Imagine a Classroom Without Walls
At St. Anne’s-Belfield, hands-on learning opportunities in the natural classrooms abound. Our students navigate the world around them with wonder and perseverance, guided by our nurturing and experienced faculty. Keep reading to learn more about the joyful exploration and discovery your child could experience as a student in our Early Childhood Program (ECP).
“I’ve seen firsthand the incredible impact that outdoor learning has had on my children. The natural classroom has not only strengthened their physical abilities but also sparked their curiosity and creativity in ways I never imagined.
They come home brimming with stories of their discoveries and adventures, showing a deeper connection to nature and a growing sense of independence and confidence. The social skills they’ve developed through outdoor play have made them more empathetic and cooperative. I truly believe that these experiences are laying a strong foundation for their future.”
— Sally Ryan, P. ’36, ’38, & ’39
What Our Parents and Guardians Have To Say
“As a direct result of outdoor education, my children are resilient because they know how to have fun and learn regardless of the conditions. In a traditional American preschool, kids have to look outside at the rain from inside a stuffy classroom. Instead, with outdoor education, our child gears up to spend his day counting how many puddles he can jump in, learning about what happens when you mix water and dirt, and he comes home muddy, happy, and tired. My children have become so physically, mentally, and emotionally agile, which is a rare trait and a lifelong skill.
— Karen Connors, P. ’37 & ’38
“The outdoor environment is filled with rich, magical learning opportunities for our children. They become curious about parts of nature that we as adults may not even notice, and they are given the tools and support to explore those curiosities right in the moment!”
— Stephanie Tollefsen, P. ’38 & ’40
We moved to Charlottesville in 2020 and our youngest child has been in the Early Childhood Program since age 2. The outdoor program has been great for him. He can run around all day, exploring and connecting with nature. Being outdoors not only allows him to spend his energy, but also helps him learn how to focus it. And the teachers have been wonderful in helping him grow and learn new skills.
— Tim Smith, P. ’29 & ’38
Our mission:
“We wish our students to become strong in body, broad of mind, tender of heart, responsive in soul.”
— Mary Hyde DuVal, Founding Headmistress
Statement on Inclusive Excellence
St. Anne’s-Belfield School believes that exemplary citizenship and visionary leadership are best nurtured in a welcoming School community based on equity, inclusivity, and the pursuit of excellence. Our School provides a wellbalanced educational experience that affirms the richness and diversity of humanity, creates an expectation of belonging based on shared human dignity, and encourages a desire to learn about and from each other.
Our vision: to inspire and prepare the next generation of exemplary citizens and visionary leaders.
Our Portrait of a 2036 Graduate articulates the habits, mindsets, and skill sets we believe are essential for our graduates in the present and the future. Learn more about it at portrait.stab.org
Meet the Director Kathy Carpenter, P. ’07, ’09 & ’12
“Even after 20+ years as a leader in early childhood education, I am learning from my students. I am inspired by their curiosity, engagement, and creativity in the world around them. There is power in breaking down the walls of the classroom and letting our youngest learners get ‘sticky’ as we call it. That is why we strive to provide the best environment possible to create unexpected situations and challenges to promote a growth mindset that are also beneficial for each of our students’ academic and social emotional needs. Joyful learning and nurturing and meaningful relationships for community and the natural world are at the heart of what our program is all about.”
The Early Childhood Program
A groundhog dashes by and curiosity ignites. Where does it live, what does it eat? The joy of discovery blooms like wildflowers in the hearts of young learners. At St. Anne’s-Belfield, children are actively engaged in learning, each lesson a treasure they hold close. Traditional academic goals are intertwined with practical magic under the sun. Think of STEM taught through a journey of balance beams and tinkering minds. Of early literacy learned both through books and woven throughout the natural classrooms. Of hands-on experiences and outdoor exploration, sowing the seeds of lifelong respect and care for the environment. Here, school is a storybook adventure that invites your child to not just read, but to live and learn amidst the pages of nature’s book.
