Daily life at SVCS

Reading

Daily routines

Students at Shenandoah Valley Community School set their own schedules each day. At any time you may find students (and staff) reading, drawing, building with blocks, playing outdoors, eating, cleaning up, writing, building playhouses, playing the piano, dressing up, or any number of other activities. Many students choose to go to our drawing tables first thing in the morning and draw or write about activities they did at home last evening or weekend. Most have a snack mid-morning, and those who are interested attend the morning meeting held every morning at 10:00AM. After that, each day unfolds differently. Classes are held as students request them. Occasionally we plan and go on field trips.

Classes

Story writing class Anyone at SVCS may request or offer a class. Classes at SVCS have included a science class taught by a university professor, a potion-making class taught by a student, a Spanish class taught by a volunteer who previously lived in Mexico, and a story writing class taught by a college writing teacher. Participation in all classes is voluntary. Students attending a class agree to follow the teachers' expectations.

Morning meeting

Our morning meeting is the forum for all decisions made at the school. We have chosen a consensus model of decision-making. All members of the school, students and staff, have an equal voice in discussions and decisions. Meeting attendance is not mandatory, but everyone must abide by the outcome of the decisions reached in the meeting.

We begin the meeting with announcements--anyone who has an announcement can write (or dictate) it on the agenda board. Next we talk about any discussion items. Again, anyone in the school may bring up an item for discussion. These may include proposals for rules or rule changes, issues affecting the school, or proposals for field trips or classes. When an item is brought to the meeting, the group discusses it, makes proposals, and continues to discuss until consensus is reached. Sometimes an item is tabled until a later meeting. Decisions are recorded in the record book.