Daily Logistics

  • Drop off time is 8:30am at Four Winds School (54 French King Hwy. Gill, MA 01354).
  • Tardiness affects your student academically and socially, so please bring your student on time whenever possible. However, we also understand that life sometimes gets in the way! Please be in touch if your student will be more than five (5) minutes late.
  • Attendance Policy: Please let us know about any absences by emailing teachers@nullfourwindsschool.info by 9:30am on the morning of the absence. Click here to read Four Winds School’s full attendance policy.
  • Winter Weather Policy: In the event of a cancellation or delay, we will update WWLP’s list of school closings and delays.
    • We recommend that families sign up for WWLP’s text alerts for convenience.
    • Additionally, we will send out an email and post on our Facebook and Instagram pages in the event of a closing or delay.
    • In the event of a two-hour delay, we will start at 10:30am.
    • We never plan for early dismissals due to difficulties coordinating these with our geographically wide-spread community (and without busses). However, families should feel free to pick their students up early if they are worried about driving conditions.
  • Early releases: If you need to pick your student up early for any reason, please let us know ahead of time so we can plan accordingly.
    • We do not have a space to separate individual students from the larger group for any reason, so if your student becomes ill or has a behavioral issue, we may need to send your student home early in which case we will work with you to coordinate timing and transportation.
  • Pick up time is between 3:15 and 3:30pm at Four Winds School (54 French King Hwy. Gill, MA 01354).
    • A teacher or staff member will be outside during pickup: students should check in with us before leaving.
    • Students may only leave with adults who parents/guardians have previously given pick-up permission (in the Opening Packet or later by email).
    • If students would like to walk or bike home, parents/guardians should let us know ahead of time that they may do so.
    • Please note that we frequently have after-school meetings or commitments, and therefore cannot stay to watch your child if you are running late, so please be timely. We will call home at 3:30 if a student is still at school to ensure that someone is on their way.

Academics

  • Biweekly: Students at Four Winds work at their own level and pace. Every two weeks students will set goals for the biweekly and later complete an assessment of whether they have met those goals. We will send out a progress report at the end of each biweekly.
  • Homework: At Four Winds we do not assign daily homework. We believe that students should have time after school to spend with their families or to pursue their other interests. However, if students get behind on their biweeklies due to mismanaging their time, they may have to bring work home to catch up. By ensuring they complete this work at home, you will be helping them not only to get back on track, but to learn from their mistakes. If your student does have any work left at the end of the biweekly, you will be notified in their biweekly progress report. Please note that the Biweekly System relies on families enforcing homework at the end of the biweekly. Thank you for playing your part in teaching your student time management! (Note: If a student consistently has homework, we will set up a meeting to adjust their workload, or discuss strategies to help them focus during work time, or other relevant information specific to their situation).
  • Curriculum: We have had success with a wide range of students by using books and materials that are effective in a self-directed learning environment. The Four Winds program has the flexibility to accommodate our students’ specific needs. Therefore in most cases we do not substitute alternative curriculum materials at families’ request. (However, we do have the flexibility to add to our curriculum if necessary.) You can learn more about our program and curriculum here.

Communication and Contact

We strive for frequent and open communication with our students’ families:

  • We send a Biweekly Update Email on the first Friday of every biweekly. It includes information about what we’re doing at school as well as important information about upcoming dates and events.
  • We send Progress Reports on the second Friday of each biweekly. These detail what work your student completed over the biweekly and if they have any homework for the weekend.
  • If something else comes up, we may send additional email(s) at another time. If we email home with a question or concern, we are trying to support your student at school, and will appreciate a quick response.
  • If you have questions or concerns, let us know! Email is our primary form of communication. We can be reached by phone (413 863 8055) if we are in the building, but teachers@nullfourwindsschool.info is the best way to contact us. If you would like to connect with us in person, please contact us to set up a meeting ahead of time. Drop off and pick up are not times that we have available unless previously scheduled.

Who to contact about what:

Academics & Logistics
Hattie Adastra and Becca Danielsen
teachers@nullfourwindsschool.info

Enrollment Agreements & Financial Aid
Board President and Four Winds Founder, Steve Hussey
shussey@nullfourwindsschool.info, 413 775 0221

Questions for the Board
Board/Parent Liaison, Andrea Michael
andrea.l.michael@nullgmail.com

Backup liaison, Pete Brown
pete@nullalasno.org

Administration
Becca Danielsen
admin@nullfourwindsschool.info

Billing & Payments
Bookkeeper, Terry Robertson
trobertson331@nullgmail.com , 413 739 3411

Payments: Our bookkeeper will invoice you according to your payment schedule. Please be timely with your payments: Four Winds is a small school without an endowment. The running of our program relies almost entirely on tuition, and it is the students who will directly suffer if payments are late. Please note that students may not start the school year until past debts are paid, and that continued failure to pay an overdue balance will result in legal action as defined in the Enrollment Agreement.