Five-Day Boarding at Fay School
Making the Choice for Five-Day Boarding Fay School’s boarding program consists of 120 seventh, eighth, and ninth grade students from across the United States and 20 countries. Up to ten of these boarding spots are reserved for five-day boarders. Five-day boarding can be an attractive option for students and families for a number of reasons:
Time: A More Deliberate Pace The school day for seventh, eighth, and ninth graders at Fay (or any school) can stretch from before 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., or even later on days when student-athletes participate in away games. Many busy families appreciate fiveday boarding for its convenience and its promise of a more deliberate pace to the week for students and parents alike. Valuable time is gained in the daily schedules of our five-day boarding families by eliminating the morning and evening commute between home, school, and afternoon/evening sports and other activities.
Structure From the moment they “rise and shine” at 6:45 a.m., boarders’ days are structured to help them excel personally and academically. All five-day boarders take part in evening study hours each weekday after dinner, when they can work independently as well as get extra help from teachers. Regular “lights out” times ensure that five-day boarders get plenty of rest.
A Close-Knit Community Fay’s dormitories are intimate, home-like settings that are conducive to building a campus family. Dorm parents, who
are also teachers and coaches at Fay, live with their own families in apartments in each dormitory. They are on hand before and after class hours to provide supervision, guidance, and support. Dormitories are within close walking distance to the dining room, classrooms, and playing fields, and each dorm includes common spaces where students gather and socialize informally.
Practice Independence, Connect with Family Five-day boarding is an excellent option for parents and students who seek all of the academic and personal benefits of boarding life, but also want to connect as a family and participate in hometown extra-curricular activities on weekends.
Preparation for Seven-Day Boarding Seventh, eighth, and ninth graders who are considering attending a boarding school for secondary school can take advantage of five-day boarding to lay the foundations for future success. By combining immersion in school life from Sunday evening through Friday afternoon with weekends at home, five-day boarding at Fay offers a comfortable transition to seven-day boarding in secondary school.
An independent co-educational day and boarding school for K - Grade 9 48 Main Street • Southborough, MA 01772 • 508.490.8201 • fayschool.org
A Weekday in the Life of a Boarding Student at Fay 6:45 Rise and shine 7:15 Breakfast in the dining room 7:50 Morning meeting, or meeting with advisory groups 8:05 Classes begin 9:35 Morning break (20 minutes) 12:50 Lunch in the dining room 1:35 Classes resume 2:20 Extra help/advisory/activity 2:50 Sports
4:30 6:00 6:45 8:30 9:30 9:45
Back to dorms for showers and supervised “downtime” Family-style dinner in the dining room Evening study hall in dorms and collaborative work in Root Building Choice time in dorms Get ready for bed Lights out
Frequently Asked Questions Who is eligible to apply for the five-day boarding program at Fay? We recommend that students who participate in Fay’s five-day boarding program live no further than 150 miles from the School. Five-day boarding is not an option for students who live outside the U.S. or who are enrolled in Fay’s English Language Program.
How does five-day boarding work? Five-day boarders depart campus between 4:30 and 6:00 p.m. on Fridays, after their last activity. Five-day boarders return to campus between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m. on Sundays in order to attend dinner and participate in the evening’s study hall and residential life programming. Five-day boarders are also welcome to stay over on weekends and take part in the rich array of fun activities that seven-day boarders enjoy.
How are five-day boarders integrated with seven-day boarders? Five-day boarders and seven-day boarders follow the same schedules and are fully integrated from Sunday night at dinner through Friday afternoon’s athletic practices or games. While roommate assignments are made on a case-by-case basis, five-day boarders and seven-day boarders are currently mixed in rooms and dormitories to promote an optimal social dynamic.
How can I apply for the five-day boarding program? We encourage you to contact the Office of Admission at 508-490-8201 to arrange a campus visit, tour, and interview. Boarding applications to Fay are accepted on a rolling basis beginning in October. Current Fay day students must fill out a brief application, due to Fay School’s Office of Admission by January 15, to convert to five-day or seven-day boarding status. ABOUT FAY SCHOOL Fay School is an independent, co-educational school serving students in Kindergarten through grade nine. Fay offers a broad and balanced academic program that provides enduring skills for a changing world. The boarding program, an option for students in grades seven through nine, is an integral part of school life, uniting students from across the United States and many countries around the world in a lively, diverse, and truly multicultural community.
48 Main Street • Southborough, MA 01772 • 508.490.8201 • fayschool.org