Parents of preschool-aged children are subject to daily, hourly, and even minute-by-minute questions. Queries about what things are and how they work can be heard from car seats, at the dinner table, and in the morning, afternoon, evening, and night. If you find yourself growing tired of answering so many questions—sometimes the same question three...
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Fourth grade is a critical year in a student’s academic journey. As children become some of the oldest students in elementary school, they find themselves caught between two worlds: a warm, nurturing environment and an increasingly stimulating setting in which they encounter rich social and academic adventures. Fourth graders still need hands-on support and guidance,...
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In a world where technology is ubiquitous, games and entertainment are available at our fingertips, and attention spans are shrinking, is there a sweeter sight than your child engrossed in the pages of an actual book? Fourth grade is one of the most critical years for your developing reader, and this year can make a...
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At 3 and 4 years old, children don’t have transcripts to review. How can you possibly determine readiness in pre-kindergarten applicants? At The Fessenden School, the pre-K admissions process was designed not to judge individual applicants, but to create a class. As Margaret Kelly, Director of Lower School Admissions, explains, her team’s mission is to...
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Your child will turn 5 this summer. It’s not a bad time for a birthday party; the kids can run around outside, play in the pool, enjoy grilled hot dogs and hamburgers. But for many parents, the fun of a summertime birthday is overshadowed by an agonizing decision. Do you start your son in kindergarten...
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Separating boys and girls into different classrooms may make a lot of sense at the middle or high school levels, where budding attractions between the genders can distract young pre-teen and teenage students from the work of learning. But in kindergarten, does it really make a difference? Many families who visit our all-boys private Pre-K...
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There are a handful of ways the culture of a private pre-K and kindergarten program might seem a little different to families used to public education. One thing that gives families pause when they tour our campus is seeing pre-K and kindergarten students (5-year-olds and younger) following a dress code. When you’re used to seeing children...
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Parenting advice columnist Melinda Wenner Moyer writes in Slate: “I’ve avoided talking about race with my kids mainly because I’ve thought that racial bias is learned by direct instruction and imitation—and that if I don’t talk about race or act in explicitly racist ways, my kids won’t pick up prejudices. My sources told me that...
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Male teachers are a rarity in American elementary schools, in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten education, especially. According to data compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, of the more than 600,000 preschool and kindergarten teachers in the U.S. in 2014, less than three percent were men. So, as a male kindergarten teacher, Fessenden’s Keith Fortier...
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When visiting families see the new playground at The Fessenden School, one thing stands out right away: It doesn’t look anything like a playground—not the ones they grew up with, anyway. Fessenden’s playground has no slides, swings, or monkey bars. In fact, it has nothing you would recognize as traditional playground equipment. “A traditional playground...
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