Note from Janet Hale, director and founder of WiloStar3D
Hello parents, I wanted to write quick thanks for all your support, caring and involvement over the years. I want to say a few words about 
something important to the school. As the founder and director of WiloStar for over 18 years now, I am still as passionate and dedicated to our school and parents as ever! As you new parents and visitors to our site consider your options for online homeschooling, it’s important to weigh information out there on the Internet, both positive and negative. We come across many parents searching and searching for options and parents need to be vigilant in their investigations into online schools and programs. There are many schools that are simply not going to be a good fit for your child and we know that takes a lot of effort and time to weed through what is out there. We want parents to know that our main goal here at WiloStar is to create a learning environment that is safe, healthy and filled with joy. There is no room for negativity and combative thinking when there is so much of that out in the world today. Ask questions, talk to real parents who are involved in the program to get the real low down. WiloStar glady offers real reviews and real parents you can talk to. And yes, you can actually call some of them!
We also want to let prospective parents know that because we care so deeply for our students, staff and program, we carefully screen out students and families who we feel may be better served with a different approach. As a private school we have chosen this route in pursuit of providing the best environment for all. This helps protect our current students and ensure that the prospective student will be placed in an environment they will be successful in. It’s also important to understand that there is an overall picture we look at during the admissions process and this includes the parental support and stability. It’s no secret that the Internet is filled with false information and opportunities for unstable people to do harm on social media. So do your homework. Not all info you see on schools, good and bad is always true. In fact, after over 20 years of experiencing just fabulous outpourings from parents, WiloStar recently experienced firsthand a disturbing threat when admissions was denied to a parent’s child. We now know firsthand what it feels like to think someone may be out there creating ‘fake news’ and negative postings due to being denied admissions… a form of Internet Bullying! We have had an excellent track record all these years so the discerning reader will see between the lines if all of a sudden, during July of 2018 negative things appear about our school. Maybe nothing is happening but maybe it is. That is what bullying is all about and is very concerning. You hear of this sort of Internet bullying going on out in the world all the time with students and yes, now we see adults as well.
We try to teach WiloStar students the importance of being responsible for how you act in social media and to think twice about what you post out there. WiloStar has an entire curriculum module that addresses just this topic. I hope that you, as a diligent parent, will do your part to find the best online school setting for your child and that you question what you read, good or bad. Maybe the school you choose will be WiloStar and maybe it won’t. But in the case of the recent bullying we experienced, we know that good always prevails and we will continue to stand by our ideals and admissions standards and teach our students anti-bullying strategies. The point of this note is to express that bullying is a very real thing and we all need to do our part to ensure this issue is overcome in our society.
The good news is that WiloStar parents and students continue to be inspiring! In fact, just yesterday we heard from a 2018 grad’s parents as follows (shared with permission)
Dear Janet:
We wanted to share the wonderful news with you: Davey was officially accepted into SCAD. See attached. Davey’s admission rep said not to worry because of his transcript from Wilostar3D.Kris and I both consider you and your school to be miracles in our life. We owe so much to your efforts to provide a quality education to children on the spectrum like Davey. You are giving them an opportunity to live rich and fulfilling lives of inclusion. The admissions folks at SCAD know you and respect you work–that’s for sure.Please let us know anything we can do to further your efforts. Anything.Bless you and thank you,
David T
Parents play a huge role in the success of their child here at WiloStar and we welcome the chance for you to get to know us! Question what you see out there on social media, and really do your homework. Teach your child that bullying is not tolerated and yes, as adults we too need to set good examples for our children. Give us a call and we can talk about how WiloStar can help your student succeed! We are in your corner and always will be.
Educationally yours,
Janet Hale
Founder, Director
Trips both locally and farther way fosters a sense of connections not seen when only participating in online learning experiences. Students studying Colonial America may wish to visit Jamestown or Colonial Williamsburg and document it using their smartphones. Students take part in interactive presentations and meet historical figures or tour the Kennedy Space Center! High school students can complete local marine science labs in partnership with many excellent aquariums. These are only a few of the wonderful learning adventures our students experience as part of our experiential learning requirement!
