Dear Students and Parents,
I hope that you are having a good and restful summer. The teachers, staff, and I have spent part of our summers getting ready for next fall. Some planned improvements to our school include:
- More English and Foreign Language: We will offer three sections of each course in English, German, and Spanish this year, one each for 9th and 10th grades, and one for 11th and 12th grades combined. (In the past, we have combined 9th and 10th grades for English and foreign language instruction.)
- New Life Science Teacher: Please welcome Lee Magadini, who will accompany the 12th grade and me to Hermit Island this fall and who will teach life science blocks this year. She has a BA in theater from the University of Washington and an MA in biology teaching from NYU. This summer, she participated in the Secondary School for Field Research, in partnership with the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University and participating NYC public high, project-based instructional program focused on biodiversity and environmental research in tidal wetlands of the Hudson river and NY area.
- Longer School Day: Our school day will extend to 3 p.m. this year, adding 80-90 hours of instructional time to the school year. We are working on the transportation challenges that this may bring to some families, and will have more information soon. (We can already say that there will be a late bus to Columbia County, NY, on three afternoons per week.)
- New Admissions Director: Please welcome Tracy Thornton Fernbacher as Admissions Director. Tracy was most recently Admissions Director at the Great Barrington Rudolf Steiner School, and she brings enthusiasm, talent, and experience to the position. She is a trained Waldorf teacher and has experience at the Brooklyn Waldorf School and the Waldorf School in Chengdu, China. She and her husband, Michael, are 9th grade parents of Thornton. Tracy replaces Teresa O’Brient, who became our new Board Chair on July 1.
Now to the nuts-and-bolts. Much of our back-to-school information is on this website. Please check it often!
- School Calendar. All current calendar information, including school cleaning on August 23, our back-to-school picnic on August 28, and our first day of school (and the start of our annual Orientation at Camp Hi-Rock on September 3, is posted online.
- Book List 2014-2015 (updated 8-12-14) – Required books for the coming year. (New York State residents have many of these provided by their districts. The Book List will specify any book(s) not provided, or if a specific teacher is ordering books that will be billed.)
- School Supplies List – Required items for the start of school and every day after that.
- Camp Hi-Rock Letter & Medical Form – Orientation at Camp Hi-Rock, September 3-5, information letter, including packing list. PLEASE NOTE: There is no charge for the Orientation this year. In the past, we have charged $120 per student to cover costs, but, as tuition rises, we are reducing costs like this wherever possible.
- Hermit Island Information 2014 – Zoology at Hermit Island, September 14-19 (Seniors only—cost: $225.00 plus food). Information will be sent by email and is posted here.
Also, please find posted the following forms that need to be returned by the first day of school:
- STUDENT INFO FORMS 2014-2015 – Student information forms, including:
- Emergency contact information
- Health Record Form – Medical information
- Emergency consent to authorize treatment
- Dismissal authorization
- Authorization and release to photograph
- Field trip authorization.
- Physician’s health form. (You may substitute another form and records as long as they have been completed in the calendar year prior to September 6, 2013.) Massachusetts law requires each student athlete to have a physical exam every year; if you plan to play soccer, basketball, or tennis, you need a physical.
- Immunization or Exemption form
- Asthma-Allergy Action Plan
- Internet Policy (student & parent) Internet acceptable use agreement.
- Student Driver Authorization
- Soccer team permission
- Soccer Schedule 2014-2015
Other information—parent, student, and teacher contact information, an updated Student and Parent Handbook, and seminar and daily schedules, will be handed out at the Back-to-School Picnic at the school on August 28 and also available on the first day of school.
Here is information about the days leading up to and including the opening of school:
- Sat. Aug. 23: 9 a.m.-Noon. School Cleaning and set-up for fall. Join our community as we prepare our school building for the fall.
- Thurs., Aug. 28, 5-8 p.m. Back-to-school pot-luck supper at the school. Welcome new families and get reacquainted. Please plan for at least one member of each family to attend and bring a dish to share; there will be an all-school meeting (parents, students, teachers) at 7 p.m. (Students and families may use the field on Park Street and the tennis and basketball courts on Pine Street during this time.)
- Wed., Sept. 3, First day of school. HALF DAY. Students should arrive at school no later than 8:15 in assembly dress—jacket and tie for boys; modest skirt, dress, or dress slacks for girls, please. No denim, no sneakers. We will begin the day with a brief assembly at 8:30 to which parents are invited. Following this assembly, students will have a first seminar, followed by attendance at the Steiner School opening assembly, after which students are dismissed. Students should bring a lunch to school for the first day, and families may join them at the Steiner School picnic at noon if they wish.
- Wed., Sept. 3-Fri., Sept. 5, Orientation at Camp Hi-Rock. We will leave from the Steiner School for Camp Hi-Rock at 1 p.m. We will return to the Steiner School from Hi-Rock on Friday for the end of school. Please note: Pick-up is at the Great Barrington Rudolf Steiner School by 3 p.m. (Please note: Packing list and other information included with this mailing.)
- Sun., Sept. 14-Fri., Sept. 19, Senior Class trip to Hermit Island, Maine, to study zoology. (Please note: There is a $225 fee for this trip. More information soon.)
Please note: Contracts are due on or before the opening of school. Students of families who do not have a signed contract to begin the school year will not be allowed to attend school, per Board of Trustees policy. All contracts have been sent via TADS. Please contact Penny Saupe, Business Manager, business@waldorfhigh.org, with any questions about your contract.)
Please call me if you have questions about the material of this letter or anything else. Enjoy the rest of the summer!
Sincerely,
Stephen Sagarin, Faculty Chair