Our Outdoor Campus
 Imagine an eight-acre classroom. Our unique grounds function as an outdoor learning laboratory. The wooded trails, Ridley Creek, the school's Organic Garden and Learning Center, sheep, and fields are part of the everyday learning environment. Our students become scientists and environmental stewards by measuring the health of the creek, restoring the watershed, engaging in resource conservation efforts, and helping to sustain the school lunch program through organic gardening. They appreciate time spent out of doors and enjoy sledding when it snows, fort-building, digging for hidden treasures in the sandboxes, or having a book group discussion under a tree. The parts of our outdoor campus include:
Ridley Creek is located at the edge of our campus. Students often spend time at (or in!) the creek with their teachers during classroom hikes or scientific explorations. During warm weather, they don water shoes or boots and enjoy mucking around during class or splashing about to cool off.
The Organic Garden and Learning Center is located behind the two fenced-in pools used during summer camp. In the garden students grow lettuces, herbs, tomatoes, beans, The Organic Garden and Learning Center strawberries, spinach, peppers, and more. Even preschoolers spend time in the garden and sometimes plant and harvest their own healthy snacks. The OGLC give us the opportunity to provide children with an authentic environment in which to learn about agriculture, nutrition and service.
The sheep pen is home to two of our favorite students, Dawn and Dusk, a Dorset and a Dorset-Shropshire mix. Fifth and sixth grade students take responsibility for caring for the sheep. This 'privilege' includes feeding them daily, tethering them throughout the campus (they are environmentally friendly grass cutters!) Sheep and occasionally mucking out their pen.
The woods create a special environment in which children can fantasize, create, and build communities of their own during recess time. The array of complexly designed structures and accompanying economies that result (trading materials such as slate and shale for clay and charcoal) help children learn to navigate complex social structures within a fantasy setting.
Our enormous sandboxes provide more opportunity for building and exploration. Three sandboxes are strategically located throughout the campus so one never has to go too far to do some serious digging. Children enjoy creating sand cities with tunnels, bridges, rivers and dams or they love to plant 'buried treasure' and dig it up again. During any break or recess time, you will often find young and old girls and boys in the sand.
Our playground and field provide ideal sites for sports classes and play, as well as many areas to meet with friends or teachers, journal, sketch, or just relax. Swings, a slide and climbing structures tempt young bodies and keep them challenged. They are also used during our Afternoons program at the end of the day so that children have plenty of outdoor time after school.
The mighty ship lovingly named The Apple Core was built over the past few years through the volunteer efforts of parents and students. When we built the Grace Rotzel Center in 2000, students were concerned when some trees were felled to make room for the new building. They decided to raise funds to bring a portable mill onto our campus so they could recycle the wood into lumber to build with. Seven years later, we have an astonishing testament to the hard work and dedication of a committed group of volunteers led by children – and a fun piece of playground equipment to boot.
Events & Celebrations
At SRV we are committed to teaching a curriculum that is rich in cultural diversity. One element of that curriculum is that classroom teachers teach children about holidays, as well as about religions, religious practices, and beliefs from a variety of cultures. Learning about different religions and holidays, without celebrating them, promotes mutual appreciation and understanding without placing value on any one idea or practice over another.
 A second major aspect of our policy is that we try to avoid the over-stimulation, commercialism and competitiveness that often accompany the celebrations of many modern holidays. We have found that parties, parades, exchanging commercial cards and gifts, and sugary treats in school tend to divert the children's focus from more meaningful learning experiences. They can also trivialize a holiday's true meaning and spirit.
We work hard to make learning about holidays and religions active, engaging and meaningful without the commercialism. We plan low-key group activities that have educational value and make the curriculum come alive. We also welcome children and families to initiate activities and discussions, and to share with their groups what is important to them.
So what can we agree is appropriate in school? The fact is that it often depends on the context. For example, on Valentine's Day, we ask families not to send in cards and treats for the children to exchange, but a class might learn about the history of the day and make greetings for each other or families and friends in school. We definitely avoid the traditional Halloween parade with prizes for costumes brought in from home and handing out candy. But within the context of talking about the history of the holiday in the classrooms, children might sing spooky songs and dress up or make masks together. This fall the Main Circle, which is studying Mexico, will be doing just those kinds of things as they learn about Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) as part of that curriculum. A family might come in and explain the Jewish New Year to a class and help the children prepare a traditional snack, as happened recently in the Primary Circle. Or a child may share the songs and costumes of her family's Santa Lucia traditions, as an Oldest Group student did a few years back. This way the children participate in meaningful learning experiences, while no one is being made to feel left out or uncomfortable, or overly stimulated by parties and treats.
In addition to educating children about various holidays and cultural celebrations, we also have our own special community celebrations that are not based on any specific religious or cultural orientations. Some, such as Apple Day and Bird Walks, foster respect for nature and the cycles of life. Others, such as Author's Teas, provide important opportunities for us to celebrate children's growth and accomplishments. The Bead Ceremony, perhaps SRV's most unique celebration, brings the whole community together to recognize children individually. SRV's celebrations are educational, inclusive, and bring tradition, richness and ritual to the curriculum and the community.
Lunch Program
 The School in Rose Valley community is aware of how much good health and proper nutrition contribute to a child's well-being and ability to learn. Therefore, we are committed to serving nutritionally balanced meals. We strive to use a limited amount of processed foods, especially those containing white flour, salt and sugar. We buy locally and use organic products whenever possible. The meals prepared are well balanced Type A School Lunches, which are usually 3/5 vegetarian and 2/5 fish or meat weekly. A vegetarian alternative is available on fish or meat days, and may include marinated tofu, soy burgers, or beans. We provide fresh vegetables, fruit, milk, and soy milk daily. Our intention is to provide menus with optimum appeal, variety and nourishment.
Nearly all lunch items are made from scratch by our dedicated chefs. Our family-style meals in classrooms foster community and provide children with encouragement to try new foods.
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