The Hartsbrook Blog

Each November, Hartsbrook high schoolers take a break from their typical Main Lessons to engage in Project Week, an opportunity to engage in creative pursuits of their choice. Students were […]

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This spring, Jo Hesse (’12), a Hartsbrook alum with a history of involvement in community rugmaking projects at A.P.E. Gallery in Northampton and Bombyx in Florence, collaborated with the high school for […]

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Just when one settles into the beginning of summer, and the gardens have been planted, the chicks have hatched and our lambs born, and of course the piglets have arrived […]

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The 11th Grade class recently completed these microscopic drawings of wild aquatic organisms as part of Cell Biology with Mr. Cedar Oliver. There will be a full-size (1 square meter) […]

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New lyres handcrafted by students, teachers, and community members have been gifted to Hartsbrook. Last spring, at our annual final assembly, new lyres handcrafted by students, teachers, and community members […]

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Hermit Island September 2021 Samantha would not be stopped. She simply could not quit until we found a sea star. Wading through tidepools up to her armpits, she was on […]

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Reviewing Beyond the Sand and Sea: One Family’s Quest for a Country to Call Home Ty McCormick, alumni, and author will join us to read from his forthcoming book, “Beyond […]

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You may recall that Verve Jazz Ensemble played a benefit concert in Piening Hall almost exactly a year ago.  The band recorded the session and found that the performance, acoustics […]

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Even if we are imperfect in our striving, we know that left unattended, disagreements can pull us apart. There is hope and growth in openness. […]

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We are grateful to be together on the land which nurtures well-being and a sense that the world is a good place. […]

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Our oudoor classrooms have offered our students a healthy and active return to campus for school throughout the fall. […]

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Our Fall Festival celebrated the season of harvest, as well as our gratitude for the wonderful land that our school encompasses. […]

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Graduation 2020 Speech by Callum Sullivan I was picturing what graduation would look like this year. An empty field, a silent blue building Not the lively event I had anticipated. […]

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We are committed to a vision of transforming the system of power-over and unequal distribution of privilege to a world in which we co-create the future in mutuality, justice, and love. […]

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Spring is being felt abundantly in all corners of our school, campus, and fields. […]

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On a cool dusky evening in the quiet of the goat barn – Hope found a corner and let us know that she was about to give birth […]

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It is reassuring that nature is so reliable and resilient and definitely a daily tonic to be outside every day. […]

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With remote technology, we will still be able to learn how to grow a garden, hive honeybees, share in the arrival of newborn animals! […]

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These small, daily choices can make a big difference for your inner peace and wellbeing and the wellbeing and health of your family. […]

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Thoughts from Hartsbrook’s Early Childhood Faculty For you dear caregiver… As we find our way through this uncertain and disorienting time, we teachers are reaching out for the gifts in our […]

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The high school performances were joyfully received by laughing and applauding audiences this past weekend. […]

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6th grade students experimented with sound, heat, light, and electricity at the Smith College Physics Department […]

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The 7th Grade delivered an exciting rendition of Mary Poppins to packed houses! […]

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Thanks to the Hartsbrook community for supporting our recent sixth grade food drive to benefit the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. […]

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Get your tickets now for the The Hartsbrook High School play […]

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On-going work with the themes of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility. […]

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The 6th Grade spent three days exploring the geography and biology of Cape Cod. […]

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As the culminating event of our first history block, the eighth grade recently traveled to the east coast of Massachusetts. […]

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Grades 9 -12 build community, friendship, trust, empathy, and healthy risk-taking. […]

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Students worked our land together on a lovely day that yielded a bountiful harvest and readied our campus for winter. […]

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Seniors joined other Waldorf schools to explore tide pools, study sea creatures and paint landscapes in Maine. […]

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Students explored the foundations of ecology, focusing on the interactions between living organisms and their environment. […]

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Campers and counselors had fun with games, handwork, and care of our beloved animals and gardens. […]

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Our innovative program combines observation and fieldwork with art and social considerations. […]

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Working with Colectivo Verdolaga students had hands-on experience building sustainable architecture using recycled materials. […]

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The 8th grade is freshly off the rivers and lakes of the North Woods of Maine! […]

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Take a look at the beautiful Forest Kindergarten classroom, which immerses children in daily, outdoor experiential learning. And mud! […]

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Hartsbrook’s Music Program encourages music, with voice and instruments, as a lively part of Hartsbrook’s daily curriculum and festival life. […]

