There are no other “fees” charged by the school. If your child chooses to participate in extra- curricular activities, the teacher/coach in charge will let you know if any monies are due at the parent meeting prior to the beginning of the activity. Lunches may be purchased through Pepi Foods. Learn more here.

Letters from teachers will go out to Lower School students before school begins. Upper and Middle School students will get their schedules from the Registrar.

All offices are open from
8:00 am until 4:00 pm Monday through Thursday
8:00 am until 3:30 pm on Fridays

Although you can always call the Main Office and ask to be transferred, it is much faster for you to call the Division directly. They can be reached at the following numbers:

Lower School: 229-585-9231
Middle School: 229-585-9232
Upper School: 229-585-9233
Crane Hall (Main Office): 229-242-8491

We employ a full-time Coordinator of Campus Safety and Security, Mr. Les Bunte. Mr. Bunte is a former police officer and has extensive experience working with schools. He helps by directing traffic in the morning and afternoons, but his most important duties are to help us with any internal or external threats that might affect the school, to the Lower School students, he is their lunch buddy – Les regularly eats lunch with them to build positive relationships starting when they are young.

Please call the main office (229-242-8491) and ask to be transferred to the Athletic Department. There is no direct dial number for them.

The Lower School phone will be answered until 4:00 pm daily.

After 4:00 pm, you can reach extended day by calling 229-585-9231 extension 7308.

In case of a school closing, a text alert will be sent to the phone number(s) you have indicated in the Parents’ Portal of the FACTS system. This text is followed by an email alert and an automated phone alert. It is very important that you make sure your contact information is up to date in FACTS so that you receive these important messages. Please note that these systems will only be used for emergency notifications; you will not receive any general messages through these channels.

Food may be purchased through Pepi Foods, the information is available on the school website by here.

For an absence, please call or email the Division Office:

Lower School

Sherri Kirbo
[email protected]
229-585-9231

Middle School

Emily Ryan
[email protected]
229-585-9232

Upper School

Shonie Thomas
[email protected]
229-585-9233

If you would like to pick your student up before the regular dismissal time, please let the Division Assistant know at least 30 minutes in advance so that they have time to notify the teacher and student.

We want to be supportive of you and your family during times of stress or crisis. Please contact the Division Dean to discuss any issues that impact your child’s success or emotional well-being at school.

The enrollment contract contains a health section. Please make sure that you filled this out with the most current information. In addition, if your child has a severe allergy, we do ask for documentation from a doctor and suggest a meeting with the Division Dean to ensure that we are aware of the protocols to keep your child healthy and well at school.

Each Division will handle the medication for the students it serves. Please provide the medication to the Assistant in your student’s Division and be sure that the directions for administration of medication are clearly delineated.

Each Division has a small lost and found receptacle in the office. The Eager Sports Center also has a lost and found box, which is located in the lobby.

If your student has left something at home, it can be dropped off in the main office (Crane Hall). The correct Division will be notified, and the item will be delivered with minimal distraction to the classroom. However, we urge parents to make good decisions regarding the delivery of forgotten items since the natural consequence of not having the item teaches students responsibility and time management.

During Open House there will be sign-up sheets for various committees for the classroom and the Valwood Parent Association (VPA). There are also other ways of volunteering, and your Division Dean will be able to help find a place where your talents can help the School.

As is the case in the vast majority of independent schools, tuition only covers a portion of the money spent to educate our students. The Annual Fund helps bridge the gap between tuition and the cost of a Valwood education. Benefits from the Annual Fund touch every facet of the school’s operation from academics to athletics to the arts and enrichment programs.

Arrival

All students should arrive at school ready to be in class by 8:00 am. The earliest we can receive children is at 7:30 am

Dismissal

Our Lower School pick up times are staggered by grade to ease the congestion in the parking lot. All other students are dismissed at 3:25 p.m. Please help us by arriving only slightly before your child’s pick up time.

Since we teach responsibility and self-advocacy, the best way to manage this is for the student to email the teacher explaining the situation. If there is a lack of understanding regarding the assignment, we like the student to indicate the ways that he/she attempted to solve the problem. If it is a time management situation, the student should explain the plan to manage the situation.

In the Lower and Middle Schools, the classes are grouped heterogeneously. Students are assigned to teachers based on a complex analysis that include consideration of the classes balance for gender, personality, learning styles, ability, relationships with peers, social-emotional needs and developmental progress.

