River Farm Forest School in Virginia
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Anonymous
| Does anyone have recent experience with this school? |
Anonymous
|
If it’s this one, DCUM has not had positive experiences:
https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/578127.page |
Anonymous
| This is OP. Eeeek. Thank you! |
Anonymous
My child recently went to River Farm. The best thing about that school is the Kindergarten teacher. She was absolutely amazing with my child and her lessons were so creative! She made learning interesting and every day my child came home excited to talk about what they were learning and couldn’t wait to go back the next day. Kindergarten is meant to be an exploratory age and I loved that she did unique things like Show and Tell Projects where the kids got to dig deeper and inquire about subjects they were learning about. It was also amazing literacy and writing practice and a huge bonus was that I got to be a part of what my child was learning! You could tell that her students grew in confidence through these types of projects and the positive impact they had on their education. It is just SO important to introduce these types of concepts at a young age. I could honestly talk about how great an experience it was to have Ms. Andrea as a teacher, but this would go on for a while and I think it’s important to know some of the other aspects of the school. As a Co Op, it is very poorly run. Parents are not utilized well, but they also don’t seem to want to help either. The poor Co Op Coordinator could never get parents to actually sign up for any Co Op shifts. Let’s be honest, what’s the point of being in a Co Op if you don’t want to participate in it? Stop wasting everyone else’s time if you don’t actually want to be involved. Also, be prepared for last minute changes to events. I felt like we never really knew when anything was happening and communication was not always the greatest. The biggest turn off is that some of the parents there are a bit power hungry and there were definitely some cliques happening.When I was a new parent, it felt really awkward because the cliques were quite noticeable and they were not super inviting. I actually almost pulled my kid because of the parents after a summer meet up event. The head of school is the main reason I didn’t. He did a great job at reassuring us and making us feel welcomed. The school has been fairly consistent with their staff for a few years now, but it looks like there have been some changes according to their website recently. I do have to say, based off of the changes, I’m glad we are not there anymore. The kids also spend a lot of time outside, which was amazing. Overall, I would say to give the school a chance- just beware of some of the parents and the unpredictability that seems to follow the school around. |
Anonymous
| Anyone have any other updates on the school this year? |
Anonymous
| My family is incredibly happy with River Farm Forest School. I have two children there this school year and am planning on eventually sending my third there eventually. We actually based large family decisions (about when/where/wherher to move) this year around how much we love this school and community. I haven't had the same experience with cliques as the previous poster, and also think the communication is very reliable (there is a weekly email from the heads of school and a monthly email with all the upcoming ways to help out and earn your co-op time). My kids really love the outdoor time, the chance to express themselves creatively, and the mixed age classrooms (some of their best friends are in different grades than them). They are also doing great academically and I am not at all concerned with them falling behind or anything (actually on the contrary they are given more opportunities to do their own above-grade level work than they had in public school. I really have no complaints and am looking forward to the move this summer to their new Fort Hunt location |
Anonymous
That's a big change, where will it be? |