The Latest Information about Autumn Offerings

Dear Greenwood Tree Community,

 

It's just three weeks until our Autumn Season begins! This Season brings new additions to our Cooperative, including our new teacher Cassanda Schuler, as well as a Spanish Enrichment Program. 


We look forward to seeing our enrolled families at our Open House & Orientation, which will take place on September 7 from 5 pm – 7:30 pm at the Skagit Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Hall, behind the Post Office in down town Mount Vernon.

Enrollment & Availability

We currently have a few spaces left in our programs. Please email greenwoodschool.info@gmail.com for more details on class availability. 

Rhythm for the Season

            Wednesday         

Seedlings 2:

            9:00 am - 12:00 pm (Spanish included) 

Seedlings 1 Enrichment:   
12:00 -1:00 pm (Spanish 12:00-12:30/Movement 12:30-1)

 
Saplings:                          
12:15 - 4:00 pm     

Saplings Spanish Enrichment:         
12:30 - 1:30 pm 

 
Thursday   

Seedlings 1:                      
9:30 am - 12:00 pm

Root Children
10:00 am - 12:00 pm      

 
Friday       

Seedlings 2:
9:00 - 11:30 am

Root Children
9:30 - 11:30 am

Saplings
12:30 - 4:00 pm

Program Fees & Tuition

Sibling Discount! This year we are pleased to offer a 20% discount on tuition for additional children from a family enrolled at Greenwood Tree.

Invoicing: Enrolled families will receive an invoice prior to September 1^st with their program costs. Tuition is due for Autumn season on September 7th.

In addition to the program offerings, tuition covers the costs of Parent Education Nights, which will be held monthly beginning in October, and seasonal Festivals.

Please contact Britt Shellenberger, Treasurer, at 360.510.9222 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            360.510.9222      end_of_the_skype_highlighting or britto222@yahoo.com, if you have questions or would like to set up a monthly payment plan. 

Annual Fees For Each Family
Yearly Greenwood Tree Registration Fee: $50
Yearly Co-op Membership Fee: $9.50 per child
Yearly Insurance Fee: $7 per child 
Yearly supporting adult insurance (1 per family): $7

Tuition for each 12-Week Season in the 2011-2012 Year

Root Children                                    
$135 per season

Seedlings 1                                        
 $225 per season 
*$285 with Spanish Enrichment

Seedlings 2                                        
$330 per season

Saplings (Friday only)                        
$260 per season 
*$320 with Spanish Enrichment on Wednesday

Saplings 2 days                                 
$380 per season

 

Note: Please remember that families will be billed $10 per hour for each of the three volunteer hours not completed per Season. There will be ample opportunity to achieve volunteer hours – sign up will take place at our Open House & Orientation on September 7th.

Spanish Enrichment Program

We are pleased to announce that Shelley Schoenberger, a certified Spanish teacher, will offer a Spanish enrichment program for the Seedlings and Saplings classes. The program will be offered for all students on Wednesdays. Please see the detailed schedules for times and information. 

We know that a language enrichment program is something that many members of the community were seeking and we are so pleased Shelley will be able to offer it this year.

More Details Regarding the Saplings Offerings

We are excited to offer a one or two day option for our Sapling students. The two-day program meets Wednesday and Friday from 12:15 – 4:00 pm. The one day program meets on Friday from 12:30 – 4:00 pm.

 
The program features in-depth study for the main lesson on Wednesday with experiential work on Friday. This allows for students who attend the one-day program to easily join the activities that began on Wednesday. Activities will follow the rhythms of the Seasons and include festivals traditionally recognized in Waldorf. Each Season focuses on a theme(s) that includes language arts and science. The topics are introduced and taught in a way that allows students of varying ages and abilities to learn and have fun, and include the creation of a main lesson book. 

Wednesday - The students meet with Cassandra for circle, story and sharing. Then they transition into a one-hour Spanish block with Shelley. This is an academic block, with the creation of a main lesson book, offering fun and learning for children of varying Spanish levels. Wednesday will also include a half hour movement session and the main lesson block.

Friday - Cassandra will be our main teacher for Friday. The day begins with circle, story, and sharing. The students will move into an experiential aspect of Wednesday's main lesson. Watercolor, form drawing, outdoor cooperative games and an ongoing lesson book will be the focus of the Friday class. Field trips and volunteer projects will also happen on Friday. 

Homeschooling Support Offered via Earthschooling Curriculum

In planning our curriculum offerings, Cassandra will use some of the resources provided by the Earthschooling-Waldorf website (http://thebearthinstitute.com/), which currently offers Waldorf curriculum, crafts, music and parent/teacher resources for ages 18 months - eighth grade.

