Not What to Think

How

to Think

Waldorf education understands that developing human potential is more than providing knowledge and developing academic skills. We help children cultivate their natural curiosity to grow intellectually, thrive physically, and develop emotional resilience.

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nature school children playing
    screen-free classroom viewpoint
    A CLWS parent helps their child create an orange pomander

The CLWS Experience

    Why We Approach Screens Differently

    As a low-tech, screen-free school, City of Lakes Waldorf School helps children develop focus, creativity, and resilience before introducing technology. Our approach—rooted in neuroscience, child development, and mindful learning—builds the foundation for healthy, balanced engagement with media.

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    Winter Craft Fair

    Sunday, December 14, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm

    Celebrate the season with hands-on crafting, artisan vendors, and festive surprises for all ages at our Winter Craft Fair. Enjoy a cozy morning of making and connecting—an annual tradition our community looks forward to each year!

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    Explore Waldorf Event

    Wednesday, November 12, 6:00 - 8:30 pm

    Become a Waldorf student for an evening at our Explore Waldorf event, highlighting Grades 1-8. Attendees will have the opportunity to experience hands-on lessons and learn how our curriculum cultivates both critical and creative thinking skills that uniquely prepare students for high school, college, and beyond.

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The New Smart

Our programs

Early Childhood

Toddler, Preschool, Kindergarten

Creative play provides the foundation for all future learning experiences.

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Early Childhood

Elementary School

Grades 1-5

Arts, music, and movement, integrated into a robust, well-rounded academic curriculum.

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Elementary School

Middle School

Grades 6-8

An academically challenging liberal arts education that builds capacity for creative thinking and encourages self-discovery.

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Middle School

Why Waldorf?

    “City of Lakes Waldorf School is a haven among schools, where the norm is high stakes testing and pressured learning, City of Lakes values the human connection, engages the children in a multi-disciplinary approach to learning, and calls forth their love of learning. I could not have asked for better role models for my children in the teachers and staff of this school. Their depth of caring and passion for learning is evident in all they do.”

    CLWS Parent

    “Waldorf school taught me that creativity and the arts should be integrated into life. I was never afraid to pursue the arts as a profession.”

    Yoko Okumura, Filmmaker, CLWS ’02

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    “We are so blessed to have found this amazing community when we did. It's exactly what I wanted for my children and I can't imagine sending them somewhere else. They're their best selves when they're at school, and wish they could go seven days per week.”

    CLWS Parent

    “Waldorf is a place where my classmates aren’t just friends, they’re family.”

    CLWS Student

    “If you’ve had the experience of binding a book, knitting a sock, playing a recorder, then you feel that you can build a rocket ship—or learn a software program you’ve never touched. It’s not bravado, just a quiet confidence. There is nothing you can’t do. Why couldn’t you? Why couldn’t anybody?”

    Peter Nitze, Waldorf and Harvard graduate, and Director of Martek Biosciences

“The need for imagination, a sense of truth, and a feeling 
of responsibility—these three forces are the very nerve 
of education.”

Rudolf Steiner

Philosopher & Social Reformer