“Crisis moments are awakening us to what is being called for in society and in education.”

A Letter from Our Head of School

Dear WSP Families and Friends,

This week, Waldorf school administrators received a message from Rebecca Moskowitz, Executive Director of the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA), reminding us that crisis moments are awakening us to what is being called for in society and in education.

One of the guiding Principles for Waldorf Schools that can be considered right now is the fifth principle, which states, “The conscious development of human relationships fosters individual and community health.”

Moskowitz offered, “The decision to work towards this principle is ours. It is both a responsibility and a gift to engage individually, with our students, families and communities, and within our schools, the broader Waldorf movement, and society. As a movement we are cultivating a culture of community and compassion that will allow us to become better equipped to meet the future and fulfill our vision and mission.”

As we round the corner together in our second year of the pandemic, we acknowledge the stress and fatigue we are carrying from this global crisis alongside the political divisions and struggles for racial justice in our country. We have had to find new ways of connecting with one other. Sometimes we have had to make our gestures of openness and support even bigger so they could be seen and felt from afar, but there has been so much striving.

Today President Biden was scheduled to visit Pittsburgh specifically to discuss infrastructure and, as if on cue, the Fern Hollow Bridge over Frick Park collapsed early this morning. Many of us made calls or sent messages to those we know and care about in the area to see if they were okay. Thankfully, there were no life-threatening injuries.

As we started a new school day with a fresh snowfall and watched the children meet the snow with interest and joy, they renewed our inspiration for working together. In this month’s newsletter, we have shared some of the connections we are making by reaching in and reaching outside of our community to foster individual and community health. Let us keep up this important work together.

With well wishes,

Kirsten Christopherson-Clark

Head of School

Director of our Little Friends Program, Miss Amanda, shared this picture of the Bridge from Little Friends to Kindergarten:

The Little Friends bridge to Kindergarten begins in the fall and goes through the spring. The bridging activities support our rising kindergartners in their transition from Little Friends to Kindergarten. Our bridge begins with delivering handmade treats and crafts to each Kindergarten teacher as a way to connect and build community between programming. As the year moves on, the Kindergarten teachers bring the Little Friends a little taste of Kindergarten through an outdoor circle and puppet story. The pure joy and sense of awe in the bridging activities can be felt from all the children. Magic and a sense of wonder is a continuous thread throughout a child's Waldorf education and it's so beautiful to be a witness to it at every stage of development.