“When what we introduce into the children’s world of ideas and feelings is in line with the direction of the developmental forces of a given stage of life, we strengthen the entire developing person in a way that remains a source of strength throughout that person’s life.”

—Rudolf Steiner

First Grade

The first grader makes a great transition from the Early Childhood program to a more formal learning environment in grade school. Much learning takes place through activity and imitation. During this year, students will acquire the good habits of classroom life that will carry them through their eight years at Maple Village Waldorf School. Cultivating reverence for nature, class social cohesiveness, care for the environment, respect for others, interest in the world and a feeling of confidence in their teachers are all goals for the first grade class.

The Child

First grade children share a great desire to learn. Memory, imagination, and enjoyment of rhythmical repetition are common to this stage of development. First graders remain very connected to adults, often forming strong attachments to role models. The child is still somewhat “dreamy” and is more able to bring broad awareness than focused attention to the classroom.

The Class

Our first grade curriculum appeals to the child’s sense of wonder and imagination. The language arts are featured with an imaginative introduction to consonants, vowels, sight words, and word families. The children compose and read short verses and stories, developing a true love of language and hunger to read. First graders also explore the qualities of numbers in mathematics, as well as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Science is approached through nature stories and observations. The children begin their study of Spanish through songs, poems and games. Watercolor, pentatonic flute playing, eurythmy (movement) when available, Cooperative Games (physical education), knitting, drawing and beeswax modeling are also offered in the first grade Waldorf curriculum.

Second Grade

The initial experiences of the 1st grade are deepened and enhanced in the 2nd grade. This time is used primarily for practicing and developing all the new skills from the previous year. To assist the children with their growing polarity, the second graders explore the landscape of personality traits through fables and stories of noble historic figures: the good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly. This is a transformative year and the students should feel that they have experienced a rite of passage when graduating, having solid academic skills and a well-rounded general picture of human life and the universe.

The Child

Much of who the child is in first grade continues on in second grade, but now with more form and ability. The events and experiences of the outside world are filtered through the child’s imagination and rearranged in accord with a child’s perception of the world. The second grader is still connected with the world as a whole and sees themself as part of their community. As the year progresses, however, this wholeness gives way to a growing polarity. The child begins to vacillate between being saintly and “naughty” or courageous and “whiny”. The second grader explores one’s own inner life and how it relates to the greater world.

The Class

Our second grade curriculum builds on all basic academic skills, including independent writing and reading. In language arts and history studies, children explore traditional fables, stories of people striving to be their highest selves, grammar, punctuation, handwriting, and introduction to cursive.

Mathematics lessons include the sequence and patterns in numbers, continued work with the processes, and the introduction of place value as an antecedent to carrying and borrowing.

In science, students will continue their experiential exploration of the world of nature through observation and stories. Spanish, pentatonic flute playing, crocheting and knitting, watercolor painting, crayon drawing, eurythmy (movement), and Cooperative Games (physical education) are offered in the second grade Waldorf curriculum.

Second grade is a time when a child’s sensory-motor system, a foundation for all higher learning, culminates its most intense growth period. As such, students receive a 2nd grade assessment in Spring to provide a better understanding of each child’s strengths and challenges in the areas of fine and gross motor development, balance, bilateral integration, body geography, spatial orientation, dominance, visual and auditory processing, reading, writing, and arithmetic. By observing these, we are better able to assess a child’s readiness to take on more complex and challenging academic work and further support the student in the classroom and at home.

Third Grade

The Waldorf third grade curriculum marks the change to a more individualized presence in the children, as well as a new readiness for academics and a corresponding need to experience the work of the real world in a practical and meaningful way. Third graders are ripe for practical experience.  This need is met in the curriculum through the study of gardening, food preparation, cooking, shelter building, and clothing. Throughout the curriculum, teachers provide students with strong role models who show courage and determination.

The Child

In Waldorf education, we recognize the third grade as a significant year of developmental change and self-discovery for students.  The third grader leaves the world of imitation behind and transitions into a consciousness of greater individuality. The nine year old becomes more self-aware.  They begin to see the world with new and different eyes. The individuality of the child begins to come to expression, as the child acquires a dawning awareness of their separateness from the surrounding world.  This awakening in consciousness enables another capacity—to gradually be able to become more objective in relationship to themselves and the surrounding world. As a consequence, they also become less naïve and less open. They are no longer content to be a part of life without doubts or questions.  They may become more critical and may also feel lonely in this new awareness.

