Written by - Marianne Riess If you knew Fred Wierdsma, founder of the Putnam Indian Field School, February 29th took on a special meaning. It was his birthday, and it explained him. Having one birthday every four years kept him young at heart and in attitude throughout his life. Today is the second leap year since he died. We miss the fun he always provided everyone whose life he touched. Happy 88/22 in Heaven. Once There Was A...
2018 is Putnam Indian Field School’s 40th year, and to celebrate, the school is throwing a party for former parents and alumni on June 9th, from 4 - 7 PM on the school grounds. It has the potential to be a very big bash with so many parents and their grown up children invited. Refreshments will be provided by the Boxcar Cantina truck serving its New Mexican food and delicious margaritas, and by Aux Delices serving...
Memorial Service - Honoring the Life of Fred Wierdsma - Founder and First Headmaster of the Putnam Indian Field School Friday, March 31, 2017 4:00 PM Christ Church, Greenwich Fred’s family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Putnam Indian Field School for immediate repair and ongoing maintenance of the Smokey’s Bounders Play Area and Nature Trail which were created and maintained by Fred over the course of 40 years, and which provided generations of children with challenges,...
A Memorial Service for Fred Wierdsma will be held on Friday, March 31, 2017 at 4:00 PM at Christ Church in Greenwich. A reception at the Round Hill Club will follow. Join Fred’s family and friends in a celebration of his life. Party with Moms archives about Fred...
Written by - Marianne Riess … so much that he became a wonderful teacher, an unusual teacher, because he didn’t love books, and he didn’t love homework. He certainly didn’t love computers or video games. What he loved was to show children how to enjoy the outdoors, as he had, growing up. So he founded a nursery school and created outdoor experiences for very young children. In a program called Smokey’s Bounders, children made campfires and enjoyed...
Parents walking their children through the door of the Putnam Indian Field School on the Tuesday morning before Thanksgiving always pause and ask, “What smells so good? Smells like Thanksgiving!” And so it does, thanks to Nolda Joseph, longtime kitchen manager and cook. Along with her co-worker, Alba Jaramillo, Nolda prepares lunch for the children and staff of PIFS every day. In recent years, her job has been complicated by the school’s switch to organic...
[caption id="attachment_5972" align="aligncenter" width="288"] Children Gather to Honor Mr. Wierdsma and Their School[/caption] On April 26th, children at the Putnam Indian Field School had a lot to celebrate. It was the 37th anniversary of the school’s incorporation. Sue Donaghy, in her first year as Head of School, had decided a Founder’s Day party was in order. The whole school gathered together to sing “Happy Birthday” to PIFS. The celebration was attended by the former Head of School,...
Fred Wierdsma - Educator, Sportsman, Friend, Father & Grandfather Fred founded and became Headmaster of The Putnam School in 1973, following years of being a beloved teacher and hockey coach at Greenwich Country Day School. Fred invented the famous Smokey’s Bounders Program. In 1978, when the school merged with Indian Field School, Fred took the helm for 23 years until his retirement in 2001. He remains there today as Development Officer, nature teacher and a fun...
