Dear Prospective Families, the Upper School at Fenn Is Characterized By
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Dear Prospective Families, The Upper School at Fenn is characterized by its ability to offer a challenging, high-quality program in a comfortable middle-school atmosphere. Academics are the focal point of the Upper School experience, yet Fenn boys also participate in an interscholastic athletic program that offers a position on a team to every boy and an arts program that allows boys to select their courses by trimester. Eighth and ninth grade boys have earned the privilege of free periods. The faculty trusts Upper Schoolers to use this independence wisely; we count on their strong sense of responsibility. The academic program in the Upper School is a demanding one that prepares boys well for secondary school The vast majority of our boys have the opportunity to attend either their first or second choice secondary school, and whether they choose independent or public school they graduate from Fenn will well-defined written expression, analytical thinking, and problem solving skills. In the realm of athletics, the program features ten interscholastic sports and the philosophy is centered upon skill development, teamwork and sportsmanship, and fun. Never is a boy excluded from the program due to ability. All Fenn boys share in the camaraderie of competing on a team and working together toward a common goal. Upper School students choose from as many as fourteen arts offerings over the course of an academic year. To meet graduation requirements, each boy must complete one studio art, one performing art, and one musical art over the span of two years. Many students earn recognition outside of Fenn for their accomplishments. Annually there is a winter musical produced in conjunction with the eighth grade class from the Nashoba Brooks School of Concord. Fenn is committed to offering Upper School students a small, personalized experience in which to learn and grow. The students’ teachers are also their advisors, coaches, and mentors. With an average class size of twelve students, the Upper School offers many opportunities for students to be well known by each other and the faculty. Leadership positions, particularly those available to ninth grade students, are a distinct and compelling feature of the Upper School at Fenn. The President and Vice President of the School are elected form the ninth grade class and class Senators are elected twice per year. Students also serve on school committees, are named captains of teams, and are directors of plays. Upper School students set a positive tone of leadership for the entire student body. Guided by the School’s motto, Sua Sponte (loosely translated: “It’s in your hands”), eighth and ninth grade students hold themselves to a high standard and serve as important role models to the younger students. The Upper School will challenge, in the best ways possible, your son both academically and extracurricularly. It is our belief that Fenn boys work hard, further discover their talents, and grow to become confident, well- adjusted young men during their two years in our division. I encourage you to explore further what we have to offer your son. Sincerely, Derek R. Boonisar Head of the Upper School Fenn UPPER SCHOOL SCHEDULE MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY 8:20 ADVISOR ADVISOR ADVISOR ADVISOR ADVISOR 8:30 8:33 1 1 1 1 1 9:18 9:21 2 2 2 2 2 10:06 10:09 3 RECESS 3 3 3 ALL SCHOOL MEETING 10:21 ALL SCHOOL MEETING ALL SCHOOL MEETING ALL SCHOOL MEETING RECESS 3 10:24 RECESS RECESS RECESS 10:51 4 4 4 4 11:09 4 11:12 11:36 11:39 5 5 5 5 11:57 5 12:00 12:24 12:27 6 6 6 6 12:50 1:12 1:15 7 7 7 7 LUNCH LUNCH LUNCH LUNCH 1:55 RECESS RECESS ARTS ARTS 2:30 STUDY HALL STUDY HALL 3:15 3:15 3:30 SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS 5:10 writing, especially as it relates to punctua - Resources ENGLISH DEPARTMENT tion, identifying essential and non-essential Literature phrases, introductory and independent Into the Wild , Jack Krakauer PHILOSOPHY : clauses, and tense and pronoun agreement. The Kite Runner , Khaled Hosseini Oral presentations, Socratic Seminars, The English program at Fenn is designed to To Kill a Mockingbird , Harper Lee group work, and class discussions are inte - teach boys to read actively and critically, to The Things They Carried , Tim O’Brien gral parts of the course. write effectively and fluently, to speak artic - Fahrenheit 451 , Ray Bradbury ulately and confidently, and to appreciate Romeo and Juliet , William Shakespeare Resources the power and pleasure of literature. The The Fall of Rome , Martha Southgate integration of reading and writing is a criti - Literature The Absolutely True Diary of A Part-Time cal component of the program. A variety of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn , Mark Indian , Sherman Alexie literature that is rich in content, style, and Twain On-Writing , Stephen King perspective provides a model for the devel - All Quiet on the Western Front , Erich Maria Selected poetry and short stories by such opment of written language. Students