Kindergarten Applicants
We begin accepting applications for Kindergarten in January. We ask interested families to fill out the Blue Rock School Application Form and return it to us along with the $50 application fee and the Transcript Release Form with your signature. We will then request your child’s nursery school teacher to fill out our Teacher Recommendation Form and send it directly back to Blue Rock School. All paperwork is due in to Blue Rock by Friday, March 8, 2013. Kindergarten applicants will be invited to attend our Kindergarten Day, which is scheduled for Saturday, March 16, 2013. This event is a wonderful opportunity for Kindergarten applicants to meet each other, to see the classroom, and to spend a couple of hours enjoying some fun activities together. The teachers will use this time to get to know the children and determine if Blue Rock School is a good match for each child. We have 12 spaces in our kindergarten class each year and will form a waiting pool of interested applicants once this class is full.
1st – 8th Grade Applicants
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis when space is available. In the situation where a class is full, we would create a waiting pool of interested students. If a space should open up, we would consider each applicant in the waiting pool. Please check with the Admissions Director to see what the possibilities are for the grade(s) in which you are interested.
Please note that Blue Rock School does not have a learning specialist or a psychologist onsite, and we are generally not able to accommodate children with learning differences or those with behavioral issues.
Steps for applying to Blue Rock School in grades 1 through 8:
1. Join us at an Introductory Session and Campus Tour where you will hear a staff member speak about our educational philosophy, receive a tour of the school and meet a few of our teachers in their classrooms. All families wishing to attend should RSVP to the Admissions Director to reserve a space. Please note that this is an event for adults only. You are also welcome to schedule a private tour during a school day morning. It’s wonderful to see Blue Rock with the children present!
Click here for Introductory Session and Campus Tour dates.
2. Fill out the Application Form and return it to Blue Rock School, along with the $50 nonrefundable application fee and the Transcript Release Form with your signature. We will then send our Teacher Recommendation Form to your child’s current teacher, who will need to complete it and send it directly back to Blue Rock School.
3. Once we have received the full transcripts from your child’s current school and the completed Teacher Recommendation Form, we will schedule a 3-day visit for your child. In some cases, prior to the visit, our teachers may also request to have a conversation with your child’s teacher if they have further questions.
4. The Admissions Committee will then meet and will contact the parents by letter to inform them of their decision. Parents of accepted students will be invited to meet with our Director, Caty Laignel.
Blue Rock School welcomes students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin to all programs and activities and accords the same rights and privileges to all students at the school without discrimination in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, financial aid, or other administered programs.
Introductory Session and Campus Tour
Dates for the 2012/2013 School Year:
Saturday, November 17, 2012 10:00 am
Saturday, January 26, 2013 10:00 am
Saturday, March 9, 2013 10:00 am
Please note that these are adult only events. Children will be invited to visit at later date.
TUITION
Tuition for the 2013/2014 school year:
| Kindergarten: |
|
|
Five half days only:
Plus one afternoon:
Plus two afternoons:
Plus three afternoons:
Plus four afternoons:
Plus Five Afternoons:
(Each afternoon: $1,500)
Single added full day: $125
Single added half day: $75
|
$11,280
$12,780
$14,280
$15,780
$17,280
$18,800
|
| First through Eighth Grade: |
$18,800 |
| Materials fee for all grades: |
$ 500 |
A 10% tuition deposit is due within two weeks of receiving the Enrollment Agreement. This tuition deposit is deducted from the total tuition due for the year. Families may pay the remaining balance in one lump sum or choose between three payment plans, with no additional service fee: Semi-annual (2 payments), quarterly (4 payments) or monthly (10 payments).
FINANCIAL AID
Tuition assistance and diversity scholarships are offered to lower income families. For Kindergarten applicants, aid is generally offered only for the ½-day morning program (9am-12pm). In order to insure a fair distribution of our limited financial aid fund, the school employs School & Student Services (SSS) by NAIS, which performs a thorough analysis of each applicant’s financial situation. The deadline to apply for aid is March 1, 2013 and families will be notified of awards by the beginning of May. Please contact the Admissions Director for more information.
For
directions to Blue Rock School <click>.
Summer Play 2013
Summer Play at Blue Rock School is a fun and enriching place for your child to spend summer days engaging in a variety of hands-on, creative and playful activities that take place outdoors on our serene, four-acre, wooded property and in the classrooms of Blue Rock School's 18th-century stone farmhouse. Here, playgrounds abound and there are enough magical play spaces for the most vivid imaginations. It is a special and imaginative place where lasting memories are made.
