i’m not sure odin could be more excited to go back to school!
he had a great first day. a sure sign that he’s in a waldorf school – he’s most excited about being able to work in his class knitting projects at home this year instead of feeling rushed to get them in class.
he’s not as excited about having his picture taken before school, hence the “fake smile” 🙂
odin and i were moving stuff out of my temporary post-fire work digs at odin’s school and it really took everything in me to not follow the fire alarm test instructions to see what would happen.
Odin and are moving my work stuff out of post fire squatting space at his school (@ Pleasant Ridge Waldorf School) http://t.co/RJqncu2AjJ
— Eric C. Snowdeal III (@snowdeal) July 15, 2013
fear of being sent to the principle’s office is still a powerful behavior modifier.
after the fire at organic valley headquarters, we’re still figuring out where the displaced folks are going to end up for an extended period of time. for a short period of time some of us ended up in odin’s waldorf school, which also used to be a the public school so it has the “feel” of both worlds. in some ways, it feels just like a school i might have gone to when i was a was a kid. and in other ways it feels like a waldorf school. they sure know how to put a chalkboard to good use!
yes, i’ve literally been sent to first grade room. odin never tires of saying, “ok bye! have fun in first grade!” when i leave the house in the morning. all things considered, it’s not bad at all expecially considering it’s only a half a block from my house. and, on occasion, i get to sit in the hallway on linoleum floors and almost feel like i could be back in grade school while listening to listening to violin practice.
Post fire temp work space at odin's school. Sitting in hallway listening to violin practice. http://t.co/m0rY9PbCKk
— Eric C. Snowdeal III (@snowdeal) June 18, 2013
but it’s only temporary, they have to get the school ready for the kids coming back in the fall and we have to find more appropriate digs while the headquarters gets rebuilt.
Plesant Ridge Organic Hot Lunch from Gracie Hallberg-Cain on Vimeo.
an alum of odin’s school, the pleasant ridge waldorf school, made this video on their all-organic-made-from-scratch hot lunch program for her senior project at the sister school youth initiative high school.
it’s a remarkable video that shows the power of teaching children well about the importance of knowing where their food comes from and how it’s grown and prepared ( and enjoyed )!
i’m happy that odin believes this is “normal” and sad that it’s not.
and so it was finally time for the raffle drawing and, while we sure hoped somebody who bought a ticket for odin would win at least one of the prizes, turns out we didn’t sell any winning tickets.
but remember, everyone who bought one is a winner for helping odin to get a new malamute puppy!
i don’t want to name names because i didn’t ask if everyone was comfortable with being publically thanked, but thanks to all who bought a ticket. you know who you are and your generosity is very, very, very much appreciated.
i’m not exactly sure when we’ll be getting the puppy. i think it might be around june depending on how the breeding goes. i’m sure you’ll hear more about it in the future.
and remember, you’ll have 6 more chances to win a prize in upcoming school fundraising raffles, but i can’t promise we’ll get a new puppy every year 🙂
update- 03.16.13: thanks to everyone who bought a ticket – we sold almost all of them this year! which means odin gets a puppy and you all helped support his wonderful school. thank you! we mailed everyone their ticket stubs this week, but you might not get them by the raffle drawing tonight depending on snail mail travel times. either way, the tickets have all been given to the school and if you win i’ll certainly let you know by tomorrow. thanks again! ( expect updates on the puppy soon )
every year odin’s school has a fund raising raffle which requires the parents to sell $1,000 worth of tickets. we “buy” what we don’t sell. because kris and i are horrible salespeople, last year we didn’t sell any and “won” second prize, which was nice, but we don’t want to do that this year 🙂
because we live in a small town with a lot of other parents who are also selling tickets it’s a tough sell to “locals”. so this year, we’re asking for your help. please consider buying a ticket or two or five or ten! they’re $20 a ticket. please send me an email ( eric
as an added incentive, we’re also in the market for a new malamute puppy for odin! malamute puppies are not cheap and we’ve set a goal that we’ll get the puppy if we sell at least half the raffle tickets. so if getting a chance to win a trip to belize isn’t incentive enough, THINK OF THE PUPPY FOR ODIN!
update:
it occurs to me that if you’re newer than 4 years or so around these parts that probably you don’t know that one of the reasons odin is especially excited about possibly getting a malamute puppy is because of the fact that he has a very distant memory of mauja the malamute who was part of our family for 10 years and was the most lovable, obstinate, cantankerous, loyal, bullheaded malamute ever. and we all loved him dearly. here are just a few of my favorite photos of odin and mauja.
more details on the raffle:
we need the money and tickets set aside by march 8th when we have to hand them in in time for the raffle on march 16th. again, tickets are $20 a piece.
Grand Prize
Belize—in the heart of Central america
All expenses paid trip for two to Belize, in the heart of Central America. Seven days and six night of beaches, rain forests, Mayan ruins, and exotic animals. Winner may specify time of travel
(12 months to redeem.) Or $4,000 cash.
Second Prize
Continental U.S.—Getaway for Two
Two plane tickets within the continental U.S. 4 weeks
advance notice required, $500 limit per ticket. Or $1,000 cash.
Third Prize
Vernon County—Weekend Getaway for Two
Two nights at the Nature Nooks retreat on the West Fork of the Kickapoo River,
plus dinner for two at the Driftless Café. (www.naturenooksretreat.com)
Fourth Prize
Woodcut Print
“Snowy Owls”: original Nick Wroblewski multi-color woodcut print,
framed and matted. (www.nickwroblewski.com)
Fifth Prize
Stay at home
A quilt, a book, and a tree to plant. Stay at home and plant
a tree, because the center of the world is right here!
follow this link for more details on the raffle and prizes.
friday school assembly is one of the many neat things about odin’s school. first thing in the morning, the kids all gather together in the gym and each grade take a turns performing a little play or song they’ve learned in front of the other grades and many parents who are able to attend.
it’s a simple and clever way to get the kids to gain confidence in performing in front of a crowd which is a skill that will serve them well over the years.
on this particular day, odin’s teacher was also happy to announce they harvested 835 potatoes from their school plot. they gave the big ones to Jim The Cook and made themselves stone soup from the rest.
They believe this is Completely Normal and The Way It Is Everywhere.