25th Anniversary Mosaic Project
Merenda proposed that we assemble four separate mosaic pieces, each composed of tiles created by our student body. She envisioned tall, vertical panels, each incorporating the underground realm, the earthly realm and the heavenly realm, and showing how they are all interconnected.
This parallels Waldorf education, which emphasizes the connections between academic subjects, practical skills, and nature. Waldorf education also deeply believes in the importance of environmental stewardship and being in harmony with the earth, which dovetailed perfectly with Merenda’s vision. Her inspiration for the project was that all of our students work together to create the fabric of our school community, just as the different realms are all connected and woven together on our Earth.
The end result was truly more spectacular than we could have imagined! There was a special presentation to unveil the work at our 2022 May Faire, complete with a dedication song from our 3rd graders. It was such a special moment, gathering with our community, and reflecting on the past 25 years.
Our heartfelt thank you to Merenda for her work with our students on this beautiful, collaborative project. The current and future families of RWS will all enjoy these pieces of art for years to come.
Commemorating 25 Years of Waldorf Education in Richmond, VA
This year, we at Richmond Waldorf School have been celebrating the 25th Anniversary of our wonderful school’s inception. What an achievement!
We searched to find ways big and small to honor this important milestone in our school’s history, and had hopes of working with a local artist on a collaborative project that our students could all get involved in to mark the occasion. Lucky for us, we have an incredibly talented mosaic artist, Merenda Cecelia, within our parent community, who jumped at the chance to help us make this idea a reality!
Merenda met with each of our classes in small groups, gave a short tutorial on working with clay, and gave them their task for the collaborative project. Our youngest students were tasked with creating roots and worms to make up the underground realm, the 1st through 4th graders created flora and fauna that would make up the earthly realm, and our 5th through 8th graders had the opportunity to design objects they associated with the heavenly realm.
Once the pieces were created, off they went to Merenda’s studio to be fired. They were then returned to campus where each of our classes got to choose glazing colors and glaze their class’s pieces. Then, back to the studio for their final firing!
Merenda spent several weeks carefully placing the pieces together onto the four panels. The finished pieces were installed on the front of our campus, along with uplights to really make them shine.
How Teacher Looping Eases Learning Disruption
New studies show that a teacher educating the same group of students in multiple subjects over multiple years (looping) has lasting benefits. Students who stay with the same teacher see both academic improvement as well as reductions in absences and behavioral issues. Teaching a child for multiple years allows teachers to better understand each student’s learning style, to work with families to help support students, and to challenge them to do their best work. That’s why in Waldorf education, teachers stay with their class for multiple years, building a safe and supportive learning environment and strong relationships. This multi-year student-teacher relationship helps each student to unfold their unique potential.
At Richmond Waldorf School, there is always a new 1st grade teacher. Why? Because the Class Teacher loops with their class for many years, often all the way from 1st through 8th grade. The relationship between teachers and their students and parents are essential to fully engage our students in their learning. We get to know how our students learn, understand their strengths and challenges, and model how to navigate long-term relationships.
To read more about how teacher looping points to greater learning in the classroom, check out this article from HechingerReport.org:
Two studies point to the power of teacher-student relationships to boost learning
At Richmond Waldorf School, we recognize that our student’s physical, social and emotional well-being are a key part of their ability to learn and thrive. Our holistic approach to education prioritizes critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity to prepare students for the challenges of the 21st century.
We are accepting applications for the 2022-2023 school year. Join an information session or meet with our Enrollment Administrator to learn more about Richmond Waldorf School.
Choosing a school is a very important decision in a family’s life. Our admissions process is designed to give you as much information as you need to make an informed decision about enrolling your children. Whenever possible, we encourage all families to book a visit when considering Richmond Waldorf School. We want to meet you! It is just as important for us to know who you are and what you are looking for in a school, as it is for you to know who we are and what Waldorf education is about.
