Sanderling Waldorf School Web Site
1578 S. El Camino Real,
Encinitas, CA 92024
t: 760.635.3747
f: 760.635.1037
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Fall evokes something deep within the soul - golden sun rays, dappled shadows, dark evenings, and cool, crisp mornings. For some of us, the time induces memories of trees changing color, harvests, and the sweet, smell of autumn. Whatever sensory perception you have of the season, it is sure to include apples. The word apple comes from the Old English aeppel. It's been around since the Iron Age and was cultivated in Egypt. First brought to the United States by the Pilgrims in 1620's, apple trees can live hundreds of years - they are true kindred spirits of the season. In tribute, Miss Melanie's 1st/2nd grade class embarked on a field trip to Julian to hand select some tasty specimens. The children enjoyed picking at RavenHill orchard, pressing fresh cider, and picnicking under a canopy of trees on Miss Melanie’s organic farm. Although temperatures were in the 90's and the Santa Ana's were blowing - it was a perfect autumn day - you could almost smell the fresh baked apple pie.  
"Through celebrations in their seasons are the deeper powers of human nature realized." -Rudolf Steiner In my mind, the settling into the school year is marked by the celebration of Michaelmas. Deemed the festival of strength, bravery and courage, the grades children partake in a short play depicting St. George's slaying of the venomous beast. After “taming” the dragon with hand crafted wooden swords, the children share bread baked in form of the beast himself - traditional dragon bread. Feats calling for the said characteristics are also played including a competitive game of tug of war. In summation, Michaelmas beckons us to find the spirit to come alive through the dying year. However, if you wish to dig a little deeper and find the parallel between "Michaelmas" and "St. George slaying a dragon" please check out the following link from A Journey Through Waldorf Homeschooling.  
"There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again." - Elizabeth LawrenceOn the first day of school each year, we hold a Flower Ceremony. As a rite of passage, the whole school joins together in welcoming the 1st graders, as they journey across the Rainbow Bridge to greet their new, 1st Grade teacher with a handshake and receive a flower from a 2nd Grader. Ms. Melanie welcomed 11 new students this year into her mixed 1st/2nd Grade class. Settled under the shady canopy of a large tree in dappled morning light, the children listened to a fairy tale of strength and courage, concluding their journey with a walk through the “arches of love” into their classroom. Behold the look of anticipation and excitement in their eyes....  
The end of each school year evokes a plethora of emotions - from a touch of melancholy, stemming from the passing of time, to anxiousness, as we anticipate future change. Our school embraces this transitional time with its' annual Sundowner Gathering. Heading to Moonlight Beach on the last Friday of the school year, we partake in the merriment of our comrades under the canopy of the summer evening sky. Families picnic, children play & adults chatter. The event marks a beautiful finale to another wonderful year. For they are all wonderful aren't they...each in their own special way? So the chapter closes & we bid adieu until we open the book again next fall. Happy summer.  
Sanderling’s Sander-Scouts ( aka ADVENTURE CLUB ) are at it again! This month’s jaunt - fishing for crawdads at Cotton wood Creek park. According to mom, Leslie Rucker, “deep in the tall reeds is a hidden swamp with hundreds of crawdads! These little guys were biting the turkey and salami bits hanging from our bamboo fishing poles! It was a magical misty day! :) “ The Sander-Scouts have adjourned for the summer – be on the look out next fall for upcoming outings!  
Ms. Melanie's first grade boys enjoyed an end-of-the-year field trip to Quail Botanical Gardens. Mom, Lindsy Richards, escorted the "true blue boys" to an afternoon filled with frolicking in ponds and catching snakes - the flora and fauna were admired as well! Quail opened the new Hamilton Children's Garden on June 13th providing an expanded environment for children and families to explore their natural world. Check out Quail Botanical Gardens for more information.   
As a final adieu to their beloved playmates, the students of Nursery/Kindergarten, who will be fledging into first grade next year, hosted a puppet show. The Golden Goose was performed with a full cast of hand crafted puppets. Simpleton, his two brothers, a little gray man, a king, a princess, and let’s not forget the story’s namesake – the golden goose - were among the characters brought to life amid soft light and lyrical voices. The Brothers Grimm would have been proud of this adaptation of their classic fairy tale. If you would like to relive the moment, check out The Golden Goose for a paper copy. 
One of the unique aspects of our curriculum is that it reaches students on more than one level. These levels are often summarized as “head, heart, and hands” and “thinking, willing, and feeling.” A carefully integrated, rich and developmentally appropriate curriculum leads to growth in seemingly unrelated areas of life. The inclusion of woodworking is a prime example. Woodworking encourages students to reach deep within themselves for unused and undiscovered skills and capacities. These new capacities are then available for other aspects of life. Complex thinking, visualization skills, patience and feeling a part of a “society” all come together during this exercise. Each week, Lisa Pool leads “next year’s 1st-graders” in a project. We’ve seen fairy boxes, stomping blocks and even custom tool boxes emerge from their “wood shop.”  
