Our Vision: Lifelong Learning

Our vision for education is easy to embrace. We help every student develop his or her unique gifts using a proven, holistic approach. Waldorf students become independent, creative thinkers who can act with a sense of responsibility and compassion.

Mission Statement

The mission of Waldorf School at Moraine Farm is to help students discover and develop their individual capacities so that they can fully engage in the world and contribute meaningfully to society. We aim to cultivate clarity of thinking, compassion and moral strength, and purposeful action in our students.

Our educational approach is founded on the time-tested insights into human development applied by Waldorf schools throughout the world. We integrate a rich, age-appropriate curriculum in the humanities, math and science, with music, visual and practical arts and movement. We work to make lessons active, filled with imagination and connected with practical life. We recognize that the heart of education is the relationship between teacher and students, which grows and changes to meet the distinct developmental stages of the child.

Building community is also vital to our mission. Faculty, parents, alumni, and friends collaborate to tend and grow the school, modeling the lifelong learning, fruitful cooperation and purposeful work we aim to develop in our students.

Anti-Bullying Statement

WSMF does not condone bullying and harassment in any form (physical, verbal, and/or cyber) at our school. Bullying and harassment cause pain and stress to students and are never justified or excusable as “just teasing” or “just playing.” Bullying occurs when a person, or group of people, repeatedly tries to hurt, humiliate or get power over another less powerful person. We do our best to prevent bullying as well as to act swiftly if we encounter a bully situation. This applies to all activities at school, after-school programs, school field trips, and school-sponsored events. This school-wide system applies to all students, teachers, staff, specialists, and anyone who works on our campus, whether employed by the school, working as contractors, or volunteers.

Moraine Farm Partners

Waldorf School at Moraine Farm is fortunate to have as its neighbors and as partners several other non-profit organizations, each of whom have missions and programs that complement our own. We place great value on the collaborative programs run with Project Adventure and The Trustees of Reservations. We also work as stewards of this property in partnership with The Batchelder Family Trust, The Trustees of Reservations, Essex County Greenbelt Association, Friends of the Olmsted Landscape at Moraine Farm, and Project Adventure.

Project Adventure

Project Adventure is a non-profit specializing in providing schools, agencies, and corporations the tools necessary to implement effective experiential programs and to effect positive growth or change. It offers year-round experiential education programs emphasizing community- and group-building techniques. Its programs are designed to foster many of the same attributes Waldorf School at Moraine Farm instills in our students: personal and group responsibility; self-discovery and relationship building; communication and collaboration; problem-solving; and respect for oneself and others. Project Adventure has been a resident here since 1999.

Trustees of Reservations

The Trustees of Reservations is the nation’s oldest private land trust. The Trustees own more than 100 distinctive properties across Massachusetts. The 90 acres of prime farmland owned by The Trustees at Moraine Farm is home to New Entry Sustainable Farming Project. New Entry, works locally, regionally, and across the country to strengthen local food systems by supporting new farmers.

Our Home: Moraine Farm

The nearly 200 acres of Moraine Farm include meadows, woodlands, formal gardens and farmland. Visitors who walk the carriage roads are rewarded with sweeping vistas of Wenham Lake, acres of open meadows, woodlands and access to the J.C. Phillips Nature Preserve. The property is also home to Project Adventure, and to the Moraine Farm CSA, owned by The Trustees of Reservations.

For help getting here, please visit our Directions page.

Our History

Waldorf School at Moraine Farm was founded in 1986 as the Cape Ann Waldorf School in Gloucester, MA. In 2010 we moved to our current, permanent location on 10 acres of the historic Moraine Farm property in Beverly. Today we are a vibrant, growing school, serving students from pre-kindergarten to fifth grade.

Our Community is Local and Global

We are one of 121 Waldorf schools in the United States and nearly 1,000 Waldorf schools worldwide. Waldorf Education is truly global in its scope and its approach. The curriculum cultivates a deep appreciation for cultural traditions from around the world, while being deeply rooted in its local culture and context.

 

A Holistic Education

Waldorf Education is time-tested and proven. We are not buffeted about by the latest educational fad or testing regime. Our holistic approach helps students to grow and flourish intellectually, emotionally and socially.

 

Lots of Outdoor Learning

Waldorf students are not afraid to get their hands dirty. Our love for the outdoors is shared by both students and parents. We ensure that every school day, regardless of the weather, includes plenty of outdoor time for exploration and imagination.

A Reverence for Nature

Exploring the grounds of the Moraine Farm property brings new surprises every day. Our students never tire of the beauty that surrounds them and with our new outdoor science and nature curriculum, they have daily opportunities to gain a better understanding of their world.

 

Choose Waldorf Moraine

When you choose Waldorf School at Moraine Farm, you’re choosing a warm, nurturing and richly rewarding experience for your child. You’re choosing a school where they are allowed the time and space that they need to learn, in an unhurried, unstandardized environment.

The Land We Are On

Waldorf School at Moraine Farm seeks to honor the land on which we gather to learn, as well as the people for whom this is a traditional homeland. We acknowledge that our campus and its surrounding area are traditional Pennacook/Pawtucket lands. As an institution dedicated to learning, diversity, and community, we recognize that it is our responsibility to protect and uphold the people and history of this land. We understand that we benefit from this land, and recognize the injustice of colonialism which has created this benefit for us. We respectfully seek to grow in our understanding of our participation in this unjust system and to build a future that creates justice for those who call this place home.