Kindergarten Teacher
Ms. Elena Orsak joined CLWS in 2008. Her early childhood education training comes from her studies at Naropa University and her Waldorf early childhood teaching certificate at Rudolf Steiner College. Previously, she taught at Cambridge Steiner School in the U.K. and Minnesota Waldorf School and created a Waldorf-inspired home preschool program. Ms. Elena Orsak serves on the faculty of Novalis Institute and is an integral member and facilitator at Rudolf Steiner Institute. She is proud to be a Waldorf graduate and second generation Waldorf teacher.
Your kindergartener is building the capacity for creative thinking, problem solving and learning. Play is an essential part of this process.
Our classrooms offer a nurturing environment for discovery and learning. Whether inventing games of make-believe or splashing in puddles at Fair Oaks Park, we engage your preschooler’s senses and emotions. This gentle introduction lays the groundwork for learning in the grades.
During outdoor play, children are encouraged to run, skip, jump rope and balance in order to develop physical coordination. Inside, modeling with beeswax, helping to prepare food and finger knitting and painting, all help children develop the fine motor skills needed for reading and writing.
Teachers lead games, verses, songs, and folk stories. The children build a rich vocabulary, strengthen memory, practice comprehension and phonics – all invaluable skills for reading later on. They build the ability to listen with attention and focus because their natural curiosity is engaged.