Mulberry Waldorf School Enrolment Package 2016/2017

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1 Mulberry Waldorf School Enrolment Package 2016/2017 Dear Current and New Mulberry Families, Thank you for considering Mulberry Waldorf School for your child s education. We invite you to get to know more about our school, educational philosophy and curriculum by coming to a tour or an open house. Dates are listed on our website ( Please review this Enrolment Package, which contains important information about our school s programs, the enrolment process and policies as well as tuition and fees. Our enrolment process includes time for parents to get to know our school as well as our Waldorf educational philosophy and curriculum. When considering a new student, we seek to meet the needs of the child as well as continuing to meet the needs of the children in the class. The process for new families involves the following steps: 1. a tour of the school 2. a completed Pre-Interview Form as well as copies of any additional health, educational and behavioural reports; 3. an interview; and, 4. consideration by the Faculty. The enrolment window reserved for current Mulberry families is from Monday February 22 nd until Friday March 4 th. After this date, enrolment is open to the public. Interview Requirements: Only families NEW to the school or Parent and Child students making a transition to Morning Garden require an interview with a teacher. Pre-Interview Forms are available on our website or through the office. Morning Garden: Spaces are limited. In order to be considered for this program, we require a completed Early Childhood Pre-Interview Form and a $50 non-refundable interview fee. The date and time of receipt of both the Form and fee determines the child s priority for a spot in a program. All new families require an interview, which will be scheduled after the March Break. Current Families: For families re-enrolling, the first step is to bring in completed Enrolment Forms and the Non-refundable Deposit ($400 per child or $600 per family). The date of receipt of the Form and Deposit determines the child s priority for a spot in a program. Please bring in the Tuition Adjustment Form, if required, at the same time. If you have any questions regarding enrolment or tuition fees, please don t hesitate to contact us at or We look forward to hearing from you, Peelu Hira Administrator Lois Bulch Finance Officer Page 1

2 PROGRAMS AND AGE REQUIREMENTS GRADE SCHOOL: Grade One Grades Two through Eight Children must be 6 by September 1 and show readiness for Grade One. Children must have successfully completed the previous grade. EARLY CHILDHOOD: Parent & Infant Parent & Child Morning Garden Nursery Kindergarten (Clover and Meadow Gardens) Children may be newborn to 1 year or walking. No older siblings. Children may be 1 3 years of age. Younger siblings welcome. Children must be 3 by September 1 and be fully toilet-trained. Children who turn 3 in the fall may be accepted in January if space is available. Children must be 4 by December 31. Children who are 3.8 years by September 1 may be accepted into Kindergarten based on readiness. SCHOOL HOURS, TUITION AND FEES SCHOOL HOURS: Grade School Kindergarten (Clover and Meadow Gardens) Morning Garden Nursery Kinder Care Afternoons for Kindergarten Nursery Afternoons for Morning Garden Before Care After Care Early Care Page 2 8:40 am 3:30 pm Monday Friday Children may be dropped off at 8:30 am in the yard. 9:00 am 12:15 pm Monday Thursday core program Friday Kinder Care Morning option: 8:40 am 12:15 pm (combined class) Children may be dropped off at 8:40 am in the yard. 9:00 am 12:00 pm Monday Wednesday 3 day program 9:00 am 12:00 pm Thursday, Friday 2 day program Some spaces are available for 5 days. Children may be dropped off at 8:45 am in the Morning Garden yard. Monday - Friday 12:15 pm 3:30 pm Spaces are limited and enrolment is required. To establish a healthy rhythm and create a positive experience, parents are asked to consider a minimum of 2 consecutive afternoons. Monday Friday 12:00 pm 3:30 pm Parents enrolling children in Nursery Afternoons are asked to commit to all corresponding afternoons (i.e., 3 morning children for all 3 corresponding afternoons; 2 morning children for 2 corresponding afternoons). Monday Friday 8:00 am 8:40 am. Advance registration requested. Monday Friday 3:30 pm 5:15 pm. Advance registration requested. Monday Friday 7:00 am 8:30 am. ** This program has not been confirmed as of yet and will depend on sufficient enrolment and staffing. Please indicate your interest to the office upon enrolment.

