Admissions Policy

PRINCIPLE: Richmond Friends School is committed to creating a diverse learning community. We welcome all students regardless of race, gender, nationality, or religious affiliation.  In order to develop as diverse a community as possible we will actively seek our applications from groups which may not be well-represented at the school.  Additionally, we encourage applications from families who are members of the Religious Society of Friends.

1. Admissions Guidelines:

  1. Enrollment will be determined by the Admissions Committee in consultation with the teachers. Preference for admission will be given to children who fall into one or more of the following categories:
    • siblings of current students
    • returning students
    • siblings of alumni
    • children of alumni
    • children of teachers
    • members of the Religious Society of Friends
    • members of racial or ethnic minority group

The order of these groups is arbitrary and does not imply a ranking among the categories; the admissions committee will use its judgment in applying these guidelines.

  1. Children must be 4  by  June 1st in order to be enrolled in the Richmond

Friends School for the upcoming school year.

  1. Placement in a specific class will be based upon a combination of factors including: the child’s age, previous classroom experience, the parent’s request, the teacher’s input, and the desire for diversity and balance in all of the classes.  Concerns about a child’s placement should be directed to the teacher in consultation with the School Coordinator. Continuing disagreements should be directed towards the Admissions Committee

2. Admissions Committee:

The Admissions Committee will be made up of the Clerk of the Board of Trustees, the School Coordinator, and the applicable Teacher. They will be responsible for distributing and collecting all new student applications, returning student applications, and applications for financial aid and will make the final decision on accepting applications for enrollment in Richmond Friends School and on distributing financial aid.

3. Time line:

a. March 1: Date to send out returning student applications and financial aid applications for current students

b. April 1: Due date for returning student applications

c. April 15: Due date for new student applications and for all financial aid applications. 

d. April 15: Begin reviewing applications.  Applications for new families may be reviewed throughout the year as space is available.

e. April 30: Date the Admissions Committee will notify everyone in the applicant pool of their enrollment and financial aid status for the upcoming school year.

4. Enrollment:

a. Families of students currently enrolled at Richmond Friends School must request re-enrollment for the fall by completing a returning student application and by submitting the application fee by April 1st. If the family does not complete this process by the April 1st deadline, then they cannot be assured a place in the fall class. Their application, if late, will go into the same pool as new applicants for consideration by the Admissions Committee.

b. All new student applications received by April 15th will go into an admissions pool if the application is complete and the registration fee is paid. All new students in this pool must complete the admissions procedure before they may be enrolled and an acceptance letter sent out to them. The Admissions Committee will consider these applicants and determine which students will be enrolled and, if a class is full, which will be placed on a waiting list.

c. All applications received after April 15th will be considered on a first come first serve basis with the date of application submission serving as the date of comparison and by using the same admissions criteria. Applicants will be notified of their status upon completion of the admissions procedure.

d. When an opening occurs so that a student on the waiting list may be enrolled, the Admissions Committee will consider all of the applicants on the waiting list using the criteria previously stated in this policy. The length of time a student has been on the waiting list is one additional factor to consider, but an earlier application date does not guarantee enrollment once placed on a waiting list.

5. Admission Procedure before school year starts:

  1. School Coordinator meets with the family to discuss the responsibilities and benefits of becoming involved with Richmond Friends School, provides them with an application and a scholarship application, and gives them a tour of the facilities. Areas that should be discussed include:
  1. Teacher and School Coordinator meet with the family and set up a time for the student to visit the classroom.  Half-day visits are recommended for PreK-K and a full day visit for 1-6th. 
  2. Teacher and School Coordinator review the child’s records and, if possible, previous school records.
  3. Input is gathered from the teacher, but the final decision on enrollment is made by the Admissions Committee.
  4. Family is notified in writing by the Admissions Committee concerning the enrollment decision.

6. Admissions Procedure during the school year:

  1. School Coordinator meets with the family to discuss the responsibilities and benefits of becoming involved with Richmond Friends School, provides them with an application and a scholarship application, and gives them a tour of the facilities. Areas that should be discussed include:
  1. Teacher and School Coordinator review the child’s records and, if possible, previous school records
  2. Input is gathered from the teacher, but the final decision on enrollment is made by the Admissions Committee.
  3. Family is notified in writing by the School Coordinator concerning the enrollment decision and about the two week trial period, which all students being enrolled during the school year must successfully complete. Families should be notified that this trial period offers both the family as well as the school a chance to determine the proper fit for the child.
  4. At the end of the two week trial period (with extensions as needed) input is gathered from the teacher and the Admissions Committee decides on a more permanent enrollment. The family is notified by the School Coordinator of the Admissions Committee’s decision concerning enrollment for the rest of the school year.

