Mission, Vision, and Values

Our Vision– to create a diverse and inclusive community to educate our children with love and care, with imagination and in freedom, to allow them to realize their full potential as free human beings who will serve humanity through their deeds.

Our Mission – through a balanced and developmentally-aligned curriculum, the Davis Waldorf School builds a strong academic, artistic and social foundation in which each student cultivates a capacity for independent thinking, compassionate feeling, and responsible action.
 
Our Values – the DWS community fosters a reverence for life and hope for humankind as we endeavor to bring healthy change into the world.


 

Land Acknowledgement

We should take a moment to acknowledge the land on which we are gathered. For thousands of years, this land has been the home of Patwin people. Today, there are three federally recognized Patwin tribes: Cachil DeHe Band of Wintun Indians of the Colusa Indian Community, Kletsel Dehe Wintun Nation, and Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation. 
 
The Patwin people have remained committed to the stewardship of this land over many centuries. It has been cherished and protected, as elders have instructed the young through generations. We are honored and grateful to be here today on their traditional lands.

PRONUNCIATION GUIDE

What is the appropriate pronunciation of each of the indigenous names?

  • Patwin [PUTT-win]
  • Cachil Dehe [CATCH-ill DEE-HEE]
  • Kletsel Dehe [KLET-SELL DEE-HEE]
  • Yocha Dehe [YO-chuh DEE-HEE]
  • Wintun [WIN- tune]

We value…

Holistic and Healthy Education
We endeavor to bring a curriculum that balances academic rigor with a striving to educate the whole child through art and practical skills, music, movement, and social and moral development.  We support the children in finding meaning and purpose in life with confidence and a sense of responsibility.

Inspirational Teaching
We engage dedicated, reliable, and artistic teachers who, with enthusiasm, are capable of enlivening education and inspiring each student.   

Respect for the Natural World  
We cultivate an understanding and experience that nature sustains life and nurtures, heals and inspires us. 

An Understanding of Human Development  
We respect the indications from Rudolf Steiner for the developmental phases of childhood and curriculum that strengthens each individual child’s natural capacities to discover, learn, and grow at each phase.
 
A Healthy and Vibrant Community Life
We cultivate meaningful relationships between our teachers and students, creating a supportive and engaging environment of Waldorf community members.  We strive to work collaboratively and cooperatively with one another in a supportive school community.  Additionally, we strive, through our multicultural education, to teach respect and an understanding of diversity within our community and our world.  In doing so, we endeavor to extend trust, compassion, respect and understanding to one another without judgment.  We encourage and foster all  to communicate in a direct, yet thoughtful manner, which promotes confidence, connection, and trust.  We offer opportunities for education, enrichment, festival celebration, social connections, and meaningful work within our community. 


Governance Structure

The Davis Waldorf School recognizes three adult spheres of responsibility which provide essential support for the healthy functioning of our school and community. Although each sphere carries its own specific tasks and responsibilities, there are many areas of partnership and cooperative effort. Parents, Faculty and Administration work side by side as members of the Board and they share the work of most of the school’s essential committees. The Parent Council serves as a facilitator to enhance communication within the classes, in the school community and with the Faculty and Administration.

  • Parents provide financial and social commitment and volunteer contributions to make it possible for the school to serve their children. 
     
  • Faculty provide the quality Waldorf education and pedagogy the children receive. 
     
  • The Board of Directors protect the legal, financial, and physical well-being of the school, and strategic and long-range planning.

Parents, administrative staff, and teachers work together to co-create many of the school’s festivals and to support the education of the children in the classroom.  As a community, we are committed to working together with mutual respect, goodwill, and an earnest desire to help our school and Waldorf education thrive while providing an excellent experience for our children.

The healthy social life is found when,

In the mirror of each human soul,

The whole community finds its reflection, and when,

In the community, the virtue of each one is living.

Rudolf Steiner