Parent Council: Student Support with Dr. Sarah Boyer
Student Support and Fundraising Presentation and Q&A
All DWS parents are invited to join our last Parent Council meeting of the school year via Zoom. We will be joined by Student Support Coordinator Dr. Sarah Boyer, Health and Safety Manager Christa Gustafson, and Advancement Coordinator Hannah Ronan-Daniell.
Date: April 13, 2021
Time: 11am-12:30pm
Location: Online via Zoom
During the meeting, Sarah will review the student support referral process and share family resources. Hannah will be joining to discuss fundraising at DWS, letting families know what to expect throughout the year, what we do to fundraise and why, and how we can all help to foster a culture of generosity in our community.
Both segments will be followed by a Q&A.
Please register to attend.
About Sarah Boyer
Sarah Boyer grew up near Rapid City, South Dakota and made her way to Iowa’s Grinnell College in for her undergraduate degree where she read lots of books and wrote lots about lots of books. After Grinnell, Sarah moved to western Massachusetts for her masters program in poetry and then to Denver for her PhD work in writing. She wrote HOWARD, a book of poems about learning to live with a chronic illness published by a small press in upstate New York (sunnyoutside). Teaching, writing, and reading are all of her favorite things. Her partner is a farmer who runs a community supported agriculture program. They live in Lakewood with their three-year-old and a dog named Oyster who fancies herself royalty.
Webinar Registration
About The Denver Waldorf School
Founded in 1974 on Rudolf Steiner’s humanitarian curriculum, DWS believes education should foster what it is to be human, cultivate lifelong curiosity, and inspire a love for the world. Want to learn more about the benefits of Waldorf education? Join us online during one of our many virtual events.
In Response to the Boulder Tragedy
With the recent atrocities in our nation, I want to provide resources for assistance in talking with your loved ones about how to process and handle tragedy. I encourage all of you to be gentle with yourselves and allow space for different styles of processing when tragedy occurs. Also, make extra effort to check in with the children and teens in your life. Much love to you all!
For more on the many facets of mental health, please visit my blog Jenny’s Corner. or catch our webinar led by Charlie Orphanides on the benefits of movement in educating the whole child.
Talking To Kids About The Paris Attacks—By What’s Your Grief
Starting with the awareness of our own response, this listicle gives us 12 ways in which we can actively offer children and adolescents support.
Resource List—By the National Child Traumatic Stress Network
A list of links to specific articles within the NCTSN website that help adults understand the effects different kinds of events can have on children and adolescents of various ages, and what to do to reduce trauma and promote resilience. Some articles are available in Spanish.
Explaining the News to Our Kids—By Common Sense Media
A 30 second video accompanies this article talking about the potential trauma of constant media exposure, especially when tragedy occurs. Addressed are appropriate responses according to age group, roughly matching the first three planes of development.
How to Talk to Kids and Teens About World Trauma—By Karen Young of Hey Sigmund
10 general tips for having conversations that will help children manage and accept catastrophic events and find hope again followed by specific advice for each age group, roughly following the planes of development.
Talking About Tragedy—By Jack M. Jose for Angels and Superheroes
Jack M. Jose, principal of Gamble Montessori, gives teachers 4 questions to guide student discussion, and quite a lot of insight. Although aimed primarily at Secondary teachers, this article is also useful for parents and teachers of younger students.
Kids and Disasters: How to help them recover—By Betty Lai for The Conversation
A look at the short and long term effects of trauma caused by the experience of a disaster and ongoing trauma, such as war, on children, and how to support the development of resilience.
Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers—By the National Association of School Psychologists
7 tips to support children, and a list of talking points to keep in mind and emphasize in conversation that will reassure while maintaining a realistic outlook.
Read-a-Thon
Our beloved Read-a-Thon Fundraiser
Kindergarten through high school students are making reading a ritual with our annual Read-a-Thon Fundraiser.
Register or Sponsor a Student
Learn more n how to support The Denver Waldorf School.
