Village School
at Bread & Butter Farm
We are thrilled to offer our full day, farm and forest based program, The Village School, here at Bread & Butter Farm!
Village School is a school year long program offered September - May from 9am-3pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays, or Fridays for kids grades 2-8
Thank you for your interest in joining the Village School!
Registration for the 2023/2024 Village School Year in Open!
Placements will begin July 3rd and be sent out by July 18th
If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail us at education@breadandbutterfarm.com
WHAT IS VILLAGE SCHOOL?
Village School is a day-long immersive program for kids to engage with our farm and forests through the seasons. Our classroom is the farm and over 600 acres of forests, fields, savannas, and marshlands in Shelburne & South Burlington, VT. Our mentors engage kids through meaningful work, craft and game, emphasizing the relationships of humans with each other and our surrounding natural community. Together, we sink into the rhythms of farm life and the natural world.
Village School gives kids opportunities to experience life in a thriving landscape. From the communities at the farm, to the wild of the fields and forests surrounding the farmstead, we strive to create a culture of respect, appreciation, observation, openness, and curiosity. With these as our guiding principles, we focus our learning around Food, Art & Music, Natural History and Earth Skills as a means of connecting with our landscape and instilling a sense of place.
GUILDS
Guilds are at the core of what we do at Village School. These are our “classes” that are led by a mentor every morning and allow us to sink into a certain topic or activity. They are focused around the four main subjects: Food, Art & Music, Natural History and Earth Skills.
Food
Healthy food, from our land, is a central theme of Village School. Food is a vital component of this program and of our humanity. A simple, direct connection to the earth and to our land. A means of nourishing ourselves and of creating community.
Art & Music
We focus on creativity, imagination and freedom of expression. Whether we are singing songs, telling stories around the fire or watercolor painting in the pastures, Art and music are an integral part of our program. Through our days we seek to create a space where imagination can run wild.
Natural History
We spend time observing and getting to know the neighbors that we share this little corner of Vermont with. From the fields to the forests, plants and animals, both wild and domesticated. From tracking to tree ID, from what the cows eat, to annual bird migrations. Learning who we co-habitate this land with, helps us to further understand our sense of place in it.
Earth Skills
We use earth skills to define a broad range of skills related to traditional skills, plant uses and wilderness survival. These are skills that provide a direct and meaningful connection to the natural world, and serve to empower and fuel creativity. At Village School we practice many different earth skills, from wild edible foraging to friction fire building to herbal remedies, and many things in between. We focus on what can be derived from the land around us as a means of better understanding our relationship with our environment.
A DAY AT VILLAGE SCHOOL
Core Routines
Our days are guided by our core routines - listed below. We aim to follow a daily schedule, but are sensitive to the dynamics of the group and the shifting seasons.
Gratitude - Chores - Fire - Guilds - Lunch - Sit Spot - Free Choice - Story
Flow of the Day
9:00am // Arrival
9:15 // Morning Circle, check in, gratitude
9:30 // Farm Chores
10:15 // Hike to woodland base camp
10:30 // Fire and Snack
11:00 // Guilds
12:30 // Lunch
1:00 // Sit Spot
1:15 // Free Choice
2:30 // Story
3:00pm // Pick-up
REGISTRATION PROCESS
We do NOT accept students on a first come first serve basis. Registration for the 23/24 year will be open beginning on June 19th. We will be looking at applications starting on July 3rd and notify families of placements by July 18th. There is no fee to register, however, we do ask for a $300 non-refundable deposit upon mutual acceptance of application and admission to The Village School.
TUITION
The cost for the Village School for 2023/2024 School Year (Fall & Spring Semesters) is $2300.
A $300 nonrefundable deposit is due upon admission to Village School.
Sibling Discount: We offer a sibling discount where you sign your first child up at full price and receive a 10% discount for subsequent siblings.
Financial Aid: We strive to make our programs accessible to everyone, and do not want cost to be a barrier. If you need financial assistance, please fill out the financial aid application in the registration portal.
REFUND POLICY
Is the deposit refundable? Your $300 Deposit is non-refundable, unless you decide to withdraw from the program because your financial aid request was not met by Village School.
What happens if I need to drop out of Village School? Village School is a year long commitment (September - May), however we understand that things can come up in this time and change your ability to participate in the program. If at some point in the year you need to cancel, we have a few tiers to provide for refunds:
If you cancel before September 1st, we will provide a full refund minus the non-refundable deposit.
If you cancel between September 1st and September 11th, we will provide a 50% refund.
If you cancel between January 1st and January 15th, we will provide a full refund for Spring Semester
If you cancel between January 15th and January 30th, we will provide a 50% refund
Once a semester starts, we cannot offer a refund for that semesters payments.
Snow Days: We follow the South Burlington School District for cancelations due to weather. Per usual, refunds will not be issued for snow days. If more than 3 snow days happen on any given day during the year, we will schedule a make up day.
Schedule conflicts & Individual sick days: Per Usual, refunds will not be issued due to individual sick days or scheduling conflicts.
SCHEDULE
Fall Semester begins the week of September 11th and runs 14 weeks through the week of December 18th
Spring Semester begins the week of February 5th and runs 14 weeks through the week of May 20th
We follow the South Burlington school schedule for breaks, taking off the weeks of November 20 (thanksgiving) , February 26 (Winter break), and April 22 , (spring break).
See Village School in action!
2022-2023 Photos
2021-2022 Photos
2020-2021 Photos
2019-2020 Photos
2018-2019 Photos
2017-2018 Photos
Mentorship
Mentorship is the backbone of Village School that links together kids and adult mentors in a tight group based on trust and shared learning.
Alex Gemme (he/him)
Alex is the Village School Manager has been a part of Bread & Butter Farm in various capacities for several years - as a gardener, Burger Night staff, and Village School Mentor. Alex has taught in various settings including in the gardens at Rock Point School, as a rock climbing instructor, an apprentice ski guide, and as a mentor with Crow’s Path. Alex's gentle style puts all of us at ease. He is steady and strong and kind.
Ella Mighell (she/her/they/them)
Ella is our Land/Education Liaison & Village School Mentor. On-farm they enjoy preserving & processing food and other seasonal materials, looking to the trees, learning from the pigs, practicing stewardship of place ~ honored to be alongside kids. She began mentoring with Village School in the Fall of 2018 after being connected to the farm through a UVM agroecology partnership. From instructing for Outward Bound, they bring heart & experience to community building and conflict resolution. With On-farm education and beyond, her heart-fire is sustained by wonder-driven learning and sharing good food. Practicing and studying agroforestry, Ella is participating in the Northeast Forest Farmers Coalition’s Mentorship Program. She believes deeply in the paradigm-shifting capabilities of community & land connection. Raised in the redwood forests and oak valleys of northern California, they now call the green mountains home.
Griffin Cummings (he/him)
Griffin is a new addition to the Bread and Butter farm team, recently coming from South Burlington High School where he worked as an Interventionist. Griffin originally came to Vermont to study Environmental Policy at Champlain College. After graduating he worked at the Winooski Valley Parks District doing conservation, trail restoration, and invasive species management. He also spent time at the North Branch Nature center in Montpelier as an Environmental Educator, which sparked his love for teaching outdoors. He brings joy, enthusiasm, and wonder wherever he goes and is always looking to learn more. Griffin has a deep love of people, food, travel, music, and all of the messy things that make us human.
Here’s a short video from Olivia Pintair, filmed during our Fall 2018 Wednesday Class!
