School Life

The school day officially begins at 8:30 and dismisses at 3:15.  There is a phase-in schedule at the beginning of our school year for our youngest students, to fully support the transition from home to school.

For our Nursery program, children must be 2.5 years old by September 1. There are flexible schedules available for our Nursery, with a minimum enrollment of 3 half-days, with various options up to 5 full days. For Preschool, children need to be 3 years and 9 months old by September 1.  There are flexible schedules available, with a minimum enrollment of 3 full days, and up to 5 full days.

The daily schedule runs on a five-day, seven-period schedule, although this scheduling in the lower grades is primarily for scheduling the “specials”–art, music, P.E., etc. Humanities and math classes are scheduled around these at the discretion of the classroom teacher.

For our youngest students, our classes are play-based programs, emphasizing emotional and social development. As students move up to Kindergarten and First Grade, academics are introduced while maintaining an age appropriate balance of choice time and play. Each year the teachers assess the class sizes and social dynamics, to determine if more or less combining is appropriate given the specific needs of the class.

Our Campus

Our 40-acre campus has plenty of space for children to go outside, along with dedicated spaces for a library, art studio, science labs and physical education. All classes take advantage of the campus to play, to learn and to experience nature up close.  

• The Nursery, Pre-school, Kindergarten and 1st Grade are in the Early Childhood building.
• Most classes travel across the campus for the library, science, music, visual and media arts, and physical education, which are housed in separate buildings. 

Building Community

• Children begin their days with a morning circle, where they greet each other with songs and movement, check in about the weather and daily schedule, introduce new work, and share ideas.
• The kindergarten and 1st Grade combine for 60-minute daily exploration (choice) time, as well as social studies. 
• On Fridays, the Early Childhood and Lower School children come together to celebrate their week, showcasing their learning at Friday Gathering.

Environment and Sustainability

Topics concerning the environment and sustainability are deeply important to us, and we are very conscious and thorough in teaching them both formally and informally. These are addressed through curriculum at all grade levels at Woodstock Day School.

In the early grades, great care is taken to bring awareness to the students about the sources, value and disposal of materials, as well as reducing waste as an act of honoring our community. The idea of “living simply so that others may simply live,” is one that is communicated often by the early childhood and lower school teachers, through curriculum and classroom practices.