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What will this crew be up to next year? Which colleges accepted this fine group of young people? […]

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The 6th Grade took the train to NYC to spent several days. We explored medieval history and architecture with visits to The Cloisters, St. John the Divine and the armor exhibit […]

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When thinking of Hartsbrook’s story there barely seems a time when Louise Spear was not an essential and steady presence. […]

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The 8th grade met with the local folks who are building a 1930’s boat from scratch. This visit enhanced studies of American history and was a great precursor to their 8th Grade trip sailing a 1900’s schooner in Maine. […]

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The Hartsbrook 10th grade students traveled to Double Edge Theatre in Ashfield, MA to learn flying trapeze. […]

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Farm Camp is often a fun and transformative experience for the campers, but parents love it too! Last year, we received many expressions of gratitude for the program. […]

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The 7th and 10th grades worked together to study acids, bases and salts, crystallization and metals and their properties. […]

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If students can learn to recognize their unique physical characteristics, they have accomplished the first step in portrait painting. […]

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Both of my children have been so beautifully nurtured by the Early Childhood and Cricket on the Hearth programs. […]

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Hartsbrook High School students participated in the March for Our Lives that took place in Northampton. […]

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Many of Hartsbrook’s faculty and staff gathered for a “barn raising” event to solve the ever-changing, ever flooding passage to our back fields. […]

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6th graders practice their Spanish, hear Lucio’s story, and to learn to make kites inspired by those made in Guatemala for Día de los Muertos and Día de Todos los Santos. […]

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Our team of kind, energetic and compassionate counselors, our wonderful campers, and the natural beauty of the Hartsbrook farm and campus all serve to make Farm Camp a truly magical place. […]

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Senior trips ~ deep work for heads, hearts and hands ~ a culmination of the service-learning work the seniors have done through high school. […]

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The earth is awakening, seeds are sown, the earth begins to spring green and the arrival of baby animals provide glorious moments for our campers to experience Nature coming into her full glory. […]

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12th Grade main lesson block ~ perception, color, geometrical optics, atomic and thermal spectra, and intoduction to nuclear physics, quantum physics and special relativity. […]

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The 12th grade physics block has at its heart the subject of light. […]

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Hartsbrook received four awards at the Harvard Model United Nations, a significant accomplishment for a smaller school! […]

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A Service Learning day at the Northampton Survival Center. […]

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A day at the Peace Pagoda, generosity begets generosity. […]

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Pocket dolls for Syrian children ~ a small comfort in a time of need. […]

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The relationships we build and develop are as important as the academic learning we offer.  We strive to build an inclusive and positive school culture, while giving our students the skills they need to take care of themselves, as well as others. […]

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Food scarcity in the valley and how one act of generosity makes way for others. […]

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Our 11th graders worked with several organizations that are focused on addressing the issue of food scarcity and hunger in the Valley […]

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Students traveled to Brookfield Farm where we spent part of our time interviewing farmers and part of our time harvesting carrots! […]

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Place names can reflect local culture and traditions or reference a particular story. […]

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We began the class by looking at urban planning, and discussing cities that were planned, versus those that were not. […]

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In the 12th Grade Transcendentalist block, we read and explored the works of four great literary figures in America: […]

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When I came to Hartsbrook, I was challenged in new ways intellectually. I wasn’t OK to do a fine job on a paper or presentation and receive a good grade; I had to do an excellent job. […]

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The Lyceum Lecture evening has become a tradition at Hartsbrook to honor the students’ work of coming to personal insight and expression. […]

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Each year in the Eighth Grade at Hartsbrook, students embark on an exploration of solid geometry, entering into the 3-dimensional world of form.  […]

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Hartsbrook Juniors and Seniors spent time with inmates at MCI-Shirley, a medium and minimum security facility housing criminally sentenced men in Shirley MA. Here are some reflections. […]

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Evolution is a topic of great importance, not only for classification, but as a unifying principle for all biology. […]

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We traced the young knight’s quest for a life of service to the Grail and to humanity at large, following his remarkable, event-filled journey, while asking questions about our own journeys on the path toward self-knowledge. […]

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The 10th Grade completed their first block of the school year studying the Ancient Greeks, beginning with the earliest Bronze Age cultures of the Greek islands, the Minoans, and continuing to the Mycenaean of Agamemnon and Helen of Troy fame […]

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This block used the violence and aftermath of the demonstrations in Charlottesville, Virginia, as a jumping off point to talk about the use, symbolism, and interpretations of historic monuments, as well as the specific historical moments they memorialize. […]