Cultivating Curiosity
When we embraced a natural classroom model in 2020, what emerged was a revelation. When the classroom walls melt away, children no longer bounce between different stations in groups of three to four. Instead, they create symphonies of boisterous group quests and quieter moments of individual creation. Surrounded by nature in its unpredictable and ever-changing wonders, students learn the art of focus and keen observation. Amidst the laughter and the movement is a lesson in problem-solving, collaboration, and resilience, gently guided by our expert faculty. With curiosity as our guiding star, every discovery becomes a piece of the puzzle that shapes confident, empathetic individuals.
Spaces That Teach and Delight
There is no disputing that our ECP facilities, with our breathtakingly beautiful grounds and exquisitely appointed indoor spaces, are unmatched in the Charlottesville/Albemarle region. The captivating meadow is a place where children learn to become members of a community, practice mindfulness, and perform spirited music and movement. The dedicated art lab, science lab, and engineering lab invite sensory escapades and experiential learning experiences. Treelined hiking trails foster inquisitive quests. Inside, the quirky and imaginative library is a treasure trove to be explored, and our classrooms are bathed in cheerful sunlight and sensory-rich learning stations. The multiuse gym is a paradise of building blocks and endless play possibilities. And now, the newly renovated natural classrooms provide even more opportunities for the full age 2 – Grade 12 community to interact, with raised gardens yielding fresh produce for the food bank and sun-shaded pavilions for community work and gatherings. There’s far too many features of our enchanting wonderland to list. We invite you to join us on a tour and see it for yourself!
Setting Motor Development on the Right Course
A pressing concern has emerged in the landscape of early childhood development this past decade: children are encountering difficulties with essential motor skills, both fine and gross. In our natural classroom, teachers are counteracting this trend. Children step into a dynamic world where their every move becomes a gateway to honing their motor abilities. Students’ bodies constantly encounter new and varied tactile sensations, climbing, exploring under branches, and navigating pathways. This immersive experience cultivates an understanding of abstract concepts in a way that static resources simply can’t replicate. In the culmination of little victories, like a hesitant child triumphantly conquering a log, true confidence blooms.
“Our children express so much interest now in the world around them. They are incredibly inquisitive about the environment they are in, as it is always changing in the outdoor classroom! Play and the space to be able to run around and use their energy is so important to us as parents of young boys. We feel so grateful that they have the opportunity to learn outdoors where they have become such resilient, empathic and creative children!
— Janet Arzt, P. ’37 & ’38
Nature forever brings new wonders, making every day in our Early Childhood Program a joyful adventure.
Sample Daily Schedules
Each day in our Early Childhood Program looks a little different as teachers capture the spontaneous learning opportunities that our natural classroom affords us. While our schedules are flexible, here are some examples of what a day might look like.
Two-Year-Olds
8:30 Arrival and outdoor play
8:45 First outdoor rotation
9:15 Circle time
9:30 Snack (provided by the school)
9:45 Activity time, indoor rotation
10:30 Literary stations
10:45 Second outdoor rotation
11:30 Storytime
11:45 Dismissal (if not participating in after-school care)
Pre-School 3 & 4
8:00 Arrival at the meadow
8:30 Morning meeting
9:00 Group instruction and activity
9:30 First natural classroom lessons and exploration
10:00 Snack (provided by the school) and stories
10:15 Co-curriculars/second natural classroom lessons and exploration
10:35 Second natural classroom lessons and exploration/co-curriculars
11:00 Group instruction and activity
11:45 Closing meeting
12:00 Dismissal (if not participating in after-school care)
Junior Kindergarten
8:00 Arrival and choice activities
8:30 Morning meeting 9:00 Literacy skills
10:00 Snack (provided by the school)
10:15 Natural classroom 10:40 Co-curriculars
11:00 Science 12:00 Lunch 12:45 Outdoor recess/hike
1:15 Music & Movement/yoga 1:30 Mathematics/literacy skills 2:15 Tinker trays/rest 2:45 Closing meeting
3:00 Dismissal (if not participating in after-school care)
After-School Care
After-school care is available each day of the regular school year. During after-school care, students have lunch (packed from home), rest, and enjoy enrichment activities. Families must sign up at the time of enrollment.
