Osprey Community Educational Association

Natural Delights Medjool dates are the secret ingredient in this delicious, healthy crust recipe that’s perfect for holiday pies and tarts. Get the full recipe on our site: https://goo.gl/dlxHqi

I visited a new home group in Cornville AZ this past week. What a beautiful and serene setting for Little Cottontail Nursery. They are building for the future families of young children now. Thank you so much for the lovely mornings.

Calling all parents with 3, 4, 5 and 6 year olds interested in a parent coop using Waldorf methods and/or enrichment classes for your children. Osprey will host an educational meeting on Wednesday August 24th at 6pm -8pm at Twin Ridges Home Study Charter School at New Mohawk Road in Nevada City. We will discuss the new interest this summer for enrichment classes and meet to discuss a parent co-op class offering. Please call 478-1204 with questions. Due to the short notice there is no child care at this event currently. Let me know if your family might be willing to help out with this for this evening only.

http://www.edu4allnow.org//injunction-sought-for-mandator/

Some wise advice for parenting small children and bringing something of Waldorf ways into the home life: HEALTHY PARENTING OF YOUNG CHILDREN Children are deeply sensitive, open, exposed, and vulnerable to all they encounter, absorbing stimuli with their whole trusting beings. If a child has to deal with too much stimulus, he or she will, in defense, shut down the more sensitive parts of his or her being. This leads to the development of a toughened child and hardened adult,...Continue reading

Our time together is winding down. An exceptional spring has brought lots of blossoms and baby birds. Watching for the baby blue birds. Sierra Friends is the home of numerous blue bird boxes. We set out Wednesday on a walking flower tour of Nevada City. Ended up at Pioneer Park and watched NCSA and the 5th grade participating in their Greek games. The kids said their favorite part of the day was the treats at the Bistro and smelling the flowers. Next adventure day is Wednesday! Looking for some more kiddos for next year. Will be working with other home schools as well as a vendor so more possibilities. Has been a fun and enlightening year. Join us for the fun!

Gathering red clover for tea. making mothers day gifts, learning how to adapt to changing bodies full of loose teeth and welcoming friends for our May time cele...bration. The children are excited for the day and there is the most strong and secure May Pole ever for a Kindergarten class. Thank you Brendan for your vision and inspiration. The children have asked for roses for tomorrow and I am sure Mother Nature will cooperate. Look for pictures in a later post! See more

Sometimes in life, tiny miracles unfold and such is Dandelion Kindergarten Co=op this year. Recently a former student told me she says the blessing she learned with me a few years ago every night with her Dad. There are a few others out there as well who remember a moment in time as a young child. We hope the foundation we weave together continues to grow and thrives and makes a healing difference in every life. The Sierra Friends Center continues to offer a peaceful sanctuary filled with nature and good friends.

Dandelion Kindergarten Co-op past, present and future families - this is for you. You are in great company!

A MORNING IN THE DANDELION KINDERGARTEN APRIL 30 We want to invite everyone interested to bring your child to our second free "Morning in the Dandelion Kindergarten Coop" on Saturday, April 30, from 9:30 to 11:30 am. Like our last "morning," this is an opportunity for parents (even grandparents) and children who might be interested in enrollment in the kindergarten coop for next school year to experience our 230-acre site and Waldorf-methods kindergarten activities just outsi...de Nevada City. Children can experience a sample morning: circle activities, play time, a baking/cooking project, snack, outdoor excursion walk (probably visiting farm animal babies), etc. It will also be a chance for parents to meet our teacher Marguerite and others as well as ask questions about our program. This is primarily for children who will be 4.9 years old by September 2016, but we can also consider including some slightly younger exceptions. We ask those interested to please register in advance (call 530-478-1204 or email [email protected], also so that we can supply driving/parking directions). We should be sending out some invitations for this event, so please let us know anyone you know we can send them to. We would like to take care of most new enrollments by the end of May (the new class will start Sept. 1). Hope to see you there!

