Join us on Sunday, November 16th at 4:45 PM in the school parking lot for our 2025 Lantern Walk

November clearly marks the change in seasons and draws even more attention to the necessity of light. Acknowledging the importance of light, whether it is the light of the sun or moon or the more ethereal concept of "inner light", has been a significant component of many cultures across time.

One way Tamarack brings a time to pause and consider the light (in its many forms) is our Lantern Walk. The students make handmade lanterns out of jars and candles in the weeks leading up to the festival. We meet in the school parking lot at 4:45, just as the sun is going down, and walk around the neighborhood with our lanterns lit, singing songs about our inner and outer light.

Parents, grandparents, friends, and alum are welcome!

Parents/caregivers and their children are invited to join us for our outdoor nature class. This free class is held at the Riverside Urban Ecology Center.

Join us most 2nd and 4th Fridays of the Month:

September 26

October 10 & 24

November 14

December 12

February 27

March 13 & 27

April 24

May 8 & 22

Meet Ms. Martha at the Riverside Park Urban Ecology Center at Turkey Run (see map below)

From 10:30AM - 12:00PM

Activities May Include:

• hike

• playtime

• circle time

• puppet play/story

• seasonal craft

• parenting support/discussions

This playgroup is ideal for children from 2-5 years of age but siblings are always welcome. Plan for being outside for the entire time.

Access to the building is only for emergency bathroom use until noon.

This class will take place rain or shine unless conditions are unsafe. Please make sure to check the Tamarack Website and social media posts for updates.

This class seeks to be a warm, nurturing, and safe place for parents/caregivers and their children to learn songs, fingerplays, and other fun activities in nature and foster a supportive community for the parents/caregivers. This is a free class and is open to all.

Meet the Class Leader:

Join us for Tamarack’s annual Fall Fest on Saturday, November 1st from 10 am to 3 pm! The school parking lot and basement will be transformed into a vibrant autumnal festival full of games, activities, music, vendors, and food.

10:00AM - Puppet Play in the Lavender Garden

Vendors Open | Jump Rope Making | Clothing Swap

10:15AM - Zach Meyer at the Music Stage

10:30AM - Games Open

11:00AM - Chili and Pie Tables Open & Chili Contest Begins

11:15AM - Chet Garrett at the Music Stage

12:15PM - Billy Jude Baldus at the Music Stage

1:00PM - Chili Contest Winner Announced

1:15PM - Holly Haebig & Friends at the Music Stage

2:00PM - 50/50 Raffle Winner Announced

2:15PM - Bear With at the Music Stage

3:00PM - Vendors Close

Clothing for the clothing swap can be dropped off at Tamarack on Thursday,
October 30, 1PM-7PM or Friday, October 31, 9AM-3PM

Games tickets are $5

Jumprope making is $5 a rope

Suggested donations for food will be $2

Want to be a vendor? We still have a few spots! Here’s the link to submit an application.

Parents/caregivers and their children are invited to join us for our outdoor nature class. This free class is held at the Riverside Urban Ecology Center.

Join us most 2nd and 4th Fridays of the Month:

September 26

October 10 & 24

November 14

December 12

February 27

March 13 & 27

April 24

May 8 & 22

Meet Ms. Martha at the Riverside Park Urban Ecology Center at Turkey Run (see map below)

From 10:30AM - 12:00PM

Activities May Include:

• hike

• playtime

• circle time

• puppet play/story

• seasonal craft

• parenting support/discussions

This playgroup is ideal for children from 2-5 years of age but siblings are always welcome. Plan for being outside for the entire time.

Access to the building is only for emergency bathroom use until noon.

This class will take place rain or shine unless conditions are unsafe. Please make sure to check the Tamarack Website and social media posts for updates.

This class seeks to be a warm, nurturing, and safe place for parents/caregivers and their children to learn songs, fingerplays, and other fun activities in nature and foster a supportive community for the parents/caregivers. This is a free class and is open to all.