 

Edited and Approved 1.20.10

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Severe Weather Policy

If the Richmond Community Schools are operating on a delay, or are closing early, THAT DOES NOT APPLY TO THE FRIENDS SCHOOL. Because their morning delays and early dismissals are mostly related to concerns about busses, they do not apply to us. If, for any reason, the school does need to close early, we will contact you. Of course, if at any time you feel uncomfortable leaving your child at school, you are welcome to pick them up early or keep them at home due to inclement weather.

We will post school closings on our website (www.richmondfriendsschool.org) and will post a recorded message on the RFS answering machine (765-966-5767). We will also post closing information on the following TV and radio stations:

TV
WCTV Channels 11 and 21
WTHR-TV Channel 13 (NBC-Indianapolis)
WDTN-TV Channel 2 (NBC-Dayton)

Radio
WECI 91.5 FM (Earlham radio station)
WQLK Kicks 96
WFMG G101.3

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Attendance Policy

Regular attendance is critical to success at school; students should promptly attend school every day unless they are sick. Difficulties with regular attendance or tardiness can disrupt the classroom and cause students to miss important lessons and/or learning experiences. Additionally, as part of our mission to educate the whole child, we strive to establish good habits concerning personal responsibility and responsibility towards others, which can be exemplified for the students through regular and prompt attendance. Teachers are encouraged to communicate with parents as soon they observe that tardiness and/or absence from class has become an impediment to education. Additionally, the following guidelines are to be followed.

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Statement on Health and Nutrition

Because we at RFS strive to teach and nurture the whole child, we believe that the intellectual, emotional, social, and physical development of our students are equally important. Our programs seek to challenge and enlighten the students as they work towards gaining an understanding of the world around them.

In order to provide the best possible ground for discovery, RFS believes our students should be provided with simple and healthy snacks and meals. Doing so will expose our students to nutritious food choices that will lay the foundations for a physically healthy life as well as a life-long love of learning.

While RFS recognizes that our students come from many different backgrounds and that each family has its own value system, we want to ensure that RFS provides the richest environment for growth for our students.

Snacks provided by parents for the primary grades should consist of fresh fruits and vegetables, dried fruits without sugar, crackers without hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, 100% natural peanut butter, and unprocessed cheeses. We encourage parents to be mindful of over-packaging when they provide snacks.

Lunch and snacks provided by RFS will contain no hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, trans fats, and corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup. They will be low in added salt and sugars. Fruit and vegetable options will be fresh.

When cooking with their students, teachers will provide ingredients that meet the above standards.

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Discipline Policy (The Social Curriculum and Logical Consequences)

PRINCIPLE

Richmond Friends School is a school that encourages all members of the community, teachers as well as students, to live lives characterized by kindness, toleration of differences, understanding of alternative points of view, peaceful conflict resolution, and social outreach. We believe these qualities are educationally sound and developmentally appropriate and will contribute to the development of each person’s potential.

The mission of the Richmond Friends School discipline policy is to help children learn how to play and work with others in a community while celebrating the individuality of all our children and adults. We are committed to providing healthy and safe classrooms for our students, and we recognize that achieving the balance between group harmony and individual expression is ongoing.

Out of this foundation comes an understanding of discipline that is child-centered rather than authoritarian, healing rather than punitive, and articulated rather than implied. In short, we hope that our children grow to be internally motivated and self-disciplined. Some children will need more guidance and intervention than others, and it is for all children and parents that we express our discipline policy and expect families to work with the school. This policy recognizes the responsibility of the school to provide a positive learning environment and outlines approaches for parents and teachers to pursue if disciplinary problems present special challenges to the educational mission of the school.

Adult members of the school community who fail to uphold or live up to the spirit of the discipline policy may be referred to the Richmond Friends School Board of Trustees for consideration, which may result in action by the Board.

GUIDELINES

Normal disciplinary practices:

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Playground Policy

PRINCIPLE

Play is an integral part of personal expression, interpersonal growth, and community building. To foster creative play in our students, Richmond Friends School has play areas outside and inside the school. Richmond Friends School wants playtime to be safe, fun, and a positive learning experience for our students.

GUIDELINES

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Drug, Alcohol, and Smoking Policy

PRINCIPLE

RFS is committed to establishing and ensuring an atmosphere that nourishes the minds and bodies of the students, faculty, and staff. We recognize that smoking tobacco products, using drugs, or drinking alcohol in the vicinity of any member of our community will adversely affect their physical and mental health and could help promote these unhealthy practices to some community members.