On THE DANDELION: "Millions of dollars are spent every year to eradicate essentially one weed. The lowly dandelion. Let's think this over for a minute. There are an ever increasing number of cases of hypoglycemia and diabetes in this country. Dandelion is one of the best herbs to use for healing these afflictions. Its leaves are incredibly nutritious, the root is not only a powerful medicine, but roasted it is also an excellent coffee substitute. Its flowers can be made into ...a delicious wine and they are also a favorite flower of bees. It builds soil and I have yet to meet a child who hasn't found joy in blowing its seeds into the wind. It is what I consider a workhorse of the plant kingdom. In addition to all of this, it was recommended by Rudolf Steiner for use as one of the six biodynamic compost preparations. What more could we ask of a plant." -- From "Society Needs to Reconsider the Dandelion," by Chris Korrow in Applied Biodynamics, Issue #32 Spring 2001. "The innocent yellow dandelion! In whatever district it grows, it is the greatest boon...It [biodynamic agriculture preparation #506] will give the soil the faculty to attract just as much silicic acid from the atmosphere and from the cosmos as the plants need, to make them really sentient to all that is at work in their environment. For they of themselves will then attract what they need." -- Rudolf Steiner, Agriculture, page 99 (Adams translation)

The friendly cows have names - Chloe and her daughter Daphne and mother to be Bridget. Today we whipped cream for our pancake snack with strawberries and the children want to make butter. A small bunny named Easter came to visit as well this week. The lambs have moved closer to the stone house so we have a short walk to them now. We gathered wool from the sheep when they had scratched on the trees in the orchard. Next week we will wash and dry it. Buttercups are blooming everywhere. We helped compost the last of the rainbow chard as the garden gets turned tomorrow for Spring planting. And did you know that the woodpecker once was a very tiny selfish old woman = so our story was this week. Great care of one another while learning the fine art of being in harmony with one another with kind words. A snap shot of the week.

The following quotation from a lecture by Rudolf Steiner (founder of Waldorf education) indicates the challenging ethical standard facing early childhood teachers and parents, especially when around children under age 7 -- also the unique understandings of child development active in the Waldorf approach. Please ignore the old-fashioned masculine pronouns in the translation: It is indeed true that the child’s actions imitate what goes on in the child’s surroundings. . . . ...the child, completely at one with his surroundings, inwardly experiences every gesture, every movement, made by the people around him. But he experiences every gesture, every movement, in its moral significance. Hence a child who is confronted with a choleric (in one aspect, hot-tempered] father experiences the immoral element connected with a choleric temperament. And the child experiences, through the subtlest movements of the people around him, the thoughts that these people harbor. Hence we should never permit ourselves to have impure, immoral thoughts in a child’s presence and say: Such thoughts are permissible, because the child knows nothing about them. This is not true. Whenever we think, our never-fibers are always vibrating in one way or another. And this vibration is perceived by the child, especially during his earliest years. The child is a subtle observer and imitator of his surroundings. ". . . The child does not imitate everything, but takes his choice. And this choosing is done in a very complicated manner. "Let us assume that the child has before him a hot-headed, choleric father who does many things that are not right. The child, wholly one with his sense-organization, must absorb all these things. Since his eye cannot protect itself, it must perceive what takes place in the child’s surroundings. "What the child absorbs, however, is absorbed only in the waking state. Eventually the child goes to sleep. Children sleep a great deal. And during sleep the child is able to choose: What he wants to absorb is sent out of his soul into this body, his physical organism; what he does not want to absorb is ejected during sleep into the etheric world. Thus the child takes into his bodily organism only those things that have been predestined fro him by his destiny, his karma. The working of destiny is seen with especial vividness in the child’s very first years. "A person with a merely intellectual bent often feels that he is tremendously clever and the child tremendously stupid. After acquiring insight into the world, we discard this opinion and begin to realize how stupid we have become since our childhood. . . . . . . "we value rationalism, and do not value the child’s unconscious wisdom. Rudolf Steiner "Man’s Being, His Destiny, and World Evolution," (1923) pp. 63-64. (photo from 1915)

