Question 1

How would you describe the role of parents in their child’s WSNO education?

Accepted Answer

Parent participation is welcome and needed at Waldorf School of New Orleans. There are all sorts of wonderful ways to support the school and your child's education at WSNO. We have a rich festival life, ample opportunities for volunteering, and lots of ways to be involved in our community of parents. The school has a Parent Council and various committees (Finance, Outreach, Fundraising etc.) are always looking for new members. Class teachers are also always in need of class parents for various things, from helping out in the classroom, to chaperoning trips, and helping organize special projects or outings.

Question 2

Waldorf advocates minimizing or eliminating screens and devices from students' lives in school and at home.  How does that work in the “real world”?

Accepted Answer

It is part of the commitment of the family coming into Waldorf education to greatly limit exposure to media, as we work to nurture the children's capacities for creative imagination, independent thinking and positive action. Before Grade 6, our classrooms are screen free, and discussion of media-related themes is discouraged in the classroom.

We understand the importance of fostering age-appropriate media/digital literacy and use, starting in the Middle School years. There, students employ electronic media as a tool after they've developed an experiential foundation. Students who bring cellphones and smart watches to school must lock them away, and are not allowed access to them on campus at any time.

We ask that all adults on campus (staff and visitors) be mindful of their own use of devices while on school property, and set an example for healthy behavior and attention. Read more about why and how our school values Media Mindfulness HERE.

Question 3

What about diversity at Waldorf School of New Orleans?

Accepted Answer

Our school embraces all aspects of diversity - racial, ethnic, religious/spiritual, cultural, socio-economic, and gender/sexual preference. We continuously strive for a student body that reflects the diversity of our city. Nearly 35% of our students are from families who identify as BIPOC. Our school community includes native New Orleanians, as well as families from around the US and from more than 20 different nationalities.

Though WSNO is a tuition-based school, we work to make Waldorf education as accessible as possible. We offer tuition assistance and sibling discounts, as well as the Kennedy-Brown Scholarship: awarded each year to one student entering Kindergarten or first grade, who qualifies financially, and whose family is rooted in the 7th Ward/ Treme-Lafitte neighborhood.

Our school embraces all aspects of diversity - racial, ethnic, religious/spiritual, cultural, socio-economic, and gender/sexual preference. We continuously strive for a student body that reflects the diversity of our city. Nearly 35% of our students are from families who identify as BIPOC. Our school community includes native New Orleanians, as well as families from around the US and from more than 20 different nationalities.

Though WSNO is a tuition-based school, we work to make Waldorf education as accessible as possible. We offer tuition assistance and sibling discounts, as well as the Kennedy-Brown Scholarship: awarded each year to one student entering Kindergarten or first grade, who qualifies financially, and whose family is rooted in the 7th Ward/ Treme-Lafitte neighborhood.

Question 4

Do you serve lunch?

Accepted Answer

Our school does not serve or provide lunch. We encourage families to pack a healthy, hearty lunch that includes sufficient, wholesome protein for a full day of energy, one or more low-sugar snacks (no chocolate or candy please) and a reusable canteen for water.

Question 5

How does the Waldorf School of New Orleans accommodate children with learning differences?

Accepted Answer

We strive to be an inclusive environment in every way possible. However, we are not equipped to accommodate students with severe learning differences. We work with all of our student to foster learning at their own pace with individualized instruction as much as possible. Unfortunately, we are not able to provide special education help to children with pronounced learning or behavioral difficulties.

Question 6

Are Waldorf Schools art schools?

Accepted Answer

Waldorf schools are not art schools. The curriculum offers a classical education in all academic disciplines that fully integrates the arts into its teaching methodology. Why? Because research continues to show that the inclusion of the arts in academia increases aptitude and creative thinking in areas such as math and science, and has a positive effect on emotional development as well.

Question 7

How does grading work?

Accepted Answer

A full assessment of each student’s progress is provided in the form of a narrative assessment in all subject areas. These assessments are supported by teacher conferences and class meetings throughout the year. They do not include letter or numbered grades. However, beginning in 5th grade, students begin to receive assessments of skills using a scale ranging from developing to mastery. When students are ready to move to high school, we will also translate the assessments for the schools to which our students apply.