GUIDELINES

We prohibit smoking upon school grounds from 7:45 A.M. until 5:00 P.M. This period covers the hours that school is in session as well as the hours that the school usually has before- and after-school care. Additionally, we prohibit the use of any tobacco products by anyone actively involved in the transportation and/or supervision of the students during field trips. People with tobacco addictions should consider this policy carefully before volunteering to assist with any school activities. Additionally, drinking alcohol or using illicit drugs is prohibited on school grounds at any time as well as at school events and on any off-campus school field trips.

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Procedure for Addressing Concerns and Grievances

Parent/Guardian/Faculty Support Committee Grievance Procedure

PRINCIPLE

From time to time there will be issues and/or concerns that the Board of Trustees will need to address. These issues/concerns are brought to the board’s attention when the parties concerned cannot resolve the issue(s) themselves. In such cases, the grievance is sent to the Parent/Faculty Support Committee, which is formed as needed at the discretion of the board. This committee will use the following procedure in an attempt to resolve the concern(s).

  1. Concerned parties meet together to try to resolve the concern(s).
  2. The School Coordinator brings concern(s) to the board. The board sends concern(s) to the Parent/Faculty Support Committee.
  3. The Parent/Faculty Support Committee meets with all parties concerned to hear the issue(s).
    • Each party is met with separately for 30 minutes, one after the other.
    • The committee meets to discuss and try to resolve the concern(s). This meeting is not to last more than one hour.
    • If a resolution cannot be met, the committee then chooses a time and date to discuss the next step.
  4. The committee can decide to either resolve the issue themselves or refer the concern to an outside conflict resolution mediation group.
  5. The committee then reports to the full board for approval.
  6. The parties concerned are informed on the committee’s recommendation(s).

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Child Abuse Policy

PRINCIPLE

We cherish the students in the Richmond Friends School community and the trust that they show in us as caring adults. We are sadly aware that abuse of children and youth (including emotional, physical, and sexual abuse) occurs in school communities as well as in the wider society. We are therefore committed to policies and procedures that will help us reduce the risk of harm happening to our students while in our care as well as responding properly when abuse is suspected.

GUIDELINES

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Motor Vehicle Safety Restraint Policy

PRINCIPLE

Any time that a child is to be transported in a motor vehicle by RFS teachers, staff, agents, or other employees, or by volunteer drivers, such transportation shall comply with the following guidelines.

GUIDELINES

  1. All motor vehicles used to transport RFS students on trips must be currently insured as required under Indiana law, without exclusion of coverage for children being transported in specific circumstances of the trip; have a current proof of liability insurance card; be equipped with all safety devices or equipment required by federal or state law or regulation; and comply with all other applicable requirements of federal or state law or regulations.
  2. All drivers on trips must be fully licensed and insured to operate a motor vehicle as anticipated on all such trips. Drivers shall comply with all laws, regulations, and posted signs regarding speed and traffic control.
  3. A child less than eight (8) years of age must be properly fastened and restrained in a child restraint system that meets applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, in accordance with the child restraint system manufacturer's instructions.
  4. Parents/guardians must supply each child with a child restraint system that complies with paragraph 3 for use on any trip away from the school where transportation will be by means of a motor vehicle.
  5. All children eight (8) years of age or older must be belted in a seatbelt meeting applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards at all times when they are being transported on a school trip.
  6. A child shall not be permitted to ride in the front seat of a car unless said child is over the age of seven (7), weighs more that 80 pounds, and the child’s parent or guardian has given express written permission for the child to be seated in the front seat of the car.

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Non-payment of Tuition Policy

PRINCIPLE

Richmond Friends School is a community that desires to embrace members without regard to their financial background. Towards this end, RFS constantly strives to increase all means of financial aid for families that wish to become a part of our community yet do not have the financial means to do so. Additionally, RFS Board fund raising is almost totally directed towards funding scholarships, and there are dramatic discounts for families with multiple students attending the school.

The RFS Board must balance this desire with the obligation to maintain a fiscally sound learning institution. This policy has been established to provide an appropriate response to families that will not make an honest attempt to fulfill their financial commitment to the school.

GUIDELINES

  1. Tuition is divided into twelve equal monthly installments from June until May. The first payment is due June 15; subsequent payments are due by the 10th of the month.
  2. The bookkeeper will place invoices in family mailboxes on the first day of each month.
  3. There will be a $30 fee assessed for all returned checks.
  4. All tuition payments are non-refundable.

