The Admissions Process

1. The Inquiry
The journey begins with your interest in St. Peter’s School.  Browse our website, and once you decide you would like more information, complete the online inquiry form or contact the admissions office at (423) 870-1794.

Our admissions process is designed with the best interest of the student, the family, and the school in mind.  Choosing a school for your child is a very important, emotional decision, and our desire is to guide and support you through this process.  We very much look forward to getting to know you and your family.

2. The Family Visits
After the initial inquiry, you are added to the admissions database for future mailings regarding upcoming activities and events.  Small Group Tours provide a great opportunity to see our school in its real, everyday setting, with active classrooms and hard-working students.  Certain marked tour dates allow time to meet and talk with current parents about their experience at St. Peter’s.  Please choose a time to visit from the available dates listed in the “Tours and Dates” section and contact our office to reserve your space.

Likewise, our Prospective Parent Open House, typically held in late January, provides a unique opportunity to visit the classrooms and talk with the teachers one-on-one.  We encourage you and your family to take this time to get to know the wonderful teachers that comprise our St. Peter’s staff.

3. The Application
Regarding application: Boys and girls must be the appropriate age before September 30^th  (3 years old for 3’s, 4 years old for PreK 4’s, 5 years old for Kindergarten, and 6 years old for 1^st grade) to be considered for admission.  In fairness to all, there are no exceptions to this date. 

Completed applications along with a $50 application fee should be returned to our office by February 20, 2009.   If possible, a teacher recommendation form from current preschool or elementary school should be completed and mailed directly to the admissions office; a form has been provided in the application packet.  For grade school applicants, a signed record release must be included to complete an application file.

4. The Child Visits
Once your completed application is received, you will be notified regarding your date for visitation.  Visitation for our preschool and kindergarten applicants will take place on Thursday, March 12th, or Friday, March 13th from 9:00 – 11:00 am.  Your child will visit on one of these days and will participate in age-appropriate classroom activities with our teachers.  We do not feel that “formal” assessments are necessary, but we do evaluate a child’s skill regarding school readiness.  Most importantly, we hope that the visit not only will be informative but fun!

For our grade school (1^st- 5^th) applicants, a visit with one of our current teachers will be scheduled.  During this 1 hour visit, your child will be asked to complete some basic grade specific tasks in order to assess skills that would be required for matriculation.  Once again, this is not meant to be an intimidating or anxiety-filled visit for your child.  It simply allows our teachers an opportunity to meet each applicant and get to know a little more about him or her. 

5. The Decision
Admissions decisions will be mailed on March 20^th, and parents are asked to return their contracts by March _____.  Due to the limited number of openings, we may form a small wait list to utilize openings that may occur after the deadline for contracts.  In a perfect world, we could accommodate all children that apply for admission to our school; unfortunately, we cannot.  Having said that, our goal is to provide the best fit for the child, the family, and the school.  Hopefully, your journey through this process has been worth your time and effort.  Thank you so much for your patience.