Fessenden school

• Location: West Newton, Massachusetts, USA,
• Year of foundation: 1901,
• Students age: 10 Years,
• Language of instruction: English,
• Type of study: separate (boys only); independent school,
• Curriculum: secondary school; day students: Pre-K through grade 9,
• Total number of students: 543,
• Type of accommodation: residence; boarding option: grades 5 through 9.

• Location: West Newton, Massachusetts, USA,
• Year of foundation: 1901,
• Number of students: 543,
• Language of instruction: English,
• Type of study: separate (boys only),
• Type of accommodation: residence,
• Programs: preschool and grades 1 through 9.

The Fessenden School is independent. Fessenden school is the oldest male boarding house in the United States, opened in 1901. Here, the boys are offered a pre-school program and a classical course of secondary education from 1 to 9 grade. Foreign students can apply for training from 10 years (grade 6). To date, 543 people are studying here, representing 13 countries of the world.

All programs, curricula and the schedule of recreational activities are aimed at young people as much as possible, to reveal their talents and capabilities. For more than a hundred years, the institution has produced talented and creative managers, politicians and scientists. Here they take care not only of high-quality academic training, but also moral education, harmonious development of body and spirit.

Fessenden school is located near Boston (the capital of Massachusetts), in the green and cozy city of West Newton. The total area of the campus reaches 41 acres, in walking distance are many shops, cafeterias and bistros. Many day students come from Boston and the surrounding area.

The school community is rooted in honesty, compassion, and respect. Its academic program is tailored to each student and emphasizes project-based learning.

Boarding students have study halls built into their daily schedules, often several times a day. Residential faculty provide extra homework help before or after dinner.

Skills Center remediation, individual academic tutoring, and English language tutoring are available for additional fees. English language tutoring is required for all newly enrolled students during their first semester and meets twice a week. It is optional for returning students and students newly enrolled for the second semester.

The school psychologist and school counselor offer check-ins, support students with homesickness or anxiety, and refer students to outside counseling when needed. They do not provide ongoing counseling.

Health and wellness education is part of the curriculum at every level. In the Lower School, it is embedded in the homeroom experience and physical education. Middle School students take a wellness class. The Upper School curriculum stipulates a health and wellness class at each grade level: Introduction to Health in grade 7, Making Healthy Decisions in grade 8, and Contemporary Issues in Secondary Education in grade 9.

• 47% of students identify as people of color,
• School philosophy: “nurture, then challenge.”

The campus includes 5 spacious, comfortable residences: they are equipped with comfortable, fully equipped rooms for 2-3 people each.

Approximately 100 boys board at Fessenden, making up more than half of Upper School students. Close to 75% of Upper School faculty live on campus, and the ratio of boarding students to faculty who live there is two to one. Forty faculty families live on campus. Boys live in dorms of no more than 18 students. Two faculty or staff families live on each hallway, and each floor has two ninth-grade proctors, experienced boarders who support younger students.

Domestic boarding candidates may choose five-day or seven-day boarding. Seven-day boarding is the only option for foreign boarding students. Day students can stay overnight for an additional charge, with meals included. Laundry service is mandatory for seven-day boarders and optional for five-day boarders.

Health Center staff coordinate boarders' orthodontic, dental, and vision appointments. The school physician visits campus once a week, and more intensive care is coordinated with nearby Boston Children's Hospital and Newton-Wellesley Hospital.

The general canteen organizes meals on the principle of full boarding. Breakfast is served in the buffet format: students can choose fresh fruit and salads, sandwiches, hot and cold snacks independently and in any quantity. The diet is made on the basis of a healthy diet, lunches and dinners are always complex, prepared from fresh and healthy products, take into account all the needs of the young organism.

Subject list: biology, chemistry, economics, history, maths, physics

Fessenden school conducts more than 800 different leisure, cognitive and sports activities every year: games and competitions, outdoor recreation and picnics, shopping and cinema, visits to theaters and interesting exhibitions.

