What is a Steiner (Waldorf) School?

Please enjoy this wonderful video profile on Waldorf education, featuring students from early childhood through high school, as well as teachers, parents, prospective parents, and Waldorf-educated college students and adults.

What is a Steiner School? on Vimeo.

A promotional video made for the Steiner Fellowship in the UK. It explains some of the philosophies behind the educational approaches of Rudolf Steiner (also known as Waldorf) Schools. Directed and shot by Saskia Anley McCallum, Edited by Simon Fildes.

Schoolfilms makes promotional films for progressive schools and visionary educational organizations around the world, growing a strong community along the way.

The editor Simon Fildes writes: “Both my daughters go to the Moray Steiner School in Forres, Morayshire Scotland so obviously I was pleased to have the opportunity to help put the record straight about what these independent schools are about. If you care about the future of our planet, if you think that the current way of educating our children is crazy, and that the society we should be aiming to build should be based on a holistic view of humanity, the environment and the planet then watch this.”

MVS Parent Education / Handwork Class

Happy New Year from all of us at MVS!

On Monday, January 23rd, we will begin another session of our combined Parent Education and Handwork class with Lisa McCarthy and Kathy Striegl.  You do not need to have a child enrolled at Maple Village School in order to register for this class.  Please see the following flyer for more information!  To register, please call or email us or stop by the office.

MVS Lights Up the Night at the Belmont Shore Christmas Parade

A fun, magical night was had by all this past Saturday at the annual Belmont Shore Christmas Parade!  Maple Village School was one of over 100 entries in this year’s parade.  Thanks to our community the event was a rousing success!  We received many compliments on our float from parade spectators.  A very special thanks goes out to Michael Gardner, for designing the float; Matthew Webber, for leading the construction of the float; Greg Gilday, for supplying the trailer; Lisa McCarthy, Andreas Preponis and Francesca Delfin, for lending their musical talent; and Kelly and Lisa Olauson, for providing their home as a community gathering place before the parade.  Also to the many elves who helped put the finishing touches on!  We can’t wait to do it all again next year!

The finishing touches to the float were added Saturday morning.

The view from the back of the float. Call us!

Cole admires the float before the parade starts.

We heard the song and story of Saint Martin, who gave his cloak to a poor beggar.

Our magical lantern tree is all lit up and ready to go!

Happy Holidays from Maple Village!

John Cunningham’s Compassionate Communication Workshop at MVS

Save the date!  Maple Village School will be hosting John Cunningham’s workshop “Awakening the Power of Empathy” this January 5-7th, 2012.  On Thursday afternoon, he will lead a professional development workshop for our teachers.  On Friday evening, he will give a public talk and then all day on Saturday he will give a workshop to MVS families, other families from our community, and those from nearby Waldorf schools as well.

John is an expert on Compassionate (Nonviolent) Communication and a former Waldorf teacher.  John has considerable experience weaving together Waldorf practices with Compassionate Communication principles to help parents and teachers incorporate these life-changing skills into their relationships at home and at school.

You can learn more about him on his website: http://www.empathy-conexus.com/

Winter Parent/Toddler Session Begins Next Week!

The Winter session of Ms. Lisa’s Parent/Toddler class begins next week on December 6th and 7th.  We have a few open spots remaining, so if you’re interested in enrolling your child please contact us at info@maplevillageschool.org or by calling (562) 434-8200 as soon as possible!

The Parent/Toddler class provides an opportunity for parents and their children to come together once a week in a warm, home-like environment. It offers the heart-felt rhythm and beauty of Waldorf early childhood education. The whole child is taught through creative play, song and movement, storytelling and handwork, while the parent is given a place to regain peace and strength in a natural, communal environment.

Harvest Faire 2011

Thank you so much to everyone who came out for Harvest Faire 2011!  We would especially like to thank all of our volunteers for so graciously donating their time, energy, money, and materials — we couldn’t have done it without you!  It was a truly magical day that many will remember for years to come.  Please enjoy some of our favorite photos from the event:

The Wise Woman created dream pouches for each child.

The Pocket Lady with her pockets full of treasures!

The Village Candlemaker helped children dip their own beeswax candles.

After passing the Wizard's tests, each new wizard was rewarded with a crystal that allows them to talk to owls.

The Village Blacksmith helped children forge a coin.

