Cincinnati Waldorf School Community Update - Autumn 2026

MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Dear Cincinnati Waldorf School Parents,

The Board of Trustees is committed to ensuring our school's long-term strength and sustainability. As part of its responsibilities, the Board provides financial oversight and works closely with administrative leadership to support school operations. While curriculum decisions remain in the hands of our faculty and administration, the Board seeks to ensure that resources are available to meet the needs of our students, teachers, and campus while maintaining a balanced and responsible budget.

Over the past year, the Board has taken important steps to secure our school's future. We established an endowed account whose investment returns will help fund ongoing building maintenance and improvements. In addition, we developed a Facilities Master Plan to identify both short-term and long-term campus needs. This planning process revealed that the school will need to invest significant dollars over the next three to five years to properly maintain and improve our facilities. Already, more than $150,000 has been spent on critical roof, gutter, and downspout repairs to keep our building safe and dry. Additional projects, including improvements to outdoor spaces, window replacements, and HVAC upgrades, will be completed as funding becomes available.

This is where our school community can make a meaningful difference. Throughout the year, there will be several opportunities to support these important initiatives, including the Annual Fund Campaign, the Walk-A-Thon, and the Spring Benefit. Funds raised through these efforts will directly support campus maintenance, infrastructure improvements, and enhancements to our outdoor learning and gathering spaces. Every gift, regardless of size, helps move these projects forward. If a financial contribution is not possible, we encourage you to consider donating your time and talent through volunteer opportunities. Together, we can ensure that our campus continues to serve students and families for generations to come.

Finally, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to the many parents, grandparents, alumni, friends, and supporters who have already generously shared their time, talents, energy, and financial resources with our school. Your commitment and dedication have strengthened our community and made many of these improvements possible. Whether you have volunteered, participated in fundraising events, or contributed financially, your support has made a meaningful impact. Thank you for partnering with us as we work to preserve and enhance our campus for current and future generations of students.

Sincerely, 

Cincinnati Waldorf School Board of Trustees 

MESSAGE FROM THE DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR 

Dear Cincinnati Waldorf School Parents,

It’s been a wonderful start to Cincinnati Waldorf School’s 53rd school year! As our community continues to grow, we are grateful for the many ways our families come together to support our students, faculty, and campus.

Below is a look at the 2026–2027 Fundraising Calendar, including key dates, fundraising goals, what each effort supports, and how families can participate.

Annual Fund — Happening Now!

End Date: November 30, 2026

Financial Goal: $50,000

Participation Goal: 100% Board of Trustees, Faculty & Families

The Annual Fund supports Our Campus. Every dollar raised helps care for the Cincinnati Waldorf School through essential maintenance and infrastructure, including heating and cooling systems, windows, electrical systems, and other critical improvements that help our students and teachers thrive.

Please consider making a tax-deductible gift today - Click here to give. 

Walk-A-Thon — October 23, 2026 | Goal: $26,000

Supports Outdoor Learning Spaces. Every dollar raised will help enhance the Cincinnati Waldorf School campus by creating beautiful, engaging outdoor spaces where students can learn, play, explore, and connect with nature every day.

Ohio Scholarship Granting Organization | Goal: $50,000

CWS partners with EveryChildEveryFamily so you can designate your Ohio tax dollars to support scholarships for CWS students. All money received through this tax credit program will be used to help low income families in need of tuition assistance. More information about how to participate in this program will be provided starting in January 2027. 

Federal Scholarship Granting Organization | Goal: $20,000

Support Tuition Assistance. Every contribution helps provide scholarships that make a Cincinnati Waldorf School education accessible to more families, ensuring every child has the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive. More information about how to participate in this program will be provided starting in April 2027. 

Spring Benefit — March 20, 2027 | Goal: $35,000

Supports Our Campus. Every dollar raised helps care for the Cincinnati Waldorf School through essential maintenance and infrastructure, including heating and cooling systems, windows, electrical systems, and other critical improvements that help our students and teachers thrive.

