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“Yellow the bracken, golden the sheaves,

Rosy the apples, crimson the leaves,

Mist on the hillside, clouds grey and white,

Autumn, good morning, and summer, goodnight!”

Upcoming Events:

Parent –Teacher Conferences October 17-19 – No School

This is a wonderful opportunity to touch in with your child’s teacher and learn more about their progress so far this school year.  Times are by appointment on these days, as well as throughout the month.

Mermaid Faire – Preparation day – November 11^th – All Day; Faire – November 12^th, 2pm – 8pm

We need all hands on deck to create this magical day for all ages!  Please sign up in the email link you were provided.  Thank you so much to the families who have already committed to helping!

Please note:

Childcare is available for the preparation day if you need.

You may sign up for a 2 hour shift during the Faire, you do not need to work the entire event!

If you are unable to help, we also accept sponsorships – families or businesses can sponsor any of the activities listed in the email sign up and will be acknowledged on our website, Facebook page, and on the event program. Please email mangrovesarasota@gmail.com if you would like to sponsor this enchanted event! 

Lantern Walk – Friday, November 18^th, 5:30 pm, Siesta Key Beach

The lantern is the symbol of our own light which we can shine on a dark world, and we celebrate this time of year by holding a “lantern walk.”

We will meet by the playground and then do our beach walk complete with lanterns made lovingly by our dear children (in class).  The children will sing songs, and enjoy the stillness of the beach at night. As this is a reverent event, please do not allow your child to run the beach.

Parents are responsible for supervising their children during this event.  Friends are welcome to join!

Local Artisan Outdoor Market – Friday, December 2^nd, 5-9 pm. Accepting Vendor Applications –

Join us for an evening of stress free holiday shopping under the stars!

Shop local artisans with unique, handmade items for all the loved ones on your list this holiday season.

Free Childcare available in our Early Childhood classrooms – your child can make a surprise gift for someone special while you shop.

Enjoy refreshments and music while you savor the season.

Friday, December 2nd, from 5:00-9:00 pm

For vending opportunities, email mangrovesarasota@gmail.com

Other Important Dates

Friday, October 21 – No Little Clamshells Parent Child Class

Friday, October 28 – No Little Clamshells Parent Child Class

Tuesday, November 1 – Delayed Opening – 10 am   Before care available – please email mangrovesarasota@gmail.com if you need care before 10 am on this day.

Some housekeeping items:

It is important to keep children home when they are sick – they need to rest in order to recover, and when sickness spreads it can impact the entire class or even move through the classes, risking teachers being out.  Please see our illness policy in the parent handbook if you are unsure of when to keep them home.

If you do need to keep them home, please let your child’s teacher know ASAP in case they have certain lesson plans based on the usual number of students.  A text directly to the teacher works well.  If this can be done by 8 am, it would be very helpful.

Community Lunch will start back again on November 3^rd.  This is a wonderful weekly event that parents are always welcome to attend, and help with.  We strive to make all-inclusive meals so that everyone can enjoy them together.  If you are interested in helping out with this program, send an email to mangrovesarasota@gmail.com  each week, there are several hours’ worth of food prep, serving, and clean up that need to be done.  Helping out with Community Lunch gives students a deeper sense of connection to the school, and a feeling of pride for your work.

Thank you!

Thank you so much to so many who have helped in various ways over the past few weeks!  From festivals to the forest we have had so much support and we truly appreciate it!  Thank you to Sheri Hartnell, Rebecca Rothstein, John Munroe, Laura DiMeglio, Alison Goldy, Geoff and Ben Pierce, Natalie Maute, Maggie Gerendal, Dee Gangi, Chuck Green, Saltmeadow School, Eric and Aneta Lundquist, and Marion Scott!

Thank you so much to our Giving Challenge 16 donors:

Chelsea Todd, Cal Lundquist, Brian Mackin and Amber Heller, Walter Heller, Sue Lundquist, Renee Moss, Christian Maute, Laslo Varodi and Andrea Kepics, Natalie Maute, Heather and Ryan Stubbs, Billie Miller, Ivan Miller, Mark Carguilo, Chuck and Heather Green, Angelo DiMeglio, Carol DiMeglio, Joseph Ayers, Laura DiMeglio, Viktor Mikolajek, Alzbeta Mikolajkova, Stefanie Mienhardt, Paul Cantor, Dan Gerdes, Kimberely Summers, Roger Pierce, Eric Rodriguez, Amy Rodriguez, Joyce Jewell,  Evona Poplawski, Sean McDonald, Cathryn McDonald, Bonnie Rienhardt, Erin Cunningham, Eric Lundquist, Dan and Suzanne McMillan, Carolyn Kascher, Aneta Lundquist, Asa Kastner, Kombucha 221 BC,  Michelle Roy, Maureen Burns, Laura Barrett, Sheri and Clarence Hartnell, Erin Melia, Mark and Annaleta Cunningham, Yolanda and Jasen Benoit, Saltmeadow School, John Schroeder, and Ethan Benoit.

We are so grateful for your generosity and support!!!

Mangrove and Saltmeadow students performing for the community in celebration of Autumn.

From Our Classrooms:

Dear Seahorse Parents,

We have had wonderful and busy days the last two weeks.  Our stories went into autumn days and are all about Squirrel Nutkin, the old owl in the barn and harvest. The children especially enjoyed a little puppet-play about Winifred Witch and her lost golden cat.

We wet-felted pumpkins outside and made apple sauce inside, which was so delicious to smell in the room.
Aviana’s birthday was celebrated and in the Kindergarten room we made play-doh with herbs, using paprika and cinnamon.

Wet felting pumpkins outside in the play yard.

Currently we are painting with the color “red” and all the pictures come out so differently.
Painting is very loved by all your children!

Have a wonderful week!
With much love,
Ms.Birte

Dear Starfish Parents,

The kindergarten class has enjoyed getting into the fall spirit.  We have decorated the class with fall leaves and wet felted little orange pumpkins outside.