The Class

Our third grade curriculum is designed to give children a broader view of the world around them. The primary lesson material features stories of the Hebrew legends and Old Testament stories. This serves as an appropriate metaphor for the child’s inner experience. The child understands on some level what it is to leave paradise, step into the real world, and begin to stand on his or her own.

In language arts, students dissect parts of speech in grammar, as well as continuing to work on spelling and cursive writing to facilitate independent writing skills. Students learn valuable lessons through the themes of creation stories, house building, and farming. In history, children will study different human shelters from world cultures, and delve into Native American studies.

Topics in mathematics include carrying and borrowing, number patterns, long division, natural geometry, and measurement. In science, students study the cycles of nature and learn about telling time through patterns of the sun, sand and water, as well as the analog clock. Third grade students continue their world language studies, learn to play the lyre and recorder, enjoy movement in the eurythmy and Cooperative Games curriculum, and continue painting, crayon drawing, clay modeling, knitting, and crocheting.

Fourth Grade

While the third grade curriculum helped the child to reconnect to the world around them through practical studies and activities, the fourth grade curriculum helps the child orient themselves in space and time through a study of local geography. Fourth grade students possess the solid academic skills needed to participate in more independent projects. The teacher directs their curiosity about the world toward nature and animals.

The Child

Fourth graders become more self-confident as their perceptions of the world sharpen. They possess greater social and academic skills that allow them to become more independent. These developmental steps broaden the child’s perspective and open a world of endless, exciting possibilities. The fourth grader has an adventurous spirit, is full of curiosity, and is eager to explore new capacities for learning and creativity.

The Class

Fourth grade marks the start of studying geography. Students study local geography by learning to make maps of their classroom, school and neighborhood and discover the directions of north, south, east and west. In language arts, students enjoy studying the themes of courage, compassion, sacrifice, good and mischief embodied by the characters in Norse myth stories. The students also have the opportunity to discover the wondrous versatility of the human being in the science zoology block called Man and Animal. Here the children study the specialized skills and habits of the animals and relate them to the uniqueness of the human being. In mathematics, the study of breaking things into parts becomes the basis for adding, subtracting, multiplying, reducing, and expanding fractions. Spanish language study now includes simple reading, grammar, and written work. The fine and practical arts include clay modeling, geometric figures, form drawing, watercolor painting, and cross-stitch embroidery. Music classes continue with singing canons, rounds, and harmonies. Instrumentally, the children continue recorder playing and strings in a group, both of which now require reading from notation. Physical education continues with eurythmy block (when available), jump rope block, and games.

Fifth Grade

Fifth grade marks a pivotal point in the curriculum. While the students begin the year with studies of the mythologies of several ancient cultures, they transition away from mythology into history with the biography of Alexander the Great. They will wrestle with ethical question of his “Great”-ness. They also continue to hone their research and presentation skills with an independent project. Botany and Geometry present students the opportunity to explore the wonder and beauty of the world around us through mathematical and scientific lenses.

The Child

The fifth grader is confident, enthusiastic, and capable of doing increasingly challenging academic and artistic work. This is frequently considered a “golden year” in which the child exhibits a definite harmonious quality before becoming saddled with the challenges of adolescence. The fifth grader also has an increasing understanding of personal responsibility and a growing awakening to the larger idea of ethics.

The Class

In fifth grade, the study of ancient history begins in ancient India, Persia, Mesopotamia, Egypt and Greece. Students study the creation of written languages, read translations of ancient poetry, study hieroglyphics, recreate the building of temples and pyramids as models, and incorporate ancient art into their own artistic work. Grammar lessons are incorporated into these themes and verb tenses are introduced in compositions. By contrast, the children will study American geography and economic relationships among people living in various regions. A natural extension of geography is botany, where students learn about the relationship of the plants to the earth and sun and how they change in the course of the year. In the mathematics blocks, the students will review fractions, learn about fractional equivalents, mixed numbers, reciprocals, improper fractions, decimals, and decimal place. In addition, the children begin free-hand geometric drawing. In the world language program, the children hold short dialogues and give short talks, which include descriptive language. The students may study a Sanskrit poem and learn to speak and write Greek phrases. The fine and practical arts program will include clay modeling, carving, knitting socks, drawing geometric forms, and watercolor painting. Physical education will include eurythmy as well as participation in a pentathlon. In music, the children continue with a strings instrument or playing recorder in addition to chorus.

