Dr. Stepenosky: Miss Kayti is cherished by her students and by the parents of Mariposa. As a school community, we wish to rally to her side and do what we can to encourage the school and the district to keep her on as one of our Kindergarten teachers. As a teacher in a very unique public school environment, Ms. Kayti is in so many ways the living embodiment of what it means to be a Waldorf kindergarten teacher. Not only has she come from that training, she is also the product of a Steiner education, having attended Waldorf schools growing up – something that is unique for any school and certainly unique for the Mariposa faculty. Ms. Kayti is incredibly passionate, kind, gentle and caring, and touches all who she comes in contact with. Her poise, quiet, measured respectful response is something the children really respond to. She is not unlike the Pied Piper of the Kinder students, magically enveloping her children into a safe, fun and nurturing environment of fantasy, socialization, free imaginative play and storytelling, employing proven Waldorf methods. For many families who have looked to Mariposa as an alternative to Highland Hall or other local Waldorf programs, Ms. Kayti is a draw. As the only teacher currently on staff who has a Waldorf background in a school that positions itself as Waldorf-inspired, we as a community would like to encourage the school and the district to reach out to her and do whatever it takes to keep her at Mariposa. We do not want to lose her. She is too valuable to us, and to the future of the school. Without getting into the details, many of us in the school community understand some degree of what transpired earlier this year, resulting in Ms. Kayti not continuing with us at Mariposa after this school year. With the turn of recent events at the school, we hope that by reaching out to Kayti and convincing her to stay on, we can minimize the degree of change the school will have to go through next year. And Ms. Kayti will have the opportunity to continue what she started here, continuing to nurture our children and the kinder children who are to come. Thank you for your time and consideration. Mariposa School of Global Education Parents