Anvils Go Mobile

Anvils Go Mobile

by Phil Dwyer| MS & HS Earth Arts Teacher

Setting up for high school blacksmithing classes, although still a hefty chore, is rolling along with a bit more ease this year as the anvil stands were upgraded this summer. A number of “stumps” were crafted at varying heights by laminating alternating layers of 2- by 6- inch fir lumber. Steel frames were fabricated using pieces of 1/8″ and 1/4″ thick hot-rolled mild-steel flat bars and square tubes that were cut with our new 4×7 horizontal bandsaw. (Thank you dear donor!) Step bits helped make “quick” work drilling numerous holes. Loops for holding tools and custom anvil anchor brackets were hand forged. Everything was welded up using 6013 electrodes with reverse DC polarity on a Lincoln AC/DC 225 Stick Welder. (Isn’t science in action grand?!) A removable handle converts each stump into a hand-truck enabling the anvils to “lightly” roll along while riding a fulcrum balanced on two heavy casters (thank you Archimedes). Efficient set-up and take-down of the smithy affords the young “apprentices”more time to forge artifacts from red hot iron in tandem with the crafting of their very selves. Thank you to everyone who helps make life transforming courses like this possible!

Waste of Time

Waste of Time

by Marina Budrys | HS Teacher

This year, the 12th Grade Economics Main Lesson became an Economics AND Environmental Studies Main Lesson. Seniors are ready to be challenged to think about problems and propose solutions from two distinct fields. The field trip to Shoreway Environmental Center (Public Recycling Center) in San Mateo was the perfect culminating experience for the class.

Inside the transfer facility, students saw the massive pile of waste destined for the landfill and the massive pile destined for industrial composting. It was both a reality check and a dose of hope. Because the content of the Main Lesson both addressed how markets function and the limitations of our earth’s systems, students were able to apply the theoretical concepts they learned to the waste management business.

Students came back inspired to improve the waste management system on the Mountain View Campus by redirecting waste destined for the landfill. Fueled with specific knowledge about proper recycling (did you know black plastics cannot be recycled?) and the SB 1383 Composting Law, expect to see some changes MV Campus.

Five Things You Can Do to Support Your Student to Successfully Navigate the School Year

Five Things You Can Do to Support Your Student to Successfully Navigate the School Year

by Ramona Budrys | Class Teacher

Perhaps you are wondering how to support your student to successfully navigate the school year. What best practices can contribute to the students’ well-being so that they are fully present to be able to learn? We have five practical suggestions for you!

  1. Timeliness – Timeliness is a social deed. Each student deserves the opportunity to transition from home to school. Each teacher designs the beginning of the day to make that transition. Please be on time.
  2. Sleep – As brain research catches up with what Waldorf teachers have known for 100 years, sleep is the time when the brain is synthesizing everything that occurs during the day. Do yourself a favor and get eight hours of sleep, and ensure your student gets eight to twelve hours of sleep depending on the age. The bonus – it helps with #1 and #3.
  3. Chores – Parents who consistently assign chores not only have a cleaner and healthier home, they are raising humans who can pay attention to what needs to be done and do it, a life lesson that serves them not only in school, but as they go out into the world as well.
  4. Media – We ask that you consciously consume media so you can guide your student up to age 18. They cannot navigate the overwhelmingly vast landscape of devices and platforms without loving adults filtering and focusing their experience.
  5. Direct Communication – Please get to know all of your student’s teachers. The best way to understand their particular experience is to speak with the specific teacher who was present at that moment. We promise not to believe everything we hear about home from your student, as long as you promise not to believe everything you hear about school. Come with a question for the adult in the room.
Rankings: What Are They Good For? Absolutely (well, mostly) Nothing.

Rankings: What Are They Good For? Absolutely (well, mostly) Nothing.

by Kevin Krasnow | Director of College Counseling

A little over a week ago, the U.S. News & World Report released their annual rankings of colleges and universities. Before long, I was receiving texts and emails from family, friends, and colleagues in higher education. This was nothing new; since I became a tour guide in my junior year at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, prospective students and families would routinely ask me about the rankings. I would try to explain that regardless of rankings, there were so many reasons that I was enjoying my time at UNC: The breadth and depth of courses in my majors of political science and journalism, the plethora of restaurants on Franklin Street (the main thoroughfare right off campus where my friends and I often went for a late night bite of pizza or to celebrate a victory in basketball over our arch nemesis, Duke University), and the concerts I attended by a cappella groups named The Clef Hangers, The Loreleis, and Tar Heel Voices. I was happy at college, but in my young mind, rankings had nothing to do with it.

