ARTISAN MARKET & DINNER
Friday, December 6, 6:00 to 8:30 pm

Friday night of our fair is for adults. LCWS alum Sol Bayer-Pacht of Farmers & Foragers will serve beer, wine, and a delicious dinner menu! Over 40 local artists and crafts people will be vending their beautiful wares, and student crafters will also have beautiful handmade items to sell as well. Don’t miss the Alumni Lounge to chat with friends, enjoy some popcorn, and watch a slideshow. The fifth grade class will have a bake sale and coffee, with funds raised going to support the organization, Feeding Champlain Valley.

FAMILY FAIR & MARKET
Saturday, December 7, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm

On Saturday morning, our campus will come to life with a beautiful family fair, including many activities and crafts for children. All the vendors will return with wares on display along our hallway and inside our school.

ARTISAN MARKET
Shopping from over 40 local vendors (see below). Purchase items from our students tables to support class fundraisers.

CRAFTS & GIFT MAKING
Gnome pinecone craft, jump rope making, candle holder centerpiece, wreath making, and fire starters.

WINTER FAIR GAMES
Musical chairs and winter games

PUPPET SHOW performances at 10:30 am and 12:30 pm听
“The Elves and the Shoemaker” by Gregg Van Deusen and family

WINTER FAIR PLAY performances at 11:30 am and 1:30 pm听
A play performance by the Early Childhood teachers

WINTER FAIR CAFE
All funds raised benefit our Parent Community Council

FARMERS & FORAGERS
Serving soup and salad for lunch.

GNOME GALLOP听
Race through the woods at our first ever Winter Fair Race!

WINTER FAIR SINGING
Sing with teachers Aaron and Sage around the fire!

VOLUNTEER at our event!

Many hands make light work! There are lots of ways to help, bring for decorating, crafts and the cafe, or volunteer your time, .

Dolls and felted animals

Bee Happy
Honey and beeswax candles.

Sterling silver and mixed metal jewelry and glass enameled ornaments.

Herbal products: teas, tinctures, herbal vinegars and syrups, botanical bath, body, skin and hair care, ritual items, nature-inspired gifts and seasonal herbal decor.

Cedarwood Health and Wellness and Timberdoodle VT Woodworks
Natural self care products including lip balms, bath salts, essential oil blends, serums, etc. Wooden cutting board, charcuterie boards and other wooden gifts.

Colors of Sommer
Naturally dyed and botanically printed items including scarves, tea towels, napkins, and clothing items.

Organic woolens for baby, child, and adult. Base layers and more.

Handmade silver and goldfill jewelry with semi-precious stones knotted or crochet on goretex thread.

Feathers and Tracks
Hand-felted gifts including wall hangings, three-dimensional objects and birthday crowns.

Gathered By Gray
One-of-a-kind cyanotype prints, made with locally foraged botanicals and the power of the sun and prints on paper, up-cycled clothing, and hand sewn goods

Yarn, sheepskins, insoles, wool blankets and other wool items.

Heartbeet Lifesharing
Wool paintings, felted items, wooden hand-crafted magnets and card holders, cards.

Koko Dando-Plasha
Bath and body care items, such as bath salts and scrubs, as well as jam.

LCWS Alumni Parent Craft Table
to benefit Doctors Without Boarders
Hand sewn felt animals, gnomes, fairies, ornaments, needle felted and knitted items, and fused glass work including dishes, candle shields, sun catchers, plant stakes, and ornaments.

Pen and watercolor paintings of animals and architecture, prints, and hand drawn cards.

Marionnette Waldorf
Small Waldorf figurines and toys.

Seasonally inspired, herbal creations. Made in micro batches with local ingredients ranging from lip balm to herbal tea.

Hand-crafted pens, razors, stylus and bottle stoppers along with other wooden items. As well as ceramic bowls and ornaments, and child-sized Adirondack chairs.

Patty Breneman
Nature inspired and sometimes silly pottery.

Handcrafted functional pottery, mugs, bowls, soap dish, sponge holder, and platters.