We have been doing a pumpkin circle about a farmer who watches a pumpkin get big and fat in his field.  “Sing a song of sixpence” is another favorite and then the letters D and E.  The children follow along with such enthusiasm!

Our stories have been from Tiptoes the fairy, about a crow who gets stuck in a pumpkin while trying to eat it.  The puppet play was about the continuing adventures of the pony of strength.  This past week he visited a castle and ate some more from the tree of strength and then helped some gnomes carry their gems from the mines where they work.

We made applesauce to go with our snack, and the children loved the smell in the room.  We also gave some of the applesauce and bread to Saltmeadow for their wonderful presents to the play garden – the seesaw and the arbor.   Some of the children made sun catchers and we will be making them again.  Last week we made herbal play doh which smelled so good, using cinnamon and paprika.
This past week, we enjoyed a trip to Fruitville Grove with a hayride and feeding the animals.

The children were delighted by the 11 baby goats born at the farm this past week!

A big thank you to Aneta and Eric Lundquist, and the crew of 221 BC for painting the jungle gym, the fence and removing the little garden fence in the play garden.

Warmly,

Ms. Laura

Dear First Grade Parents,

Gnomes have sneaked into the first grade room and as well as the hearts of your dear children. It started with a “clash and a clang!”, and their debut as gnomes has stayed within the unity of the first graders. The verse will lovingly strike into air and be spoken form the children while we work….completely out of the blue.

These little first grade gnomes!

“We will work with our will with our strength and our skill.” This one line is also great reminder for us all in the coming months ahead with the turning of the seasons.

We completed the first block of Form Drawing last week by having a full body orientation experience while writing on giant pieces of paper and creating straight lines and curved lines as obstacle courses. One student created a Form Drawing game that we enjoyed playing.

We are all very excited to be moving into reading and writing. “M” was the letter we experienced this past week. Through a Fairy Tale entitled Simili Mountain, two “M” verses and acting out “M” words had us “Mmmmmm-ing” throughout our week. We found the “M” sounds at the beginning and the middle of many words. Everyone had some sort of “M” sound in their lunch. Discovering and discussing the “M” sound was experiential. We drew a beautiful Mountain to start our very own book to take home at the end of the year.

M is for mountain. A first grade chalkboard drawing to copy in their Main Lesson Books, along with a million m words!

During the first two weeks, the first graders had their hands involved with brushing out raw wool to make it soft for our wet felting project. This was wonderful will work for the children. We sang as we worked and thought about where the wool came from and what other fleece wool makes that is around us in our lives. We finally had our fluffs of wool as smooth as could be and started with felting them this past week. A couple more steps to complete and we will have our own shooting stars!

Carding the wool in preparation for felting.

The first graders wet-felting their shooting stars.

There have been many stories about stars that have been told to the first graders. The Apple and the Star was one story in which we discovered that each apple has their own star inside. Applesauce was made out of each apple we investigated. What we found was that each apple was different. They all had different sizes and shapes of their very own, just like an apple thumb print.

First graders enjoying the applesauce they helped prepare.

We continue counting everyday with new verses and rhythms. Chestnuts are one kind of manipulative we have used for our counting. After the reading and writing block, our learning journey will take us deeper into Arithmetic.

French started for the first time this past Friday with our lovely Forest Friday teacher Ms. Jessica.

Some of our first graders enjoying french class with our beloved Ms. Jessica.

In Handwork, we have been making our very own knitting needles. There were many steps involved working with the whole child – head, heart, and hands. The next step will be their own knitting project.

You can find the First Graders where ever they may be. Experiencing, creating and loving. These simple activities that are the foundation for a sense of self-reliance and also create an unconscious pool of knowledge which can be drawn from when later subjects such as physics, geometry, or other areas of math, science and reading are encountered. We are in the early stages of taking ideas and putting them together to form more complicated thoughts for our future.

As we move forward, we will be experiencing new letters and their sounds, new stories to accompany the letters, and many seasonal projects to keep us engaged in our foundation year.

With love & gratitude,

Ms. Reneé

Dear Parents,

At the beginning of October, we began our Math block, which will last six weeks. We’re learning how to multiply through drawing pictures in our math lesson books, using beads and shells, copying multiplication questions from the board and noticing patterns and sharing and lyrical math poems.  The children are also involved in making a class set of multiplication cards.  We’re currently up to the two’s and plan to cover up to the fives or sixes.

Beginning our math block in 2/3, using various methods for every learning style.

We also practice memorizing the multiplication questions bean bag style, with ready hands and minds to answer the quick mental math questions but also in written form through some basic math practice sheets.  Please reinforce the multiplication facts with personalized word problems peppered into your conversations with them at home and while shopping together.  For example, in the produce aisle, ask them to gather two bags of apples with three apples in each.  How many does this make all together?  Or at a hardware store, request they collect two bags of nails with twelve nails in each.  How many? Make it a game where ever you go!

Again, we are noticing that there are two groups of mathematicians emerging.  With such a span, having two teachers in the classroom provides support to assist and guide each group.  Whether it is explaining why, for example, two groups of three equals six or assisting them through the two’s times tables drawing a spiral graph, we are able to accommodate those with moderate needs either way.

We are continuing to read rich stories to the children during our math block and generate spelling words that come from their contexts.  Some are short, such as the “Fox’s Snack” and “Three Trees”.  Others are lengthier, with more complicated plot lines. We just finished Oliver Twist and will begin a new story “The Railway Children”.   We encourage you to read to, with or be an audience to your child when he or she reads.  Consistently reading with your child will help expand their vocabulary, increase their ability to read fluently and show them it is important.  Please make time for this each day.  

We are continuing to consistently emphasize golden manners and follow directions throughout the day.  We insist that all students are respectful of themselves, their environment and each other and are practicing safe behaviors.  Please help us at home with stories and modeling behaviors that reinforce this expectation.  Our therapeutic stories continue with previous topics being reviewed and new ones being covered such as “The Cranky Crab” (a story for children with rough hands) and “The Queen and the Golden Ball” (a story about children who didn’t know what their mother looked like because she kept her face and ears wrapped up due hers children’s constant fighting.)