Basketball Season Highlights
Reflecting on a Stellar Spartan Basketball Season
About the 2021 Spartan Basketball season, our coaches had plenty of positive things to say:
We saw a resurgence of the girls program, led by a group of Juniors (Eliza Blanning, Stazi Salazar, Daisy Neyman, and Liv Kuijper) and some talented newcomers (transfer Hannah Witkoff and Freshmen Maisa Volk and Megan Blanning). The Spartans will return a strong core of players that grew throughout this season. They look to add some talented 8th graders to the mix next year to make a strong push at a league title next year!
The boys team continued to accept tough challenges again this year, and for the third consecutive season, they made State contention post-season play. The Spartan boys are losing a couple of valuable seniors (Kobi McMillen, Jack Carr, and Alex Reynolds-Scheel), but are returning a strong core of players that are hungry for bigger things. Led by the Junior class (Will McHenry, Dylan Quinn, Lucas Lewis, Izzak Hayes-Rogoff, Jonah Carr, and Jasper Pastor), this Spartan team is battle-tested and will be ready to make its mark next year in our league and in the state!
In the Coaches' Words
Overall, this year's basketball season was such a huge success, considering up until mid-December there was no guarantee of a season due to Covid restrictions. We are so very proud of all of our student athletes for their hard work and commitment to our school and sports program!
"We had a great season—something to build upon—not just for our team but for our school. The future is bright for DWS Girls Basketball."
—Brian Davis, Denver Waldorf Girls Basketball Head Coach
"Our boys team fought through a tough season of uncertainty and made it to the State Tournament playing and giving their all. We look forward to growing in the off-season and coming back stronger than ever."
—Michael Quinn, Denver Waldorf Boys Basketball Head Coach
All League Awards
We would also like to acknowledge a few players who were recognized for their achievements on the court by other coaches with the league. All League Awards are a breakdown of the top players in the league (1st team the the top 5 players in the league, 2nd team represents at top 10 player in the league and Honorable Mention represents players in the top 10-18 players).
1st Team All-League
Will McHenry
2nd Team All-League
Eliza Blanning
Honorable Mention
Dylan Quinn
Hannah Witkoff
Maisa Volk
Congratulations on a great year! GO SPARTANS!
Social U: How to Build an Online Presence
How to Build a Positive Digital Presence
Do your social media profiles paint you in the most positive light for landing an internship or job or getting into your top pick for college? Before you start applying, learn how to create your personal brand online with marketing experts Anne Macomber and Andrea Enright.
Date: March 23, 2021
Time: 12pm MST
Location: Online via Zoom
Please register to reserve a seat.
What You’ll Learn
During this workshop, Anne and Andrea will focus on key communication skills as juniors and seniors get ready to launch into the future. You’ll learn how to:
- Make the most out of social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram
- Write a compelling email
- Start wrapping your head around writing a résumé
About Anne Macomber
With 20 years of experience as a creative storyteller in Advertising and Marketing and writer and 10 years in management, Anne nurtures a strong team culture of curiosity, collaboration and creativity. From overnight survivalist training in the Colorado Wilderness with a former Marine to annual Halloween movie & makeup sessions, team culture has always been a leadership priority for her. As a leader, she is fiercely dedicated to building teams, having fun, landing the plane, making the impossible possible and employing an inventive use of swear words.
About Andrea Enright
Andrea is a small town Illinois girl, living in a Colorado world. She runs The Boot Factor and her messaging, storytelling strategy, spirited coaching and personal branding has helped coaches and consultants get noticed, get clients and get brave with their brand since 2002. Andrea’s past includes corporate drudgery, hum drum content marketing, B-movie acting and plenty of hitchhiking in dangerous countries. Obviously, no reason not to trust her!
About The Denver Waldorf School
The Denver Waldorf School is an urban pre-K through 12 independent school in Colorado. Founded in 1974 on Rudolf Steiner’s humanitarian curriculum, DWS believes education should foster what it is to be human, cultivate lifelong curiosity, and inspire a love for the world.
The Denver Waldorf High School offers a liberal arts education, consciously aimed to nurture and encourage adolescent ideals. The high school experience aims to balance the students’ academic needs with their longing to find meaning in the world.