There are 20 or more options each weekend. Boarders choose and plan their own weekend experiences, and they may spend a weekend off campus with a day student's family.

The school fields soccer teams at the Varsity, Varsity B, JV A, JV B, Intermediate, and fifth-grade levels, as well as Varsity, Intermediate, and Flag Football teams. They compete against other New England schools.

One of the most popular volunteer roles for boarders is serving as a Lower School Big Brother. Several times a month, they read with, mentor, and play with the youngest students.

• Average class size: 12 students,
• Faculty with advanced degrees: 78%,
• Athletic programs: 21,
• Musical groups and theatrical productions: 20.

In Fessenden school for pupils all necessary for effective training and pleasant active rest is equipped: musical and art studios, own studio of sound recording and classes for individual lessons of a vocal and games on tools. Students are provided with free access to an extensive library, medical center, a book trade pavilion, equipped with their own photo lab and a video recording studio. The sports infrastructure is no less developed: it is represented by numerous fields and grounds - both for personal lessons and for team games, by an ice rink.

Campus athletic facilities include two synthetic turf fields, two indoor basketball courts, two outdoor pools, and six tennis courts. The campus also has a skate shop. The rink is open for rental seven days a week from August through April, and the skate shop is open year-round for accessories and skate-sharpening services.

Health Center nurses provide first aid and emergency care and work with an athletic trainer on staff to manage sports-related injuries. The school physician from Boston Children's Hospital oversees the Health Center staff. For boarders, the center has extended evening and weekend hours, with a registered nurse on call overnight. Boys who become ill and cannot return to their dorms may stay overnight in the center's bedrooms.

School buses serve 10 communities.

Additional charges billed separately include:

• Private music lessons,
• The Lower School Extended Day Program and drop-in care,
• Overnight Health Center stays, physician services, and transportation billed by the school,
• Mandatory international medical insurance for foreign boarders,
• School store purchases and athletic charges, including personal athletic equipment.

Extras:

• Registration fee (for a programme/course) 100 USD
• Medical insurance 1880 USD

• A campus visit and an interview are required of every applicant: candidates for grades 4 through 9 come for a tour and an interview in person, while visits for Pre-K and grades 1 through 3 are held for parents or guardians only,
• For Kindergarten applicants an admissions staff member carries out an individual assessment on campus. Pre-K, Kindergarten and grade 4 candidates are invited to a group visit, and grades 1 through 3, which are rarely entry points, have a classroom visit with an assessment,
• The Pre-K interview takes the form of a conversation during an hour-long campus tour rather than formal questioning. The school looks closely at a child's social and emotional readiness and may suggest that a family keep their son in preschool one more year and apply again.

• Application form,
• Receipt for payment of the entrance fee,
• Recommendations from teachers in mathematics and English from the previous school,
• The required parent statements,
• Transcripts for the previous and current school years,
• Grade-appropriate confidential evaluation forms completed by the candidate's current teachers,
• SSAT, ISEE, or WISC-V results for grade 5 through 9 day and domestic boarding applicants, welcomed but not required,
• TOEFL Jr. results for foreign applicants, with SSAT, ISEE, and WISC-V results optional,
• For grade 5 through 9 applicants attending school in mainland China or Hong Kong, an initial interview and short writing task regardless of citizenship or school type,
• An age of four by September 1 for Pre-Kindergarten applicants, and five for Kindergarten applicants.

The school awards financial aid based on a family's need and its available financial aid resources. Nearly a quarter of families receive support.

Financial aid awards are grants and do not need to be repaid. Families must submit a new application each year their son attends Fessenden. Unless their financial circumstances change significantly, they receive a similar award each year.

In many cases, financial aid also covers academic tutoring, the Lower School Extended Day Program, bus transportation, elective courses with fees, and some athletic fees.

• Guardianship services during the studies
• Student supervision