Wednesday is painting day and we are taking some of our form drawing into a new medium.  It’s interesting to see the children so immersed in creating the forms carefully, even though the paint has other ideas!

Ms. Jessica has returned to the Mangrove School from Canada and she is teaching French to the children as well as structured games during Forest Friday. The children continue to enjoy Gardening, Eurythmy, Drama and Handwork as well.  The garden is coming into focus each day.  Volunteers are ALWAYS needed and Erin Cunningham, is in need of supplies, like organic starter plants and straw.  We thank you so much for those who’ve brought in paper bags already to keep our weeds at bay in the garden!

We’ve also begun weekly classroom chores – an additional Earth Skill they can bring home to practice.  Vacuuming, straightening out our books, watering plants, sweeping the entrance, cleaning off the desks and board….all valuable skills that build accountability and a sense of accomplishment.

Everyone pitches in to help keep our classroom and campus clean!

Thank you for the parents who have brought in organic, non-GMO popcorn seeds and honey for our special snack on Wednesdays.  We appreciate your generosity!  Parent conferences are on the horizon and we have a sign-up sheet at pick up for you to choose a time, in person, to discuss how your child is doing in class.

-Warmly,
Ms. Yolanda and Ms. Stefanie

Dear Parents,

After completing the first half of our Local Geography block, which focused on orienting ourselves in space, through map-making, navigation, and physical features of Sarasota, the past few weeks have been a journey through nearly 15,000 years of local human history, as the students are fully ready to orient themselves in time.  This further enhances their connections to our local surroundings, which is an important way to unite the child to earth, and cultivate a feeling of belonging.

The first part of this study began with the Paleo-Indians, their culture and habits, and continued though the Mississippian period, as the students gained an understanding of how and why our earliest peoples’ way of life changed over time.  As the glaciers melted, we saw the sea level rise, large game animals become extinct, and the more nomadic cultures slowly evolve into those of more settled communities, and eventually villages with religion and a hierarchical government.  We learned how technology, eating habits, shelters, and other customs changed as the land changed from a drier environment to the sub-tropical environment we experience today.  The students fully explored how the features of this location influenced the way of life, from prehistoric times until now based on their environment – the climate, the animals and plants that made up the landscape.   From canoes to bow and arrows, they were able to understand and admire these innovative tools.  Many mentioned how much they would have liked to live in the wilderness instead, longing for the days of living outdoors.

Some artifacts and replicas of tools used in various time periods, from Paleo-Indian , to Mississippian. Thank you Public Archaeology Network, Southwest region!

We are very grateful to the Public Archaeology Network for two days of hands on activities during this block – one session was devoted to fostering a greater understanding of what archaeology is, and how archaeologist use clues to create hypotheses of an area, and another session focused on the tools of the earliest people of Sarasota, including some hands on time with spears and atlatls.  We also discussed the latest findings in the area which as of last spring included a midden right at Phillippi Park where we enjoy our Forest Fridays.  In fact their favorite climbing tree with long low branches, sits directly on top of it!

Two of our 4/5th graders trying out the atlatl, an innovation of the spear, which in Sarasota occurred in the Woodland period.

Each day we would review and recall what we had learned previously in earlier time periods, as a way of taking a long look back before moving forward, inspiring an appreciation for the many transformations this area and its people have undergone.  After learning about the great changes that occurred in each time period, we also acted out each one in succession – the back of our room started out completely empty, then came a few nomads, spears, and a fire; next, little by little the students added in props from around the room to represent the full evolution of culture to include different tools, weapons, shelters, vessels, farming, religion and so on until the Spanish arrived in the 1500’s.  Floor mats became shelters, bamboo sticks and pool noodles became bow and arrows, benches became canoes.  Through this exercise, they displayed their understanding of this flow of time, in a compelling way.  They also showed me how quick-witted they can be as this was also an improvisational exercise!

In addition to creating our own time line of each major time period, and how the cultures changed over these thousands of years, we also did a composition about more modern (written) Sarasota history.  A trip to the Sarasota Historical Center gifted me with many old photos of recognizable landmarks, such as downtown, the Ringing bridge and St Armand’s circle to compare to, as we saw many people, and several industries playing a role in making Sarasota the world-wide vacation destination it is today.

St Armand’s Circle, circa 1930’s. Development stalled during the Great Depression.

This past week we began our first math block, which starts with a thorough review of all that we have covered in previous grades.  Typically grades 1-4 are for planting seeds, and grades 5-8 are for weeding and harvesting.  This makes it a perfect year to ensure the students have a solid foundation on which to build higher mathematics, both throughout this year and beyond, as they will make a huge cognitive leap in sixth grade.  Part of the end goal is to also cultivate a love of, or at the very least a lack of anxiety, of math.  We play a lot of games to practice skills, so the children feel joyfully engaged in what they are learning.

Each morning, after our opening verse, we concentrate on one poem related to our curriculum.  At this age, the idea is for them to learn this poem very well, and as they have a strong capacity for memory now, it can be quite long. Once they know the poem well, they are expected to say this audibly, clearly, and with feeling, which aids them in public speaking, drama, and even spelling.

We also do tongue twisters, and singing, daily. This class is able to harmonize with relative ease, so I have been able to introduce more complex songs that we look forward to sharing with you all at future assemblies.   Again, the emphasis in on quality, rather than quantity, so we will practice one song for many weeks starting with one part in unison, and gradually increasing the complexity as the need for challenge is a strong impulse at this age.  We are also beginning to read music as we learn each song.

We continue the morning with mental math problems, for example –  which two numbers add to 24 and also subtract to 14?, number journeys, halfway numbers or math involving the calendar, another opportunity to orient ourselves in time.    We incorporate new spelling words each week from our Main Lesson content, dissect sentences into various parts of speech and correct grammar, practice cursive hand writing, and do written dictations in the form of one riddle each week.  Here is our most recent:

“You throw away the outside, and cook the inside. You eat the outside, and throw away the inside.  What did you eat?”

These riddles encourage a flexibility and creativity in their thinking, and motivate them to do dictations, which are important for their comprehension, listening capacities, and practicing punctuation and spelling.