This last week we waved good bye to winter and sang about Spring being on its way. Every day this week we have been greeted by the lambs and sheep grazing in the orchard, bluebirds, hawks, blue jays, unexpected flowers and new life. We watched a banana slug travel down several stairs. We also have been celebrating birthdays and new life. The baby was born!! We created hot cross buns during our baking which were the best yet. Today is Saturday and I will meet new friends visiting today to see what a morning might be like for the upcoming 2016=2017 school year. We will have out next event April 30th. If you know anyone who might like to visit, send them on today or April 30th. Blessings for a peaceful Spring Holiday.

We finally got a few photographs from the "field trip" earlier this month to see the visiting Tibertan monks creating their mandala at St. Joseph's Cultural Center, followed by a walk to nearby Condon Park. The children (and teacher) colored their own mandala patterns (photos).

Yesterday we attended a lovely tea party at the Inman home. The children arrived with gifts of flowers and crystals and we had a wonderful time. Sometimes the unexpected happens and we were also visited by the goats who decided to visit and tap dance on a table outside our lovely tea party set up. The children are eagerly waiting for the birth of Red's and Nicole's baby. They watched Red come to Nicole's rescue with goat herding. We have watched Nicole herd and walk the goats... for many months in all her stages of pregnancy. They are working on a gift for them next week. The week began with looking at the new lambs born and one child lovingly saying how much he wished he could just hold one of those little lambs. The blossoms have arrived a bit early this year and we are enjoying the Spring like weather. Reminders of soft child waking up. how, to stay safe with one another,. transformation through drawing, making jump ropes, sewing a pouch for a "Little One", discovering that egg replacer makes a great gluten free pancake rather than an egg, seeing blue birds, burying a hummingbird and listening to the hummingbirds around us as we did so, the telling of stories, and singing to all the flowers waking up are just a few of the fun things from this week. See more

HELP GET THE WORD OUT! A Morning in the Dandelion Kindergarten Coop An Experience for Parents and Children Interested in Enrolling 2016-2017 Saturday, March 19, 9:30 11:30 am 10375 Woolman Lane, Nevada City... What to expect: * See our building and grounds, and the kindergarten spaces * Children can experience a sample morning: circle activities, play time, baking/cooking project, snack, outdoor excursion walk (maybe a visit with the farm animals) * Questions and answer session for parents * For children who will be age 4.9 or older by September 2016 (ask us about exceptions) * Maximum of 10 children please register in advance NOTE: Drive 10 mph on Woolman Lane, and 5 mph on roads within the Sierra Friends Center Contact Osprey Community Educational Association to register, for driving directions, or questions: [email protected] or 530-478-1204

Yet another California student privacy issue, including medical privacy -- with not much time left to file the opt-out form by April 1: http://vaccineimpact.com//judge-orders-california-student/

Last week our mid winter moment was celebrated by a small snowstorm which gave us all a deepening of winter = for a moment. By last Thursday there were new lambs born and the discovery of a fruit tree in bloom in a sunny corner of the garden. The warm weather for the last week has produced new discoveries = the first bluebird, the first butterfly, the bulbs planted in the fall are beginning to come up. We entered the week planning for a dear friend to visit us to celebrate V...alentine's. Homemade cards were made and exchanged - heart cookies cut out and the fairy tale Snow White and Rose Red heard and acted out under the old oak tree on the property. We had two princes, Snow White and Rose Red , a mother = I played the gnome, bear and told the story. The children accepted my stick "beard" filled with lichen from a tree branch and it was carefully trimmed. I loved it when they said "let's play Snow White and Rose Red" instead of the many other things that could be played. The day ended with small hand sized balls being tossed in the air celebrating new found skills. And always on their minds with love are the dear friends who left for England = every morning the children sing good morning to him as well! He is well loved. As is our visitor of the day who with so much love and care remembered all of us. See more