Activities included making lanterns and leaf rubbings.

Children assist Mr. Andreas and Ms. Lisa with the Harvest Faire sing-a-long!

The Village Farmer shares the fruits of his labor and teaches children about life on the farm!

The success of this year’s Harvest Faire would not have been possible without all of our wonderful community members.  Thanks again, and we can’t wait to see you next year!

Tanaka Farms CSA Boxes at MVS

Maple Village School is now an official pick-up site for Tanaka Farms CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture) boxes!  They will be delivered every other Wednesday, assuming we as a group fulfill the minimum order of ten boxes per drop-off day.  The boxes are available in two sizes, a large box for $30 and a small box for $20.  A portion of the cost will be donated back to MVS!   This is a great way to get organic produce direct from a local farm while supporting MVS at the same time.

Tanaka Farms has added some new features to their site this year.  Instead of paying upfront, you are charged the day after you receive your box.  They also offer a vacation hold.  All of the ordering and sign-ups are now done online at http://www.tanakafarms.com/CSA.html - Just make sure to select Maple Village School as your pick-up site!

Please send any questions to info@maplevillageschool.org, and thanks for your support!

MVS Joins Belmont Shore Christmas Parade

For the first time, Maple Village School will have a float in the annual Belmont Shore Christmas Parade!  Each year, approximately 75 local marching bands, schools, dignitaries, businesses, and other organizations participate in this parade, which runs for 1.2 miles along Second Street in Long Beach between Quincy Ave. and Claremont Ave.  A small group of MVS parents are currently working on building the float, which will feature a magical tree with lanterns, as well as singing and music.  A group of MVS students, faculty, parents, and friends will be riding on the float or walking alongside.  We are also planning to have a “Friends of MVS” gathering spot near the Bay Shore Branch Library for those who would like to watch the parade together.

This year’s parade will be on Saturday, December 3rd, from 6:00-9:00pm.  Mark your calendars and we hope to see you there!

Harvest Faire is Fast Approaching!

Saturday, November 5th

11:00am to 3:00pm

Celebrate the abundance and magic of harvest in our Enchanted Village, where the Blacksmith, the Baker, the Wizard, minstrels and more will delight you with stories and crafts.  Join in our community sing-a-long, while enjoying homemade soups, breads and pies in the Village Cafe.

$5 Admission per adult

$10 Admission per child

Child admission includes crafts, treasures, and a magical guided tour through our Enchangted Village.

No charge for babes in arms.

Maple Village School

4017 E. 6th Street

Long Beach, CA 90814

With only a little over a week to wait until this year’s Harvest Faire, excitement is starting to build!  This annual event has been a wonderful way to celebrate the season, have fun with friends and family, and for the larger community to experience the magic of Maple Village.  Our faculty and parent volunteers are hard at work making sure everything will be ready for the big day.

Check out some photos from last year’s Faire here!

The Magic of MVS Preschool

The Waldorf preschool is created to be a nurturing, comforting environment for young children to begin their transition between home life and school life.  Our two wonderful preschool teachers, Ms. Andrea and Ms. Julia, bring magic, warmth and joy to their class each day.  The preschool class meets every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 9:00am until 1:00pm.

Each morning begins with movement and singing in Circle Time.

After a Morning Circle, preschoolers enjoy inside play in their classroom using playthings made of natural materials like wood, silk and wool.  Each day there is also an activity such as watercolor painting, wool work, or coloring.  The curriculum of the preschool allows the children’s imagination and creativity to flourish in a safe and welcoming environment.

Preschoolers enjoying creative playtime in their classroom.

After having a snack, the children have a rest time while listening to a story.  Stories are a central piece of the Waldorf curriculum, as they touch children’s hearts and teach them what it means to be human.  The children continue their day with outside playtime in our newly expanded play yard.  They garden, dig, play in the sandbox, water plants, and explore the outdoor environment.

Look what we made!

A warm, healthy lunchtime meal is made every day in the classroom.  The children help prepare the meal as well as assist with cleaning up, sweeping, dishes, and other household tasks.  Instead of being seen as chores, these activities become a part of their play.  After lunch it’s time to get ready to go home!

Stella, Sophia and Nico help Ms. Andrea prepare lunch!

We still have open spaces in our preschool class — For more information or to apply, please contact info@maplevillageschool.org.