In addition to our Main Lesson activities, we have also enjoyed eurythmy, handwork in the form of cross stitch, Spanish, water color painting (veil painting) which requires one to apply thin layers of water color onto dry paper creating a kind of three dimensional quality, French, sculpture, violin, wood working, yoga, and form drawing. Our study of medicinal plants has yielded new seedlings in the garden, and a few products from local plants we harvested ourselves, which we hope to share with the community soon.

Fall breezes bring us outdoor yoga and meditation.

Reviewing previous grade’s form drawing using clay.

Our 4/5th graders started a medicinal garden for the community.

Some of our 4/5th graders working the chisels in woodworking. In this mild weather, we do as much as possible outside!

Despite the weather last week, we still enjoyed playing a rousing 2 hour (!) game of Hawk and Bird Tribe with Ms. Jessica in our wooded back field. We continue to cultivate an environment or respect and kindness to others, through occasional reminders about “The Three Gates” words must pass through to be said fear of hurting another.  We practice gratitude before our closing verse, and practice forgiveness and grace when the need arises.

They have begun rehearsing a new play based on the first novel we completed this year, The Sign of the Beaver.

Play rehearsal in 4/5th grade.

In the coming weeks we look forward to a class camping trip to Ginnie Springs, and a Circus Arts block.

Every day with these children is such a joy.  Their enthusiasm for learning and doing is so inspiring and energizing.  The days are just flying by!

If you haven’t already scheduled a conference, please contact me for a Parent-Teacher conference date to discuss your child’s individual progress.

Thank you!

Warmly,

Ms Erin

From Our Friends at Saltmeadow:

The Saltmeadow students continue to enjoy productive days.

They have published  the first Tortoise Times newsletter of the year, and are busy at work on the second.

We are so happy to welcome Ms. Jessica back to teach Human Relationships, French, and Singing.  The students are creating masks for their Commedi Dell’ Arte drama block with Ms. Liz and have begun to read their chosen classic novels for literature with Ms. Yolanda.

The class has completed their cosplay costumes in handwork and will begin hand and machine sewing with Mrs. McMillan.   Their first project is to design and sew a knife roll for holding the knives they will use in Ms. Jean’s cooking class.

In guitar, the students have progressed from one on one instruction to group instruction of two sets of students.  The students will be performing a classic and original piece of music at the Winter Assembly.

Last week we visited the South Florida Museum to visit the planetarium as part of the astronomy block.  We very much enjoyed the new show, “Journey to the Stars”, learning about the life and death stars, including our sun.

This year we celebrated the Autumnal Equinox – when day and night are perfectly balanced with a festival for our community.

This equilibrium also represents the duality of light and darkness that exists within human beings. This festival honors the courage and strength in each of us, as we face this part of the year, of longer nights – a natural time of turning inward, reflection, and facing our own darkness. This is traditionally pictured as the brave warrior in the act of subduing a dragon, which represents the dark side of human nature.  The children learn that with great valor, dragons can be beaten.

For our festival, we began with a bonfire at sunrise.  Afterwards, the Grades students performed a play for the community that depicts the story of George and his battle with the dragon, then enjoyed a potluck breakfast together.  Finally, the children enjoyed feats of strength and courage in the form of an obstacle course and games.  Thank you to all who attended!

“The Autumn winds wail through the wood,
Through rushes and through reed.
Who is the rider of radiant light
On the snowy white, shimmering stead?
Of garment of gold he rides along,
His face like the sun so bright.
O Michael, lend us your starry sword,
The darkness of Earth fill with light.”

Upcoming Events:

Giving Challenge Noon to Noon Tuesday 9/20 – Wed 9/21 LIVE NOW!

From Noon to Noon September 20th to 21st, our school is one of the 449 non-profits in the Sarasota area qualified to participate in the Giving Challenge, through the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. During this time, we are asking for you to help support our vision of providing children with a developmentally appropriate education and real childhood experiences, by making a donation, and/or sharing our donation page with family and friends.

What is the Giving Challenge?

The Giving Challenge is a 24 hour online fundraising opportunity for non-profits in our community. All donations are matched! 2:1 for new donors, and 1:1 for returning donors.

Who is Mangrove School of Sarasota?

Mangrove School of Sarasota is a non-profit educational center providing children and families in the Sarasota area with developmentally appropriate programming that supports real, lifelong learning.

Where will my donation go?

All funds donated to Mangrove School will go directly towards programs for children.

How do I donate?

Starting on Tuesday, September 20th at Noon, go to:

https://givingpartnerchallenge.org/npo/sarasota-waldorf-inc-dba-mangrove-school-of-sarasota

Click donate now and enter your information to complete your secure donation.

The link above will go LIVE on Tuesday 9/20 at Noon, and will remain available until Wednesday 9/21 at Noon.

With the generous matching by the Patterson Foundation, your $100 donation could become a $200 or $300 donation to our school! Additionally, there are tons of matching grants and prizes to be awarded during the challenge. For example, the non-profit with the most unique donors can receive an additional $7000 grant!  With your help, perhaps we can win this grant!

This event is completely online, allowing anyone, anywhere, to donate. Last year we raised over $14,000!

Be the one to support developmentally appropriate education in the Sarasota area!

You also received an email you can forward to family and friends with the direct link to donate.  Subject: “This Week – Please read!”

Be The One To Support Our School!

Autumn Equinox Festival Thursday 9/22 8:15 am – 10 am

The Autumn Equinox Festival is the first festival of the school year and it is held on the first day of autumn – when day and night are perfectly balanced. This equilibrium also represents the duality of light and darkness that exists within human beings. This festival honors the courage and strength in each of us, as we face this part of the year, of longer nights – a natural time of turning inward, reflection, and facing our own darkness. This is traditionally pictured as the brave warrior in the act of subduing a dragon, which represents the dark side of human nature.

For the children, this message is not overtly stated, but rather, this time of year is filled with stories and songs of the brave and true.

The children learn that with great valor, dragons can be beaten.

