Seasonal Life

May Day at Madrona School

Spring is upon us and at Madrona School, like many other Waldorf schools in the northern hemisphere, we celebrate with a May Day festival. Our traditions include making flower crowns, an all-too popular cake walk, lemon peppermints, maypole dancing, community picnicking and May cake and wine. It is a festive, beautiful day at school for all ages, especially joyful when the sun shines! We treasure the couple of times each year when we gather as a whole school community.

Here are some images from our most recent festival, taken by a few of our photographer parents, as well as the office -- thank you to all who shared their pictures!

A Season for Candles and Singing

The Shortest Day, by Susan Cooper, begins: And so the shortest day came and the year died / And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world / Came people singing, dancing, / To drive the dark away.... 

December at Madrona School brings candlelight and community singing. We gather together for our Spiral of Light festival, and the second grade brings us an annual Santa Lucia celebration. The classrooms sprout greenery and show off colorful windows, too. Our days are short but packed with a sense of festive anticipation. Enjoy this glimpse into this year's December.

Michaelmas at Madrona School

The weather turned fall-like just in time for our annual Michaelmas festival, and while the grade school had to practice their pageant in the rain in the morning, by festival time, the sun was shining! We had a lovely afternoon. Challenges for all ages, including boat races and an obstacle course for the young ones, and balance beams, pillow jousting, slack lines, tug o'war, giant knitting, and dragon bread roasting for older children. The grade school challenges concluded with a slightly ominous trip through the 7th grade-designed and run dragon's lair (tucked into the woods), where treasure awaited the brave. Then we feasted on potatoes from the garden, and a beautiful dragon's bread offered by the 2nd grade. The afternoon concluded with an all-grade school pageant -- gnomes, shooting stars, royalty, a brave knight and, in the end, a tamed dragon. Happy Autumn!

Harvest Dinner at Lowery Farm

Our recent Harvest Dinner was lovely -- thank you to everyone who was able to come and celebrate the new school year with us! The dinner was a kickoff to our year-long Community Fund efforts to raise $120,000 in non-tuition income in support of our school budget. And, we've  raised $56,000 to date! We are grateful for every gift we've received and thrilled that our re-organized fundraising program is off to a strong start. If you would still like to donate, please do so through our website here. 

Enjoy these photographs from the event -- a selection from talented parents Paige Clark and Julie Rings. Thanks for sharing, you two!

Working Together: The 2016 Annual Fund

With the school year off to a joyous start, we invite you to come together to support the school's important work. Our annual fund helps us fully fund our program each year, as tuition alone does not completely cover the cost of a Madrona School education. The theme for this year's campaign is "Working Together".

One thing that sets Waldorf education apart is its focus on guiding children toward becoming constructive members of a group. In a time of increasing social fragmentation in the larger world, our commitment to educating children to be compassionate, engaged members of their communities has real-world relevance.

Your generous gift today contributes to this legacy of caring involvement. Please join the board, teachers and staff of Madrona School in supporting the 2016 Annual Fund. Help sustain this special environment where your children can practice working together as they grow and mature into the people they are destined to become. See the appeal letter in your mailbox, or donate online here: madronaschool.org/annual-fund.

On behalf of all the children of Madrona School, we thank you!

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Madrona School Alphabet (F)

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As we continue to celebrate what makes a Madrona School education unique through the alphabet, we have reached the letter 'F' ... for Field Trips and Festivals!

Field trips take Waldorf education on the road, and many of our field trips are regular and highly anticipated additions to the curriculum.

As many of you know, and your children experience, our early childhood classes are outside each week -- to Lowery Farm, as well as each Friday to other island parks and beaches. Our young students, in full weather-appropriate gear, make a colorful and energetic addition to our community, and they are able to fully engage in the outdoors in a way that is just not possible in our smaller play yards.

Many field trips are designed to enhance the grade school curriculum. They become rites of passage too -- trips to look forward to as you move through the grades. In May, our third grade will embark on their first overnight, to Pioneer Farm near Mt. Rainier, to help wrap up their year long study of the practical arts. Earlier this year, our fifth grade made a trip to the Hoh rainforest during their botany block, getting creative when their trip fell smack in the middle of the government shutdown. And our sixth grade trekked overnight to Mount St. Helens for a geology block. What natural riches we have to explore in our backyard!

And we offer trips to build community between the regional Waldorf schools, too. Beginning in fourth grade with a potlatch on Whidbey Island, our students meet with other area Waldorf schools to explore common themes from their year. In fifth grade they gather and compete in a Pentathalon; in sixth grade they participate in Medieval games; in 7th grade they enjoy a Renaissance Faire. All wonderful opportunities to spread their wings a bit, and meet other Waldorf students beyond their class communities.

Festivals are a vital part of the rhythm in our community's year. Celebrating the passing of the seasons, festivals also offer the opportunity to come together and socialize school-wide. In September, we mark Michaelmas, with a re-telling of the legend of St. Michael and the dragon, playing through challenges that remind us of our inner strength and resolve as we move into the darker and wetter time of the year. Highlights of this festival include crawling through the dragon's lair built by our 8th grade, and feasting together on potatoes from our school garden. In November, the story of St. Martin illuminates kindness and generosity to strangers, and our students revisit his story and mark the dark night with lantern walks and songs. In May we celebrate the burgeoning of spring with May Day festivities, making flower crowns and dancing around a maypole. It is a joyful, colorful end to our festival year.

Michaelmas 2016

What a beautiful afternoon for our annual Michaelmas festival. We celebrate this time of year around the harvest, and call forth our courage and resolve as we head into the colder, wetter and darker time of the year. This past Friday afternoon, we enjoyed challenges (pillow jousting, rope climbing, an obstacle course, daring to go into the dragon's lair, etc.), activities like bread roasting and kite making, singing together and feasting on potatoes from our school garden. Thank you to the many hands that contributed to making this festival a wonderful success!

Images From The Season

At Madrona School, we mark the darkest time of the year with opportunities to remember and celebrate the light that shines within all of us. Enjoy this selection of recent images from the life of our school -- and Happy Solstice and holiday season!

Madrona School is a non-profit, tax exempt public charity organization incorporated in the State of Washington. Madrona School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender expression or identity, national and ethnic origin, sexual orientation, or religion in any of its programs, classes or activities.