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MIDDLE SCHOOL PROGRAM

W H O W E A R E & W H AT

We Believe In W E G U I D E ST U D E N T S TOWA R D S B E C O M I N G C R E A T I V E , S E L F - P R O P E L L E D , A N D P A S S I O N AT E Founded in 1947, the Waldorf School of Garden City offers an engaging, hands-on, and academically rigorous middle school curriculum. M I S S I O N S T A T EMEN T Our curriculum, inspired by Rudolf Steiner, progresses in accordance with child development, awakening students to the experience of knowledge, strengthening their sense of moral responsibility, and empowering them to act with courage and conviction. The School’s aim is to graduate a diverse group of young people distinguished by the scope and acuity of their minds as well as the depth and integrity of their character.

E S T U A R Y E X P L O R AT I O N

WHAT LIVES IN OYSTER BAY? Utilizing a scallop dredge, seine net, dip nets, and a plankton tow, students collect samples of living organisms from Oyster Bay. Students have the opportunity to take a closer look at

AB O UT U S

the diversity of species under the

Today’s world demands future leaders

would identify and classify them.

that will be unconstrained by disciplinary

A field guide is created using their

boundaries in finding solutions. Our classes prepare graduates for 21st-century

microscopes and learn how scientists

findings while on Christeen and Beekman Beach. Later, students will launch a Restoration Station and

leadership. Education in its truest sense

officially become part of the Billion

comes not from knowing the right answers

Oyster Project (BOP), a region-wide

but from learning how to ask insightful questions. Classroom discussions are vibrant 2

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restoration and education initiative.

and engaging. Our faculty are experts in

in this work have been the Billion Oyster

their fields—innovative educators who are

Project, The Waterfront Center, Cold Spring

willing mentors and lifelong learners.

Harbor Laboratory, The Cradle of Aviation Museum, Old Westbury Gardens, and the

LI V I NG L A B O RA T OR Y The Middle School’s program turns wilderness into an absorbing classroom.

Marine Nature Study Area in Oceanside. C OMIN G OF AGE

Students take weekly trips to engage

It is a Waldorf tradition to offer a coming of

with natural resources around Long

age experience for our 7th and 8th graders.

Island. The laboratory field experience

The transition from childhood to adulthood

is paired with extensive course work on

is a significant stepping-stone in everyone’s

campus, crystallizing key concepts and

life. It defines one’s movement toward

expanding topics in a multi-disciplinary

adulthood and the corresponding awakening

way. Collaboratively taught with a team of

to a new understanding of oneself and the

dedicated staff and faculty, students are

world. Historically, this program has included

actively engaged in work, where they are

two weeks of special programming—with

questioning, analyzing, and creating projects,

significant time spent at our NH campus.

in groups and independently. Key partners 516-742-3434

Coming of Age Experience Our journey began on Monday, with the students being asked to ref lect on their own identities, their communities, and the things that they valued. Gradually, the emphasis shifted to learning about places and cultures they were less familiar with. Students participated in meaningful work on the farm — tending to the many We began to see the distinctions in livestock being raised there. how people eat, from the scarcity of resources to the time that it takes And then we hit lunch on day two to prepare a meal without modern — A sobering affair of working in conveniences. groups to prepare an open fire and create a simple Peruvian meal with Another transformation was the ingredients native to the area. happening alongside this path of enlightenment — this disparate group of students was forming a community. When there wasn’t enough stew to fill everyone’s bowl, each student donated some of theirs to those in need. When the people tending the fire needed kindling, different students went out to forage for wood to support the

Heifer Farm's Global Gateway Village whole group. This strengthening of community continued into the night as the students spent their evening in the Global Village, in simple structures without electricity, in each others’ company. In fact, sleeping in family groups of one sort or another has been the norm throughout human history and is still commonplace in most of the world. You eat together, sleep together, laugh together, suffer together. I thought about those ideas against the backdrop of a typical American lifestyle, where many families are isolated from

wider communities, and personal gain almost completely eclipses collective good. I began to think that whatever the technological advances of modern society, the individual lifestyles that those technologies spawn may be deeply brutalizing to the human spirit. In the end, I acknowledged that a short taste of the Heifer experience can, yes, help us feel compassion for those who live without the luxuries we have, but it also helped us get a glimpse at the benefits of living in tightly held communities where cooperation is the only way to survive.

