Autumn Newsletter | Cider, Community and Spooky Spiders!
Look! We have a new mission statement: Nestled in the beauty of the California foothills, Sierra Waldorf School provides the ideal environment to inspire a love of learning, encourage imaginative thinking, and develop the resilience key to navigating the modern world.
Autumn 2026
Hello Friends of Sierra Waldorf School,
Happy Fall! We here at SWS are readying the hay bales, sipping cider and dusting off our broomsticks for the coming of Autumn. It’s been a busy time here on campus.
We watched as Saint Michael drew his sword and conquered the dragon for Michaelmas. It was wonderful watching as each grade played their part in the Michaelmas play. This tradition reminds our community to have courage to face evil, stand up for what is right and bring light into the darkness as we enter into the shorter months.
Then we celebrated the official purchase of the property with the Taking Root Party on October 2nd. It was beautiful to see the many generations of grandparents, parents and alumni gather in one place and celebrate our triumph of purchasing the property! We toasted each other and planted a tree in Honor of the Bill and Judith Seed Fund gifted by The Wests. It was so special to come together in celebration as a community on our very own campus.
Our Halloween festival was delightfully spooky and, thankfully, dry! This year a wonderful circle of alumni parents lovingly held the kindergarten yard, giving current parents the gift of simply being with their little ones rather than working shifts. It is this kind of quiet generosity that weaves our community together. The children were full of joy as they wandered in costume, listened to fairy tales, and found their way through the mazes our community created. A truly magical evening, and our heartfelt thanks to all who made it so.
Come join us for the Elves' Fair on Dec 5th 10:00am, to 2:00pm here on campus. This fun and festive fundraiser will feature the traditional booths of candle dipping, wreath making, a cake walk, and a kids' workshop, as well as local vendors and puppet shows! This year, the Advent Spiral will also be open to the public. It has become a wonderful addition to this cozy and reverent season.
We have exciting news! We are launching our year long Capital Campaign, Taking Root, in the place of our normal yearly Annual Giving Campaign. This year all funds will be going to the infrastructural projects that Sierra Waldorf needs to complete as property owners, the largest of those projects being a leach field which could cost up to $150,000. It will take considerable effort and funds but we are going to get this campus into shape for the future generations of students. Please consider supporting this campaign by donation here:
OR… Dropping by the office, saying hi, having a cup of tea and writing a check. We want to see your faces, hear your stories and reconnect with you, our greater community.
We would like to leave you with an excerpt from a piece Bill Roberson wrote in 2008 about our Accessible To All program at Sierra Waldorf School. For those who may not be familiar with it, ATA involves an open, flexible conversation with each family that requests it. Through it, our committee learns what the family needs and what they are able to contribute, and together they arrive at an adjusted tuition. These conversations help families enroll their children here.
“It is important to keep in mind, when considering our radical approach to social renewal, that every family, whether paying full suggested tuition or an adjusted tuition, are in the Accessible to All program. We all desire our children to have a Waldorf education, and we all pay what we can afford.”
Seeing each family as an important part of the financial health of the school is a beautiful gesture and I hope it can help the community understand how important each individual is to the whole.
Sincerely,
The Folks at Sierra Waldorf School
Taking Root Party Photos
Campus Improvements
You may have noticed the new Sierra Waldorf sign as you drive into the entrance at school. We owe the site committee a huge debt of gratitude for installing the new fence and sign! Jonathan Weldon and Whitney Grant designed and created the sign and we hope you enjoy this new addition to the campus. Keep your eye out for more improvements as the year goes on.
Upcoming Events
Calendar of Events
November 13th, 8:00am-9:15am Friday Morning Coffee, come and chat with the parents and guardians at the drinks trailer in front of Red Rose!
Dec 5th, 10:00am-2:00pm Elves' Faire, come do the cake walk, build a wreath and dip a candle with us on campus.
Taking Root Capital Campaign
We own our school. Now let’s help it take root.
After 37 years of renting, our community bought the Sierra Waldorf campus. Our first big project is a new septic leach field, which needs to be finished before school begins in September 2027. Please join us in giving your best gift to the Seedling Fund, at any amount.
Alumni Corner
Are you an SWS alum or alumni parent/grandparent? We are looking for folks who would be interested in being featured on our website and social media regarding how Waldorf education impacted their life.
We love to know about the amazing things that our community members are up to so please drop us a line.
If this interests you, please follow the appropriate button to a questionnaire. Thank you in advance!
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