Autumn's First Parent Educational Forum

Greetings to everyone on a beautiful Autumn day!

We are happy to announce our first Parent Educational Forum at Greenwood Tree this next Wednesday, October 5th from 6-8pm.  We will be congregating at the Unitarian Church in Mount Vernon where GWT classes are held. 

Our first forum is a parent panel that will focus on homeschooling and finding the balance in the home.  Amy Cocheba, Lisa Cooper, Carrie Wolcott and Sophie Dobra will be answering questions from the audience regarding their approach to homeschooling, curriculum, multi-age homes, nurturing their family and themselves and other questions related to their homeschooling experience.  Each has been homeschooling for a number of years and has a lot of experience and wisdom to share with our community. 

This is a family-friendly event as there will be childcare available.  We encourage all parents to attend and to invite other families who are homeschooling or who might be interested in homeschooling.  GWT members are free and we are asking for a $5 donation for non-members.

Attached is the flier to advertise this event.  There will be many posted around the community, but please feel free to print some off and spread the word.  If you attend GWT and will be there Thursday or Friday there is a stack of the fliers for you to take and hang around the community. 

Hope to see you all there,

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

& Resource Council
Lara & Jamie

Autumnal Equinox Celebration

Greetings to everyone,

As we welcome a new season and the many changes from summer to autumn, we would like to celebrate and welcome all of you to the new season at Greenwood Tree. 

Come and join Greenwood Tree at the home of Carl and Waverly Jaegel (parents of Jamie Jaegel) on Friday, September 23, 2011.  Everyone is welcome and please feel free to invite family and friends.  There will be crafts, apple cider pressing and a potluck to follow.  For those families who are currently not enrolled at Greenwood Tree we are asking for a suggested donation of $5.

Location: 15873 McLean Road, Mount Vernon 98273 (Carl and Waverly Jaegel)

Contact: Jamie Jaegel-360.336.9937

Date: Friday, September 23rd

Time: 4:30-7pm

The rhythm of the evening will look like this:

4:30pm Arrival
4:30-5:30pm Crafts/Apple Cider pressing
5:30-5:45pm Opening Circle/Muscial Procession
5:45-6:15pm Potluck
6:15-6:45 Storytelling
6:45-7pm Closing circle
7-7:30pm Clean-up

Please make sure that you bring:
A yummy potluck dish to celebrate in the harvest season
Picnic gear for your family (plates, utensils, glasses, etc.)
Weather appropriate clothing
Musical instruments for adults and children

We hope to celebrate the coming of autumn with you and your family.  Please RSVP (and also let us know if you have any questions) by responding to this email or by calling Jamie (360.336.9937) or Shelley (360.445.3178). 


Kind regards,

The Greenwood Tree Board and Resource Council
Laurel, MaryAnn, Britt, Nancylee, Shelley, Kathryn & Shanna, Lara & Jamie

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