Summer Camps & Programs

Program Description

The Fessenden School

ESL Summer Program
West Newton, Massachusetts

		Program Description Program Overview Visit Web Site Get Free Info See Photos

For More Information, Contact
Mark Hansen
Director of the Fessenden ESL Summer Program
250 Waltham Street
West Newton, Massachusetts 02465
617-678-2978 or 617-630-2318
Fax: 617-630-2317
http://www.fessenden.org

Type of Program: Total-immersion English as a second language, international residential living
Participants: Coeducational, ages 10–15
Enrollment: 45
Program Dates: June 29 to August 1

Location

The Fessenden School, established in 1903, is located on a beautiful 41-acre campus just 12 miles from the historic and cultural center of Boston.

Background and Philosophy

The five-week Fessenden English as a Second Language (ESL) Summer Program has had more than twenty-five countries represented since its inception in 1992. What makes the Fessenden ESL Summer Program so special is its small size, personal attention, blend of academics, cultural interactions, language projects, travel experiences, summer camp activities, and total language immersion. Students attend academic classes, use the English language in a variety of projects and enrichment classes, play together in the pool and on the athletic fields, travel to New York City, camp in the woods of Maine, and learn how to work and live in a global society. Students use their English language skills while learning to work as a team. The School places a strong emphasis upon respect for the individual and cultural differences that each student brings to the community.
    Community life at the Fessenden ESL Summer Program is also an integral part of the Fessenden experience. Children of the same gender and similar age groups but different nationalities live together in the same dormitory. Great friendships develop from living in a multinational, multilingual environment using English as a common language. Family-style dining encourages English language development, while students sample American and international cuisine.

Program Offerings

The Language Classroom All morning classes emphasize the four basic skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Classes taught by Fessenden’s team of language specialists are small enough to offer consistent individual attention to each student. The student-teacher ratio is 5:1. The Summer ESL Program’s multilevel curriculum serves to enhance the students’ understanding of cultural events, excursions, and weekend trips while helping them to demonstrate progressively greater competence in English.
    The academic objective of Fessenden’s Summer ESL Program is to make learning English language skills a positive and valuable experience for each student regardless of his or her prior knowledge of English. Students are placed in small classes based on the results of comprehensive language assessments. Fessenden offers many levels of language instruction, ranging from beginning to advanced. Teachers take into consideration each student’s linguistic needs when planning lessons. The girls and boys leave the program with greatly improved skills in speaking, listening, writing, and reading English.
Afternoon Enrichment Program Students also gain English skills while participating in less formal but carefully planned afternoon activities. These activities include computer skills, language lab, arts and crafts, hands-on science, video production, and International Day.
    The purpose of the enrichment program is to integrate English language learning into real-life situations as well as to have fun in a relaxing and creative setting. Teachers provide situations that require students to use English while gaining knowledge and skill in diverse activities.

Extra Opportunities and Activities

The Summer ESL Program offers a wide variety of experiences through field trips and weekend excursions. Two of the biggest “traveling classrooms” are the day trip to New York City and the four-day camping trip in the woods of Maine. Other events include trips to historic downtown Boston, a July 4 Independence Day celebration, barbecues, fireworks, a Boston Red Sox baseball game, the Big Apple Circus, a whale watch, a trip to the beach, and International Day presentations.

Costs

For 2007, the total cost of the five-week program was $5975. The cost of the program includes all class and material fees, weekend and evening trips, meals, transportation, laundry service, and required health insurance. Personal spending money is not included in the cost of the program. The School recommends $400 in personal spending money be kept in an account for each student by the director.

Application Timetable

Interested applicants and their families should contact the Fessenden School Summer ESL Program at the address, phone numbers, or Web site listed in this description. Applicants who access the School’s Web site should select “summer.”