The Tuesday Notice
October 27, 2026
Dear Siskiyou School Families,
The first conference I had with James’ class teacher, the amazing Ms. Razi, was, quite frankly, unnerving. We sat down in October and she presented such an intimate picture of our son that we wondered if she had cameras in our house. She perfectly described his kindness and brains, his propensity for taking the fast and easy route, and his inability to distinguish where his body stopped and his desk partner began (he practically sat on his neighbors for several years). Coming from the public school realm, it was unexpected, but once you understand the depth and attention that each Waldorf teacher brings to their relationships with the children in their care, it’s quite beautiful. And then we came to understand that this depth of understanding wasn’t just within our sons’ class teachers. It extended to their Mandarin teacher, their Games teacher, the assistant in the front office, and even the teachers in the class next door.
The teacher-student relationship is at the heart of Waldorf education. Waldorf teachers see their connection with each child as the ground that all learning grows from, and they believe they can teach children best when children feel seen, safe, and connected to the adult guiding them.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for fall conferences. It meant so much to our faculty to sit down with you and share what they are seeing in our children: the growth, the new friendships, and the places where they are stretching and need some boundaries. These conversations are the heart of the partnership between home and school, the second most important relationship for a Waldorf teacher.
As fall becomes even more fabulous, our Halloween costume parade and assembly is coming to campus this Friday, October 30. It's absolutely one of my favorite days. Our children from Kindergarten to 8th love this tradition of not-so-scary costumes, not-so-scary music and stories, and all the grinning jack-o’-lanterns we can fill Pine Hall with!
A few notes to help the day go smoothly:
- Children are VERY highly encouraged to school in costume Friday morning. Please help them choose something they can move, walk, and play in comfortably, or send a change of clothes if needed. More guidelines are below, and please always check with your child’s class teacher if you have a question or concern.
- Please remember that your child will be bringing home a carved pumpkin. Pick-up will be a bit stickier than usual, so thank you for your patience.
- In the days that follow, please do not fill lunches with candy.
We are so looking forward to seeing the creativity and fun the day brings. Please check our Instagram for photos!
Thank you, as always, for being part of our beautiful school community.
This festival is one of our favorite ones at school! We will celebrate Halloween on Friday, October 30, with our traditional in-house assembly here at school.
Costume guidelines: When we think of getting dressed up, let’s ensure that we are thoughtful about the costumes we choose to wear to school. We want to be mindful that all students will feel safe and honored.
- Be creative and keep in mind we have young ones on campus.
- Please no scary costumes, blood, or weapons. Just bring fun.
- Reminder!! It is important that we can identify students and see their faces. Please, no masks.
- NO CANDY is to be brought to school on or after Halloween.
- If you’re not sure if your child’s costume will “work”, please check in with their class teacher before Halloween.
Aside from these guidelines, please talk with your student to make sure that the costume that they have selected does not portray a stereotyped image of a culture or group of people. While students might choose to dress as a famous person or character who’s identity is different than their own, please reinforce the importance of not darkening skin or using makeup to change a child’s skin color to match the person who they are dressing up to be. Students are often unaware of the long history these traditions have and that it can be hurtful to those people.
We look forward to celebrating with all of the students on Halloween and appreciate your help in making sure that it is a fun day for everyone. If you have any questions at all regarding this day, please feel free to reach out.
Thank you to the flower fairies! As the weather changes, branches with beautiful fall colors, interesting shaped grasses, and fun berries are perfect additions. Please never feel obligated to visit the store!
- Rowan's family for First Grade flowers
- Julian's family for Fourth Grade flowers
- Chamberlyn's family for Seventh Grade flowers
- Mikey's families for flowers in our Main Hallway
A handful of color really makes the classrooms feel special. Please consider signing up to be a Flower Fairy with the button below.
Our well-loved costume and prop storage at Mistletoe Storage is in need of a kind soul to organize and tend to its contents. We are fortunate to have gathered many beautiful costumes, props, backdrops, and more, and we work hard to keep everything in order before, during, and after our class plays.
This year we need a new volunteer to reorganize and purge as needed throughout the year. After an initial stretch of time to get everything settled, just a few hours a month will likely be all it takes to keep things looking spiffy, and the timing is flexible to fit your schedule. If you think you might be that person, please reach out to Amy at amy.bull@siskiyouschool.org!
School photos by ZoomIn’ Kids Photography (still Bryon DeVore) are now online!
A couple of weeks ago ZoomIn' Kids sent a direct link to your photos via email. If not, please check your junk mail for ZoomIn’ Kids, and if it's still not found, please email Bryon at photo@zoominkids.com to get your link.
The Siskiyou School
Email: office@siskiyouschool.org
Website: www.siskiyouschool.org
Location: 631 Clay Street, Ashland, OR, USA
Phone: 541-482-8223