3 TUITION FEES: Grade School Grades 5,6,7,8 Grades 1,2,3,4 Kindergarten (Clover and Meadow Gardens) 4 morning core program 5 morning program Monday through Friday Kinder Care Afternoons for Kindergarten Full Week Care for Kindergarten children (5 full days not including before-care or after-care) Morning Garden Nursery 3 morning program 2 morning program Monday through Friday Nursery Afternoons for Morning Garden Nursery Full Week Care for Morning Garden Nursery children (5 full days not including before-care or after-care) Parent and Child $9,995 $9,650 $5,110 $6,405 $1,040/afternoon/year $9,995 $4,305 $2,990 $1,145/afternoon/year $10,995 $195 per 12 week session Tuition fees include music instruction, field trips and a Mulberry Waldorf School membership. Larger field trips for upper grades will involve additional costs and fundraising. Morning Garden Nursery fees include morning and afternoon snack and lunch (for full day). Extended Care (available for all Mulberry students) Early Care (7:00 am to 8:40 am, pre-registration required) $15 per child per morning $400 per day for year ** This program has not been confirmed as of yet and will depend on sufficient enrolment and staffing. Please indicate your interest to the office upon enrolment. Before School Care (beginning at 8:00 am to 8:40 am) After School Care (Mondays to Fridays 3:30 pm to 5:15 pm) $8 per child per morning $215 per day for year $13 per child per use $350 per day for year *The cost of extended care is discounted by approximately 30% when registered for a minimum of three full months, beginning the first day of the month. Payment is required in the form of post-dated cheques. Registration for the entire year for one day of extended care offers enough of a discount that a child could miss approximately 11 of those days (due to illness or absence) over and above extended breaks (Winter, March and Summer breaks). Page 3

4 Non-refundable Deposit The non-refundable deposit is $400 for one child or $600 per family. This deposit is applied to the tuition fees. Current families must submit the non-refundable deposit upon registration. Sibling Discount Mulberry Waldorf School offers a 20% sibling discount on tuition for a second child and a 50% sibling tuition discount for the third child and each subsequent child for Kindergarten through Grade 8. The exception to the 50% sibling discount is for the Morning Garden Nursery program. This program offers an exceptional child to teacher ratio and we are able to offer a maximum overall discount of 25%. Please note that the sibling discount applies only to tuition fees and Kinder Care, which are core programs. It does not apply to Before Care or After Care programs. PARENT/GUARDIAN INVOLVEMENT Mulberry Waldorf School is an independent school as well as a not-for-profit and charitable organization. We are able to operate our school (e.g., staff salaries, building mortgage, renovations, groceries) based on revenues from tuition and fundraising. The School is immensely enriched by the active volunteer involvement and diverse skill sets of parents/guardians and the extended community. All parents are asked to consider involvement in the following areas: Board of Directors and/or Committees The school is governed by the Board of Directors and supported by its standing committees (Finance, Human Resources, Health and Safety, Marketing, Property, Policy). This is an opportunity to participate in decision-making on a wide range of school issues. Please contact the office if you are interested in being part of a Committee or the Board. School Support Technical and professional services (e.g., renovations and maintenance, publications, photography) greatly enhance the running of the school. Community Festivals Mulberry Waldorf School celebrates two major seasonal community festivals each year - the Winter Fair and May Fair. These festivals are made possible by the active involvement of parents. Our festivals bring together current and former families and our extended community and also contribute to the financial success of our school. Please speak to your child s teacher about contributing to in-class festivals. Charitable Donations As an independent school, Mulberry Waldorf School relies on tuition revenues to pay for 90% of our expenses. We rely on donations to pay for the remaining 10% of our budgeted expenses. Since our founding as a registered charity in 1996, donations to Mulberry Waldorf School by parents, former parents, grandparents, teachers, and community members have been instrumental in its growth and success. Our Annual Giving Campaign enables the school to keep tuition affordable, offer tuition adjustment, and improve staff professional development. Page 4

5 ENROLMENT POLICIES Probationary Period Policy For children new to a program, the first four weeks of attendance for the Grade School and the first six weeks of attendance for the Early Childhood are a probationary period. This can be extended, in writing, at the discretion of the Faculty. During the probationary period the family will have the opportunity to become familiar with the school, and the Faculty will be able to observe the student s needs and abilities. Tuition Policies Our school strives to keep tuition fees affordable and welcomes families from all income levels. We offer tuition adjustment to families based on need and income. We continue to offer the option of 10 monthly instalments for tuition. Please contact us for more information. Applications will not be accepted from any family whose account from prior years is not fully paid. A $25.00 fee will be levied for all NSF cheques. Withdrawal and Refund Policy Morning Garden Nursery, Kindergarten and Grades One through Eight: The non-refundable deposit is due upon registration. The balance of tuition payments are due and payable either in full on July 1 st or in 10 equal payments beginning July 1 st through April 1 st. If a parent/guardian withdraws a student after July 1, 2016 and before April 1, 2017, one full month s written notice and payment is required. Any future dated tuition cheques for the months after one full month s written notice will be returned. If Mulberry Waldorf School asks a child to withdraw after the start of school, any future dated tuition cheques will be returned. After April 1, 2017, no refund will be given. Parent and Child programs: If a parent withdraws after the start of the session, fees for the number of weeks attended are due and payable. Page 5