APPROVED RESPONSES

  1. Families that encounter financial hardships that make the regular payment of tuition impossible need to contact the School Coordinator as soon as possible to apply for an alternative payment plan. These alternative payment plans could include a skipped tuition payment, with that amount divided up and added to the other regularly scheduled monthly payments, or they could include a reduced amount scheduled for several months and a higher rate scheduled for later in the year. Use of the alternative payment plan application is required to formalize this process and to ensure that everyone understands the plan. Completed alternative payment plan applications should be submitted for approval by the board at their next scheduled meeting.
  2. If tuition payment is over ten days past due, the bookkeeper will assess a $10 late fee in addition to the regularly scheduled tuition amount and will place a reminder note in the school mailbox of the appropriate family. An additional $10 late payment fee will be assessed after the tuition payment is one month overdue, and then every month thereafter until the balance is paid in full or an alternative payment plan is approved by the board.
  3. If tuition payment is over a month overdue, the bookkeeper will send a notice to the family indicating this monetary oversight and assess an additional $10 late payment fee. The bookkeeper will also notify the School Coordinator and the clerk of the RFS Board.
  4. If tuition payment is over two months overdue and no acceptable alternative payment is in place, the School Coordinator will assess an additional $10 late payment fee, request either payment in full or an application for an alternative payment plan, and let the family know that another month of non-payment will result in their children not being allowed to attend Richmond Friends School. This written communication may then be followed up with phone conversations to confirm receipt of the letter and to attempt to open dialogue concerning the financial obligation. Additionally, the children of the family in question will not be allowed to participate in Extended Care until either their tuition payments are paid up to date or an acceptable arrangement is established with the bookkeeper for payment.
  5. If tuition payment is over three months overdue and no acceptable alternative payment schedule has been agreed to by the board and the family, the bookkeeper will notify the School Coordinator. The Coordinator will mail a letter to the family indicating their children cannot attend the Richmond Friends School until either their tuition payments are paid up to date or an alternative payment plan in applied for and approved by the board. The letter should also indicate that the late payment fee of $10 will continue to accrue until their balance is paid in full or an alternative payment plan is approved. Every month thereafter a reminder letter should be mailed to the family indicating their current balance due and requesting payment.
  6. In some circumstances, like if an account is not paid at the end of the school year or if a mutually agreed upon alternative payment plan is not followed through with and there are no further attempts by the family to establish a schedule for payment that can be followed, the board will attempt to recover any unpaid balance by turning seriously delinquent accounts over to a collection agency. The family will be sent a letter informing them of this action.

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Teacher Evaluation Procedure

PRINCIPLE

Richmond Friends School is committed to enabling our teachers to develop their strengths as educators as well as assisting them to them to improve areas that they may want and/or need some assistance. To foster that growth, we have established a procedure for teacher evaluation that combines several forms of evaluation and assessment to provide a diversified quality of assistance for each teacher. New RFS teachers will have a 90-day review in addition to the process listed below. Two to three-year teachers will have annual reviews. Those with more than three years of service at RFS will have a review every three years, but complete evaluation components "c" and "d" in the intervening years.

  1. Evaluation Components :
    • a. Two classroom observations by an evaluator
    • b. Two meetings between the evaluator and teacher
    • c. One self-evaluation responding to prepared questions
    • d. A parent questionnaire
  2. Evaluation Timeline:
    • a. By October 1: Board selects an evaluator for each teacher
    • b. By winter break: First meeting between evaluator and teacher; classroom observation by the evaluator
    • c. By February 15: Parent questionnaire distributed
    • d. By February 15: Teacher self-evaluation distributed
    • e. By April 1: Parent questionnaire completed
    • F. By April 1: Teacher self-evaluation completed
    • g. By spring break: Second meeting between evaluator and teacher; classroom observation by the evaluator
    • h. By May 1: Written report compiling the seven evaluation components completed by the evaluator
    • i.  At May Board Meeting: Synopsis of the report presented to the Board by the evaluator
  3. Evaluator:
    The board will seek an evaluator either from within the board or outside of it; the person who is asked to perform as an evaluator must not have a student in the class of the teacher they are being asked to evaluate. Additionally, the person should have some experience in the education field, either as an educator or administrator.
  4. Meeting between teacher and evaluator:
    Both of the meetings may be scheduled before or after the classroom observation, but if it is to be before the observation, then some means should be agreed upon to communicate the notes, observations, and/or recommendations of the evaluator to the teacher soon after the observation is completed.
  5. Written report:
    The written report compiled by the evaluator from all the evaluation components must be shared with the teacher as soon as possible and before the synopsis is presented to the board. The written report should be shared at a face-to-face meeting between the evaluator and teacher, but it may be shared via letter if both teacher and evaluator agree to this form of communication in advance and if extenuating circumstances make a direct meeting impractical. A copy of the report should be given to the teacher and another placed in the teacher's employment file in the office.
  6. Teacher response:
    Teachers will be given the option of responding to the written report. They may explain their interpretation of the contents of the written report, provide more information that they feel is necessary to properly understand the written report, and/or may provide an opportunity to refute any or all portions of the written report. If a teacher responds to a written report, then that response will be shared with the board and a copy of the response will be placed in her/his employment file and attached to the relevant written report.

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