Weekly Up-Dates

• Mistwood's WASC Self Study was submitted last week: 

  • This is a document created by various stakeholders (parents, students, staff, and community) about our school, our stregnths, areas for growth, and goals for the future: You can read it here

  • Next step in our Accredidation renewal will be a visit from our Accredation Team in May. 

Building Update: 

• The Wiyot Tribe and Mistwood Educational Center are submitting a joint proposal for the Temperance Hall property. We will submit the proposal before April 1, 2026, and expect to hear back around May.

• The Adventist Community Center Board is reviewing our request to rent their property at their board meeting on March 22, 2026.

• The Arcata Veterans Hall is still willing to serve as a temporary home for Mistwood in the 2026/27 school year, if it becomes necessary.

• We are confident that one of these options will work in our favor, and we will share any updates as soon as we receive new information.

• If you missed the webinar  with Challenge Success-Stanford Research:  How We Grow Up: What We Get Wrong About Adolescents Today — and How to Help. You can watch a recording here!

• Registration DUE NOW! 

As we begin planning for the upcoming school year, we kindly ask all families to submit their registration forms as soon as possible. Knowing how many students will be returning helps us thoughtfully plan staffing, class offerings, and tuition structures so we can continue providing the strong, supportive learning environment our community values.

If you have not yet completed your registration, please take a few moments to do so. Your timely response makes a meaningful difference in helping us prepare well for the year ahead. If you have any questions or need assistance, we’re always here to help.

Why We Have Monthly In-Service Days

Once a month, Mistwood sets aside a day for staff in-service to give teachers time for planning, collaboration, and campus care. During these days, teachers meet to review student progress, refine curriculum, and keep classrooms clean, safe, and organized—since Mistwood does not employ a janitor or maintenance staff. This fall, we’ve added a few additional in-service days to the scheduled to complete our WASC self-study, an important accreditation process that helps our school continue to grow and improve.

We understand that in-service days may be an inconvenience for some families; however, they are essential to keeping our school safe, clean, and continually improving, while also allowing us to maintain affordable tuition by not employing additional maintenance or janitorial staff.

Edutopia

Edutopia put out an article this month supporting Mistwoods approuch to grades and feedback. Read: Why Teachers Should Grade Less Frequently by By Youki Terada, Stephen Merrill.

• Enrollment for 2026–27

As we plan for next year, our goal is to keep any tuition increases as minimal as possible yet reach a balanced budget. One of the most effective ways to reduce pressure on tuition is to welcome additional families into our community. To support this effort, we are hoping to enroll five more students for the 2026–27 school year.

To help us reach this goal, we are offering a special incentive for current families:

• • Family Referral Incentives

    • If your family refers another family who attends an Open House on January 22, 2026 from 4 to 6 pm or schedules a private tour:2.5 service hours ($25) will be applied to your 30 annual service hour requirements

OR

• • • If a family you referred enrolls at Mistwood: 15 service hours, ($150) toward your school service obligation

These incentives apply for each new family you bring who engages in the process.

Your personal experiences and genuine recommendations are the most meaningful introduction new families receive. Thank you for helping us grow our Mistwood community and for supporting our efforts to keep tuition increases modest and sustainable.

If you have any questions or would like referral materials to share, please let us know, we’re happy to help!

• Edutopia has an other article that relates to our school program, this time focused on the benifits of school run DnD and other TTRPGs: Running a Dungeons and Dragons Club

• On January 20, some students participated in a student-led walkout connected to a nationwide protest. We want to be transparent about what happened, what we learned, and the steps we are taking to better support student safety, communication, and supervision moving forward. Please see this letter to families regarding the walk-out and staff responce. 

• We wish to share an important update regarding the building that houses Mistwood Educational Center. Bayside Corners, the owner of our building, has informed us that they have decided they no longer wish to keep the property. They plan to pursue a transfer of ownership and will be issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) to local nonprofit organizations.

Mistwood intends to pursue this RFP and will be submitting a proposal in an effort to gain control of the building.

At this time, we want to be transparent that this process may impact planning for the coming school year. While we are hopeful, there are still many unknowns, and timelines and outcomes are not yet certain.

We would like to invite our community to a discussion, Monday 2/2/26 at 7:00pm, both on-site AND on-line. Here we will share what we know so far, outline possible scenarios, and talk through what this could mean for Mistwood moving forward. This will also be an opportunity for families to ask questions and share thoughts.

We are committed to keeping you informed as this process unfolds and to doing everything we can to support the stability and continuity of our school community.

• Please complete this survey on next years calendar. We want our calendar to work for as many families as possible, with in our budget.