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School Operations
Our 1997-98 school calendar has school in session from August 27, 1997, through June 5, 1998.
with the typical holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and President's Day, spring break,
Memorial Day, etc., and additional days off for teacher conferences. Our hours of operation are
8:30 a.m to 12:30 p.m. for the Pre-k and Kindergarten programs, 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for the
grades program, and an aftercare program that runs from 12:30 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. The staff
generally arrives between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. We currently have 6 full-time teachers and 10 staff
members including specialty teachers and administrative staff. Eighteen out of 60 families
participate in a car-pooling program, which reduces the number of trips to and from school. The
school participates in the SMART Trips car-pooling program provided by the city.
School Activities
The school has a number of parent nights, school assemblies (approximately 5-7 per year); and
several festivals that would also take place at the school. Some of these activities occur during ....
school hours; others would occur during the evening hours. In November of this school year, we
celebrated our Lantern Walk at the proposed site and Happy Heart Farm.
School Design
It is our intention to build an attractive environmentally sustainable structure which will preserve
the agricultural integrity of the site, maintain open space, and provide enhanced wildlife habitat,
all of which are intimately connected to our educational philosophy. The design of the school will
fit well with the surrounding neighborhood. The school will provide an environmental learning
place, native plants, and a park -like atmosphere. We hope to be good neighbors and work with
the neighborhood to resolve any concerns that may arise during the development process and/or
school operations.
Roger's Park Neighborhood Meeting
January 20, 1998
River Song Waldorf School
River Song Waldorf School is a locally run, self -funded, nondenominational school
offering a classic liberal arts curriculum based on the Waldorf educational philosophy. Waldorf
Schools are founded on the teachings of Rudolf Steiner, an early 20th century Austrian
philosopher and scientist. Today, Waldorf education is recognized as one of the fastest growing,
independent, non-sectarian educational movements in the world. In Colorado, there are Waldorf
schools in Denver, Boulder, and Carbondale; there are more than.550 Waldorf schools
throughout the United States, Canada, South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
River Song Waldorf School Mission Statement: We ace a school community dedicated to
offering a classical liberal arts education which honors the whole child: hands, heart, and head. .
Our mission is to nurture, through Waldorf education, full human beings who are able to impart
purpose and direction to their lives.
School Plans
The River Song Waldorf School in Fort Collins was founded in 1988, and is a member of the
Association of Waldorf Schools. We -currently offer a Pre -Kindergarten through 5th
grade program with 91 students. Our intention is to add a grade each year with the goal of
providing a K through 8th grade program. Our school has operated out of the Har Shalom
Synagogue since 1990. Due to our rate of growth we feel it is important to operate at our own
facility. We have the opportunity to purchase land from the Happy Heart Farm for our new
school. We find the site compatible with our needs and site requirements and look forward to a
lasting relationship with the farm and the Roger's Park neighborhood when our school is built.
The building schedule will be phased: first year operations at the new site will not include the Pre-
kindergarten and Kindergarten. Hopefully by the second year these programs will be located at
the new site also.