Valerie Hogan
Enrollment & Marketing Administrator
| 804-377-8024 ext 3
Pushing Academics into Preschool is Harmful
A brand new comprehensive study of preschool finds significant drawbacks to pushing academics too early. Researchers found that any initial academic gains were quickly erased, and children who attended academic focused Pre-K were actually behind their peers in elementary and middle school. Another troubling finding was that students who experienced early academic pressure showed dramatic increases in behavioral issues later on. In Waldorf education, we focus on what is developmentally appropriate for each age group, understanding that children especially need play, movement and art, which are all critical to social-emotional health and academic success. Asking children to take on tasks before they are developmentally ready for them can have lasting negative effects, and that is why we take a different approach to early childhood education.
At Richmond Waldorf School, preschool and Kindergarten learning takes place in our Early Childhood program. Mixed-age classrooms give children opportunities to build social and emotional skills and to practice resiliency and empathy. At RWS, we develop physical capacities through active play and work, in addition to the critical “soft skills” that bring meaning and joy into the learning environment. A Waldorf preschool experience is unique, as we emphasize a developmentally-appropriate curriculum built on a foundation of practical work and play. The experiences of a Waldorf Kindergarten are shown to develop a strong sense of self, a desire to contribute to the group, and an enthusiasm for learning about the world.
To learn more about the recent study that shows how early academics can be harmful to developing children, follow the link below:
Early Developmental Competencies: Or Why Pre-K Does Not Have Lasting Effects
At Richmond Waldorf School, we recognize that our student’s physical, social and emotional well-being are a key part of their ability to learn and thrive. Our holistic approach to education prioritizes critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity to prepare students for the challenges of the 21st century.
We are accepting applications for the 2022-2023 school year. Join an information session or meet with our Enrollment Administrator to learn more about Richmond Waldorf School.
Choosing a school is a very important decision in a family’s life. Our admissions process is designed to give you as much information as you need to make an informed decision about enrolling your children. Whenever possible, we encourage all families to book a visit when considering Richmond Waldorf School. We want to meet you! It is just as important for us to know who you are and what you are looking for in a school, as it is for you to know who we are and what Waldorf education is about.
Valerie Hogan
Enrollment & Marketing Administrator
| 804-377-8024 ext 3
Movement is Fundamental to How Children Learn
Scientific understanding of how the brain influences the body, and the body influences the brain, is shedding light on the role movement plays in learning and memory. Incorporating movement has a significant impact on what students remember as compared to taking in concepts just auditorily or visually. In Waldorf education we use movement as a teaching tool throughout our curriculum. Incorporating movement helps children with everything from learning their multiplication tables to understanding complex physics concepts.
At Richmond Waldorf School, movement is integrated into the academic subjects as we know that children learn best when they are engaging their fully body. From math, language arts, science and history, we incorporate group and individual movement, play performances, and more. Further, weekly biking classes, movement arts instruction, mindfulness and unstructured play are part and parcel to Richmond Waldorf School’s program through 8th grade.
To learn more about the science behind movement and learning, go to https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/58051/how-movement-and-gestures-can-improve-student-learning
At Richmond Waldorf School, we recognize that our student’s physical, social and emotional well-being are a key part of their ability to learn and thrive. Our holistic approach to education prioritizes critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity to prepare students for the challenges of the 21st century.
We are accepting applications for the 2022-2023 school year. Join an information session or meet with our Enrollment Administrator to learn more about Richmond Waldorf School.
Choosing a school is a very important decision in a family’s life. Our admissions process is designed to give you as much information as you need to make an informed decision about enrolling your children. Whenever possible, we encourage all families to book a visit when considering Richmond Waldorf School. We want to meet you! It is just as important for us to know who you are and what you are looking for in a school, as it is for you to know who we are and what Waldorf education is about.
Valerie Hogan
Enrollment & Marketing Administrator
| 804-377-8024 ext 3
The Greatest Scientists are Artists Too
Louis Pastuer was a painter. Albert Einstein and Francis Arnold were both accomplished musicians. New research shows that award winning scientists, and especially Nobel Prize winners, are far more likely to have artistic hobbies than the general public.
