Once you have submitted your online application through Ravenna, the next step is a two-hour Parent Interview (for both parents in two-parent households or two-household families). During this time you will:
• Observe in your child’s prospective class
• Meet your child’s prospective teacher
• Meet with the Head of School
Parent Interview is not for students – parents only.
At least a week before attending the interview, we...
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Schedule Child Visit (Toddler and PreK/K Students) or Shadow Day (Elementary and Middle School students).
• Toddler and Pre-K/K Students – half hour visit with parent.
• Elementary and Middle School Students – shadow day 8:30-3:30, students only.
Contact karen@countrysideday.org or 847-498-1105 to schedule your child’s visit or shadow day.
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For students coming from another school or program, you will be prompted in Ravenna to submit appropriate documents and recommendations. ...
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Once parent and student interviews are completed and school records and recommendations (if children are transferring from another school/program) have been received, and child visit (Toddler and PreK/K students) or Shadow Day (Elementary and Middle School students), an admission decision will be made by the admission committee. Parents will be notified by email upon decision.
Note: Completion of the Admission Process does not imply admission to the school.
Contact Information: karen@countrysideday.org or...
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While our approach is quite different than traditional school, we understand the pressure to “achieve academically.” Our students do exceptionally well as they transition to high school and score competitively on all standardized tests. We ensure they are still learning the core curriculum taught by our public school counterparts. Our Faculty take public school curriculum into account and incorporate subject and content areas when appropriate.
• Students also take national standardized tests twice a...
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• We give students choices so they learn to think and make choices independently. This also helps students to know their strengths and areas for improvement.
• We give them responsibilities, so they learn the importance and value of contributing. Our goal is for all of our students to understand their relationship with the world and that their actions matter.
• We all learn most from our mistakes. Setting students up for constant...
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• The classrooms are mixed aged. Students “practice life” in micro societies that emulate real life giving them a significant head start on the transition into adulthood.
• Students choose their own activities, with varying levels of direction from and oversight by teachers, from a range of options and have uninterrupted blocks of work time fostering independence.
• Immediately following introduction to new material—when a student’s interest is at its peak—is the optimal...
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Our faculty takes public school curriculum into account and incorporates subject and content areas when appropriate. But our goal is not to recreate the public school curriculum. We are not a “better public school.” We offer a qualitatively different educational experience in countless ways that are explained throughout the website and instantly evident when visiting CDS classrooms. ...
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The overwhelming majority of our students transition into high school very successfully. Some feel a sense of loss of the community that CDS fosters, but that does not stop them from achieving and creating the community they desire in their next schools. One of our graduates stated it best:
“Countryside is definitely worth it. The transition wasn’t easy, but you get over it once you find your friends. Besides it’s good experience to have...
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The truth is that students don’t need to be prepared for conventional education. Transitioning from conducting the course of their own days, managing mentoring responsibilities, caring for the environment and keeping up with class assignments to essentially following direction is not difficult for our students. They have high expectations for themselves; they value education and learning. With the emphasis placed on the three Rs: respect, responsibility and resourcefulness, our students are prepared to figure out...
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