Please email us at: oakvillealumni@fernhillschool.com

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 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, and Physical Education starting in Preschool

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 programme that inspires intellectual curiosity, leadership skills and confidence.

We welcome you to come visit us  to see our classes in action 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.

When families are considering an independent education for their children, they are searching for the school that can deliver excellence in all educational experiences. They are looking for personalized attention and solid academics, taught in a joyful, safe environment where their children can grow and flourish.

Fern Hill truly is a school like no other. With a top-notch facilities and an outstanding curriculum, Fern Hill is the educational choice for those looking for individual attention, customized programmes, exceptional academic standards, small classes and highly motivated and qualified subject-specific teachers.

Fern Hill’s teachers create an individualized programme that extends the boundaries of the curriculum. French Geography is introduced in Grade 6 and Mandarin is offered in Grade 7 and 8. Students in Grade 8 also have the opportunity to take Grade 9 credit courses in Math and French. Fern Hill also believes in providing students with a well-rounded education that includes art, music, physical education and drama, all starting in Preschool.

To learn more about what Fern Hill can do for your child, please contact the Admissions Office at 905-257-0022 to arrange a personal  visit.

Fern Hill – Quick Reference

• Co-educational independent school for children in Preschool to Grade 8
• 10-acre campus in Oakville, Ontario
• Founded in 1982 by Joanne McLean and Wendy Derrick
• Enrolment of 400 students
• Small class sizes (average 18 per class)
• Member of Young Round Square of the Americas
• French, Music and Physical Education are taught by subject specialists beginning in Preschool
• Foreign Language study including Mandarin and Spanish
• Enriched, customized curriculum
• Grade 9 and 10 secondary school credits in French and Math
• Full and half-day PS and JK
• Full day SK
• Vibrant and diverse community
• Full-size gym, library, and dedicated computer, science and art rooms
• Musical productions
• Laptop programme and SMART boards

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.

“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/