Many of them, including Einstein, cite the role of the arts in their breakthroughs. Creativity and perseverance are at the heart of both scientific discovery and artistic expression.
That is why music, drama, visual and practical arts are key components in Waldorf education and are integrated throughout our curriculum here at Richmond Waldorf School.
At Richmond Waldorf, students begin music education in the 1st grade, with the entire student body learning and performing as an orchestra in their middle school years. Additionally, the performing arts are woven into the Grades curriculum, culminating with each class presenting a play that relates to and enhances their studies. Visual, performing and practical arts are integrated into everything our students do here at Richmond Waldorf School, strengthening creativity and perseverance in all of their academic endeavors.
To learn more about the interconnectedness of art and academics, specifically science, check out this article “The Symphony of Science” originally published by Nobelprize.org.
What does music mean to you? Do you use it to help relieve stress, anxiety and fall asleep to? For many, the value of music is endless and scientists and Nobel Laureates are no exception. From seeing problems in a new way to fostering discipline, expressing creativity to working as a team, music has helped many laureates in both work and life.
Music has often helped Nobel Laureates think and process scientific information in a new way. Physics Laureate Albert Einstein was influenced by his mother who taught him to play the violin at a very early age. He was especially fond of Mozart, Bach and Schubert. Einstein often highlighted and emphasised the importance of music to him. In his lifetime he owned around ten violins, all receiving the nickname ‘Lina’. For Einstein, music worked as a brainstorming technique to help him reflect on his theories and resolve difficulties he encountered. He often indicated that if he hadn’t worked as a scientist, he would have become a musician. Einstein’s scientific ideas were often firstly created in the shape of images and intuitions, and later converted into mathematics, logic and words. Music helped Einstein in this thought process and helped convert the images to logic.
Physics Laureate Werner Heisenberg was also highly interested in music and occasionally played together with Albert Einstein. From an early age, Heisenberg seemed destined to become a musician and concert pianist. It is said that he started reading sheet music at the age of four. However, as he grew older, his passion for science outgrew his love for music and he decided to become a scientist instead. Despite this, music remained a lifelong passion of his.
Fellow Physics Laureate Max Planck was similarly a very gifted physicist and musician. Planck sang as well as played the piano and organ. Einstein and Planck supposedly used to play together, finding not only a shared love for science but also music.
Besides helping them reflect on scientifically complex problems, music has helped Nobel Laureates learn discipline and the importance of a creative mind. For Thomas Südhof, awarded the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, music gave him important inputs and ideas. Similar to previously mentioned laureates, Südhof mostly enjoys classical music. Südhof played the bassoon, and says that classical music and his music teacher has had a huge influence on him. Classical music requires a creative mind as well as enormous discipline. These two factors are said to have shaped Südhof’s development as a scientist. The repetitive and disciplinary task of practicing the same symphony over and over again slowly become a part of Südhof’s personality. The repetition helped him acquire knowledge and gave him the basics to start with. However, he also realised that in order for him to use that knowledge to create something new, he needed a creative mind. Südhof sees the parallels between music and science. In science, the two requirements of practicing a lot as well as having a creative mind are necessary in order to achieve something extraordinary.
Besides music’s ability to spark creativity and teach scientists disciplinary practice, Nobel Laureates compare and see similarities between science and music. In her Nobel Lecture, Chemistry Laureate Frances Arnold mentioned the similarity between Beethoven’s symphony and her work with the code of life. They both are beautiful and intricate, however it seems as if we still need to practice if we want to write the code of life as beautiful and intricate as Beethoven wrote his symphony. Frances Arnold played piano and guitar as a teenager and she is still very fond of music.
Furthermore, the dynamics between the members of a music band can be compared with the team effort found within a research group. Medicine Laureate James Allison points out this distinct similarity between music and science. According to Allison, it is necessary in both fields to build a team where each individual makes their own contribution to the overall work. However, it is important that the communication between the members work so smoothly that each individual also understands what needs to be done to accomplish breakthroughs. Each member is doing what they are supposed to. As James Allison states “every now and then my lab has been as well tuned – it feels like a really good band” – the concept of great team work leading to great success can be applied to both science and music.