Meet the Class Leader:

Parents/caregivers and their children are invited to join us for our outdoor nature class. This free class is held at the Riverside Urban Ecology Center.

Join us most 2nd and 4th Fridays of the Month:

September 26

October 10 & 24

November 14

December 12

February 27

March 13 & 27

April 24

May 8 & 22

Meet Ms. Martha at the Riverside Park Urban Ecology Center at Turkey Run (see map below)

From 10:30AM - 12:00PM

Activities May Include:

• hike

• playtime

• circle time

• puppet play/story

• seasonal craft

• parenting support/discussions

This playgroup is ideal for children from 2-5 years of age but siblings are always welcome. Plan for being outside for the entire time.

Access to the building is only for emergency bathroom use until noon.

This class will take place rain or shine unless conditions are unsafe. Please make sure to check the Tamarack Website and social media posts for updates.

This class seeks to be a warm, nurturing, and safe place for parents/caregivers and their children to learn songs, fingerplays, and other fun activities in nature and foster a supportive community for the parents/caregivers. This is a free class and is open to all.

Meet the Class Leader:

Festival of Courage:
The Festival of Courage allows the community to come together to experience the seasonal changes that autumn brings, celebrate the harvest, and reflect on the themes of courage, transformation, and inner work. As the days shorten and darkness grows, we are challenged to look at the light and courage that surrounds us and we heed the call to draw that light within to meet the challenges of the new school year and the coming winter. 
 
Tamarack Waldorf School will host its Festival of Courage this year on Thursday, October 2nd. The Festival of Courage will explore the themes of season and courage through an all-grades play presentation. After the performance, students and families can participate in other activities that help demonstrate courage, stamina, and feasts of strength. Our Festival of Courage will take place on Thursday at Pulaski Park, where our students go for recess.

Early Childhood will host their own festival from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Only current Early Childhood Students and their families may attend.

Grades 1 through 8 host their festival from 1:00-3:00 p.m. All families and friends are warmly invited to attend and are asked to arrive by 12:45 p.m. The play is brief and you do not want to miss it!  When families arrive, we ask that they sit up on the "hill" by the fence.  If you bring a chair, please sit in the back and leave room for those seated on blankets at the front. Staff will help direct you. 
 
Festivals are an important part of school life at Tamarack. The celebration of festival life deeply nourishes each person and the community. Rudolf Steiner, the founder of Waldorf education, stated that by “living into” the seasonal changes of the year, each person experiences personal growth throughout their whole being.
 
What to Expect:
Parents, families, and school community members may meet us at the park for performance and festival activities.  Please meet us at the field by 12:45 p.m. before the start of the assembly at 1:00.

 After the performance, the students will be released to participate in an obstacle course, games, races, food, and other activities.
 
The festival will end at 2:50.  Students will gather with their class teachers and return to the school as a group.

Schedule of Events:
 1:00 - Performance
 1:30 - Activities:

• Obstacle Course (tennis courts)

• Games/Races (field)

• Face painting/chalk (tables by bathrooms)

• Playground

• Food (apples, bread, and jam)

2:50 - Classes gather with their teachers and return to school
3:20 - Dismissal at School

Parents/caregivers and their children are invited to join us for our outdoor nature class. This free class is held at the Riverside Urban Ecology Center.

Join us most 2nd and 4th Fridays of the Month:

September 26

October 10 & 24

November 14

December 12

February 27

March 13 & 27

April 24

May 8 & 22

Meet Ms. Martha at the Riverside Park Urban Ecology Center at Turkey Run (see map below)

From 10:30AM - 12:00PM

Activities May Include:

• hike

• playtime

• circle time

• puppet play/story

• seasonal craft

• parenting support/discussions

This playgroup is ideal for children from 2-5 years of age but siblings are always welcome. Plan for being outside for the entire time.

Access to the building is only for emergency bathroom use until noon.

This class will take place rain or shine unless conditions are unsafe. Please make sure to check the Tamarack Website and social media posts for updates.

