Our Community
Once enrolled, your family will be welcomed into our school community— a place where we strive to model cooperation, respect, and kindness for a better future.
A healthy social life is found only when, in the mirror of each soul, the whole community finds its reflection, and when, in the whole community, the virtue of each one is living.
-Rudolph Steiner
Festivals
Opportunities to be Involved...
There are many opportunities to be involved at Sierra Waldorf School. Besides the roles of Class Parent, here are several more options, depending upon your interests.
After School Care Committee
Auction
Committee
Board of
Trustees
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
Finance
Committee
Fundraising & Outreach Committee
Parent Association Council
Site
Committee
Tuition Adjustment Committee
What is Anthroposophy?
Waldorf education, established by Rudolf Steiner and Emil Molt in 1919, has its foundations in Anthroposophy. At the heart of Anthroposophy is the belief that humanity has the wisdom to transform itself and the world, through one’s own spiritual development. To that end, Waldorf education holds as its primary intention the ideal of bringing forth—in every child—his or her unique potential in a way that serves the further development of humanity. The curriculum, pedagogy, and teaching methods are designed to nurture this potential.
Are Waldorf schools religious?
Waldorf schools are non-sectarian and non-denominational. They educate all children, regardless of their cultural or religious backgrounds. The pedagogical method is comprehensive, and, as part of its task, seeks to bring about recognition and understanding of all the world cultures and religions. Waldorf schools are not part of any church. They espouse no particular religious doctrine but are based on a belief that there is a spiritual dimension to the human being and to all of life. Waldorf families come from a broad spectrum of religious traditions and interest.
Is Waldorf the same as Montessori?
These two educational approaches began with a similar goal: to design a curriculum that was developmentally appropriate to the child and that addressed the child's need to learn in a tactile as well as an intellectual way. The philosophies are otherwise very different with Waldorf prioritizing imaginative, nature-based play that is teacher-led and Montessori focusing on structured, individualized and self-directed play.
When do Waldorf schools introduce reading?
Reading literacy begins in the first couple months of first grade by teaching consonants and vowel names and sounds through an approach of drawing, painting, movement, and speech. This artistic, intentional process engages the children with great interest, and by the end of first grade, children are writing and reading sentences and short texts, leading students to begin reading printed readers with their teacher during the springtime of second grade. This thorough approach to teaching literacy has been proven to build a solid base for advanced comprehension and vocabulary skills in later years. Our goal is to foster passionate readers who continue reading for pleasure throughout their lifetimes.
Does SWS offer discounted tuition or scholarships?
Yes! Our financial aid program was been established in order to provide all families who value Waldorf education an opportunity to it. Our tuition model is threefold with the first level being full tuition. If full tuition is beyond your ability, the sliding scale provides basic numbers of tuition based on your adjusted gross income, or AGI and also takes into account discounts for multiple children. If the sliding scale tuition amount is beyond affordability, you may participate in our Accessible-To-All program, which involves a conversation with a trained peer to discuss the narrative behind your finances, ultimately landing on a tuition amount that you and the school can agree on.
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Can I volunteer in my child's class?
Of course!​ SWS highly values parent involvement in many facets and this can be seen in a multitude of ways: chaperoning field trips, volunteering in reading groups, sharing a piece of your family culture with the class, organizing teacher gifts as the class parent, updating your class on all school happenings as the Parent Association Rep, volunteer on one of our many committees, stopping by to say hello and have a cup of coffee or tea at Friday Coffee Morning. SWS has so much to offer in the form of community, you just have to be open to joining in!
