After making an initial inquiry to the school interested parents may arrange for a tour by calling John Greene, Administration and Admissions, at (413)528-4015, ext. 105. Tours are typically conducted in the morning starting at 9:00 a.m. A tour consists of visiting each classroom for several minutes and quietly standing in the back to observe the class in function. Those parents interested in our early childhood programs may opt to tour just the Early Childhood building. Children are invited on our tours, in addition to the parents.
We must receive the following before an interview with the class teacher or early childhood teacher will be arranged. This includes:
Parent Toddler Circle:
- Registration form must be accompanied by the full tuition. This includes a non-refundable application fee of $50
- Spaces are filled on a first come first serve basis
Nursery/ Kindergarten:
- Completed application
- Nonrefundable application fee of $50
Elementary School:
- Completed application
- Non refundable application fee of $50
- Transcripts from previous school(s) for transfer students
- Letter of reference for transfer students
Applications for tuition assistance and/or our extended day program (for nursery through 3rd grade) may be requested from the office following submission of an application. Financial aid is made on the basis of need once a child has been accepted.
For our Parent Toddler Circle, Nursery and Kindergarten programs, once all of the above material has been received and reviewed the class teacher will call the family to arrange for an interview. The class teacher will meet both the child and parents. For the elementary school, if the child is possibly going to be accepted in grades 2 – 8, the class teacher will request that he/she spend one day in the classroom, or two with unusual circumstances. At this time another class teacher will also interview the child.
- Our school’s suitability for his/her age, ability or special educational needs.
- Whether the acceptance of the applicant is compatible with the efficient education of the children already placed in the school.
- Whether we have the resources to meet his/her needs. Children who are not doing well in other schools may flourish in our school but there are learning and disciplinary problems that are beyond our scope. We aim to have a ‘healthy constellation’ of pupils in each class. In some cases children may be accepted on a trial basis. Initially a new child might need some extra tutorial in certain areas, for example in foreign languages.
- Although we especially welcome pupils from other Steiner schools, the normal admission policies still apply.
Once the interview and visit (if applicable) has occurred, the family will receive a letter notifying them of their child’s acceptance. At this time they will also receive pertinent forms including:
- Tuition contract or tuition contract information form
- School health form and an immunization record or waiver
- Permission/authorization form
The signed contract or tuition contract information form must be returned within two weeks of receipt along with a $500 non-refundable enrollment deposit to reserve a place in the class. This is applied to the cost of the tuition for the year. This deposit must be paid before an applicant can be considered for tuition assistance. It is refundable for tuition assistance applicants who are unable to attend school because of financial hardship.