In Massachusetts, children must begin school in September of the calendar year in which they turn 6. But most elementary schools — public and private — allow students to start earlier than that. For example, Newton Public Schools allow children to begin kindergarten if they have turned 5 by Aug. 31. At The Fessenden School,...
Read More
It’s well-established that boys and girls learn differently. Cognitive differences between the sexes start showing up in our brains when we are quite young. “Brain-imaging technology shows the differences in living color,” Psychologist and brain development expert David Walsh told PBS in 2014. “A growing body of research on these differences points us to a...
Read More
We’ve seen it happen already in our lifetimes. The world is becoming smaller and more connected. National borders and language barriers are being transcended with technology and an increased consciousness of the value of different cultures and ways of life. Imagine how much the world will change during your children’s lifetimes. Stacie Nevadomski Berdan, an...
Read More
What’s the “right way” to find a private school for your soon-to-be kindergartner? Educational consultant Carol Kinlan thinks about this question a lot. As a consultant with the Boston-based McMillan, Howland & Spence, she’s helped hundreds of families find the local kindergarten or early elementary school program best suited to their children’s learning needs.
Read More
Is your son ready for kindergarten? This might seem like a silly question. Kindergarten, after all, is the traditional first step in a formal education. If you grew up in the ’70s or ’80s, it probably was for you. What do you have to do to get your son ready? Quite a bit, actually. Greta...
Read More
Secondary boarding schools traditionally start with boys entering in ninth grade (their “freshman” year). But many junior boarding schools offer the ability to continue studying in their program through ninth grade (and then start secondary school in tenth). So if you’re planning on sending your son to boarding school for high school, you face a...
Read More
“Raise your hand if you would like to go to the iLab.” Throughout the Schoolroom, hands dart into the air, each boy hoping to secure one of the ten available slots that will allow him to spend the next forty-five minutes in our popular iLab Makerspace. The opportunity to collaborate on a new project or...
Read More
Fessenden is the best educational fit for my son, but I still have to get my daughter to school. Wouldn’t it be easier if I was bringing them both to the same place? We get this question a lot. And, luckily, we have information to help alleviate your concerns. The Power of an All-Boys Education...
Read More
“Treat others as you would want them to treat you.” There’s a reason this adage is so popular and most people can recite it by heart. Words can be a powerful tool in teaching young boys how to treat others with kindness and make responsible decisions. Of course, with all their energy focused on play,...
Read More