As we post this blog entry, children are enjoying the beginning of the second week of Ananda Yoga Day Camp 2009, at Ananda Community in Lynnwood. About 40 children each week enjoy yoga postures, arts & crafts, swimming and much more in the uplifting environment at the community.
Click here to see photos from the first week.
Yoga Day Camp is a program of Living Wisdom School Seattle. For more information contact nivritti@anandaseattle.org or call 425-772-9862.
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Children at the Living Wisdom School have been engaged in exploring various art techniques with their Artist-in-Residence, Martia Denniston. The elementary students painted abstracts using “brushes” from nature, made leaf rubbings for their art journals, created clouds from foam, and apple prints from apples. |
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Here, kindergarten students send blessings to newly planted trees at
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The preschoolers have decorated their room with a mobile constructed from blocks they made themselves, and with a Blessing tree hung with leaves they painted in fall colors and their good wishes for nature’s bounty. |
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Colorful tree collages made by the kindergarten class bring a touch of the changing weather indoors. Paper, paint, plants, plaster, pastel…..clay, sand, glue….nothing that can possibly be made into something escapes these budding artists! |
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Living Wisdom School is based on the principles of Education for Life, and is located at |
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We are having a great start for the new year at the Living Wisdom School!
All the classes are settling in to lovely classrooms at the new school location at 2800 NE 200th St in Shoreline. We now have three classrooms, acres of outdoor play space, running tracks and soccer fields. The grade 1 & 2 class is running laps around the track and charting their mileage on a large map in their classroom. They are estimating how far they can run for the year. We have added several new students this summer so we’re learning about making new friendships, harmony and love. We invite all of you to stop by and see the amazing new facility and to share in the light that is being spread through the Living Wisdom School.
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Chandi at her new desk |
Living Wisdom School has a new location! We moved to 2800 NE 220th St, Shoreline 98155 – to an elementary school that Shoreline School District is leasing out. We have 3 large classrooms with lots of windows facing trees and grass! It is a very light and open space with lots of outside play space and located in a very quiet area on a hill. |
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Beth Frymire |
We also have two new teachers – Mary Perin for our preschool and Beth Frymire for our grade 1-3. Both have Washington State certification and are experienced teachers and are taking the Education for Life training program starting in September. Chandi will be teaching Kindergarten this year.
Our preschool and kindergarten are quite full. We are still actively enrolling for our grades 1-3.
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Mary Perin |
This year we will have a drama program (a parent volunteer with a drama background has offered to do this), and a French class which Van Barker will be teaching. We will continue our Spanish class (Natalia Morales teaches this) and Music – taught by Jal Feldman. We are also very fortunate to have an artist-in-residence this year. Martia Dennison will be coordinating materials and ideas for the three classrooms.
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| We need lots of help in so many ways and so invite anyone who may want to work with our school to contact Nivritti at 425-772-9862. We need help with the garden we will be putting in, with the sandbox we will be building, with help pulling the weeds around the building and cutting the grass (we need to keep the grounds up ourselves), with some teacher assistance in the classroom (hours are 9am – 1pm), cleaning, fundraising projects, and probably more as the year unfolds! We would also accept any donations. We are non-profit so donations are tax deductible.
We invite you to come by and visit us! Learn more about Living Wisdom School at www.LivingWisdomSchoolSeattle.org |
The Living Wisdom School finished its school year on June 13th;. We had our graduation ceremony for 26 children. The children were awarded “qualities” based on a long-standing Ananda tradition. These “qualities”- non injury, patience, calmness and even mindedness – to name just a few – were carefully selected by the teachers based on the child’s abilities and challenges that he/she courageously mastered this year.
We shared many stories together along with new events happening for the next 2008-9 school year .
The classrooms will have a new configuration, and we are bringing on new teachers to the Living Wisdom staff.
Chandi Holliman will be teaching the Kindergarten and a few Pre K children. Our interviews for our 1st and 2 nd grade teacher are coming along smoothly with a variety of highly educated and experienced candidates ready to explore the Education for Life principals in the Elementary classroom. We will be announcing the new teacher very soon.
