Frequently Asked Questions
Where will the school be located?
Sun Mountain Community School will inhabit a large portion of the former Santa Fe Waldorf School campus. Our numerous school buildings inhabit an 8 acre campus.
What is the age requirement to begin kindergarten?
Students must be 5 years old by September 1st of their kindergarten year to enroll in kindergarten.
Why is there no 5th grade?
Charter schools open in phases. In year one, we will open K-4th and 6th grade. There is typically more interest in transferring schools at sixth grade, as it begins the new cycle of middle school, than in 5th grade, as 5th grade tends to be a culmination year. In year two, we will offer classes for kindergarten through seventh grade, which includes the addition of fifth and seventh grades. In year three, we will fulfill our charter by expanding to K-8th, adding an eighth grade. So, the fifth grade will be available starting in year two.
How many students per class will there be?
Kindergarten & 1st - 20 (the kindergarten teacher will have a teacher’s assistant). 2nd & 3rd grade - 22. 4th & 6th - 24.
Will Sun Mountain offer public transportation to and from the school?
Sun Mountain will offer public transportation. In year one, our proposed route will begin in La Cienegilla and will travel up Airport and Rodeo Rd. to the school. This bus will also return students back home after school. Charter school bus routes pick up students at “hubs” versus at each child’s home. Once the lottery has been pulled, we will collect additional information from each family, including whether or not you would like your child to participate in our public transportation, and what your address is. From this information, we will form the hubs and possible adaptations to the route itself.
Will they offer breakfast and lunch?
Sun Mountain community school will provide breakfast and lunch for each student, every day.
Will the breakfast and lunches be healthy?
We believe that whole foods, rich in vegetables and fruits and that have minimal processing is the best way to fuel students’ bodies for growing and minds for learning. We are, however, limited by the funding given us to fund our breakfast and lunch program, which is a very small amount, and by the limited selection of vendors who provide this service to schools. Students will always be welcome to bring their own food instead of or to supplement their school lunches. In our second year, we will be eligible and apply for the Farm to School Grant. This will provide us with much greater choice in the type and quality of food we serve.
Will you offer any homeschool immersion programs?
Although we will give seat priority to full time students, we will be able to offer any open seats at the beginning of the year to part-time students. These will be negotiated on a one to one basis.
Can I tour the classrooms/campus?
Yes! Email zoe.wilcox@sunmountaincommunityschool.org to sign up for a tour time slot. There is also a Storytelling Event and Open House February 15th where groups will be led through the campus and classrooms. See our Upcoming Events page for more information on that event.
Are there any lottery preferences?
In compliance with state statute, our lottery gives preference to children of staff members, families in active military duty, and siblings.
Do you have to have had Waldorf experience to be accepted?
No. Students can successfully enter our curriculum at any age.
Will my student be able to transfer to and from another school and be able to adapt?
Because our Waldorf-inspired curriculum will integrate all New Mexico state standards, students transferring to and from our school will have received the same standards each year. Sun Mountain will differ in how the standards are presented and, sometimes, the emphasis a standard will receive in a certain year, in order to remain aligned with our pedagogy’s developmental method.
Will there be testing?
As a public school, Sun Mountain will follow state standards in testing. Interim testing occurs 3 times per year and then there is an end of year test. These are all required to be done on computers. Sun Mountain feels the school’s intention behind the tests has a big impact on how the students view the test. We are gathering data on how well we the faculty and staff are teaching and supporting our students. We will make efforts to limit the amount of pressure students feel around this test taking. Time will be blocked out preceding tests to help acclimate students to the computer and to the language used in tests, to give students the greatest opportunity to do well and the teachers a most accurate reflection of what the students have learned.
Will students use computers in the class?
Outside of testing and testing preparation, there will be no computers in the elementary classrooms. We believe that the development of the imagination happens when students work to form images, relationships, and concepts from within themselves. When looking at screens, images, relationships, and concepts are received without the same internal effort from the students. Waldorf education believes that this internal effort and imagination will become the foundation for creative ideas and discernment once the students begin thinking critically.
Cyber Civics is offered throughout middle school to consciously guide students into wise use of both computers and social media.
Will students be allowed to use media outside of school?
Because our pedagogy makes a conscious effort to develop the imagination and studies have showed us that this is best done when a student’s use of screens is limited, we encourage families to limit the use of any screens from Sunday to Thursday evening. During quarterly parent-teacher evenings, faculty will offer resources, helpful hints, and alternatives to screens that will make these choices easier for parents. As a public school, we cannot require anything from our families outside of school hours but we will actively promote and assist families in making the healthiest choices for their families as possible.