Urban Prairie Waldorf School
Administration Weekly Update - April 3, 2014
Sections:
Upcoming Events   (2)
Saturday, April 5
10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Parent Education Study on Adolescence Featuring Brain Development Speaker

It’s not all just raging hormones and teenage doom and gloom! Our study group on adolescence continues April 5 from 10-11:30 am, featuring clinical psychologist John Ardizzone (Dona Nishi’s father, grandfather to Nora, 3rd, and Hana, incoming 1st) who will help us to see the positive aspects of the changes in the brain from early adolescence on.  And, technically speaking, the adolescent brain may be coming your way sooner than you think—changes begin as early as 10!
 

We will also discuss Part 3 (pp. 191-245) of Between Form and Freedom: A Practical Guide to the Teenage Years.  All are welcome and bring any and all questions you have!  Please RSVP, including childcare needs, at www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C0E48ABA92BA5FA7-upws.

 

ONLINE FORUM FOR ALL: We are creating a web discussion forum to share resources and insights amongst all parents, even if they can’t attend study group.  Please email Beverly McClellan at bevmcclellan@gmail.com to participate.

 

Parking is open from 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Thursday, April 10
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
UPWS Board Meeting

Board Study:

Meeting Agenda:

  • Tuition assistance philosophy and policy
  • Review of AWSNA Developing School Visit
  • Review of 2014-15 proposed budget

Past Meeting Minutes:

 

 


Reminders   (2)
Spring Break

No School from April 14 -18 for Spring Break.

Grandparent's and Special Friends Day, May 2, 2014

Over the last week, letters were sent out to Grandparent’s or Special Friend’s addresses as provided.

As the UPWS family please be aware that we are requesting the everyone RSVP by Friday, April 25 if they plan to attend the event.  Should you have any questions, please contact Peggy Lofgren at peggy.lofgren@urbanprairie.org.


School News   (3)
All School Field Trip, April 7
Please complete the attached form and send it with your child to school tomorrow or send it via e-mail to peggy.lofgren@urbanprairie.orgby Sunday, April 6.  A few items of note for this field trip:
 
  • Children will be outside all day so please dress them appropriately.
  • If your child is not well enough to be outside all day they will need to stay home as all faculty will be attending the field trip.
  • Hot lunch is NOT available so all students will need to have a snack and lunch packed and brought to school.
Please reach out to your class teacher or Peggy Lofgren if you have any questions.

UPWS all school field trip April 7

New Family Class Observation, April 9 at 8:30 a.m.

There is a Class Observation for perspective parents on Wednesday, April 9, at 8:30am.  If you have friends who are still looking for a school (now that CPS decision letters have arrived), please share your experience with them!  We have space available in several grades and are looking for families committed to a great education for their children.

UPWS Summer Camp

We are very excited to be offering full and half day summer camp this year at Urban Prairie with weekly special subject offerings such as Mandarin, Spanish, Music, Book Making and Circus Camp.

Camp will be available to UPWS and non-UPWS students.   We hope to see your child this summer! Click here for more details.


News from Parent Council   (4)
Buy Bridgeport Coffee and Tea and support UPWS

Urban Prairie is teaming up with the Bridgeport Coffee Company again this year to sell delicious coffee and tea that your family and friends can enjoy. We’ve chosen three coffees and four blends of loose tea for a range of tastes. Each bag will sport an Urban Prairie label, and all proceeds will go to benefit the school. Please share web info with your family and friends.  Thank you for supporting this “pop-up” fundraiser!  Please contact Jennifer Sutton (1st grader Juliana’s mom) for more details.

Please click here to be directed to the online order form.

Orders must be received by Friday, April 11th and will be delivered at school pick-up and drop-off byWednesday, April 23rd.

April Drop Off Volunteers
Thank you to those that continue to volunteer in drop off line.
 
For those parents that prefer warm weather now is your chance to join us outside.  You might be faced with rain but at least it is not -25 with wind chill.
 

 

 

Adopt-a-Beach 31st Street Beach Clean-Up
When: Saturday, April 26th, 9:30am-11:30am
Where: 31st Street Beach
 
Warm summer breezes and beach days are not far away!  We’re looking for UPWS families to join in a school-wide cleanup of 31st Street beach, home to UPWS summer beach Tuesdays.  Families with children of all ages can help.
 
With your help we will collect, sort and catalog trash, assess and measure the wind and current, take water samples, look for wildlife and complete other diagnostics. The information we collect helps the Alliance for the Great Lakes, a Chicago-based nonprofit, advocate for healthier beaches and cleaner water.  In the past, such data has helped secure smoking bans on Chicago Park District beaches and improve bacterial testing to make beach closings more accurate. 
 
– RSVP to Beverly McClellan at bevmcclellan@gmail.com by April 21st.
Angelic Organics CSA Sign Up

Just 10 more orders to go for UPWS to get our own drop off spot.

Urban Prairie is proud to announce that we can be a drop site for Angelic Organics if we sign up 20 customers by the end of March.  sign up here.

 
Curious as to what type of box you should order?
 
The Nishi’s and Ms. Vandermeulen got the half vegetable share last summer, and the food lasted for two weeks and was just the right amount for them. They also did the extended share until November and had some nice squash among other vegetables.
 
The Stewarts get the full share weekly box, which feeds their family of five and then some!
 

Angelic Organics is a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) family farm that has been growing Biodynamic vegetables and herbs for people in the Chicago and North Central Illinois area since 1991. (We currently grow for over 1600 Shareholders/Customers.) We work directly with households like yours, without the intermediary of stores or wholesalers. This allows us to provide the freshest quality produce and the most competitive organic prices.

 

Beyond meeting the requirements of farming organically, we are committed to nurturing soils and plants to extraordinary health!  In 1993, this goal led us to adopt Biodynamic farming practices, which enhance both the substance and the forces in food. Learn more about our Biodynamic program.


Community News and Updates   (2)
Crafter's Guild

Due to Spring Break, Crafters’ Guild will move to this coming Monday, April 7, at 8:30am at UPWS.  We will be making beautiful wet and dry felted decorated eggs.  Please join us for a fun (and productive) morning.  Children are welcome.

City Garden Study

Sing and Study with Ms. Avellone continues Thursdays at 7:00pm in Ms. Avellone’s class. We’ve finished chapter one of Steiner’sTheosophy, and are reading for this week the first half of chapter 2, up until the last break (a little more than halfway). Next week we’ll be finishing chapter two. But come anyway, even if you’ve never read a lick of Steiner. You’ll get something out of it!