Parent Portal
Welcome to your private corner of the River Farm community. This is where our families find everything in one place — the parent directory, our family handbook, forms, flyers, and the everyday resources that keep our cooperative running smoothly. As a cooperative forest school, we're built by the hands and hearts of the families in it, and this portal is here to help you stay connected, informed, and involved all year long. Whether you're looking up another family's contact info, catching up on an upcoming event, or grabbing a form before drop-off, we're so glad you're here and part of our village.
Your School Start “To-Do” List
Everything you need to know to start the year off is on this page. Here is your to-do list. Keep scrolling to access the documents and links.
Review the parent handbook.
Understand the drop-off & pickup-procedures.
Learn how to log-in to DreamClass (see the links in the parent’s corner).
New families are required to have one parent attend orientation (Thursday, August 20th 6:00-7:00 PM at the Carriage House). No children please.
Ensure you have the necessary gear to start school.
Sign-up for co-op shifts (move/prep shifts are currently available below).
Complete the background check (information not yet released).
Submit your child’s Virginia School Entrance Health Form to the school administrator (see below).
Submit RFFS Health Forms to the school administrator (Our own in-house health form that covers different information that helps us ensure we're prepared for first aid and health responses for all students. These are provided via DreamClass. This is a required form for your student to participate).
Provide Proof of Identity. All families must shown proof of the student(s)' identity via birth certificate, passport, or other official document. The school administrator, Scott Beggs, will set up at least two days to view documents: one before school + the first day of school.
Sign-up for aftercare if you need it!
Sign-up for slack for timely parent communications (Join here).
Optional: Buy your 2026-2027 River Farm Swag Here
Optional: Sign up for Wild Med Training Course.
Drop-Off & Pick-Up
To keep arrivals safe and smooth for everyone, please review our routine below.
Arrival: Students must be dropped off between 8:30–9:00 am.
Pick-up: Students must be picked up between 3:00–3:15 pm.
You're welcome to drop-off & pick-up whichever way works best for your family:
Option 1 — Park & walk: Park in the church parking lot and walk your student down to the Carriage House.
Option 2 — Car line: Prefer to stay in your car? Follow the car-line map below:
Driving up the Hollin Hall driveway, take the first right into the parking lot.
Drop off at the top of the Carriage House driveway. Please do not drive down the Carriage House driveway.
After dropping off your student, circle in front of the church and exit back onto the Hollin Hall driveway.
Please do not cut across the parking spaces while exiting.
Aftercare
Aftercare is run by River Farm staff and is available after the school day ends until 5:30 pm (before-school care is not available).
Full-time: $270/month ($2,700 per school year)
Drop-in: $35/day
Sibling discount: a second child receives 10% off the full-time rate
Late pickup: $5 for every five minutes past 5:30 pm
Billing: invoices are sent at the end of each month
Interested? Please email aftercare@riverfarmcooperative.com by Thursday, August 20.
Co-op shift sign up
Each family is required to sign up for one shift per month, at a minimum.
School Swag Fundraiser
2026-2027 RFFS Shirt
Our limited edition 2026–2027 Forest School T‑shirt fundraiser is officially live. The shirt features artwork designed by our very own students Sam, Maeren, and Winnie, and we would love for you to be part of this celebration of their creativity.
Huge thanks to Belilta Asfew for organizing this fundraiser!
If we sell 100 shirts, we can raise $1,650 in profit. This funding will be used to support the move, specifically the purchase of a new HEPA vacuum cleaner and filters for our new school, as well as cement paint for the second floor of the Carriage House. We appreciate your supporting this fundraising effort!
Please visit the fundraiser link to purchase your shirt and support our school. The fundraiser closes on August 28th, and every purchase makes a meaningful difference. Items will ship 12 days after the close date
We also encourage you to share the link with family and friends so they can join in supporting River Farm Forest School.
Documents & Downloads
Please read through these over the next two weeks. All documents live here on the Parent Portal for easy reference all year:
Parent-Student Handbook
Our policies, expectations, and everything you need to know.
Gear List
Please find below a list of items students will need for the year, as well as some recommended products. Books, basic school and art supplies (notebooks, pencils, glue,markers, etc.) will be provided by RFFS with funds from our community supply fees.