Medicine Laureate Barbara McClintock played the tenor banjo in a jazz band in New York during her senior year at Cornell University. However, as with many other scientists, McClintock discovered that her love for science was greater than her love for music so she decided to immerse herself completely in her research work. Nonetheless, she was very fond of music, enjoying its rhythm and structure.
Two other Nobel Prize-awarded physicists Martin Chalfie and Frank Wilczek are keen musicians in their spare time. Chalfie’s dad taught him to play guitar from an early age, and Wilczek started playing piano, drums and accordion as a child. Similarly to Südhof, Wilzcek believes that music requires the disciplinary practice to acquire the basic patterns as well as the creativity to put these patterns together in novel ways. A reoccurring favourite amongst the scientists is the composer Bach. As Wilzcek summarises it: “Bach is a great manipulator of patterns”.
In Wilczek’s book ‘A Beautiful Question’, he discusses if the world embodies beautiful ideas. He then mentions the idea of a ‘music of the spheres’. It is an ancient philosophical term used by classical astronomers and it represented the supposed ‘music’ produced by the movements of the celestial spheres or heavenly bodies. Maybe these spheres of music are accessible to Nobel Prize-awarded scientists? That remains a mystery.
The symphony of science. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2022. Mon. 14 Feb 2022. <https://www.nobelprize.org/symphony-of-science/>
At Richmond Waldorf School, we recognize that our student’s physical, social and emotional well-being are a key part of their ability to learn and thrive. Our holistic approach to education prioritizes critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity to prepare students for the challenges of the 21st century.
We are accepting applications for the 2022-2023 school year. Join an information session or meet with our Enrollment Administrator to learn more about Richmond Waldorf School.
Choosing a school is a very important decision in a family’s life. Our admissions process is designed to give you as much information as you need to make an informed decision about enrolling your children. Whenever possible, we encourage all families to book a visit when considering Richmond Waldorf School. We want to meet you! It is just as important for us to know who you are and what you are looking for in a school, as it is for you to know who we are and what Waldorf education is about.
Valerie Hogan
Enrollment & Marketing Administrator
| 804-377-8024 ext 3
Working with Your Hands Does Wonders for Your Brain
New research highlights the fascinating things that happen with your brain when you work with your hands. It gives your active mind a rest by engaging it in a totally different way, which helps your mind relax and recharge. The shift away from “active” thinking often allows you to digest information and process and solve problems in the background while your attention is engaged in your task.
That’s why we at Richmond Waldorf School make sure students work with their hands every day through incorporating the arts, movement and practical work throughout our curriculum. Our students engage in woodworking classes, handwork, painting, clay modeling, biking to name a few all from 1st through 8th grade.
To read more about the latest scientific evidence behind the connection between working with your hands and brain development, check out this article from Psychology Today, written by Susan Biali Haas M.D.:
At Richmond Waldorf School, we recognize that our student’s physical, social and emotional well-being are a key part of their ability to learn and thrive. Our holistic approach to education prioritizes critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity to prepare students for the challenges of the 21st century.
We are accepting applications for the 2022-2023 school year. Join an information session or meet with our Enrollment Administrator to learn more about Richmond Waldorf School.
Choosing a school is a very important decision in a family’s life. Our admissions process is designed to give you as much information as you need to make an informed decision about enrolling your children. Whenever possible, we encourage all families to book a visit when considering Richmond Waldorf School. We want to meet you! It is just as important for us to know who you are and what you are looking for in a school, as it is for you to know who we are and what Waldorf education is about.
Valerie Hogan
Enrollment & Marketing Administrator
| 804-377-8024 ext 3
BBC: Is ‘AQ’ more important than intelligence?