We are currently enrolling for in-person learning. Learn more about our onsite tours and in-person shadowing for:
Want to learn more about us? Schedule an in-person tour of our Denver campus or join us online during our virtual events.
Register to Reserve a Spot
Drug and Alcohol Parent Education
An Evening with Colt Smith
We understand adolescence is a time of risk taking, but the more we know about the effects of drugs and alcohol on the teenage brain, the more we can act proactively dissuade use in our students. Want to learn more? Join School Counselor Jenny Thompson and Colt Smith in a discussion on how substances are affecting our youth. All are welcome to attend!
Date: March 18, 2021
Time: 7pm MST
Location: Online via Zoom
Please note that Colt will be speaking to our high school students about his own journey in and out of recovery and his knowledge of how it negatively affects our ability to make sound decisions for ourselves and our future. He realizes a one-hour presentation is not all it takes to reach our youth, so, Colt will also have information about how we can continue to support our students throughout the teenage years.
About Colt Smith
Colt Smith is an award-winning speaker who himself is a recovering addict. He brings compassion, empathy, and a breadth of knowledge about the effects of drugs and alcohol on the human being. Learn more about him on his website Colt’s Drug Talks.
About The Denver Waldorf School
Founded in 1974 on Rudolf Steiner’s humanitarian curriculum, DWS believes education should foster what it is to be human, cultivate lifelong curiosity, and inspire a love for the world. Want to learn more about the benefits of Waldorf education? Join us online during one of our many virtual events.
Register to Reserve a Spot
All parents of Denver Waldorf High School students are strongly encouraged to attend.
Parent Belonging Group
The Denver Waldorf Parent Belonging Group
The Denver Waldorf Parent Belonging Group (formerly known as the Racial Justice Parent Group) is a collaborative and dedicated group of lifelong learners and Waldorf families who are committed to the process of deepening their knowledge, awareness, introspection, and advocacy skill sets around issues race, identity, gender, neurodiversity, and more through discussion and book study together. This group is dedicated to being a safe space for all – where non-expert learners can share, question, discover, grow, and work alongside one another to create a more inclusive, fair, equitable, honest, peaceful and unified future.
Our Meetings
We meet every other Wednesday from 8:30 – 9:30am.
Upcoming Dates: 1/10, 1/24, 2/7, 2/28, 3/13, 3/27, 4/10, 4/24, 5/8
Time: 8:30-9:30am
Location: DWS Parent Council Room
We recently ready “Normal Sucks” by Jonathan Mooney. We are currently reading “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates, and then we will move on to “Real Queer America” by Samantha Allen.
About The Denver Waldorf Parent Belonging Group
The Denver Waldorf Parent Belonging Group was first formed as the Racial Justice Parent Group in the fall of 2020 as a response to the growing desire within the DWS community to ensure that the relevant and needed topic of racial justice was talked about throughout the school year and remained a topic of discourse that lifted up all people—including and centering around BIPOC voices. We will continue to read books about race and indentity, and now have also broadened our topics to other important matters such as gender, neurodiversity, and more.
We are committed to exploring these issues through fostering a safe, open, warm and non-judgmental container by which to deepen our awareness through studying and growing together.
Race and the Developing Child
Watch the Recorded Webinar: Race and the Developing Child
The 5 Stages of Development
Presented by the DWS Diversity and Inclusivity Committee, this webinar features a panel of DWS community members in a discussion on racial dynamics, creating a community of inclusion, and the 5 stages of development: conformity, dissonance, resistance & immersion, introspection, and synergetic articulation & awareness.
Date: March 15, 2021
Time: 6pm MST
Location: Online via Zoom
We will follow the presentation with a live Q&A. Please register to reserve a seat.
What You’ll Learn
In addition to providing tips and tools—from at-home resources to supportive storytelling and imagery, the panel will discuss commonly asked questions such as:
- What is your experience and that of your children with around cultural identity?
- What is “otherness” and code switching?
- Where do we see DWS striving?
- What are ways to create a community of inclusion?