In support of our families, the Greenwood Tree Board coordinated with Earthschooling to purchase cooperative group memberships that provide Lifetime access to all materials (current and any added) on the Earthschooling-Waldorf site.

 

We still have a few memberships available for purchase at a cost of $60. If you were to purchase the membership as an individual the current cost would be $525. If you are interested in purchasing a membership to support your home efforts, please contact the Greenwood Tree Board at greenwoodschool.info@gmail.com for information on how to purchase. 

In Closing

The Greenwood Tree Board and Teachers are so looking forward to sharing the upcoming school year with you and your families. We are excited about our offerings and are working hard to meet the needs of our community – thank you for your excitement and commitment to this Cooperative!

As always, please contact us with questions or for more information. 

Blessings,

The Greenwood Tree Board, Resource Council & Teacher

Laurel, MaryAnn, Nancylee, Shelley, Britt, Kathryn, Shanna, Lara & Cassandra

A Teacher is Hired!

The Greenwood Tree Board is excited to announce that Greenwood Tree Cooperative has hired Cassandra Schuler to lead our 2011-2012 school year! 

Cassandra offers Greenwood Tree the unique perspective of being a mother of a former Waldorf-schooled child and is now a homeschooling mother, who was very active in her support of the Saplings program last year. 

Cassandra has extensive experience working with children, birth to 18, and their families in a variety of settings. These experiences allowed her to gain a skill set to be a nurturing, productive and competent teacher for the children at our school. She has a clear vision for how she will lead the Seedlings (ages 3-6) and Saplings (ages 7-14), as well as, provide support to the parents in the parent-led Root Children (ages 18 mo - 3 years) program.

Cassandra has facilitated groups with parents and toddlers as well as guided individual sessions. She has experience in program development, has taught school age children in a nature based setting, created curriculum, and led preschool classes. 

Cassandra will draw on her interests in the natural world, yoga and her perspectives on Waldorf-inspired classes to lead our programs. Enrolled families will have the opportunity to meet Cassandra at our Open House & Orientation on Wednesday, September 7^th. Doors open at 5 pm. 

Cassandra brings a great understanding of our community of families and the needs we have and we are honored that she accepted this opportunity!

Blessings,

The Greenwood Tree Board & Resource Council 

Laurel, MaryAnn Nancylee, Shelley, Britt, Kathryn, Shanna & Lara

Phone conversation?

If you'd like to chat with a board member to have any questions answered, here are two options. 
Laurel 333-8922
Nancylee 416-0200

I'll add more later!
-nL

Our Nondiscrimination Policy: we welcome all!

Greenwood Tree welcomes individuals of all races, religions and national origins in its admissions and education programs (without regard to race, ethnicity, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, marital status, the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability, use of a trained guide dog or service animal by a person with a disability, and/or status as a veteran).

Enrollment Form for Autumn 2011-2012

Click here to view/print the 
enrollment form- on google docs.

You can then mail it, along with your registration costs to us at
Greenwood Tree
PO Box 412
Conway, WA 98238

Autumn Season Info and more!

The Autumn Season is right around the corner and we look forward to sharing another wonderful year with you and your children. Currently, we are firming up our Autumn schedule and have narrowed our teacher applicants down to three very talented and qualified candidates.   

Autumn Offerings

            Root Children: (18 months up to 3 years, Special requests considered): This group will meet one day a week for 2 hours.  The program includes morning circle, fingerplays, storytelling, baking, an optional craft, snacktime, and closing circle with freeplay interspersed.  The environment embraces the young child with warmth and wonder and introduces them to the idea of transitioning from moments of "breathing out" in movement and exuberance to moments of "breathing in" with peacefulness and observation.

            Seedlings 1: (3 years up to 7 years): This group will meet one day a week for 2-1/2 hours. The program follows a similar rhythm to the Root Children and includes a more involved craft and wet-on-wet watercolor painting.  The seasonally appropriate stories and songs, and baking projects are selected to fit the developmental unfolding of the early childhood years. 

            Seedlings 2: (4 years up to 7 years): This group will meet two days a week for 2-1/2 hours per day. This program is designed for children who are ready for more time each week and a curriculum that takes the stories and discussions of Wednesday and delves deeper into the material on Friday.  The art projects and activities will be tailored to suit the varied needs of this age span.  

            Saplings: (7 years up to 14 years): The Sapling program is designed for the homeschooling family in which the children experience a weekly rhythm that includes morning circle, eurythmy, seasonal activities, math, foreign language, building, handwork, painting, cooking and outdoor play. This year the class will have an opportunity to be divided as to age during certain activities to receive individual help. This is a nurturing environment in which the children learn to work with one another, build confidence and friendships. Because of the nature of the rhythm of the class the two day program is recommended. However, if that is not possible, there is a one day offering on Friday in which Saplings 1 and Saplings 2 are combined.

