Waldorf-inspired school, grades 1 to 8, in Talent, Oregon
A very small school, run by the teachers who teach in it
Four classes, a faculty of teachers and a chair who changes each year, with painting, handwork and the garden every week. Families have a say in how the school runs, and visits begin in October.
How the school is run
No head of school, and a chair who changes
Quire's teachers run the school together. They decide at one table, and the chair's job passes to a different teacher each year.
Decisions are made at a weekly faculty meeting
The chair keeps the agenda and speaks for the school
Any teacher can bring a question to the table
Families are heard at a parents' meeting each term
The classes
Four classes, two grades in each
A class teacher leads each pair of grades, and a child moves up when the teachers and the family agree it is time.
- 01
Grades 1 and 2
Ages 6 to 8SkillsLetters drawn and painted before they are read
Number stories, counting rhymes and times tables clapped and walked
Fairy tales and fables told aloud, then retold in the class's own words
Wool, beeswax and a first knitting needle
Moving upThe class teacher stays with the class through both grades, and the next teacher visits in the spring.
- 02
Grades 3 and 4
Ages 8 to 10SkillsFarming, shelter and the first fractions, learned by building and baking
Myths from the old world, written up in a main-lesson book
A map of the valley drawn by hand, creek to ridge
Recorder and a first string instrument
Moving upA new class teacher takes the class, and the two teachers spend a week side by side.
- 03
Grades 5 and 6
Ages 10 to 12SkillsBotany, with a garden bed the class keeps
Geometry with compass and straightedge
Ancient history told as a story, then argued over
Choir and a class orchestra
Moving upThe class teacher stays through both grades, and the older class invites the younger one to its spring play.
- 04
Grades 7 and 8
Ages 12 to 14SkillsPhysics and chemistry shown at the bench and written up like a notebook
Poetry, drama and a class play in the spring
Algebra, and graphs drawn from real measurements
A long project chosen by the student and shown to the whole school
Moving upStudents leave after grade 8. The teachers and each family talk through the next school in the winter.
Sample levels.
A day at Quire
From the door to the walk out
8:15 a.m.Arrival
A teacher stands at the door and greets every child by name. Coats and boots go on the hooks, and the class gathers.
8:30 a.m.Main lesson
One subject for the first two hours, taught in a block of a few weeks: a science block, a story block, a number block. Each child makes a book of it.
10:30 a.m.Recorders and song
The class plays and sings together, and the older children carry a part.
12:00 p.m.Lunch
Families send lunch. The class eats together at long tables.
12:30 p.m.Outdoors
Out in every kind of weather: the yard, the creek or the garden, with a teacher alongside.
2:45 p.m.Packing up
The class tidies the room, shares one thing from the day and walks out together.
Open houses and deadlines
When to visit, apply and hear from us
October and February
Open houses
Walk the building, sit with the teachers and ask anything about how the school is run.
Most Wednesdays, October to April
January
Applications open
For the fall that follows.
Late February
DeadlineApplication deadline
Every family hears at the same time.
Mid-March
Decisions
A letter from the chair and a call from a teacher.
Early September
First day
Sample dates.
Questions
What families ask first
Who is in charge of the school?
The faculty, together. There is no head of school. One teacher serves as chair for a year, keeps the agenda and speaks for the school, then another teacher takes the chair.
Why do two grades share a class?
The teacher can plan one story for the whole room, older children help younger ones, and every child is known by the same adult for two years.
Can we visit before we apply?
Yes, and we ask every family to. A visit day is a morning in a class and a talk with the chair and a teacher. Children are welcome to come along.
What is a main lesson?
The first two hours of the day, given to one subject for a few weeks at a time. Each child writes and draws the block into a book of their own.
How does tuition work?
It is set by the year, and the school gives its figures at every visit. Financial aid is available, and the office explains how to apply.
Is there care after school?
Yes, an extended afternoon runs until 4:30 p.m., four days a week. Families sign up by the month.
Come and see a class
A visit day is a morning in a class, and a good way to know whether Quire fits your family.