“Coming from a competitive school in the city, I wasn’t sure what to expect at a Buddhist school in Upstate New York, was it going to be rigorous enough? Would my child remain on par? I could not be more thrilled to see how fully my child is learning and how confident he has become. He now enjoys reading and his handwriting has improved, he’s doing mental math above his grade level. And on top of that, his genuine kindness is shining through brighter than ever. Thank you!”
ABOUT
Founded in 2017, The Middle Way School of the Hudson Valley is one of the first Buddhist preparatory schools for children in the West. Our mission is to empower students to take their places in the modern world. Our pedagogy and school culture draw upon foundational Buddhist teachings and traditions as well as the latest research in child development, neuroscience, and technology. MWS offers an exceptional education, creating conditions for wisdom and compassion to flourish.
ACADEMICS
We view education as a natural learning process that engages children’s innate potential and provides a way to understand the phenomenal world with grace and humor. Our students play, contemplate, engage with text and numbers, and are encouraged to use inquiry as the foundation for academic achievement. Our developmental approach to teaching and learning is highly personalized so that each student is experiences a balance of challenge and accomplishment. The aim is to tap into students’ intrinsic joy of learning while supporting their social, emotional and spiritual growth.
ADMISSIONS
The Middle Way School thrives on the principle of inclusion. We actively seek to build a community that is rich with diverse cultures, races, talents, interests, learning profiles, and economic and ethnic backgrounds. MWS is a pilot school with the support of a global community of friends and foundations who wish to see us succeed. Because of their support, we are able to offer ample financial aid to meet families needs. More than $100,000 in aid was given in 2019.
DAILY AND WEEKLY HAPPENINGS AT MIDDLE WAY SCHOOL
A glorious day at the river with the Garudas class spent foraging, exploring, and learning about the vast interconnected waterways of the Hudson Valley 🌊 💙
SCENES FROM TODAY
A new year brings new traditions. Today was our first Full Moon Fancy Dress Day, and some of our friends really came through to celebrate September’s Harvest Moon. This is just a small glimpse of the finery on show.
Nearly forty parents showed up for our first full moon dharma talk of the year to hear from Bethany Saltman about attachment, parenting, and dharma. There were sighs of relief from the audience as Bethany spoke about the challenges and delights of parenting. “I feel like some deep need was met today,” said one parent. One main take away is that we are all attached one way or another but we must know our selves and be in touch with our own minds in order to have healthy, secure attachment. Thank you @bethany_saltman ! And to the parent-led dharma committee who helped make this such a meaningful event. More to come! #attachmenttheory #dharma #parenting #strangesituationbook #buddhistparenting
Leaping into the school year like…
Welcome back!!! Week one ☑️
Teachers play too! Dondre led the entire staff in a kickball game as we spent the afternoon walking through the students’ day, embodying their rhythms, and tweaking the schedule. We practiced lunch ritual, explored playground boundaries and discussed the balance between risk and safety.
Sneak peek! Our stunning new gazebo is underway (by @bradsbarns and @countrylanegazebos) and our two new playground structures are in place, ready to be filled with children NEXT WEEK! We can’t hardly wait.
Thank you MWS community for bringing these wishes into being!
And…we’re back! Twenty one teachers and staff had a wonderful day convening and reconnecting at the Ashokan Center for the first day of personal and professional development. We allot a generous two week session before our 93 students return. This extra time helps teachers get energized, settled and ready to begin. We have a sneaking suspicion it’s going to be our best year yet. #weloveteachers #independentschool #buddhisteducation
BIG *BIG* NEWS! Middle Way School won Best Independent School and Best Elementary School in the Hudson Valley's popular Chronogrammie awards. And that's not all! Grace, our Head of School, won Best Youth Advocate and @amybrownwhite claimed Runner-Up for Best Racial Justice Advocate/Activist. We're so honored to have our entire team acknowledged in this way and so proud of our excellent students who make it all worthwhile. Swipe right for our silly dance of joy! @chronogram #chronogrammies2022
In response to recent tragic events Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche wrote the following tribute, which was read aloud at a peace circle on June 3rd by Grace Ann Louis, Head of School.
“The loss of any life is tragic. But the loss of young people, especially when it is deliberate and human-made, is a heart-breaking loss for generations to come. Any one of these youngsters could have led this world into a state of peace, harmony, and prosperity. Cutting off that potential is an unspeakable tragedy.
As a Buddhist, my prayers are for all the victims and also for the perpetrator of the crime and for all those connected to them.
