Mason-Rice Elementary School

This is our first year at Wellan, and first school experience, and it has been a great year so far. We chose Wellan because of our interest in the Montessori method of education, but also because it felt like more than daycare – it’s truly a school and one our 3-year-old can grow up in for many years. The classrooms are beautiful – clean and bright. Everything is tailored to the children and facilitating their independence (such as child height counters, tables, and shelves, eye level artwork, child size sinks and toilets). They establish great routines and consistent schedules which has even helped with creating routines as home. The communication between families and teachers is great. They are very responsive to e-mails and for the younger children, updates are sent on a daily basis. The curriculum is engaging, and they incorporate seasonal or other relevant topics throughout the year. Parents are even invited to come share on a topic once a week. The feedback from the teachers at parent-teacher check-ins is very thorough.Throughout the enrollment process the staff answered all of my questions and they even accommodated separate tours for my husband and I when our schedules didn’t coincide. I knew what to expect at each step and it was an overall smooth process. As a new parent I have felt very welcomed into the school community, with lots of opportunities to meet other families and the staff. I don’t feel judgement for not being “perfectly Montessori” and in fact they have an educational series just for families and caregivers who want to learn more about Montessori and incorporating it at home. Throughout the year the school and the Parent Association hold many events and activities where you can meet other families or parents. There are “fireside chats” with the head of school, student performances, community service events, and many others. Everyone at Wellan is warm, welcoming, and you can absolutely tell they have a passion for what they do.

At Fessenden School, they put a lot of pride into sleep deprivation of certain students. The subjects were fun at certain times, and required some lengthy written term papers. At Fessenden, I enjoyed the social interaction with other boys, and music and plays were always fun.

Walnut Park is a gift to our family! Our children -- today 3 and 5 -- started in the toddler room and now share a primary classroom. They are curious, compassionate, and confident people, and they ask wonderful and interesting questions about how the world works. It has been a joy getting to know their teachers, who are always willing to share with us how a work in the classroom relates to a skill with which we are familiar, be it recognizing letters and sounding out words or adding and subtracting numbers. These fundamentals and others are complemented and enhanced by art, music, play, yoga, the list goes on. As parents, we often find ourselves wishing we could spend the day as our children do -- with people who care and opportunities to explore. It is a very special place.