Dear Parents,

I sit looking at the window at the campus and hear the echoes of busier days.  The summer is in full swing for many with beach fun, hiking, traveling and resting.  The school will be abuzz with students in 28 days and the teachers rested and ready to bring new stories and assignments to the students.  Patti and I are on short assignment with the school helping to mentor teachers and to help with the scheduling and planning for the upcoming year.

The faculty has been in and out of the office and the classrooms in the days I have been here.  The summer offers a slower pace for those of us in the profession but the steady preparation for the new curriculum a grades teacher takes on keeps one’s mind active and fresh, perhaps just what Dr. Steiner had in mind.  The kindergarten teachers are interviewing new students and the glee on the parent’s faces are clear and beautiful as they begin to imbue their child and themselves on a path that holds great potential for their family.  Council members seem like full time employees as they hustle in and out of the office conducting administrator interviews and trying to manage the needs of the office while they seek the person who will be the fortunate one to lead Journey into the future.  The office staff handles matters “from soup to nuts” during the summer and entertain the steady flow of new families that learn of the school and arrive unannounced.  Despite the interruption to important planning functions, they smile and share their stories filled with enchantment for the school and the community.

From the flow of emails and contacts that I have had over the year, I have heard of struggles the school has faced.  The school year ended with perhaps relief and some continuing anguish, but as I observe the flow of people through the office, it seems that new optimism has taken over with the lessons learned of the past year.  As we get older, we call this wisdom, and face the opportunity to learn from our mistakes while facing some of the residual consequences of the past year.   The amazing part about Journey is that one can look back over its history and speak to large crises, yet those pale in comparison to the optimism that summer sun and focused work can bring.

The year will begin with a continued increase in enrollment of up to 250 students and a third kindergarten.  New faces will grace the campus along with the beauty, laughter and smiles of those returning.  The school gardens are watered and looking fresh.  The grounds compared to last year at this time are orderly seeking only sprucing up for the new school year.   Spring brings new blossoms and soul feelings that embody us, yet summer brings rest, optimism and the possibility that the best still lies ahead.

Wishing you the best of the rest of the summer……Tim Connolly

Thank You to Michael Graber

In the same way that as he was sworn in as a Council member four years ago, Michael Graber quietly handed the Council’s gavel to David Burlison last month and his hold onto the title of President of the Journey School Council.  A self-effacing man, Michael would tell you he did not do much, but to try to get out of the way and let the good things happen that the school needs.  He would tell you that he had nothing to do with the school’s relocation to this site at Foxborough Circle.  He would tell you that he was just the man behind the lens of the camera that annunciated the beauty of the school in the video produced last year by him and Diana.  He would tell you that the hours of footage he shot were a gift to him as he observed the teachers and children do what they do best.  He would tell you that Council meetings were fun and always interesting and most of that would not be sarcastic.  He would tell you that emailing anyone he thought could have a meaningful impact in the office or the classroom was no work at all.  He would tell you that standing out at the curb to greet parents and arriving students was more enjoyable for him than for those greeting him.  He would tell you that his input on important work of the Council was just part of what one does when they are in this role, and the work is just in addition to what other individuals and groups do.  He would smile, though, and acknowledge you with a twinkle of his eyes when asked if his daughters, Lizzie and Piper, would ask him to change the subject at the dinner table to something other than Journey School.

Like his predecessor, Bas Mulder, Michael carried the role in a quiet way.  By day, he is an award winning camera man, and by night he wears a cape with a red “J”.  I would bet that not many days in the past two years would go by without Michael thinking about the school.  I was lucky to be the school administrator for a year during his term.  I felt supported, assisted and worked with in a mutual way.  He brought me Perrier water to quench my thirst, enthusiasm to rebuild my soul after a difficult moment and offered solace to me when Notre Dame lost yet another game.  His desire to serve the school is always evident to me.  Michael would be willing to re-examine his thoughts and his conscience if he thought it would be better for the school.  He stood his ground when needed and moved aside when he needed to.  In short, he gave far more than he received.

I thank you Michael on behalf of the school community for your tireless efforts and thank you for remaining on the Council for these next months for the transition period to be completed.  Your laughter, smile and upbeat nature will be missed on campus.   The school thanks you Diana, Lizzie and Piper and returns your husband and daddy to you.

