Forest School of Minnesota~ Enrollment
We are thrilled to be working together with our families
All families participate in a Family Nature Walk after submitting the completed online Application for Enrollment Consideration. Upon submitting the application, an email invitation will be sent with date options.
Please be sure to list All previously attended groups, programs, and organizations. We want to make the best possible experience for your child and family, thus the more information we have the better to make a match. We will contact them promptly.
If you receive an invitation for enrollment, Families have 24 hours to reply and accept the spot or the spot will once again be available for another student. If you would like to be considered for enrollment again, the process starts over with a new application for enrollment consideration.
Upon accepting enrollment, your child’s space in the FSMN is secured and all the policies agreed upon when you submit your two month tuition deposit. The tuition deposit secures your child’s spot in FSMN and shows good faith toward honoring our enrollment agreement and contract.
A formal Paper Contract will be mailed to you upon your acceptance of our invitation to secure a spot in FSMN. The spot is yours, once you submit the tuition deposit, but Please, out of consideration, complete ALL fields in the contract and have it signed by both legal guardians, and mail it back promptly. Though we have a verbal and/or email agreement, the contract formalizes your agreement to respect and honor all the policies of the Forest School of Minnesota.
Proof of up to date vaccinations must be submitted with your contract. This can be obtained by requesting a current and up to date print out from your pediatrician. All students must have proof of vaccination prior to their first day of attendance.
For the best experience, students are enrolled consecutively for a minimum of two years, and stay until they participate in their Leap Ceremony, when our students move on to Kindergarten. Year-round participation is a cornerstone of the well-being and development that children in FSMN receive. We create an important rhythm and each child has their irreplaceable part in our days. Our students have the advantage of experiencing uninterrupted and consistent peer time. When children and teachers develop and maintain a consistent and joyful relationship, their time together continues to promote healthy child development. The teacher, over time, learns how each student learns best and is able to help them develop more skills and expand their ability and interests. We become guides to their best selves, and encourage the children to practice their emotional patience skills as we work on developing their emotional intelligence. Together with parents, we provide consistency and understanding of how each child can learn and continue to evolve into the healthiest version of themselves.
Preschool withdrawal notifications are due February 1st, with the last day of your enrollment commitment at the end of August. August is the natural end of our year around attendance, as the older children transition to seat work schools and we celebrate their leap ceremony. If withdrawal from FSMN is initiated, the withdrawal notification must be submitted by February 1st, with the last day of enrollment always at the end of August. If a written withdrawal notice is not given by February 1st, your contract automatically rolls into the next four seasons, which again, will always conclude enrollment at the end of August. Parents are responsible for the financial commitment made through the end of this contractual time, which is always the end of August after the written withdrawal notice is provided to FSMN. The two month tuition deposit is forfeited if the withdrawal process is not followed as written above.
Enrollment in each session is for the full session regardless of your child’s attendance, thus we cannot reduce tuition for family holidays, illness, or state closures due to the pandemic or any other emergency.
Policies for All Programs
Upon verbal or email enrollment acceptance, and submitting the tuition deposit, all families agree and abide by the policies of the Forest School of Minnesota. Paper contracts must be submitted prior to your child’s first day of attendance, however, all policies are agreed upon at the time of enrollment acceptance. The policies are available on the website for your convenience to review anytime.
As part of the application process, all applicants and their families join in a Family Nature Walk, typically held on a weekend morning. This provides a chance for us to meet and determine if our partnership is a good match and determine your child’s readiness to begin. We look for the ability to walk, follow verbal direction, and have budding independence. All students must be bathroom independent and together we work on gear independence. (getting their gear on and off and capable and willingness to use the bathroom)
Healthy Participation: Students are expected to come to school in good health, without a fever (a fever reduced by medication is still an illness, please keep your child at home), vomiting, or rash for a FULL 24 hours after the last symptom has subsided. In the event they are taking an antibiotic, the antibiotic course must have started 24 hours prior to the start of the school day. Germs spread quickly among children, and quickly to us as their teachers. Please be mindful of all of our health and keep your child home from school when they are ill.
Teacher Health Days: In the event of injury or illness for your child’s teacher, six paid sick days per year will allow healing without added stress to your child’s teacher. If the need to regain health is beyond six school days, that time will be made up to the Forest School families. We will add school days to the coming weeks, once the teacher is able to return to teaching your children again.
Should you miss a day(s) of school due to taking a holiday or due to an illness, please know we do not make the days up for your child’s absence in Forest School, and we ask that you please not ask us to do so. Kindly respect our policy. We all miss days from time to time, and as teachers, our immune system is very robust and in my over 30 years of teaching I have fortunately remained very healthy, please help me/us to keep it that way by keeping ill children home to recuperate and recover.