Thank you for being part of a community that makes these opportunities possible. We look forward to a wonderful year together!

With gratitude,

Cat Toth 

Community Development Director 

MESSAGE FROM THE COLLEGE OF TEACHERS 

The CWS College of Teachers is responsible for pedagogical and curricular decision making at our school. We work closely with the board and administration to find the balance of pedagogical ideal and practical feasibility. It is a voluntary leadership group of 10-15 faculty members that represent all departments of the school.

In the last couple of years, the College has considered the following, among others:

• The relationship between our students and technology

• How to best navigate our reaccreditation process and self-study

• Curriculum changes to meet needs based on the observed developmental trends in our student body

• Broadened curriculum across all levels to match the global responsibility for awareness of the other

• Formalized and mandated charters for all College committees and collaborated on clarifying our governmental structure
  

Coming up, the College will be focusing on:

• A comprehensive study of our students, structure, and curriculum in order to examine how we are meeting our place and time and how we can continue to improve our practices to best serve our students and families

• Reviewing and remandating committee charters in advance of AWSNA reaccreditation visit

• Monitoring and planning for anticipated staffing needs
  

Members of the College

• Sarah Kimball (tri-lead College Chair)

• Tori Manship (tri-lead College Chair)

• Edith Fay (tri-lead College Chair)

• Dexter Simpson

• Connie Davis

• Libby Rupp

• Kyle Arthur

• Heidi Densmore

• Stacy Gaston

• Adam Petersen

• Nicole Stout

• Caroline Harwood
  

Sincerely, 

Cincinnati Waldorf School College of Teachers 

MESSAGE FROM OUTDOOR SPACE COMMITTEE 

Our Outdoor Space Committee is working to nurture our school grounds into a beautiful, imaginative, and meaningful place for children to learn, play, explore, and connect with nature. Guided by Waldorf principles, we have been dreaming, planning, and working together to create an outdoor environment that invites wonder, creativity, movement, and joyful collaboration.

Over the summer, our community came together to care for and improve our playground, adding natural elements and envisioning new spaces for open-ended play. We are especially grateful to the families and community members who have shared their time, energy, ideas, and materials to help bring these visions to life.

Looking ahead, we hope to continue transforming our outdoor spaces with more natural play structures, gardens, gathering areas, loose parts, and opportunities for children to engage deeply with the living world around them. Our goal is not simply to create a playground, but to cultivate an outdoor classroom—a place where children can build, imagine, take healthy risks, observe nature, and develop a lasting sense of stewardship for the earth.

We are excited to continue growing this vision together with the Cincinnati Waldorf School community!

Sincerely, 

Edith Fay

MESSAGE FROM THE FACILITIES TEAM

Our historic building has seen a lot of work over the last year:

• New steam boiler (October 2025)

• Roof work this summer–450 slate shingles replaced or repaired, custom copper flashing installed at all gutters and roof ends, new flashing and caps on roof stacks, new copper gutters installed, all water access points have been sealed, downspouts have been refastened, repaired and or replaced, new flashing installed on cupola, three flat roof membranes have been resealed, patched and flashed, two new roof access panels have been installed

• Painted first floor hallway and Community Room

• New vinyl flooring in 4th, 5th, and 6th grade classrooms

• Outdoor playground work–new climbing playset, outdoor table with seating, custom sluice box water feature, newly installed outdoor basketball hoop (donated) 

Some of our future projects include:

• Replace 8 electrical panels

• Install drop ceilings in second floor hallway

• Continue to master plan the HVAC system

• Replace condensate line in basement

• Repair the pavers and the sidewalk that was damaged during the summer’s roof work

• Replace the double doors in the gym

• Continue with structural analysis of the whole building

• Scope all stormwater drains at the base of the foundation

• Install new security window in vestibule 

• Repair wooden cupola base