What do you mean by a cooperative school?
Nutfield is a true cooperative school. In addition to having Parent Representatives on the Board of Directors, parents also participate in the classroom on a rotating basis.
If you have special requests for co-op days, you can alert the Director and we will try to honor them. The co-op schedule is circulated approximately every two months.
What is the average class size and the teacher-to-student ratio?
The class size for the 3-year- old program is a maximum of 15 students.
The class size for the 4-year- old program is a maximum of 18 students.
Each class has a teacher, a teaching assistant, and a volunteer parent.
What is the daily schedule in the classroom?
The daily schedule varies in each classroom, but there are key components that are a part of every day.
There is a circle time in which the class works together exploring current topics, and developmentally appropriate concepts are introduced and taught.
There is a snack time, time for outdoor play with peers, story time, and large blocks of choice time in which students select from the centers in the classroom to explore. There are sometimes also special activities, such as gym, visits from Taylor library, or storytime with Papa Joe.
Do you have a security policy and plans in place?
Yes, we do. Please refer to the Health and Safety page, or the Parent Handbook.
Where is Nutfield located?
Nutfield School is located on the premises of the First Parish Church in East Derry, at 47 East Derry Road. The school is not affiliated with the church.
Does the Nutfield school year match the Derry Cooperative School System yearly calendar?
Nutfield’s school year typically begins after labor day, and ends the first week of June. This provides a school year of ample length of children aged 3 to 6.
Are the students escorted to the bathroom and chaperoned during toileting?
For children attending the preschool program, students are escorted to the bathroom as a group multiple times, and if a child needs to go at another time during the class session, they are accompanied by a teacher. For children in the Pre-K program, some students may sign out and/or notify an adult that they are going to the bathroom, whereas some who may still need an escort are accompanied by a teacher.

During the School Year Questions

How do you handle discipline in the classroom?
Discipline means to teach or train. In our classrooms, the children have three adults to teach them the rules of good classroom cooperation as well as a class of children to model appropriate behavior.
If a child is having a hard time figuring out appropriate classroom behavior, one of the teachers will take them aside, help them see the consequences of their behavior, and brainstorm a better approach to the situation. The co-oping parent may speak to a child they are working with who is having difficulty, or they may ask the teacher to intervene. The safety of all children is always our primary concern; we will do what is needed to guarantee safety without embarrassing a child.
Will my child be ready for Kindergarten?
Our curriculum is designed to introduce the children to all of the skills they will need to be ready for Kindergarten. We teach these skills in a developmentally appropriate way, which means the way in which research has shown that children learn best.
Research has show that children learn best when they are using all of their senses. A child needs to move, touch, see, hear, and sometimes even smell, to make a concept their own. We give children opportunities to move each day both in the classroom, in gym, and outside; children have many opportunities to touch materials that reinforce the curriculum; most of our lessons include a visual element as well as an oral description; and finally the fragrances of various activities often fill the halls at Nutfield.
The feedback we get from many of the schools in Derry is that Nutfield children are very well prepared for further learning. They are independent, comfortable asking questions, and able to learn from their mistakes.
How do you handle social problems between students?
We encourage children to do a lot of talking and to practice good listening. We ask students to try and tell each other how they are feeling (sad, mad, frustrated, jealous). We ask them to tell each other how they would like to solve the problem. If they can not agree on the solutions the teacher would then act as a mediator.
Do you use computers in the classroom?
Computers are a large part of daily life in most homes, and certainly in public schools from Grade 1 and beyond. Therefore, for the 2 ½ hours your child is at Nutfield, we feel the time is better spent in other areas that will promote creativity, socialization, and hands-on learning.
We feel that you are sending your child to us for the social experience, so that is what we focus on. With all the concerns educators have about the amount of screen time children are getting we have chosen not to include computers in our classrooms.
Will my child learn to read at Nutfield?
Reading is much like putting a puzzle together. The level of difficulty of a puzzle (number of pieces) a child will be successful at depends on a child’s developmental level.
We will introduce the children to all of the skills (pieces) they need to begin reading. If a child is ready to put all of the skills (pieces) together to read (make a picture) they will be reading when the leave Nutfield. If they are not ready they will have a good head start on reading when they enter Kindergarten.
Will my child be safe at Nutfield?
We take the safety and security of our students and staff very seriously, and we have solid and tested procedures in place in the event of an emergency. Please refer to the Health and Safety page, or the Parent Handbook.
Under what weather conditions do the students NOT go outside?
We feel in this day and age it is particularly important to get the children outside for some fresh air and exercise every day. The students go out in all but the most inclement of weather (pouring rain, exceptional cold).
There is no particular temperature at which we do not go out. The decision to go out or not is made by the individual teacher.
How do I decide what to provide for snack on my day to co-op?
For snack on your co-op day, please being in a fruit, vegetable and hummus. A list of suggested snacks and amounts will be provided at the beginning of the school year. Snack shoud be prepped ahead of time (i.e., cucumbers should be sliced, grapes cut in half).
What are my duties as a parent on my co-op day?
On your co-op day, the teachers will let you know what your responsibilities are. Typically, they will ask for help with cleaning the tables, doing a project, and monitoring the swings outside.