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Contact us to arrange a parent observation of the classroom you
are considering for your child.
Call the office (603-736-8555) to schedule an
observation and tour for one or both parents. Observations are
scheduled for one hour during the morning work period and are
intended as much as possible to provide parents with a window
through
which they can see a Montessori environment as it would function on
a typical day. Of course, the mere presence of people in the
classroom with which the children aren't familiar to some degree
affects the observation, but guidelines are given to observers
before they enter the classroom that help minimize this. It is for
this reason that we ask parents to observe the classroom without
their children present.
Complete and submit an
Application/Wait List Form with the
application fee and schedule the child visit.
Call the office (603-736-8555) after the parent
observation to schedule a visit for your child or schedule the visit
before you leave after the parent observation. Return the
application with the $50.00 non-refundable application fee before or
at the time of your child's visit.
Visits for the preschool classrooms are three hours
in length from 8:30 to 11:30 and elementary/jr. high visits are full
day from 8:30 to 3:00. Children may be dropped off at any time
between 8:00 and 8:30. Visiting children should have clothing
appropriate for outdoor weather, slippers if possible (don't buy a pair
just for the visit) and lunch with a morning snack for
elementary/jr. high visitors. Snack will be provided for preschool
visitors.
The child visit gives
your child an opportunity to become familiar with the
environment you are considering for him/her. This helps to eliminate
a lot of the mystery and/or anxiety associated with the first day of
school. On rare occasions the visit reveals to either you or
us that the Montessori environment and/or factors particular to the
classroom dictate that your child shouldn't join the classroom.
Mid-year Enrollment
The Montessori approach readily permits the addition
of students to the classroom throughout the school year without
compromising the quality of the experience for any of the
participants. Because the methodology is grounded in addressing the
needs of children as individuals, what a child does in the classroom
is based on where he or she is at developmentally, not where the
rest of the class or other individuals in the class are at.
Except under unique circumstances, we do not
schedule observations and visits during September as the focus for
the first month of the school year is on establishing the routines
and ground rules that make a Montessori environment possible.
Enroll
After the parent observation and child visit are
successfully completed, fill out the appropriate tuition contract (preschool
or
elementary/jr. high) and return it to us with the
non-refundable $250.00 tuition deposit (the tuition deposit is
applied to the first tuition invoice).
If enrolling for the start of a school year, all
necessary paperwork and information are sent out to Pathfinder
families in the first week of August. If enrolling mid-year, all
necessary paperwork must be completed before admission to class.
Summer Enrollment
In the event that family circumstances don't allow
for the parent observation and the student visit to take place
during the school year, we will arrange for the classroom teacher to
meet with both the student and parents over the summer break (in
order to complete the enrollment process before the beginning of the
new school year).
This is less than ideal because neither the student
nor parents get to see what the classroom is like on a typical
school day. Nor does it allow the teacher to observe the child in
the classroom while other children are present. However, this does
give the teacher an opportunity to work with the child in a
classroom setting (usually takes less than an hour) and gives the
parents a chance to speak with the teacher about classroom
practices.
School Transcripts (if applicable)
Families are asked to submit a
Records
Release form to the school their child is currently
attending so their transcripts can be sent to Pathfinder Academy.
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