Paintings, incense burners, wall hangings, earrings, plant pots, framed photographic prints, stickers, and more.

Suzanne Taylor
Felted items including slippers, vests, lamps, dolls, and bracelets.

Calendars, puzzles, cards, and stickers.

Honey bee-themed linens, quilts, potholders, greeting cards and mounted photo prints.

Vesper Hill Farm
Botanically dyed and undyed wool from our small flock of sheep, as well as woven scarves, table runners, and tapestries.

Vivid Visions Workshop
Posters and jewelry.

Goat milk lotions, soaps, balms and salves, as well as yarn and felted items made from the fiber of llamas, alpacas and sheep.

Handmade botanical candles, nature and dried floral art and bouquets, self care tools, and herbal products, as well as a kids’ collection featuring nature and sensory-based play kits.

Sheep farm products from wool such as blankets, neck warmers, pouches, and table runners, as well as naturally tanned sheepskins and lamb tallow candles.

A thoughtfully curated collection of crystals and handmade brooms.

Calling vendors! We are now accepting vendors to our fair; please !

Please get in touch with Lindsay Francescutti at lindsayf@lakechamplainwaldorfschool.org if you have any questions.

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With BONFIRE GATHERING to follow, from听8-9 pm
Hosted by the Parent Community Council

Re-imagine the holidays as an experiment in mindful parenting with this Friday evening presentation followed by a Workshop on Saturday. Take away simple tools to make small, doable changes to your family life and practical ideas to make the upcoming holidays more peaceful and joyful.

SATURDAY WORKSHOP:听Make a Felted Lantern
November 5 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
$75 registration fee to cover speakers and materials.

Saturday morning will continue on the theme of bringing more intention and calm to family life. Participants will wet-felt a beautiful lantern to take home. This workshop draws on universal themes of听light in the darkness; families are invited to use their own spiritual, cultural,听and family traditions as they plan for the holidays.

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With one student as the tent manager, the students set up four tents each day. It was a process, made even longer by needing to find the perfect sticks for stakes. They did a fantastic job of perfectly setting up each tent every night. Their campsite looked like it could have been in a brochure.

Another student was in charge of the tarp, and he did a great job selecting the spot. Other students would volunteer to climb someone鈥檚 back or a tree to get the guy wire high enough. Often the hardest part of setting up the tarp is tying the knots. It鈥檚 always a struggle and a hard skill to learn.

A third student was the water manager. Though water wasn鈥檛 a challenge to find, it was a job to get it all filtered or boiled and into water bottles. It took a couple of days to get the system sorted out and timing perfected. The students were so appreciative of the endless procession of full water bottles throughout the expedition.

Two students served as navigators. At first, the job was not too difficult as they were traveling on well-established trails. As they got deeper into the forest these students increased their commitment to their job and showed inspiring leadership as the students bushwhacked their way up to Stratton Pond. They let out a loud ‘Woot!’ as they were led right to the edge of the beautiful pond.

Another student’s job was fire and firewood manager. He brought his bow drill and with it his greatest challenge, to start a fire without matches. He worked and worked and worked at it the first night showing great determination. He got a lot of smoke but never an ember and reluctantly moved on to the flint and steel after more than two hours of attempts. Due to circumstances of long days, wet wood, hungry hikers, and other miscellaneous factors, they never got to see the fruits of his labors with the bow drill. They did have a great roaring fire every night started by a spark from the flint and steel and kept tended by the fire manager.

The kitchen manager, was in charge of all the pots and pans, bowls, spoons, and ladles. He carried it all without complaint and packed and unpacked it each day. The snack manager and historian kept everyone well-fed and though it was definitely a jerky and dried fruit fest throughout the week, she always delivered their snacks with a smile. She worked closely with the food manager who was in charge of all the food. It鈥檚 always a challenge to know how much to cook and after eating cheesy spaghetti leftovers for breakfast, he quickly got the portions dialed in.

