As the school's new Administrator, in a new country, a new environment, I feel a bit like like a new parent - new names, new faces, new culture to absorb.  While all of us will become familiar with the community and its practices, there is always a new element in the school that is not. Not surprisingly, my attention is on that facet of our school.

Just as in our teaching, where the early weeks, months, and years are seen as vitally important to the growth and future well-being of the child, so it is with the being of the school each new year. This is where a new school culture can be consciously nurtured and developed.

In what is already a warm and appreciative community, I would like us – parents, faculty, and staff - to open our hearts to change (the eternal constant), to what is coming to the school from the future. Our challenge (not new) is to become the best we can be, the challenge of healthy, happy growth. Each teacher has a special eye for the new student in the class; faculty for the new teacher. In Admin, we are focusing this new year on the new families who are arriving and trying our best to support them and bring them into the warm, caring fabric of our community.

So, while I am the new guy, nevertheless, Welcome.

Steve Bennett
Director of Administration
Emerson Waldorf School

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As school is just around the corner, I wanted to take a minute to brief our community on the Board’s activities.

As you may know, the Board of Directors is responsible for the long-term legal and financial health of the school. The BOD is composed of 12-15 committed community members, including parents, grandparents, teachers, and others that value Waldorf Education. Together, with the College and Administration, the Board also is concerned with facilitating and enabling long-range fiscal, physical, pedagogical, and administrative planning and growth, with each of these three groups taking appropriate leadership roles in these areas.
 
Just before school ended last year, we welcomed Steve Bennett, our new Administrator, to EWS.  Steve’s been hard at work since then familiarizing himself with the work of the school and settling in.  We’d like to welcome him to our Board and to our school!  Over the summer, Steve has joined right in as we have been revising our Board Handbook, planning our schedule, and gearing up for the new year. We are finalizing an updated Employee Manual for the school. We’re looking at our goals as a Board for the upcoming year.
 
We’re also working simultaneously with three different budget cycles. We are preparing to look at the annual audit of our books for last year (2011-12) and to sign our end of fiscal year tax reporting forms, making sure all the “i”s are dotted and the “t”s are crossed. Meanwhile, the budget for this year (2012-13) has been in draft form since February, being revised monthly, as our enrollment picture changes and tuition numbers gradually firm up.  We are now ready for final approval. The Fall is also the time to start looking to NEXT year, setting tuition and fees for the 2013-14 school year, so the Finance Committee can begin drafting the new budget (2013-14) this coming February.
 
We will also be producing our Annual Report for last year, and planning our Annual All-School General Meeting (also known as the WEANC Meeting). At that meeting, we roll out the Annual Report, and we answer questions and hear concerns from the community. That meeting is on Monday, November 5th at 7pm, and it is open to ALL community members. We would love to see you there!
 
Any community member is also welcome to attend Board meetings during the “open mic” period near the beginning of each meeting to voice concerns or requests.  We would be love to hear from you during any of the following times:
 
August 25        Saturday 8:30-11:30am     Regular Meeting
September 29  Saturday 8:30-11:30am     Regular Meeting
October 9        Tuesday 7:00-9:00pm        Regular Meeting
November 5     Monday 7:00-8:00pm        All School WEANC Meeting
November 10   Saturday 8:30-11:30am     Regular Meeting
January 23      Wednesday 7:00-9:00pm   Regular Meeting
February 9       Saturday 8:30-11:30am     Regular Meeting
March 14         Thursday 7:00-9:00pm      Regular Meeting
May 18            Saturday 8:30-11:30am     Regular Meeting
 
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, or to verify our meeting schedule if you wish to come to the “open mic” section of any meeting: joycefe@gmail.com or 919-619-4900.  Again, welcome to the new school year at EWS!  

Joyce Felder
EWS Board President

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The central task of the College of Teachers is the care of the children who come through the door to meet us each day. This task encompasses many aspects and requires a determination to maintain quality, depth, and professionalism of teaching. 

The College is responsible for the pedagogy and strives to reflect the school's mission and work with openness and a collaborative spirit.  We look forward to working in partnership with our new Administrator, Steve Bennett, the Board, parents, and community members to help us fulfill our goals. The College of Teachers welcomes you to EWS and to a new school year!

Patricia Cornell
College of Teachers Chair

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This summer, Tina Stevens with the help of Keith Bartholomew and a band of awesome EWS parent volunteers constructed the new flooring for the gazebo.

Thank you to our volunteers who stepped up during the heat of summer to work together for the beauty of our campus.  What a gorgeous gazebo floor we have! And what fun it was creating it with friends. Please do check it out when you're next on campus – it looks amazing!  Hoping you'll join us for the next Parent-Organization-sponsored Hands event.

The Parent Organization, affectionately called "the PO",  looks forward to recruiting parents to help with social and service projects for the 2012-2013 school year.

The PO meetings are held every 2nd Wednesday at 7pm in the Eurythmy Room starting in September. We anticipate a great turn-out for these planning and social gatherings.  Please mark your calendars – you have a choice to have  a voice!

Every EWS parent is a member of the PO.  Your $35 membership dues were paid as part of your tuition. 

It is my hope that the PO of 2012-2013 will be a great year, balanced in both community-building and service to our school.  May every EWS parent commit to 1 or more hours per month to help our school environment and culture become even more beautiful and warm.  Just think what we could do together! 

See you at the Back-to-School Parent Evening on August 30, 2012!