RAISING SCREEN FREE KIDS A PARENT’S PERSPECTIVE Reflections on Screen-Free Parenting There are many reasons we give our daughter a screen-free childhood. But, really, many of those reasons are beside the point (or in addition to the real point), which is this: Our home and our lives are simply far more wonderful without it. One advantage of eliminating screen time is that I can be confident my 5 year old daughter’s play is inspired by her real life experiences and personal ...Continue reading

Have been waiting to write a bit about the lovely Advent Garden/spiral walk celebration we held the evening of December 9 with the Dandelion kinderarten families and friends. Since no photographs seem to be emerging, I am attaching one of another Advent celebration at a different Waldorf school. Ours had less candles, but another curve to a tighter spiral. And our spiral was composed of several types of local evergreen branches (which stood out nicely against the red stone fl...ooring) with various representatives of the kingdoms of nature: crystals, sea shells, pheasant feathers, etc. We heard the story of Mark and Mary's adventurous walk through the forest to visit their grandparents at Advent time with music on lyre and recorders, with much singing to accompany the children (and their mothers!) as they walked "the Advent way." Some of the apple candleholders needed a bit of assistance to stand upright, but the magical, reverent mood of growing light in darkness was very suited to the season and the festival. Thanks to everyone who participated! See more

On behalf of The Leadership Team, I would like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year! Thanks to Osprey's friends and community members we had a very successful first offering of our Dandelion Kindergarten Co=op class. All of the parents and friends involved have been able to witness the power of saying "YES" to a Waldorf -methods education at the beautiful Sierra Friends Center. We look forward to inviting more children and families to join the class in the New Year!

Osprey Community Educational Association has a new email address that replaces any previous address: [email protected]. Please contact us that way by email.

We finally got some photographs (Thanks, Gray) from the lovely St. Martin's Day Lantern Walk celebration held the evening of Nov. 12. The children had made candlelight lanterns in the kindergarten that day and many of the invited guests (including from the Woolman semester program and administration) also brought their own. The paths were marked out by about 50 luminaries (and a couple of jack-o-lanterns placed by Marguerite). After practicing our songs and a few words about ...kind St. Martin and letting our inner light shine bright as the outer daylight grows shorter and colder at this time of year, we walked singing our Lantern Walk songs from the Stone House to a fire kindled by Karen Inman near the playing fields. There we had hot apple cider and cookies and sang a wide variety of campfire songs, including the "Quaker anthem," a contribution from one of the seminar students, and a few mother-child faves before walking back again with somewhat fewer working lanterns. See more

A week off from class and what a week it was! Autumn really is evident now after a beautiful thunder, lightening and rain storm. At Dandelion Kindergarten this week we pause to appreciate Autumn in all her glory! A pumpkin or a few might find their way into the Kindergarten this next week. After not being together the Tuesday morning routine of drawing sounds like a great way to start. Thank you to David and Janet Adams and Rebecca Sweet and Spring Valley Eurythmy for the fantastic performance. It was fun seeing Dandelion Kindergarten Co-op Alumni family The Machado Family at the "Little Donkey" performance. And Osprey founder Brendan Banister and his Dad. It has been a year! Heart felt thanks to all for supporting this endeavor.

We are putting here on our main timeline the two great photos Karen Inman took of the Dandelion Kindergarten's low-key celebration of Michaelmas by baking "dragon-bread" (with rather seedy "scales"), remembering the image of Michael and the Dragon.