Niguel Children’s Center

As you may be aware from school year end information, Journey will be sharing its campus in part with the Niguel Children’s Center.  The school is geared to pre-school and pre-kindergarten children and charges tuition for its services.  They have a website that is easy to read and I encourage you to view it to better understand their mission in educating the young child.  They have morning care and after care for children and their hours of operation are 7:30 – 6:00, Monday through Friday. They use a traditional school calendar.  Their campus has been fenced in with a short chain link fence similar to the one that surrounded our school at the Wood Canyon Elementary campus.  They are located at the back end of the campus beyond the multi-purpose portable and the 8^th grade classroom.  Contacts with them thus far indicate that they are pretty terrific and responsible co-tenants who aim to stimulate and honor the child.

Their formal class day begins at 9:00 and ends at 12:45 and they willingly changed their schedule so as to not interfere with Journey’s kindergarten pick up time.  In this regard, it will be important for a deeper consciousness to be undertaken about parking and timeliness in arriving to pick up a kindergarten child.  Journey’s lease with the district allows 25 spots for Journey parents and teachers.  The new center has its own limitations as well.  We were spoiled this past year as there was no need to share the parking lot, and for the most part, there will not be too many issues with the number of spots available if we remember in the moment that we are now sharing the campus with another growing school with small children.

After our regular morning drop-off times, the Children’s Center will have teachers meet their children arriving before and up to 9:00 in front of the office and escort them back to their site in the most unobtrusive way possible.  The Journey staff reports that our new neighbors are making every effort to work with our rhythms and schedules.  I encourage you to review information about the Center’s educational aims and goals and to become aware of what they do.  It could be possible that childcare options may be available to balance out what Journey does not offer, yet there as been no final decision concerning this.  Please join the faculty and administration in welcoming these folks to our shared facility!

Council News

These last weeks have been busy and intense for the Council.  Since Delano Jones’ departure on June 30, the group has attempted to fill the void of the administrator by sharing the duties of the position to keep matters of importance active and moving forward in positive ways for the beginning of the school year.  They have met weekly if not more often since mid-June to make the decisions necessary to keep the school functioning and desirous of doing so with quality and care.  They have worked in conjunction with the faculty to complete the hiring for the year, and at press time have only a few openings to fill.  They have taken on the task of finding a new administrator with determination and grit, and I can personally attest to this from my own experience in the process.

These past six days found them in deep discussion with an out of town candidate who could be a shining star for the school.  They left no stone unturned in placing this individual and themselves in the best possible position to make sure that this match is the best one.  There are still two other candidates in the decision making mix along with this third and they feel very good that they are attracting quality candidates who see not only what Journey is about but how to continue to help the school unfold the limitless potential that it has.

This is difficult and time consuming work for volunteers.  As you read this, please consider that each member has either a full time job, owns their own business or has children at home that need their care and attention.  I draw attention to this to ask that when you see these individuals that you thank them for the efforts they have undertaken.

The Council and the Faculty will meet later this month as well to begin a discussion on the events of the last year and work to reconcile their differences over the past months.  Indeed this is yet another healthy sign that despite differences, the desire to work together is paramount in these group’s minds.

Personnel Update

As you have read, the Faculty and Council have been busy replacing teachers who have left to have their newborns, faculty who have moved on for personal reasons and to address the growth within the school.  The following summary will provide a brief but enthusiastic summary of those who have been re-assigned to new tasks or who indeed are new to the school.

