December 4, 2024

Forward Leaning Schools- The Applewild Pilot

Guest Blog by Moira Kelly, President, EXPLO

Originally Published December 4, 2024 
Shared with permission.

In Search of Deeper Learning chronicles the quest of award-winning professor Jal Mehta and accomplished educator Sarah Fine to uncover deeper learning in America’s schools. What they found is that deeper learning is more often an exception rather than the rule, but that powerful pockets of deeper learning exist and can often be found in the fringes of the school day – in extracurriculars and electives.  Their critically acclaimed book has led many to ask, “How do we bring what lives on the periphery to the center of the school day?”

That’s a question EXPLO tried to answer this fall when it partnered with the Applewild School in Fitchburg, Massachusetts to pilot an EXPLO course. In between math, ELA and other courses, seventeen 7th graders immersed themselves in a complex crime scene simulation as part of EXPLO forensic science. ... read more

November 25, 2024

A Partnership in Growth: Supporting Independence and Resilience in Your Boarding School Student

Your child bravely set off to boarding school this September, and as the excitement of the first few weeks settles, some challenges may emerge. It’s perfectly normal - almost every residential student experiences some adjustment struggles, especially in their first year. At great boarding schools, the staff is ready to partner with you every step of the way, supporting your child as they navigate these changes. ... read more

November 7, 2024

Middle School Boarding: Is your student ready?

How do we know a student is ready to attend a boarding school for grades 5, 6, 7, or 8? There are many students who despite their young age are ready to leverage the advantages of an immersive educational experience. Here are some clues that predict junior boarding success: 

1. Desire

Does the student want to attend boarding school? What reasons do they give for wanting to attend? If the student is not wildly enthusiastic, are they at least open-minded about the possibilities? We find that students who want to be at a junior boarding school are successful, even when they have a less-than-perfect profile. Desire fuels motivation, and motivation is the foundation for personal and academic growth. ... read more

June 21, 2024

Elevating Intellect - Nurturing Giftedness to Maximize Potential

By Amy Jolly, Head of School

Families most often choose an independent school such as Applewild to ensure their child has access to a deep and broad program where every child is a valued community member. However, some families choose our school to solve a problem such as a desire to be able to pursue interests such as arts at a deep level, escaping a difficult peer situation, or addressing learning challenges. All of these concerns are valid reasons to depart their public school but my favorite problem to solve is providing a home for the “too-smart” child. As Kara Miller pointed out in her Boston Globe Magazine feature article “Where did all the gifted programs go?” (June 2, 2024), Massachusetts public schools, with few exceptions, do not offer gifted programs. In an age where funding is limited, those resources are necessarily placed at helping struggling students meet minimal state-standards. Unfortunately, this leaves many children in an educational environment that at best systematically stimies their natural curiosity and eagerness to learn, and at worst, sets these children up to develop boredom and related maladaptive behaviors. ... read more

May 22, 2024

What makes a great dyslexia program?

By Amy Jolly, Head of School

I’m fortunate to lead an independent school that provides students with language-based learning differences (dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia) with a tailored program that features language-based classrooms, 1:1 Orton-Gillingham tutorials and a genuine interest in helping these students find success. Students typically join this program in the second grade or later, after they have experienced various schooling experiences which have not met their specialized needs. I confess to being heartened by Applewild’s approach and wish this option had been available when our dyslexic daughter had been young. She suffered unnecessarily through late elementary and middle school in a great school district that never really gave her what she needed. This personal experience frames my deep passion to help these students, and helps frame what we offer students at Applewild. ... read more

February 14, 2024

What does excellent reading instruction look like? It's a science.

By Amy Jolly, Head of School

The Boston Globe recently had a front-page article on the “Science of Reading” (SoR) called “Lost in the World of Words” (McLaaren, Mandy & Martin, Naomi  “Lost in a world of words: Key takeaways from Globe literacy investigation” Boston Globe January 17, 2024) that highlights that “Learning to read is the greatest gift a school can give a child. And yet here, in the birthplace of public education, outmoded teaching methods leave thousands of students struggling to gain this critical skill”... read more

December 15, 2022

All-school assembly builds community through connection.

Like a family, a strong community requires work and dedication from its members. One of the ways that we work on being a large family at Applewild is through the all-school assembly block built into our 7-day schedule rotation. While these periods never look exactly the same, each one has the same goal: building community. read more

October 21, 2022

Junior Boarding: The 9th grade advantage.

By Amy Jolly, Head of School

There are only 11 junior boarding schools in the United States, and these schools specialize in the unique academic and social-emotional needs of residential students in grades four through nine. There are many compelling developmental and educational reasons why families choose middle school boarding but one of the top reasons is overall secondary school preparation and placement... read more

January 18, 2022

Why middle school boarding? Last major window for academic intervention.

By Amy Jolly, Head of School

Middle school is a time of explosive growth and intense awkwardness for many. If we pause and reflect on our own middle school experiences, most of us would inwardly cringe at remembering. The hormones are flowing and development is uneven across boys and girls at this age. Friendships which seemed secure in fifth grade are abandoned in sixth grade causing great anxiety. Girls and boys begin to be interested in each other as more than friends. It is not uncommon for adolescents to explore their gender and sexual identity while clarifying their interests and talents overall... read more