Drop-Off and Pick-Up
Drop -off and pick-up will be at the Market Pavilions unless you get a "GroupMe" text from us stating otherwise. We know this may change as we move around the orchard so please check your GroupMe texts for those changes.
But There Are Fieldtrips Going On!
Mulberry Orchard is a busy place in September and October but we are working closely with Amanda Gajdzik to make sure our little school can operate at the same time. Our start time of 8:00 means we will have the orchard all to ourselves for at least an hour before field trips begin arriving.
Field trips are scheduled to go on a hayride to the orchard and to learn about the orchard at the Apple Barn until they eat lunch at 11:30 so, even though there will be other school kids at the orchard, they will be in remote areas and not where we are.
Sit Down Work?
Will my child have typical kindergarten sit-down work along with their outdoor learning? Yes, they will. We will start each day with a community circle time where teachers will present concepts and activities to the children. The children will then journal each day. Journals allow children to work on handwriting, express ideas, and are a great foundation for early writing and reading. These journals will go home each Thursday so parents can see what their child has done for the week then parents will send the journals back with their child on Tuesday.
Hybrid Model School
The Discovery School at Mulberry Orchard is a hybrid school. Exactly what does that mean? That means we do not operate with typical school days and times. With kindergarten especially, children do not need a six hour school day, five days a week in order to learn what they'll need to know for first grade. Having a shorter school day and fewer days will give kindergarten parents the opportunity to also focus on what's educationally important to their family.
Holidays and Celebrations
We are a secular school so we will celebrate holidays by using secular traditions. Santa Claus and a host of other traditional Christmas characters will be celebrated in our Christmas Around the World unit. The Easter Bunny will hide the hand dyed eggs that the children make and of course, that mischievous little leprechaun will need to be trapped!
Birthdays will be celebrated by singing to your child and feel free to send in a special treat for them to share with friends.
What are parents of former students saying?
Harmony absolutely thrived- academically, socially, and personally while going to Discovery Gym. Every day she came home excited about what she's learned and eager to share her experiences. The program provides such a fun, engaging environment while offering incredible learning opportunities that encourage curiosity, creativity, and growth. We are truly grateful for the positive impact that Laura and Discovery Gym had on Harmony!
Bathrooms
Our bathrooms are located across from the Market in the kitchen building next to the Market Pavilions. The bathrooms will be open all year and will be heated. There will also be portable bathrooms in outlying areas. Children will be escorted to and from the bathrooms by a teacher.
Social Media Exposure
We are very sensitive to exposing children on social media. Please make sure you let us know how much exposure you're comfortable with by filling out that section on our enrollment form. We will never use names when we make a social media post and will abide by your exposure wishes.
Assessments?
Will my child have any assessments? Yes, but they are minimal. At the beginning of the school year we will quickly assess what your child already knows so that we can meet each child where they are and move forward from there. These quick assessments will be done again in the middle and at the end of the year. This helps both teachers and parents understand what each child's strengths are and things they still need to work on.
Registering as a Homeschooler.
Because we are a hybrid school and do not meet Kentucky's criteria for amount of time in a school building for kindergartners, you must also register your child as a homeschool student. For additional information on how to do this, we have attached a link to help you with this step.
More Questions?
If you have more questions, our phone will be answered from noon-4:00 each day. Outside those hours, leave a message and we will get back with you the next day.
Or, you can send us a message through our Facebook page by using the button here. Facebook messages are answered as soon as we see them and may be your best bet if you have a question after our phone hours.
Just a head's up: If you call the Mulberry Orchard phone, they will direct you to either call our phone or message us through Facebook.
Phone Number Coming Soon
Snow Days and Other Emergency Days
We will follow Shelby County Public School's lead for closings. All of our snow days will be made up on the next available Friday that school is in session. Example: If school is closed on Tuesday, we will make that day up on that Friday unless Friday is also a snow day for SCPS or if SCPS is off for a holiday.
We will also follow SCPS for delayed starts to our day. Whatever time SCPS posts that their elementary schools will start, will be the time we also start.