FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Is Apple Blossom a Private School?
Apple Blossom provides a private or independent school option for Preschool and Kindergarten, and a School Experience for Home School Students for 1st - 3rd Grade. There is a tuition for our programs. We depend on full paying families in order to pay our 3 full time teachers a living wage plus several part time teachers and assistants. We are currently able to provide a limited amount of barter arrangements for a partial decrease in tuition.
You are responsible for enrolling your child with ISD 31 (or the school district you live in) as a homeschooler at the beginning of the next school year after your child turns age 7. This would typically be your child’s second grade year. There is simple paperwork involved.
You are responsible for testing your child’s academic growth annually beginning the school year after your child turns age 7, typically Grade 2 . There are many options, from verbal, to fill in the bubble, to computerized tests. We can help you find online resources and assist you in choosing the one that best fits your child’s needs.
We can offer differentiated services for diverse learners, but we do not have the capacity to offer specialized services (ex. Speech and language, occupational therapy, significant behavior interventions).
We do not offer busing services. You are responsible for arranging drop off and pick up. We can help facilitate parent carpools. Drop off begins at 8:50 am and Pick up by 3:10 pm is a must as our teachers must pick up their own older children from school.
IS Apple Blossom’s Waldorf-inspired APPROACH SIMILAR TO MONTESSORI?
Apple Blossom’s curriculum is inspired by Waldorf Education and the Forest School Movement. Our approach has the goal of a curriculum that is developmentally appropriate to the child and that addresses the child's need to learn in a tactile as well as an intellectual way. Apple Blossom uses some techniques inspired by Montessori and Forest School in the mixed age classroom. Learning tools are provided within the classroom environment, allowing the teacher to move from child to child or between small groups of children during skills blocks or allowing children to explore at their own pace in the outdoor environment. The Waldorf Main Lesson is taught to each grade starting in grade 1, ensuring that each grade receives content appropriate to their grade level.
How does Apple Blossom teach and instill sustainability practices and care for the earth?
Apple Blossom teaches children a reverence and wonder for the earth and all living beings through our Waldorf-inspired curriculum and Forest and Garden School, based in the idea that experiencing nature and the outdoors in all kinds of weather builds a natural love for the earth in young children. This love will later translate into environmental awareness and care for the earth as children grow into adulthood. Our curriculum is seasonally based so that the children experience activities that go with each season, such as harvesting and preservation in the fall, winter shelter building and winter sports as well as inner reflection in winter, and planting and gardening in spring. Other practices we include are: discussions about using only what we need, outdoor immersion in fall and spring (no electricity is used during this time), using cloth napkins and tablecloths, using chalk boards rather than paper for some of our lessons, composting and vermiculture, waste free lunches, eating seasonal and local foods when possible, and encouraging families to provide their own dishes (feast bundles) at our festivals and potlucks.
IS Apple Blossom A RELIGIOUS SCHOOL?
Apple Blossom models itself after the Waldorf approach: it is a non-sectarian, non-denominational school that compassionately educates all children regardless of their cultural or religious backgrounds. The pedagogical method is comprehensive, and as part of its task seeks to bring about recognition and understanding of world cultures and religions. The school espouses no particular religious doctrine, but is based on a belief that there is a spiritual dimension to the human being and to all of life. Apple Blossom families come from a broad spectrum of religious traditions, cultures, and interests, including agnostic and atheist.
WHAT ARE THE QUALIFICATIONS OF Apple Blossom TEaching Staff?
Apple Blossom teachers must hold a bachelor's degree (preferably in education) and have either earned or be working toward earning a Waldorf teaching certificate. Apple Blossom teachers are all experienced teachers with differing backgrounds working with children in a variety of settings. Parent volunteers are an integral part of our days and parents are encouraged to share their talents with us! All teachers and regular classroom volunteers have a background check. Classroom guests or visitors will stay within sight or hearing of a teacher.
DOES Apple Blossom HAVE A SCREEN-TIME POLICY?
The passivity that is inherent in watching television or playing video games is increasingly recognized by educators and parents as counterproductive to the process of learning and growth in young children. Apple Blossom follows the Waldorf educational approach, which has long been in the forefront of the movement against excessive "screen time". Other professionals now voice the same opinion.