It is simply not right that we go to Mars and create state of the art technology, yet constantly fail to build our confidence in simply being a being. Instead, we seem to make so much business out of people’s insecurity.
I hope that we will plant a seed that the next generation will do what we are failing to do.”
~ Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse
Pictures left to right: Addie Rosenberg (Dragons lead teacher), Dorothy Lagana (Outdoor Educator) and Grace Ann Louis.
Last day of school vibes. More photos of these fantastic final days to come soon.
TALENT + SHOW
Big brush calligraphy with Barbara Bash today. Just one of the things filling us with joy this week. It’s hard to even know where to start. #buddhisteducation #calligraphy #barbarabash
Sneak peek of the Owls band rehearsal in music class with megan. Eye of the (year of the) Tiger!
Through the eyes of Michelle Bissanti: “In reverence for the MWS community - It was such a joy to spend a couple of days at the Middle Way School. In every moment I saw the skillful weaving together of wisdom, compassion practices and progressive education. The Fawns sang their feelings. The Ravens practiced movement through different words such as wait and change, experiencing how those actions felt in their body. The Dragons invited me to their sacred circle - to meditate, share, and express gratitude. The Owls created a comic guide to the Middle Way. These are only a few of the many ways I saw children engaged deeply in learning through academics, dharma, and the natural world. I very much look forward to my work with @middlewayedu and the Middle Way School community.” Thank you, Michelle!
Instagram Takeover! Coming soon. Michelle Bissanti, author of the excellent Elephant Path, is on campus meeting with teachers and students. We’ll be seeing the school through her eyes for her Instagram takeover. Michelle is working for @middlewayeducation helping develop the MWE curriculum to better support teachers.
Big news! We’re hiring two new teachers for the 2022-2023 school year: A full time interim Wild Horses (First Grade) lead teacher and a full time Ravens (Second Grade) lead teacher. As one of our advisors recently commented, "Middle Way has one of the most collaborative, supportive team of teachers I've ever seen."
Visit middlewayschool.org/careers for full job postings and to apply.
Spread the word!
Middle Way School will be adding a combined fifth/sixth grade class next year called the Garudas. We are delighted that our eldest friends, some of whom have been with us since the beginning, will be staying with us for another year. We are equally delighted at the dynamic pair of teachers who will be working with the group:
Zak Carey, who has been serving as co-teacher of the Owls for the latter half of this year, will move into the full-time teacher role for the Garudas. Zak has brought a creative and engaging approach to classroom learning, and his care for and ability to connect with each student is quickly evident. In his role as lead teacher, he will develop and lead lesson plans for language arts and will co-teach humanities and science with
Christie Barron, who will serve as the part-time co-teacher for the Garudas class, leading math and co-teaching humanities and science with Zak in the mornings.
Christie heroically stepped in for Talia Wilo in the Wild Horses when she left for parental leave in January. She is a deep thinker and creative collaborator who brilliantly interweaves her passions for art, poetry, and embodied movement into all subject areas. This new part-time role not only accommodates Christie's pursuit of training in Somatic Experiencing, but it draws on her extensive experience with students at this age level.
Welcome to your new roles Christie and Zak!
Today is Vesak, also known as Buddha Purnima, a special full moon day commemorating the birth, enlightenment, and death of Shakyamuni Buddha. Buddhists around the world acknowledge the Buddha’s great contributions to philosophy and practice that have remained relevant and useful so many centuries after he walked the earth. It’s a day to spruce up altars, make offerings of flowers and candles, raise flags, wash statues and refrain from any negative actions. It’s a great day to practice vegetarianism and offer support to others, speak kind words and do a little bit of extra practice. Today we had a short day at school because of tornado warning so we hope the children can bring this practice to life at home.
Still smiling after last week’s incredible offerings to our teachers for #teacherappreciationweek. Friday’s final offering of a scrumptious vegetarian lunch by the Owls families was yet another hit (last photo). Pictured here are a small sample of the daily spreads. Thank you to every MWS family. We feel the 💙🥰
Happening now! Plant and stuff sale from 10-3 today on campus. Help support our school community garden!
Teacher Appreciation Week continues with the *most* delightful treats from the Snow Lions, Ravens, and Dragons families: luscious lemonade, the cutest homemade beeswax candles, and DELICIOUS soups (veg lentil and chicken curry!). This week has been so much fun (and so nourishing!). We can’t wait until tomorrow… 💙
#teacherappreciationweek
Day 2 teacher appreciation week: a stunning tea and sweets offering from MWS families to MWS teachers. Thank you @swannamac for the BEAUTIFUL set up. 🫖 🍪 ❤️
Day One was a magnificent vegetarian Middle Eastern smorgasbord enough to feed our entire staff.
