Archive for November, 2013

Angela Michel

Dear Friends,

It is with deep sadness that we have to announce that Angela Michel, a much loved and longstanding parent and teacher in our school, died on Sunday 24th November following a short illness.

School will be closed on Monday 2nd December as a mark of respect for Angela and to allow colleagues to attend her funeral. There will be a gathering at school after the funeral to celebrate Angela’s life and work.

We are sure that, like us, your thoughts will be with Angela and her family, with memories of all that she has given us.

 

 

 

Late-night Shopping at Salamander!

Salamander, our school shop, is packed with beautiful craft and gift ideas for Christmas. From handmade dolls and Ostheimer wooden toys to craft essentials and kits… everything you need to decorate for the festive season, and all you could wish for in your Christmas stockings!

And on Thursday 5th December Salamander will be open for Late Night Shopping! The shop will be open from 7.00 until 9.30 pm, and there will be…

  • Mulled punch!
  • Mince pies!
  • Music
  • Child-free shopping!
and…
  • 10% off most of our goodies

See you there!

Classroom and Handwork Assistant Vacancies

We are looking for enthusiastic candidates for the positions of Classroom Assistant in Class 1 and Handwork. These positions are available from 7th January until the end of this academic year in the first instance.

For further details and how to apply please visit our Job Opportunities page.

The closing date for both positions is 3pm on Friday 6th December.

Advent Fair – Thank You!

Saturday saw our Advent Fair, with over  1000 people visiting the school to experience the wonders only York Steiner School can bring at this special time of year. The fair was a great success and, most importantly, incredibly good fun!

Thank you to everyone who came along and contributed to such a wonderful atmosphere. Thank you to all who gave their time to help decorate the school or clear up afterwards. Thank you to those who made craft items, or baked cakes and buns, or cooked for the food stalls or the cafes. Thank you to everyone who ran a stall on the day and helped give our visitors such an amazing time.

Thank you especially to Class 3, the organisers of the Advent Fair, and to Julie and Hermien in particular for leading from the front! Well done all! 

Finally, here are some beautiful photos from the fair, taken by Olivia Brabbs (parent in P&T group). Enjoy!

Advent Angel

Our Announcer! Thank you, Hannah!

Wintry Waffles

Lost in music! Thank you, Bryn and Michael!

Elves at work in the puppet show

Treasure hunt in Asgard!

Ready for business – Class 5 stallholders!

Craft market

Making Gnomie Gardens, an unmissable Advent tradition!

Class 7 masterpiece in gingerbread…

Advent Strings

Our Advent Fair is held on the weekend before the start of Advent, and members of the school community often make Advent Strings to sell around Fair time. Advent Strings are a wonderful alternative to a commercial advent calendar. Each day a small parcel is opened which contains a seasonal item that together can be used to make an Advent display. Ours strings usually culminate in the nativity, and the items can be used year after year, with a little care and fresh wrapping!

This year our Class 2 parents have put together the strings. They have made items that reflect a Steiner-inspired view of Advent, with each week’s parcels representing a different part of the natural world;

The first light of Advent is the light of stone–.
Stones that live in crystals, seashells, and bones.
The second light of Advent is the light of plants–
Plants that reach up to the sun and in the breezes dance.
The third light of Advent is the light of beasts–
All await the birth, from the greatest and in least.
The fourth light of Advent is the light of humankind–
The light of hope that we may learn to love and understand.

There were 11 strings made, and they have sold very quickly by advance order even before they were finished! Please check in the school shop if you wish to buy one – you may be lucky.

But do not despair! One string has been retained and will be raffled at the Advent Fair this coming Saturday, 23rd November. Buy your tickets at the fair! Pictures of just some of the goodies in the string are shown below… but if you’d rather it was a surprise, don’t peak!

Craft Group and the Advent Fair

This Saturday sees the Advent Fair, and amongst the many wonders there you will hopefully find the Craft Group stall!

Magic flying fairies at school… only seen when the children are in classes

Craft Group is run by parents, and is part social, part skill-sharing, part fundraising and completely satisfying. They meet in Rudolf’s Diner  (the school cafe), usually on Tuesday mornings, where they conjure up all kinds of amazing things from wool, felt and other fabulous materials. If you would be interested in finding out more, or in joining the group, drop by the cafe on a Tuesday morning or contact Jo Wheeler (Sylvian, class 2) or Louise Towers (Florence, SilverBirch KG).

For the Spring and Advent Fairs, Craft Group run their own stall, and (above and) below you can see exactly how amazing they are (click for larger versions). All these items will be available to buy on Saturday 23rd! Form an orderly queue!

 

Lantern Walk

Friday 8th November saw our Martinmas celebration, including lantern walks by both the EarlyYears and Main School children, followed by sharing of food and song.

Thank you to all who attended and helped create the light in the darkness. Here are a few photos from the Early Years walk and bonfire.

Thanks to Olivia Brabbs (P&T group) for sharing some lovely photos with us.

Martinmas Festival

Tomorrow, Friday 8th November, brings our Martinmas festival when all the children will take part in a lantern parade using the lanterns they have made themselves in class. Here is some background to the festival.

The Martinmas festival stands between Michaelmas and Advent.  The harvest is complete for another year; we have gathered in the sun’s fruits and have shared food from our tables with those who may not have our good fortune. Now we celebrate Martinmas with a lantern walk. St Martin recognised the divine spark in the poor man and gave it the protection of his own cloak. When we make a paper lantern, we may feel that we are giving protection to our own little ‘flame’ that began to shine at Michaelmastide, so that we may carry it safely through the dark winter months. It may only be a small and fragile light – but every light brings relief in the darkness. In that spirit of sharing, we gather at the end of our festival around the bonfire to share some bread, the staff of life, with our friends and family.

Martinmas window panel, by Denny Lane

St Martin was a Roman Soldier who, while serving in Amiens, met a poor beggar at the city gate, shivering half naked in the cold. Drawing his sword, Martin cut his warm cloak in two and gave one half to the pauper. The following night, Christ appeared to Martin, dressed in the piece of cloak that the young officer had given away, and said: ‘Martin has covered me with his garment’.

The Autumn season can leave us bereft, solitary as the trail of wood smoke rising in the November air, yet aware of a spark within that is ready to kindle new fire, to light a new star to be our companion and guide.  The flame of our own being, so easily lost to sight in the glare of the summer sun, begins to shine against the darkness of approaching winter.  As Nature dies, we come to life.  We stand as paupers at the gates of winter. Martin’s half cloak brought hope and comfort to the beggar – his compassionate gesture may warm us also, and protect us from wintry despair.

 

Pupil Places now available

Our next Open Day is on Sat April 27: 9.15-12pm

We are often oversubscribed so please contact us to book a place or to arrange a personal visit.

Contact us