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This year, we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Foundation Stone and also kicked off the celebrations for the 100th anniversary of Waldorf education with the Waldorf 100 Postcard Project. […]

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Stone Carving with the senior class always happens in the fall, when the weather is nice, and we can work outdoors. The pleasant ring of chisel on stone echoes throughout […]

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Climbing North Pack Monadnock (in the rain, but never mind), dancing, wonderful food, singing, and enjoying our families. […]

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Camping together, learning the natural history of the Cape, and how to navigate bikes on sand. […]

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The Third Grade explores both stories from the Hebrew Bible and how to make shelters. These come together in the creation of this sukkah, the ritual building that provides shelter during the Jewish Holiday Sukkot. […]

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Now as the season shifts to a colder darker time of year, we carry the joy and courage found when gathered together to celebrate harvest and abundance, and we utilize it to empower ourselves against inner and outer dragons. […]

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The seniors were quite busy exploring tide pools, examining sea creatures, painting landscapes and writing poetry on this craggy beautiful Maine peninsula […]

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The eleventh grade headed to Stump Sprouts, a retreat center in rural Hawley for an Ecology retreat. […]

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A 10th grade journey – art, hiking, camping, and fun. […]

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The 10th Grade camped, climbed Mount Monadnock and then explored the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. […]

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The 9th grade Intensive Week in Art History was a full experience with many day trips to museums where we viewed a variety of works of art. We began the […]

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The 9th grade Intensive Week in Art History is an experience of several local museums and the works they hold. […]

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The ocean sounds and singing were entwined into life on the island, alongside our routine: main lesson, art labs, tide pool exploration, and meeting new friends. […]

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This intensive took place at the Triform, a residential Camp Hill community for special needs young adult […]

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Through our investigation of the ancient Greeks, we have taken up the foundations of our modern institutions: specialized work, political and religious institutions, law and morality and the beginnings of democracy. […]

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The Modern History Intensive week gave us an opportunity to contextualize our discussions of the transatlantic slave trade and the views on slavery of some of our founding fathers. […]

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At this turning point of the seasons we gather together to celebrate. In many cultures and communities throughout the world people come together to celebrate the turning of the seasons. […]

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The MA Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs presented Hartsbrook an award in excellence for our Plants in the Landscape course. […]

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The Senior class headed off on a ten day service trip to Puerto Rico. […]

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Colleges and universities where seniors were accepted this year. […]

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The Senior Project represents an area of particular interest and intense study for each senior. The ability to focus on an interest long enough for it to become a new […]

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March 22, 2018 Dear Hartsbrook Community, A group of us has resolved to champion the expansion of the current Scrip Program at the Hartsbook School! The Scrip Program brings significant […]

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An open letter on behalf of Independent Schools of New England. […]

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Sunny is excited to bring her love of food and community to her role as Assistant Director of the Land Stewardship Program […]

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In addition to their hard work learning lines and songs in preparation for opening night, high school students have also been involved in conversations about the history and complexity of the play. […]

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Our High School students have embraced adapting the script, and continue to ask questions that challenge the racism embedded in American and British literature. […]

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Thank you to all the Hartsbrook students who entered work in this prestigious program this year, and congratulations to those who received recognition! […]

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This group devoted their studies and service to Pieining Hall. We began the class by looking at urban planning, and discussing cities that were planned, versus those that were not. […]

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I realized once again why beauty is such an essential part of a Waldorf education. […]

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Parent feedback is a valuable part of every review process;. […]

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Through striving to understand the complex ideas of the authors and then imitating their modes of expression, the students explore their own individuality and how to articulate their original perception of truth. […]

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The water was still, and the peaceful, relaxing sound of the paddles as they slid through the water could have lulled an angry bear to sleep. […]

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Please welcome our high school Executive Leadership Team! […]

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On Sunday September 24, we headed off to Maine for the Zoology Intensive on Hermit Island. There, eight other Waldorf senior classes joined us, some of whom who had come […]

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The Eleventh Grade Intensive took place at the Triform, a residential Camp Hill community for special needs young adults located in a rural area outside Hudson, NY. Our students worked alongside their […]

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The Modern History Intensive week gave us an opportunity to contextualize our discussions of the transatlantic slave trade and the views on slavery of some of our founding fathers. The […]

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Our rainy morning was brightened by a buzz of back to school energy as the high school students, faculty, and community gathered for an opening assembly. […]

