WSA School Life Home

About Our School

Introduction

Waldorf Education

Program Overview

Administration

Faculty

Board

Alumni

Our New Site

Giving


WSA May Fair

The Annual May Fair
A Waldorf Tradition



Links


Academe of the Oaks
Atlanta's Waldorf High School

Waldorf Education FAQ's

Waldorf Alumni Facts


"If I had a child of school age,
I would send him to one
of the Waldorf Schools."


Saul Bellow,
Nobel Laureate

About Our School Curriculum Admissions Events Resources

Waldorf schools do not have a traditional hierarchical structure. Instead they are composed of three interrelated spheres: the Board, the Faculty, and the Parents. Each group holds as its shared priority the well-being of the children.

Decisions regarding the policies and procedures of the school are not made by a central figure, such as a principal, but by the Faculty, Board, or a designated Committee. Decisions emerge from a process of discussion and consensus based upon respectful communication between relevant school groups.

The school's day-to-day operations are carried out by the Administration Office .

Current staff members are:
Stacey Alston, Director of Enrollment and Acting Administrator
Deb Kahn, Business Manager
K.C. Cristian, Office Coordinator
Freddie Bailey, Maintenance and Repair
Elliott Bussie, Custodian

Rudolf Steiner, in his address to the teachers at the beginning of the second school year at the first Waldorf school in Stuttgart, said the following:
“The (Waldorf) school will have its own administration run on a republican basis and will not be administered from above.We must not lean back and rest securely on the orders of a headmaster; we must be a republic of teachers and kindle in ourselves the strength that will enable us to do what we have to do with full responsibility. Each one of you, as an individual, has to be fully responsible.”

Faculty
The Faculty is committed to bringing to life in the classrooms the content of the Waldorf school curriculum. Their responsibilities include all pedagogical concerns, educational policy, child study, anthroposophical study, artistic study, and parent conferences.

From the inception of the first Waldorf School in 1919, Waldorf schools were designed to place Faculty collaboration at the heart of all policy formulation. Teachers in Waldorf schools the world over meet weekly to do the work needed to provide for the children in their care. These meetings are vital because the authority and responsibility of the school rests with the teachers.

Steiner believed that teachers who were not permitted to determine their own functions risked becoming impractical and remote from reality. It is vitally important that our teachers stay deeply connected to the administration of the school for precisely this reason.

The full Faculty meets for two and a half hours weekly on Thursday afternoons. Discussions focus around Faculty and program development, general school business, administrative matters, and all aspects of the lives of the students. This meeting is also an opportunity for school committees to inform the Faculty of their ongoing work.

The Faculty Chair provides leadership on behalf of the Faculty. He/she is the primary contact for parents for any pedagogical questions and concerns. He/she represents the school at most public gatherings, and serves on several leadership groups.

The Core Faculty is a smaller group drawn from the full Faculty. It is composed of teachers and the School Coordinator who, out of a commitment to Anthroposophy, take on a special responsibility for the school’s care and guidance. The Core meets weekly and works by consensus. Their responsibilities include deepening the cultural and spiritual life of the school, hiring and terminating Faculty and staff, creating new Faculty positions, and developing pedagogical programs.

( top)

Parent Teacher Alliance (PTA)
The PTA serves as the vehicle for full parental involvement in the life of the school community. All parents, Faculty, and staff are members of the Parent Teacher Alliance (PTA) upon joining our community.

The PTA coordinates the efforts of parents, working with the Faculty, Administration, and Board to promote community building; facilitate community outreach and volunteerism; educate the parent body on school business matters, Waldorf curriculum, and child development; and raise money through various fundraising activities.

Each class has one or two PTA representatives who coordinate class efforts. Specific activities include sponsoring our school Holiday and May fairs; hosting quarterly, community-wide PTA meetings (which include a specific curriculum presentation by a Faculty member); assisting in hospitality for school guests; and overseeing our school store. The PTA is directed by a leadership committee and Faculty advisor.

