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Fiber Arts Assistant Emma Simms < Back Fiber Arts Assistant Emma Simms graduated from Kutztown University with a B.S in Art Education. Kutztown allowed her to explore a wide range of different mediums, but her concentration lies in both Weaving and Ceramics. Along with weaving, Emma has worked with knitting, crocheting, spinning yarn, and sewing. Before COS, Emma worked as a summer camp arts instructor, daycare teacher, and is currently a ceramics instructor at a local studio. There she works with a community of all ages, backgrounds, and stages to work through their projects and make pieces that they love. Emma is excited to be part of COS and the Waldorf style of learning. She wholeheartedly believes in the importance of working with your hands and being a lifelong learner. Outside of work, Emma often goes to escape rooms! Through her travels, she has gone to more than 70 escape rooms all the way from Florida to Montreal. If you ask her about them, be warned that she will talk your ear off! esimms@circleofseasons.org < Previous Next >

Fifth Grade Class Teacher Tara Grather < Back Fifth Grade Class Teacher Tara found out about COS while researching Kindergarten options for her daughter. She was looking for a school that would embrace her daughter’s natural curiosity and enthusiasm for learning. Circle of Seasons and the Waldorf philosophy seemed to be the perfect fit. She has spent the last year and a half learning and growing as a Waldorf parent and is beyond excited to now be a member of the Circle of Seasons faculty. Prior to her employment at Circle of Seasons, Tara was an elementary school teacher in the Parkland School District. She spent fourteen years in the classroom, most of them in fifth grade. Tara has many varied interests outside of the classroom. She loves yoga, baking, reading, and discussing good books. Her family can be found spending lots of time outdoors – two of their favorite places are World’s End State Park in central Pennsylvania and the beach in Ocean City, Maryland. tgrather@circleofseasons.org < Previous Next >

Third Grade Class Teacher Sarah Johnson < Back Third Grade Class Teacher A love for exploring the environment and inspiring young children through artistic expression shaped Sarah's goal of becoming a Waldorf educator. Sarah earned her B.S. in Elementary Education (Grades 1-5) from Mount St. Mary's University after student teaching at an environmental charter school. For her senior project, she presented an independent study exploring the benefits of environmentally focused education and the Waldorf method in guiding creative, critical, and independent thinkers through community. Now, she is overjoyed to be beginning her journey in the Waldorf pedagogy at the school which inspired her to become a teacher. She is passionate about hands-on learning and creating a community to guide students in expressing themselves, with loving hearts, strong voices, and brave minds! While not in the classroom, Sarah can be found hiking in mountain forests, wading in lakes and creeks, or curled up with a cup of tea and her cat. Sarah is often singing, playing her guitar, or at the piano. She has a large collection of succulents and enjoys every opportunity to craft something colorful, through knitting, chalk, or paints! She is very excited to break out her bright yellow honey bee rain boots and dinosaur overalls to trek through the grounds of COS, inviting her students to explore their place in nature and together, strengthen both their stride and their song. sjohnson@circleofseasons.org < Previous Next >

Director of Special Education Matt Smith Director of Special Education < Back msmith@circleofseasons.org < Previous Next >

Intervention Teacher Ariel Sly < Back Intervention Teacher Ariel found her love for children young. She started working in a daycare as a toddler classroom teacher while she was still in high school. She continued working in childcare while furthering her degree, with a focus on Elementary Education and American Sign Language. Eventually, she helped open a new childcare center and became the Director. After running the center for a few years, she realized she missed working closely with the children. She became a TSS and worked one-on-one with students with disabilities. Although she loved this career path, she needed a more steady schedule. Ariel found her love for children young. She started working in a daycare as a toddler classroom teacher while she was still in high school. She continued working in childcare while furthering her degree, with a focus on Elementary Education and American Sign Language. Eventually, she helped open a new childcare center and became the Director. After running the center for a few years, she realized she missed working closely with the children. She became a TSS and worked one-on-one with students with disabilities. Although she loved this career path, she needed a more steady schedule. Ariel found COS and knew it was perfect for her. She loves the Waldorf approach to learning and preserving childhood. Nature, Art, and Music are big parts of her life, so she knew this school was the perfect fit to continue her love for teaching. She started as a paraprofessional and moved into the Intervention Teacher position where she can closely work with students to help them excel! In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family and friends. Another passion of hers is making music. She is a lead singer and acoustic guitar player who finds that making music helps her to decompress. Other hobbies she enjoys are hiking, kayaking, gardening, macrame, and painting/drawing. asly@circleofseasons.org < Previous Next >

Paraprofessional Jasmine Rich < Back Paraprofessional jrich@circleofseasons.org < Previous Next >

ARP Esser Plan Information < Back

Waldorf Lead Alyssa Radice Waldorf Lead < Back Alyssa earned her Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education from Bloomsburg University in 2012 and her Master’s Degree in Reading Education from East Stroudsburg University in 2021. She began her career teaching for a non-profit child care center for two years followed by an elementary school in the city of Baltimore for three years. Alyssa came to Circle of Seasons in 2017 in search of an approach to education that puts children's developmental needs first. She is happy to have found this quality in our Waldorf Education setting, where she can loop with her students and watch them flourish. She has a passion for helping children grow into individuals that strive to show kindness and compassion to all. In her spare time, Alyssa enjoys spending quality time with her daughter, hiking in the woods, walking her dog, and trying new foods. aradice@circleofseasons.org < Previous Next >