This five-week program was started in 2001 by parents and teachers to provide a safe, child-centered and joyous experience for all children, and to share the "Blue Rock experience" with the broader community. A major component of this unique experience is the celebration and nurturing of childhood itself. The program is specially designed for children ages 3 ½ through 12. By allowing children the time to explore, collaborate, connect with the natural world, express themselves creatively, and play, each day is a journey of self-discovery. Tuition is highly affordable, and each summer, the program typically draws over half of its campers from other area schools, both public and private, and from the home-schooled community as well.
A Typical Day
Every day is a new and exciting adventure, teeming with possibilities. Children start out in small, same-age groups with a group leader who accompanies and guides the children through a variety of themed stations throughout their day.
Mornings, time is reserved for groups to attend three different 40 minute stations on a rotating basis. Activities at these morning stations are specially designed with consideration for an age appropriate experience. The relaxed pace is deliberate & flexible so groups may take additional time at a station whenever needed. During the time in between stations, children return to their home base classrooms for a healthy snack, a place to cool off, and some quiet free play.
At midday, the entire camp convenes to share an outdoor picnic lunch in the shade. Riddles and jokes told by campers are featured on the menu as well!
Afternoons are somewhat less structured, and children have the time and freedom to either finish an earlier project or develop one of their own in a mixed age setting. This is accomplished by allowing the children to choose which two stations they'd like to attend on any given afternoon. Many of the morning stations are re-opened plus we offer free swim in our new pool and sprinkler play to help beat the heat! At the end of the day everyone enjoys thirst quenching, all-natural ice pops and singing with guitar accompaniment while awaiting their parent's or caregiver's arrival!
Our Staff
Comprised of Blue Rock faculty, as well as local teachers and artists, our veteran staff has a keen understanding of child development. They collaborate to create a healthy social and creative climate where real learning and camaraderie can flourish. Kind and nurturing Group Leaders remain with their group of campers through the day to facilitate an extraordinary bond of trust and mutual fondness. Station Masters are experts in their field and use their experience with children to fashion unique activities that spark a child’s interest at each station. Summer Play’s only teenage staff members are our CITs (counselors in training). CITs create a wonderful bridge between the young campers and their adult Group Leaders and Station Masters.
Stations
SWIMMING
Our 420-square foot swimming pool is our newest addition to the Summer Play program! Lucas Soraire (a favorite CIT from years past!) is a fully-certified Life Guard and looking forward to assisting our WSI-certified Swim Instructor at the pool. Children ages six and older are given morning swim lessons in small, ability-based groups. Those who have passed an evaluation and been categorized as 'swimmers' by our swim instructor may also enjoy the pool during afternoon Free Swim sessions. (Children under age six may request swim lessons by contacting the Camp Director, and may enjoy the Water Play station each afternoon.)
…AND WATER PLAY
This option ensures that no one will miss out on getting wet and cooling off each afternoon! Children of every age and swimming ability are invited to dash through the sprinkler, slide down the slip-n-slide, play catch with a water balloon, create moats in the sand, or pour a cup of water over a friend's head! It's all in good fun at the ever popular Water Play Station!
ART
Lead by local artist and experienced Art Teacher Jamie Gaviola, children discover their own creativity with materials such as clay, pastels, watercolor paints, paper maché, fabric, and a variety of others. Past projects have included tie dyed T-shirts, clay pinch pots, water color silhouettes, mobiles, pressed flower votives, hand-sewn puppets complete with shoebox theatres, and many more.
There are no ‘cookie cutter’ craft projects here… your child will come home extremely proud of his or her one-of-a-kind creation!
NATURE & SCIENCE
Without a doubt, children will be getting their hands dirty with Station Master Mary Esther Malloy as she guides them on a journey through nature. In the past, children have learned poems about mud as they explored the campus following a rainstorm and collected natural objects to build a miniature shelter to protect fairies from the next storm. They’ve planted seeds and learned about the cycle of life as they watched them grow. They’ve built erupting volcanoes after taking an imaginary journey though the layers of rock to the center of the earth. Mary Esther shares a unique awareness of our natural surroundings with your child and an excitement about nature that so many children are missing in this technological age.
MUSIC & MOVEMENT
Blue Rock School Music Teacher, Danielle Miller, engages the children with playful songs to which they may move, dance and sing along. Campers love learning rhythm drumming techniques, singing in cannon, and playing Toy Store – a musical role-playing game.
As parents, you’ll cherish the joyful melodies your child hums on the car rides home from camp!
DRAMA
Each summer, campers from all age groups collaborate with several staff members to create characters, draw up a storyline and ultimately write a script that they then practice and perform on stage! Some children design costumes, props and sets, some provide musical accompaniment, and others share their acting, singing, and dancing talents in the spotlight.
