Please email us at: burlingtonalumni@fernhillschool.com

With a strong and vibrant Intermediate programme for students in Grades 6-8, at Fern Hill, we feel strongly that a school ending in Grade 8 serves children more effectively.

As a school that graduates students at the end of Grade 8, our Intermediate students are our most “senior” students,  and they have many opportunities for genuine leadership experiences. This differs from schools with Kindergarten through 12 or Grade 7 through 12 configurations where, this age group are often “in the middle.”

Our students are not leading their academic and social lives in the shadow of high school students, and we find there is substantially less pressure on our students to be, or act, “older.”

Students are provided with opportunities to learn about leadership and to practise their skills in meaningful ways. Fern Hill students develop increased independence, personal responsibility and accountability, as they encounter increasingly higher expectations for academic excellence and social maturity.

Fern Hill is committed to providing our students with an ever-widening array of opportunities to “learn by doing.” Our morning assemblies, community service projects and social events are designed to encourage students to do their part in creating a caring society. Fern Hill’s Grades 7 and 8 students also have opportunities to participate in international service projects, exchanges and community service.

Our students are given responsibilities, not just rules. Our goal is to help Intermediate division students emerge from Grade 8 as compassionate people, as well as confident and engaged learners.

Starting in the Early Years, our students are offered a programme that is customized to their learning ability. This often means that children are working beyond grade level. Upon entering Grade 8, students often advance to secondary school level courses and can graduate with secondary school credits in Mathematics, French and Computers.

All Grade 6-8 classrooms are equipped with interactive whiteboards and transformed into computer-based learning centres. By Grade 8, the use of laptop computers is integrated into all aspects of the curriculum.

Families grow and students change, especially in their early teens: a school that graduates students in Grade 8 allows time to consider secondary school options that fit best. Our students emerge from Fern Hill as confident and capable contributors, ready for the challenges of secondary school and beyond. At Fern Hill, they are supported in an atmosphere that celebrates courage, comfort and acceptance.

Our students graduate as confident and self-assured students ready to face the next step in their academic career.

This Fall, Fern Hill was pleased to launch a new learning initiative introducing Mandarin language to our Preschool, Junior Kindergarten and Senior Kindergarten students.

This unique offering integrates Mandarin language study into our programme in a seamless way. Ms. Lee participates in the classroom and introduces Mandarin words and concepts throughout the learning day.

Ms. Lee will also actively participate in a physical education class, so that when the children are playing, she is repeating instructions, directions and colours in Mandarin. She also has dedicated class time throughout the week to teach new words, colours and songs by using flash cards, videos, books, songs and cultural experiences to introduce our youngest students to the language.

Our children go home able to sing, identify colours, numbers and follow instructions in Mandarin. It has been so successful, that during assembly on Monday mornings, Happy Birthday is now sung in Mandarin.

As the children absorb this new information and begin using Mandarin words and phrases at home, we now have our parents asking the school for English-Mandarin “cheat sheets” so learning can be further reinforced at home.

The introduction of Mandarin to our Early Years programme is just another example of how Fern Hill school strives to provide unique and rewarding learning experiences to our students.

Fern Hill’s youngest learners are into everything, and we pride ourselves on offering a unique and rewarding learning experience for our Early Years students.

For more than 29 years, our youngest students have been building early literacy and numeracy skills with extraordinary, dynamic teachers in bright and engaging classrooms. Their days are filled with vibrant learning opportunities that emphasize early socialization with peers in an academic setting that offers individualized attention. At Fern Hill, there is no end to the learning process and children can advance to learn above grade level.

Inter-woven into every aspect of the curriculum are opportunities for the children to develop to their full potential … they truly experience the Fern Hill difference including:

• Enriched, customized curriculum
• Daily morning assembly
• Anti-bullying and life management in beginning in Junior Kindergarten
• House system sports and activities starting in Senior Kindergarten
• Qualified, subject specific teachers
• Full and half-day Preschool and Junior Kindergarten
• Specialist instruction in French, Music, Computers and Physical Education starting in Preschool
• Mandarin Language study in Preschool, Junior Kindergarten and Senior Kindergarten

From our very youngest students in Preschool to our senior students in Grade 8, Fern Hill provides a well rounded education that includes art, music, athletics, drama and French. Our small class sizes allow for individual attention and customized learning. Our teachers know their students as individuals and deliver a program that inspires intellectual curiosity, leadership skills and confidence.
We welcome you to come visit us for a personal tour. Take a tour of the school and learn more about the exceptional educational opportunities available to your child at Fern Hill School.

We are pleased to advise  of an agreement that provides Fern Hill School’s graduating Grade 8 students with early admission into Grade 9 at Appleby College.

This agreement is a tremendous reflection of the quality of our graduates and is a testament to the success of Fern Hill students at Appleby College through the years. Over the past 10 years, 197 Fern Hill students have been accepted into Grade 9 at Appleby, many of whom have gone on to achieve significant academic distinction, as well as being major contributors and leaders within the school.

We are extremely proud of Fern Hill’s Grade 6, 7, and 8 Intermediate programme, as we know it provides our students with an exceptional curriculum and with leadership and community service opportunities that provide our students with a strong foundation for high school and beyond.

Outlined below is an overview of the qualification criteria for the early admission programme with Appleby College:

• Students must be enrolled in and attending Grade 8 at Fern Hill School.
• Students must have completed Grade 7 at Fern Hill School with high academic standing, having participated in a rigorous academic curriculum.
• Students must be positive participants in Fern Hill’s overall school curriculum.

Students who qualify will benefit in several ways:

• They will receive automatic admission into Grade 9 at Appleby College.
• They will not be required to write the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT).
• The Appleby College $200 application fee will be waived.
• Early access to financial assistance will be available, if required.

Students and their families will need to complete Appleby College’s online application form, participate in an interview with an Appleby College Admissions Counsellor and submit a confidential School Report prior to receiving a formal offer of admission. Please contact our admissions office for more information.

“I got an A without trying!” is a common comment made by children to prove their intelligence.  Carol Dweck, a Stanford University Professor and the author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, would argue that this comment demonstrates a “fixed mindset” which will never allow a child to fully achieve their potential.

Increasing a child’s motivation to learn is always at the forefront for educators and parents alike.  The book : Mindset,  is  a practical and easy-to-read  book on how we can develop children who are more motivated and productive.  It is based on the premise of having two types of mindsets.

In a “fixed mindset”, children believe they are born with intelligence and talent.  They believe they are fixed traits and that if you have these traits, you do not need to put forth a lot of effort for success.
A “growth mindset” is the view that abilities and talents can be developed through hard work and effort.  Dweck’s research has shown that children with this type of “growth mindset” experience greater success and productivity in academics and later on in life.

How do we change children’s mindset?  Carol Dweck offers many practical solutions.  One method is through specific types of praise.  When you see your child work hard and succeed, praise them for their effort rather than just the end result.  In response to getting an A without trying…perhaps nothing new was learned, or, worse yet, the child is worried that if A’s don’t come easily ,they just aren’t smart.

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
By: Carol Dweck

http://mindsetonline.com/