( top)

Administration Office
All school business that is not related to pedagogy is managed or coordinated through the administrative offices, including finance, enrollment, development, operations, public relations and marketing. The administrative staff ensures adherence to governmental policies as well as accreditation standards.

School Administrator
The School Administrator provides administrative leadership on behalf of the Faculty, the Core, the Board of Trustees and the PTA. He facilitates and coordinates all school matters unrelated to pedagogy and ensures fluid communication among and between the various constituencies of the school. The school administrator is also responsible for drafting, developing, and executing the policies and procedures adopted by the Faculty and the Board. Areas of additional responsibility include supervision of the non-teaching staff, maintenance of and improvement upon the buildings and grounds, and guidance of the school community through several different accreditation initiatives.

Enrollment Director
The Waldorf School of Atlanta maintains a strong commitment to sharing the principles of Waldorf education with the larger community. Open Houses are held monthly throughout the year that provide an opportunity for prospective parents and students, and educators to become informed about our unique education and glimpse the dynamics of several Main Lessons. In addition
to the various outreach events offered at our school, we participate in neighborhood festivals, school fairs, and conferences in the Atlanta area. We keep a high profile by placing articles and advertising in local news publications.

Business Manager
Reporting to the School Administrator, and in conjunction with the Board Treasurer, the Business Manager is responsible for accounts payable and receivable, payroll, tuition management, reimbursements, preparation of appropriate tax forms, collection of payments for ancillary programs, budget modeling, budget preparation and cost analysis.

Office Coordinator
The Office Coordinator greets all visitors to the school, offers a knowledgeable presence to current parents and friends, takes all in-coming calls, contacts the parents of and cares for children who become ill during the school day, and performs other duties as needed to support the efforts of the faculty and staff in the daily administration of the school.

( top)

Committees
Much of the work of our school is completed by committees who are empowered by the Faculty and Board to take up various aspects of school life. Several committees are comprised of members from the Faculty, Board, staff, and parent community.

Leadership Council

The Leadership Council brings together the Faculty Chair, Board Chair, School Coordinator, and PTA Leadership to provide guidance on school-wide issues. The group reviews the needs of the school by identifying and assessing priorities and coordinating the collaborative work of the Board, Faculty, Administration, and PTA

Professional Development Committee
This committee promotes healthy, ongoing teacher development by overseeing the process of teacher evaluations.

Community Life Committee
This committee promotes and nurtures fellowship among the members of our school community. They guide and organize annual festivals, parent and community education events, sponsor summer programs for children, and oversee various school publications that enrich and enliven our community.

Marketing Committee
This committee fosters awareness of the school and of Waldorf education within the greater community. They define the school's message and communicate it using a variety of means, including school functions, community events, press releases, advertising, mailings, and our Web site.

Diversity Committee
The mission of this committee is to honor and nourish multi-culturalism for students, teachers, and the community through education, outreach, and sponsored events.

Site Development Committee
The primary goal of this group is to oversee the development of the school’s permanent school campus. This includes managing the relationship with the architectural firm and supervising the development of a site master plan.

Finance and Tuition Assistance Committee
This committee monitors the financial health of the school. It develops and administers the school’s budgets and financial policies and oversees efforts to plan adequately for the school’s fiscal growth and development. The Tuition Assistance Committee is a subgroup of this committee. It reviews tuition assistance applications and allocates funds delegated to this purpose in the Board’s annual budget.

Long Range Planning Committee
Through study and analysis of the school organization, this group provides recommendations for the school’s short and long term goals in the following areas: programming, staff, community, facilities, and financial development. The contents of the long-range plan are derived from the work of the various school committees.

Development Committee

This committee develops and recommends fundraising goals to the Board. It plans and coordinates the Annual Fund Drive providing funds to support the school’s operating budget. This group also identifies funding sources including parents, friends of the school, alumni, and foundations.

( top)

© 2008 The Waldorf School of Atlanta