Necessary gear to bring to school:
Yoga Mat: For morning yoga, your child will need their own mat.
Name Labels: We strongly recommend labeling your child's clothing, gear, water bottles, lunch boxes, and backpacks so that proper owners can be identified easily.
Backpack: Each class is a little different but in general we only recommend very small backpacks or foldable totes except for Fridays, when we ask them to bring in lightweight backpacks for the all school hike. We will also ask them to bring backpacks on fieldtrips. Please be sure your child’s backpack is appropriately sized for items they may need to carry on excursions!
Reusable Water Bottle: Please send your child in with a reusable water bottle every day. Please avoid single-use/disposable plastic water bottles.
Lunchbox: Please make use of a soft lunchbox which is small enough to fit easily inside your child's tote/backpack and cubby. Note that children will not have access to the refrigerator or microwave, so their lunches must be safe to last until lunchtime. You can use reusable ice packs for yogurt or milk and there are also lunch bags that stay cold when you refrigerate them overnight.
Reusable Food Containers: River Farm strives for trash-free lunch every day. Please try to have containers available to assist in packing with zero waste.
Indoor Shoes (REQUIRED): Our classrooms are indoor footwear zones (for adults, too). We require students to have indoor only footwear kept on site to prevent the spread of germs, keep feet safe from injury, and for children to be prepared to respond to emergency evacuations in a timely manner. Examples of indoor footwear are crocs, slippers, or simply wear your socks!
Extra Clothes: Please send a complete set of seasonally appropriate clothes in at the beginning of the year. These are stored at school. If your child comes home wearing the extra clothes, please remember to send them in with a new set the next day. Socks especially! We do a lot of puddle jumping at River Farm.
Rain Gear: We are an all-weather school! Please check that your child has an appropriately fitting rain jacket, rain boots, and rain pants if desired. Students will need to bring their rain gear to be prepared for inclement weather.
Snow Gear: We will go out in all sorts of weather and we do not necessarily cancel school forsnow. Kids will need snow pants, jackets, snow boots, mittens, and hats for snowy and cold days.
Sunscreen and Bug spray: We ask that you please apply sunscreen and bug spray to your child before they go to school. Staff will not apply sunscreen or bug spray to students.
What NOT to bring to school:
Computers, Tablets & Phones: If your child needs to transport these items for after school, please remind them they must remain stowed in their cubby until dismissal unless they have received special use permission from their teacher.
Single Use Plastics: We are a green school, so help us reduce waste by having kids bring reusable water bottles, containers, and silverware to school.
Toys: If your child has a special lovey that helps them transition, please talk to the staff so that they can accommodate. Otherwise, toys should be left at home during school and aftercare.
Umbrellas: They may make great swords, but leave the umbrellas at home. Please opt for a hooded rain jacket instead.
Parent Payment Guide
Tuition and payment information.
2026-2027 Commonwealth of Virginia School Entrance Health Form
Have your child’s physical complete the VA Health Entrance form. There is no need to set up a separate, new appointment for your child in order to have the form processed.
You may send this form to Scott Beggs, the school administrator, via email at any time (admin@riverfarmcooperative.com), but it must be submitted before August 24th for your student to come to class.
If you submitted this form last year, and there have been no changes to health records for your student(s), you do not need to send me a new one.
If for any reason you cannot provide a VA Health Entrance form, please let Scott Beggs know.
2026-2027 School Calendar
Special Events Calendar
Wild Med Flyer
A WildMed course is an emergency medical training program provided by Wilderness Medical Associates International that teaches people how to treat injuries and illnesses in remote areas where help is far away.
This is the 5th year in a row we have done this class and it not only serves to make sure all our staff and parent volunteers are well-equipped to handle emergencies at school, but also raises funds that go back to RFFS to support field trips, guest speakers, and new supplies and equipment. We highly encourage any regular co-op parents to take this course, and those of you who don't spend as much time at school still might find it useful at home— I promise it is the most fun, flexible, and useful CPR course you'll ever take!
This year, the WildMed course begins October 1, 2027.
Asbestos management plan
The results of the church-funded 2026 asbestos assessment and plan are included below for your review.