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OUR APPROACH TO

Curriculum W E E N G A G E C R E AT I V E , S E L F P R O P E L L E D , P A S S I O N AT E S T U D E N T S WITH AN ENTHUSIASM FOR LEARNING. Discover the science of fermentation by making your own sauerkraut in our biodynamic garden. Understand the mechanics of physics by hoisting your teacher in the air using pulleys at our barn. Learn ways to promote sustainable futures by reintroducing oysters into a local harbor.

MAIN LESSONS 6 TH G R A D E › Roman Civilization › Middle Ages › Geography › Geology & Mineralogy › Astronomy › Physics (Optics, Magnetism, Acoustics) › Business Math › Constructive Geometry

7 TH G R A D E › The Age of Exploration & Discovery › Renaissance › Reformation › Physics › Chemistry › Euclidean Geometry › Physiology

8 TH G R A D E › Age of Enlightenment › American, French, and Industrial Revolutions › American Civil War to Present › Chemistry › Physiology › Solid Geometry (Platonic Solids)

Ou r st u den t s a n d fa c u lt y sh a pe t h e W a ldorf S c h ool of G a rden C it y ’ s dist in c t ive a n d dy n a mic c h a ra c t er in a ll t h ey do. V isit W al d or f M S .or g for more in form a t ion

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AT W A L D O R F, L E A R N I N G A N D M A K I N G A R E

Inseparable

W A L D O R F C E L E B R AT E S T H E M A K I N G O F W O R K — S H A R E D O N WA L LS, I N S H OW S & P E R FO R M A N C E S. Learning through doing and learning through making are twin aspects of the same fundamental attitude towards education that permeates our curriculum. Students participate in a full complement of artistic classes in theatre, music, fine arts, woodworking and fiber arts.

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ART CLASSES OFFERED 6 TH G R A D E › Eurythmy › Clay Modeling › Watercolor Painting › Geometric Drawing › Pattern Making & Sewing › Woodworking: Mallets & Spoons › Class Play › Chorus › Recorder › Orchestra

7 TH G R A D E › Eurythmy › Perspective Drawing › Soap Stone Carving: Animals › Class Play › Chorus, Recorder › Orchestra › Circus arts › Felting › Shoemaking

8 TH G R A D E › Eurythmy › Watercolor Painting › Drawing › Sculpture/Modeling › Sewing Simple Clothing using Machines › Class Play › Choral Music › Orchestra › Circus Arts

Lo o k in g f o r m o r e in f o r m a t io n ? V i s i t W a l d o rf G a rd e n. o rg to le a r n m o r e a b o u t o u r d if f e r e n t c la s s e s .

"My children are thriving because of the nurturing, holistic, and thoughtful atmosphere they get to experience here on a daily basis. I take pleasure in peeking into the classrooms and seeing a warm, inviting space of natural materials, high-quality paints, beautiful drawings on the wall, and extensive chalk murals drawn by the teachers."

- W A L D O R F PA R E N T

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F I N D YO U R

Teammates T H E C A M A R A D E R I E O F T E A M M AT E S , T H E O P P O R T U N I T Y T O L E A R N F R O M C O A C H E S & V I B R A N T, S C H O O L S P I R I T. At the Waldorf School of Garden City, the

athletics while holding the student-athlete

ideal of the well-rounded student-athlete is

and the school's academic mission as the

consistent with the highest levels of athletics

center of focus.

and academic success. Throughout the School's history, its studentathletes and teams have met that unique challenge, demonstrating that academic and athletic excellence can complement each other. THE P R O G RA M The Athletics program at WSGC aims

We are committed to teaching students how to work collaboratively, embrace diversity, persevere through failure with resilience, and compete with integrity. Over the years, our school's athletic program has received numerous honors, awards, and championships.

to enrich the life of the whole person. We are invested in competitive excellence as we challenge our

NONDISCRIMINATION POLICY

student-athletes to develop into their best selves as athletes, teammates, students, and ultimately, citizens of the world. As athletes, they embody physical strength and learn the value of movement to incorporate healthy

The WSGC is an equal opportunity employer and makes its employment decisions without regard to race, color, age, religious belief, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, marital status, disability, or any other category protected by applicable local, state, or federal law.

activity and habits into their lives. PS AA

In addition to the varsity sports program,

Our school is a member of the Private

we support a wide range of extracurricular

School Athletic Association (PSAA). The

programs, including those that present

PSAA includes a highly desirable group of

significant opportunities for recreational

committed schools that seek excellence in

participation. 516-742-3434

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