Maple Village Waldorf School

If you've ever wondered what Waldorf education is all about and, specifically, what Maple Village Waldorf is all about, then we invite you to join our upcoming Open House on November 4th from 10am - 1:30pm. In the meantime, we'd like to give you a glimpse into our school and share some of our values.

We are committed to engaging and nurturing the whole child resulting in a balance of heart, mind, body, and spirit. We provide an environment that helps usher into the world well - rounded individuals- learned, inwardly confident, responsible, and self-motivated - with reverence for others and their environment.

Click the link in our profile to RSVP to our Open House on Nov. 4th, 10:30 am - 1:30 pm, and attend our “Why Waldorf?” panel discussion from 12:45 pm- 1:45 pm. (Why Walforf? discussion is adults only, please).

If you've ever wondered what Waldorf education is all about and, specifically, what Maple Village Waldorf is all about, then we invite you to join our upcoming Open House on November 4th from 10am - 1:30pm. In the meantime, we'd like to give you a glimpse into our school and share some of our values.

As a U.S Dept. of Education Green Ribbon School, we are committed to sustainability and include it in our curriculum. We acknowledge and honor that the land we gather on is the home of the Tongva Nation and through their examples we strive to uphold the our greater responsibility to care for the Earth and each other.

If you've ever wondered what Waldorf education is all about and, specifically, what Maple Village Waldorf is all about, then we invite you to join our upcoming Open House on November 4th from 10am - 1:30pm. In the meantime, we'd like to give you a glimpse into our school and share some of our values.

We honor and celebrate diversity in our curriculum, seasonal festivals and holidays as well as Parent Village activities and events; all of which help to renew our awareness of the rhythm of the year and relationship with the earth while reminding us of the commonalities between us.

From making Fry Bread to cleaning the alley behind our school, the grades classes honored Indigenous Peoples’ Day and our stewardship to the Earth.

“We acknowledge that the land on which we are gathered here today is the home and traditional land belonging to the Tongva Nation. Today we come with respect and gratitude for the Tongva people who still consider themselves the caretakers of this land of which we occupy. It is through their examples that we are reminded of our greater responsibility to take care of Mother Earth and to take care of each other.”

Wondering what kind of food we’ll have at our Cultural Harvest Faire on October 14th? Check out Bender’s Eat Well, On Pointttt, and Nana’s Snow Cones! We’re coming with an empty stomach! 😋
We’ll also have popcorn 🍿 and toffee sales from out 8th grade class. Sales will go towards their 8th class trip!

Find details and purchase tickets in our bio link

Wondering what kind of food we’ll have at our Cultural Harvest Faire on October 14th? Check out Bender’s Eat Well, On Pointttt, and Nana’s Snow Cones! We’re coming with an empty stomach! 😋
We’ll also have popcorn 🍿 and toffee sales from out 8th grade class. Sales will go towards their 8th class trip!

Find details and purchase tickets in our bio link Maple Village Waldorf School

The 5th grade class heard a Greek myth which tells how the peacock received their beautiful plumage.

The 5th grader is at a balance point between innocence and wakefulness, often called the “golden year”. They are just beginning to discover their identity, and with it the feeling life begins to emerge. And while they can put on such a show of bravado, they are sensitive and impressionable. This is why one of the most important qualities in a Waldorf teacher is to be worthy of imitation.

Our Parent-Child program has grow so much that we found the need to rent a new off-site space! Two classrooms and a beautiful yard and garden space make up the “Seedling Satellite” at St. Gregory’s on Willow. If you have little ones from birth to 3 years old and are looking to connect with other parents or caregivers with your little ones give us a call! We have a few spots left!

🍁Our Cultural Harvest Faire is BACK! 🍁

When: October 14th from 11 am – 5 pm

Where: The Girl Scout’s El Ranchito Day Camp at 4040 Bellflower Blvd. Long Beach, CA 90808

Cost: $5 for Adult entry. Kids are FREE. Activities range from $3-$8

Bring: A shelf-stable food item to donate to St. Gregory’s Food Pantry and receive 1 activity tickets.