This class seeks to be a warm, nurturing, and safe place for parents/caregivers and their children to learn songs, fingerplays, and other fun activities in nature and foster a supportive community for the parents/caregivers. This is a free class and is open to all.

Meet the Class Leader:

Join us for a celebration of our 8th grade class and all they have accomplished throughout their time here at Tamarack.

8th graders should arrive by 6 in the garden next to the St. Hedwig Three Holy Women Parish to take photos with Network Photography. The ceremony will take place inside the church and will begin at 7. Afterwards there will be a reception in the Tamarack parking lot complete with food, drinks, and community! Because of this reception, the parking lot will be closed — please park in the surrounding neighborhood.

Join Us for Tamarack’s May Festival on May 30th

Spring and rebirth are welcomed into our community through the May Festival. This year, it will be held on Friday, May 30th at Pulaski Park (our recess park two blocks northeast, between Pulaski and Arlington streets). The celebration will be in two parts: one for kindergarten families and one for families of grades 1-8. Please keep an eye on the weather and dress appropriately. We will make an announcement via ParentSquare if the festival needs to be rescheduled.

Kindergarten May Festival

The kindergartens will celebrate May Festival from 9:30 - 11 a.m.:

If your child attends school 5 days a week, please drop them off as usual by 7:50 a.m., and then plan to join them for the festival at the park at 9:30.

If your child attends school 3 days a week, please bring them to join us for the festival at the park at 9:30.

If you wish to bring your kindergarten child to the later celebration with the grades (at 1 p.m.), you may pick them up in the parking lot at 12:30. If you have any questions, please see your child's teacher. Look for a sign-up from Martha Flores, via Parent-Square.

Grades May Festival

Beginning with a fanfare at 1pm, participants will be invited to gather in the softball field for dancing around the May Pole, singing and other demonstrations by the classes. Bring blankets or something to sit on.

Afterward, children will return to school, and dismissal will take place as usual at 3:20. Children will not be dismissed from the park.

We hope to see you at the festival!

Our spring assemblies of student performances will take place on April 17th.

Our "odd" Grades (1, 3, 5, 7) will present in the morning after drop-off at 8:30 AM and "even" Grades (2, 4, 6, 8) at 2:00 PM. Dismissal of all students will run as usual at 3:20.

Please enter through the Brady St./Health Room door off the parking lot.

Doors will open 15 minutes before the start of the presentations.

As a reminder, there is no parking in the parking lot.

Come and experience Waldorf lessons and a student art gallery, and have time to meet and socialize with other Tamarack community members. Drinks and dessert will be available after the lessons.

Adults will pick two lessons (one in each session) to participate in for the first part of the evening. Arrive at 5:30 to sign in and choose your lessons. We will have a number of teachers present and teaching classes, from woodworking to geometry, so get here early and sign up! The classes are first come, first served.

The second half of the evening will take place in our community hall. Student artwork will be on display, and dessert and drinks will be available. We'll also have a small silent auction to benefit our school beautification fund.

This is a free, adults-only, 21+ event.

Even though the event is free, we ask that you register ahead of time. You can do so on our Eventbrite page. Invite friends and family members!

Join Tamarack families and guests and make small votive candles or beeswax luminaries!

This event is kid-friendly, but you will need to be on alert as there will be cords and hot beeswax within reach.

This event is open house style - you may arrive anytime between 10 AM and 12:15 PM to begin your projects and leave when you are done.

Things to bring with you: essential oils (if you would like to scent your candles), dried/pressed flowers and leaves (for the luminaries), and a mug for tea and coffee.

Click this link to register in ParentSquare — all are welcome!

Come learn what Tamarack is all about! Prospective families will be guided throughout the building, learn about the admissions process, see classrooms, and meet with faculty. No registration is necessary.

Learn about how:

• The arts are woven into every day.
• Learning is experienced through all senses.
• Children don’t spend the majority of their time seated at a desk and listening to a teacher. They are actively involved in their own learning!
• Tamarack Waldorf students go outside every single day.
• We revere and respect all cultures, beliefs and origins.
• Immersion in nature is central to our curriculum, even as an urban school.
• You will come to love our school as much as your child does.

