The Rainbow School Fall 2023 FAQ
When does The Rainbow School Start?
Enrollment ends on August 18, 2023. All Rainbow School cohorts will begin in September of 2023. Currently, I am collecting input on ideal time and date to shape the logistics with you and your kids in mind. Send me your thoughts on scheduling here.
How often do the cohorts meet?
The in-person cohorts will meet every other week for 2 hours from September 2023-June 2024. The Rainbow School is meant to work with your schedule and we will meet on either Mondays, Wednesdays (masked cohort), or Thursdays. We will also have several weekend immersion days throughout our 10 months together. We follow the major school break holidays throughout the year, and a master schedule will be created at a later date.
The virtual cohorts will meet every week for 90 minutes from September 2023 through June 2024. We will follow the major school break holidays throughout the year, and a master schedule will be created at a later date.
What kind of activities will we be doing?
During our times together, we will experience opportunities for individual creation, collaborative art, and generating larger-scale projects. We will spend time together journaling, art making, thoughtfully discussing, brainstorming, engaging in thought partnership, graphic design, social-emotional learning, games, imaginative creations, theater and scene writing with performing — the possibilities are truly endless!
We follow the rhythm of the seasons: noticing, observing, and creating in ways that are thematically aligned with what is occurring in nature.
Participants will gain new skills or accomplish a project nearly every time we meet.
While we are talking and making during each session, we engage in conversation around The Colorful Conversations Podcast, what is going on with each Rainbow School participant during that time, and anything else that feels important to discuss as a group.
Opportunities for extended learning and additional projects will be provided for each color of the rainbow so that participants have the opportunity to dive in into the curriculum as they feel called.
What outcomes do we work towards?
The Rainbow School is all about identity exploration and creative self-expression. We are working towards self-confidence, self-trust, self-love, and collective, collaborative opportunities for friendships, working relationships, and a sense of greater belonging.
We work towards a tangible outcome of expressing ourselves and a purpose we care about. We design a culminating experience that allows participants to feel a sense of accomplishment, autonomy, and self advocacy.
What will be taught?
The Rainbow School participants will be learning more about who they are, what they like, what styles of making and learning work best for them. They discover what they are passionate about, where their purpose is, and how to begin living out their purpose now.
Participants will learn to trust themselves, and how to be in the right relationship with the Earth and the changing of the seasons. Participants will learn self-trust, gain confidence, make friends, and have fun.
Each member of a Rainbow School cohort will be learning more about their intuition, their own body, how to be in community with others, and tools for clear and compassionate communication.
Think of this as an art, theater, health, and Earth-based magic class, all rolled into one.
What happens if I can’t attend an immersion day or weekly gathering?
While full participation is highly encouraged, we understand that things come up and life is exceptionally busy these days.
Participants who miss immersion days or weekly gatherings will receive a synopsis of what was missed and will be offered, to the best of our ability, activities and projects they can do on their own time.
Each of us doing our best to make a commitment to the schedule allows us to develop the most connected cohort possible.
What technology do I need access to?
Each member of the Prism and Iridescence cohorts will receive access to a Canva ((graphic design)) account.
Online participants will need access to a computer, internet, email, Discord, and Canva.
What accessibility supports are available?
For in-person gatherings, our space is navigable via a wheelchair. We are accommodating of all learning styles and neurodivergences. Because we keep our cohorts small, we can easily accommodate specific needs.
For virtual gatherings, one can always opt to have their cameras off, or cameras on with closed captioning depending on the needs of the group or participant.
How are instructors and other folks who interact with participants vetted?
Most of the collaborative teaching in The Rainbow Schools occurs through the Colorful Conversations Podcast. In the days before each Rainbow School session, participants are asked to listen to a 45 minute to 1 hour long podcast episode in which I, ((Caitlin)) interview an expert related to the color season we are in. We then spend some of our cohort time each week discussing the podcast and what we learned from the guest speaker.
As we get into the blue season, each participant is paired with a mentor who helps support them in moving towards their goals and dreams, as well as gives them a taste of what life is like as a person who spends time doing what they love.
Any other additional in-person or virtual guests are vetted through a personal interview process with Caitlin. Our intention is to always protect the participants involved.
How much does this experience cost?
The Rainbow School is offered on a tiered pricing plan designed to both honor the facilitator’s expertise and ensure The Rainbow School is accessible to all.
The three different payments tiers are:
$3450 or $288/month for 11 months - This is for those that can cover the full monthly cost of The Rainbow School and contribute extra to make the experience accessible to all.
$2250 or $188/month for 11 months - This is for those that can cover the full monthly cost of The Rainbow School.
$1050 or $88/month for 11 months - This is a reduced rate, supported by the collective, typically reserved for folks who have been historically marginalized and silenced, and are therefore underrepresented. This means non-white, queer, people with disabilities (visible and non-visible), and people who cannot typically access these kinds of programs due to prohibitive cost and/or cultural insensitivity.
The Rainbow School fee covers the 10-month guided journey in self-discovery and creative exploration, personalized mentorship from Caitlin, a magical care package of materials, and all of our incredible guest facilitators. Our culminating retreat will also be covered in this cost (except for travel/accommodations/non-retreat meals).
An initial month’s fee is required to hold a spot in The Rainbow School.
What forms of payment do you accept?
Currently, invoices are sent through Wave. However, if you are in Portland, I am looking into using the local app KUTO.
What are your teaching philosophies and experience?
I have always been passionate about teaching identity exploration and creative self-expression. I began teaching when I was about five years old — first to my dolls, then to my little brother, and soon to kids in the grade below me. I grew up in the high school my mother was the principal of; teaching has pretty much been my whole life.
I have a Masters in Education from Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon. I hold a current teaching certification in the state of Oregon. I’m currently certified to teach K-12 theater, art, health, as well as K-8 general education.
I will use my lifetime of teaching to work with each individual Rainbow School participant, and the cohort as a collective, to provide the most fitting and culturally relevant experiences and activities that I can.
I’m outside the specified age range. Can I still participate in the Rainbow School?
Yes! Your whole family can join in on the colorful Conversations podcast. Here, we will chat with visionaries, experts, and inspiring adults who are creating new models of how to exist in this ever-changing world. Geared towards the coming-of-age experience, these vibrant conversations are for young people and their families — offering tangible tools and insights to pave a path of your own making, live in your full creative expression, and be well-resourced for the future we are building together.
If you are outside the age range that is currently available but you are still interested in joining a cohort, please let us know. The Rainbow School is an evolving collaboration with families and we are always working to meet your needs.