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It is a fundamental goal of Waldorf education to bring students to an understanding and experience of the common humanity of all the world’s peoples. […]

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This new leadership model will bring greater clarity and focus to all the processes that support your child’s experience at Hartsbrook […]

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Shepherding Hartsbrook into the next thirty years. […]

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The First of May began with the Hartsbrook  community gathering to sing together before heading off  to play and work on our beautiful land. […]

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Paul and Elizabeth, founding members of the The Hartsbrook School, continue to be so generous to Hartsbrook. […]

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Senior projects are for students to experience personal growth, both direct and indirect. while on a journey of self-discovery entailing learning new skills and honing existing skills to a new level. […]

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Dear Hartsbrook Parents, This is the time of year when we look ahead to next year and we would like to share progam and faculty changes with you! EARLY CHILDHOOD For […]

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This is the time of year when we look ahead to next year and we would like to share progam and faculty changes with you. […]

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This year in the Elementary School Department, we are undergoing a study of our social culture. […]

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Exploring bringing consciousness to parenting ~ How can we slow down to better enjoy small moments and emotional connection with family; and reconnect with ourselves? […]

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The International Waldorf100 Planning Committee is pleased to share a new Waldorf100 video. […]

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Inspiring kindness in our wider community. […]

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Congratulations to our students who won regional writing awards in a competition sponsored by the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (SMFA), and the Boston Globe. […]

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Guests at the ball enjoyed a Waltz class, a performance by the 8th Graders, lovely refreshments and live music to dance the evening away.  An amazing time was had by all. […]

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The Sixth Grade shared a lively and humorous rendition of Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol”.   […]

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In Ralph Waldo Emerson’s day, people from the community, from all walks of life, gathered on an afternoon or evening in some community Lyceum lecture hall to hear a talk and be inspired by some eminent member of the community in an age before television and radio. […]

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The Prindle School, a music school founded by Hartsbrook parents Michelle and Dan Prindle, is pleased to announce a partnership with The Hartsbrook School for discounted music lessons. […]

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A group of parents, teachers, and children gathered 28 years ago to place their hopes and wishes into a foundation stone for the school. […]

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In mid-September the Sixth Grade took their traditional trip to Cape Cod, camping at the Wellfleet Audubon Sanctuary.  We rode bikes on a path to the ocean, explored the animal and […]

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With Kelly’s help we have launched the Annual Campaign, so stay tuned for our progress! […]

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The Hartsbrook School has established a Strategic Renewal Committee to help the school meet the challenges and opportunities that stand before it today […]

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Last week we celebrated Michaelmas at Hartsbrook in a variety of ways. Thursday we worked our beautiful land; we harvested ripe crops and prepared the land for next spring’s growing season. […]

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As part of our Zoology block, the senior class went on a week long camping trip to Hermit Island in Maine. We were joined by the Hawthorne Valley, Kimberton, Lake […]

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This year’s tenth grade intensive brought us to Washington DC. Through our investigation of the ancient Greeks, we have taken up the foundations of our modern institutions: specialized work, political […]

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As part of their Civil War block, the 9th Grade learned about the real life of the civil war soldier, with particular help from the 10th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment, based in South […]

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For its Fall Intensive, the 11th grade made the annual trip to Triform, a residential Camphill community for special needs young adults located in a rural area outside Hudson, NY. […]

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On September 21 and 23, Hartsbrook warmly welcomed 12 members of the Amherst Plein Air Society to spend the morning for a Paint Out on the Hartsbrook campus. After first strolling around to enjoy watching children busy with […]

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At the end of September, near the midpoint of the summer and winter solstices, when the days and nights are of equal length, comes the festival of Michaelmas. The last […]

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Far far away, behind the word mountains, far from the countries Vokalia and Consonantia, there live the blind texts. Separated they live in Bookmarksgrove right at the coast of the […]

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Students in the fourth grade worked hard on their animal projects and enjoyed showing them to others throughout the Hartsbrook community. Please view their work in the following slideshow. […]

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Thank you Fire and Cracker, for all the many ways that you joined not only Caleb but all of us on a journey of learning; for greeting each and every […]

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The Hartsbrook School wishes to thank all the volunteers who came for our Spring Community Work Day! The new gardens at Early Childhood have already given us a sense of […]

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The Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America (WECAN) has created a YouTube channel with videos that explore six essential components of Waldorf early childhood education. The videos feature footage […]