I can no other answer make, but, thanks, and thanks. ~William ShakespeareSanderling School’s 2009 Silent Auction was a success - $15,000 was raised to support school programs! Under the canopy of a beautiful, southern California evening, the school yard was transformed into a casual enclave where twinkle lights sparkled in the trees; soft music tickled ears; tasty treats flavored palettes; and amazing items tempted eyes. A magical evening…not only for the event itself; but, the reaffirmation of the strength and commitment of our community. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who donated items, time & effort to create and support this event. You truly did a wonderful thing. You, by way of your generosity, have made a difference in our children’s lives.  
Spring was officially welcomed on Saturday, May 2nd at our beloved May Faire festival. Traditionally, this festival marks what is considered the first day of summer in Celtic lands, and also is connected to the Roman Flora, the goddess of spring. There are select places in the world where young maidens rise early on May Day (May 1st) and wash their faces in the morning dew. Thus, ensuring a beautiful complexion for the rest of the year! Our children celebrated with festivities of a different kind. The traditional May Pole, with colorful ribbons hanging, provided the means for skipping, dancing and singing - while, flower crowns adorned sun-kissed heads and bell & ribbon bracelets created a sound with every step. Embry Rucker captured a beautiful story of the day. Please check out the following URL http://www.flickr.com/photos/sanderlingwaldorf/. Thanks Embry for the amazing photos!    
Miss Megumi’s Nursery/Kindergarten class adjourned for spring break on Friday, April 3rd. Anticipation of holidays to be shared & travels to be embarked upon filled the children’s chatter. One common thread united them all, each child headed into spring with a hand-made stoneware pot filled with seeding “Easter grass” – a symbol of the season’s emerging life. Multi-talented mom, Deanna Gunn led the children in the tactile craft of creating pinch pots, which then were fired and filled with dirt and wheat berry seeds. Happy Spring!  
The nursery/kindergarten play yard welcomed a new sand area last week. Installation was enjoyed by a gathering of onlookers eager to participate! No sand hill to small to scale & no log to awkward to carry…Lisa Pool, Lisa Hochman, Chuck El-Ghoury, Maxine Garcia & “Grandpa Garcia” were the envy of the post-school crowd as the benefactors oversaw the construction of their new space. A heartfelt thank you to the construction crew!  
Inspired by 2008 Audubon Medal recipient, Richard Louv, several Sanderling families created ADVENTURE CLUB. Meeting on Saturday mornings at various locations county-wide, the club’s mission is to combat Louv’s “nature-deficit disorder” - a newly coined phenomenon centering on the disconnection between children and nature. With modern children spending less time outdoors, Louv claims behavioral problems are sure to follow. So if you’re interested in combating fears of nature and the lure of the screen, check out ADVENTURE CLUB on Saturdays…it looks like a great time for all, as witnessed in last week’s snaps from the San Elijo Lagoon. For more information on ADVENTURE CLUB contact Lindsy Richards at lindsyrichards //@// mac.com...and if time permits, check out Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods hailed by the Boston Globe as “an absolute must-read.”  
The 2nd/3rd graders gave a stellar performance of St Michael and the Dragon. It is a story of bravery for the children to take into their hearts as we descend upon the darkness of winter. 
The St. Michaelmas celebration was an afternoon of fun and games that challenged the strength and courage in all of us!  
Our lovely Ms. Jenn organized a family day of picking up trash at Dog Beach in Del Mar. I believe we collected 200lbs of garbage. Most of it consisted of plastics, go figure. At Sanderling we do not have any plastics in the classrooms, all materials used are natural and non toxic. Waldorf Schools are inherently eco in so many ways; far ahead of the curve in this respect. FYI: Magical Child and Environgentle in Encinitas carry really nice glass containers with lids and Klean Kanteens! 
Dad setting the example of how to care for Mother Earth 
The Rose Ceremony is a right of passage for the first graders. Families from the whole school gather to witness the former first graders give a rose to each of the new students. It is a 'passing of the torch' and a symbol of readiness/openness for the journey into the world of academics.
After receiving the rose they crossed over the balance beam to shake hands with their new teacher, Ms. Melanie. Then after her beautiful story about a butterfly, the families formed an archway that twisted and turned all the way to the classroom door. Ms. Melanie and her new students walked through the passage and into their first day of the first grade. 
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