Fire Mountain School

FIRE MOUNTAIN SCHOOL

APPLICATION FOR ENROLLMENT

APPLICATION FEE $25

When complete please mail to:

Faith Deur, 79811 Third Rd. Arch Cape OR 97102 or to

If you have questions, call Faith Deur (503)436-9521

or email faithdeur@gmail .com

Fire Mountain School is a small progressive school dedicated to assisting children in their ongoing work of exploring and making sense of the world. Teachers and parents join together to create a community where children experience discovery, challenge, experimentation, risk, failure and mastery. At Fire Mountain, the curriculum will help students develop a deep familiarity with core themes relating to their community, their environment, and their own capacities for personal expression. All curriculum will be integrated, so that students will engage core topics from multiple perspectives – artistic, scientific, verbal, mathematical, and applied. Students will build competency and confidence in these diverse approaches to the same subject; in turn, this will foster a deep integrated awareness, and will help them to see connections between themes and perspectives that are often overlooked.

For children, experiential outdoor education can impart deeper understanding of the world, and instill a sense of wonder and excitement. The place-based curriculum at Fire Mountain School will call upon students to explore the north coast landscapes with their eyes open - learning to perceive the world around them clearly, to understand the processes that shape it, to gain confidence and skills in navigating outdoor settings, and to have the opportunity to learn in the “living laboratory” of their home communities. Local partners will be involved in providing students with exciting and meaningful field experiences – from the Haystack Rock Awareness Program, to the North Coast Land Conservancy, to local farm cooperatives, to Oregon State Parks. The School has three central goals for children: One, that children develop a strong and positive sense of themselves; two, that children come to see learning as an ongoing, joyful and self-initiated quest; and three, that children come to know themselves as interactive participants in the wider natural, social and practical world.

Date______For School Year______

Child’s Name______

Birthdate______Child’s Grade ______Male______Female______

First Parent Name______

Occupation/Employer______

Mailing Address______

City______State______Zip______

Physical Address______

City______State______Zip______

Home Phone______Work Phone______Cell______

Email Address______

Second Parent Name______

Occupation/Employer______

Mailing Address______

City______State______Zip______

Physical Address______

City______State______Zip______

Home Phone ______Work Phone______Cell______

Email Address______

Child’s Siblings (if applicable)

Name______Birthdate______

Additional Guardians

Name______

Relation to Child______

Occupation/Employer______

Mailing Address______

City______State______Zip______

Physical Address______

City______State______Zip______

Home Phone______Work Phone______Cell______

Email Address______

Name______

Relation to Child______

Occupation/Employer______

Mailing Address______

City______State______Zip______

Physical Address______

City______State______Zip______

Home Phone______Work Phone______Cell______

Email Address______

Fire Mountain seeks to enroll students of families that will thrive and benefit from the style of education we offer. In addition, we qualify applicants according to their family’s ability to meet shared responsibilities for the physical operations of the school as well as their cooperative skills, essential to achieve goals in our community setting. . Parents are expected to interact in a spirit of respectful collaboration, in a manner that will serve as a model to students.

Classes are limited to 12 students and are filled based on acceptance of applicants first by current students, current students’ siblings and then on a first come first serve basis.

Fire Mountain values the benefits of bringing together a diverse group of learners. We hope that the training and dedication of our teachers and our small class size will allow us to nurture students with a variety of abilities and backgrounds. However, as a very small school we do not have the resources to employ specialists to support highly specialized student needs. All parties should be aware of our limitations when considering the possible enrollment of students with special educational needs. Fire Mountain School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship programs or any other school-administered program.

To help us determine if enrollment at Fire Mountain School will be a benefit to both your family and our program, please answer the following questions.

1. A goal of our School is to cultivate a life long motivation for learning within a child. In a passion-based, self-directed learning environment the student is exposed to and acquires academic skills in a manner that may often be less overt than in a conventional school setting. In addition, our School functions on the premise that each child’s development follows its own unique time table and emphasis. Depending on the child and the time, the most important skills to master at a given time might be social, other times academic. Although ultimately, most often a blend of both areas is achieved, the larger landscape of mastery may take time to unfold and may not follow conventional age norms. Parents unfamiliar with passion-based, self-directed learning may initially experience doubts as to their child’s academic progress, especially if measured with expectations associated with assessment based, academic achievement models of conventional education.

-How comfortable are you with our School’s approach to academics?

-Please describe your goals and visions for your child in regards to academic achievement.

-How do these goals fit with Fire Mountain’s philosophy?

2. Do you have any non academic goals for you child(ren)? If so, please describe.

3. Fire Mountain has an historic policy of allowing unsupervised play for upper school students in an area of forest that adjoins our school grounds.

-Do you feel comfortable with this aspect our school culture? Please describe ways in which this is or is not compatible with your parenting style. If it challenges your parenting style comfort zone, how will you resolve this conflict if your child is enrolled?

4. Enrolled families are responsible for operating the school. Tasks include: fundraising, grant writing, cleaning, serving on the board, maintaining grounds, water system and building, buying supplies, managing garbage and recycling, maintaining the website, coordinating safety, field trips, and volunteers as well as helping to organizing the library and classrooms. We believe the interpersonal communication, work ethic, mutual respect and cooperation needed to fulfill the above responsibilities model community to our children in a demonstrative and positive manner. This ability to collaborate respectfully for the wellbeing of the whole group is a requirement for sustained enrollment.

-What skills, traits or experiences do you have that demonstrate your ability to meet this standard? Describe past successes and failures working and communicating with others to reach common goals.

5. Why do you want your child to attend Fire Mountain School?

6. What role do you see yourself playing in your child’s education?

7. Please list any learning difficulties or behavioral challenges your child may have.

8. Do you have any other comments?

9. For your child: On the other side or another piece of paper, please draw a picture or write something you want to share.

Enrollment Process

Once the application is completed and submitted to the School the application will be reviewed to determine if your child/children is eligible to enroll. In some cases additional information may be requested or an applicant may be asked to participate in an interview. We will notify you with the results of that review and any possible next steps in a timely manner.

Once enrolled, the deposit will be due. This deposit, once received, will reserve you child’s place in the class.

Thank you,

FMS

Upper School App Page 2