Yet the fervor – and sometimes furor – over these rankings persisted, especially once higher education became my calling. Working in the admissions offices of American University and Colorado State University, I continued to be asked about the rankings: by parents at college fairs, by students during admissions interviews, and by our local alumni who would speak at information sessions that I held in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Seattle, and Portland, among many other cities. I would also be not-so-slightly nudged by our Director of Admissions to highlight the U.S. News and World Reports ranking if the college or university had moved up. Or, alternatively, I was told to downplay the significance of the rankings should the university not fare as well as they had the previous year. As the years went by, I witnessed much change in higher education, but the obsession over college rankings remained constant.

Flash forward to the U.S. News and World Report rankings released earlier this month. Many colleges and universities lambasted these rankings because of changes to the U.S. News and World Report’s methodology. Wake Forest University, located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, said that the U.S. News and World Report changed 17 of the 19 indicators used to calculate its rankings of institutions. Wake Forest University’s President, Susan R. Wente said, “Hallmarks of the Wake Forest experience include small classes, personal attention and mentoring from professors who are top scholars and experts in their fields. It is unfortunate that this year’s methodology no longer rewards institutions for some of the elements of the Wake Forest experience that we value most.” She continued, “Among other changes, the new ranking methodology removed consideration of small class size and teaching by professors with a terminal degree.”

That leads me to the refreshing and informative webinar that I attended last Wednesday, September 20th, by Challenge Success, a nonprofit affiliated with the Stanford University Graduate School of Education. Challenge Success partners with school communities to elevate student voice and implement research-based, equity-centered strategies that improve well-being, engagement, and belonging for all K-12 students. One of their founders, Denise Pope has been a longtime proponent of WSP. You can see her in our film Preparing for Life, and second film short here. Part of their presentation centered around how the college admissions process can be a source of stress and anxiety for students and parents alike. One of the questions they asked was, “What do college rankings really measure?”

Challenge Success has found out that rankings are problematic. In their article titled: A “Fit” Over Rankings: Why College Engagement Matters More Than Selectivity, they wrote: “We find that many of the metrics used in these rankings are weighted arbitrarily and are not accurate indicators of a college’s quality or positive outcomes for students.” In last week’s webinar, Challenge Success included a comic strip in which a father is reading a bedtime story to his young child. The caption: “The U.S. News & World Report Guide to America’s Top 500 Colleges…Chapter One…” While humorous, I could not help but think that the illustration and words were not far from the truth.

And that brings me back to another key phrase by College Success: “Engagement in college is more important than where you attend.” Challenge Success says: “Colleges that provide ample opportunities for students to deeply engage in learning and campus community may offer the key to positive outcomes after college. For instance, students who participate in internships that allow them to apply what they learn in the classroom to real life settings, students who have mentors in college who encourage them to pursue personal goals, and students who engage in multi-semester projects” are, in fact, “more likely to thrive after college.” In fact, “the students who benefit the most from college are those who are most engaged in their academics and campus communities, taking advantage of the opportunities and resources their particular institution provides. Engagement is the key.”

Challenge Success emphasizes that students should focus on college readiness, rather than college rankings. At the webinar I attended last week, they had a slide that asked, “What does Readiness Look Like?” It included four areas: Academic Skills, Social Skills, Positive Coping Skills and Life Skills. Academic skills included: “Managing time, materials, and assignments; having good note taking skills, solid reading and writing skills; complex problem-solving skills; and communicating directly with teachers.” Social skills included: “Managing emotions and behaviors, showing understanding and empathy for others, managing conflict, and making ethical, constructive choices.” The better prepared for college, regardless of what the college is ranked, the better you will feel about yourself. In turn, hopefully, your stress level will decrease, and you can daydream about all the ways you will not only survive – but also thrive – in college!

October 4th – A Day Without Driving

October 4th – A Day Without Driving

by Bayaan Mengerink | WSP Alum

Hello, I’m a former WSP student and current Fordham University College Student. I am reaching out to share an event I’ve organized for the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition – A Day Without Driving!

A Day Without Driving will take place next Wednesday, October 4th, and is a day dedicated for people in Mountain View and Los Altos to use alternative modes of transportation throughout their day. All one has to do is register at this link and they’ll automatically be entered into a raffle. Feel free to download/share/print/post the flyer, at right.

I am encouraging parents, employees, and students at Waldorf School of the Peninsula to participate and sign up for A Day Without Driving. There are so many benefits to increasing alternative modes of transportation, and it’s my hope that this event will bring more awareness to its importance as well as provide a new lens to look at our community. After the event, a form will be sent out to participants to provide feedback of their experience and recommendations for specific areas of improvement which I will compile into a report and present to SVBC, stakeholders at the City of Mountain View, and our partners at VTA.