The classrooms will have a new look to them next year. We are adding additional space for our Art Studio, coordinated by our Artist in Residence, Martia Denniston and a new 1st & 2nd grade classroom. The kindergarten is moving into last years’ k-1 space, and we’ll have a newly remodeled preschool room, foyer and reception area.
We invite you all to come help out at our remodel workdays in July – 12 & 13 and 26 & 27. Any and all help is appreciated as this is a big project and will take many hands. Please contact Nivritti if you can help! [nivritti@anandaseattle.org or 425-772-9862]
We look forward to seeing you and sharing in our quest to help children grow to their highest potential.
Fantastic Fridays at the Ananda Community
During the summer months the children and families are having play dates together. If you would like to join us the dates for these summertime events are:
July 11th 11:30-2:00
July 18th 11:30-2:00
August 15th 11:30-2:00
Please bring your sunscreen, sun hats, swimming attire and we will share in the joy of our newly remodeled pool area. Please call Chandi Holliman: 206-790-5905 if you are coming.
You can find directions to the Ananda Community at http://anandaseattle.org/contact/ContactUs.php#MapCommunity.
Summer Day Nature Trips bird watching with Children
Chandi Holliman is also coordinating day trips for viewing of our Northwest birds. If you would like to join our experiental group of bird watchers. Please call Chandi for dates and times.
On Monday evening May 12, about 70 parents and friends of Living Wisdom School gathered at The Everest Kitchen restaurant for a fun evening, and fundraiser for Living Wisdom School. The restaurant is a homey one, with excellent Indian and Nepalise dishes provided buffet style. Many of the children had their own meal and playtime at the school (thank you especially to Carole Bartoo for her expert care) while the parents enjoyed an informal get-together. Leslie Moulton, Darcy DeLyle and Louann Garceau headed up the committee that planned and organized the event. (Thank you so much!) In addition to the meal, we had a dessert auction – with the homemade desserts displayed at one end of the room and with people coming up throughout the evening to place their bids on everything from delicious apple pies, coconut/mango pie, homemade caramels and chocolate bark, to cheese cakes and chocolate mousse cake. Some of the items had a furious “battle” going on for them. We had two sweet children from India, clothed in fancy Indian dress, who performed some traditional Indian dances. We also enjoyed a slide presentation of the children as they engaged in various school activities, including some of the performance of the Mother’s Day Tea. To top it off there was the presenting of 15 door prizes which were enclosed in helium balloons.
A great time was had by all and the event raised $2,000 for the school!
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The Living Wisdom School is getting ready for the Dalai Lama’s visit to Seattle with a unit on compassion. The kindergarten and 1st grade class are attending the Seeds of Compassion Children’s event on April 14th.
Kindergarten Math at Living Wisdom School
The preschool and pre-kindergarten classes are beginning this spring with a unit called
“Channels”. The classroom will be full of flowers, mountains, rivers, stars, and birds., and will feature a new 5 foot Living Wisdom Tree that we are making out of screen, plaster and Paper Mache.
Thank you to Martia Denniston! She is joining the preschool classroom on Wednesdays and Fridays.
The Living Wisdom School is also preparing for next years program. New children are finding us on the web and through other personal contacts. If you or someone you know are interested in the school please contact Nivritti Steenstra at 425-772-9862.
For more information, visit our website at
www.LivingWisdomSchoolSeattle.org.
Living Wisdom School is looking for a qualified person to teach preschool starting for the Fall 2008 school year. The ages of the children are 2.5 years – 4 years. The program is for 5 days a week in the mornings so the position is for 20 hours/week.
Learning the Education for Life methods of working with children will be required. Experience preferred but not required. We are hoping for a spiritual, nurturing, child-centered person who is dedicated to helping children grow to their highest potential.
Please email your letter of interest and resume to Nivritti at nivritti@anandaseattle.org
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