DWS Variety Hour - 91探花

Place value coming to life for our 2nd graders! In our Waldorf classroom, we weave together stories, art, and hands-on learning to give the children many creative pathways into their learning.

For a lesson in math, this means that the lesson is much more than memorization - it instead involves a variety of approaches that incorporate visual and kinesthetic representations of the concept. The students see, touch, and experience the concepts in a tangible way, making for a meaningful lesson. With these diverse experiences, their learning comes to life with deep understanding and enthusiasm!

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New beginnings for our 3rd graders 馃幎! Today marked a special milestone as they began learning to play the recorder. Instrumental music is introduced in 1st grade with the pentatonic flute, followed by this next step in their musical journey. This fall, they will also begin learning a string instrument of their choice, along with music theory and note reading.

Music is woven throughout our curriculum in every grade - not only for the joy and beauty it brings to our classrooms, but for the humanizing ways it enriches our lives. We nurture the innate musicality within each child, cultivating their listening, expression, discipline, and sense of connection to one another. Together, we create harmony!

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Plein air painting (painting outdoors) with our seniors 馃尦. Practicing the arts is just one way that we strengthen our ability to recognize the beauty of nature and to appreciate our environment. And leaving the four walls of our classrooms behind for the open air and surrounding trees certainly engages all senses as we observe the world around us!

If you ask them, I think they would agree that it 91探花鈥檚 a wonderful way to begin the high school day - immersed in nature, creativity, and thoughtful observation.

And plein air painting is just one part of our rich arts curriculum - there are more than 40 art classes integrated into our high school curriculum, spanning fine, visual, performing, and industrial arts. The result is that our students become strong, curious thinkers who are equally at home in the world of academic scholarship as they are in artistic and creative expression. 馃尶

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Take a peek into our new nursery program - this is our Marigold Garden! Located just east of our main campus, Marigold Garden provides a warm, homelike environment for children ages 2 1/2 - 4 1/2. Our days are guided by a gentle rhythm that includes ample outdoor time in our freshly mulched play yard, songs and circle games, nutritious snacks, and festive fun. It is a place where childhood is honored, and each child is nurtured in who they are becoming.

Comment Marigold Garden to learn more about our Early Childhood Program!

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As always in the beginning of a new school year, it is beautiful to see the new friendships and connections blossoming all around us. One of the unique gifts of being a K-12 school are the opportunities for our young students to get to know our older students!

A treasured Waldorf tradition is the pairing of a first grader with an eighth grade buddy. And as we met together to share a potluck on the playground and meet for the first time, we were reminded just how special these connections can be.

Throughout the year, these buddies will meet regularly to play, share conversation, and celebrate the seasons as they grow together in confidence and community!

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It 91探花鈥檚 the first week of school, so we thought we would give a glimpse into our classrooms all ready for the 2026-27 school year. With the new addition of our Marigold Garden Nursery, ceramics studio, freshly lazured hallway, and more - there has been much work of our hearts and hands over the summer in preparation for this beginning of year!

As you wander our hallways, we hope you are washed over by the warmth and welcoming nature of our classrooms. The beauty is not just meant to please the eye. The beauty is meant to be an invitation - to wonder, to be curious, to imagine, to create, to appreciate. To inspire and to engage. To feel that sense of belonging. We look forward to all that is to come in these spaces as we work to develop the capacities within us to meet the world with courage, creativity, and compassion.

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Today, we welcomed a new school year. As we do every year, we began with our Rose Ceremony - an event that marks the transition from one stage of life to another.

For our first graders, it is a moment of deep change: releasing a parent 91探花鈥檚 hand and taking the hand of an eighth grade buddy, then receiving a rose from our seniors. For all of us, it is a moment to pause, to just be, and to honor the fleeting beauty of where we are right now.

The Rose Ceremony recognizes a new beginning for every student this year, but with special meaning for our first, eighth, and twelfth graders - who are standing at the bridge of a fresh chapter.

And so, as we look ahead to all that this year will hold, we can tell you that time will pass here meaningfully - marked by joy in learning, togetherness, curiosity, and seasons. We are grateful to be able to be a part of this deeply rich educational journey with our students. To be able to not only see, hear, and feel - but to know with heart. Welcome to this new season at DWS. 馃尮

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As we welcome a new school year tomorrow with our Rose Ceremony, we thought we would give a brief highlight of the festivals that take place throughout the year for any families that are new to Waldorf education! There is so much to look forward to.

