Educational Support
San Francisco Waldorf School provides an education that honors a wide diversity of learning profiles. As a school community, we value all dimensions of each child and work diligently to address students’ intellectual, social, emotional, and physical needs. Our dedicated and experienced faculty is committed to providing an educational experience that meets each student's needs through a variety of instructional strategies and approaches. The ability to perceive and respond to the individual student allows us to meet each child where they are and help them grow to reach their full potential. We integrate live experience, hands on exploration and artistic expression into all areas of the curriculum, enabling every child to achieve a high level of motivation and joy in learning and to meet challenges with resilience and perseverance.
In the context of this holistic methodology, honoring each individual as a unique learner, our educational support program team strives to ensure students identified with learning differences receive age and developmentally appropriate services and accommodations. While we are not a school that specializes in serving students with significant learning differences or social-emotional challenges, that require small classes, intense, specialized help, continued guidance from an adult, or a highly modified curriculum, we do offer assessments in second and fifth grade, screening of new students, and full assessments as requested by teachers.
Our Educational Support program provides regular learning support such as weekly small group reading pullouts two times per week in Grades 2 and 3, and once per week in Grades 4 and 5. We offer writing pullout classes once a week to students requiring additional support in Grades 6-8. We offer a once a week skills class for students who require additional math support in Grades 4-8. Additionally, we offer therapeutic eurythmy and Extra Lesson sessions for a limited number of students in each grade. If a student needs intensive individual services such as comprehensive psycho-educational testing, counseling, or extensive one-on-one remediation, parents or guardians are referred to outside professionals. These specific remediations and any accommodations arising out of external assessments are discussed between parents, our educational support team, and teachers in ongoing private meetings to support the child.
“Our rightful place as educators is to be removers of hindrances...Each child at every age brings something new to the world.”
Rudolf Steiner
Meet our specialist
Jo-Ann Climenhage, Ph.D.
jclimenhage@sfwaldorf.org