Method of Enrollment:
Parents request enrollment of their child(ren) to the school by submitting a GVA Intent to Enroll form prior to or during the school’s open enrollment period. A first choice and second choice must be indicated for a language stream (i.e., Spanish and Mandarin). Submitting an Intent to Enroll form in no way guarantees that the child(ren) will be extended an Invitation to Enroll. The completed Intent to Enroll form is to be submitted to GVA via personal delivery, U.S. postal mail service, or by completing the online version of the Intent to Enroll form. Students with disabilities, “at risk” students, and gifted and talented students will be enrolled in the same manner as other students. All Intent to Enroll forms received prior to or during the school’s open enrollment period will be assigned a waitlist number to be used in the event that GVA decides to convert to a waitlist system. Reasons for conversion may include, but are not limited to, the following: changes in Federal law, a failure to receive federal funding for whatever reason, or a change such that GVA no longer qualifies for federal funding.
Non-Discrimination Policy:
GVA will not discriminate against any student. Therefore, the school will not hold weighted lotteries in an effort to enroll students on the basis of ability (academic, language, physical or otherwise), gender, race, or socioeconomic status.
Open Enrollment Period:
Open enrollment for each school year will end at midnight (MST) January 31. All Intent to Enroll forms received prior to that time will be considered for enrollment for the upcoming school year. Families that applied in a prior year but were not extended an invitation to enroll do not need to reapply. The Open Enrollment Period shall be advertised and made public within the school community at least fourteen (14) days prior to completion of the open enrollment period, so as to provide equal opportunity to all interested students. The enrollment deadline, however, will be included in all communications and brochures.
Priority for Enrollment:
Priority for enrollment is given to the following classes of students, prior to the lottery; these classes are listed in order of priority:
1. Children of Founders of GVA (as defined below);
2. Children of staff members of GVA;
3. Siblings of currently enrolled students at GV Academy.
The aggregate of these will comprise no more than 20% of total student enrollment.
Invitation to Enroll:
If the number of Intent to Enroll forms received is less than or equal to the number of student spaces available for any grade (K-5), the school will extend an Invitation to Enroll to any child for whom a completed Intent to Enroll form was received by the school prior to the end of the open enrollment period. If the number of Intent to Enroll forms received is greater than the number of student spaces available for any grade (K-5), the school will hold a lottery on the first school day of February to determine which child(ren) will be extended an Invitation to Enroll. An Invitation to Enroll will be extended to a child on or before February 15 of each academic year, for enrollment during the following academic year. Any Intent to Enroll forms that were received by the school prior to the close of the open enrollment period, and for whom an Invitation to Enroll was NOT extended will be held in an “enrollment pool” in the event of a vacancy after the lottery date and during the school year. Lottery selection will involve enrollment in a language stream. Where possible, a student will be offered his or her first choice in a world language. If the language stream in that grade is filled, a student will be offered his or her second language stream choice.
Enrollment Acceptance:
Upon receiving an Invitation to Enroll, the parent(s) or legal guardian(s) of the child(ren) shall provide written Enrollment Acceptance to the school within 48 hours. A student who accepts enrollment will be deemed a currently enrolled student, and that student’s enrollment will continue beyond the current academic year, in accordance with the school’s policies and procedures. If no Enrollment Acceptance is received by the school by within 48 hours for any child to whom an Invitation to Enroll was extended, the school will assume the parent(s) or legal guardian(s) of the child(ren) have declined to enroll the child(ren) in the school, and the school may then extend an Invitation to Enroll to another child, in accordance with the process(es) detailed in the Invitation to Enroll section of this document; the parent(s) or legal guardian(s) of the child(ren) must provide written Enrollment Acceptance to the school within 48 hours. If vacancies exist at the end of the initial Enrollment Period, Invitations to Enroll will be sent to students on the waiting list based upon their lottery number (i.e., Priority for Enrollment). Written Enrollment Acceptance must be received within 48 hours of the Invitation to Enroll. This procedure will be continued until all vacancies are filled.
Vacancies:
When a vacancy is created during the school year, the vacancy may or may not be filled at the Principal’s discretion, on behalf of the school. If the school chooses to fill the vacancy, priority will be given as specified in the Priority for Enrollment section of this policy. An Invitation to Enroll will be extended to a child in the manner described in the Invitation to Enroll section of this document. A student who fills a vacancy shall be deemed a currently enrolled student, and that student’s enrollment shall continue beyond the current academic year, in accordance with the school’s policies and procedures.
Founder Definition:
An individual and his/her direct family (spouse and children) who have made substantial contributions to the ongoing success in the establishment and/or operations of GVA. Substantial Contributions are defined as a minimum 60 volunteer hours by a couple or a minimum of 30 volunteer hours by a single parent. Founders are certified on a first come/first certified basis as part of the 20% of positions referenced above. When that 20% allotment is met, all others must participate in the lottery system.
Modifications to this Policy:
The Board of Trustees of GVA may amend this policy as necessary. Changes to this policy must be approved by a majority vote of the members of the Board.