Shelburne Craft School strives to create a safe, positive, respectful, and inclusive learning and working environment for students and staff. Failure to comply with our Terms & Policies may result in a meeting with staff, and repetitive failure to comply may result in suspension of attendance. We have a zero-tolerance policy for weapons, whether real or fake, and anyone violating this policy is subject to immediate termination from studio access.
Please make sure you’re in good physical health to be in our studios. First aid kits and fire extinguishers are available in every classroom. If an injury occurs, please notify a staff member immediately. Please only use those tools that you have been trained to use. If you notice any damaged equipment, or anyone behaving unsafely, please notify a staff member at once.
Please wear closed-toed shoes, and art-appropriate clothing that can get messy. If you have long hair, please tie it back. During the winter months, we recommend dressing in layers, as the forced-air heating system in our buildings can cause temperatures to fluctuate.
You may bring your cell phone to class, but if you need to use it, please do so outside of the classroom, so as not to distract your fellow students.
Our classrooms are small and intimate spaces shared by adults, children, and teachers. When conducting personal conversations, please be mindful of those around you. If your teacher chooses to allow the use of personal music or media devices, please keep the volume low or use headphones. Please keep your supplies and materials in the designated spaces provided, and please clean up your space at the end of each studio session.
You may bring food and drink with you to class, but please make sure that all drinks have a lid, and that if you bring food, you don’t consume it in the studios. You may eat outside at the picnic tables, or in the so-called “fishbowl” room in the middle of the yellow Bunkhouse building.
All supplies and materials are included in each course’s fee, unless otherwise noted. Some courses require students to purchase their own wood and tools. We recommend contacting your teacher before a course begins to discuss any materials you may need to acquire. Materials can often be sourced at The Treehouse Hardwoods and Millshop, Sterling Hardwoods, and Lathrop Forest Products. Please label all your personal materials, including bags of clay, tools, wood, etc. Shelburne Craft School is not responsible for the security of your personal items.
Open studio hours change per semester based on specific course offerings. Open studios are for individual work and not for instruction. Only currently enrolled students are allowed to use the facility during open studio hours. Please sign in at the start of each open studio session. Sign-in sheets are located on a clipboard next to the door or on a table in the studio.
Shelburne Craft School is a learning facility, and not a production facility. We reserve the right to refuse the use of our studios to anyone who is using Shelburne Craft School as a professional production space. Exceptions may be made on a case by case basis.
All courses must be prepaid at least one week in advance of the start of the course. Refunds are given up until one week prior to a course’s beginning, minus a 20% non-refundable fee. No refunds are given for course sessions you are not able to attend, nor can we prorate a course’s cost for such missed sessions. A full refund will be given if we cancel a course due to low enrollment.
In the event of poor winter weather, our weekday courses and office hours follow the closing schedule of Shelburne Community School. For evening and weekend courses, your instructor or a staff member will contact you with an update. We also announce winter closings on our Facebook page and/or by posting an announcement.
Shelburne Crafts School does not discriminate because of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation in its programs, activities, or employment.
Discriminatory Harassment or intimidation of a client, staff member, or guest because of that person’s race, age, color, sex, national origin, physical or mental disability, or religion is specifically prohibited and may be grounds for termination. Harassment and intimidation includes abusive, foul, or threatening language or behavior. Shelburne Craft School is committed to maintaining a workplace that is free of any such harassment and will not tolerate discrimination against staff members, volunteers, or clients. Issues of discriminatory treatment, harassment, hate speech, or intimidation on any of these bases should immediately be reported to the Executive Director or supervisor and, if substantiated, prompt action will be taken.
By agreeing to these Terms & Policies, you hereby release Shelburne Craft School and its operators, agents, employees, consultants and instructors from any and all claims from injury or damage that may be sustained by you or your child for use of the premises or equipment or from participating in the physical exercise which you have subscribed for yourself or your child. You represent hereby that you or your child is in good health and capable of participating in such a program, that you/he/she will not threaten or do anything that will injure themselves or others while engaging in such programs and will not hold Shelburne Craft School in connection with your/his/her participation and that you have adequately informed Shelburne Craft School Staff and instructors of any special instructions regarding you or your child participating in a class. You have read, understood and agreed to abide by the philosophy and policies of Shelburne Craft School and hereby agree to abide by such rules upon acceptance of you or your child’s application for enrollment.
Please see our website’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.