A rare (actually, first-time-ever) event is coming soon to the Center for the Arts in Grass Valley -- a public performance of the unique art of eurythmy! Eurythmy is a colorful, ethereal art of movement created in Europe in 1912 and is part of the normal Waldorf school curriculum for Grades 1-12 and sometimes kindergarten as well. In addition to their "adult, artistic" performance of poetry and music at 8:00 on Saturday, Oct. 17, the Eurythmy Spring Valley Ensemble from New Y...ork will also present a children's program at 7:00, the Grimm's Fairy Tale of "The Little Donkey," and the tickets are only $3! Strongly recommended! Advance tickets at: thetideisturning.brownpapertickets.org. Here is a summary of the story: The Little Donkey by the Brothers Grimm is the much-beloved story of the heaven-sent little donkey who is a king’s son, but who is, to his mother’s chagrin, in donkey form. There’s never been such a musical and charming donkeyhe even learns to play the lute with his little hooves. In despair about his donkey form, he ventures out into the wide world. His adventures really begin at the court of a king who has a soft spot for the little creature, as well as a most beautiful daughter. Come and see what happens to the little donkey at the royal court. Will he find his heart’s desire?

The children of Dandelion Kindergarten Co-op have been busy meeting the goats on the grassy hill with goat tender Nichole, performing the play "The Queen Bee", making Dragon Bread, planting bulbs, drawing, discovering new ways to play during creative play time singing new songs and eating healthy snacks. They have all grown! Many families are moving into new homes and we send many good thoughts for smooth transitions. As we enter October, we will all need our courage to forge... ahead. Marguerite's Teaching Tip of the week. A carefully chosen story can help your child with transitions. Depending on a child's needs, stories can help them overcome obstacles whether large or small. Our next story is Huggin and the Halloween Turnip which we hope to perform for the parents by the end of October. "Many days are bright in October, there is happiness in the air, Red and Yellow leaves on the Autumn trees are drifting everywhere" Dandelion Kinderagarten Co-op parents will gather this next Tuesday at 5:30 at the site for a Parent Evening that is important to attend. See more

Summer goodbye and hello to Autumn this week. The autumn breeze provided many falling leaves from the plum tree outside the door that we have watched change from the green of summer to autumn colors. It is also home to the burial of a bird which one of the children found which had sadly hit a window in flight. We met Carl this week who shared with us his birth story. We made a birthday book for him as today is his birthday! Creative play was all everyone wanted to do this week! We finished the play "The Queen Bee" which has been performed many times over. We watched the sorghum in the garden harvested and the garden soil turned over to be ready for garlic. Bulbs were lovingly received to be planted next week. Next week- Michaelmas.

We have met Maggie in the garden and discovered the Raspberry "Cave" which is like the last wisps of summer. The children all declared they taste best freshly picked. Discovered the lambs. Hiked to the Golden Meadow through the "Rocky Road". The Queen Bee is being performed now by the children. We made alot of soup yesterday from a big batch of fresh vegi's and shared with sick student and families. New toys arrived and are lovingly appreciated. The rain has prompted singing "summer good bye" in preparation for autumn. Today we paint and prepare the classroom for visitors over the weekend. We may also make applesauce from the bounty of apples we have. Thankful for this wonderful group.

Week Two in our beautiful setting. We have picked grapes and blackberries, met Red and the Garden interns, the mini donkeys, the goats, was visited by a buck during snack along with a family of quail. We took a sprinkler bath along with the birds, sang to the bluebirds in the big oak, visited the garden, went on an adventure walk, painted, drew, modeled with beeswax, made salsa from an CSA gift, have eaten yummy snacks, washed our dishes, sanded our swords so they will turn g...old, heard the Queen Bee story, watched ants carry a crumb we forgot to pick up. My favorite has been at the end of the day, one child singing away as he was gazing out the window, a boy running beautifully down the soccer field, a girl being sweet with a younger sibling, someone else being brave and the constant smiles. Next week we meet the goats to milk, perform a small play and have more adventures. See more

Dandelion Kindergarten Co-op - Today marks our new beginning working cooperatively together to create a space that will welcome children, parents, teachers, friends and perhaps the occasional critter or two to visit us. As I write this, a gentle cool breeze is blowing through the window bringing hints of cooler weather. The full moon is cooperating with an early morning beginning. Side by side, children and parents will learn together. But for today, we are hoping to keep the cleaning and preparation for the adults so as to give the children that magical moment of a brand new beginning.