write Remarque writers as Jumpha Lahiri, Elie Weisel, in response to reading and develop skills Macbeth , William Shakespeare Jamaica Kincaid, and Li-Young Lee, and critical to their growth as writers. The Odyssey , Homer essays ,including excepts from Selected short stories, poetry, essays and Thoreau’s Walden . GRADE 8 required free choice reading. Supplementary Materials The eighth-grade English curriculum at Fenn Grammar & Usage for Better Writing, GRADE 9 teaches the meaningful and close reading Amsco School Publications, Inc. of good literature with a central focus on The ninth-grade English curriculum is cen - Vocabulary for the High School Student, the development of strong writing skills. tered on the essential question, “How, Amsco School Publications, Inc. The course helps students discover the therefore, should I live in an imperfect unique voices of writers and the importance world?” Through close reading and analysis of the literary tradition by reading and ana - of text, including novels, short stories, poet - lyzing classic texts. In addition, it encour - ry, and film, students wrestle with the MATHEMATICS ages students to develop their own writer's notion of how one can find meaning and DEPARTMENT voice through daily, shared journal writings, purpose in the face of human moral and reflections and readings. Students study social failings, the unjust nature of life, and PHILOSOPHY : the techniques of the writer's craft, focus - the unexpected challenges of the physical ing on how a writer develops and portrays world, despite its beauty. The readings will In the mathematics program at Fenn, each the protagonist's journey through the moral represent traditional, contemporary, and boy builds a solid foundation of skills and complexities of his experience. They learn multicultural voices. fundamental concepts so that he can move how a writer creates and develops an The course focuses on expository and to increasingly complex material as he goes authentic and memorable main character. analytical writing, and emphasizes the writ - through the school. Logic, analytical reason - The course also focuses on the importance ing process: drafting, revising, editing, and ing, conjecture and proof, abstraction and of narrative and poetic structure and proofreading. Informal, reflective writing on symbolic structure are important cognitive explains key literary techniques and ele - the literature we read is often used as a skills that find easy exercise in math but ments. precursor to crafting more formal essays. also contribute to each student’s overall In their own writing, students are taught Students become familiar with the ele - intellectual growth. Teachers and students to recognize active and passive voice and to ments of verse and write their own poetry. make connections among mathematical top - incorporate the habitual use of vivid verbs Vocabulary and grammar skills are taught ics and continually expand the body of work and strong nouns, effective transitions and and reinforced within the context of read - with which each boy becomes comfortable. well-structured paragraphs. The course ing and writing instruction. Oral presenta - In both oral and written work, teachers teaches and demonstrates the importance tions, Socratic seminars, group work, and encourage boys to share their ideas and to of creating fully cycled writing with a clear class discussion are integral components present their reasoning with clarity. Since beginning, middle, and end. A strong of the course. boys have different motivations and ways of emphasis is placed on recognizing, under - connecting with the material, teachers standing, and practicing practical grammar employ a variety of approaches in the class - skills within the context of a student's own room. Finally, boys are encouraged to listen to each other’s ideas, to appreciate differ - 1 “ Sua Sponte fosters individual responsibility, a skill needed for boys to become productive members of any future communities. FEN—N Fenn”teacher ent perspectives, and to engage their own Supplementary Materials Algebra One , Kennedy, Schultz, Ellis, Holt senses of curiosity. Trigonometry, Functions and Applications , Rinehart and Winston, 2003 Foerster, Addison-Wesley, 1998 Pre-calculus with Limits , Larson, Hostetler, GRADE 8 Exploring Regression , Dale Seymour Edwards, Third Edition, McDougal Littell, At the close of the seventh grade year, stu - Publications, 1998 2005 dents are sectioned by their teacher and Exploring Inequalities , Dale Seymour Supplementary Materials the mathematics department chair. The Publications, 1998 Exploring Centers , Dale Seymour options for placement are an honors pace, Algebra Experiments , Carlson, Ronald and Publications, 1998 a standard pace and a two-year pace. The Winter, Mary Jean, Addison-Wesley, 1993 Trigonometry, Functions and Applications , honors level course covers a full year of Larson Math Software Foerster, Addison-Wesley, 1998 algebra, delving deeply into discussions on Discovering Geometry , Serra, Michael, Key matrices, regression lines and quadratic GRADE 9 Curriculum Press, 1997 equations.