The Admissions Process

Step One: Parent Interview and Tour
Prospective new parents meet with an Administrator to learn about High Meadow School and ask questions, exchange information about the child and tour the campus.

Step Two: Child Visit
The prospective new student visits in the classroom for 2 to 4 hours or in some cases for a whole day (depending on the grade). Parents are asked to leave at this time so that the teacher can get an accurate view of the child. Prospective students in 3rd through 8th grades are also asked to complete a math and writing sample.

Step Three: Admissions Decision
Teachers discuss their observations of the prospective new student and the results of the work samples at an admissions meeting. If additional questions arise during the admissions decision meeting, prospective families may be contacted for more information and/or for an additional visit. An admittance decision is then made by the admissions team.

The admissions criteria includes:

1. Observations and work samples of prospective students during the visit.
2. A positive match (based on academic and social/emotional observations and data collected) between the prospective student and the class to which s/he would be admitted.
3. Records from the prospective student’s current school to include the student’s previous and current academic and social/emotional performance in their present educational setting.
4. The number of openings in each class. 

*** We request that prospective parents not pursue discussions about the admissions process with teachers at any point during the admissions process.***

Confidentiality: The content of admissions meetings is typically not shared with anyone outside the admissions team. While we understand that this may be frustrating to parents, it is vitally important to preserve confidentiality so that teachers are empowered to speak honestly and freely about each potential student at the admissions decision meetings.

Welcoming New Students Into the High Meadow School Community

We all understand how intimidating it can be to join a new school community. To remain a true community, we go above and beyond to warmly welcome new members and proactively reach out to new members whenever possible. Here are some of the rituals and guideposts in our welcoming process.

School Wide Welcoming Initiatives

New Families Brunch:  This event, sponsored by High Meadow School’s Parent Teacher Organization (PTO), is geared towards new High Meadow School families and faculty. The event occurs on the Wednesday before school opens and serves to introduce new families to each other and to the teachers in an informal, social setting.

Newsletter:  New High Meadow School families are introduced to the entire school community in the first school newsletter of the academic year.

Letter from Teacher: New High Meadow School families are welcomed to the classroom through the “Welcome back to school” letters that teachers mail to families in August. This letter introduces new students and families (for example, it mentions “We’re excited to welcome our new student ________ and her/his family into our class …..”).

Community Night: New and returning High Meadow School families gather together to receive school news and information, meet the staff and receive curricula for their child/ren’s class for the academic year. Teachers will introduce new parents to other parents during the classroom breakout sessions that follow the community meeting. Community night occurs during the first week of school.

Class Parent Outreach: The Chair of High Meadow School’s PTO circulates new family information to the Class Parents who in turn reach out to new families to help them adjust and settle in. Class parents are resources of information about classroom specific events and activities.

In Class Welcoming Initiatives

Face Rites: Classroom teachers formally introduce new students in circle or during morning meeting.

Ice Breaker Games: These are played especially in the first few weeks to ease social tensions and allow the new students to be welcomed in ways designed to put them at ease.

Teacher Checks in On New Students: Classroom teachers make it a point to check-in on new students in class, on the playground and in special classes.

New Student Introductions: Classroom teachers or assistants formally introduce new students to all enrichment (arts, PE, and Spanish) teachers. If/when the new student goes to aftercare, they are introduced to the aftercare supervisor.

Class Ambassadors: Teachers may select ambassadors from their classes who help new students as they go through their day.

Campus Welcoming Initiatives

On the Playground: Teachers introduce themselves to new faces, whether a child or a parent, when they’re out on the playground.  Classroom teachers may also introduce new students to the Head Teacher on the playground during lunchtime recess.

The Apple Gathering: The Gathering facilitator introduces new staff and students to the community by mentioning their name and bringing them an apple as an offering of nourishment and well-being. (The older class students may be designated as ambassadors by bring the apple). This ritual was conceived as a way to identify new students and staff to the school community in a non threatening way (so they are not required to do anything that they may find uncomfortable such as waving or standing up in front of the entire group). The school then sings a song of friendship dedicated to the new students and staff. At this time the Conflict Counselor is also introduced and their role is described.

Calls Home: Teachers call home at around the end of the first week to talk with parents about their feelings regarding their child’s transition.