[School closings will be posted here by 7:00 a.m.] Open House Sunday, February 28th 1:00-3:00  Grades 6 through High School353 F.T. Valley RoadSperryville, VA 22740 540-987-8970 www.bellemeadeschool.org school@bellemeadeschool.org Belle Meade School is a 501(c)(3) organization ___________________________________________________________________________ Click on the following links to view additional pages: Belle Meade Staff Photo Album Students and Families in their Own Words |  “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” - Gandhi To visit the school please call (540) 987-9748 for an appointment. _________________________________________ Click on the following links to download documents: Download our Application for Enrollment Download our 2009-2010 School Handbook |
 “It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.” - Albert Einstein | Our School PhilosophyThe Belle Meade School program is based on creating an atmosphere that encourages students to grow in heart/mind, body and spirit. The school provides an environment where students can discover their creativity, take responsibility for themselves, and learn to be a contributing member of our community. Respect, imagination, creation, exploration, and laughter are at the heart of all we do. AcademicsA solid academic program of humanities, mathematics, foreign language, science, art, and music is enhanced by students’ participation in the activities of the farm. The farm in return produces food for the school, its families and the community. |
Our MissionThe mission of Belle Meade School is to provide students with an academic learning environment that is holistic in its methods and a model of lifelong learning and sustainable living for them, their parents, and the community.The school offers an excellent academic program that integrates sustainable living, growing food, caring for one another, and working to create harmony and balance with the land. The school is a place where young people develop self-worth and learn empowerment through challenging intellectual and physical activities and where their work is valued and respected. |  |
 | School CommunityStudents, teachers, and families participate in community projects. We work side by side in the garden, on canoe trips, building chicken houses, and other activities. These opportunities challenge the students to develop the life skills of communication, teamwork, self-confidence and compassion for others. Each trimester we gather for a dinner which is the culmination of student projects and a time for families and students to appreciate and recognize what the students have accomplished during the term. |
The School’s SettingBelle Meade School is located on a 138-acre holistic farm in Rappahannock County. The rolling land around the school slopes up into the woods and mountains. A large pond and four streams grace the property and provide solitude, fun, and a place to explore and discover nature.Fulfilling their dream, the executive directors moved and restored the 1914 schoolhouse between 2001 and 2003. The working farm also hosts a bed and breakfast and a summer day camp. Shenandoah National Park and Old Rag Mountain are the school’s backyard. Cows, horses, pigs, chickens and turkeys live on the farm, as does an abundance of wild creatures. Belle Meade School welcomes students and staff of every race, color, gender, religion, and national origin. Belle Meade School is located approximately 70 miles west of Washington, D.C., and about 40 miles north of Charlottesville, VA. |   |
 | Executive DirectorsSusan Hoffman, A.B. Smith College, Ed. M. Harvard University, Ed. D. Johns Hopkins University, has more than four decades of experience teaching, training teachers, and writing curricula. She has run Belle Meade Day Camp since 1994.Mike Biniek, B.S. in biology, George Mason University, is a life-long student of nature and wildlife. He practices sustainable, organic farming. Together Susan and Mike also manage Belle Meade Bed & Breakfast. |
| Belle Meade also operates a daycamp during the summer months. | |