Overview

Admissions

ADMISSIONS PROCESS for SEPTEMBER 2023

OUTDOOR TOURS

We will offer three tours so that families may get a sense of our farm- based school.

Tours will be offered from 9:30 am to 10:15 am and are only offered at these times.

Tuesday, October 11th, 2022
Monday, October 17th, 2022
Thursday, October 20th, 2022

  • Please call the school to register for a spot: #617-731-6463
  • Please meet at the tree stumps in the front of the school near the parking lot.
  • Please bring a mask in case it is needed for the inside part of the tour.

AO - Who We Are video created by parent Terrence Johnson

Please view our video here to learn more about our mission and hear from some of our teachers.

ZOOM INTERVIEW

We are conducting 30-minute interviews via Zoom. Please call the school (#617-731-6463) to arrange a day and time. Interviews will be offered Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings from November 1st - December 9th.

APPLICATIONS

Applications for Chicken Coop and Class I are due by December 15th. Applications for Class II and Class III are due by March 1st. There is a non-refundable $50.00 application fee.

Sibling Applicants: If your child is a sibling of a current or former Apple Orchard student please call Diana Walcott in the Admissions Office at #617-731-6463 and request a sibling application.

New Applicants to the school:

  • Those interested in our Chicken Coop (2.9-year-old) and Class I (three-year-old) programs should call the school to arrange a Zoom interview. Parent interviews for these age groups are conducted in November and December. Applications will be sent out after the Zoom interview and are due by December 15th. Decision letters are sent at the end of January.
  • Those interested in our Class II (four-year-old) program should call the school to arrange a Zoom interview. Class II parent interviews are conducted in January and February. Applications will be sent out after the Zoom interview and are due by March 1st. Decision letters are sent in mid-April.
  • Those interested in our Kindergarten (Class III) program should call the school to arrange a Zoom interview. Class III parent interviews are conducted in January and February. Applications will be sent out after the Zoom interview and are due by March 1st. Decision letters are sent in mid-April.

OUR COMMITMENT TO CREATING A DIVERSE COMMUNITY

We seek families who understand our mission as a play-based and nature-based program that focuses on the joy of learning through children’s natural curiosity about the world and their peers.

Our community is made stronger and more just through the inclusion of families from various racial, cultural, religious, and socio-economic backgrounds. We value the rural landscape that our farm-setting provides, and also are committed to having AO accurately reflect the diverse and larger world around us.

As early childhood educators, we focus extensively on developing the social-emotional skills of our students. We recognize that those skills are best practiced by experiencing difference and similarity through the “windows and mirrors” that students encounter each day. They learn through “windows” when they are attuned to perspectives and experiences different from their own, and they learn through “mirrors” when they see their own experiences or perspective being reflected back to them, thereby affirming their place in our world.

Our teachers actively seek out opportunities to model embracing difference and to challenge stereotypes, thereby nurturing anti-racist perspectives in our students. This best happens through real interactions with a diverse group of students and teachers. In the classroom, we celebrate the differences we see in ourselves and others through song, literature, projects, and dramatic play. In our outdoor classroom, there are also numerous moments to observe and discuss differences in the context of nature and animals. We seek applicants who feel a strong connection to our outdoor learning environment and who also believe that a diversity of students, teachers, and families are essential and the best preparation for an excellent 21st century education.

Decisions to accept new families and children are based on a variety of factors including a balance of gender, birth date range, diversity of race, cultural backgrounds, socio-economic status, and different demographic communities. Acceptance letters are mailed at the end of January for Chicken Coop and Class I, and in mid-April for Class II and Class III. Apple Orchard is committed to creating a diverse community of families, students, and faculty. We strive to ensure that everyone at Apple Orchard feels a sense of connection and belonging.

Notice of Non-Discrimination
Apple Orchard School does not discriminate against children, teachers, or families on the basis of age, gender, race, color, sexual orientation, sexual identity, housing status, religion, cultural heritage, political beliefs, family status, or disability in the administration of its educational policies, employment practices, scholarship awards, or any other school sponsored program or activity.

AO Scholarship Fair 2021

Created by parent Terrence Johnson.

Happy Thanksgiving from Kate & Georgi's class

The Color Song

Grandparents video



Admissions

  • There is not a day that goes by when we don’t arrive at Apple Orchard and appreciate this gift we have been able to provide our children. Apple Orchard is truly a magical place, with amazing teachers and team who care so much about our children. Without the scholarship program, our family would not have this opportunity to introduce our children to education in such a special way. We are forever grateful.

    Former Parent

  • Receiving a scholarship for The Apple Orchard School has made it possible for my child to be a part of such a wondrous school. A school that does not feel like school, but feels like home. As a parent that has made a world of an impact on our family. When we count our blessings, we count Apple Orchard twice.

    Former Parent

  • “I am thrilled that we have been able to find a preschool for our daughter that elevates play and concrete activities over academic concerns. You don’t pretend to do things, but you really do them. I love it that the kids pick vegetables, collect eggs, and cook snacks together. I think it’s nothing short of fabulous that the children got to watch ducks raised from eggs and set free on the pond.”

    Former Parent

  • “Apple Orchard is truly a model school, the best place on the planet to send your child to jumpstart his or her education.”

    Current Parent

  • “The grounds are like being in another, simpler world.  During a parent visit, taking a winter walk, I could see the joy in the children’s faces as they skipped, ran, got distracted, picked up a stick or rock, and then continued on their way.  How often do you see a child skip these days?  You do at AO!”

    Former Parent

  • “The staff is genuine, friendly, exceptionally knowledgeable, and competent.  They know your child’s habits, likes, dislikes, anything you can think of, and challenge them in a way that incorporates the natural world into the learning plan.”

    Former Parent

  • “All of our kids left AO with a deep appreciation for the outdoors and animals. This is a gift we could not have given them in any other pre-school setting.”

    Former Parent

  • “Apple Orchard is a magical place for our children as they learn without knowing they are learning! Friendships are formed which last a lifetime as our children develop a love for each other, their teachers and nature.”

    Current Parent

  • “All of our children have attended AO and completely embraced and loved every aspect of their experience. Combining the outdoors with traditional learning fosters an early school experience that has cultivated both academic growth and social development in our children.”

    Former Parent

  • “Apple Orchard helped to shape my children’s creative potential. Apple Orchard had such a significant impact on one of my children that he decided to come back as a teaching assistant for his senior project in high school.”

    Former Parent