From time to time it may be necessary to schedule time off here and there for self-care and family time, which helps all of us to stay healthy and focused. FSMN will schedule time off with two or more weeks of notice to our students’ families. These days are considered part of participating in a school community where the teacher(s) needs are also valued, thus there are no make-up days or tuition reductions in the event FSMN is not in session for any reason. Tuition fulfillment will continue through any needs or closure requirements, including those as a result of community need, such as a pandemic.
Inclement Weather In the case of inclement weather, FSMN will follow the guidance of the Minneapolis school district, and as the weather is often hard to predict, will make a determination by 8 AM the morning of school and send out an email or text message if school is called off for the day.
If the weather becomes severe during the school day I will email or text you for early pick up, so all of us stay safe. In my over three decades of teaching, I have never had to call a Due to Weather day, until all were asked to stay at home due to blizzard conditions. The weather has become more severe and a bit more challenging in the winter months with freezing rain throughout the winter months. We are adapting, and will always put the welfare of the children and teachers first in making any closed day decision.
Holidays: FSMN is closed for the traditional holidays we all celebrate, and all families contribute four weeks of their contracted time to holiday pay - Just like you, I too need the occasional day off that cannot be planned far in advance. I will provide as much notice as possible when these times come up in life. Scheduled days off in addition to the common holiday days
2023-24 Nov 1, 2, 22, Dec 26, 27, 28
Jan 2 Mar 14 July 9 Sept 3 Oct 8 Nov 27
Dec 24, 26, 31, Jan 1, 2
Each family agrees to provide the daily gear your child will need for their comfort and safety. Please read all communications I send, and when they contain information about the gear, please ensure the gear is provided and in the packs requested. When children don’t have to empty our every bag to find something it allows all of us to have more time to play and reduces your child’s frustration. This means there are some repetitive items, such as water bottles, hand wipes, etc, but please follow the list provided and have everything in its place.
All FSMN students must be bathroom independent, as well as dress independently in their gear. FSMN families have committed to their FSMN student as screen free a minimum of 24 hours before each school day. This makes a tremendous difference in their day, the children are so much happier and manage their emotions with greater ease as well as listen with greater skill. Practice makes this all work. In your parenting practice I ask that you commit to getting the most out of your FSMN partnership with me by practicing the social skills, manners, and language we use at school in your home. This makes our time together as a group more peaceful and allows greater opportunities for joyful and productive days for you at home as well.
Timely Arrivals for all students
Attentiveness to arrivals and departures are very important, as it establishes respect for your child’s teacher and classmates. To ensure timely arrivals and departures, we have an early/late fee of $1.00 per minute, beginning after the first 10 minutes.
Each family provides a Late Fee deposit of $100.00, prior to the first day of attendance. This deposit is used when late arrivals occur, at either the beginning of your child’s day or the end of their day. The late fee of $1 per minute begins at the ten minute mark, after you expected arrival. If you arrive within the ten minute grace period, there is no fee, if you arrive after the ten minute grace period, example: at 9:40 your late fee is $40.00.
This deposit is also used for late payments, $10 each day beyond the payment due date. The fee is generated and accumulated on the 26th after the tuition is due, or for any fees or deposits that have due by date. The late fee begins to accumulate the day after the fee is due. Please be mindful of when you think this needs to be replenished by being aware of your tardy arrivals and tardy payments.
Covid-19 Health Information for All Programs
With mindfulness to Covid-19, all who come to the FSMN for drop off or pick up must be fully vaccinated with current vaccine dose recommendations.
At this time, visits for applicant families to join our school day have currently ceased, and we will arrange a phone interview with the parents and teacher to determine if FSMN is a good match for your student and family and what expectations we will reach to cultivate a healthy partnership so we may best work together in teaching your child.
Health and safety for all will be adhered to — All adults will wear masks around the families and children, until all little ones are vaccinated. This will be an evolving practice, with mindfulness of safety for all. In non-freezing months we have an outdoor hand washing station that will be used prior to use of the indoor bathroom and throughout our day when we are at our home base, additionally all students will carry hand wipes and hand sanitizer with them in their adventure backpack. As a side note, only a few children during this time had a cold, and no one contracted Covid at FSMN, in addition to keeping at bay all other illnesses.
In the winter months we will continue to wear our masks as it keeps the children cold and flu free, keeps balaclavas clean and reduces chapped lips, all while keeping our faces warm.
In the event someone within our FSMN families is exposed to or has a confirmed case of Covid-19, this will need to be reported to the school director, Michele immediately. All decisions and communication regarding steps about testing, and returning to school will be sent to families via email by Michele, the school director. Everyone will need to follow school Covid protocols. All families will need to show a photo of a negative Covid Test that was taken seven days after the last day of exposure to Covid before returning to school.
If the CDC changes requirements we continue to follow the health professionals guidelines.
In the event we are required to shelter in place or quarantine due to illness, your contract and financial commitment remains active while we wait for the safety to gather again. This time will not be made up, but we will continue to move forward in our schedules.