6 ENROLMENT PROCESS FOR PARENT AND CHILD FAMILIES Registration for current families will begin by June. Please watch for an with registration details. FOR NEW FAMILIES AND MORNING GARDEN STUDENTS Our enrolment process includes time for parents to get to know our school as well as our Waldorf educational philosophy and curriculum. When considering a new student, we seek to meet the needs of the child as well as continuing to meet the needs of the children in the class. The process involves the following steps: 1. a tour of the school 2. a completed Pre-Interview Form as well as copies of any additional health, educational and behavioural reports; 3. an interview; and, 4. consideration by the Faculty. Tour dates are posted on our website calendar. Please RSVP to the office. Pre-Interview Forms are available on our website and through the office. Parents are asked to submit the completed Form and a $50 non-refundable interview fee to the office. The date of receipt of the completed Form and fee determines the child s priority for a spot in a program. We ask that parents/guardians share any suspected or existing health, educational or behavioural concerns as well as any progress reports and/or assessments along with the Pre-Interview Form. This information is essential in determining whether the school will be able to meet the child s needs. The interview is an opportunity for the parents/guardians and child to meet the Faculty member and allows the Faculty member to meet and assess the child s readiness for the program. For families not able to travel to Kingston, the interview may be conducted by telephone. Based on the interview and other information gathered (e.g., reports from previous schools and any psycho-educational, speech language therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy assessments), the Faculty will determine whether the needs of the child can be met within our programs. The office will schedule an interview with a member of the Faculty. After receiving confirmation of acceptance, parents/guardians have a one-week period of time to submit complete Enrolment Forms and payment (see below) to keep the child s priority for placement. Page 6

7 FOR ALL FAMILIES: Complete Enrolment Forms and Submit Payment A complete Enrolment Application determines the child s priority for a space in the program or grade and consists of: 1. Completed Emergency Contact Form 2. Completed Permissions and Releases Form 3. Non-refundable deposit of $400 per child or $600 per family 4. A commitment to pay the balance, in one of the following ways: a. One post-dated cheque for July 1st, 2016 b. Ten post-dated cheques for July 1, April 1, 2017 c. Completed Tuition Adjustment Form (if required). See below for more information. 5. Up to date immunization record or Statement of Conscience or Religious Belief Affidavit. Current families must submit the non-refundable deposit and completed Enrolment Forms and arrange for the balance of payment upon registration. If you have any questions, please contact the office. Tuition Adjustment Mulberry Waldorf School offers tuition adjustment to families based on demonstrated financial need and family income. To apply, please complete the Tuition Adjustment Form and all Parent/Guardian Notice of Assessments from the previous year and submit it with the Enrolment Application instead of post-dated cheques. Tuition Adjustment Forms for current families are due upon registration. Please contact the office if you have any questions. The school will notify parents of tuition adjustments as soon as possible. After receiving notification, parents/guardians have a one-week period of time to submit complete enrolment forms and arrange for the balance of payment. Page 7

8 Provide Immunization Record or Statement of Conscience or Religious Belief Affidavit Mulberry Waldorf School abides by Ontario s Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care requirements as they pertain to immunization. The Government of Ontario s Immunization of School Pupils Act requires that all children and adolescents attending primary or secondary school in Ontario be up to date for certain routine childhood immunizations (the requirements depend on the age of the child and align with the Publicly Funded Immunization Schedule for Ontario), unless they have a valid medical exemption or religious or conscience belief exemption on file at their local public health unit. The Immunization of School Pupils Act provides an opportunity for parents to obtain a valid exemption if they are opposed to following the recommendations in the Publicly Funded Immunization Schedule for Ontario. In this case, parents must fill out the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care s Statement of Conscience or Religious Belief, Immunization of School Pupils Act. Parents/guardians must submit a copy of their child(ren) s immunization or Statement of Conscience or Religious Belief Affidavit to the office along with enrolment forms. Original copies should be sent to Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (KFL&A) Public Health. All required forms must be on file before children may attend school. Parents/guardians must provide the office and Kingston FL&A Public Health with any immunization updates. Page 8