Autumn rhythm
Wednesday: Seedlings 2: 9:00am - 11:30am
                    Saplings: 12:15pm - 3:45pm
            
Thursday:    Seedlings 1: 9:30am - 12:00pm
                    Root Children: 10:00am - 12:00pm
            
Friday:        Seedlings 2: 9:00am - 11:30am
                   Root Children: 9:30am - 11:30am
                   Saplings: 12:15pm - 3:45pm

Tuition & Registration Costs
        The way we have decided to organize our finances is on an at-cost basis, meaning that we look at our projected costs for the year, including rent, teacher salary, parent education nights, etc. and we divide it among the students based on the percentage of use. These numbers are intimately tied to our enrollment numbers. We have done this in order to keep costs as low as possible. Due to this we are offering a tuition range at this time. We are continually moving and shaping to meet our community’s needs; this is just another example of how we are doing this. We will be announcing the final tuition for the year by August 25^th. Please, if there are ever any comments or questions about finances please don't hesitate to contact us.
  For Each Family
- Yearly Greenwood Tree Registration Fee: $50
- Yearly PCPO Membership Fee: $9.50 per child
- Yearly Insurance Fee:$7 per participating child and supporting adult

Root Children: $129 - $144 per 12 week season              
Seedlings 1: $213 - $249 per 12 week season
Seedlings 2: $315 - $364 per 12 week season
Saplings 1: $246 - $285 per 12 week season
Saplings 2: $363 - $420 per 12 week season

We are happy to announce that this year we are able to offer a 20% discount on tuition for the second child from a family that is enrolled at Greenwood Tree.

This year because we plan to pay a teacher's salary, we are asking families to register for the 2011-2012 school year, with annual fees due August 10 to hold your space. Tuition can be paid for each season two weeks prior to the beginning of the season or we can work with your family to establish a monthly payment plan.

Full tuition will be due for Autumn season on September 1st. Our first day of class will be September 14th. Please contact, Britt Shellenberger (360) 510-9222 or britto222@yahoo.com, Treasurer, if you need to set up a specific payment plan that suits your family.

Parent Volunteer Responsibilities

In the spirit of becoming a true Cooperative, this year each enrolled Greenwood Tree family will be have the opportunity to volunteer their time and energy for the benefit of our children and the Greenwood Tree Cooperative. The Greenwood Tree Board will work jointly with the Teacher and the Resource Council to determine the jobs that need to be done to ensure the program days, festivals, education nights and all other aspects of the Cooperative run smoothly. Each family will be assigned a specific task and will hold the responsibility of completing the work or finding another family or individual to complete it if needed.

What this means for you: Once you have enrolled in Greenwood Tree for the 2011-2012 school year, you will receive an Orientation Package containing the information on your family's Work. We encourage you to involve your children in the Work and/or to allow them to see you doing it. What a wonderful gift we give ourselves, our children and our Cooperative by working together to create this community!  

We would like to know if your family is joining us for the upcoming year, so please submit the yearly registration fees and the registration for by August 20^th to hold your space. If you are new to the school, we are opening up 10 more slots this year, so please don't hesitate to contact us with your interest. You can send your registration fees and form to: Greenwood Tree School, P.O. Box 412, Conway, WA  98238. If you have any questions about how to calculate your individual rate please contact us. We will post when classes are full on our blog, yahoo group, & through the Greenwood Tree family's group emails. We will be hosting an orientation and open house on September 8^th from 4-7pm. For general question about Greenwood Tree please contact Laurel (360) 333-8922 or MaryAnn (360) 708-4276.

We look forward to spending the next year with you.

The Greenwood Tree Board
Laurel, MaryAnn, Shelley, Britt, Nancylee, Kathryn & Shanna

The Greenwood Tree Resource Council
Lara & Cassandra

Some upcoming dates for this Autumn:

August 10-13: Skagit County Fair (Craft with MV Library) 12-4pm
 
August 20: Registration Fees due for Autumn Season 2011 to hold your space.
 
August 19: Summer Gathering at Maria’s home 10am-2pm
 
August 23:Board Meeting 9-12pm
 
August 29-30: Greenwood Tree Work Party at Unitarian Church
 
August 31: Summer Gathering at Washington Park 10:30am-4pm
 
September 1: Autumn Tuition Due     
 
September 7: Open House 4-7pm     

September 14-16: First day of Autumn Sessions

September 23:Autumn Harvest Festival