Our annual Cultural Harvest Faire is brought to you by our amazing parent volunteers and promises a day full of fun and cultural enrichment for the whole family! Join us as we celebrate multi-cultural harvest traditions with booths from Mexico, Japan, the Philippines, the US, and Ecuador along with food and music from additional cultures.

The fairies and gnomes will need help to build fairy houses in the Fairy Village and Drag Queen storytime will take place in our Royal Tea.

Delight in games for all ages including Pixie Games, archery, and a climbing wall and win tokens for prizes.

Don’t miss the Village Market for some early Holiday shopping while supporting local vendors.

And of course, a festival wouldn’t be complete without food and entertainment! Enjoy local food trucks and vendors while listening to some awesome bands and professional cultural entertainers. End the day with a communal drum circle and mesmerizing fire belly dancing!

Pt.1 of 2
We started the school year off with our annual Stargazing Concert, Friday evening. Our community gathered for a picnic, bake sale and to enjoy the music by our very own teachers, former teachers, parents, students and our Dean of Education. This is one of our favorite events and this year did not disappoint! In addition to the Maple Village People band we were blown away by our 8th grade Willow Tree students!

See part 2 for highlights of our community at the event.

Pt. 2 of 2
Our community gathered for a picnic, bake sale and to enjoy the music by our very own teachers, former teachers, parents, students and our Dean of Education at the Stargazing Concert this past Friday. This event gives us the opportunity to come together as community and kick off the new school year. We LOVE our families!

The first day of school went beautifully! Our teachers and staff were over-the-moon to welcome our beloved students and families back! YOU are the reason for all that we do! 🤗

We did it! After 15 years and pulling together as a village we are officially HOME owners! Thank you to EVERYONE who had a part in making this happen! To commemorate this huge event in our school’s history we gathered together to celebrate, weave a community wall hanging and add a few final touches to our campus before the start of school.

We support our fellow Waldorf community not only in heart and spirit but monetary support. Please consider a donation to any of these local Maui organizations.

Maui Strong - Hawaii Community Foundation
https://www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/maui-strong

Maui Family Support Services
https://mfss.org/DONATE/

Maui Food Bank
https://mauifoodbank.org

Maui Humane Society
https://www.mauihumanesociety.org/

Na Keiki o Emalia (children’s grief support) .org6850
https://nkoemaui.org/maui-families-in-crisis/

Handwork in our Early Childhood classes comes in many forms including bread making. The children get to knead the dough and form balls (or make their own shapes) to be baked. As the bread bakes, the smell brings a sense of warmth as well as anticipation to eat it! When it is ready, the children sit down together to enjoy the warm bread together. Throughout the process, the children are building fine motor skills, a capacity to concentrate, and patience as well as confidence.

In Sixth Grade, with the study of the Middle Ages, the Waldorf curriculum challenges the students to embody a Code of Chivalry based on values of service, integrity, and honor. This culminates with a "knighting ceremony" where students are honored for their efforts. Each squire is seen for their transformation over the year and thus their worthiness of being knighted. This rite of passage also relates to the student transitioning into a teenager. Rites of passage are an important part of human development as they mark key times of transition in an individual’s life.

The simplicity and openness of a Waldorf Early Childhood classroom allow the children a space where their imaginations can flourish.

Limited spots are still available in Parent-Child, Preschool, and Kindergarten classes for fall enrollment.

In 4th grade, Norse Mythology stories meet the children in their themes of courage, compassion, sacrifice, good and mischief embodied by the characters. They also serve as vehicles for exercises in writing, drawing, painting, and the planning and production of a play at the end of the year. In preparation for the play, the students painted shields that represented their portrayed god or goddess.