The health and hygiene manager was responsible for everything from blister care to tooth brushing to digging and caring for the hole for the group latrine. She did great work with this multi-faceted job and her commitment to oral hygiene is commendable!

Two students were in charge of boats, paddles, and PFD鈥檚. As a team they kept the group floating as well as mindfully taking excellent care of all the equipment.

The weather was also a big job and one student learned all about mare鈥檚 tails and mackerel skies, gauging the temperature, and predicting how the weather might be changing. She did a great job recording the information and reporting on it each morning.

One student created beautiful pocket-sized laminated song books for each person, complete with a personalized flower for the front cover. There was so much singing, all day, every day. At the top of Stratton Mountain just before heading off on solo, the students circled and sang Falling in Love With You.

On the last morning, the guides paddled through the early morning fog from their hide-a-way island campsite back to the takeout at the other end of the reservoir to meet the students after their solo. They watched the sunrise over the hills, the breeze picked up, and the fog slowly lifted off the lake, and they heard the students singing their grace before breakfast at their campsite.

The students arrived at the meeting point at exactly the planned time bursting with stories, song, and joy. In their final circle, they shared appreciations for each other, shed tears, laughed, and ultimately sat still and quiet, letting the silence fill the spaces in their hearts; the caffeinated ferrets’ ship becalmed at last.

From guide Maria Cimonetti:

“Most senior trips I鈥檝e taken part in, the overwhelming feeling is that of ‘moving on.’ With this group, at this time in the world, the feeling was quite different. Quarantine was for many, a reminder of the loneliness of isolation. Our trip was a celebration of coming back together, a little bruised, battered, and annoyed by life鈥檚 circumstances, but immensely grateful for each other and the lessons interactions offer us. After Maria鈥檚 Amazing Morning Group Stretch each day I posed to the group the question, How are you going to live your life today? The answer was always beautifully reflected in their actions: with a deep reverence for nature, laughter, song, courage, commitment, and connection. They are going to do great things in this world. I have no doubt.”

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Our students are immersed in the outdoors from their early childhood days through high school. Science tells us about the benefits of extended time spent in nature, and we know this truth from our own experience. In the coming year, we are embracing outdoor education more fully than ever before, as a centerpiece of our curriculum.

Construction on six new outdoor classrooms is nearly complete

The drawings below, done by 麻豆原创 eleventh grade student Wren Van Deusen, capture our vision for how these learning spaces will look.

Over the summer, we have held Work Days where parent volunteers have assembled convertible benches/desks that will be used in our outdoor classrooms, made pathways along the trails to protect our wetlands, and hauled stumps to the classroom sites. We plan to have four classrooms completed by the start of the school year, and our students will create the two remaining classrooms. We also have seven pop-up tents for outdoor learning spaces as well.

Exploring academics while outside allows learning to be experienced fully, and encourages creative thinking and problem-solving. As children and young adults engage in the physical work of tending animals and caring for the land, stewardship of the earth becomes instinctual. As they learn and grow, students develop the confidence to face challenges head-on and the skills and knowledge to make a difference.

Rain or shine, our students are outside every day.

Our students in the early childhood program spend long stretches of time on our outdoor playground and tromping through the forest each day, learning to work and play together. Many days, the only inside time is for a snack, and even meals are often shared outdoors! Whatever the weather, children are dressed for outdoor play 鈥� prepared to handle the elements and enjoy the freedom and nourishment of the natural world.

Being outdoors is known to have a regulating effect, and we witness this alchemy in our students every day. In the lower grades, outdoor play continues daily, and lessons take place outside throughout the year.  Our grade school students begin their study of environmental education, learning survival skills such as shelter building and igniting and keeping a fire in all conditions. Our teachers use elements of the natural world in every subject, bringing the curriculum to life in meaningful ways. 

As students鈥� capacity for thinking expands, the natural world is there to meet them in all its complexity.

Classes venture into forest and field to deepen their understanding of a wide range of subjects, from science to art, and from languages to literature. Longer periods spent outdoors cultivate resilience, culminating in week-long treks in high school where the students find previously unknown strengths in themselves in each other. 