Dear Parents and Friends of Dandelion Kindergarten, Now that we have finally been able to determine that we are going ahead with the Dandelion Kindergarten program (about which we are very excited!), we need to clean and prepare the classroom(s) -- that is, transform them into a Waldorf-methods kindergarten. We would be grateful for your help with this next Saturday, August 29, from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. We hope at least one parent for each child will be able to come to this ...Work Day -- only four days before class begins at 8:30 am ( to 12:30 pm) on Tuesday, September 1! We want to get everything looking as nice as possible before the children arrive on Tuesday. Please do not bring your children to the Work Day, but feel free to bring cleaning tools (dustcloths, brooms, mops, gloves, rags, vacuum cleaner, etc.), various cleaning agents, or other useful items (one thing that would be especially helpful is an ELECTRIC weed-eater, ideally with long extension cord). This is also a good time to see our site, if you haven't previously, as well as get to know each other a little bit (since you will be part of a parents homeschool cooperative). Here are driving directions to our site (sometimes called the "Stone House"): From Grass Valley: Go west on East Main Street/Rough and Ready Highway until it intersects with Bitney Springs Road. Turn right on Bitney Springs. About a mile down the road, turn right onto Newtown Road. Then take the second left turn onto Jones Bar Road. Less than a mile down Jones Bar Road on the right will be the large "Sierra Friends Center" sign. Turn right there onto Woolman Lane (a gravel road) and proceed DRIVING SLOWLY (around 10-15 miles per hour) until Woolman Lane "Tees" into another Road right in front of a parking area for the main office buildings for the John Woolman School (we will try to have a person there to direct you). Turn left there and follow the winding road around to the right until it comes to a small parking lot before a blue and stone building (our site!). From Nevada City: From Highway 49 going west of Nevada City, turn left onto Newtown Road and follow it approximately 3 miles to Jones Bar Road, where you make a right turn and then follow the above directions to Woolman Lane. Hope to see you there, David Adams & Marguerite Vulfs, for Osprey Community Educational Association 530-478-1204 or 432-8712 (if you have questions)

Join us this year at Dandelion Kindergarten Co-op for a magical and inspiring year. We are still accepting inquiries for Fall 2015. We are looking forward to our first day, Tuesday, September 1st.

Dear Friends, In the Spring of 2014, a group of parents who had a commitment to Waldorf Education formed a Kindergarten Co-op and named it Dandelion. These dedicated families spent a whole school year creating a magical year for their children. To honor them and their efforts, Osprey Community Educational Association has continued with the name Dandelion Kindergarten Co-op. We also are looking at the cooperative model and forming our structure around it. After 10 months and ...much outreach and interest, we are excited about the next step. Please share this far and wide with your friends who have children age 4-6 and the beautiful program that promises to unfold. As well, Peach Blossom Playgroup, a parent-child group is hoping for more interest to be able to offer Friday mornings. We are grateful to Sierra Friends and the lovely site they have. Nurtured over the years, it promises to be a place of discovery where creative play and childhood memories can be created and experienced. Looking forward to the year. Sincerely, Marguerite See more