Extended Day: dismissal at 3 p.m.
Full Day: dismissal anytime between 3 – 5:30 p.m.
The Saints Community
At St. Anne’s-Belfield School, we are first and foremost a community. The best way to help children flourish is to support and partner with our families. Our community reaches beyond the classroom to build strong, intentional relationships with the whole family. This connection begins even before our students arrive on the first day with Parent/ Guardian Partnership Meetings between family caregivers and faculty, and continues throughout the year with our Wednesday Wellness family education webinars, ECP parent/guardian chats, and volunteer opportunities on and off campus. Within our age 2 to Grade 12 community, relationships form between students of all divisions. Your young learners will meet and interact with students from all divisions of the School. From their first day in the Early Childhood Program to their last day of Grade 12, our students know they are part of a caring and vibrant community.
Highlights:
• 60+ Parents’ Association volunteer positions
• 86 all-school parent/guardian volunteers
• 392 annual Grandparents’ & Special Friends’ Day visitors
Parent/Guardian Programming
The Early Childhood Program offers parent/guardian education on important developmental topics in a variety of formats, such as monthly in-person chats, Curriculum Night, webinars, and written resources. Facilitators discuss the various stages of a child’s growth and development to provide the support and understanding needed to raise healthy, confident, and responsible children. We also know there is great value in offering space for parents/guardians to share techniques and strategies with each other. We feel fortunate to be able to facilitate these connections throughout the year.
Partnership Meetings
Our Parent/Guardian Partnership Meetings, the first of which is prior to the start of school, enable faculty and family caregivers to form an important connection between home and School life for these youngest learners at St. Anne’s-Belfield.
The Parents’ Association (PA)
The Parents’ Association welcomes volunteers. From greeting visitors at Grandparents’ & Special Friends’ Day to helping in the library or at Saints’ Closet gently-worn uniform sale, we provide many opportunities for you to become involved. In your student’s class, parents/guardians serve as grade level reps, read to children, and serve at special events such as the Birthday Fairy, a treasured tradition.
Community Events
Cheer on our Saints athletes at a game, bring the family to a music or theatre performance, attend a speaker lecture, come decked in maroon and white for our Fall Family Festival or Maroon & White Party, roll up your sleeves and volunteer alongside a local organization during Saints Serve Saturday — the School community loves to come together.
At A Glance St. Anne’s-Belfield School
55 acres of land between two campuses around the corner from University of Virginia
Early Childhood Program
119 ECP students
27%
“Sandbox Kids” in the Class of 2025 (joined the School by Grade 1) located in Charlottesville and Albemarle County, VA
10 average class size
25 countries represented in the student body
11 countries and 10 U.S. states in the Residential Life Program
Quick Facts
4,911 living alums in 49 countries and 48 countries
54 competitive sports teams
21 Advanced Placement (AP) exams offered on campus
667 family households
Class of 2024 College Success
88% Class of 2024 enrolled in their first or second choice college
1314
average SAT vs. 1028 national average
71% UVA in-state admission rate vs 25.5% global rate
27 average ACT vs 19.9 national average
980 students age 2 – Grade 12
107 U.S. zip codes represented schoolwide
38% UVA out-ofstate admission rate vs. 13% global rate
1 in 2 will enroll in a very selective (<25% admit rate) college
The School admits qualified students of any race, color, national origin, place of birth, ancestry, sex, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, or any status protected by applicable law, and extends to them all the privilege to participate in the educational programs generally accorded or made available to students at the School. The School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, sex, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, or any status protected by applicable law in the administration of its admission or its educational programs.
799 Faulconer Drive | Charlottesville, VA 22903
admission@stab.org | www.stab.org | (434) 296-5106