In the Upper School, all of our courses are taught at a rigorous, college prep level. Should a student need additional challenge, placement will be considered for an honors class. We offer a number of advanced placement classes. In order to enroll in an AP course, students must receive a teacher recommendation and previous performance must indicate that the student will be successful in the class. From time to time, a student may elect to enroll in a course that is not recommended. Students in honors and AP courses are expected to perform at a B level or better. Should grades fall below a B, students will be given an opportunity to raise the grade before being moved to a more appropriate level.

All of the Lower and Middle School students have co-curricular classes in Spanish, library, music, physical education, and art each week. Upper School students have many choices for electives that allow them to pursue their passions.

In the Middle and Upper Schools, cell phones are permitted but must be on silent and not in use during classes unless an adult has instructed otherwise All students are encouraged to have a tablet or laptop at school. Many classes regularly use them as an instructional tool.

Valwood has a strong history of working with families to support students to participate in activities that may require time away from class. The arrangements should be made with the Division Dean.

In the Upper School, students may take multiple classes within a single academic discipline with approval from both the discipline teacher(s) and the Dean.

Lower School students are expected to read each day after school. The amount of homework varies by grade level, but should never exceed 30 minutes for students up through grade three and 60 minutes for students in grades four and five.

Middle and Upper School students can expect homework from each class. They are able to complete some homework during study hall and have the opportunity to go to a tutorial session after school to receive help from their teacher. The amount of time each student spends on homework is influenced by many factors; however, most students spend between one to two hours on homework each evening.

If an Upper School student is taking an advanced placement class, the College Board indicates that they should expect about two hours of homework each evening in that subject area.

Because Valwood is a college- preparatory school, college guidance is an important aspect of our program. The college counselor offers extensive support to students that begins in Middle School with overview programs that prepare students and their families to consider the next step in the educational journey. As students enter the Upper School, they are able to go on school coordinated trips to colleges and universities. As juniors, the college guidance program assists students in the development of resumes and helps them to narrow down their college choices. As seniors, they receive individualized attention in the completion of applications, essays and securing letters of recommendation. Further, our college prep program helps students understand and interpret their PSAT scores and focus their test preparation on areas in which they most need to improve. The intentional focus on this area of preparation helps ensure that our graduates matriculate to schools where they will be successful – and happy.

The mission of Valwood School emphasizes academic excellence, character and a commitment to serve others. In support of that mission, members of the Valwood School community agree when they enroll to abide by the standards expressed in our Honor Code. By adopting this code, our students, families and faculty affirm the values of honesty, respect, self-control, safety, fairness, and character.

The Honor Code at Valwood School is as follows:

As a member of the Valwood School community, I pledge to be honest with myself and with others; to strive to refrain from all acts of cheating, lying and stealing; and to treat others with respect and courtesy.

The Honor Code applies on campus and on any off-campus school-sponsored trip or event. The following are some common examples of behaviors that are not appropriate for a Valwood community member: plagiarism, cheating, deception, disrupting the work or focus of others, harassment, bullying and intentional destruction of property.
With this Honor Code in place, we ensure that Valwood School is safe environment for each and every one of our students, families and staff. The camaraderie is palpable on campus and this is a primary reason students and parents alike choose to Valwood.

A student who wants to drive to school should meet with Mr. Les to be assigned a parking place. Seniors will have scheduled time to meet with Mr. Les during the first week of school. All other students are able to meet with him during their study hall.

Lower School Supply List

Middle School Supply List

Upper School teachers will post supply requirements for individual courses during the first week of school.

The Lower School Division Dean will mail a letter to each student’s home with class assignments the week before the start of school. Students will have an opportunity to visit their classrooms and teachers during Back to School Night.

Middle and Upper School students receive their schedules, including course, teacher and locker assignments, on Back to School Night.

Over the summer, you will receive information from the Admission Office, as well as information from each Division Dean. These communications will keep you up-to-date on events and information for the start of school. Throughout the year we will send out our weekly newsletter, The Valwood View, on Thursdays. 

However, if you have any questions, please call the Admission or Main Offices at 229-242-8491.

Division Deans will send specific drop off and pickup details before the start of school. For planning purposes, school begins at 7:55 for all students.

To ease the congestion in the parking lot, we have a staggered pick up schedule. Please plan to arrive at school as close to the designated time as possible. See our lower school dismissal times. All other students are dismissed at 3:25 p.m

This information will be posted on the web site the first part of June for all students.

New students enrolled after August 1 are not expected to complete the summer reading unless they are entering an Advanced Placement Class that has a specific summer assignment.