SPECIAL NOTICE: We currently are offering our Dandelion Kindergarten class and are excited that we are very close to the minimum completed enrollment we need to go ahead (with the first class day being Tuesday, Sept. 1). Thanks to everyone who has enrolled. But we need every family who has so far told us they are enrolling, received our enrollment/information packet, expressed interest, or otherwise spoken with us about the kindergarten for your child to respond fairly quickl...y toward a definite commitment (or not). In most cases (unless you have already done this) you and your child will need to meet in person with our teacher Marguerite Vulfs on Monday, August 17 and also have all enrollment paperwork and payments submitted and received by us by WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19. Marguerite will be waiting to meet with you on Monday, Aug. 17, at the children's playground at Pioneer Park in Nevada City at 9:30 am and at 5:30 pm (please call her first at 530-478-1204 to tell her you are coming). She may also call you about this within the next couple of days. We will make our final decision on Wed., Aug. 19 and then let everyone know. We are no longer offering a first-grade class this year (lack of enrollment), but we are still taking names for a possible Friday morning pre-K playgroup to start a bit later than the kindergarten. We also hope to schedule a group visit to our site sometime during the weekend of Aug. 22-23. We will let you know exact details if you are enrolled. If you have further questions, you can call either Marguerite or David (530-432-8712, afternoons or evenings), or send an email to [email protected]. Please consider the special benefits a Waldorf-methods educational experience can bring to your child!

We've now moved our start date for classes up to the first week of September -- to give everyone a little more time to get things in order. If you want to receive one of the information/enrollment packet that we sent out a couple of weeks ago, please give us your mailing address.

Another phone number to try is 530-432-8712.

The Leadership Team has sent out packets and we are beginning to hear from families. Some of you may have tried to contact us recently - please try again. All of us currently have busy lives and sometimes phone messages get erased. The best number to currently call is 478-1204. You can also Facebook message us!

A photo-collage of various views from our site. Enrollment packets being mailed out in the next few days. Call 478-1204 to make sure you get one! Click to enlarge.

Here are a few more pictures of our "classroom building," the "Stone House." We hope to mail out enrollment packets to all the names on our list as possible students for both kindergarten and first-grade within a few days. We are working with a parent cooperative homeschool model for both classes (also a Friday parent-child pre-kindergarten class), which also involves students being enrolled in the Twin Ridges School District Home Study Charter Program. More soon. FIrst two pics are interior shots of the kindergarten and then first-grade rooms, then some exterior views.

We will continue to post some photographs from our new site in the Stone House on the Woolman School (Sierra Friends Center) grounds off Jones Bar Road in Nevada City -- 230 acres of playing fields, pastures, gardens, forest, ponds, paths, etc. . We hope to get most students enrolled by July 15. Here are a few more images of our beautiful site.

We are pleased to announce that we will be located at the Sierra Friend's Center for the 2015-2016 school year.

Summer is just around the corner! The Leadership Team at Osprey has been busy finding a site and we will be announcing it as soon as this afternoon. Two weekends ago we had three great choices and we hope this time we have narrowed it down.

Did You Know... that many Waldorf Schools have their 8th Grade students each build a simple electric motor from scratch? Take a minute to watch this short video from the San Francisco Waldorf School. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzlGkITmNHc I had to build one as part of my Teacher Training at the Bay Area Center for Waldorf Teacher Training. What fun! Brendan's Did You Know

The Silver Rain The silver rain The shining Sun The fields where scarlet poppies run... And all the ripples of the wheat Are in the bread that I do eat So as I sit for every meal And say a grace I always feel That I am eating rain and Sun And fields where scarlet poppies run ~Waldorf Grace One of my favorite graces. Definitely one we will use in 1st Grade, but you are welcome to use it at home as well. I have been noticing the large white poppies and the California poppies. The large white poppy is called Matilija and is also known as the "fried-egg" poppy. Has anyone seen red poppies recently? This grace can be used anytime of year, but I think it might be especially fitting now. Enjoy the last bit of Spring, Brendan Banister Osprey Country School

We are beginning to get clearer on all that Osprey would have to offer, especially to the grades classes (starting with first grade this coming August). Special subjects in addition to the daily Main Lesson would likely be Handwork (knitting), Spanish, Visual Arts, Music, Gardening, Games ("phys ed"), Nature Study, maybe Eurythmy. With our likely new site we would have available (besides the classrooms) playing fields, a large garden, office, performance/meeting hall, and adjacent fields of farm animals. Again, more soon.