The kindergarten is enthusiastic and happy to expand the number of classes from two to three, opening the door for 18 additional children to attend the school.  Both Laura and Hellene are excited to introduce Gina Schneider as the new teacher to join them in their collective work.  Gina holds a single subject California high school credential in English in addition to her multiple subject credential for elementary level.   She has taught 1^st grade in a public school setting and kindergarten in private school settings.  She is a mother, a published poet, artist and musician.   She was introduced to Waldorf education five years ago and feels privileged to teach the curriculum.  Gina will be assisted by Claire Penneau who is excited to be with the children each day as she turns over the janitorial services of the school to new hands.  Claire will also continue to teach part of the music curriculum at the school by leading an “honors” choir for the upper grades as well as a choir class to the 4^th grade.  Hellene is happy to have Luis Camacho join her as her assistant.  Luis has worked for the past twenty years as an operations manager for CUSD and has a background in wood working, gardening and as a father.  He was excited to attend classes this summer at the Rudolf Steiner College to accelerate his learning curve.  The group is excited to have a male presence as well with the children each day!  On a sad note, the school will say goodbye to Liz Clark who completed the last school year working with Laura Childers.  Liz has been at Journey since its origin and served as a handwork teacher and class teacher to the current 3^rd and 7^th grades.  Her love for education and for children will be missed, not to mention the beauty of her love for life.  A new assistant for Laura is being sought at the moment.

The grades teachers are excited to introduce three new teachers to the school and tell you more about one who began as the year ended.  Laura Bujjoni will happily greet 22 bright faces to 1^st Grade next month.  She holds a multiple subject credential with the State of California and received her undergraduate degree from Cal State Fullerton where she graduated with honors.  She speaks Spanish fluently and is a member of several professional organizations.  She loves to travel and also maintains a pet-care business called Paws for a Walk!  She has two years of experience since completing her credential work and has been mentored by Patti Connolly over the past two weeks to ease her adjustment to the curriculum.  She is excited to take on this role and has been a “regular” on campus over the past 10 days.  Alan Cook is excited to take over the 4^th grade for Ms. Emery.  He is a graduate of Cal State Long Beach where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts upon completion of an associate’s degree in music.  He holds a multiple subject California credential and has most recently been a long term substitute for a 5th grade class in Garden Grove.  He loves music and worked for many years as a professional musician.  He hopes “to bring knowledge and experience in the arts into the classroom in creative and exciting ways and plans to meld the academic curriculum with the artistic curriculum” and feels excited to have found this type of school where his talents can be put to their best use.  His references would tell you that he is the consummate professional and cares deeply about children.  You have perhaps met

Kathy Hudson as she completed the year with Ms. Northrip’s 4^th grade class.   She is in New York at the moment completing her summer studies and will be returning to begin the year with the 5^th grade.  She has been certified both as a Waldorf and public school teacher.  The 6^th grade bid goodbye to Ms. MacLeod as the year ended and will greet the “revitalized and amazing” Ms. Bennett when the doors open next month.  She perhaps will still be “floating in air” with memories of her just completed assignment of graduating the first group of graduates at the school. 

Leila Harding will be teaching full time beginning in September and will balance her schedule by teaching Spanish to the 4^th-7^th grades and Science to the 4^th-8^th grades.  The grades teachers also wish to introduce a new strings teacher as they bid goodbye to Ms. Haddy.  John Paul Tobin is a transplant from the state of Pennsylvania.  He loves to speak of his experience as a young man performing for the critically acclaimed Williamsport High School Strolling Strings, where he performed all over the world with his classmates, including an engagement at the White House!  He has a Master’s degree in music, in viola performance, from Cal State Fullerton and has taught both group and individual instruction over the past five years.  He is excited to take over the work that Ms. Haddy has begun and to continue to inspire the art of strings performance.  He will begin the year teaching strings to an upper grades strings “honors” class as well as the 4^th grade.  After the Winter Break, he will begin to teach the 3^rd grade children.  Joining Holly Johnson as the assistant handwork teacher is Shana Rose, herself a Waldorf graduate.  She comes to us with a degree in English from UC Berkeley and received her Masters in Education along with her Waldorf teaching certificate from Antioch College in New Hampshire.  She has been interning as a teacher with the Haleakala Waldorf School in Hawaii.  She will assist Holly with ten classes per week and teach up to five other classes in the lower grades including the first half of the year with the third grade as a music teacher where she is sure to use her extensive background from her performing days as a soprano soloist!

In the office, please note that Business Manager, Julie Giffin, will now be a full time employee of the school.  Julie will continue taking responsibility for enrollment, accounts receivable and payable, JASP and all other needs as it relates to the business function of the school.  The Council is also happy to report that the bookkeeping functions will be returned to Cindy Barry who was the original bookkeeper for the school when it was first granted its charter.  Cindy will work as an independent contractor and work approximately 10 to 15 hours per week.  She lives in San Juan Capistrano and will be a grandmother any day now!  She is a graduate of San Diego State University and is pleased to be back with the families here at Journey.