For our festival, the Grades students perform a play for the community that depicts a person summoning the courage to beat the dragon who is frightening their village.   Afterwards, the community enjoys a potluck breakfast and a few fun activities before the students return to their classes to complete their school day, with a regular dismissal at 1:30.

Festivities officially begin at drop off (8:15).  For those who live close by, or are otherwise up early, there is an optional pre-festival gathering at 7 am for a bonfire and watching the sunrise together near the Early Childhood playground   (No pressure at all to attend this pre-festival gathering!)

When you arrive, please meet at the early childhood playground, near the basketball court.  We will have tables set up for a potluck breakfast, and benches and chairs set up for watching the play.  Grades children will go with their teachers to get into costume at 8:25.  The play will begin at approximately 8:45, and is about 15 minutes long.  After the play, please stay to enjoy the potluck, while the children test their strength and courage in some fun and engaging games.

One of our past sweet gnomes!

Thank you so much to those who have offered to help with set up and break down!  A few more hands would be quite helpful.  Set up for the play will be at 7:45.  Break down approximately 9:45.  Please email mangrovesarasota@gmail.com if you are able to assist.

From Our Classrooms:

Dear Seahorse Pre-Kindergarten Parents,
We had a beautiful start with your wonderful children!

The children started making friends immediately and it is amazing to see how they already take care of each other.
Our circle time has consisted of ocean themed songs and rhymes, which most of your children know by heart already. We are getting used to our daily rhythm and rituals and are looking forward to them every day anew.

We did our first water-color paintings, made little shell boats and last week plant dyed silk for a longer fairy project.

They listened to the story “George and the Dragon”, and as soon as it was over, they immediately began gathering props and acting it out.

We have had a few different puppet plays which shared the themes of “making friends” and “sharing a house”. These are therapeutic stories and often used in Early Childhood to help with transitioning from home to a school setting and all the challenges that come with this.

I hope I will see many of you at our Autumn Equinox Festival on Thursday.  Even if Thursday is not one of your child’s attendance days, you are still very welcome and encouraged to come.

Please always feel free to text or e-mail me with any questions you have.

Have a wonderful week!

With much love,
Ms.Birte

Some of our Seahorse and Starfish children grinding grain to make flour.

Dear Starfish Parents,

The Starfish Kindergarten children have been working very hard on their gnomes. There have been small and large gnomes made by all the children.  It is amazing how well they have all taken to sewing and some are even creating their own gnome patterns.  Soon we will be working on gnome hats for each of the children, per their request.

The class has come together rather quickly and they are learning how to be with each other in a fun and respectful way.

Our first circle was about honeybees and had a counting rhyme, “This Old Man”, and a letter song about the letter A.  We drew the letter A and walked it, as the children thought of different words that started with an A.  They thought up quite a few.  The circle we are doing now is about Michael, “strong, pure and shining bright” and we moved on to the letter B.  We drew the letter B in the sand and thought up B words to sing to the tune” Do You Know the Muffin Man”?   Our circle also included a skipping song that they laughed and enjoyed very much.

The first week we had a puppet play about a little girl and a rose that Ms. Birte and I put on for the children.  The story was about a little girl and how she needed patience to wait for the roses to open as they are more beautiful that way than trying to make them open before their time.  I have read “The Pancake Mill” and “Michael and the Dragon” to them and they have really enjoyed it with not a peep as they hear of George’s battle with the dragon.

We have been with the Seahorse class outside in the earlier part of the morning grinding rice into flour, cutting vegetables and fruit, and making bread.  Thank you so much for your lovely donations, the children love to see their fruit and veggies that they have brought in the bowl at snack time.

I look forward to a wonderful year with your children and have some exciting and fun projects we will be working on.  Some of these will be candle dipping, lantern making, and wood working.  If you have a talent that you would like to share with the class please feel free to contact me and arrange a time to come in and share.

Best wishes,
Ms. Laura

Our Early Childhood students making bread outside on “bread day”

Veggie cutting time in the Early Childhood!

Dear First Grade Parents,

One can hear excitement streaming from the First grade classroom every day. There has been pure joy being expressed from your children as our eyes, minds, hearts and souls have been experiencing the world around us anew!

Our excitement lives in our Form Drawing. Form Drawing is the foundation linked to all subjects (reading, writing and arithmetic/geometry, as well as soul work), and begins with straight lines and curved lines.  We will continue this experience throughout our year, and it will stretch and weave into the following years of our lives to come.

Every day we work with numbers and are quite busy counting as we move with a full rhythm about the classroom. Currently, our goal is that everyone can count backwards from 100 with a rhythmic, fluid confidence. This seems simple. As we climb higher with the numbers, however, it takes quite a bit of will to remember which number we are on and what comes next. We are laying the foundation of a strong sense of number for our first arithmetic block and beyond. We will continue to have counting be a part of our everyday journeys.

Rich stories have been shared with your children. After a new story is told, the next day we revisit the story told the day before, each taking turns to recall what lives with each one of us. Listening to how words in a story are pronounced is a wonderful way to become great spellers. Stories are woven into each week and are sometimes told daily.

The First graders are very much looking forward to their début at the Autumn Equinox play. You may have been hearing their lines that they will share with the community this Thursday.

In addition to our Handwork and Eurythmy classes we look forward to the wood flute and French.

We will be found living in the first grade room or outside, laying down a glorious foundation for the LOVE of learning!

With love & gratitude,

Ms. Reneé

An example of a first grade form drawing.

Dear Parents,

The beginning of the school year, for our second and third grade class, began with joy and friendship.  Many new and happy faces joined us, so we set about introducing class rhythms and work habits.  Because we have the benefit of a native German speaker in class, Ms. Stefanie begins each day with some basic German conversational elements and German songs accompanied by a lively German game; followed by mental math (so far addition and subtraction up to 20). Ms. Yolanda joins us after those activities and we transition into our Main Lesson block (which the main focus right now on Language Arts).

