Academics
Learning Support
How Summerfield Waldorf supports Lower School students (Grades 1-8) with learning accommodations, including individualized supports for students with IEPs and universal classroom accommodations available to all students.
Students in our Lower School (Grades 1–8) may be eligible for learning accommodations. To discuss your child’s needs, please contact studentsupport [at] summerfieldwaldorf [dot] org.
Statement of Learning Support
At Summerfield Waldorf School and Farm, we value the unique capabilities of every student and teach in ways that support and honor a diversity of learning profiles. Our holistic pedagogical approach allows us to meet the needs of students with different learning profiles, who are strong auditory and logical learners and also those who learn best kinesthetically and through visual experiences. We also recognize that some students have learning needs that are beyond what the faculty and staff at SWSF have training to provide. For this reason, and with the success of each student in mind, we emphasize open conversations with families regarding learning needs early in our application process and during all periods of learning observation and assessment.
At the time of applying for admission, we ask families to share details regarding current or past Individual Education Plans (IEPs) along with any learning assessments or evaluations. In some cases, outside support services may be recommended or required, which would be a cost incurred by the student’s family.
Parental participation
It is our experience that parents play a crucial role in students’ success, and this is especially true for students with specific learning needs. Possibilities for student success are greatly enhanced when parents value the Waldorf Education philosophy and understand the nature of our curriculum, recognize our strengths and limitations, and work alongside us to provide information or support services that may be necessary. A partnership between parents and teachers is critical to the success of students and open communication with responsiveness from both sides supports this process. We are most effective when we have a shared picture. This may include the child’s educational and behavioral history, assessments and/or outside support services such as counseling and tutorial help.
Finally, we find that students at our school excel when the curriculum at school is supported by parents in the very nature of the home life that is created for them, endeavoring for:
- rhythm and consistency at home
- lots of free unstructured time, particularly in nature
- healthy foods
- regular and adequate sleep schedules
- frequent helpful acts (chores) around the house
These all contribute to a balanced, healthy child who can thrive at our school. In contrast, teachers have seen time and time again that TV, media, gaming and screens in general, along with a diet heavy in processed foods and sugar, and an overscheduled week with too many extracurricular activities and not enough sleep, impact the educational experience adversely.
Student accommodations
Summerfield Waldorf School & Farm provides learning support in two ways:
- On an as-needed basis for developmental, educational, or behavioral needs.
- Individual Learning Plans (ILPs) for students who have IEPs or documented accommodations from a licensed provider.
Learning accommodations for students with IEPs or documented accommodation recommendations
These may include:
- Time and space made available to a student’s tutor or therapist for working with student(s), or to observe or discuss classroom performance with the teacher
Lower Grades (1–5th):
- Modified assignments
- Individual or small-group support from teachers, before or after school
Middle School (6th–8th):
- Modified assignments
- Teacher or peer notes
- Writing support
Learning support for all students
May include (varies by student need and faculty availability):
- Seating arrangements that support student needs
- Breaks when needed
- Extended time for work
- Presenting materials and giving instructions in a variety of modalities (visual, oral, kinesthetic, experiential, etc.)
What Summerfield Waldorf does NOT provide
- Individual Education Plans (IEPs)
- Educational or psychological evaluations
- Occupational therapy
- Language and speech service
- Individual counseling in early childhood, lower grades and middle school
- Constant monitoring or constant one-on-one instruction or attention
- Exemption from major course requirements, including homework and class attendance
- Program modifications that are not compatible with our educational philosophy
- Adaptive testing that avoids course requirements or skills taught in class
- Electronic writing support or speech-to-text in lower grades and middle school
- Adaptive aids such as laptop computers in lower grades and middle school
- School-owned amplification devices
- Interpreters