Parents are in for a treat when they join us on campus to view their children’s final production.
WOODWORKING
Accomplished artist and Special Education Teacher Larry Welsh heads up our Woodworking Station. Safety goggles, blueprints, hammers, nails, and acrylic paints lead to wooden creations of all shapes and sizes. This previously popular special activity is being offered as a daily station this year with superior materials and more in- depth instruction. You just might get a new rocking chair in which to read your favorite book… well maybe that’s a stretch!
Excursions
Children in our older groups are invited to take part in our inspiring excursions one day each week. Veteran environmental educator and avid hiker, Lorraine Marden leads the children on a variety of walks on hiking trails, in local parks, and near lakes & rivers. These excursions are a special opportunity for sharing unique experiences and forming lasting friendships. Space is limited to ten children per day so that students may explore nature more intimately and extensively.
One recurring favorite is the Berry Picking Walk along the Hudson - held as soon as the berries are ripe!
Counselor in Training
Our Counselors in Training (CITs) are an integral part of the Summer Play program. Mature teens, ages 13 and older, may apply for one of a dozen or so CIT positions. CITs volunteer their time for the full duration of the program arriving early each day to prepare for the campers’ arrival and staying to tidy up campus. They form strong bonds with the children and act as a liaison to the adult group leaders and station masters. When a young camper’s nerves prevent him or her from diving into the proposed new activity, it is often the beloved CIT whose eager participation encourages that camper to give it a try. As far the children are concerned, the CITs are much ‘cooler’ then the adults at camp! To apply, contact Directors Giti Koenig and Jenny Armocida at summerplaycamp@gmail.com or call (845) 627-0234.
2013 Schedule
Open House Events: Sunday, April 21, May 19, and June 9 at 11am. Registration required please.
July 1st – August 1st
Mondays through Thursdays
9:30 am to 3 pm
We may offer daily childcare from 9am – 9:30am. However, this option will only be viable with enough participants, so please inquire if you are interested at summerplaycamp@gmail.com or call (845) 627-0234.
Holiday on July 4th
(to accommodate family time
over the long holiday weekend)
Registration Process and Deadlines
Click here for a Returning Camper Registration Form.
Open registration for all new campers begins February 23.
Click here for a New Camper Registration Form.
Please complete registration form in full and send to Blue Rock School for consideration. New families are required to meet the director for a tour of the campus before rendering a deposit. Please contact Jenny Armocida or Giti Koenig to reserve your spot at an Open House event at summerplaycamp@gmail.com or 845-627-0234.
Once accepted, please submit the Release Form and a $150 deposit to reserve your child's spot. Balance of tuition due before July 1, 2013..
Click here for a Release Form and Medical Form.
ALL TUITION BALANCES ARE DUE BY WEDNESDAY, MAY 1st. Payment plans are available when finances are a hardship. Please speak with the director upon submitting your registration paperwork if you wish to make these arrangements.
Tuition Schedule
Holiday 7/4
To accommodate families traveling over the 4th of July weekend, we are not collecting tuition, nor requiring attendance on July 4th.
Full 5 weeks - (Monday, 7/1 – Thursday, 8/1)
Any 4 weeks
Session A – First 2 weeks - (Monday, 7/1 – Thursday, 7/11)
Session B – Last 3 weeks - (Monday, 7/15 – Thursday, 8/1)
Jr. Camper - Children in our two youngest age groups (ages 3 ½ - 5 ½)
- Birthdates that fall between 12/01/07 and 11/30/09
Camper - Children in our four older age groups (ages 6 through 12)
- Birthdates that fall between 12/01/02 and 11/30/07
CIT - Mature, young teens ages 13 and older (entering 8th grade or higher).
CITs go through an application process, including an interview in March. If awarded the position, CITs are expected to be available 9am – 3:30pm, Mondays – Thursdays, for the full 5-week duration of the program. They must also be available to help set up camp for two days prior to the start of camp and for clean up on Friday, August 2. There is no tuition (and no compensation) for CITs. If interested, your child should inquire by writing a letter explaining why he or she would like to become a CIT, what assets he or she can bring to the program, and what he or she hopes to gain from the experience. Please mail letters to Summer Play at Blue Rock School,110 Demarest Mill Road, West Nyack, 10994.
"At Blue Rock summer day camp, my boys were always looking forward to the next day. For them, being at Blue Rock was a unique adventure full of fun, discovery and self-expression. I always tell my friends that I would gauge how much fun my boys had by how filthy they were at the end of the day. Now that's how summer fun should be!!"
-- Wanda Octaviano, parent