We are also learning about how we can use our golden manners and exploring what makes us thankful. Please ask your child about the “Bag of Nails” and “The Little Zebra” story; the first was about how words can make a lasting impact and the second one was about being patient.  Also, ask your children how Sam and his friends explain how the children can practice not interrupting or showing off.

With this age, the children are able to take on practical household chores, such as laundry folding – which we are also practicing in class. This task gives them a sense of contributing to their family and the children take pride their work.  We thank our parents for sending in clean laundry for the children to fold.  More ‘Earth Skills’ will be added to throughout the year and we encourage families to allow children to practice these skills at home.

Laundry folding in Earth skills class.

We are noticing that there are two groups of writers and readers emerging.  With such a span, having two teachers in the classroom provides plenty of support to assist and guide each group.  Whether it is working one-on-one with helping them write a word or guiding them through paragraph construction, we are able to accommodate.

Rich stories, such as “Two Goats”, “The Rat Catcher” and “The Enchanted Kingdom” are also in full bloom along with wet-on-wet painting and a special snack each Wednesday.  Form drawing is also being practiced with a new breathing technique accompanying each stroke of their pencils.  This helps to slow them down and make their scripting more deliberate and clear.

Math is practiced bean bag style, with ready hands and minds to answer the quick mental math question but also in written form through some basic math practice sheets.

Just a reminder, on September 29 at 7:30 pm, we’ll come together as a community for the 2/3 Class Parent meeting.  We’ll discuss upcoming class events and discover how we can all work together for the benefit of our children.

-Warmly,
Ms. Yolanda and Ms. Stefanie

Laundry folding in Earth Skills class.

Dear Parents,

The new school year has begun splendidly, with new students welcomed into class with enthusiasm and grace.

Our first block started us off with an immersion in Local Geography.  At this age the children are developmentally ready to orient themselves in both space and time.  We begin with a very small scope, and then widen our perspective, gradually awakening the children to a new sense of space and relationship to the physical world. Learning ones local surroundings is an important way to unite the child to earth, and cultivate a feeling of belonging.

We started with simple map making, from a bird’s eye view –  of our bedroom.  A familiar small space is a nice introduction to this new perspective of drawing, which requires some imagination!  From there, we mapped the classroom, in which we also introduced how to scale a map, then our campus, and then a map to our own homes, which collaboratively on our chalkboard gave us a good sketch of the area from Englewood to Downtown Sarasota.  We then explored maps of the city, then the county.  We studied the four cardinal directions, drawing our own compass rose, and by becoming human compasses –  turning north, south, east and west; then adding in primary intercardinal directions as well.  We began working with a compass in a simple way.  We will revisit this activity later in the year in more detail with an orienteering course in cooler weather. We also learned how to navigate when one doesn’t have a compass.

We talked about landmarks, and added some to our maps, then moved onto physical features of Sarasota, particularly bodies of water.  We discussed how water flows through the state, pointing out – “Geo-graphia” – which essentially means “earth writing”  – is  the natural boundaries that are carved out by water. For the second half of the block we will move on to Cultural Geography – how people have used the landscape to live, and how the features of this location influenced their habits and way of life, from prehistoric times until now. We will continue to look at the maps of our area over time, to emphasize the changes that have occurred.  This study will include two days with the Public Archaeology lab over the next two Fridays at Phillippi, as well as a trip to Spanish Point, date TBD.

This block has been a wonderful way to ease them back into school – by reawakening their work habits, stoking their curiosity and natural desire to learn, and incorporating foundational work (math, reading, and writing) in an organic, dynamic way.

Each day we use the first half hour of the day for recitation – reciting tongue twisters (to wake our mouths up), or a poem related to our block of study, during which the emphasis is on enunciating and speaking at a proper volume – tools helpful in other areas, such as spelling and drama/public speaking, respectively.  We also sing – we are currently working on a four part song, with four unique parts, which is a huge leap from last year when we did only two part rounds, as well as a song for our play, on Thursday.  After these activities we do a complex mental math problem or two, orally, such as several step number journeys, halfway numbers, or guess the number I’m thinking, which can have a very large range, say for example, between 0 and 10,000 and beyond.  (They have to ask yes or no questions regarding the qualities of the number to figure out the answer) This helps solidify their sense of larger numbers.  I love to stretch their capacity for numbers by engaging them in “fun” word problems or games, so they enjoy themselves while practicing these skills. We will also “dissect” a sentence or two, sometimes a paragraph, into parts of speech and correct the grammar. We practice commonly misspelled words over several days of the week. In an effort to shake out the cobwebs of summer, we have also done some bean bag work with the times tables.  After this first half hour, we move into the main content of our block, energized for the rest of the day ahead.

In addition to the main block, we have also enjoyed eurythmy, handwork (cross stitch), Spanish, wood working, water color painting (veil painting), sculpture, violin, and form drawing. We look forward to French beginning next month, as well as a few specialties that will be offered as blocks over the year.

We have started reading a book together, as a class, and we do written mental math practice sheets several times per week – to keep our basic math facts fresh, to practice doing 2 digit problems without needing to write it out vertically to carry or borrow,  and to encourage a flexibility in our thinking of numbers by knowing our operations both backwards and forwards – so,   8 + 8 = 16  and  8 = ____ –  8.

We have also begun a study on medicinal/ wild edible plants, which is currently focused on useful native plants, (again, this sense of knowing one’s surroundings is a wonderful way to foster a connection to the world) and we will be harvesting some to create a few products to present at the Local Artisan Outdoor Market in December. So far we have made an insect repellent using beauty berry infused water. The students harvested the beauty berry plants, created the infusion, then made the insect repellent using natural ingredients.  Beauty berry is a nice plant to start with as it is easily identifiable.  You cannot mistake its beautiful berries for any other plant!

Your children are wonderful beings, and I feel truly honored to spend this time with them, exploring the world and its ways, which of course also includes social relationships.

The verse below has a powerful message for this age group- this is the age when a desire for special friendships begins to emerge, but, like with any life skill, at first they can be clumsy at times and feelings can get hurt.

Recently I shared this with them – you may want/need to ask them to recall from time to time, as needed:

The Three Gates (translated from Persian text)

“If you are tempted to reveal a tale
someone has told about another,
make it pass before you speak,
three gates of gold.

