Do you enjoy children, books, and reading? Interested in working with a great group of educators? This might be the job for you! The La Farge School District and KVFS are looking to hire a Reading Tutor as a shared position. This position is offered through AmeriCorps and offers a competitive hourly wage, individual health benefits and up to $5175 in education funding! Must be 18 years old to apply. All training provided. Position open until filled. To learn more: https://join.readingandmath.org/careers-home/jobs/61575?lang=en-us
Up to 50 free KVFS tees are available for adults and children to tie dye in red/white/blue to wear with the KVFS crew in the La Farge 4th of July Parade on Saturday, July 4th at 10:30.
Hope to see you there!
Julia and Jonel had the pleasure of sitting down with Julie Tomaro on the Folk School Radio Hour on WDRT! It was a wide ranging discussion covering what is unique about forest schooling within a public school model, what we've learned in the 5 years since opening and what kids and parents love about forest school! If you are interested in some history or just learning more about our school this is a great listen for you!
https://www.wdrt.org/2026/04/22/forest-schooling-in-the-driftless/?ref=new_window
www.kickapoovalleyforestschool.org
Take a look at forest schooling in our upper grades - so much whole-child learning happening every day!
The schedule for each week affords plenty of time for academics and nature immersion. Students adventure away by foot or bus for all-day outdoor learning on Wednesdays and Fridays. The Monday, Tuesday and Thursday schedule allows for more focused academic time and seasonal study projects in the mornings, while the afternoons offer skill building and free exploration and play outdoors in nearby (walkable) wild spaces.
Accepting applications for all grades now!
www.kickapoovalleyforestschool.org
KVFS Enrollment is Open! Fill out an application today!
https://www.kickapoovalleyforestschool.org/o/kvfs/page/enrollment
Questions?
Call: 608-625-0159
Email: kvfs@lafarge.k12.wi.us
Saturday, February 7th: 9-10:30am
Wednesday, February 11th: 5:30-6:30pm
We are a tuition-free public charter school authorized by the La Farge School District. Come see if KVFS is the right fit for your family! Enrolling grades 4K-5th.
#kickapoovalleyforestschool
#learningoutside
Open to the public!
Enrollment opens February 2nd!
Interested in learning more?
Join us for an Open House on Saturday, February 7th from 9-10:30 am
or Wednesday, February 11th from 5:30-6:30 pm
Q: What are your favorite activities, hobbies or talents?
A: I love to sing, dance, bake pies, canoe, hike, make art, swim in wild water, fill my home with food and herbs, and play accordion.
Q: What is your favorite childhood memory of time spent in nature?
A: I was lucky to spend a lot of time outdoors during my childhood in rural Wisconsin. One summer on a camping trip in northern WI, I spent hours paddling alone around a sheltered bay on a calm lake, teaching myself how to steer. I still remember the lily pads at the edge of the bay, and the pride and satisfaction in figuring out how to do something that was so important to me.
Q: What is your "why" for working at KVFS?
A: So much of what's meaningful in my life comes through connection with the landscape and beings around me. I want to help children access the depth and bounty of that connection.
Today is Giving Tuesday and we'd love for you to consider a donation to the Kickapoo Valley Forest School! We are building a community of students who hold deep connection to the natural world, treasure lots of time outdoors for free play and wonder, and through this screen-free experience are building everyday skills that foster cooperation, conflict resolution, and teamwork for the real world!
If this innovative education model inspires you please consider a donation, click the "support KVFS" button on our home page! https://www.kickapoovalleyforestschool.org/
#GivingTuesday
The newest and 7th edition of the KVFS Owlet is hot off the presses! You can read all the great articles, see the vivid photo storytelling, and read our year-end letter on our website under "News" or the "Family Resources" sections.
https://www.kickapoovalleyforestschool.org/o/kvfs/news
Q: What are your favorite activities, hobbies or unique talents?
A: My favorite activities to do in my down time are reading, horseback riding when I have time and a good jigsaw puzzle.
Q: What is your favorite childhood memory of time spent in nature?
A: Some of my favorite memories growing up that involved being in nature would be afternoons spent wading in the creek on our family farm with cousins. Also many hikes, taking photos and fishing with my father.
