A new year brings new decisions. It also brings added pressure for parents because time is ticking down to when decisions for the next school year have to be made.

Where will my kids be going to school next year?

You may have children going to school for the first time, or you may be looking for a new school home.

So we wanted to let you know that we are now in open enrollment at Ambleside. That means we are accepting applications for new students to begin the enrollment process. We have room in several classrooms (particularly our Kindergarten and 8th grade classes) and wait lists for others.

Here’s a post I wrote earlier this year that outlines some of the specific elements that make our school very distinctive in our area. I think you’ll find it particularly timely for this season of decision-making.

Here’s a little excerpt to give you an idea of what I mean:

In her book A Philosophy of Education, Charlotte Mason expounds on the primary idea that children are born persons. She saw children as made in the image of God and as “persons of beauty and immensity,” capable of countless relationships with the world around them.

Mason did not see children as fixed but indeed capable of growth and change. She saw them as persons with full capacity to do the work of education themselves and not in need of flashy shows to lure them into learning, or prizes and punishments to do the work they were born to do.

Honoring the child as a person is not the current or even the past zeitgeist when it comes to educational philosophy. Children have been seen and continue to be seen as less than, pawns, clay to be molded, and sacks to fill.

Enter Charlotte Mason. No, she declared, children are born persons and we must treat them so.

This is the high view of children that we adopt here. Mason’s thoughts on what children need, what they bring, and what is due from us as educators and parents all resonate from that single idea.

You can read the full post here.

We’d love to have a conversation with you to decide if Ambleside School is the right fit for your family. Typically, we invite parents to tour the school for a classroom observation and have a conversation with our admissions team. Then we’d have you fill out an application and walk through the enrollment process.

You’ve received some of our emails, so visiting the school is often the next right step if you’re looking for a school home. If you’d like to start the process, click the button below – we’re happy to answer your questions and talk about next steps.

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The season of decision-making