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With heels kicked high into the air, Shanti, our Jersey heifer calf headed out with her mother into their new pasture, ever more green with each passing shower and warm […]

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Ryan, Willow, and Romer — 11th Grade students — were chosen to lead an activity for Grades 9-11 wherein groups were challenged to construct a free standing bridge out of […]

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The Hartsbrook School is joining other non profits for the Pioneer Valley “Valley Gives Day.” We are seeking contributions for Hartsbrook’s annual giving program (parents: these gifts will count for […]

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When: Thursday May 12, at 6:30pm, and Saturday, May 14, 1:00pm Where: Piening Hall, The Hartsbrook School Tickets: $12 per person The Parent Council is thrilled to present SCREENAGERS: Growing […]

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The eighth graders brought their characters to life in the most beautiful way in their production of The Diary of Anne Frank. “I want to go on living even after […]

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The third graders began their Shelter block by taking a walk into the woods, looking for every kind of shelter we could find for all types of living creatures. What […]

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Each year the regional winners of the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards Gold Keys are entered automatically for consideration for National Awards. Eighth Grader Maura has achieved a National Gold […]

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When: Friday, May 13, 8:30am to 10:00am Spring is in the air! The birds are singing and new growth is being called forth. Soon the daffodils and crocuses will be […]

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Thank you to all the Hartsbrook students who entered work in this prestigious program this year, and congratulations to those who received recognition! Gold Key Awards Danté (12th grade) for […]

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Life in the Forest Kindergarten is full of the sounds and smells of Spring. The purposeful vitality of the children is matched only by the sap rising in the trees […]

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Holi is a spring festival celebrated in India. It is known as a celebration of frolic, love, and color. The fifth grade began the year immersed in Indian culture through […]

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Last Thursday much of the community gathered for our first Hartsbrook Hootenanny. How great it was to see parents, faculty, staff, and students from all parts of the school socializing […]

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The Hartsbrook High School delivered a weekend of fantastic Sound of Music performances with two separate casts. The following slideshow features photos from a performance of Cast Two. Please also […]

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The Hartsbrook High School delivered a weekend of extraordinary Sound of Music performances. This slideshow contains photographs from a performance of Cast One. Please also see our slideshow of a […]

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“I have to sing the wedding scene and then I’ll be there!” … so texted Izzy in reply to my question as to whether she was available to help our […]

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Last week the fourth grade put on four performances of the play, The Theft of Thor’s Hammer. Here you will find direct quotes from Thor and two giants about their […]

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Last week the fourth grade put on four performances of the play, The Theft of Thor’s Hammer. Here you will find direct quotes from Thor and two giants about their […]

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Turning Education on its Head: What Modern Brain Research says About How Children and Young Adults Learn When: Tuesday, March 29, 7-9pm Where: The Great Room, Hartsbrook Hall Recent discoveries […]

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You may have seen us carding wool, crocheting or weaving geometric patterns in the lobby of Hartsbrook Hall. Or maybe you noticed the great big posters that adorned the windows […]

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The Conference of Teachers is delighted to announce that Melanie Glissman has accepted the position of class teacher for the First Grade class starting in September 2016. Melanie received her […]

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When: Saturday, March 5, 6pm Where: Piening Hall It’s time to start thinking about what you will perform at the next Music Sharing. The Parent Council is pleased to invite […]

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When: Saturday, March 5, 6pm Where: Piening Hall It’s time to start thinking about what you will perform at the next Music Sharing. The Parent Council is pleased to invite […]

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For those of you who have wandered down the path to our back land, expecting to be greeted by our team of young oxen, you will have been surprised by […]

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This year sixteen students from the high school attended Harvard Model United Nations in Boston. This is the eleventh year that Hartsbrook has attended this Model UN. We went as […]

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Taller than his 14 years, and with long, loping steps Caleb enters the steers pen. Fire and Cracker, now large Holstein steers not yet 2 years old, greet him as […]

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Today is Groundhog Day, otherwise known in the Christian tradition as Candlemas Day. Amongst many ancient observances of this mid point between the winter solstice and spring equinox, beeswax candles […]

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At the beginning of the school year, when the days were still hot and long, the Hartsbrook campus resounded with the clinking and ringing of chisel against stone. This was […]

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A World Language Committee has been working to review our current world language program. This committee was formed because it was clear to the Faculty Conference that our current full and […]

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Electricity is mysterious and exciting. It has completely changed the way human beings live. We cannot see it directly. We can only observe its effects. During our Physics block we experimented […]

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