7th grade history curriculum focuses on the evolution in human consciousness during the Renaissance. The astronomers, explorers, and leading painters, sculptors, and inventors of the time brought innovation to many aspects of society. With this spirit in mind, the students studied an inventor of their choice from throughout history and presented a report along with a diorama to the 5th and 6th graders as well as their peers. Their reports ranged from the inventor of the bra to the inventor of Microsoft HoloLens and many in between.

Join us this Saturday and Sunday at the Love Long Beach Festival! We're collaborating to bring you and you're little ones the Kids Village! Come by and relax while your littles play! We'll have Waldorf toys, hoops and balls, kid-size stilts, and more! You may also join in creating a nature mandala or add to our community weaving loom! We can't wait to see you all!!!
Love Long Beach Festival

Please welcome Ms. Amelia as our new 1st Grade teacher!

Amelia has been our Aftercare Assistant teacher as well as our lunch recess supervisor for the past 2 years. She is well-loved by all on our campus, and we are delighted that Amelia is ready to take on more responsibility, commitment, and challenge. She has such a beautiful way of working with our students. We look forward to working with her in her new role!

Amelia graduated from the Waldorf High School of San Diego before furthering her education at Agnes Scott College, where she earned her B.A. in English Literature and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. She has worked with children for many years as a camp counselor, a private tutor, an aftercare teacher, a substitute teacher, a private aide, and a recess supervisor! Outside of childcare and education, Amelia has primarily worked in theatre and has a deep love for performing arts.

She loves the integration of nature and the arts into the classroom and is already thinking of the plays she’ll do with her class! Amelia is very excited to be the first-grade teacher and to grow and learn alongside her students. She loves working with the MVWS community and is excited for the year ahead!

We are excited too!

As part of the business math block, the 6th graders initiated business startups. Each student made handmade items from slime to jewelry to key chains to chips and salsa. In preparation for their sales to our community, they created logos, posters, and brochures pertaining to their business.

At the end of their sales, they presented proper ledger pages highlighting the capital they invested, the profits they made, the discounts applied, and the total percentage of their sales in comparison to the items they had made.

The students are aiming to make their businesses sustainable over a long period of time and collect the profits for their 8th grade trip.

We are EXTREMELY excited to announce that, after a 4 year hiatus, we will have our Harvest Faire on October 14th at the Girl Scout Campsite in Long Beach! SAVE THE DATE!
In preparation, our amazingly talented parent volunteers are busy crafting handmade items for the kiddos (or the young hearted adults)!

Take a peek at the variety of play and work that happens in a Waldorf kindergarten classroom. The children are honored where they are in their development. They are given the space for imaginative play and allowed to be fully in their bodies.

In 3rd grade, the students learn about shelters and dwellings constructed by Indigenous people in North America and around the world. They learn how they ingeniously used what they had in their local surroundings to keep warm, safe, and dry. After the students choose their shelter, they write a short report that includes where in the world they would find it, what it was made of in real life, what they used to build their own model, and the challenges they incurred during the building process. They conclude this block with a presentation to their parents, guardians, classmates, and some of the older grade students.

This project combines elements of cultural and geographical learning and also engages a host of higher-order thinking and executive functioning skills.

The 5th grade students used inspiration from abstract artist Mondrian to create a grid of squares and rectangles. Afterwards, they were asked to figure out the fraction and decimal for each color as well as write about their experience with the project.

For Mondrian, a grid-pattern composition of horizontal and vertical lines could represent the universal harmony of the world. He saw the grid as a resolution to the opposing demands of the material and spiritual.

The 6th graders learned how to make red bean mochi during one of their Japanese classes. To experience the culture while learning the language brings a deeper connection and better understanding of the words and expressions being taught.

With poise and focus, the students revealed how hard the they have worked practicing their instruments and vocals at our Spring Concert. From djembe drums, to recorders, to lyres, to violins, violas, cellos and a lone bass, the music sang to our ears and our hearts.

Music is an essential part of the Waldorf grades curriculum and it permeates the school day in every class. Music not only enlivens the spirit but also increases a child’s capacity for learning. Through the study of music, they learn to sensitize their hearing, allowing them the ability to really hear the sounds of the world and each other.

