January News (January 17th, 2025)

In this week’s community newsletter, please find details for:

  • Upcoming Re-Enrollment Priority Window for all returning families for Fall 2025

  • Upcoming I-TAP Deadline for all returning families

  • After Programs still have space to sign up!

  • From the Movement program: equipment and upcoming action!

  • Events coming up on Campus:

    • Bring a Parent to School Month is underway, you can still sign up!

    • Bridge to the Middle school is next week, January 21st 6:15pm

    • Campus Tour is January 28th, 8:30am, all parents welcome!

    • Winter Wellness is January 30th, 3:30pm

    • Looking ahead: Anxious Generation Book club is April 17th, start reading now!

  • Alumni Spotlight: Tessa Ebert

We know it feels quick but believe it or not, the Priority RE-Enrollment Window for all Returning Families for the 2025/2026 school year is just around the corner. We wished to give a glimpse at the details now so families can plan accordingly.

Priority Re-Enrollment window is February 1st to 15th. After February 15th: the re-enrollment fee will double and we can no longer guarantee a space for your child next school year. (Our Early Childhood programs in particular continue to be full with waitlists. New applications will be reviewed starting February 16th) Completing re-enrollment during the priority window not only secures your child’s spot but also, most importantly, allows WSRF and our teachers to make critical planning decisions for the upcoming school year including available spaces, growth and vital budget considerations. Everything at WSRF is a collective effort and re-enrollment each year is no different. Thank you for completing your families re-enrollment during the window to help us plan for the 25/26 school year! (If you do not intend to re-enroll: there will be an option to notify us of your intentions via FACTS during the re-enrollment window. Please complete this critical step so our team can plan accordingly).

Extra Details: Re-Enrollment packets must be submitted for each returning student with a per family re-enrollment fee. Re-enrollment will be completed via the FACTS Family Portal. You will receive an email directly from FACTS on February 1st with instructions and a link to complete re-enrollment. For families with one returning student and a new younger sibling: You will need to complete re-enrollment for your returning student via the FACTS family portal and the email on Feb 1st. You will also need to complete a new application for your new, younger sibling via the new application portal on our website here.

An independent school education does require a significant financial investment, but at WSRF we strive to make the school accessible through our needs-based Individualized Tuition Adjustment Process (I-TAP) program. Last year over 80% of I-TAP applicants received needs-based tuition assistance, which allowed us to offer tuition assistance to approximately 1 out of 5 of our enrolled student body.  Please read full details and more information around I-TAP on our website here.

Take note of these important date updates:

I-TAP Deadlines for Currently Enrolled Families:

February 15, 2025- ITAP Application Submitted (complete with all necessary tax documents uploaded)

April 15, 2025- Award offers will be sent

April 30, 2025- Award acceptance deadline 

NEW After School sessions are underway. You can still sign up or drop in for your 1st through 8th grader. More details here.

The 3rd Annual Bring a Parent to School Month at WSRF is underway and there's still time to sign up! January is your chance to step in to your child's classroom and experience our curriculum first-hand. It's a chance to go back to school for the day and experience a special morning with your child. Or, for our 5th grade and up parents, take a step forward and LEVEL UP by visiting the grade above your child. This is the best chance to glimpse ahead! 

For Early Childhood Families: Sign up here to visit for an hour one morning in January!

For Lower Grades (1st-5th Grade): Sign up here to visit one Friday in January!

For Upper Grades (5th -8th): You are invited to LEVEL UP and visit the class above your student, this option is available for 5th, 6th and 7th grade parents. Sign up here!

 “I love Waldorf.  I would send my (future) kids there,” says Tessa Ebert,  marketing professional, world traveler, soup maker, and WSRF graduate from the class of 2010. “Tess” was seen on campus earlier this year where she helped Julianna Lichatz execute the Medieval Games. Thank you, Tess, for coming back to your Waldorf home and lending a hand! Tess currently lives in Carbondale with her partner Garrett Lapp and beloved dog Gunther while working for Rygr in digital marketing. Tess’ journey at WSRF began in first grade with Lisa Huber where she remembers swimming in the river, finding fairies in the forest, and jumping in cow pies with her friend, Talia Howe. She matriculated through the grades until she graduated  from eighth grade from Didanne Gilman’s class.  She went to Glenwood High where she ran cross country for the Demons.  She attended college, graduating from the University of Colorado at Denver with a degree in Business Management. After working in Denver for three years, she traveled to New Zealand to live and work until she returned to the Roaring Fork Valley during COVID times. 

Tess loves many things about her time at WSRF.  The skills she learned such as sewing in Handwork and cooking in Practical Arts she uses to this day.   “I still make that soup from kindergarten… it’s my goto meal in the fall and winter months,”  says Tess as she admires the “culture of home” that Waldorf creates throughout the early childhood and grade school years.   She highlights the communication skills she practiced at WSRF including public speaking in dozens of presentations and eight class plays that has prepared her to “speak to all walks of life from kids to grandparents… present to CEO’s of multinational corporations… and shake hands (with people).”   She acknowledges the “out of the box thinking” that she cultivated here at WSRF that supports her in “problem solving on the job” and “figuring out complicated situations, such as when traveling.”  In addition, Tess values that “Waldorf allows you to be your individual self” and nurtures imagination and creativity with the use of simple toys. Tess is happy to know we have expanded our programs since her time here.   We look forward to welcoming Tess back anytime.

 By Holly Richardson

Liesl Bellack