About the Panelists
Waldorf Educator Magally Luna
Magally began as a Spanish teacher school-wide at The Denver Waldorf School and worked in that position for 18 years and now is focusing her energies on the current 4th grade. She is bringing a diverse curriculum to her class of cuties. She has been on the Diversity committee since it’s beginning, starting with conversations with Laurie Clark in the Morning Glory classroom. She is the founder and co-chair of AWSNA’S BIPOC affinity group supporting Waldorf teachers of color throughout the nation. She has taught BIPOC stories, songs and movement from the Americas at several National conferences.
DWS Board Member Steven Hill
Steven Hill is a parent to a biracial 8th grader at the Denver School of Arts. He currently serves on the Denver Waldorf School Board of Trustees and is a member of the school’s Diversity & Inclusivity Committee. Mr. Hill is a past member of the Denver Waldorf School Development Committee. He earned his Juris Doctor at the University of Colorado School of Law Boulder, CO. He served serves on the Board of Directors, Families Forward Resource Center Denver, CO an organization that deals with social, economical, and racial disparities for families in Colorado. He has served as a Trainer for licensed Foster Care Parents and Kinship Parents in the state of Colorado teaching the topics of diversity and inclusivity, culture, discipline, child abuse, and child placement.
Linda Hsieh, LPC, ACS
Linda is a therapist and coach dedicated to the healing and thriving of QTBIPoC in Colorado and abroad. She is the daughter of immigrant parents from Taiwan, born and raised in the Denver Metro area. She’s mother to Kai (3rd grade) and Meilin (1st grade), and partner to Vernon Dewey (8th grade teacher).
D&I Committee Member Mahdyeh Nowkhandan
Mahdyeh is a new DWS parent, and has recently become one of the leads on the new Denver Waldorf Racial Justice Parent Group. She has a background in advocacy work and racial justice, as well as elementary education — including social-emotional and special education. She is a recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Award, and still she views herself as a life-long learner, non-expert, and an always growing member of the BIPOC community.
D&I Committee Member JP Box
JP is a parent to biracial DWS second grade twins. He graduated from Bowdoin College with a double-major in Spanish and Sociology, culminating in a senior-year independent study on the intersection of basketball and race. While in law school, JP helped lead an effort to revise The Georgetown Law Journal’s selection criteria to ensure a diverse and inclusive publication. Together with his partner, Sarah, he is the co-founder of Chasing Windmills, a merino wool children’s apparel company.
About The DWS Diversity and Inclusivity Committee
Waldorf Education is founded in a worldview that acknowledges the spiritual nature of all beings. Waldorf education fundamentally recognizes and values the many people and perspectives of the world. It honors the freedom, equality, individuality, and unique capacities of each child and is dedicated to creating an inclusive community that respects and affirms each of its members.
The Diversity and Inclusivity Committee believes that diversity and inclusiveness strengthens education and fosters the essential element of respect that prepares students to live and work in a global environment.
Purpose
The Diversity and Inclusivity Committee endeavors to create an inclusive community of faculty, staff, parents and students by working to address and dismantle oppression within our DWS community. Committee meetings provide a forum for discussion, education, and exploration of issues of age, ancestry, color, creed, disability, family composition, gender, gender-identification, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status.
The committee is charged with helping to shape The Denver Waldorf School as a place where families, faculty, and staff of all backgrounds feel welcomed and valued.
The committee provides communication to the Board of Trustees and to the College Leadership Council with regard to the diversity scholarship, issues that are facing the student body, parent body, and community. Committee members act in accordance with the Mission, Vision, and Core Values of The Denver Waldorf School.
About The Denver Waldorf School
The Denver Waldorf School is an urban pre-K through 12 independent school in Colorado. Founded in 1974 on Rudolf Steiner’s humanitarian curriculum, DWS believes education should foster what it is to be human, cultivate lifelong curiosity, and inspire a love for the world.
The Denver Waldorf High School offers a liberal arts education, consciously aimed to nurture and encourage adolescent ideals. The high school experience aims to balance the students’ academic needs with their longing to find meaning in the world.
We are currently enrolling for in-person learning. Learn more about our onsite tours and in-person shadowing for:
Want to learn more about us? Schedule an in-person tour of our Denver campus or join us online during our virtual events.
