Waldorf School of San Diego
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| Waldorf School San Diego | |
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| Location | |
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| 3547 Altadena Avenue. San Diego, California 92105 United States |
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| Information | |
| Type | Private |
| Established | 1981 |
| Homepage | http://waldorfsandiego.org/ |
Contents |
[edit] Waldorf School of San Diego
Founded in Europe in 1919, Waldorf Education is now the fastest-growing private school movement in the world. Waldorf’s time-tested pedagogy is designed to address the whole child. It stimulates the mind with a full spectrum of traditional academic subjects. It nurtures healthy emotional development by conveying knowledge experientially as well as academically. And it works with the hands throughout the day, both in primary academic subjects and in a broad range of artistic handwork, music and craft activities. Learning becomes much more than the acquisition of quantities of information . . . learning becomes an engaging voyage of discovery of the world and oneself.
[edit] The School
The Waldorf School Of San Diego is a community of students, families, teachers, staff, and friends committed to enkindling the unique capacities within each individual.
Guided by the insights of Rudolf Steiner, which use the natural rhythms and developmental stages of the human being to awaken deeper understandings of all that is good, beautiful and true. Out of this awakening arises the will to serve the world.
[edit] History
The Waldorf School Of San Diego began in 1981 with a small and enthusiastic group of individuals studying the educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner.
The first school site was a small house on 3rd Street, there were 18 children in the first class. In the spring of 1983 the house was sold, and the school moved to a temporary site in La Jolla for the remainder of the school year. Over the summer another site was selected, a house on 29th Street in North Park.
In September, 1984, the first grade opened with 12 students, the kindergarten filled again, and there was a waiting list. Over the next five years the school moved several more times, graduated three third grade classes and hired additional teachers to accommodate its growth.
In April, 1991, the school (consisting of Grades 1 & 2 and 1 Kindergarten) relocated to Spring Valley. The school stayed at this site for seven years and grew to be two Kindergartens, grades 1-8, and a parent-tot program.
The 1998-99 school year saw the school looking for a more central site and finally nestling into a beautiful, well cared for campus in Oak Park. Up on a hill, the school is blessed with a steady pleasant breeze and a panoramic view reaching to the mountains. On Michaelmas Day, in the fall of 1999, the school closed escrow on this beautiful site. It had been a long journey to set permanent roots for our school, our children and our community.
In 2002 the school undertook a major remodeling and renovation in the main building. The results were a major improvement and many smaller projects followed and are ongoing to beautify the school environment for the benefit of the children and the community. In the summer of 2002, The Waldorf Institute of Southern California (WISC) created a [San Diego] extension, which is hosted at the school. The Institute offers part-time teacher training, as well as courses of interest to the community.
In January of 2005, a preschool program was added for 3 and 4 year olds, as a gentle transition to the Kindergarten program, and the 2006-07 school year ushered in our fourth Kindergarten. The recent acquisition of neighboring properties will allow for future expansion, with plans underway for a new Early Childhood Center as well as a high school.
The Waldorf School Of San Diego is a nonprofit 501(3)c organization; it receives guidance from The Rudolf Steiner Foundation, and it is a developing member of The Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA).
[edit] Philosophy / Mission
Mission
1. Make Waldorf education available to all children in the San Diego area through active engagement with families of all ethnic, spiritual, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
2. Attract and retain a dedicated faculty by offering a welcoming community and a satisfying work environment.
3. Cultivate a flourishing student body by bringing the depth and breadth of the Waldorf curriculum to the broader community.
4. Build and maintain a full Waldorf curriculum.
5. Invite and engage the contributions of the whole community through clear communication and appropriate organizational structures.
6. Develop relationships that support our education by sharing experiences and exploring our connections and differences.
7. Inspire in the community a continued commitment to the highest ideals of Waldorf education through ongoing dialogue and education.
8. Celebrate the abundant and prosperous life of the school through participation in cultural, social, and work gatherings.
9. Support a long-term perspective on the livelihood of the school through planning and sustainable development.
10. Ensure the vitality and long-term well-being of the school through a healthy mix of skills and energies in the Staff and on the Board of Trustees.
11. Practice fiscal responsibility by applying sound principles of professional financial management and prudent, sustainable use of our resources.
12. Create a safe and beautiful environment by giving loving attention to the improvement and maintenance of our buildings, grounds and landscaping.
The Values:
1. Reverence: We revere life, nature, and the human experience.
2. Beauty: We support the cultivation of all that brings beauty to the soul and spirit.
3. Love: We practice love, kindness, and respectfulness.
4. Freedom: We champion the development of free human beings, inspired by a strong sense of inner guidance and social responsibility.
5. Honesty: We value clarity, consistency, and integrity in thought, word and deed.
6. Humility: We discover something greater than ourselves as we become quiet and truly listen.
7. Responsibility: We seek to fulfill our tasks conscientiously, staying true to our vision and true to the best within us.
8. Diversity: We welcome all who wish to join in our vision and mission.
9. Dedication: We honor the free, conscious choice that individuals make in dedicating their energies to our community.
10. Cooperation: We value cooperation, recognizing and celebrating it as essential to achieving our vision.
11. Unity: We seek accord among individuals by staying true to our shared vision.
12. Health: We encourage healthy choices in response to daily challenges and competing priorities.
13. Gratitude: We honor the contribution of others through gratitude.
[edit] Education
[edit] Kindergarten
During the time in the kindergarten, play is the child’s work. Through creative and imaginative play, children are building the foundation for later academic learning. The Waldorf Kindergarten Teacher is a specially trained individual who, through rhythm, repetition and reverence, is able to create a wholesome environment that nurtures the physical, emotional, social and spiritual development of each child.
[edit] Elementary (6-14 years)
The Curriculum In the first eight grades of school, children encounter the main branches of human knowledge. The children participate in choral and instrumental music, express themselves through drama and a variety of other artistic media, practice hands-on skills such as knitting, gardening, and woodworking, and enjoy physical education in addition to solid academic subjects such as English, history, geography, mathematics, and the sciences.
[edit] High School
High School Mission Statement The four-year educational journey is dedicated to awakening each student’s capacities for independent thinking, love of learning and heartfelt-service to the world.
The Curriculum Every student will be supported and guided toward higher learning through a curriculum that integrates science, technology, humanities and the arts.
Every student will have the opportunity to participate in team sports and outdoor adventure in addition to curriculum-based physical activities.
Student Life A faculty mentor is assigned to each student to guide him or her through the full high school experience and keep parents abreast of progress and development. On-site college counseling is offered to all students, and two faculty members oversee each class’s development as a working community.
Athletics The physical education classes, which are offered to all our students each week, are focused on expanding each student’s physical capacities while deepening their level of self-respect. Additionally, all our students have the opportunity to participate in a number of different team sports with their classmates. Finally, each of our classes leaves campus at least once a year to spend extended time learning, exploring and living in nature with professional guides.
[edit] Aftercare
Extended Care is an after school care program that allows children in Grades 1 through 8 free time to play. Children are encouraged to play well individually and collectively. An organized game is typically offered in the mid afternoon. A hot, organic snack is provided every day.
[edit] Summer Camp
The Waldorf School of San Diego's Early Childhood Summer Camp Program is for children ages four to six years old. The Summer Camp includes circle, play, outside play, snack, puppetry, storytelling, and crafts.
[edit] Development
The role of the development work is to build relationships with parents, alumni, grandparents, friends, corporations, foundations and the general San Diego community. [http://waldorfsandiego.org/index.aspx| The San Diego Waldorf School] relies increasingly on philanthropic support to maintain the excellence of its education.