Resources

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Hello everyone, thank you all so much for coming! My name is Ryan, and听my name is Julian,听and we are speaking on behalf of the class of 2020 and the听greater LCWS community. Every year the senior class gets the opportunity to听present the Michael Service Award to a member of our community who exemplifies听the value of helping with head, heart and hands. We recognize them for their听exceptional dedication, generosity and support of the Lake Champlain Waldorf听School. This year鈥檚 recipient is an individual who has been a part of our community for fifteen years. Throughout this time, he has consistently shown up and taken on tasks simply because they needed to be done.听 He does this without being asked, and without looking for thanks. You have all seen him (impossible to miss with his bright reflective jacket!) working the parking at the Holiday Fair, and other events. This undoubtedly is not the most exciting job, but one that needs to be done, so year after year he is out there in the sun, rain, snow, or even that happy Vermont mixture of all three.听 听

At the end of events such as basketball and soccer banquets, when everyone else is leaving, this individual is still there washing dishes, sweeping and mopping, and taking out the trash.听 He is behind the scenes in this way at many of the events. When most of you think of the Spring Benefit, you probably just think of the beautiful singing and pleasant evening. What you might not know is that it takes some people staying till 2 AM putting away chairs, breaking down the risers, and cleaning the building. This individual has shown his constant support on these late-night clean ups for years.听

听 For each of his three children’s senior trips, he has been an integral part of the fundraising. In his early days he spent grueling hours painting houses, weeding gardens and stacking wood (He probably logged more hours than some of the kids!) By our class, we had found a much easier way of fundraising in the form of parking cars.听 He was again a tireless contributor and leader.听

On a personal level, he has taught me the importance of hard work, dedication, and sacrifice.听 Throughout my entire life, he has shown me what it means to be a father and a man, by always being there for his family, and supporting them no matter what.听 He has made me the person I am today and will keep shaping me my whole life.听听听

It is for all these reasons, and many more, that it is our pleasure and honor to present my father, Andrew Fontanez, with the 15th annual Michael Service Award.听

And it is my honor to say that in addition to Andrew, this year’s Michael Service award is actually going to be awarded to the entire Fontanez Coyle family. Andrew, Angela, Brenda, Maya, and Ryan. Ryan, I know this is not what you think I’m supposed to be saying, but to say it like a Waldorf teacher: ahh you must cultivate the ability to live with uncertainty.

The exceptional work and dedication from your family as a whole has inspired the school to award this year鈥檚 Michael Service award to your entire family, something we have never done before.

I’ll start by talking about Angela. Angela takes care of everyone as if they were her own children. I have a memory from about sixth grade that I think shows this quality well. For those of you who don鈥檛 know, there’s this time at the end of the summer that all faculty children dread: Work week. Work week is when all our parents are working but school has not yet started so in grade school this basically meant a week of lurking around the school. During work week, Angela drove to the school, picked me and Nick up, and brought us to the fair. And as if that wasn’t already enough, I’m pretty sure she paid for both of us. I should also mention that at the time, they were living an hour away in Fletcher. This kind of act is common from Angela. She hosts students with a long commute regularly. She also hosts me even though I don’t have a long commute, I just like playing board games and video games with Ryan. Angela is as grateful as she is generous. While she continues to support our school (by volunteering at events, hosting and welcoming students, and so much more) she never stops expressing her gratitude for our community. An extreme example of this never failing gratitude, was when Ryan was the unfortunate victim of a potato cannon science experiment gone wrong. She wrote to the school after this incident, not to express anger that the accident had happened, but to thank the teachers for taking such good care of Ryan.听