Handwork Internship

When our son entered his last year of college, he found an internship working with a professional basketball franchise in the Bay Area.  This internship would mean that he must attend each home game over the six months of the season, work in the office as a staffer to carry out office clerk duties four to eight hours per week, take public transportation one hour each way at his own cost, all the while finishing his school work as he approached graduation.  It was time consuming and fun to be part of a professional sports franchise.  Over time the team began to improve and shocked their fans by making the playoffs.  His payoff for the work was an essential understanding of how an organization can be successful, how administrative staff helps support the main interest of the company, the excitement of being part of something that went really well and surprised fans across the country and by landing an excellent job that he sought in finance.

Journey is offering a similar opportunity for a daring individual to serve as an intern to Handwork teacher, Holly Johnson.  Holly is an experienced and credentialed Waldorf teacher who was a Waldorf student herself, seemingly just yesterday!  The intern would receive training and experience in all aspects of the program.  They would work along side Holly in every aspect of handwork, assisting in classrooms as well as creating and repairing handwork projects.  The intern would also undertake a study with Holly of two essential Waldorf focused texts to better understand the richness of the curriculum and the children.  There would also be options to work with parent groups on craft projects.

As you might surmise from the lead in to this announcement, the position offers no pay, no transportation costs or employee benefits.  It indeed is a great opportunity for intrinsic reward, improving your craft skills and teaching them to children.  It also opens up the door to future job possibilities at Journey or elsewhere.  Interns in this type of arrangement have been able to move on to full time handwork teachers in their own right. Journey’s full time handwork position does not require one to be State of California certified.

If you have interest and wish to pursue this opportunity, please contact Holly directly at hollyhj@yahoo.com or Franci Sassin at fsassin@sbcglobal.com.

Parent Back to School Orientations

On August 20 @ 6:30, the Kindergarten teachers will greet all of their children’s parents for an orientation on what can be expected during the upcoming school year.  This meeting is essential for parents just joining the school and insures that your child will get off to a good start for at least those things that we parents can control.  On August 28 @ 6:30, the entire Faculty and the Parent Cabinet will entertain all of the parents of the school community to offer welcome and enthusiasm for the 2008-09 school year.  In addition to the introductions and orientation from the faculty, Janette Loreto of the Parent Cabinet will be working with the faculty to prepare an evening of interest and provide clarity on the role of the parent in working in the classroom, on festival committees and fundraising activities.  Please make sure to attend these important meetings.

Joint Governance Meeting Addresses Parent Survey Results

In June the three governing bodies (Faculty, Council, and Parent Cabinet) met to review your parent survey feedback, and create plans to act on your suggestions.  The entire group reviewed a confidential compilation of your survey feedback (compilation will be available at a later date for the entire school) and suggestions.  We also added opportunity areas which have cropped up since the surveys were administered.  Then, using a facilitated process with a trained facilitator, we first created Ground rules for how we will conduct future Journey meetings, and then the participants all worked together to narrow the list of many opportunities to four key focus areas to start with.  They are (in no particular order):

Ø      Administration communication and management processes

Ø      Teacher hiring process

Ø      School culture/environment

Ø      Communication

The group then split into teams to create action plans for these areas.  We came out of the meeting with higher level suggestions, as well as some detailed steps to address improving each area.  This is where you come in.  We will be creating teams made up of representatives from key areas, after school starts.  These teams will take the current action plans, flesh them out further, and help facilitate implementation.   To keep the teams manageable, we will hold them to between 5 and 7 people.  Your team will decide your meeting schedule.  If you are interested in helping on any of the teams, contact Janette Loreto (?) to put your name into the hat. 

We appreciate your feedback.  Once these areas have implemented some changes, we’ll look at our next set of opportunities.  This process of asking for your observations, identifying our improvement opportunities, and then creating teams to implement changes will be a continual one.  It won’t happen over night, but rest assured we have heard your comments, they are valuable, and we are making sure action is taken on them. One step at a time… after all, it’s a journey!!   

