Admissions at Orchard House
Dear Parents, Families, Friends, and Girls,
Welcome and thank you for your interest in Orchard House. We are excited about the work we are doing and eager to share it with you.
Orchard House is unique in that it is a middle school especially designed for girls at a pivotal time in their lives: grades five through eight. Our programs and practices are guided by what works for girls: the research related to this age group in areas such as brain chemistry, gender differences, and psychological and social development as well as the expertise of our experienced faculty. Our school community is intentionally diverse and small: twenty girls in each class for a total school size of eighty. The smallness and sense of community afford the faculty and administration the opportunity to know each girl in depth: as a person and as a learner.
We at Orchard House talk about "girls growing strong". Along with probing and challenging academics an equally deep commitment is to our girls growing strong from the inside out.
- We want each girl in our community to develop an authentic and independent sense of self.
- We want this knowledge to come from honest interchanges, high expectations, and through a girl's own work and reflection.
- We want our girls to develop the courage to persevere- to learn that obstacles and challenges can be opportunities for growth and development.
- We want each of our girls to develop a well-trained and able mind.
- We want each of our girls to know that she is a valued and respected member of the community.
- We want each of our girls to develop a global mindset with a strong sense of connection, respect, and commitment to the larger world.
Community, respect, and personal excellence are at the heart of an Orchard House education. As our graduates go out into the world, they consistently distinguish themselves academically, athletically, artistically, as volunteers, and as leaders. We've observed it as our students go to high school, and we see it again as they become engaged members of their colleges. The diversity we seek in incoming classes replicates itself with the choices our graduates make at the next level of their growth.
We are committed to the development of girls growing strong and healthy in their own right. We believe that the world is a better place when students are engaged, constructive, and useful. It is with the long view in mind, imagining children as adults, global citizens, leaders, and followers that Orchard House was created. We hope that you will join us.
Sincerely yours,
Nancy W. Davies
Head of School