Question 8

How does the Waldorf School of New Orleans approach standardized tests?

Accepted Answer

We believe that standardized testing is not an accurate or complete reflection of a student’s knowledge, intellectual capacities, or ability to learn. Thus our curriculum does not regularly incorporate standardized test-taking. In preparation for high school, middle schools students begin study skill courses that prepare them for standardized tests and entrance exams. Interested students may pursue independent or external test preparation.

Question 9

Which high schools do your alumni attend?

Accepted Answer

We have had alumni accepted to Brother Martin, Benjamin Franklin High School, Cabrini High School, De La Salle, Lusher, Metairie Park Country Day, NOCCA, Isidore Newman, Sacred Heart, St. Augustine, St. Martin’s, Ursuline Academy, International High School, and more.

Question 10

Is Waldorf education religious in nature?

Accepted Answer

Waldorf philosophy holds that there is a spiritual dimension to all of life, and it honors that spirit in its curriculum. The Waldorf School of New Orleans, like all other Waldorf schools, is non-sectarian and non-denominational. Children from diverse cultures and religious and nonreligious backgrounds are present and welcome. The Waldorf curriculum teaches understanding of and respect for all world religions.

Question 11

What are the age requirements for each program?

Accepted Answer

As a general rule, a child at least this old by the first day of school to enter the given program:

Nursery: 2 years and 6 months

Pre-Kindergarten/Kindergarten: 3 years and 8 months

1st Grade: 6 years old

2nd-8th Grade: No age requirement

Question 12

Is the scheduling for interviews, play dates, and class visits flexible for out of state applicants?

Accepted Answer

The prospective class teacher is allowed to be flexible in an extenuating circumstance. This would be considered on a case by case basis.

Question 13

Can students transfer mid-year? Can you accommodate short-term placements?

Accepted Answer

Each situation is handled individually, depending on family and school circumstances. We offer rolling admissions in each class, as space permits. For more information, please contact our Enrollment Director at (504) 525-2420.

Question 14

May children attend school tours or open houses?

Accepted Answer

Children are encouraged to accompany parents during open houses. However, children are not permitted during tours, which take place during classes. Find out more about Tours & Open Houses.

Question 15

When do Waldorf Schools introduce reading?

Accepted Answer

Our goal is to foster passionate readers who continue reading for pleasure throughout their lifetimes. To that end, we introduce reading in a developmentally appropriate way, when students are more comfortable with the written word and fully ready to engage with them.

Waldorf teachers begin teaching reading in the first couple months of first grade by teaching consonants and vowel names and sounds through an artistic approach of drawing, painting, movement, and speech. This artistic, deliberate process engages the children with great interest, and by the end of first grade, children are writing and reading sentences and short texts. Students typically begin reading printed readers with their teacher during the second half of second grade. This thorough and artistic approach to teaching literacy has been proven to build a solid base for advanced comprehension and vocabulary skills in later years.

Question 16

Is the curriculum that you teach completely distinct from the standards that public schools have?

Accepted Answer

In looking at the information on the website, I feel like there are some things that my child will have already done and some subjects that he has never studied. I’m wondering how kids coming from public schools--or leaving Waldorf to go to public schools—generally fair in the transitions.

Yes, the Waldorf curriculum is distinct, separate from Common Core and traditional education techniques, although both Waldorf and Common Core focus on skills-based learning. Additionally, in the upper grades here at WSNO, there is specific classwork and specialty classes dedicated to preparing the students for high school and traditional education practices.

In general, we find that students transfer well both in and out of Waldorf schools. For instance while some may have had some of the curriculum already, taking up other subjects your child may not have had (foreign language, chorus, strings, handwork) would be invigorating. Because it is such a different approach to teaching and learning, it is most always very inspiring to the new student. All the lead teachers and subject teachers would work to bring your child up to speed where needed and it would not be expected that he or she already know things that are specific to the Waldorf curriculum.

Frequently Asked Questions