“Tamarack Waldorf School provides an excellent environment for our three children to grow into their creativity and free-spiritedness. Each of our children is thriving in school because Waldorf education allows them to use their hands and minds in practical ways while being nourished by the natural world.”
Dear Tamarack families, friends, and alumni,
What makes Tamarack Waldorf School truly a different educational experience? On any given morning at Tamarack, you might see a first grader mindfully illustrating in their main lesson book using beeswax crayons. Down the hall you can find fourth graders using watercolors to depict images from Norse stories they heard from their teacher the day before or using wooden manipulatives to work through fractions. Seventh graders are working to develop their hand-carving skills on complex woodworking projects, which helps build their spatial awareness, engineering, and perseverance. Throughout the school, classrooms are reciting passages from folktales and myths to prepare for their class plays. In these everyday moments, our Waldorf mission comes to life: to nurture independent, thoughtful young people with a strong sense of social responsibility in a joyful, human-centered learning environment.
Providing this kind of education takes more than tuition and public funding alone can offer. Like many Waldorf schools, we rely on our Annual Appeal to bridge the gap between the cost of offering a full K–8 Waldorf program and the tuition and fees we receive.
Every gift, whether $25 or $2,500, directly supports the success of our students and teachers. We need our whole community to come together to donate what they can, including current families, grandparents, alumni, and friends who believe Milwaukee’s children deserve access to a Waldorf education. Full participation is just as important to the success of the annual appeal as is the dollar amount donated. We warmly invite you to make a gift that is meaningful for your family. You can contribute by mailing a donation to the school office or by visiting our website at tamarackwaldorf.org and clicking “Donate.”
Thank you for all the ways you support Tamarack—by volunteering, spreading the word, trusting us with your children, and giving as you are able. Together, we can meet this $25,000 goal and ensure that Tamarack Waldorf School remains a vibrant, nurturing home for children today and for years to come.
With heartfelt appreciation,
Maggie Herbst
Tamarack Waldorf School Board President
“The smallest thing in its rightful place can lead to the highest goals.”
Melby-Gibbons Family, students in grades 7, 4 and 1
OUR MISSION
To provide a K through 8th Grade Waldorf education to develop independent, critical thinkers with a strong sense of social responsibility.
Tamarack Board of Trustees
Maggie Herbst, President
Michelle Skelton, Treasurer
Jared Levisen, Secretary
Joe Fransee, Community Member
Dan Krause, Community Member
Ryan Princer, Community Member
Susie Ralston, Community Member
Jammie Stugard, Tamarack Parent
Lora Poulos, Administrative Director
Martha Flores, Pedagogical Director
MORE WAYS TO GIVE
You can also support Tamarack through the giving programs, which require very little effort, no extra cost, and benefit the whole school!
Here is a list of frequent expenses at our school:
Set of knitting needles - $5
Main lesson books for a student for a year - $20
Box of beeswax for a class for a year - $116
Class field trip to the Urban Ecology Center - $260
Cultural assembly - $300 - $1,000
CLASS GIFT LISTS
Class teachers have listed class wish list items on Gift Hero.
SNACKS FOR STAFF
If you would like to help keep our staff caffeinated and fill their bellies please consider donating to our coffee and snack fund. You can send Teacher Halle some money through Venmo (@halle-luksich) Thanks for the extra love and support of our teachers!
WATER BOTTLES
We could use your help to keep our students hydrated while working to reduce single use plastic water bottles. If you would like to purchase some for the school, here are some on Amazon that work well for us.
SPREAD THE WORD!
The best way to help us right now is through your own networks. Spreading the mission and message of Tamarack to your neighbors, friends, and family will help get our name into the community. This will help us with enrollment, as well as with our Annual Appeal. Please reach out to the office for any support with outreach, including free yard signs and car magnets. Thank you for your support!