First: Is it true?

Then: Is it needful? (In your mind give truthful answer.)

The last is narrowest: Is it kind?

If to reach your lips it passes through these gateways three, then you may tell your tale,
nor fear what the result of your speech will be.”

I have a lot of plans for the year for these dear children to continue to cultivate their love of learning, and I look forward to sharing them with you all at our first parents meeting on Thursday, September 22, 2016 at 2 pm.

Thank you!

Warmly,

Ms Erin

Harvesting Beauty Berry plants for our insect repellent. We can make anything we need!

Preparing insect repellent together in our classroom.

Putting our knowledge of cardinal directions to the test with a treasure hunt with various clues hidden around campus.

From Our Friends at Saltmeadow:

The Saltmeadow teachers and students are off to a great start this September.  We have welcomed back Ms. Yolanda and Frau Mienhardt, as they lead the way in the foundational skills of language arts and math concepts.  Miss Liz has returned to teach drama, and has expanded her role to include science and dance, as well.  We are very grateful to Mrs. McMillan for joining us again for handwork.  Miss Chelsea returns to teach art, a favorite class.   We are also very happy to introduce Mr. Gater for guitar and Mr. Chuck for woodworking and 4-H.  We also welcome new students to Saltmeadow, who have swiftly become our good friends.

This month the Saltmeadow students have been working diligently on the latest edition of The Tortoise Times in Ms. Yolanda’s Journalism class.  They are creating detailed cosplay costumes with Mrs. McMillan in handwork.  They built a beautiful wooden see-saw for the early childhood and wood boxes for the garden in woodworking class.  They have chosen personal projects for Social Studies and have begun a bi-weekly meditation/yoga/fitness program.  The first 4-H trip included a trip to Lido for snorkeling and dip-netting near the reef.  The students are looking forward to taking part in the Autumn Equinox Festival play!

As a service project and part of their woodworking class, the Saltmeadow students built a seesaw for the early childhood students at the Mangrove School of Sarasota.

Our tennis block in full swing!

Thank you!

Although we are only in week three, we have already been so graciously offered so much help with so many tasks in the community.  Thank you all who have taken time out of your own day to lend a hand!

The Cunningham-Schmitt Family

Aneta Lundquist

Kalin Wilson and Akio Otomo

Miriam Cornell

Kathleen Smith

Sherri Hartnell

Eric, Amy and Brayden Rodriguez

Laura DiMeglio

Billie and Ivan Miller

Geoff and Ben Pierce

Jennifer and Jaya Ignagni

The Maute Family

Rebecca Rothstein and John Munroe

Andrea Kepics

The Benoit Family

Dee Gangi

Kimberely Summers and Cora Gerdes

Michael and Angelina Mienhardt

The Saltmeadow School crew

Chuck Green

John Schroeder

Many hands make for light work!

Even the smallest hands can be quite helpful!

Fostering responsibility for our surroundings through chores. Here, one of our fourth graders is helping to fill our new garden beds!

All School Meeting Summary

The focus of our first All-School Meeting of the year was to orient new families on many of our traditions, some new events we have coming up, and how important it is that everyone work together for the betterment of the community, and of course, our children.

Each teacher offered an introduction to their class, and shared a few activities they have already completed.

The vision of the school: We are building a school that honors childhood as a precious time – if this is where a child spends most of their day, most of the year, it should be enjoyable!  We choose to not inundate them with facts, cramming in a bunch of information they cannot possibly digest, but rather draw out capacities and help build skills at the developmentally appropriate time.  We follow the Waldorf curriculum for guidance regarding the child’s internal experience and meet them with this, as well as experiences that are therapeutic for all children – nature immersion, for example.  We seek to help foster a balance between academic capacities, confidence in skills and activities, along with a strong sense of community. Helpfulness and kindness starts in our interactions with peers, and gets wider, to the community as a whole, to the local area, and then to the world, as they get older. We cannot expect peace on earth if students are conditioned to believe they are competing with everyone around them from the time they are young.   The ultimate goal is well-rounded, balanced human beings who look out into the world and wonder, “How can I help?”.  We don’t know what the world will be like in even 10 years from now.  Fostering certain qualities in children – kindness, confidence, responsibility – these are things that will serve them throughout their lives.

The next event coming up is the Giving Challenge, 2016, described above, here and here.  We would love to have 100% participation of all families, teachers and staff.  Please share the donation link with family and friends who would like to help contribute to your child’s education – not only are all donations matched 2:1 (new donors) or 1:1 (returning donors), but there is a 7 k grant for the non-profits with the most donors, regardless of donation size.  Given the amount of dedicated parents we have here, we could actually win that!

After this, we will celebrate with the Autumn Equinox festival, described above.  We realize 7 am is very early, please do not feel pressured to come at that time.  It is nice if you can make it, but it is also a nice morning potluck and play at 8:15 as well.

A new twist on an old tradition comes in the form of Mermaid Faire – our antidote to rampant overstimulating and over-commercialized family events during the holiday season.

Together we put on this festival and the magic your child will experience, yes, even older children, is truly priceless.  We will need all hands on deck for this too.  We all, together throw this event.  From transforming the campus, preparing food, becoming an enchanting character, this event is 100% the hard work of parents and teachers.  A handout was given with a list of the various activities as well as what type of help would be needed.  You will be contacted as we put this together, to see how to best use your skill set.  We understand that everyone has various obligations, there are many ways to help – it may be loaning props, preparing food, manning a booth – we can find something that works just right for you.  Your children will beam with pride when they see you contributing.

A separate event is the Local Artisan Outdoor Market, which is an adult evening of stress free shopping under the stars, with free childcare for children – they can make a gift for a loved one while parents mill about the outdoor market, browsing the various treasures just perfect for everyone on your list.

Some housekeeping items:

It is important to keep children home when they are sick – they need to rest in order to recover, and when sickness spreads it can impact the entire class or even move through the classes, risking teachers being out.  Please see our illness policy in the parent handbook if you are unsure of when to keep them home.

