay for one year. We initially moved there because of what that town had to offer, but in reality we ended up staying for 6 years because of its Waldorf School and Waldorf education. Since that time, we have been fortunate to have been in 3 spectacular Waldorf Schools. Even though we still have not had enough time to fully experience the Whistler Waldorf School, the one common denominator in all three, which is incredible, is the sense of community that is built around each school.  You always feel welcomed, you are never alone. It can be with the teachers, staff or other family members, there is always someone there to lend a hand.This is very special for a family who just moved from a different country and culture.

What do you value most about Waldorf education? – The one thing that we value the most about Waldorf Education is actually a combination that grows in most Waldorf kids, and which is fascinating; happy kids that are always hungry for knowledge. To us, this means everything.

Thanks, Carlos & Itziar – and welcome to WWS!

School Bulletin Board…

  • Oct. 3rd  from 7-8pm – Sea to Sky String Orchestra… Treat yourself to an intimate evening of classical music at Whistler Public Library courtesy of the Sea to Sky String Orchestra. This event is free to attend, and registration is not required! The program includes Grieg, Respighi, Vivaldi, Corelli, and Elgar, plus a selection of contemporary pieces that the audience will recognize from movies and TV (think: Pirates of the Caribbean, Game of Thrones and more.) The acoustics in this beautiful, high-ceiling venue promise to enhance the classical string music experience.
  • Oct. 5th from 6-10pm – Tout l’Monde Swingue… Howe Sound Performing Arts Association is pleased to provide an evening of traditional French Canadian music and dance. The all-ages cultural event will feature live music from Daniel Gervais and Roger Dallaire. The band is sure to keep your toes tapping by calling group and contra dances. The evening will also feature a silent auction, food trucks, and more! Local performers Cam Salay and Sofie Hill of The Spruce Tops will start off the evening. Join us on Saturday, Oct. 5 from 6:00-10:00 PM at Howe Sound Secondary School, 38430 Buckley Ave., Squamish. Tickets: $50/family; $20/adult; $10/child, online howesoundarts.tickit.ca or howesoundperformingarts@gmail.com  Check out our Facebook event at https://www.facebook.com/events/391886408401656/

Community Corner – Sept. 19th

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WWS Spotlight…

 

Sarah Clark & Leo Kwok – WWS Family members 

Tell us a little bit about yourselves – We moved to Whistler this summer after spending three years in Ubud, Bali where our two girls, Tayleigh (Grade 4) and Kailena (Grade 2) attended Green School. Leo and I were both raised in Vancouver, but we’ve spent 14 years abroad – 11 years in Hong Kong prior to Bali. When we agreed it was time to return home to Canada, we chose to build a new life here in Whistler among a more like-minded community of family focused, active and outdoorsy people. Our girls are loving trail riding as well as the wide range of other activities here from musical theatre and aerial silks to soccer and tennis. But the truth is, we all cannot wait to get back on skis this winter (although, Leo keeps threatening to dig out his circa 1994 snowboard)!  

Leo maintains a sourcing and manufacturing company in Hong Kong, however, while in Bali, as the girls ran a muck in the jungle at Green School, Leo’s entrepreneurial spirit took flight and he a few partners opened Ubud’s first full facility family sports centre, “Titi Batu” named after a historical stone bridge and a nearby sacred holy spring. This allowed Leo to indulge more regularly in his passion for squash and basketball while the girls skateboarded, took hip hop dance and swimming classes. I literally got my ski legs back at the boot camp classes last Autumn. I originally worked in PR and journalism in Vancouver and in Hong Kong, but I now practice as a Registered Holistic Nutritionist.  In Bali, I practiced with in-home consults allowing my clients a tailored privacy while investigating the root cause of their health issues. I am really looking forward to getting back to work here in Whistler.

Our eldest, Tayleigh is a big fan of both the visual and dramatic arts making Waldorf a natural fit for her. While our youngest, Kailena is a whizz at math and loves soccer, basketball and tennis. Both learned to ski in Dec 2018 and absolutely love it. As a family we love to travel. Over the past few years, we regularly visited the east and west coasts of Australian and explored New Zealand. Our most memorable trip was in 2018 to Raja Ampat, a protected marine conservation area in Western Papua where we shared a live aboard diving boat with another family and enjoyed two to three dives per day while the children snorkeled above us. However, we are so grateful to be settled back home in Canada now and to avoid jet lag for as many years as possible. The odd drive down to Vancouver is enough of a family adventure for now!