Grounds Manager Craig Frederick Grounds Manager < Back cfrederick@circleofseasons.org < Previous Next >

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC PROGRAM Circle of Seasons’ Instrumental Music Program for elementary school students provides children with the gift of learning how to create music. Music is a subject and an art that has been shown over time to enhance learning in many traditional subjects, mathematics in particular. COS teachers view music as teaching children a different language, one that connects them to each other and to the human experience. But the school’s approach to the Instrumental Music Program not just academic; it is therapeutic as well. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2013-2014, the number of children and youth ages 3 to 21 receiving special education services was 6.5 million, or about 13% of all public school students. At COS the statistic is higher: 20% (one-fifth) of our students qualify for some type of therapeutic intervention. Learning to play a musical instrument is beneficial to all students, but for children with special needs it offers an experiential learning opportunity that simultaneously develops cognitive abilities, physical abilities and social skills. Circle of Seasons Charter School’s Instrumental Music Program is focused on age- and developmentally-appropriate experiences with musical instruments. All grades utilize instruments such as xylophones, metallophones, glockenspiels and percussion instruments from around the world. Instrument programs for each specific grade are as follows: First Grade: Students learn to play the tone flute, of which there are three different types. Students are grouped according to the type of flute. Each flute plays three notes and is associated with a bird based on the letters of notes the flute plays (e.g. Avocets, Doves, Eagles). Altogether, the class can play a total of five notes when they play together. Students also play the lyre, an instrument similar to a harp. They continue to learn to play the lyre through second and third grade. Second Grade: Students learn the pentatonic flute, which gives them the ability to play all five notes individually. Children develop their fine motor skills through mastering the difficult fingering of the instrument. Children also learn patience and control through mastery of the quiet breath; persistence through the mastery of playing simple songs; and respect for craftsmanship through the care of their flute. Third Grade: Children progress from the pentatonic to the diatonic flute, which expands the number of notes they can play as individuals and allows them to play more complex melodies and harmonies as a group. Fourth Grade: Students continue the diatonic flute and learn a stringed instrument, either a violin or cello. Fifth Grade: Students learn the soprano or alto recorder and continue with violin or cello. EITC grants from the COS Fo undation to the Instrumental Music Program will provide much-needed instruments to students who cannot afford them, as well as practice instruments for students to take home to support and/or further their learning. EITC grants will also provide opportunities for students to take field trips to experience live music performances and to bring musicians to the school to meet with and perform for students. Learning to play an instrument, both as an individual and in an ensemble, teaches lifelong skills that help students develop academically, collaboratively and creatively. Students learn an awareness of themselves and of those around them. They learn to listen to each other and to express themselves both individually and with their peers. Research continues to demonstrate the importance of instrumental music education in school and the positive impact it has on our children. Gardening Program, Grades 1-5 Instrumental Music Program, Grades 1-5 Manual Arts Program: Woodworking, Grade 5 Ways to Give

Eighth Grade Class Teacher Amy Studzienko < Back Eighth Grade Class Teacher Amy Studzienko is delighted to join the sweet Cos community this year. She brings with her seven years of teaching experience. She received her Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education with a concentration in English from Kutztown University and is presently pursuing a Master's in ESL. Her teaching style was Waldorf before she knew what Waldorf pedagogy was, and she loves incorporating meaningful artistic and creative approaches. Outside of school, she enjoys gardening, biking, fishing, crafting, and dressing up her cat, Gus. astudzienko@circleofseasons.org < Previous Next >

donate cos foundation building fund evening of support matching gifts MANUAL ARTS PROGRAM: WOODWORKING The COS Manual Arts Program in Woodworking offers fifth graders what no other program can: the ability to “think with their hands;” a mastery of tools often regarded as unsafe for children; and the power to use their hands and tools to design, plan and create something purposeful entirely on their own. Woodworking classes have been largely eliminated from public schools since the 1990s as administrators made way for a technology-based age. But research shows that programs like woodworking allow children to be drivers in their own learning, as opposed to passengers. Without programs in the manual arts, children may never learn how to fix things, and may end up lacking even the most basic manual competence. More concerning, eliminating programs like woodworking has alienated children whose intelligence and abilities do not align well with traditional classroom learning. Fifth graders in the Woodworking Program at COS forego the use of power tools and learn mastery of manual tools first. They create small projects on their own and as a group. For example, students design a maze for a small stainless-steel ball and then must construct it out of wood according to the measurements of their own design. As they construct the maze, students must make adjustments as the ball’s path through the maze is assessed. The fifth-grade Woodworking Program is a sensory experience – students smell and feel the wood, hear the sounds of the hammers and saws, feel their muscles working and use the movement of their bodies to create something purposeful, practical and unique. Through the competency they gain in undertaking a difficult task, children are given a sense of power and pride in what they can accomplish. Gardening Program, Grades 1-5 Instrumental Music Program, Grades 1-5 Manual Arts Program: Woodworking, Grade 5 Projects like this enhance learning in traditional subjects like math (measuring, designing) and science (physical properties of wood, physics), and they also teach children through process learning, or active learning by doing. Students gain experience in planning and designing, in problem-solving and collaborating – and in failing. They learn to persevere, and they learn the value of making things right. They learn patience when facing challenges and pride in overcoming them. EITC grants from the COS Foundation to the Manual Arts Program in Woodworking will be used to provide tools and materials for projects. Funds could also be used to fund visits by craftsmen, carpenters and tradespeople so children can learn from professionals in the field. Ways to Give