What is the role of nature at River Valley Nature School?

Nature enhances academic and socioemotional development. See Why Nature? Our students learn in both indoor and outdoor environments, spending an average of three hours per day outside. Teachers decide how much time to spend outside based on weather conditions and the energy level and comfort of the students. Our outdoor environments include Catbird Farm, the Buffalo Valley Rail Trail, our school yard, St. Mary’s Park, and downtown Lewisburg. When possible, projects and academics are conducted in an outdoor setting, which is shown to increase focus, readiness, and enthusiasm for learning. Our curriculum for math, literacy, art, science, and social studies are centered around nature so that students may integrate their learning with their hands-on environment.

Following the tenets of Woodnote Fellowship, River Valley Nature School focuses on guiding students as they develop their relationships with, understanding of, and stewardship of the natural world.

How do you teach academics at River Valley Nature School?

Our low student to faculty ratio (typically 1 : 6) allows teachers to meet your child where they are. Students at River Valley make great strides academically because activities are tailored to their abilities and interests. Our educational approach follows an emergent curriculum: one that focuses on children’s interests to create meaningful learning experiences. In many cases, numeracy, literacy, science, and art are taught in a way that integrates multiple subjects into engaging projects. See Our approach. When possible, academics are taught in a manner that gives students the opportunity to move their bodies, work collaboratively with their friends, and engage with nature. Additionally, projects, games, and activities incorporate real-life, hands-on learning.

How does River Valley Nature School prepare my child?

River Valley Nature School believes that the best learners are those that are motivated by interests and passions, those that see knowledge as something that is always changing and useful for real-life. The world we live in changes so fast that we can not even know the types of jobs that will be available to our children in a decade or two. Therefore, we work to keep our students passion for learning and adapting alive by nurturing their confidence, curiosity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. Moreover, a central focus for our teachers is to guide children through relationship and community building, conflict resolution, leadership, emotion-regulation, and mindfulness. Our place-based education helps our students develop a sense of belonging and knowing where they come from, letting them extend roots for solid growth.

What does the cooperative model for parents/guardians mean?

River Valley follows a cooperative that keeps our families connected to their children’s learning community. Parents/guardians serve on a committee and participate in occasional workdays at the school.

How much does River Valley Nature School Cost?

It is a primary goal of River Valley Nature School to be accessible to all families. We depend completely on tuition and fundraising to cover our expenses. We strive to keep our expenses low, and nature provides many resources to allow us to do so. Our fundraising efforts allow us to offer income-based financial aid. If you would like to donate to our financial aid fund, click here. Financial aid applications are available upon request after an enrollment contract has been offered. Our financial aid is a simple form, and financial information is handled confidentially. We encourage all interested families to apply regardless of their finances.

The annual tuition rates for 2024-2025 are as follows:

Explorers Program (ages 3-5)

• 2 days/week (T/Th) $4050.00 + $150.00 activities fee

• 3 days/week (M/W/F) $5470.00 + $200.00 activities fee

• 5 days/week $8150.00 + $250.00 activities fee

Kindergarten through Grade 8

• $8150.00 + $250.00 activities fee

An application fee of $50 and an advanced deposit of 3% of total tuition with the enrollment contract will apply.

My child has learning or behavioral differences, will he/she thrive at River Valley?

We welcome children who learn and interact with the world in their own unique way, and we value diversity of all types. Through discussions with our teachers, we will work with you to determine if we can meet the needs of your child to help them and all the children at RVNS thrive.