Admission
Admissions Documents
Application For Admission
Student Recommendation Form
The Admissions Process
Thank you for your interest in The NewGate-Field School. We love to meet new families and talk about Montessori and what the school has to offer. The NewGate-Field School brings young people together from a broad spectrum of ethnic, national, religious, and economic backgrounds. We welcome diversity and help our children broaden their perspective of the world through friendships based on mutual respect and understanding.
Each new application to The NewGate-Field School is carefully considered to find the best match between student, family, and school.
Step One: Initial Conversations, Visiting the School, and Speaking With Present Parents
Open House: For most families, the admissions process begins by attending one of our weekly Open House gatherings. These are much more than a simple school tour. They are an extensive initial conversation between interested families and the Heads of School. After getting the big picture of The NewGate-Field School, we will visit the classrooms. Open Houses are held at 9:30 on Tuesday mornings. If you prefer, we would be happy to schedule an individual meeting at a more convenient time.
Ambassador Parents: Several families have offered to speak with families who would like to talk with other parents whose children have been at NewGate-Field long enough to give them a broad perspective. A list of their contact information is available upon request.
Individual Conversations: In addition to attending the Open House, many families will arrange one or more individual meetings with our staff to discuss the school and their children. Please call. Our goal is to help every prospective family to make the best decision possible about their children’s long-term education before they apply.
Observing a Class at Work: Montessori classes are quite different from the traditionally structured classrooms which most parents knew when they were young, and we encourage parents who are interested in the school to spend an hour or longer quietly observing a class at work. Please call to schedule a visit.
Feel free to contact either Tim Seldin, President of The Montessori Foundation and Head of School, or Associate Head of School, Lorna McGrath, by email (timseldin@montessori.org • lornamcgrath@montessori.org), or by calling them at the school (941-922-4949).
Parents who are first considering Montessori often have many questions. Just ask; we're here to help. Our goal is not to "sell" parents like yours on either Montessori or NewGate-Field as a school. Instead, we work to help each family to find the perfect match!
You might find the following online article about Finding the Right School for Your Child helpful.
http://issuu.com/timseldin/docs/finding_the_right_school
The Application Process
To begin the application process, please complete and return The application form, along with your non-refundable application fee of $100.00, to: Admissions, NewGate-Field School, 5237 Ashton Road, Sarasota, FL 34243.
If you prefer, you may fax your application to us at 941-922-7660 and pay the application fee by Visa, Mastercard, or American Express. We carefully consider each application in the order of its submission.
If your child has attended preschool or school, in addition to your application form, we will need a completed release of records form. Because school records are official documents, our office will mail your signed release form to your child’s present or former school. The application and student records release forms are available online from the following links. Application for Admission To NewGate-Field • Release of Records Form
As soon as we receive your application, we will contact you to arrange for your child to come in for his or her first meeting with us. We will have asked your child's present school, or child care provider if applicable, for copies of transcripts, previous test results, and three student recommendation forms. Because we will not be able to act on your application until they have arrived, please ask that they be sent to us without delay.
At this time, we are not requiring applicants to sit for an external independent school admissions test.
Children who are applying for admission at the Early Childhood level (age 3 through 6) will spend some time with us at the school, during which we will run them through the FirstStep Screening.
Applicants for admission to the Elementary or Upper School levels (age 6 through 18 years-old/Grades 1 through 12) will be asked to complete a series of informal tests and exercises that will give us a better sense of their present level of reading comprehension, writing ability, mathematics, and cultural literacy. Contact Lorna McGrath (941-922-4949 or lornamcgrath@montessori.org) for further information.
After your child's visit, we will contact you to schedule your Family Interview. Our Admissions Committee will normally be able to respond to your application within two weeks after these steps have been completed.
Upon acceptance, you will have two weeks in which to return your enrollment agreement and non-refundable $500 enrollment deposit to secure your child's space.
We follow a rolling admissions process, and applications are considered and admissions decisions are made as they are received and the steps are completed. Because we see the admissions process as a partnership between family and school, admission is based on many factors which we consider together all based on whether or not the student, family, and school are a good fit. Admissions is therefore not competitive, but rather a reflective and supportive process of collaboration.