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The Bridge: Movement and the Waldorf Experience
Up Next on The Bridge: Why we move
Wondering why movement is paramount in the Waldorf curriculum? This month on The Bridge, Waldorf educator Charlie Orphanides takes us on a brief journey through the field of movement, where we will move a bit ourselves and discuss the increasing relevance and indeed necessity of movement in our schools and in the lives of children in general.
Date: March 24, 2021
Time: 7pm MST
Location: Online via Zoom
We will follow the presentation with a live Q&A. Please register to reserve a seat.
What You’ll Learn
During the presentation, Charlie will cover why and how we move in our Waldorf schools—specifically, speaking to the influence and impacts of the whole human being, from the base physiology to subtle neural activity and even into the realm of the spiritual or finer aspects of the human experience.
From Gym and Games classes to the art of Eurythmy, from handwork and woodwork to circle time and jump roping multiplication tables, Waldorf education moves each student in diverse ways. With deep intentionality, Waldorf teachers are also mindful of how they move, the postures they hold, and even the ways in which they uphold their stamina to work with seemingly tireless children all day long.
About Waldorf Educator Charlie Orphanides
Truly a mover, Charlie is an integral part of The Denver Waldorf school faculty, and came to our school after teaching at Waldorf schools in Boulder, New York City, and New Hampshire. He has been teaching for a decade, and began his career fortified with an English degree from Lewis and Clark College, a master of education degree and Waldorf teacher certification from Antioch University—complemented with many trainings in movement, art, and meditation studies. Charlie is also a graduate of a 5-year training program in “Spacial” Dynamics, certified in Bothmer Gymnastics (based on exercises from the first gym teacher at the first Waldorf school), and has been teaching circus for more than 7 years.
Away from the classroom, Charlie’s hobbies include gardening, fixing and building things, running, bicycling, playing with his two sons, reading, writing, studying a variety of healing modalities, and playing guitar and piano (along with anything else with which it’s fun to make music!).
About The Bridge
The Bridge is a monthly webinar series hosted by The Denver Waldorf School on the benefits of Waldorf education. By connecting one another, we aim to join in the worldwide effort to educate for humanity.
About The Denver Waldorf School
The Denver Waldorf School is an urban pre-K through 12 independent school in Colorado. Founded in 1974 on Rudolf Steiner’s humanitarian curriculum, DWS believes education should foster what it is to be human, cultivate lifelong curiosity, and inspire a love for the world.
The Denver Waldorf High School offers a liberal arts education, consciously aimed to nurture and encourage adolescent ideals. The high school experience aims to balance the students’ academic needs with their longing to find meaning in the world.
We are currently enrolling for in-person learning. Learn more about our onsite tours and in-person shadowing for:
Want to learn more about us? Schedule an in-person tour of our Denver campus or join us online during our virtual events.
Conversations Book Study
Open to all and led by Cynthia Bennet, Conversations is a weekly Waldorf discussion group and book study on:
- Our children’s needs in these challenging times
- Deepening our understanding of Waldorf education
The group’s aim is to deepen our understanding of the basic principles that underlie Waldorf Education through readings from Steiner’s lectures and writing. We will use the readings as a basis for a discussion of our children’s needs in these challenging times.
Book Study
Date: Every Friday morning
Time: 9-10am MST
Location: Online via Zoom
Current Reading: The Care and Development of the Human Senses by Willi Aeppli
On March 3, we will start with the intro.
About Cynthia Bennett
Cynthia Bennett is a Waldorf educator with a long time interest in how Waldorf education meets the needs of today’s children. She has extensive experience teaching and mentoring teachers in Waldorf schools. She worked for many years with Jack Petrash of the Nova Institute as a parent educator and Waldorf teacher trainer. Since 2017, Cynthia has been a member of the DWS community, supporting the faculty and leading study groups for parents.
About The Denver Waldorf School
Founded in 1974 on Rudolf Steiner’s humanitarian curriculum, DWS believes education should foster what it is to be human, cultivate lifelong curiosity, and inspire a love for the world. Want to learn more about the benefits of Waldorf education? Join us online during one of our many virtual events.
Register to Reserve a Spot
Register once for all Conversations discussion group sessions.