If you do need to keep them home, please let your child’s teacher know ASAP in case they have certain lesson plans based on the usual number of students.  A text directly to the teacher works well.  If this can be done by 8 am, it would be very helpful.

Community Lunch will start back again on November 3^rd.  This is a wonderful weekly event that parents are always welcome to attend, and help with.  We strive to make all-inclusive meals so that everyone can enjoy them together.  If you are interested in helping out with this program, send an email to mangrovesarasota@gmail.com  each week, there are several hours’ worth of food prep, serving, and clean up that need to be done.  Helping out with Community Lunch gives students a deeper sense of connection to the school, and a feeling of pride for your work.

Under development: Our VPK program.  Over the summer we began to take steps to make this program a reality for families with four year old children.  We will keep you updated on the progress.

Thank you all who were able to make it to the meeting.  Together we can all make a tremendous difference for our children this year.

The lantern is the symbol of our own light which we can shine on a dark world, and we celebrate this time of year by holding a “lantern walk.”

The Mangrove School of Sarasota lantern walk will be held on Friday, Nov 18th at 5:30 pm, on Siesta Key Main Beach.

We will meet by the playground and then do our beach walk complete with lanterns made lovingly by our dear children (in class).  The children will sing songs, and  enjoy the stillness of the beach at night. As this is a reverent event, please do not allow your child to run the beach.

Parents are responsible for supervising their children during this event.

Friends are welcome!  Please call 941.927.3711 or email mangrovesarasota@gmail.com to RSVP

Join us for an evening of stress free holiday shopping under the stars!

Shop local artisans with unique, handmade items for all the loved ones on your list this holiday season.

Browse items such as handmade toys, home accessories, jewelry, clothing, books, and more!

Free Childcare available in our Early Childhood classrooms –  your child can make a gift while you shop.

Please reserve a space in the childcare here, in order to guarantee a spot:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/local-artisan-outdoor-market-tickets-29814905184

Enjoy refreshments and music while you savor the season.

Friday, December 2nd, from 5:00-9:00 pm

For vending opportunities, email mangrovesarasota@gmail.com

Fore event updates, visit:

https://www.facebook.com/events/569043059970012/

What is the Giving Challenge?

The Giving Challenge is a 24 hour online fundraising opportunity for non-profits in our community.  All donations are matched!  2:1 for new donors, and 1:1 for returning donors.

Who is Mangrove School of Sarasota?

Mangrove School of Sarasota is a non-profit educational center providing children and families in the Sarasota area with developmentally appropriate programming that supports real, lifelong learning.

Where will my donation go?

All funds donated to Mangrove School will go directly towards programs for children.

How do I donate?

Starting on Tuesday, September 20th at Noon, go to:

 https://givingpartnerchallenge.org/npo/sarasota-waldorf-inc-dba-mangrove-school-of-sarasota

Click donate now and enter your information to complete your secure donation.

The link above will go LIVE on Tuesday 9/20 at Noon, and will remain available until Wednesday 9/21 at Noon.

Be the One to support education for the whole child!

The 2016 Giving Challenge is presented by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County with giving strengthened by The Patterson Foundation, as well as support from Manatee Community Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, William G. and Marie Selby Foundation, and the Herald-Tribune Media Group.  Thank you!!!

Form drawing is unique to Waldorf education and serves multiple purposes. Many assume the only benefit to form drawing is better handwriting, however there is much more to it than that. If you try one of the more challenging forms especially, you will see quickly just how powerful this tool can be! Although originally indicated just for children through 4th grade, it is now being strongly encouraged for older children or adults who haven’t had it to try this therapeutic art form.

You will quickly see how you must orientate yourself in space, on a piece of paper, and be acutely aware of what you are doing. This is not something that can be done quickly in order for it to be done correctly. You may realize even in the forms that are traditionally designed for second graders, that your fingers are not quite as nimble as you would like. Through concentration and practice, there is a huge sense of gratification when you finally master a form – it is even and symmetrical, and perfectly positioned on the paper. When begun in first grade, and worked on consistently through the years, it will address various weaknesses and challenges for the child, in a way that is enjoyable.

For younger children these forms are paired with dynamic stories related to the movement they are doing across the paper. As they progress through the grades they become intertwined with the curriculum – such–as in the knot and braids of 4th grade. All children can benefit from this art – but those with any sort of midline, visual or dexterity issues will especially benefit, with a strengthening of the eye-hand coordination, and the connection between the hand and brain.

These forms can also be done in various mediums. Beeswax crayon or colored pencil on paper, depending on the age, we have also used yarn, clay and even gluten free pretzel sticks for the fraction forms of 4th grade.

If you have an older child, start from the beginner forms and move quickly through the curriculum. They get challenging quickly and are a wonderful practice in perseverance and strengthening the will. Do it with them! This is wonderful inner work for adults as well.

Open to all! Come make a medicinal herb garden!

All ages welcome – all crafts are designed to appeal to a wide variety of ages – older children can complete independently – younger ones may need assistance, very little ones may opt to play while mom or dad crafts, and that is ok too! 🙂

In addition, enjoy a puppet story for younger ones (or young at heart) at 11:30.

Our faculty will be present, and our classrooms open, each showcasing different aspects of our curriculum, if you are interested in discovering how your child can benefit from our unique developmental approach: education for the head, heart, and hands.

Our course offerings are from newborn and up, including our new drop off homeschool enrichment program.

We hope to see you there!

Open to all! Come make a beautiful flower mandala!

All ages welcome – all crafts are designed to appeal to a wide variety of ages – older children can complete independently – younger ones may need assistance, very little ones may opt to play in the sandbox while mom or dad crafts, and that is ok too! 🙂

In addition, enjoy a puppet story for younger ones (or young at heart) at 11:30.

Our faculty will be present, and our classrooms open, each showcasing different aspects of our curriculum, if you are interested in discovering how your child can benefit from our unique developmental approach: education for the head, heart, and hands.

Our course offerings are from newborn and up, including our new drop off homeschool enrichment program.

We hope to see you there!