School Year

Waldorf School operates on a traditional nine-month schedule, beginning in late August or early September and ending in early to mid June. The school year includes winter and spring breaks plus a week-long vacation in February. National holidays and several major religious holidays are also honored with days off of school.

School Trips

Each year, Santa Cruz Waldorf High School students embark upon a ten-day service-learning trip, usually in the spring. This trip is considered part of the curriculum and emphasizes a particular piece of the grade level theme. Ninth grade: Agriculture. Tenth grade: Forestry. Eleventh grade: Community service. Twelfth grade: Solo. All costs associated with this trip are covered in the annual trip fee and tuition.

Sponsorship

Sponsors serve as shepherds of the class during the four years of high school. They check in with their classes regularly. The sponsors are the first people students and parents contact with questions or concerns. They keep a finger on the pulse of the class, and are the ones other teachers can speak to if the class or individual students need extra academic or social support. The sponsors conduct class parent evenings three or four times a year, attend the weekly class meetings with the students, plan and accompany field trips, and act as advisors to the students in their class. The involvement of individual sponsors can vary, but all are deeply committed to the welfare of the students in their particular care.

School Rules

The Santa Cruz Waldorf School holds the belief that young children thrive in an environment of structure and rhythm. Respect for the guiding authority of the class teacher instills a sense of confidence in the students. In adolescence, students begin to take more responsibility for their actions and in return are encouraged to work as a group to develop a code of conduct, which is then followed with a sense of respect for oneself and fellow students. The SCWHS student handbook contains the general guidelines that students are expected to follow. Discipline and consequences are a mater of individual circumstance and close working with student, advisor, teacher and sponsor create a supportive environment with clear boundaries. Parents become involved with school discipline only when it is deemed necessary and appropriate.

College Acceptance

The Santa Cruz Waldorf High School will provide a rigorous academic education that will, within the context of Waldorf education, prepare students to enter colleges and universities across the country. This includes satisfying the requirements for entrance into the University of California system. Students at the Santa Cruz Waldorf School will benefit from college and career counseling. College bound students are assisted in determining what they are looking for in a college, defining the criteria, such as the academic program, type of institution. Juniors are directed in contacting colleges for information about scholarships, financial aid, housing, special programs, and their academic programs. In their senior year, students are assisted with the application process.

Students who prefer a different post-graduate experience are counseled in the many alternatives now available. Each student is guided toward the path they and their families find most fitting.

Extra Curricular Activities

In addition to the movement classes offered during the school day, a number of after school sports activities are also available depending upon the level of student interest. Student led after school clubs and projects are encouraged and supported by the teaching and mentoring staff at the Santa Cruz Waldorf High School.