Trial Week Details
The trial period begins on your student’s first day at FWSS. From that day, they have two calendar weeks to complete a total of five attended days, for a minimum of 6 hours each day. We recommend that you schedule your trial days consecutively when possible, as this helps your child to more quickly become integrated into the school community and feel familiar with our routines.
What to Bring
Required Each Day:
- Lunch
- Reusable water bottle with lid
- Backpack or 11″ x 11″ storage bin for personal items (label bin with child’s name)
Bring If Desired:
- Supplies which pertain to your student’s personal projects/interests
- Personal devices such as a laptop, tablet, or phone
- Spare change of clothes (regardless of age, we suggest all students keep a clean set of clothes in their backpack or cubby at school) .
Daily Schedule
The times listed here are the only mandatory parts of our daily schedule. While we offer a wide variety of classes and learning opportunities each day, a core tenet of the Sudbury model is student self-direction.
8:00am-10:00am, DROP OFF
Our doors open at 8am, with flexible drop off until 10am.
We understand that there are sometimes unforeseen factors that can cause a late arrival. If you’ll be arriving after 10am for any reason, please message us through the Brightwheel app before 10:00am.
If your student will not be attending school at all for the day, please let us know in advance whether to expect them.
10:15am, POP-IN
All students are required to attend Pop-In.
This is our daily all-school meeting, which usually lasts around 10 minutes. We manually confirm that attendance matches everyone signed in through the Brightwheel app for the day, make announcements, and share the classes, committee meetings, or other special events taking place that day.
LUNCH & SNACK
Each student must bring their own lunch and chooses when they would like to eat lunch during the day.
We offer a healthy school provided snack every afternoon at 1:00pm.
You’re welcome to send additional snacks with your child. Food may be eaten in Coleman Hall or in one of our outdoor areas. Each student is responsible for cleaning up after themselves when they’re finished eating. If a student would like to use our kitchen to prepare food, they can seek certification from a mentor and the Kitchen Clerk to demonstrate their safe use of the kitchen appliances.
The weekly snack calendar is posted in the foyer of the school. We plan snacks which accommodate student allergies and vegetarian diets. If your child has any dietary restrictions please inform us in your enrollment paperwork.
2:45-3:15pm, CHORE TIME
Daily at 2:45pm, every student is assigned a chore by our student Chore Manager. All students pause what they’re doing at this time and are expected to complete their chore between 3:00pm-3:15pm.
Chores range from vacuuming to wiping down tables, running the dishwasher, to taking out trash, etc. Chore assignments are rotated daily to ensure fairness. Students are provided with chore cards that give simple instructions for their assigned chore. If a student is not yet a reader, the chore manager will show them what they need to do.
Students are encouraged to ask the chore manager or any of the mentors for help as needed.
If your student has any allergies or known sensory or other issues that you feel may prevent them from successfully completing certain cleaning tasks, please let us know via Brightwheel in advance of your first day so we can discuss potential solutions.
3:30pm-4:00pm, PICK UP
Most of our students are picked up during this window of time. When you arrive, please ring the bell and one of the mentors will let you in and notify your student that you’re waiting for them in the foyer.
We ask all parents to wait for their students in the foyer rather than walking through the school hallway to find your child to reduce disruption to the other students.
Drop Off + Pick Up Policies
LATE DROP OFF POLICY
If your student will be attending school, but arriving after 10:00am please notify us through Brightwheel, or call the school at 817-303-9143 as soon as you know you will be late. Our daily Pop-In meeting begins promptly at 10:15 and typically last about 10 minutes. If you arrive during this time, your student will be allowed into the building, but may not attend Pop-In.
EARLY PICK UP POLICY
If a student needs to leave school prior to 3:15pm, they are expected to ask the Chore Manager for an early chore to complete before they leave. It is the student’s responsibility to communicate if they are leaving early and to ask for an early chore with enough time to complete it before they leave. Many of our students need reminders to ask for an early chore, so if you feel this would be helpful for your student, be sure to let the mentors know in advance if you’ll be picking them up early so we can assist them.
LATE PICK UP POLICY
Students who are not picked up by 4:05pm will incur a late fee of $1 per minute. One exception per semester is allowed in case of an emergency.
If you’re unable to pick up your child by 4:00pm, please call the school at 817-303-9143 as soon as you know you will be late.
PARENT + MENTOR COMMUNICATION
All of our mentors are happy to chat with you for a few minutes while you wait in the foyer for your child at pick up, or if you have a quick update to share with us at drop off.
