Epiphany School has a reputation for thoughtfully welcoming new families, bringing them into the school’s close-knit community with warmth and intention. Greg Jones, director of enrollment management and admission, shares the ways we onboard our newest community members each year.

A few years ago, I had an unusual experience: within weeks of each other, multiple independent schools in the region reached out me with the same question. They’d heard that Epiphany School does a great job welcoming new families; might we be willing to share more details about how we do it?

Here at Epiphany, we talk a lot about our warm community, parent involvement, and how we strive to be inclusive. But it hadn’t previously occurred to me that our approach might be different—more intentional, more effective— than that of our peer schools. I gladly shared with these schools a list of what we do. What I could not send is how we do it. For every step of our welcome process is suffused with genuine passion, heart, and care—not only by the admission team and faculty and staff, but by our entire community of students and families.

You won’t see those characteristics on the timeline below, but it is this commitment and passion for building relationships with an open heart and caring about others that is the secret to making our “welcome plan” actually work. We believe that an intentional approach to bringing new families on board ensures that the community we build together is authentic, sustainable, and self-perpetuating.

Building Community and Belonging

Our commitment to doing all we can to help families feel welcome and included starts well before families enroll at Epiphany School. In fact, our goal is to be sure that everyone who visits our school—on a tour, at Open House, during the student playdates/assessments— feels like they belong at our school.

After families receive their enrollment offer, however, our “official” welcome process kicks in. Through deliberate efforts, frequent events, and a school culture that prioritizes relationships and family involvement, we ensure that parents, guardians, and caregivers quickly feel folded into our warm, inclusive community. Being an authentic, welcoming community is so important to us that we made
it a pillar of our school’s strategic plan, as well as a guiding principle of our new campus master plan.

Here is a timeline of some of the major milestones in our process to welcome new families.

The First Seven Months

March

After decision day, admitted families are invited to attend a re-visit day on campus—to begin relationships with other new families and see the school again before they make their decision to enroll.

April

The Epiphany Parent Council and the school’s admission department create 1:1 buddy family matches, connecting new families with those who’ve been at the school for at least a year. Buddy families typically get together several times over the summer.

May

At New Family Night, all new families and their buddy families come together for the first time. Key school administrators and parent volunteers also attend.

June

Our parent council hosts grade-level play dates on campus, one in June and one in August.

August

Current and incoming pre-k and kindergarten parents/guardians attend grade-level potlucks to continue connecting with others in their grade and to learn about ways to get involved in the community. Later in the month, all students have the chance to visit their classroom and meet their teacher before the official start of the school year.

September

We welcome the entire community to our annual all-school BBQ, where all families come together at one large event for the first time.

October

We hold new family coffees in fall and grade-level coffees in winter to hear how the start of the year has gone and to take feedback and answer questions.

And beyond...

Open communication and intentional connection-building continues throughout the year—a defining characteristic of our school.

Welcome!