How did you first hear about WWS? – We first heard of WWS from a friend who raved not only about her children’s experience here at WWS, but of her own as well. We immediately identified as it’s so important to us that parents be involved and engaged in the school community and that we have a natural rapport with truly invested teachers. We have experienced this beautiful rapport with WWS since our application process began and have been so impressed and overjoyed with our girls’ teachers and our experience as a family at WWS thus far.

Is there anything that has surprised you at our school? Our girls are probably most surprised to have flush toilets at school after finally getting used to the compost toilets at their former school! They are making great progress being back in the developed world, thankfully! As a family, we have all been pleasantly surprised by how attentive the girls’ teachers have been since our arrival. For our younger daughter, her teacher actually came to our home to meet us and to connect with Kai prior to starting grade 2. This was so meaningful and so thoughtful. The number of check ins and follow up emails from both grade 4 and grade 2 teachers have also been really thorough, and extremely thoughtful with a genuine interest in our girls’ settling in and in their learning. This has meant the world to us as the social – emotional aspect of a new school has really been seamless.

School Bulletin…

 

  • Right Turn Clyde – Sept. 22 @ 11am… Waldorf faculty member Katherine Fawcett and Waldorf parents Harvey Lim, Pierre Richer, Robyn Forsythe and Tony Horn are playing music in Village Square as part of Arts Whistler’s Hear & Now Celebration.  Come cheer them on!
  • Creekbread Fundraiser – Sept. 24 @ 8:30pm… Help support Grade 9 students Savannah and Zen as they fundraise for their upcoming Karuizawa  Sister City exchange trip. (50-50; silent auction; raffle). If there is anyone who would like to donate to the silent auction please contact Savannah.
  • Epic SchoolKids Whistler Blackcomb Pack – Registering Now... a FREE program for Canadian and Washington State. It’s available for Kindergartners through Gr. 5 and provides five days of free skiing and riding at Whistler Blackcomb. No purchase necessary! It also includes one free first-timer ski or ride lesson with equipment rental, restrictions apply.

The Three Fundamental Forces in Education: Balance in Teaching

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Dear Parents and Guardians,

100 years ago, society and education had moved towards a more differentiated system, separating sciences from the arts, the arts from morality, and athletics from academics. Today, finally, educational systems all over the world are “catching up” to Steiner’s observations that separating these fundamental spheres of activity for children could be detrimental to their healthy development, and in fact, advocated that it is in their union that learning becomes an art, and education becomes a vital healing force in a young person’s life.

Rudolf Steiner mentored teachers, and called teachers to task, ensuring that their teaching incorporated a balance and integration of the arts, and sciences. This was, and still is, a fundamental basis for Waldorf Schools.

100 years ago Rudolf Steiner emphasized that the Waldorf approach was a great deal more than simply the application of a teaching method. His new art of education was born out of a knowledge of the growing child as a holistic being – embodying body, soul, and spirit.

This year is the 100th anniversary of Waldorf Education and we believe that one hundred years is only the beginning. In celebration, we will be highlighting the breadth of our curriculum over the course of the year and warmly invite you to join!

Rubeena Sandhu, Head of School

Changing seasons; Back to School rhythms

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The return of the school year brings us all together again while the summer days are coming to a close.  As the sun rays diminish we now begin to turn inward, and can be excited and challenged to turn also, to the fiery warmth of our school community in the fall.  The turning of the leaves are a beautiful vision, yet can be a symbol of a cyclic transitions within a familiar environment: the returning rhythms of school, the bustle of after school programs, homework and packed lunches, the complexity of old relationships and the challenges of new ones.

As the leaves turn, let us honour our students, our children, our colleagues and ourselves. As we adjust to the changing season, let us turn to each other as partners, and enjoy each other in another school year of growth and development for all.

Rubeena Sandhu, Head of School

Building a ‘community school’ with events to connect

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What does a healthy, successful school look like? 

What’s the most accurate predictor of academic achievement? It’s not socioeconomic status, nor how prestigious the school is that a child attends. One of the best predictors of student success is the extent to which parents and teachers engage.  The measure of a healthy school depends on the quality of relationships–chiefly the relationships among students, teachers, and parents.

Teachers who connect with parents about their children’s education often see a profound change in their classrooms. Engaged parents tend to think highly of teachers, which improves teacher and student morale. Knowing more about a student’s family life helps teachers prepare and deliver lessons that better fit students’ needs.

That’s why Whistler Waldorf holds three class parent evenings each year, and events such as “Mom and Dad Nights”. Not only do these evenings focus on student life; they focus on connection and learning more about each other as we explore the principles of learning that live within our school.

I look forward to learning and laughing together at tonight’s Mom’s Night!

– Rubeena Sandhu, Director of Education