Back to School Guide

Hello, Lake Champlain Waldorf School Community, 

It’s just about that time! We are so excited to welcome everyone back to campus. Here are a few back-to-school reminders as well as links to our Family Handbook.

First Day for Grades 1-12: Monday, Aug. 31

All students, please arrive at Turtle Lane no later than 8:15am for our Rose Ceremony, which will begin at 8:40am. We begin each school year with this ceremony to welcome the new first grade class to the grade school and welcome all our students to a new school year. After the assembly concludes, the upper grades students will walk back to Bostwick Road and our lower school students will return to their classrooms with their class teachers.

First Day for Early Childhood (Preschool & Mixed K): Tuesday, Sept. 1

Drop-off is between 8:00 and 8:30 in our Early Childhood building. Pick-up time is noon for our half-day students and 3:00 for our students that stay for our afternoon program. Extended day care ends at 5:30 pm. Please see your child’s welcome email from their class teacher for more detailed information.

School Communication

Every Sunday morning starting in a few weeks, we send out a weekly communication called The Week Ahead that highlights upcoming events, and important school announcements, updates, and news. Additionally, we send newsletters to our wider LCWS community, called Our Voice, with longer articles, upcoming events, school news, and classifieds.

Remember to check your spam folder if you are not receiving these emails. If you would like to submit an ad for the classified section of Our Voice, please email newsletter@lakechamplainwaldorfschool.org or join the LCWS Families & Friends Facebook Group to connect with our community. Class teachers and Rebekah Hopkinson in the High School will send out emails that are specific to your student’s class. Please check our school calendar for upcoming events. If you are not receiving these emails, please reach out to Bryen Fabry Dorsam.

Back to School Forms

If you have not yet submitted your back to school forms in BigSIS, please do so as soon as possible. Please also submit updated immunization records and health forms. We need all forms to be completed prior to the first day of school in order for your child to attend. If you have not received a request to complete your form, check your spam and trash folders. Please contact Su Newberry at snewberry@lakechamplainwaldorfschool.org if you have any questions.

Family Handbook

The family handbook can be found here, on BigSIS under the Documents tab, and on our school’s website. Please read through it as there is a lot of important information in the handbook; in particular, we want to direct you to review these sections:
• Dressing for outdoor work and play
• Media guidelines, including cell phone usage on school grounds
• Prevention of Harassment, Hazing, and Bullying and our HHB policy
• Policies specific to the Early Childhood, Lower School, and Upper School

Health and Safety 

If your child has specific medical needs, be sure to send your child with proper supplies on the first day of school. Medication must be in its original container and labeled with the student’s name. Grades 1-6 medications need to be dropped off in the Front Office at Turtle Lane. Grades 7-12 medications need to be dropped off in the Front Office at Bostwick. Early Childhood medications can be given to your child’s teacher.  If your child has a life-threatening allergy and requires an epipen please contact Su Newberry directly.

Driving and Parking 

Please drive slowly entering both campuses, the speed limit is 10 mph. Park at an angle in the parking lot on Turtle Lane. Parking spaces by the Early Childhood fence are reserved for parents and caregivers who are carrying children. Please do not leave your car unattended in the circle; if you need to get out of your car, be sure to park in the lot.

Please note: 

• • The circles are for quick drop-off and pick-up only; vehicles may not be parked or left unattended in the circles.
• • Pedestrians, please stay out of the circles and walk around the edges of the circles to the parking lots as much as possible.
• • Cars, please give the LCWS school bus the right of way and don’t pass the bus when the red lights are on and the stop sign is extended!
• • The same School Bus rules apply on our roads and lots as on any road.
• • The bus has more limited visibility, so please be careful and keep people, especially small children, a safe distance from the bus.
• • At Turtle Lane, we need to keep the space in the circle by the benches open for bus rider drop-off and pick-up (it is marked with cones).

Thanks for helping to keep our students safe in the driveways at both campuses!

Our Parent Portal in BigSIS

You can find a directory of parents and students, update your student’s contact information and emergency contacts, and more in our parent Portal. Here is a Q&A with more information to help you navigate our system, and there will always be a link to the parent portal at the bottom of the weekly newsletter.

After School Sports for Grades 5-11

Participating in after-school sports at Waldorf is a great way to try new activities. Everyone is welcome; there are no cuts and no previous experience is necessary. Sign up for after-school sports via Google Form HERE or by emailing Tyler Macdonald or Gwen Shelton. Those signing up for sports need their back-to-school paperwork completed in BigSIS, plus a wellness form valid for 2 years, submitted electronically to backtoschool@lakechamplainwaldorfschool.org.