Our parent community is making us feel so good this week. Thank you!
#teacherappreciationweek
Rocks, layers of soil, life cycles, habitats and engineers! This week, the Wild Horses began constructing their very own Bug Hotel! Their conversations around living things both great and small has led to insects and arachnids. They will continue to engineer and build their structure as a potential habitat for the insects with whom we share this land. #interconnection
Garden bed construction with the Dragons. The best day. #earthday
Micro green planting with the Snow Lions 🌱🌎
EARTH DAY! The Owls co-teacher Zak Carey brought in an original print of his uncle Martin Carey’s poster for the very first Earth Day in 1970. Stunning. @susancareyjewelry
The MWS campus is teaming with Earth Day activities today. More posts to follow >>>
#earthday #martincarey
The dragons are in the midst of their climate change/sea level rise/climate resiliency project. Today Masumi helped demonstrate how the gravitational pull of the moon causes Earth and its water to bulge out on the side closest to the moon and the side farthest from the moon (like a squished water balloon) creating tides.
Over the course of this project, Dragons did an experiment to learn how melting land ice is contributing to sea level rise. They built their own model of coastal communities (modeled after Saugerties!) and used the models to explore the impact of high tide/low tides now and high/low tide in 50 years. They also looked at the addition of storm surge impacts with big storms and the water inundation. Then they looked at what communities are doing and applied those lessons to our models. They added sea walls, wetlands, pump stations, and solar panels and even put some houses up on stilts to reflect resilience and action.
What a cool lesson @haleakalastars. Happy new moon! Happy Friday!
A group of Owls beading during afternoon exploration were singing a beautiful rendition of “I don’t know my name” by @gracevanderwaal. Sound on!
Maple syrup time! The children tapped the trees with outdoor education teacher Dorothy (@haleakalastars) who cooked it up and held pancake and waffle picnics with each class enjoying the richness of the earth and making the connection to the seasons, our climate, and food. Thank you maple trees. Thank you planet earth. Thank you spring.
The owls class used the opportunity to learn about cups, quarts, and gallons and figure out the average amount of sap the trees produced with their teachers Hannah and Zak. Interconnection!
Self portraits created in art class with teacher Diana Jenson by the Owls 🎨
Works in paint on cardboard with yarn.
#artclass #selfportrait
Badminton day in PE! Spring! Movement! Joy!
Today Oona Jensen (age five) continued her “Plastic Free Lunch Day” presentations to each class at MWS. Following a viewing of the documentary #MicroplasticMadness with her family, she immediately said, “Middle Way has to do something.”
Oona scheduled a meeting to pitch her idea to Grace, our Head of School, then took her show on the road with a tray of plastic trash she found on campus and visited each class to make her case for a plastic free lunch day (and snack!) and screen the trailer for the film. Already a pack in and pack out school (all children use metal tiffins for their lunches), Oona’s plea challenges us to examine the granola wrappers and chip bags we often use without a second thought. Her presentation sparked excellent conversation and ideas in every class.
We are asking all MWS students, teachers, and staff to not bring ANY single-use plastic to campus on Friday, March 18. This includes straws, yogurt cups, plastic water bottles, plastic bags, plastic utensils. Thank you Oona!
(Sound on!)
#plasticfreelunch #plasticfree #microplastics
Following our teacher and staff field trip to the @rubinmuseum last week, the Dragon’s teacher Addie Rosenberg (@adiro94) was inspired by the exhibit and created this extraordinary Middle Way School mandala. The mountains reflected in the water in the center form an M and W. The animals around the edges represent all the MWS classes, and she even used the school colors. The lotus at the center represents the Buddha. What a talented artist!
Addie said, “I was inspired by the exhibit and thought our school should have its own mandala. And wanted to show my gratitude.”
The new Mandala Lab exhibit deepened our teachers understanding of our five domain structure, which underpins the education we offer. #mandala
🧡💙🧡
Staff development day at the Rubin Museum of Art. Interacting with the Mandala Lab, exploring the permanent collection, and just being together. So fun and restorative. #professionaldevelopment #rubinmuseum #teacherlife
Winter rolls on!
Happy Lunar New Year!