While these times are the most frequent times that parents and mentors see each other face to face, longer conversations concerning your student should be scheduled in advance. If either you or the school have concerns or questions regarding your student that require a more in-depth discussion, you can schedule a conference with Landon as well as any other mentors who may be relevant to the conversation.
PARKING LOT PICK UP NOTIFICATION
We prefer that caregivers pick their students up in person at the door. However, if you or another authorized person who is picking up your child cannot come to the door, but would prefer to text or call your child to come out when you arrive, your child must find a mentor and tell them directly that they are leaving in addition to signing out.
The authorized adult picking up should also notify the school that your child has been picked up by sending us a message through Brightwheel, or by calling the school at 817-303-9143.
First Day Orientation
We understand and respect that every child has a different level of comfort in new situations, and that the first couple of days at a new school with all new people can especially feel like information and social overload. We do our best to balance sharing information about school policies and what to expect throughout the day, while also giving them space to explore and engage with their peers and new environment at their own pace.
On a student’s first day, our mentors will be sure to greet them and assist with any needs they have between the time they arrive and when Pop-In starts at 10:15. If a student would like to be introduced to the rest of the school during Pop-In everyone will give them a warm welcome, but it’s 100% ok if they prefer to make introductions later through one on one interactions.
After Pop-In we’ll have a brief orientation period to get to know what their interests are and answer any questions they have about classes, committees, and other activities as well as general school procedures. Our Welcoming Committee will also encourage existing students around the age of the new student to introduce themselves and help them get familiar with our school.
Just like all of the students at Sudbury, the first day is whatever a new student makes of it. Some jump right in and start dance parties while others may quietly observe and take a few days to spread their wings. Regardless of individual personalities, every student has the freedom to decide how they spend their days.
Daily Learning Opportuities
As you learned on your tour, our students have full access throughout the day to a wide range of books, technology, art materials, school supplies, games and outdoor activities to explore their interests. Your child may also bring any supplies for projects they would like to work on at school, as well as personal devices such as a phone, tablet, laptop, or portable game system.
A typical day for many of our students may look like hanging out with a small group of friends for a while before splintering off to enjoy independent time working on a personal project or going to a class. On nice weather days, a lot of students opt to stay outside most of the day. Sometimes a large group of students spontaneously make up a new game and play all afternoon.
If a student needs a low-key day they may choose to listen to music and read in one of our quiet rooms, or help their favorite mentor with some tasks that need to be done around school.
Every day is different, and every day is what each student makes of it.
Transitioning from traditional school to the Sudbury Model
From getting their feet wet to diving in and swimming away…
It’s common for many students who are coming from traditional schools with strictly mandated schedules to experience a period of transition in which they aren’t quite sure what to do with their newfound free time at a Sudbury school. We anticipate this reaction and want to assure you that your student will find their way as time goes on, even if they might be hesitant to jump right in.
An invaluable skill that students at Sudbury schools develop is self-advocacy. It may take time for some children to develop their voice, especially if they’re coming from a more traditional environment that may not prioritize student self-determination.
While our mentors are here to support our students with our unique sets of knowledge and skills, we believe that a vital part of learning how to take an active role in their own education is for the students themselves to take the initiative to ask a mentor for what they want and need.
During the trial period, our mentors will observe if a new student seems to need a reminder that they have the power to ask for assistance or for resources to work on something they want to do at any time throughout the day. The first couple of days, some students may be unsure of what to do with so much freedom, but new students learn quickly by example from their peers who have been at FWSS for a long time.
Over the years we’ve noticed that by the end of their trial week, even our students who spent their first two days in silence manage to find their place. How do we know? Well, its usually when we hear their laughter mixed in with that of their new friends and they tell us they can’t wait to come back.
End of Trial Conference
On your child’s fourth attended trial day, we’ll have a brief parent + mentor conference to discuss any remaining questions or concerns you or your child may have.
In this conference we would like to know whether you:
-intend for your child to continue attending FWSS,
-need additional time to make a decision,
-choose not to continue at FWSS once their trial period is complete.
In the event that either your family or FWSS has concerns about whether our school is the best fit for the student, we will share those concerns no later than the end of trial conference after your child’s 4th trial day.
If your child will not continue to attend FWSS after the trial period is complete, we will make that determination in private with you rather than holding a vote during Pop-In, as we would never put a child in a position where they could potentially not be voted into the school. We completely understand that the Sudbury model isn’t for everyone, and value reciprocal communication shared in an honest and conscientious manner for all parties involved.