With increasingly rapid changes in technology and the nature of work, employers are interested not just in intelligence and social skills, but in an employee’s adaptability quotient–their ability to adapt to new challenges with flexibility, curiosity, problem-solving, courage, and resilience. That’s why in Waldorf Education we deepen rigorous academics through integrating art, outdoor education, music, theater, practical work, movement and hands on-learning. The depth and breadth of our curriculum challenges our students and develops crucial capacities that help them adapt and thrive throughout their lives.
At Richmond Waldorf School, we recognize that our student’s physical, social and emotional well-being are a key part of their ability to learn and thrive. Our holistic approach to education prioritizes critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity to prepare students for the challenges of the 21st century.
We are accepting applications for the 2022-2023 school year. Join an information session or meet with our Enrollment Administrator to learn more about Richmond Waldorf School.
Choosing a school is a very important decision in a family’s life. Our admissions process is designed to give you as much information as you need to make an informed decision about enrolling your children. Whenever possible, we encourage all families to book a visit when considering Richmond Waldorf School. We want to meet you! It is just as important for us to know who you are and what you are looking for in a school, as it is for you to know who we are and what Waldorf education is about.
Valerie Hogan
Enrollment & Marketing Administrator
| 804-377-8024 ext 3
NPR: Greener Childhood Associated With Happier Adulthood
New research indicates that access to the outdoors in childhood is strongly associated with happiness, mental health and well-being in adulthood. That’s one of the many reasons Waldorf schools prioritize outdoor learning and recreation for our students. Not only are outdoor spaces great places to move, discover and develop curiosity, they also help our students feel balanced, refreshed and ready to learn.
At Richmond Waldorf School, we recognize that our student’s physical, social and emotional well-being are a key part of their ability to learn and thrive. Our holistic approach to education prioritizes critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity to prepare students for the challenges of the 21st century.
We are accepting applications for the 2022-2023 school year. Join an information session or meet with our Enrollment Administrator to learn more about Richmond Waldorf School.
Choosing a school is a very important decision in a family’s life. Our admissions process is designed to give you as much information as you need to make an informed decision about enrolling your children. Whenever possible, we encourage all families to book a visit when considering Richmond Waldorf School. We want to meet you! It is just as important for us to know who you are and what you are looking for in a school, as it is for you to know who we are and what Waldorf education is about.
Valerie Hogan
Enrollment & Marketing Administrator
| 804-377-8024 ext 3
Waldorf Schools are Media Literacy Role Models
At Richmond Waldorf School, we recognize that our student’s physical, social and emotional well-being are a key part of their ability to learn and thrive. Our holistic approach to education prioritizes critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity to prepare students for the challenges of the 21st century.
We are accepting applications for the 2022-2023 school year. Join an information session or meet with our Enrollment Administrator to learn more about Richmond Waldorf School.
Choosing a school is a very important decision in a family’s life. Our admissions process is designed to give you as much information as you need to make an informed decision about enrolling your children. Whenever possible, we encourage all families to book a visit when considering Richmond Waldorf School. We want to meet you! It is just as important for us to know who you are and what you are looking for in a school, as it is for you to know who we are and what Waldorf education is about.
Valerie Hogan
Enrollment & Marketing Administrator
| 804-377-8024 ext 3
To Solve the Environmental Crisis, We Must Foster the Power to Imagine
At Richmond Waldorf School, we recognize that our student’s physical, social and emotional well-being are a key part of their ability to learn and thrive. Our holistic approach to education prioritizes critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity to prepare students for the challenges of the 21st century.
We are accepting applications for the 2022-2023 school year. Join an information session or meet with our Enrollment Administrator to learn more about Richmond Waldorf School.
Choosing a school is a very important decision in a family’s life. Our admissions process is designed to give you as much information as you need to make an informed decision about enrolling your children. Whenever possible, we encourage all families to book a visit when considering Richmond Waldorf School. We want to meet you! It is just as important for us to know who you are and what you are looking for in a school, as it is for you to know who we are and what Waldorf education is about.
Valerie Hogan
Enrollment & Marketing Administrator
| 804-377-8024 ext 3