Tomorrow is our annual Losar (Tibetan New Year) celebration! In preparation, MWS parents Amberjayde and Dorji came to teach our Ravens and Dragons classes to make Tibetan style dumplings called “momos.” Dorji shared stories from his childhood as a nomad in Tibet where his father taught him to cook, and from his years in a monastery where young monks all pitched in to make the momos. We learned to make 4 different types of momos each with a special story, then practiced making our own. Tomorrow we feast! Thank you Amberjayde and Dorji – today was so special. (sound on for all the “wows” and sweet instruction).
At Middle Way we are cultivating a practice of asking where things come from and advocate using discernment before leaping into adhering to any belief set or activity. So as we approach Valentine’s Day, we thought we should look into why on this one day of the year, love is celebrated. Why not every day? And who was St. Valentine? And where is your heart? Is it really separate from your mind? Or is it like the Sanskrit work “citta”, which means both heart and mind?
It seems the holiday originated in Rome with the pagan festival of Lupercalia, which was held in mid-February. Lupercalia celebrated the coming of spring, including fertility rites (and, by the way, the pairing off of women with men by lottery. Praise impermanence!). At the end of the 5th century, Pope Gelasius I replaced Lupercalia with St. Valentine’s Day. In the 14th century, the idea of romance started creeping into the celebration.
Formal messages, or valentines, appeared in the 1500s, and by the late 1700s commercially printed cards were being used. The first commercial valentines in the United States were printed in the mid-1800s. Valentines commonly depict Cupid, the Roman god of love, along with hearts, traditionally the seat of emotion. Because it was thought that the avian mating season begins in mid-February, birds also became a symbol of the day. Traditional gifts include candy and flowers, particularly red roses, a symbol of beauty and love.
At Middle Way, we embrace Valentine’s Day as an opportunity for, as our friend Kaitlyn Greendige says, “showing appreciation for the people in your life—your siblings, your mother, your friends, your classmates.”
“I have always loved Valentine’s Day and never thought of it as an occasion for romantic dates. It still has the meaning it did in elementary school—the fragile resilience and battered hopefulness of a cardboard heart. This approach came from my mother. She is big on rituals and the celebration of holidays, not for what you can get or what you can buy, but as a way to set the rhythm of the year.” @Kaitlyngreendige
Mountain Smoke Offering on a snowy Sunday on campus. Lama Karma Wall led the ceremony with parents, interspersing it with explanations to connect to every day experience. Tuning into the elements, making offerings, noticing that offerings, the one making the offering and the recipient of the offerings are all one and the same. This ceremony took the place of our monthly full moon dharma talk. We like to switch it around and experiment. MWS is not tied to one tradition of Buddhism. We like to present different paths in their fullest form as a way to show the richness and variety of how dharma and culture can fuse. #riwosangchö #smokeoffering #ritual
This week in assembly, we learned the story of the Buddha’s first teaching after his awakening, as told by Thich Nhat Hanh in his excellent book, Old Path White Clouds.
In the chapter entitled “the tangerine of mindfulness,” children offer tangerines and request teachings. The Buddha uses the delicious citrus in a mindful eating exercise and speaks about the sections of the fruit as representations of the hours of a day. Can we pay attention to all 24 hours in the same way we experience eating each slice? When we look at a tangerine, can we see the tree and blossoms that made it so?
Our admissions window is open! Visit our events page for more information about our two upcoming open houses.
Today the Owls used their newly acquired math skills to invent math-based board games with their new co-teacher, Zak Carey.
Zak brings 20 years of experience in education to his new role at MWS, most recently teaching 3rd and 4th grades at Woodstock Day School. A life-long resident of Woodstock, his deep knowledge of the region, passion for nature and the outdoors, and plethora of skills from woodworking to foraging is an exciting addition to the Owls classroom.
Our admissions window is open! We’re currently accepting applications for pre-k through 6th grade. Link in bio.
Cheerful Year of the Tiger!
Tigers embody bravery and courage so the Year of the Tiger is an excellent time to practice resilience, strength, and good cheer, no matter what new challenge presents itself in the jungle…
Our admissions window is open! We’re enrolling pre-k through 6th grade for the 2022-2023 school year.
The MWS team has been nominated for three Chronogrammies: The Middle Way School is nominated for Best Elementary School; Grace Ann Louis, Head of School, is nominated for her work as a Youth Advocate; and Amy Brown White (@abwconsulting7) our Anti-Racist consultant and facilitator of our MWS BIPOC educators group is nominated for her work as a Racial Justice Advocate/Activist.
