Effort Marks

One of Fay School’s core values is Earnest Effort, and our motto is Poteris Modo Velis, “You can if you will.” We instill in our students the belief that effort is the key factor in success. You can see our commitment to this principle in how a writing teacher follows up with a student on an essay, how a coach offers feedback on the sidelines, or how a choral teacher guides a student through a challenging passage of music.

Beginning in third grade, students receive effort marks every two weeks. This continual feedback helps students take ownership of their learning and be more reflective about the learning process.

Fay students practice persistence every day and learn to rely on their skills. When our students graduate, they take with them one of the most important life lessons of all: that they possess the capacity for continuous growth and improvement.

“Fay prepared me well for secondary school. I learned that no matter what kind of challenges I faced—academic, athletic, social, personal—I had the skill, the strength, and the perseverance to see it through.” - Sam Vogel ’12