Join us in celebration at our annual gala event and our biggest fundraiser of the year…

The 2008 Journey School Jubilee Gala Auction

Saturday, October 4^th

at the Mission Viejo Lake Clubhouse

There will be a live auction, silent auction, dinner, entertainment, friends and fun!  So, come enjoy this spectacular event while raising funds to support the specialty programs that make Journey School the unique learning environment we all have chosen for our children.

We are calling upon the Journey community to support our efforts by donating just one item per family.

Here are some helpful suggestions…

1.   Donate an item from your place of business.

2.   Ask friends or family members for a donation.

3.   Ask the manager of your favorite store for a donation.

4.   Easiest of all…provide a gift certificate ($10 or more) from your favorite store.

Let’s work together to make this a wonderful fundraiser! After all, the proceeds benefit what we all have in common…the education of our children!

If you would like to help with the Journey School Auction please contact:

Bettina Spretke (949) 495 1017 matashis@cox.net or Jennifer Burlison (949) 461 9384 jenniferburlison@mac.com

2008-09 School Calendar

The Faculty and the Council have released pertinent dates for the school’s calendar for the upcoming year.  This calendar includes dates for school breaks, early dismissal days, STAR testing dates and re-enrollment dates.  Please note that not included as yet are dates for festivals, most fundraising events, Council meetings, Parent Cabinet meetings, class plays, education evenings and class meetings.  Please continue to look for these items in the first month of the school year.

Journey School Calendar

School Year 2008-09

Updated @ August 1, 2008

Work party Weekend                                              August 9/10

Kindergarten Parent Orientation @ 6:30                August 20

Faculty Meetings                                                     August 26-28

All-Parent Orientation Evening                               August 28

Labor Day                                                               September 1

Opening Day of School (dismissal @ 12:35)       September 2

Journey School Auction                                           October 4                        

Columbus Day – School Holiday                          October 13

Veteran’s Day - School Holiday                           November 10

Parent Conferences                                                   November 11-25

Thanksgiving Break dismissal @ 12:35                   November 21

Thanksgiving Recess                                              November 24-28

Winter break dismissal @ 12:35                              December 19

Winter break – School Holiday                             December 22- January 2

School Resumes                                                      January 5

Martin Luther King Day – School Holiday         January 19

JS Information Evening @ 7:00                               January 27

JS Classroom Walk-Through @ 8:30                       January 27

Re-Enrollment Deadline                                          January 30

Open Enrollment Begins                                          February 2

JS Information Evening @ 7:00                               February 3

JS Classroom Walk-Through @ 8:30                      February 3

JS Classroom Walk-Through @ 8:30                      February 10

February Break dismissal @ 12:35                          February 13

President’s Week/Teacher Training          February 16-20

JS Information Evening @ 7:00                              February 24

JS Classroom Walk-Through @ 8:30                     March 3

JS Information Evening @ 7:00                              March 3

4^th/7^th STAR Writing tests                                       March 3

Open Enrollment closes                                           March 10

Spring break dismissal @ 12:35                              April 3

Spring Break – School holiday                             April 6-10

School resumes                                                       April 13

New Parent Orientation Meeting                             April 14

New Parent Orientation Meeting                             April 21

STAR Testing                                                          May 11-22

Memorial Day – School Holiday                           May 25

Last Day of Kindergarten                                        June 12

Last day of Grades Classes (Dismissal @ 12:35)   June 19

Mr. Connolly’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 pound butter

1 c. sugar

2 ½ c. brown sugar, firmly packed

3 eggs

2 T. vanilla

1 ½ t. salt

1 ½ t. baking soda

6 c. flour

2  12-oz. bags of chocolate chips

Cream the butter and sugars together with a pastry cutter until it takes on the texture of oatmeal.  Beat in eggs, vanilla, salt and baking soda.  Add 4 cups of flour and then two more cups.  Stir in chips.  Taste dough.  If dough is wet, add additional flour until satisfied.  Taste dough.  Refrigerate for one hour.  Make balls of dough 1-2 inches in diameter.  Place on cookie sheet and pop in oven set at 350° F.  Turn sheet once until they begin browning. 

Enjoy!