Elementary School Faculty:

Cori Amendt
Grade 1 Teacher

Cori Amendt is a Multiple Subject Credentialed Teacher, who holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, with a minor in Child Development. 

She studied Waldorf education at Steiner College in Fair Oaks, California. She enjoys spending time in nature with her family (hiking, biking, lounging), reading, writing, and traveling. Learning is a lifelong enjoyment and pursuit for her, particularly in her journey to bilingualism in the Italian language. Her professional career began as a Counselor for young children in crisis. Eventually, this work led her to the classroom, where she felt she could be of bountiful service to the youth in her community. She has been in education for over a decade, in public, private and charter schools. After she met her husband, an Italian national, she went on to teach in Italy at Lycee Francias for 2 years, as the English Department Coordinator and Foreign Language Teacher across the grades (K-8). Upon returning to the US, she found what she considers her truest calling, that of a Waldorf teacher. Under esteemed mentorships, she took a class through grades 1-3 at Ocean Charter School in Culver City before coming to Maple Village as the Laurel Tree teacher three years ago. After taking time to be home with her children, she is eager to return to the Laurel class to continue this meaningful work. 

Chrissy Cox
Grade 2 – Linden Trees Teacher

Chrissy Cox is delighted to join the Maple Village community. Over the past fourteen years, her work has centered on creating and leading…

…inclusive, inquiry-driven classrooms that nurture the full expression of each child. With sensitivity to rhythm and a commitment to joyful, purposeful learning, Chrissy brings a heartfelt presence and deep care to her teaching.

She holds a Master’s in Educational Leadership from San Jose State University, a B.A. in Literature with a minor in Education from UC Santa Cruz, and a Professional Clear Multiple Subjects Credential. She is CLAD-certified and has extensive experience supporting English language learners, neurodivergent students, and designing responsive learning environments for diverse learners.

Chrissy’s teaching is deeply informed by her love of nature, movement, and the arts. She teaches yoga and meditation, facilitates sound experiences, tends a seasonal garden, and studies herbalism. She has also served as a doula and community organizer, and finds joy in bringing rhythm, reverence, and wonder to learning spaces.

At the heart of Chrissy’s work is the belief that education is a living ecosystem of interconnectivity—between children, teachers, families, and the natural world. She is honored to contribute her passion, presence, and care to such a vibrant and nourishing community.

Paola Schouten
Grade 3 – Oak Trees Teacher

Paola Schouten was born, raised and educated in the Netherlands. She was exposed to the Waldorf Festivals since childhood…

…which ignited her interest in Waldorf Education. After High School, she studied at the Vrije Pedagogische Academy (Steiner Teacher Training College) in Zeist, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education. She then moved to the US and began her career as a Waldorf teacher in Pasadena. Over the past 40 years, she has contributed to the growth of many schools. She has carried three classes all the way through the grades and finished various classes through eighth grade. Paola likes to travel, camp, hike, read, and make jewelry. She plays guitar, writes songs, and enjoys singing. She also has a great appreciation for nutrition and cooking.

Pagan Urich
Grades 4/5 – Juniper & Joshua Trees Teacher

Jessica Pagan Urich, aka Ms. Pagan, hails from New Orleans, which is to say that she has a deep love of food, music, and festivities. 

…She holds a BA from Columbia University, where she swam Division I, and a Master’s Degree from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. Her work life has ranged from Broadway General Management to Hedge Fund Compliance to Tech Startup Management, but she has also been teaching and coaching children since she was 12. After starting a family she became a Teaching Artist creating curricula that combine English Language Arts, Science, and Social Emotional Learning with Visual and Performing Arts. In her very little free time, she performs, produces, and edits for film and television projects. She is very excited to learn from the wonderful teachers at Maple Village and to continue, along with her partner and young sons, to contribute to this community.