The Michaelmas Week
The Michaelmas festival gives us the courage to face our inner darkness of doubt, antipathy, apathy, and fear. Even more importantly, like St. Michael’s sword meeting the dragon, it calls forth our inner light of truth and the power of love to lead us through the darkness.
Our community loves gathering together — and welcome grandparents & special friends from near and far — to celebrate Michaelmas at the start of the new school year.
This year, Cedarwood is called to find new ways to “come together.” Our faculty and staff from across the school will be telling stories from all over the world (including Russia, Cameroon, and South Africa), from closer to home (with a couple of wonderful stories from Dr. Maya Angelou), and from their own imaginations.
New stories fit for children in early childhood through grade 4 and grades 5-8 will be posted on this page each evening of the Michaelmas week — just in time for bedtime listening!
Tuesday, September 29 - Friday, October 2
During the week of Michaelmas, we will share a nightly radio program of stories around the world that depict acts of bravery, courage & the conquering of dragons.
All are welcome to tune in for a brief bedtime story!
Early Childhood - Grade 4
7:00 pm
Grade 5-8
8:30 pm
Friday, October 2
The Dragons of Lucerne
A story from “The Book of Dragons: Tales & Legends from Many Lands”
Told by Heather Pearl
Best for Early Childhood - Grade 4
Although the sword of fog around the mountain warns of bad weather, the cooper ventures to up to cut wood. Patience, humility, and hope are the strengths he possesses to survive being stuck in a ravine and encountering dragons.
A Dragon’s Lament, Once they all Believed in Dragons, The Dragons are Singing Tonight, The Dragon of Death
Stories from Jack Prelutzky
Told by Asya Beardsley
Best for Early Childhood - Grade 4
Fun, lyrical poems about dragons!
When Marian Sang
Story by Pam Muñoz Ryan
Told by Diana Bright
Best for Grades 5-8
Marian Anderson was the first black American to sing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, empowered by Eleanor Roosevelt and many protestors that were enraged by prejudice. Marian Anderson was one of the greatest singers of our time.
Just Do Right & Love Liberates
Stories by Dr. Maya Angelou
Best for Grades 5-8
Stories from Dr. Maya Angelou about how her mother encouraged her to do right, and how love played out in her life.
Angelica: A Flower Named for Archangel Michael
By Grade 5
The fifth grade has started the year with a botany block, and have been learning about plant life by drawing various flowers, trees, and fungi. These drawings are of Angelica: a flower named for Archangel Michael.
Michaelmas Pageant
Honora Kobos
Cedarwood parent Honora Kobos has made several sweet peg doll scenes representing beloved community traditions since the pandemic started. This Michaelmas pageant recreation is truly special!
Thursday, October 1
The Kite & Masha and the Bear
Best for Early Childhood - Grade 4
The Kite is from “Festivals Family & Food,” by Diana Carey and Judy Large
Told by Erin Cooley
A little boy and his father make a kite that flies high in the heavens. It reaches the angels and is transformed before returning to the child on the eart.
Masha and the Bear is a Russian folk tale and pentatonic flute story
Told by Diana Bright
Masha gets lost and ends up enslaved by a bear, but tricks him into taking her home.
Rainbow Crow Saves the World & Firebird
Best for Grades 5-8
Rainbow Crow Saves the World is a traditional Lenape myth from the Eastern U.S.
Told by Sebastian Slaven-Davis
Rainbow Crow saves the world by flying up to the creator, losing his beauty along the way.
Firebird is a story by Misty Copeland
Told by Diana Bright
Misty Copeland is one of the greatest Black American dancers of our time. She wanted to write a book that expresses her love of dance while representing and encouraging children of color to strive to reach their dreams.