At Apple Blossom we are not opposed to electronic media but feel that electronic media is counterproductive to healthy childhood development for preschool, kindergarten and young grade school children. Our strong recommendation, in order for your child to receive the most from the education offered by Apple Blossom, is that there is no electronic media usage during the school week, if at all possible. At the very least, please no screen time just before bed or right away in the morning before school. When screens are limited or eliminated, the students carry what they have learned and experienced during the school day into their sleep and wake up ready to continue deepening this the next day. Check out this article from Psychology Today: screentime-is-making-kids-moody-crazy-and-lazy
WHY DOES Apple Blossom WAit to Formally Teach READING until first grade?
Inspired by the Waldorf approach, and backed up by research, formal reading begins to be taught in first grade, and most children begin reading in earnest in grade two. There is evidence that normal, healthy children who learn to read relatively late are not disadvantaged by this, but rather are able quickly to catch up with, and may overtake, children who have learned to read early. See this article: the-right-brain-develops-first/
WHY DOES Apple Blossom have mixed age classrooms?
At Apple Blossom we feel that children learn best in mixed age groups. We value children’s ability to learn from each other, younger children learning from older children, and older children becoming leaders and role modeling for younger children. This creates a nurturing atmosphere and lessens competitiveness. It also creates an environment where children can develop at their own pace. Since we are inspired by Waldorf methods, we do feel that each age or grade has it’s own special phase of development. In order to meet the children’s needs, teachers give each grade their own main lesson and story each week. The stories have soul nourishing qualities that are intended to be specific to each particular age. This is done by utilizing the learning environment in a way that fosters time for the teacher to meet with each age group while others explore independently. Teachers and Assistants plus Classroom volunteers help us accomplish this goal. Tinkergarten Benefits of Mixed-Age Learning
Does Apple Blossom give students homework or grades?
Home life and family time are valued. We encourage time spent together as a family while limiting screen time. We offer less days than public school with a longer winter break and a week long spring break to encourage family time and families learning in a hands on way together. This also means parents must take responsibility for some of your child’s learning at home, especially in grades 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. Apple Blossom does not give grades or test students at these young ages. We use a checklist for each grade based on the curriculum we are using to give us an idea of progress being made. Parent/Teacher conferences are held twice a year. Apple Blossom does not send home regular homework in first and second grade. We may let parents know what we are practicing and give parents ideas to engage their child at home. We recommend reading to your child daily even when they can read to themselves. Above all, we value family time spent actively together in the outdoors, hand crafting, sharing family meals, doing chores, and playing and exploring together!
What about standards, testing, and assessment?
As mentioned above, Apple Blossom uses a checklist for each grade that helps us keep track of progress. Benchmarks for math and reading at each grade level are assessed through observation of the child and review of the child’s main lesson book. Resources that we use: Literacy: www.waldorfinspirations.com/ Math: www.jamieyorkpress.com/free-downloads/ Kindergarten: /Developing-Observing-Eye-Observation-Assessment/ Parents are responsible to help us evaluate your child and must test their child once a year after the age of 7 using a standardized test of their own choosing. We are happy to assist you with this as needed.
Do I need to purchase my own curriculum?
You do not need to purchase a curriculum if you attend Apple Blossom. We use a combination of Waldorf-inspired curriculums in the Kindergarten and adapt them to our unique Apple Blossom program. Beginning in Grade 1, we have purchased and use Lavender’s Blue Homeschool curriculum and the All About Reading program for teaching reading. We adapt and supplement as needed. We are happy to provide ideas and activities to help you supplement our program in your home. For an added fee we can provide help setting up a home rhythm and a peaceful environment for learning in your home.
What happens after third grade? What are my options?
Apple Blossom lays a strong foundation for your child in a small supportive village for these critical early years. We depend on a strong partnership with parents to ensure that children learn the skills needed by the end of third grade to transition smoothly to other school settings or they may continue on with home schooling.
Fourth Grade Options in Bemidji include: Gene Dillon 4th and 5th Grade Public School, Schoolcraft Learning Community Public Charter School, Aurora Waasekone Community of Learners Public Charter School, Heartland Christian Academy Private School, and St.Phillips Private School. In addition, some families choose to home school using Waldorf inspired curriculum such as Oak Meadow. Families have had successful transitions to all of these options after attending Apple Blossom.