91探花 is a community that embraces the festival life. We come together to celebrate the turning of the seasons, to find joy and meaning in diverse cultural traditions, and to strengthen our connections to each other and to this world. Our festival life is a treasured part of our days together! While some cultural festivals are celebrated as a part of specific grade curriculum, other festivals take place as school-wide events as highlighted here. Below is a brief description of these festivals - for further detail, please visit our festivals page on our website!

Rose Ceremony- The Rose Ceremony is always how we begin and end our years - it is an event that marks the transition from one stage of life to another.
Michaelmas (9/29)- Michaelmas reminds us to find our own strength and courage to overcome fears in our lives. We alternate each year by either celebrating with a pageant or field day.
Halloween Journey - Our 7th graders lead our youngest students through our transformed playground and embark on a wonder-filled exploration together for the Halloween season.
Lantern Walk/Martinmas (early Nov) - As we walk in darkness with our crafted lanterns, we are reminded to shine our inner light to others as the darkness of the season grows stronger.
Winter Spiral - It is a reminder that within each of us is our own light and beauty- so that we may move forward in the darkest season ahead, radiating our gifts with one another, and contributing to make the light.
Santa Lucia (12/13) - Our 2nd graders spread the light of kindness, generosity, and hope to our school community with sweet saffron buns and singing!
Festival of Life Renewed - (continued in comments)

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Before we say goodbye to summer (we can鈥檛 wait to see everyone on Wednesday!), we wanted to give a peek into our adventures in the Gal谩pagos Islands and Ecuador with some of our high school students! 馃嚜馃嚚

This summer, along with DWS Spanish teacher Mckenna Fuentes, students were able to experience real and practical Spanish language skills as well as many cultural activities in Ecuador. They explored the capital city of Quito and were able to view the world from the equator before venturing to the Gal谩pagos where they soaked in the beauty of the natural world, encountered wondrous wildlife, explored a volcano, lent their hearts and hands to a conservation service project, and so much more. Our learning often extends beyond our classroom walls, and we are incredibly grateful to be able to experience the greater world we all share.

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Unique symbols for each of our early childhood students- whether it is a 馃惛馃馃彏锔� or other element from the natural world, our youngest students will come to recognize their own symbol as an identifier for their cubby, cup, hook, and more around the classroom. These symbols remain with the children through the years in our kindergarten, serving as a touchstone of belonging, familiarity, and independence as they grow in our community!

Comment 鈥淓CE鈥� for more info about our early childhood program. And new this fall - we look forward to introducing our Nursery Program (serving 2.5 - 4.5 year olds) at a satellite location in University Park.

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Meet our new 5th grade class teacher, Owen Schiller!
Owen is a native Coloradan and attended the Roaring Fork Waldorf School. He is truly happy to be returning home after nine years in New York City. He joins us from the Rudolf Steiner School, where he just graduated his eighth grade class. During his time there, he led Drama Club productions, facilitated a Roleplaying Games Club, and served on the school 91探花鈥檚 Diversity and Belonging Taskforce. He has also taught at the Brooklyn Waldorf School and the New Amsterdam School, bringing both experience and a genuine love of Waldorf education to his work.

Owen completed his Waldorf Elementary Teaching Certification at the Sunbridge Institute. He is a thoughtful and creative teacher who values strong relationships, inclusivity, and the importance of community in the life of a class. His love of drama and storytelling will serve this fifth grade beautifully as they enter what is often called the 鈥済olden year.鈥�

Outside of school, Owen enjoys local theater projects, time outdoors, and any opportunity to work with horses. We are grateful for him joining our community and sharing his warmth, steadiness, and enthusiasm with our 5th grade class.

Hear more about his journey to becoming a Waldorf teacher in our stories!

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Next up in our 鈥淲hat 91探花鈥檚 up with...?鈥� series as we explain the many facets of Waldorf education - today, we鈥檙e breaking down why our main lesson teachers 鈥渓oop鈥� and teach the same class for a number of years.

In a New York Times article by Adam Grant, the power of 鈥渓ooping鈥� was discussed as a key educational component in being able to unlock hidden potential in each student. In Waldorf education, this is something we have always understood and implemented - our students stay with the same main lesson teacher for multiple years.

Swipe through to learn more about the value of these deep, connected relationships with our teachers, and how they benefit our students in receiving a social education - an education where they learn not just content, but a way of being in the world.

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PreK-12th Grade

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91探花

My DWS Hub

Convenient links for DWS families

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Convenient links for DWS families

PreK-12th Grade

Join Us

Connect with us

91探花