About Green Hedges School
Learn about Green Hedges School and what makes us such a warm and nurturing environment for your child.
Learn about Green Hedges School and what makes us such a warm and nurturing environment for your child.
Visit and apply to Green Hedges to experience how Children here get the care, nurturing, personal attention, and guidance they need to thrive as learners and as young people. The foundation children gain here stays with them in high school and for the rest of their lives.
From the moment you step onto the Green Hedges campus, you will witness the strong sense of community that exists here. We provide children a safe, secure environment while maintaining a commitment to the charming, family-friendly community so often found in a neighborhood school.
Our community celebrates together at many points throughout each school year. This list provides a short description of each event and its purpose, along with some helpful information.
Date/time: Monday mornings immediately following drop off (8:15 a.m.) and Friday afternoons immediately preceding pick up (2:45 p.m.)
On Monday mornings immediately following drop off (8:15 a.m.) and Friday afternoons immediately preceding pick up (2:45 p.m.), GHS organizes a special session to begin and end the week with a school-wide gathering in the Multi-Purpose Room (MPR). During these assemblies, students share class projects, their personal achievements are recognized, and special announcements are made. Throughout the year, there are also occasional special presentations and performances on topics including chamber music and dance performances, magic, acrobatics, poetry, book readings, laser shows, and more. Our parents are warmly encouraged to attend opening or closing as their schedule permits.
Students from each grade, except preschool Montessorians, participate in the school’s Winter and Spring concerts, information on which is sent out close to the events. These concerts are also streamed live via the Web. In addition, each grade also performs a play, sometimes as a Special Opening/Closing event, others at 7:00 p.m. attended not only by grade-specific parents but anyone who is interested.
Our school mascot is a Dragon named Percival. Once the weather turns cool in the fall, the school hosts a family fair with carnival games, rides, food, and music. This event is filled with fun for the whole family including siblings, grandparents, family friends…really anyone who wants to join in. All are welcome!
Even though GHS is a small community, hectic lives can make it complicated to meet informally with other parents and the variety of adults who work with your student(s). These parties, hosted by GHS at a family home, provide a relaxed opportunity for parents to get to know one another and the GHS faculty and staff. Dates vary year to year, and parents are notified with electronic save-the-date cards and invitations. Parents with multiple children at GHS may find themselves invited to several of these receptions!
The Montessori Experience is an informational session in your child’s classroom with his/her teachers. Especially useful for parents of first-time “Montessorians”, this program acquaints you with the philosophy and emphasis of the Montessori system of education while allowing you to experience first-hand the learning materials that your child will be using for the next three years.
To celebrate its ethnic and cultural diversity, the school organizes International Week which includes a colorful and energetic Parade of Nations as a Special Opening, an International Feast for each classroom, student art displays, and more. For the parade, children are encouraged to wear traditional clothing from their country of choice. This clothing can range from full-on traditional wear to a hand-drawn flag taped to their shirt to a beloved sports-team cap. Similarly, a child may choose ANY country to represent – be it their country of origin or ethnicity, a country they’ve visited, a country they are studying about or a country they’ve only seen on a map. The idea is to have fun and foster inquiry and a sense of inclusion in “One World, One Family”.
Concurrently, when asked to contribute for the International Feast, you may choose to bring a simple dish for your class to share. Anything from caramel popcorn (American!) to store-bought samosa (Indian!) to homemade pierogis (Polish!) is welcome no matter if you’re one of these ethnicities or not. The only criteria to keep in mind are that the dish be preferably nut-free, easy to handle and servable at room temperature.
The Book Fair is held annually in the MPR in early December. Your child will compile a “wish list” during the week that will be sent home for review. You are welcome to buy these books for them, or others of your choosing. In addition, parents may also buy a book (or more) to donate to the school or class library.
The annual PA Bingo Night is a fun family event that you won’t want to miss! Part fundraiser, part pizza party, part extended play date (especially for the little ones), Bingo Night is organized in the MPR with food and drinks available for sale. Many families arrive early to have dinner and then stay to play bingo for small prizes with their children and friends.
A glimpse into the next school year, FastForward Night is a parents-only evening designed to familiarize you with your child’s next school year at GHS. You will visit your child’s rising grade classroom, meet the teacher and learn about the curriculum.
One of the School’s major fundraisers, the Gala is an adult evening at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens with food and drinks and the opportunity to bid for auction items. Semi-formal attire is requested conforming loosely to the theme of that year. Although a fundraiser Gala sounds fancy, it is organized and attended by fellow parents so you are sure to run into friends and fellow class parents. Although many folks indulge in enthusiastic bidding, for most parents the evening is just a fun, dress-up night out without kids, all in support of the school they have invested in.
A day for grandparents and/or a child’s special friends to tour the child’s classroom, see their loved one’s accomplishments in school and spend some quality time with their favorite young person. In honor of their grandparents, special friends, and the GHS founders, children prepare a special performance, culminating with our traditional Maypole Dance performed by each year’s Grade 3 class. School lets out at noon.
Learn more about our program and inquire regarding select openings this fall or future years.
GREEN HEDGES SCHOOL
415 Windover Avenue, N.W.
Vienna, Virginia 22180
Phone: (703) 938-8323
Email: [email protected]