In Brendan鈥檚 time at Waldorf, he consistently showed up for class fundraisers, student panels, and volunteered at other events. And like his dad, Brendan could be counted on to stay to the bitter end. I did not overlap with Brendan in high school so I know him more as an older brother to Ryan, as well as leader on the battlefield of Fortnite Island or in COD, but that’s less relevant today. Clara and Laura witnessed more of the traits that I am describing. Similarly to Andrew and Angela, Brendan does the work simply for helping the community, not asking for praise. He also will speak up to uphold the community standards. In addition, as a young alumnus, he wrote a beautiful letter to our whole community in support of our annual giving campaign, expressing his gratitude for his LCWS education.听

Maya built community at our school. She formed deep friendships across classes, which not only must have been reassuring for the younger girls who undoubtedly looked up to you, but also helped build a stronger community. My mom was the class sponsor for Maya鈥檚 class, and from what I have heard, Maya played a lead role in the fundraising work for her class. And in true Fontanez Coyle style, she stayed at school into the middle of the night handprinting gnome shirts for her class to sell. I can only imagine it was a tedious process. And after carrying more than her fair share of the 鈥渨eight鈥� leading up to the trip, she literally carried more than her fair share on the actual trip. Maya would consistently carry extra group gear, to lighten the load of the packs of her classmates. I have heard the same for Brendan, and I have witnessed this to be the case with Ryan.

That brings me to Ryan. You are a leader. The most obvious example of your leadership is with sports. During the soccer and basketball seasons, we could count on you to hype the team up. Your commitment and enthusiasm for the team were essential for us this year. You are someone we can always count on. Our sports teams counted on you this year to lead. Our class counts on you. You are there to fundraise, set up events, carry extra weight (win win really, we get lighter packs and you get more of a workout) and you also motivate us like you do the soccer and basketball teams. You rally us up for doing fun things together. This leadership is another form of service to our school community. You are also someone I can count on. Since first grade, you鈥檝e been there for me when I need you.听

As a whole family, you have been here for this community. Lisa Espenshade recognized this about your family about four or five years ago, and since then, a plan has been in the works to present this award to the Fontanez Coyle family, when their last kid, Ryan, was graduating. Every one of you has this incredible generosity and dedication to our school. Whenever something needs to be done, you are all there. For all the numerous events, you volunteer your time. When our school was having financial trouble last summer, all of you donated – all five of you – and even your grandparents!听

Thank you, Angela and Andrew, for cultivating such strong values in all of your children, and thank you, all five of you, for exemplifying the spirit of service and love for our school that we honor with this award.听

It is my true pleasure and honor to present the 15th annual Michael Service Award to the Fontanez Coyle Family: Andrew, Angela, Brendan, Maya, and Ryan.听

听

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In accordance with the latest guidance from the Vermont Department of Health, the Agency of Education, and the CDC,听we will be moving to a听鈥渕ask optional鈥� status in grades 1-12 as of April 4, 2022.听Factors we took into consideration:
鈥� 85% vaccination rate in grades 1-12
鈥� Chittenden county is reporting less than 15 cases per 100,000, the positivity rate has been steadily decreasing, and hospitalization rates have dropped dramatically.

This decision has been made carefully and intentionally, and in听conjunction with our Head of School and administration, after listening to feedback from many parents and faculty members.听We hold all community members with compassion and care as we enter this new phase of the pandemic, and we will work together to respect all choices when it comes to mask-wearing. We take assurance from masking studies that indicate that the KN95 and N95 masks provide protection to the wearer.听Please speak with your students about the mask choice that is best for your family so that students can take responsibility, as best they can, for their mask choice while in school. Teachers certainly will be available to help with this, but they will not be able to hold the responsibility of each child鈥檚 mask choice independently.听

Our Early Childhood program is in a different position with many students not yet eligible for vaccination. Because of this and the vulnerability of this population, we will wait to move to the Early Childhood programs to mask optional status until after the April break.

We continue to monitor the Covid-19 pandemic and will respond to changes in trends and rates accordingly. Thank you for your diligence in caring for one another during this pandemic, we are grateful! Feel free to reach out to the听Health & Safety Committee听with concerns or questions.听

RESOURCES:

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Hannah Epstein of the Nature Conservancy teaching the students about local plants and animals.

 

Want to know more?

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