Red Fox Community School

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Red Fox Community School Red Fox Community School is an independent community school focused on progressive education.

How we begin the day matters.At Morning Meeting, a greeting might be a hello in Spanish. Other mornings, students roll a...
10/07/2026

How we begin the day matters.

At Morning Meeting, a greeting might be a hello in Spanish. Other mornings, students roll a ball of yarn across the circle to the person they want to greet, building a web of connection, then reverse the whole thing and send it back in order, with lots of focus and laughter.

This week, one student made half of a heart with their fingers, and their friend completed the other half with their own hand.

At Red Fox, those few minutes in the morning matter. They remind each child: you are seen, you belong here, and your presence changes the shape of our circle.

10/02/2026

Mountain Day reminded us that what is strong and lasting is rarely formed quickly.

Hiking asks us to notice our footing, adjust our pace, help one another, pause when needed, and keep going even when the path feels hard. Parents, grandparents, and siblings joined students on the hike past the Gettysburg Quarry and the Middle Prince Quarry, rewarded with the view from Art's Bench.

Along the way, they climbed on blocks of marble left behind from the quarries and learned they were walking through a rare natural habitat, a Temperate Calcareous Natural Community, where calcium-rich soils support plants that don't grow just anywhere. It's a thread of learning that started with our first hike of the year on the historic marble rail trail, as we keep noticing how deeply marble shaped this region.

A school community is formed the same way. Slowly. Each time we greet one another, listen carefully, include someone, help a friend, or try again. Parents, grandparents, teachers, and students, walking together, sometimes literally, like we did on Mountain Day.

Counting is never just counting.This week, the Owls rolled dice and practiced counting on — building up from a known num...
10/01/2026

Counting is never just counting.

This week, the Owls rolled dice and practiced counting on — building up from a known number instead of starting from scratch. From there, students searched for number combinations that add up to 10, using rainbow-colored crayons to track their thinking.

Across the hall, the Hawks were building “snakes of numbers”, sequencing and writing larger numbers with care, then studying their own work to predict how the next section would end. That's not just practice. That's reasoning.

Different ages, same thread: number by number, students are building number sense, reasoning, and the confidence to think like mathematicians.

#802

Each napkin started with a name in Sharpie, plus designs and symbols each child chose for themselves.Then came the foldi...
09/25/2026

Each napkin started with a name in Sharpie, plus designs and symbols each child chose for themselves.

Then came the folding decisions. How to gather the fabric. Where to put the rubber bands. What kind of pattern might appear.

Students picked their dye colors, and after rinsing and washing came the reveal, with plenty of delight to go along with it. What stands out most is the variety. Each napkin feels like its own expression of personality and choice.

Now they're on our lunch tables every day, and we can already picture the napkin-folding traditions this year might bring!

09/23/2026

A rail trail may look like just a walk, but it holds a lot of history.

It asks us to notice what's underfoot: the land, the stone, the work of the people who shaped it long before we arrived.

Recently, Red Fox students walked the Historic Marble Rail Trail to kick off a year-long study of rocks and geology. They stopped to read the signage along the trail and learned its nickname, the “Mud, Dirt & Gravel” line, the same route once used to haul marble from the Dorset quarries to the mills in Manchester Depot.

At Red Fox, history is not just something we read about. It is a path we follow.

https://vermontdailychronicle.com/students-trace-historic-mud-dirt-gravel-railroad-line/

The weather was perfect for moving our first Art class outside—exactly the right place to begin. Zena helped students ce...
09/19/2026

The weather was perfect for moving our first Art class outside—exactly the right place to begin.

Zena helped students center themselves by tuning into the natural world through sight, smell, sound, and touch. Grounded in their surroundings, they gathered for a reading of "My Name is Georgia"—a picture book about Georgia O’Keeffe—before crafting intention magic wands from gathered sticks, colorful yarn, and ribbon.

Nature, attention, texture, color, intention.

A beautiful foundation for the year ahead in Art!

Our first Life Skills afternoon brought together whittling, gardening, herbs, tea, songs, and the changing season.Studen...
09/17/2026

Our first Life Skills afternoon brought together whittling, gardening, herbs, tea, songs, and the changing season.

Students practiced knife safety, harvested herbs, tasted lemon balm tea with honey, and began exploring the Wheel of the Year through the cycles of nature.

Whittling and gardening both ask children to slow down, use their hands carefully, and notice closely. Skill grows through patience, practice, respect, and time.

Follow along this year as we learn, grow, and mark the seasons through the Wheel of the Year.

Schedule a visit at redfoxschool.org or link in bio.

Hawgolwood is open!Students have been planning, gathering, building, negotiating, imagining, and revising in this belove...
09/14/2026

Hawgolwood is open!

Students have been planning, gathering, building, negotiating, imagining, and revising in this beloved outdoor space.

With tires, sticks, planks, rocks, and lots of big ideas, they are learning what will balance, what will hold, and how to create spaces together.

One young builder wanted to add the largest tire so everyone would have a place to sit when they came to visit — design with welcome in mind.

At Red Fox, outdoor play is full of imagination, physical work, collaboration, revision, and care.

Schedule a visit to see for yourself! Link in bio or redfoxschool.org.

Joining play takes courage.Welcoming someone into play takes generosity.Finding kind words when the answer is “not right...
09/10/2026

Joining play takes courage.

Welcoming someone into play takes generosity.

Finding kind words when the answer is “not right now” takes practice, empathy, and flexibility.

Last week, students role played how to ask to join a game and how to respond with care. These moments may seem small, but they are the daily lessons of community.

At Red Fox, children learn that their words, choices, and invitations matter.

To find out more about Red Fox Community School, visit the link in our bio or redfoxschool.org.

A circle may look simple, but it asks a lot of us.It asks us to notice who is present, make room, listen, settle our bod...
09/05/2026

A circle may look simple, but it asks a lot of us.

It asks us to notice who is present, make room, listen, settle our bodies, and bring our attention into a shared space.

This week, students practiced gathering in a variety of settings. These are the small beginnings of belonging: finding a place, noticing others, and understanding that each person helps shape the circle.

At Red Fox, community is not just something we talk about. It is something we practice every day.

Address

184 Pig Pen Road
Manchester Center, VT
05255

Telephone

+18023673939

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