The attached image shows the results of an envisioning exercise that a group of teachers, parents, and friends undertook April 11 in Nevada City, to highlight the ideal qualities of a site for Osprey. We are still looking for our site, so we hope this will help!

May Children's Potluck! We would love to have you join us for the Osprey Country School's May Children's Potluck at Western Gateway Park in Penn Valley. We are currently looking for the date that will work for the most Families. The possible dates and times are: Thursday May 7th from 4:30- 6:30pm, Friday May 8th from 4:30- 6:30pm, or Saturday May 16th from 10am- 12:30pm. You may facebook message us, email us at [email protected] or comment to this post. If you need to get in touch with us, you may also go to our contact page at: www.ospreyschool.org/home/contact Thank you and Happy Spring! Brendan Banister

A public informational and envisioning meeting about the new, independent Waldorf-methods school for western Nevada County, Osprey Country School, will be held Saturday, April 11, from 4:30 to 5:30 PM in the Community Room at the Helling Library in Nevada City. The free meeting will discuss the nature of this school, opening in the fall, its environmental education emphasis, and progress in finding a location for it. For information call 530-265-2945 or 530-478-1204 or email [email protected] or go to www.ospreyschool.org.

In the early grades Waldorf students make their own books and learn reading by reading their own writing (instead of the usual other-way-around). Parallel to humanity's own development of writing (out of hieroglyphs and pictograms), the students also learn their letters from story pictures.

Check out Osprey's new brochure (the other side)!

Check out Osprey's new brochure (one side only)!

Osprey Country School will be distinguished by adding a strong ecological/nature study emphasis to the more typical, holistic Waldorf curriculum. This will include Wilderness Studies (activities such as restoring native plants and animal habitat, removing invasives, forestry, discovery excursions, etc.), Agriculture (planting, tending, harvesting, composting, nutrition), and Horticulture (work with ornamental plants cultivating an appreciation of beauty). The school's purpose is to educate the whole child emotionally, physically, socially, and intellectually to enable the child’s potential to develop to the fullest extent. We accomplish this by combining a strong academic foundation with a cultivation of the child’s creative and imaginative capacities.

April 11 Community meeting coming up. Description and invites to follow. 4:30-5:45pm at the Madelyn Helling Library Community Room. This may be our last community meeting before the soft deadline of May 1 for enrollment. [email protected]

Temporary number is 530-478-1204

Resolving tech difficulty with our phone as soon as possible. In the meantime you can reach Brendan Banister at [email protected] or Maruerite Vulfs at [email protected]. We can also be reached at [email protected]

Enrolling for the 2015-2016 school year. Grades kindergarten and First. For more Information email: [email protected]

A site one mile from the Fairgrounds.

For those who wish to be more involved, please inquire about the Leadership Team. Next meeting is Jan. 21st at 5:30. Contact [email protected] for more information.

Thanks to everyone who came to the Jan. 10th Community Meeting today. It was a pleasure to meet new faces and to see old friends alike. The next community meeting is March 14 at 4:30 at the Madelyn Helling Library Community Room. Also a big thanks to the Leadership Team. Any one who wishes to get more involved is welcome to come to the next Leadership Team Meeting on Jan. 21 at 5:30-7pm. Email Brendan Banister at [email protected] for the address. Also if you are an interested parent with a child that might be in Kindergarten or 1st Grade Fall 2015 then come to the Parent Tea on Jan. 31 at 3-5pm at the Briarpatch Community Room.

Osprey Country School on front page of the local newspaper for the Jan. 10th Community Meeting. Info about the meeting at: https://www.facebook.com/events/812526228790586/ You need a log in to view the article published Jan. 3rd http://www.theunion.com//waldorf-banister-education-commun Cheers,... Brendan Banister See more