Events, Festivals & Assemblies
Community is the beating heart of Portland Waldorf School. Seasonal festivals, musical gatherings, and assemblies are tied to the rhythmic nature of our lives and weave together our shared humanity throughout the year.
Mark your calendars and check back here regularly for events that get updated or added throughout the school year. For a very detailed list of events, class schedules, meetings, sports events and much more, please log into your PWSConnect account and check the calendar for the most up-to-date information.
Upcoming 2026-27 Events
Community Care Party
Saturday, August 22, 9am - 1pm
Some of the most important work we can do is to model for our children that we are dedicated to hard work and care for the spaces in which we live. Twice a year, PWS hosts a day of caring work, community building and fun in service to the beautiful land and buildings that hold our children every school day. Join fellow parents, faculty and staff for a variety of projects, both indoors and outdoors.
Childcare is not provided. Children of all ages are encouraged to join in the activities.
Welcome Assembly/Rose Ceremony
We celebrate the first day (Gds 1-12) of each school year with faculty, staff and students gathering in the gym for our Welcome Assembly and Rose Ceremony. Parents/caregivers are also welcome to attend. At the conclusion of the Welcome Assembly, all students return to their classrooms to continue their first day of school.
Early Childhood classes (which begin a day later than Grades and High School) have a special EC Warming Day welcome on their first day in each of their own classrooms.
Monday, August 31, 11:45am - 12:30pm
Michaél Festival Pageant
This pageant is an archetypal experience of the cycle of the seasons and the experience of being human in our world today. As the outer light fades, and leaves begin to turn and fall, we witness the transformation of nature. At the same time, we can begin to move out of the world of the senses and live more fully into our interior world, where riches of the life of the soul are cultivated. The Michaél Festival, which has at its heart the aspects of transformation and courage, can be a moment for all of us to remind ourselves of what it is to be truly human, here and now.
Students, teachers and staff in grades 1-12 recognize this transition time with a school pageant. The pageant is presented by students for students, in celebration of their inner development.
Tuesday, September 29, 11:45am
Harvest Festival
This all-school event celebrates the changing of the seasons and the bounty of harvest time. It is the first opportunity in the school year to come together with families from across all grade levels. Activities for students vary from year to year but include favorites such as spinning, weaving, apple pressing, blacksmithing, folk dancing, live music and pumpkin carving. The Early Childhood teachers often perform a puppet play for the smaller children, and a harvest table is set up for each family bring a dish to share at a festive community potluck.
Saturday, October 3, 11am - 2pm
High School Open House
Our annual High School Open House event offers the opportunity for both current and prospective families to learn about the curriculum in the High School. Teachers may present the highlights and focus of each grade and subject at our school or may offer sample classes. Parents/caregivers may also have the chance to hear from our current high school students about their experiences at PWS for a different perspective on the school.
Saturday, October 17, Time TBD
“Throughout the world, in all civilizations, there are celebrations reflecting nature’s rhythms, important transitions and significant moments in the life of the culture. We celebrate these to sustain and renew ourselves.
For many of us today, our busy lives and full schedules can limit the possibilities for us to participate in the marvel of the seasons. Festivals, marking the cardinal points in the year, can provide a touchstone for the cycles of the earth and renewal of the spirit. In Waldorf schools, the elements of festival—light, food, song and story—permeate the weekly school rhythm; but the cadence of the year receives its form through annual festivals of nature and humanity. We celebrate in ways that foster wonder, reverence and gratitude and nourish the future capacity to respond—to be responsible for and among the human community.”
— Adapted from our friends at Eugene Waldorf School