FAQs
Are you a vendor with public charter schools?
Yes. My vendor name is “Lisa Clark-Burnell.”
Lisa Clark-Burnell is a vendor with
Pacific Coast Academy
Cabrillo Point Academy
Mission Vista Academy
Dimensions Collaborative School
Freedom Academy
SoCal Academy
Families may pay for classes using Enrichment Orders from their charter school. E.O.s must be placed by August 5th and December 1st.
May I pay by the month or semester?
If using charter school funds, payment is by the semester. Choose “duration” when selecting a payment option for PCA, CPA, or MVA.
Students paying with private funds may pay in two installments.
Fall semester: half on August 1 and the remainder on October 1.
Spring semester: half on December 1 and the remainder on February 1.
What about the new PCA/CPA/MVA policy that students may not pay a single vendor more than $500 in one month? Since our classes are spread out over 4-5 months, this isn’t a problem.
Are there sibling and bundling discounts?
No. Those were discontinued at the end of spring 2021
Is this a drop off program?
Yes.
Is class at FS ever cancelled and what happens then?
I cancel class if I’m sick. (There are no replacement Ms. Lisa’s!) We have make-up weeks built into the schedule.
What about rain?
We hold class rain or shine! And students usually hope for rain.
Farm School shares the Scandinavian Forest School motto: “there’s no such thing as bad weather only bad clothes.”
I firmly believe that doing hard things is satisfying and builds resilience. That’s why we erect an excellent rainy day shelter for rainy days to keep us dry if it happens to rain. Watching the creek flow is awesome. Building, tending and watching a fire is a blast. And recess in the rain is fun if you are prepared!
So we also dress for the weather so no one has to get wet if they don’t want to. On rainy days students are expected to have:
good rainboots and rain clothes.
a change of clothes in case they choose to play in the rain during recess or are in our Science and Language Arts or Shakespeare and Zoology classes in which animals need to be tended rain or shine.
What about cold weather?
See above. Dress warmly: hats, gloves, layers. We build a fire on really cold days and students can take turns during recess at the fire.
Will there be recess?
Absolutely. There is a growing body of research demonstrating the need for both movement and down time in order for us to store information in our long-term memory.
For full day seminars, students will have morning snack recess, lunch recess, and a short afternoon recess for a total of 60-70 minutes of recess.
For shorter seminars there is a short break in the middle of class.
What general supplies should my student bring?
Seminar-specific supply lists are listed in drop-down menus on on each seminar’s page. General supplies include
Water bottle, snack or lunch depending upon the time of day and duration of your student’s seminar.
Hat, closed toed shoes, sunscreen.
Pencils, colored pencils, small post-it notes, scissors, glue stick or tape.
Something to hold Excellent Learning Habits Tickets for Ms. Lisa’s classes (a repurposed Altoids mint box works really well. An envelope is fine too.)
Is there homework?
Yes. Specific details are on each seminar’s page. Homework reinforces concepts learned in class or prepares students to discuss a book the class is reading.
In August families get the updated homework page passwords so they can access the homework pages for each class.
How do I know what happened in class? My kid just talks about his friends there.
I post a class summary for non-math classes each week. Math classes the summary is implied in the homework. If you student has homework on it, we worked on those concepts. I also provide a class outline at the beginning of the year to help families show their charter school liason what they’ll be working on each learning period.
How do I hold a spot for my child in a seminar?
Contact Ms. Lisa, using the contact form to see if there are still spaces available in the class and schedule a tour.
Attend a tour.
Let Ms. Lisa know which FS classes you want a spot in.
Fill out enrollment forms which Ms. Lisa (or a guest teacher) will send you a link for. All classes that happen at Ms. Lisa’s property, i.e. Farm School on Mt. Helix, are required to fill out a Farm School medical/emergency form and liability waiver.
Place an Enrichment Order or mail payment to the teacher. Specific payment instructions will be in the May email or in your enrollment email.
Note, classes often fill up by May so reach out soon for a tour to secure a fall spot.
Is there a bathroom? Handwashing?
Yes. We have multiple handwashing stations around the Farm School spaces.
Yes, student use the restroom in the house. It is 10 feet from the door.
What if my student has cold symptoms?
Students with any cold or covid19 symptoms including any of the following: dry cough, loss of smell, loss of appetite, nausea, diarrhea, unusual fatigue, shortness of breath, fever, runny nose, headache may not attend Farm School that day.
Are there make up days for sick students? No.
May my student wear a mask?
Yes.
NOTE: website photos are from 2019 - 2022 and reflect the variety of distancing and masking protocols in effect during that time period depending upon when the photo was taken.
Should I bring a snack or lunch?
Yes, if your class is held during lunch time, we’ll have a lunch recess, so bring a snack.