Grades Class

Micro-School

We are a Micro-School (a private school/homeschool hybrid). Children must be registered as homeschoolers with their local school district the school year after they turn age 7. Academic curriculum is provided M - W at Apple Blossom using a Waldorf-inspired philosophy. Thursday Enrichment rounds out the week with hands on learning and community connections. Formal reading instruction begins in Grade 1. We offer parent/teacher conferences twice a year. Although we provide academic curriculum we depend on parent support at home for reading and math. Homeschool families should test their student each summer after your child is registered as homeschool.

M - W 9 am - 12:30 pm or M - W 9 am - 3 pm, add Thursday Enrichment for a 4 day week.

Class size and ages

Our class size for 1st - 5th is 16 - 20 students split into 2 groups (younger grades and older grades) for portions of the day. We value multi-age learning while also devoting time with peers in their own grade for the “Main Lesson” of the day.

Grade 1 ages 6 - 7 (must be 6 years old by June 1st)

Grade 2 ages 7 - 8 years

Grade 3 ages 8 - 9 years

Grade 4 ages 9 - 10 years

Grade 5 ages 10 - 11 years

*We must have enough interest to offer 4th and 5th grade, please ask if you are interested. We will make this decision year to year.

Whole Child Approach

Exposure to nature promotes a state of relaxed alertness, improves attention span and fosters optimal learning conditions. Children begin their day with chores that foster community spirit and we include time throughout the day for play and exploration outdoors to promote social/emotional learning in a multi-age classroom. Our curriculum includes deep connection with nature and care for the earth, along with life skills such as cooking, gardening, chopping kindling, handwork, folk dance and more. The visual arts are embedded in the curriculum along with multicultural learning. Ojibwe language is spoken during morning circle and Indigenous values and culture are woven into our days. Spanish is taught once a week.

* Due to our unique set up and a multi-age class of 6 - 11 year olds, and no Special Education staff onsite we can accommodate a variety of different learning styles, but we are not equipped to accommodate high behavior needs. Children must be able to be safe with their bodies, appropriate with their language, and listen to teacher directions in order to attend.