These programs are designed around a forest school education. Every learner will have a personalized learning path, an advisor to navigate competencies, community experiences and tiered support to meet developmental and social-emotional needs. Students will engage in the learning process through nature, environment, and community and develop areas of interest, passions, and inquiry based on interactions and communications. Each learner will meet competencies absent from the physical and time constraints of the Carnegie Unit, and outcomes will be based on mastery of skills.
The Orton Gillingham Method of Teaching Oral Language, Reading, Writing, & Spelling
Students enrolled in our forest school program have found great success in reading because of our utilization of the Orton Gillingham Method for Learning. This method of teaching aligns with forest school pedagogy because it’s a dynamic, continuous, and adaptable process of monitoring student work and giving corrective feedback based on the learner’s profile and ongoing performance designed to promote accuracy and fluency.
• Our teachers continuously monitor the verbal, nonverbal, and written responses of the learner to identify and analyze problems and progress. This information is the basis for planning the next lesson. They also focus on resolving the learner’s difficulties and building on the learner’s progress noted in the previous lesson.
• Lessons are individualized to meet the differing needs of learners who may be similar, but not exactly alike. Lessons are customized to meet the learner’s profile, culture, identity, and interests.
• Teachers engage the learner in an active understanding of what they are learning, why they are learning it, and how to apply their learning in a thoughtful way. It encourages thinking and reasoning rather than reliance on rote memorization.
• Each Reading Session builds confidence and trust by ensuring the learner achieves regular success.
Our primary school is for grades preschool through the second grade; and assisted learning for grades 3-8.
ONE Forest School’s Curriculum
The overall focus for ONE Forest School’s academic school year is patriotism. Our goal is to facilitate students’ exploration of our country through studying early American history. Students are immersed in place-based education with a major focus on Virginia and local history. The school year is divided into 9 months with each month having a theme. The theme will be the basis for project-based learning incorporating E-STREAM within all grade levels.
Overseeing our academic curriculum is our Director of Education, Janelle Helfer and our Board President, Heidi Sutherland. Janelle has her Master’s Degree in both Elementary Education and Special Education, along with over five years’ experience teaching in public schools. Ms. Janelle is a certified STEM teacher, and is currently receiving her Orton Gillingham certification. She is also a Virginia Master Naturalist. Heidi has her teaching degree and a BA in American Studies, along with over 25 years of teaching experience.
Teaching our forest school classes is our Executive Director, Catherine Eubank. She has her Level 3 Forest School Practitioner certification awarded through OFQUAL Regulated, a Virginia Master Naturalist with BRFAL, and a Certified Interpretive Guide with a nature and environmental focus, through NAI (National Association for Interpretation). She is the Virginia State Representative for NAI Chesapeake Region ll. Catherine is currently receiving her environmental education certification through the NAAEE (National Association for Environmental Education).
Music Class
Our Director of Music is Brittney Neal. She’s developed a curriculum that follows our forest school pedagogy. Students will receive 30 minutes of Music Class, thrice weekly.
Music class teaches many valuable life skills, as well as helping them develop social and cognitive skills. All kids can make music, and many kids are excited by the idea of creating their own songs and expressing their creative side through singing or playing instruments. Giving our students the opportunity to explore their musical talents will help them be creative, confident, collaborative and successful in future academic and career endeavors.
Spanish Class
Our Spanish Teacher is Sophia Storm. She has developed a beginner’s class of Spanish that follows our forest school curriculum. Students will receive 30 minutes of Spanish Class, twice weekly.
The study of foreign languages enhances listening skills and memory, increases analytical abilities, and builds aptitude in problem solving and working with abstract concepts. It has been shown to enhance the study of other subjects. Abilities in math and English increase, and creativity grows.
Tuition
As a nonprofit school, we try to charge the lowest possible amount for tuition that we can. We want our programs to be affordable to as many families as possible.
The tuition we charge is income-based, using a sliding scale. The highest end of the sliding scale actually represents and covers the cost of paying our teachers and keeping the lights on. That’s why our school relies so heavily on fundraising. It literally helps cover basic programming costs. The lower end of the tuition scale helps families who can’t pay a full tuition still be able to attend.
For part-time students, we offer a “Pay as you come” option for $65 per day. For parents who choose a 3-day or 5-day per week curriculum, please call for more information.
We also offer an After School Enrichment Program (ASEP) for local children attending Huddleston Elementary School. Homeschooled children are welcome, as well. Drop-off time is 2:30pm and pick-up time no later than 6:30pm. The cost for this program is $20 per day.
