By: Sara Chovan, Parent Association Co-Chair
Is this Michaelmas the first student-centered festival you will be attending at City of Lakes Waldorf School? Read on for details:
What: Michaelmas Grades Festival
When: Monday, October 6, at 1:30 pm (recently rescheduled due to weather)
Where: Fair Oaks Park
Michaelmas is a festival that involves every student in the grades. Parents are invited and welcomed to take part in the festival by watching the Michaelmas play and enjoying apple crisp in the park with the students.
It is important for the school to offer the festivals during the day, because they are celebrated as an all-student event. As a parent, it can sometimes be difficult to realize that you can’t make all the day-time activities. Please know that the school is not trying to be exclusive of parents who are working a full day; rather the day-time scheduling is focused on being inclusive of all the students – by holding the festival during class time, they are ensuring the students get to take part in this important school-wide event.
Michaelmas has some unique elements, and for this reason it is good to have an idea of what will be happening. First of all, this festival tends to be slightly different every year. The play itself will be familiar to those who have been to a Michaelmas festival before, but the activities around this main event tend to change.
Michaelmas is celebrated in Fair Oaks Park, which is three blocks away from City of Lakes Waldorf School, across from the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Family members are encouraged to come around 1:15, and the students all arrive with their classrooms by 1:30. It can be a good idea to bring a blanket to sit on, as you will be sitting on the ground for about an hour.
You will see the play, with each grade taking part in a bit of the action. After the play there will be time to meet and mingle. We do, however, need volunteers to help the festival go smoothly. If you can volunteer your time, the entire school will be so thankful! We need people willing to help prepare the feast for the children and help clean up as well. Teachers will have classroom specific volunteer needs which you can see outlined here on VolunteerSpot. Your class rep and your teacher have likely already been in touch with parents to ask for specific items, energy or talent. Be sure to contact your teacher or class rep directly to help in your student’s classroom.
The students will go back to the school with their classes, families are not to take children home directly from the park. Instead you can pick them up at the carpool lane when school is officially over.
One important thing to consider about Michaelmas is that this is the only festival during the year that has the chance to be rescheduled due to weather. Instead of happening on Friday, October 3, this year the pageant will be held on Monday, October 6 because of rain. This is for the comfort of the students as well as all the family members who need to sit on the hill to watch the play.