Plant-Dyed Masks
Cedar Rose Pre-Kindergarten
This year our early childhood emergency child care has been inspired by this verse:
I am a knight so strong and true
Best of work I always do
With golden heart and golden sun
I’ll bring love to everyone
Our Cedar Rose class used osage to plant dye these masks golden like the sun in honor of Michaelmas, so that students can feel like a knight: they put on their armor in the form of a mask and enter the world with courage and strength. Even though there is much darkness, they can still be beacons of light.
Salmon Ladder Compositions
By Grade 4
The fourth grade has been learning about the geography around Portland, including the spawning salmon who return to their birthplace each year. It takes a lot of Michaelic courage to climb that fish ladder!
Here’s what our fourth graders had to say about the salmon courageously climbing the fish ladder:
I swam as fast as I could. The bear grabbed me! I started to squirm but I managed to get out of his mouth. I just kept going. I was strong and I would not give up! I kept going and did not stop until I made it to the top of the fish ladder. — Georgia
Mrs. Flappers was determined to go to the place she was born. She needed to lay her eggs! — Varvara
Jimmy the Salmon loves a challenge so he jumped and saw that he was in a small pool. He felt water coming toward his left side so he turned left and kept jumping until he reached the top! — Jasper G.
Finn was a salmon still many miles from home. On and on the little salmon swam. Suddenly a giant paw surged through the surface of the water! — Seamus
It was a hard journey, the current was strong. Finn missed home but he pushed that thought out of his head. It would just make it harder. — Everett
Wednesday, September 30
Sense Pass King
A story from Cameroon by Katrin Hyman Tchana
Told by Marlis Sandwith
Best for Early Childhood - Grade 4
In this retelling of a traditional West African folk tale, a king discovers that a girl named Sense Pass King possesses such extraordinary gifts and intelligence that surpass even him and is enraged. A battle of wits and wisdom commences, determining Sense Pass King’s fate and the future of the kingdom.
The Rule of Names
By Ursula K LeGuin
Told by Jacob Wooton
Best for Grades 5-8
When a mysterious wizard arrives on a quiet island village in search of stolen treasure, the townsfolk discover not everything is as it seems.
“I’ll be a knight of Michael too and polish my crown to a golden hue!”
Juniper Early Childhood Connected Learning Class
Our Juniper class of early childhood students who are participating in Cedarwood Connected Learning have learned the big work of finger knitting over Zoom! This is such big work for 3.5 - 6 year olds. The children also made Michaelmas crowns at home and wore them during their circle time to celebrate the festival together.
Dragons From Around the World
Drawings by Grade 6
Our sixth graders studied what dragons represent and look like in other cultures around the world for Michaelmas. They each chose a dragon that stood out to them, whether it was the Ryu from Japan, Naga from India, Amura from Incanc civilization, Zilant from Russia and Tatar, or Bakunawa from the Philippines. Some cultures had more of a serpent rather than a dragon in their culture, such as Apep of Egypt and the Rainbow Serpent of Australia.
Tuesday, September 29
Festival of Stones
From “Festival of Stones: Autumn & Winter Tales of Tiptoes Lightly,” by Reg Down
Told by Anna Mojallali
Best for Early Childhood - Grade 4
It is Michaelmas time in the magical world of Tiptoes Lightly! Chiron the horse gallops off to fight a dragon and Jeremy Mouse practices his swordsmanship.
The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip
From George Saunders
Told by Diana Bright
Best for Grades 5-8
A young girl named Capable overcomes prejudice and strife through love and perseverance despite the inept adults around her. Capable frees her town of Gappers that torment the goats and lead to endless and fruitless grooming by learning to fish.
Michael and the Fire-Breathing Dragon
Wet-on-Wet Watercolor by Grade 3
For the first few weeks of school, Grade 3 has been busy painting the “Seven Days of Creation” from the Hebrew Legends bloc together over Zoom. They have become quite comfortable in this medium, and here you can see some of the students’ further work in wet-on-wet watercolor with their Michaelmas paintings, featuring Michael above and a fire-breathing dragon below.