Head over to @chronogram to vote every day until feb. 15 to support Middle Way School and our outstanding team. Chronogram.com #chronogrammies
🌈🌈🌈
“If you choose not to find joy in the snow, you will have less joy in your life but still the same amount of snow.” — Thich Nhat Hanh
❄️ + 🌞 = ❤️
A great teacher has died. Thich Nhat Hanh (1926-2022) leaves a legacy of profound treasures - teachings, books, a devoted sangha, and countless resources for children. At Middle Way, we rely on his book Old Path White Clouds and recommend it to anyone interested in the life and teachings of the Buddha. Whenever a great teacher dies, the sangha left behind must carry on without their most precious guide and so our hearts go out to the Plum Village community and to all whose lives were touched by this most wise and kind human being. We offer a candle on our altar to represent the inextinguishable light of wisdom he offered to the world. #thichnhathanh @thichnhathanh
The children are loving the projects their creative teachers are exploring to engage with principles of impermanence and change in everyday life.
The Ravens and Snow Lions used jars and balloons to discover water in various forms.
The Dragons are working on mixed media triptychs of a form as it changes (like a tree as it grows, the moon as it waxes and wanes, the life cycle of a ladybug).
Snow and flowers also change, as we learn from Snow Lions in the end (sound on).
“Time may change me, but I can’t trace time” – David Bowie, “Changes”
Weekly assemblies at MWS have focused on the life story of the Buddha with oral storytelling. We created a game to reflect on what we’ve learned so far and discover what the children remember most. They were asked to take a close look at images and place them in order from Maya's dream until Buddha's awakening under the Bodhi tree. The back of the cards spell out “May all beings be happy and free” when in the correct order.
"I was blown away by how well the Owls remembered the story of the Buddha when they did the timeline activity. It has been really helpful to know that the kids are getting some more formal teachings connected to the dharma from people who are knowledgeable." — Hannah Sunshine, Owls teacher
#mayallbeingsbehappyandfree
Our admissions window for 2022-2023 is open!
“The Middle Way School started out as a wonderful school for our daughter and has become so much more ~ our entire family has benefited from the richness in the teachings. MWS now feels like a home for our whole family.” -- MWS parent
We’re looking forward to our fifth year in the Hudson Valley and our expansion in 6th grade.
Visit our admissions page for details: www.middlewayschool.org/admissions (link in bio).
Keep an eye on our events page for information about the upcoming open houses and reach out with questions!
Chilly weather but we’re all suited up for recess!
Interested?
Interested in enrolling? Want to learn more? Fill out this simple contact form (link below) and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Middle Way School holds regular open houses. We also can arrange individual tours. This form will automatically sign you up for important notifications regarded enrollment.
Thanks for your interest in Middle the Way School!
ORIGINS
All major religions of the world have systems of educating children in their traditions, beliefs, rituals, and values. There are maktab and madrasas for Muslims, Catholic schools, Jewish day schools, Sunday schools, Catechism classes, all kinds of afterschool programs, camps, and specialized schools meant to teach children to become the stewards of their respective religious traditions. Buddhist education for children has, for the most part, been offered to monastic communities with grassroots initiatives few and far between. Because Buddhism is not culture bound, there are few broadly accepted holidays, festivals and customs to introduce to children. Often, the transference of the Buddhist view happens in the home. Some Buddhist parents have independently created programs for children, but there is no generally accepted content or method for teaching the dharma to children.
To bridge this gap, a team of educators and active Buddhists, inspired by the vision of Bhutanese Buddhist master Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, began exploring the possibility of creating such a model of education. It became clear that the model had to be developed in situ, in an actual school. Middle Way Education was established to spearhead this effort.
In 2017 after exploring options in Bali, Indonesia, India, and Taiwan, it was decided that the Middle Way pilot school should be located in Upstate New York. The Middle Way School opened in 2018 with 17 students in West Saugerties. In 2020 we enrolled 55 students in 6 classes.
The Hudson Valley is an ideal location for our pilot school. The welcoming and independent mindset in this area, along with supportive communities like Zen Mountain Monastery, Karma Triyana Dharmachakra, Omega Institute, and other centers of study and practice, makes this a fertile ground for a new model of education to come into being.
We hire and enroll without discriminating against any identifying factor which may include race, age, national or ethnic origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or socioeconomic background. We will make accessibility accommodations for individuals with disabilities to the fullest extent possible. As an institution and as individuals we recognize that we have the responsibility to actively change the power differences that perpetuate biases against historically underrepresented groups. Our inclusion efforts are a dynamic process. We welcome your experience and invite your input on how our school community can continue to evolve.
