parent-child

Madrona School Alphabet (U)

‘U’ is for Madrona School’s unhurried approach to beginning school. Our youngest students attend Madrona with their parents or caregivers as a part of our parent-child program. This unique once-weekly class allows children a gentle, warm and nurturing introduction to school as a social setting outside of their homes, and it provides a community for their caregivers too. We offer a warm snack, lots of time to play with our open-ended and natural toys both indoors and out, a circle time with songs and story and some parent education. It's a mini-version of our preschool and kindergarten classes, in effect, and serves to introduce families to Waldorf education, as well as support them in creating a rich, nurturing home environment. As a parent, you'll find yourself learning songs for transitions that you'll still sing years later! This class is also often the beginning of a class community , and some of our grade school students (and their parents!) "met" in parent-child.

Madrona School Alphabet (O)

Hand drawn world maps by our 2019 8th graders — done as a part of their economic geography block.

We’re into the second half of our alphabet highlighting what makes a Madrona School education unique! ‘O’ celebrates Waldorf education as a part of our larger world. Madrona School, as a developing Waldorf school, is a member of a worldwide and growing independent education movement celebrating 100 years in 2019. According to the latest figures, there are more than 1,100 Waldorf schools in more than 60 countries; if you look specifically at early childhood programs, there are more than 2,000 on five continents. 

Waldorf education originated in Germany in 1919, when a factory owner asked Rudolf Steiner to develop a school for his workers' children. The original co-educational school, open to all and administered by teachers, was a direct outgrowth of Germany's social renewal efforts following World War I. And, even though the Waldorf education movement began in one place at a specific time, it continues to grow and evolve, seeking always to educate the whole child, recognizing a child reaches his or her full potential when education addresses not only the mind, but the body and spirit as well. Today, each Waldorf school is independently run, and each school reflects local culture and practice -- just as we make use of all the natural beauty in our local woods and beaches and incorporate our region's history and culture into our curriculum, the same is true for schools around the world. At the same time there are elements of Waldorf education that are recognizable and translate across cultures, as each and every school strives to educate and develop each student's awakening capacities, and graduate creative thinkers who feel themselves a part of not only their culture, but of a common humanity.

Postcards received as a part of the global postcard exchange between Waldorf schools in 2018-2019.

Postcards received as a part of the global postcard exchange between Waldorf schools in 2018-2019.

If you are interested in reading more, please investigate the information on the AWSNA (Association of Waldorf Schools of North America) website, or all of the work that the German organization, Friends of Waldorf, highlights on their webpages. And, for a visual trip around the world, check out the Waldorf100 videos: Learn to Change the World, and the early childhood focused, Becoming. It is so interesting to see snippets of so many schools in so many different cultures! 

In the day to day work of educating our students, we don't often think of our little school on Bainbridge Island with global connections, but indeed they are there!

—adapted from our school newsletter

Madrona School Alphabet (N)

N is for nurturing….nurturing that underlies education at Madrona School. From our youngest students, introduced to a school setting through the sweet unfolding of a parent-child class, to the relationships that develop between students and teachers in both our early childhood program and our grade school, our faculty work hard to see each individual child and meet them where they are.

Our parent-child program offers a small child, ages 18-36 months, a home-like introduction to school and a social setting. Our teachers set up the room with care, selecting toys and activities, as well as parent education materials. This is often the way a family learns about Waldorf education. We run this program in two sessions, fall and winter/spring. If you know a family with young children, invite them to inquire about this most nurturing of classes!

Our preschool and kindergarten classes are both mixed-age, allowing for teachers to get to know a young student over two or more years together. Our teachers value their role as a parenting ally, and our students have a real opportunity to connect with another loving adult.  

This continuity is also an important nurturing element in our grade school. Class teachers move up through the grades with their students, getting to know a family over time; and our specialty teachers also enjoy building relationships. The teachers really get to know a family and their student, able to see growth from year to year, able to foster interpersonal relationships in the classroom, able to be another regular relationship in a young person's life. 

Teachers are, by definition, nurturing folks. At Madrona School, they gather for a morning verse of their own, a daily reminder of our school's focus on each student, on partnering with families to teach each child and see them go on into the world to become a whole and contributing member of society!

Finally, and not at all least, our parent community strives to nurture one another, through regular events like parent meetings and parent society, volunteering in the classrooms to share talent and time with teachers and students, and in helping when a family needs a little extra help. We invite you to enter into the school community in whatever way feels comfortable for you. Join us!

—adapted from our school newsletter

Parent-Child Classes at Madrona School

What do our youngest students experience at Madrona School? We offer parent-child classes for children and a caregiver, age 12 months (and walking) to 36 months; babies as young as eight weeks can come to our parent-infant class, as well. Many families came to Waldorf education through parent-child classes, and a curiousity about what this type of education might mean for their family and parenting choices. Some simply desire to spend some time in the warmth and beauty of a Waldorf early childhood classroom, and some want to make connections in a community of like-minded families. These classes offer a glimpse into the early childhood rhythms present in preschool and kindergarten when the children move into an independent school experience, where our emphasis on imaginative free play and movement both indoors and out, grows with the child's developing capacities and physical capabilities. 

Our once weekly parent-child classes are taught by Joleen Hollow-Bist and Susie Lockard, both long-time Madrona School teachers. The classes introduce a school setting to a toddler, as well as offering a place of calm and community for caregivers. The classes offer the all important Waldorf early childhood tenet of rhythm, following the same schedule each week of free play, simple circle games, songs and story, bread baking, eating together and outdoor play. The teachers also share readings and invite conversation about parenting successes and challenges. The children have a chance to explore social interactions, they are nourished by a wholesome snack and open-ended play things, and they dig in to bread bun making and dish washing. Songs help frame different activities and offer an idea of carrying similar activities into the home. And, parents can begin to get to know one another, work on simple crafts, explore parenting topics and practice some mindful observation of the children.

We also offer parent-infant classes in shorter sessions, where the emphasis is on mindful parenting and being fully and joyfully present for our children. Parents learn simple songs and lap games to take home, as well as observation exercises and ideas for simple rhythms to shape family time.

New parent-child and parent-infant classes begin in the new year. If you know of anyone with babies or toddlers, please refer them to our website for more information: www.madronaschool.org/parent-child-classes or www.madronaschool.org-parent-infant-classes. Or, have them contact the school office at 206-855-8041.

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