Special thanks to Ms. Diven, Ms. Korina, and Ms. Francesca for all the dedication you give to our students and for sharing your beautiful gifts.

At snack time, the kindergartners help to prepare their shared meal by cutting veggies or fruit or…making pizza! They also help to set the table with ceramic plates and metal utensils. The helper of the day pours each friend a glass of water. The children take great pride in showing how capable they are and it is our honor to give them the opportunity.

Why learn about marine life from a book or the internet when you can go to the source? Our 3d graders’ field trip to Cabrillo Beach and Marine Aquarium gave them the opportunity to explore the tide pools and experience marine life up close, including crabs, "sharks" (okay, they were dolphins), and a "ghost" of the sea.

Waldorf education emphasis learning through experience. Spending time in nature means children experience natural stimuli. Teachers encourage students to observe and describe scientific concepts in their own words before learning about them in a formal lesson.

As tradition would have it, the end of the school year brought “Play Season”! Our 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 7th/8th grade classes presented their plays to their peers and families with multiple performances each.

Plays are an important part of our curriculum. Students not only memorize lines, learn about delivery and projection, and body language, but they also help to write lines, make costumes and props, work the lights, create their own programs and posters, and break down all the scenery for the next class.

This helps them to be more courageous, proud, and increases belief in themselves. Thanks to all the parent volunteers who help with these events and for attending to cheer them on!

With sentiment, some tears and lots of laughter, we honored our 8th grade students with their promotion ceremony. It is our honor to have gotten to know these students over the years. Much gratitude goes to all their teachers and caregivers for lifting them up to be who they are today. As we took a trip down memory lane with a slideshow of their time at Maple Village, it truly solidified our quest to educate well-rounded individuals who are exposed to rigorous academics as well as the arts. We wish you all the best in the next phase of your educational journey!

Despite starting out with some June gloom, Beach Day for the last day of school was a hit! What a perfect way to end the school year and coast right into summer!

Happy 1st day of Pride Month! 🏳️‍🌈
Our 1st graders painted rainbow flags today and it coincided with their first time combining all the primary and secondary colors together. 🌈

Our 7th/8th graders returned safely from their Grand Canyon camping trip. It was an incredible experience from morning sunrise to stargazing…and of course the canyon in between. It’s a time for the class to connect; to work together and of course play Kubb together!

During the month of May Waldorf schools across North America gather 5th graders for the annual Pentathlon. Several Southern California Waldorf schools gathered in San Clemente last week to compete in this annual celebration of 5th grade grace, skill, and determination, as a crowning conclusion to their Greek history block. This rewarding tradition gives schools a day of social interaction as well as a chance to experience a time from the cradle of Western civilization.
The community of 5th graders are mixed and sorted in to four city-states: Sparta, Corinth; Athens; and Thebes. Events include: the long jump; the javelin throw; the discus throw; wrestling; and a relay race as the students compete against their own best time.

What does 1st Grade look like in a Waldorf classroom?
Come find out for yourself during one of our Walkthrough Tours this Thursday 4/27, May 25th, or June 8th.

We are still accepting applications for fall.
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Looking for a more stimulating education based on child development?
Send us a DM or click the taplink in our profile for more information about our school, enrollment, to donate, or join a walkthrough tour.

In celebration of the last day of Ramadan our Larkspur Kindergarten class celebrated Eid-al-Fitr on Friday. After a brief explanation of the meaning of this day, one of our students handed out small gifts to her classmates. For those you who celebrate Ramadan, happy Eid al-Fitr. May this day of forgiveness and mercy bring you peace, happiness, and blessings. Eid Mubarak!

Our littlest students, the Sprouts, enjoy exploring, free play, and learning developmental appropriate socialization while parents/guardians learn to sharpen their observational skills and tune into their child with curiosity and wonder.

We are enrolling for fall Parent/Child classes now and have classes for ages newborn to 3.
Click the taplink in our bio to learn more and apply.