Four Seasons Community School

Things to consider before considering Four Seasons:
–High teacher turnover/​unable to keep qualified teachers.
(In the Pre-​primary class, 5 teachers in one year).
–Communication is lacking. Daily information and/​or weekly updates about your child’s day are not given. Teachers are intended to write in a Parent-​Teacher Book once a week, but it is typically a little note every 2 ½ to 3 weeks. Classroom photos are posted on a blog, but are inconsistent and depends on the individual teacher on how frequently (once or twice a month, or less).
–Parents are not allowed to walk their child to their classroom or visit. The layout of the building does not allow you to see in the classroom at pick up or drop off. In the Parent Handbook, it reads, «classroom observations are offered with an adjustment period of at least one month to settle in after starting a new year or cycle,» but if you do request to sit in on your child’s class, it will not be encouraged and causes friction and questioning from the staff. The message is clear that family involvement with your child’s education and knowledge about your child’s day is not important to the school. The name «Community» implies there will be communication and involvement between the school and family. This is not the case.
–The school moved in 2013 into an old daycare building that was vacant for over two years. The building is within Austin City Zoning Laws for Child Daycares and Cellphone Towers. The back playground and campus reside within a few feet of a Cell Tower. The City of Austin Telecommunications Department said, «there are holes in the policies and the school should not have been able to move into the building under current zoning.»
–The tuition of $ 800-​$ 1200 a month is quite expensive to be under a cell tower.
–Exposure to RF energy is related to time and distance from the source. The closer to the source (within .18 miles) the higher the power. The same exposure as your child talking on an iPhone as being on the playground except it is continuous while during outdoor play.
Sources:
–Within 4 months, children at the school had cases of lice, double ear infections, pink eye, strep throat, mollusum contagiosum and croup.
I hope this is helpful. It is hard and costly to acclimate your child to a new school and then transition them to another one once you realize it is not a good fit.

Four Seasons ROCKS! Our babes started going to Four Seasons Round Rock (which has now merged into one with the Austin campus’ new location on Adelphi) in January when the preschool they were going to didn’t have full-​time care when we needed it. We went from a situation where my husband had my daughter clinging to him crying 2 days/​week when he dropped them off to Four Seasons where the 2^nd day dropping them off she ran inside, forgetting to give me a hug and kiss!
It’s hard to believe it’s only been a little over 6 months since they started going there (at the age of 2 and 4); the amount of growth and learning that we have witnessed over such a short time is nothing short of amazing! They are in an environment that supports their individuality, nurtures their interests and is truly loving.
Our daughter will be 5 in several weeks, technically old enough for kindergarten, and 6 months ago we were certain that we were going to wait a year but now she is going to have the opportunity to attend kindergarten in the loving arms of Four Seasons and we couldn’t be happier… if only they offered 1^st grade too!
This is a child-​led environment, so it’s for the more crunchy of parents; they also serve nutritious, organic snacks (while paying special attention to our meat/​dairy-​free diets) and have even been looking into arranging a food program with Whole Foods… so for the parents who are really interested in instilling healthy eating habits, respect for our environment, a sense of community and loving all creatures within an environment that gets kids excited to learn, look no further… Four Seasons is where you want to be!

My son (2 yrs old) wakes up in the morning asking if it’s time to go to school. He loves it. Highlights:
— Great outdoor space. Very large lot with the usual sandbox, slides, swings and trucks. But also some vegetable gardens, an outdoor music exploration area, balancing stumps, glass panels for outdoor art projects and an outdoor stage for singing songs and dancing!
— Water days every Tuesday and Thursday (in the summer) — playing with sprinklers, smearing shaving cream on the glass panels, kiddie pools, water table, splashing and pouring, etc.
— Education is structured around themes/​units — examples: tinkering, culture, community helpers, home, etc.
— Good student/​teacher ratios, so students get individualized attention
— Singing, reading
— Healthy snacks
— Active parents
— Great teachers

Teri and her staff have a wonderful school! They provided a fun, hands-​on, nurturing environment for my daughter as was seen through her enthusiasm to go to school everyday. The music, overall teaching approach, attention to healthy food, and spirit of community life between the families and school were some of my favorite aspects of FSCS. Unfortunately, only after a little over a year at the school, my husband relocated his job and we had to move away from Austin. We miss FSCS and have not found a school that has comes close to the community FSCS offers.