You may park in the parking lot and enter through the doors near the sandbox.

The Shepherd's Play is one of three plays that traditionally is put on by Waldorf school staff, parents and community members as a way to bring some humor to the holiday season. Tamarack and Prairie Hill have putting on the second of the three plays, The Shepherd's Play, together for both school communities for over 15 years.  After a year's hiatus, the Shepherd's play is back at Tamarack for a family evening presentation All are welcome!

Learn more about this unique Waldorf Tradition here.

From Mr. Celenza, play director:

Greetings most Reverent Waldorf Community,

In service to our community, our faculty/alumni/parent body will be performing “The Shepherd’s Play!”

For as long as I have been active in the Waldorf School, this play has marked a seasonal milestone of our year; especially for the students.  It hopes to awaken a reverence for humanity and the seasons of the earth.

The play is about transformation; a refocusing inwardly and outwardly. This play is also very old. A German tradition established on the Uberofer Islands. It has its roots in Christianity and therefore celebrates the story of the birth of “the Christ”. It is portrayed through the eyes of the simple people who lived through it and their struggles with re-imagining their world and embracing love and unity as a guiding light.

There are pearls in this play for us to find for ourselves. Questions to welcome and dialog to invoke. 

Everything is holy.
Come and enjoy this simple rendition presented by the familiar faces in our community.

Dutifully and warmly,
Chet Celenza

We are excited to bring back our Wreath Making Workshop! Katie Schwarz (Tamarack parent), who has over 20 years of floral experience, will lead this workshop.

Supplies to be furnished include a wreath form and fresh evergreens. Participants should bring their own hand shears if possible but there will be some on hand. Participants are also encouraged to bring evergreens or other decorative elements from home, such as interesting trimmings from their own yard, dried seed heads, feathers, bells, ornaments, ribbons, etc.

Food and drinks will be available.

Young children are welcome but will need adult supervision.

This is a drop-in event, but you must pay ahead of time. Click here to register and pay.

Parents/caregivers and their children are invited to join us for our outdoor nature class. This free class is held at the Riverside Urban Ecology Center.

Join us most 2nd and 4th Fridays of the Month:

September 13 & 27

October 11 & 25

November 8 & 22

January 10 & 24

February 7 & 21

March 14 & 28

April 11

May 9 & 23

Meet at the Riverside Park Urban Ecology Center

From 10:30AM - 12:00PM

Activities May Include:

• hike

• playtime

• circle time

• puppet play/story

• seasonal craft

• parenting support/discussions

This playgroup is ideal for children from 2-5 years of age but siblings are always welcome. Plan for being outside for the entire time.

Access to the building is only for emergency bathroom use until noon.

This class will take place rain or shine unless conditions are unsafe. Please make sure to check the Tamarack Website and social media posts for updates.

This class seeks to be a warm, nurturing, and safe place for parents/caregivers and their children to learn songs, fingerplays, and other fun activities in nature and foster a supportive community for the parents/caregivers. This is a free class and is open to all.

Meet the Class Leader:

Martha Flores has been a Waldorf Early Childhood teacher for over 20 years. She currently serves as Tamarack’s Early Childhood Chair.

Learn more about Martha here.

Join us on Sunday, November 17th at 4:45 PM in the school parking lot for our 2024 Lantern Walk

November clearly marks the change in seasons and draws even more attention to the necessity of light. Acknowledging the importance of light, whether it is the light of the sun or moon or the more ethereal concept of "inner light", has been a significant component of many cultures across time.

One way Tamarack brings a time to pause and consider the light (in its many forms) is our Lantern Walk. The students make handmade lanterns out of jars and candles in the weeks leading up to the festival. We meet in the school parking lot at 4:45, just as the sun is going down, and walk around the neighborhood with our lanterns lit, singing songs about our inner and outer light.

Parents, grandparents, friends, and alum are welcome!