Q: What is your "why" for working at KVFS?
A: Helping kids to connect and see the wonder and question the world around them is always the goal. Seeing the lightbulb moments is also great.
Q: What are your favorite activities, hobbies or unique talents?
A: My favorite way to spend my time is being outdoors. I love kayaking, fishing, hiking and just spending quality time in nature.
Q: What is your favorite childhood memory of time spent in nature?
A: My favorite childhood memory has to be all of the times spent imaginary role playing with my sister or cousins, from fighting dragons to catching Pokemon.
Q: What is your "why" for working at KVFS?
A: I work at KVFS because of how important the natural world is to us as inhabitants of it. We have a very special opportunity to learn from, engage with, and really understand what it means to be a citizen of our beautiful planet each day.
Q: What are your favorite activities, hobbies or unique talents?
A: I love to be out in nature either running, biking, hiking, gardening, foraging, or quietly sitting!
Q: What is your favorite childhood memory of time spent in nature?
A: My favorite childhood memories include days spent at the beaches in Vietnam and Thailand, hiking mountains on Lantau Island in Hong Kong, and exploring our yards filled with trees, flowers, and animals.
Q: What is your "why" for working at KVFS?
A: I wanted to be part of an educational model focusing on balance, connecting academics to hands-on learning and play. Being outdoors allows movement, integration, and rejuvenation in the natural world.
Q: What are your favorite activities, hobbies or unique talents?
A: Outside of teaching, I love to spend time with my family--hiking, camping, making food, and making art of any kind. In my spare quiet time, I also enjoy reading and solving logic puzzles.
Q: What is your favorite childhood memory of time spent in nature?
A: My cousins, sisters and I used to spend countless hours on my parent's farm--making living spaces in the woods, finding creatures in the creek, and playing jumping games on the hay bales. I think these memories are so positive because we had so much free time to play and imagine!
Q: What is your "why" for working at KVFS?
A: I believe in the mission of KVFS, especially guiding children to connect with nature, having large stretches of unstructured play time, and during these times, being able to guide children through problem-solving relationships and disagreements as well as teaching social/emotional skills. I see so much benefit for children to be able to learn in this setting, and I am so grateful to be a teacher at KVFS.
Meet Noel Battista, KVFS Kindergarten Teacher!
Q: What are your favorite activities, hobbies or unique talents?
A: My favorite activities are the ones I can do with my family and loved ones. I am happiest when I’m connecting with my people, especially through sharing food. I love spending time cooking and baking. I also spend a lot of my time reading books, walking outside, sewing, or knitting.
Q: What is your favorite childhood memory of time spent in nature?
A: The house that I grew up in had a pond in the backyard. I would spend time with my siblings and cousins catching fish and frogs. We also would use an old survival book to try build traps and forts. We would get an idea and run with it. Having nature to fuel our play made the possibilities seem endless. We always had the best time by the water and willow trees.
Q: What is your "why" for working at KVFS?
A: I began working for KVFS because I feel passionate about teaching children outside. I feel blessed to be able to work at a school that values and respects nature. I love teaching outside and helping to guide littles as they find magic and wonder outside.
Q: What are your favorite activities, hobbies or unique talents?
A: Some of my favorite hobby activities are gardening, playing music, painting, beekeeping, paddling, reading Shakespeare, and exploring the woods.
Q: What is a favorite childhood memory of time spent in nature?
A: Favorite childhood memories are times spent on my family's farm here in Driftless WI - scrambling up gullies, folding myself into mossy roots and rocks, taking stream walks, stargazing on warm summer nights, playing in the snow all winter long, and watching the gullies rush with water every spring. The magic of my childhood came from time spent in the woods and veggie fields. I love being able to share these types of moments with children at KVFS.
Q: What is your "why" for working at KVFS?
A: It is an honor to encourage and inspire curiosity, gratitude, observation, play, and respect for the natural world. Adults who are dedicated stewards of the Earth grew from children who once romped around in the wild spaces of the world. Each day at KVFS we discover more about ourselves, each other, our nonhuman kin, and the natural spaces we love.
