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SWS Student

September 7, 2018

|In Testimonials

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🏕️ Somewhere between a Coast Guard safety lesson a

🏕️ Somewhere between a Coast Guard safety lesson and hauling sandbags along the riverbank, this stopped feeling like a field trip and started feeling like real life.

Our fifth graders spent a few days camping along the Susquehanna River - learning water safety from the Coast Guard, visiting the Zimmerman Heritage Center to learn about the native history of the land, working the riverbank as a team to help restore it, and doing the ordinary work of camp life in between: cooking meals, setting up tents and reading around the fire pit.

This is where the fifth-grade study of ancient civilizations and native lands stops being a chapter in a lesson book and starts being a place they’ve actually stood in.

SWS parents - What’s a moment from this ancient civilizations block that really stood out to your child?

#WaldorfEducation #WaldorfSchool #HeadHeartHands #MariettaPA #LancasterPA

In preparation for Michaelmas, our first graders g

In preparation for Michaelmas, our first graders gathered with their eighth-grade buddies, the same buddies who handed them a rose at the start of the year, to dye capes the color of courage.

In the Michaelmas story, courage isn’t about being unafraid. It’s about facing what’s hard with a steady heart, and that’s a little easier to find when an older friend is sitting right beside you.

It looked like an afternoon of dye and fabric. It felt like courage, passed from one hand to another.

#Marietta #Michaelmas #WaldorfEducation #HeadHeartHands #UnhurriedChildhood

🌿 Some SWS traditions have been growing for a very

🌿 Some SWS traditions have been growing for a very long time.

Before each school year begins, our Early Childhood department gathers at the home of Linda Koppenhaver co-founder of Susquehanna Waldorf School and a mentor who continues to show up for our teachers, year after year.

The group spends the morning together in Waldorf study, art, and honest conversation, followed by an incredible potluck and plenty of time to simply enjoy one another’s company. As one teacher put it, the gathering “ignites joy and excitement” and sets the tone for the year ahead.

And perhaps the most meaningful part is that everyone belongs. Lead teachers and assistants learn and share together, building the relationships and sense of purpose that carry into their classrooms. Because the way we care for one another as adults becomes part of the way we care for children.

That feeling of belonging doesn’t stop at the classroom door. It’s something our children experience every day.

#SusquehannaWaldorf #WaldorfSchool #WaldorfEducation #EarlyChildhoodEducation #LancasterPA

In our Early Childhood circle time, our littlest s

In our Early Childhood circle time, our littlest students are learning something before they ever sit at a desk - how to listen, follow along, and stay present with the group. It looks like singing and movement, but it’s actually the foundation for everything that comes next.

By first grade, that same rhythm has moved from the rug to the desk. The songs and circle time are still there, but now that ability to listen and engage is translating into real classroom participation.

By sixth grade, you can see where it leads - students working independently, focused, and fully present in their own learning. That’s not an accident. It’s the result of years of intentional, rhythmic practice that started back in circle time.

This is Waldorf pedagogy: the ability to be present and learn isn’t assumed, it’s cultivated - one circle, one song, one year at a time. 💛

#WaldorfEducation #WholeChildLearning #RhythmAndRoutine #WaldorfPedagogy #SusquehannaWaldorf

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We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our community, who helped vote SWS the Best, including our Inspiring, imaginative students, and our dedicated faculty.

15 West Walnut Street, Marietta, PA 17547
717-426-4506

School Hours: 8:15AM – 3:30PM

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