In common with fellow Waldorf schools across the globe, Great Oak School honors the first grade students on their first day of entering the grade school with the Rose Ceremony. Leaving kindergarten and entering first grade is an enormous shift for children. The first grade child’s family walks to the kindergarten teacher who hands a […]

In Waldorf schools, main lesson book is filled with the student’s drawings and writing and used as a learning tool as well as documentation of the student’s work. The creation of a main lesson book nurtures qualities of thoughtfulness, intention, perseverance, and creativity. It becomes a showcase of the student’s work as well as a […]

Daily artistic experiences in a variety of media provide opportunities for students to explore a wide range of traditional artistic forms. Students learn modeling and sculpture with beeswax and clay figures in the early grades. Students begin painting with wet-on-wet watercolor in the 1st grade. Drawing is a core skill for students illustrating their main […]

Last Friday was our Advent Spiral Walk. The spiral walk is practiced in most Waldorf schools on or near the winter solstice. The tradition honors the seasonal cycle of light and darkness by arranging a simple spiral walk. Everything about the spiral walk is rooted in symbolic meaning: from the form of the spiral to […]

Festivals are a vital part of our school life. The curriculum incorporates thematic subject matter in lesson plans and class activities with the rich history and traditions demonstrated in our festivals and assemblies. Our festivals are celebratory and focus on significant markers of seasonal change and significant values and virtues central to human development. This […]

Orchestra Performance— Third graders begin string instruction with a choice of violin, viola, cello or bass. All year round, in numerous opportunities, our students perform instrumental and choral compositions in public performances, school assemblies, musical plays and special community events.