Frequently Asked Questions
Where are you located?
Tall Cedars Academy is located in the
heart of downtown Duvall, on First Ave.
We are conveniently situated only 15
minutes from either Redmond or
Woodinville and are still able to
experience the warmth and feeling of
community that our rural setting
provides.
How old is TCA?
Tall
Cedars Academy is a new member of the
Duvall community. We opened our doors to
students and families in the fall of
2006.
What is the average class size?
Our student to teacher ratio at Tall
Cedars Academy is 15 to 1. Students work
in a variety of groups and settings
including one-on-one with teachers and
fellow students, small instructional
groups and sometimes as an entire class.
How long is the school day?
Our building opens for students at
7:30 with school beginning precisely at
8:30. We have lunch from noon to 1:00
p.m. and our academic day ends at 3:30.
We also offer a complimentary Extended
Day Program from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Is TCA affiliated with any other
schools?
We are not affiliated with any other
independent schools and have no
religious affiliations.
Does TCA offer any languages? If so,
when do you begin?
We teach Spanish from
first through eighth grade. All students
receive 30 minutes of instruction, four
times per week as well as ongoing instruction as part of
our day-to-day routine and embedded in
whatever curriculum will provide the
best opportunity for practice.
How many students to every computer
at TCA?
We currently have a computer for
every two students at Tall Cedars
Academy. We are proud of our technology
offerings and have computer classes
regularly for all students. During
this instructional block, students build
skills in keyboarding, word processing,
information retrieval, and applications
like Power Point and Excel.
Do you have a uniform policy?
We do ask our students to wear
uniforms at Tall Cedars Academy.
Uniforms allow us to celebrate
our school community and share the pride
we feel for our school with others. See
our uniform section for more specific
information about the types of uniforms
available and where they can be
purchased.
What does TCA do for physical
education? Do you have a sports program?
TCA offers a variety of sports
through our physical education program
including, but not limited to dance,
basketball, baseball, volleyball,
soccer, jump roping, and a collection of
collaborative team building games.
Students are also provided with
information about after-school team
sports and intramural opportunities as
they become available locally.
Does TCA offer Extended Day Child
Care? Do you have after-school classes?
What do you do during the holidays or
teacher in-service days for parents who
work outside the home?
We offer a complimentary extended day
program from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m and
from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. for all Tall
Cedars Academy students. Children work
on homework and special projects during
the after school hours or can enroll in
special extra-curricular offerings like
test prep, chess, paper making, art,
cooking, quilting, scrapbooking, and
private piano lessons for an additional
monthly fee.
What is the TCA homework policy?
Homework begins in first grade is
given to compliment the work being done
in class. Assignments given out on
Monday and due back on Friday are the
norm. First, second and third
graders receive 10-20 minutes of
homework per night which relates to the
work being done in their instructional
groups. Fourth, fifth and sixth graders may receive 30-60 minutes of
homework. Middle school students
receive approximately 60-120 minutes of
homework (20-30 minutes for each core
class in a single day). Because middle schoolers do not have each class
everyday, their homework may carry over
to the weekend. Homework done over a
longer period of time allows students to
work on long-term projects or review
work for the following week. Middle
school students are expected to bring
their homework planners with them to all
of their classes and group meetings
during the week.
Does TCA have a sibling policy?
We do not automatically accept all
siblings. We give priority notification
to our sibling applicants who enter at
first and sixth grade. TCA
notifies sibling applicants in February.
Sibling applicants for other grade
levels are placed in the general
application pool and are notified in
mid-March with the entire application
pool. Siblings are given a 3% tuition
discount upon enrollment to Tall Cedars
Academy.
Does TCA administer standardized
testing?
In accordance with our academic
program, TCA administers the Iowa Test
of Basic Skills (ITBS) to students in
grades three, five, six and eight. We
also administer the Washington
Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) to
fourth and seventh grade students.
Results of these assessments are given
to teachers and parents as one way to
help monitor student growth and
development. An optional meeting is
scheduled each fall to help parents
understand the results of these
standardized assessments.
How often do students have music,
art, and drama at TCA?
Music, art and drama are an integral
part of our curriculum. Our students
meet twice a week for music and have art
experiences twice a week or more. All
TCA students are also involved in a
yearly dinner theater production where they
experience all aspects of putting on a
play. Students have the opportunity to
perform in front of the curtain, work
backstage, or help with other aspects of
the production like costumes, set work,
and marketing.
Do you have a cafeteria?
Students at TCA bring their own lunch
and drinks and eat together in our
classroom. We also offer a hot lunch
program with special meals prepared by
an approved lunch provider in our
community. These lunches are reasonably
priced and provide a balanced and
healthy option for our families.
Do you provide transportation to TCA?
No, we do not offer transportation to
TCA. We encourage car pools and can provide information with permission,
for those families looking to set up car
pools and ride sharing. We do allow
students to ride the bus, walk or ride
to school if a Communication Note is signed and on file.
What field trips and outdoor
education programs do the students
participate in?
All of our groups of students
participate in field trips throughout
the year that relate to their course of
study as well as monthly, day-long
adventures with nationally recognized
outdoor education provider Wilderness
Awareness. Our own Tall Cedars Academy
school bus is used
for these trips as parents are not
allowed to drive students to and from
school sponsored events. All students
will also have the chance to attend a
three to five-day camp program each
spring.
