School Breaks Open House Mold with 'First Fridays'

Beginning Friday, October 2, Beverly’s Shore Country Day School launches a series of “First Friday” drop-in open houses for families considering private school for Pre-K through Grade 9.

First Fridays begin under the red roof of the school’s Center for Creativity at 8:15 a.m., when visitors can experience the school’s community-wide “house” meetings. During these festive weekly occasions, students, faculty, and staff gather in “Harry Potter”-like house groups to celebrate achievements and enjoy good-natured competition. After 8:30 a.m., Shore’s campus is open for tours to every grade level; visitors are paired with current parents to show the way and share perspectives.

“First Fridays are all about unscripted moments,” says Co-Director of Admissions Lee Carey. “That’s very different from a traditional planned tour with an admissions staff member, or the orchestrated events of an open house.”

Carey explains, “It’s common at Shore that school adults freely drop in to visit classrooms. This welcome extends to First Friday visitors, too. Likewise, our students are accustomed to sharing what they know or what they are doing, so pausing to explain their activity is a common event. There is nothing more genuine than a student’s view.”

First Friday visitors are invited to stay as briefly or as long as they like, quickly touring several places of specific interest or exploring every aspect of the school in depth. “Making the visit truly personal and useful is the bottom line,” says Carey.

“We know that families respond to school ‘cultures’ on a visceral, emotional level,” adds Co-Director of Admissions Daphne Faldi. “That kind of insight is just as important in evaluating options for our children as are facts and figures. And so we created First Fridays to give families the opportunity to notice how teachers speak to students, and how students speak to each other; to hear from students excited to share their knowledge; to feel the professionalism in how teachers interact among peers or with school leadership; and to delve more deeply into areas of the curriculum, campus, or facilities with particular resonance for them.”

Shore’s First Friday visits are 8:15-10:00 a.m. beginning October 2, and continuing on November 6, December 4, January 8, February 5, and beyond. Shore’s traditional middle school open house is scheduled for November 18, and an all-grades open house for January 24. Visit www.shoreschool.org for details and more dates.