Dear All,

We made it through a full week. Congratulations!

Another warm welcome to our new families. It’s easy to forget with so much going on that you are very much still learning about our community and its culture, and we’re happy you’re here.

A common question for many Quaker Heads is how the “Friends” name distinguishes us from other independent schools. This is a large topic to unpack, and one I will continue to address throughout the year. For now, a quick example: You may have noticed that your children refer to teachers and staff by their first names. Read more >>

DEIJB Coordinator Jennifer Barfield is sharing the gift of literature in rather peculiar places around town—barbershops! Inspired by a recent TikTok challenge, Jennifer connected with a number of local shops and salons, gifting crates of books to inspire young readers who might otherwise be uninterested or intimidated by books in formal educational settings. First stop, J B's Barber Shop on 6th & Dawson. Stay tuned to see our next drop-off spot! 

Part of our educational mission is to develop lifelong learners, lifelong leaders, and lifelong friends. We are thrilled that After-School Buddies will provide a programmatic avenue to coordinate the development of all three of these goals: empowering students to communicate with efficacy, problem solve with adaptability, and role model with empathy. Read more >>

After a 4-year hiatus, we are officially back and ready to relaunch our international service-learning trip to the Dominican Republic! Applications are now available for interested 7th and 8th grade students for the weeklong excursion to Cabarete.

In partnership with DREAM Project, this year’s trip will take a slightly different format with an intentional focus on intercambio (exchange) of teaching and learning in the classroom. The cohort will also embark on a number of cultural excursions to a cacao farm, cave formation, and local beach.

Take a peek at the application and contact Trip Coordinator & Preschool-Middle School Spanish Teacher, Martina Jonsson-Boykin, to learn more!

We came, we played, we partied! It was wonderful to spend Sunday afternoon with so many FSW students and families to kick off our new school year! What a treat (literally) to sip on frozen hot chocolates by Chocolate & S'more food truck and to celebrate each other’s company. Such a truly wonderful community we have.

Kick it with Friends on Friday, September 8th from 5:00-7:00PM for an evening of soccer matches, bouncy houses, art projects, and pizza slices.

Cheer on our 4th & 5th grade team and our varsity & alumni team as they go against faculty, staff & family competitors. Still nursing an ACL injury from 20 years ago and dare not step on the field? There's plenty of activities on the sidelines for the whole family to enjoy!

Follow the link below to sign up to play.

Have you had a chance to check out our Family Handbook? It's a treasure trove of information from arrival and dismissal procedures to the role of Middle School advisors. You can find the PDF at any time on the footer of our website and on the Parent Association webpage.

Please see pages 31-32 for our annual reminder regarding our formal whistleblower policy.   

Tuesday, August 29th
5:00-6:00PM

Spend the evening with your child's teacher to learn more about Montessori curricula, timelines, routines, and assessments.

For Stargazers Blue and Stargazers Purple families only; no Stepping Stones program.

Thursday, August 31st
5:00-7:00PM

Spend the evening with your child's teacher to learn more about grade level curricula, timelines, routines, and assessments.

Kindergarten through 5th grade will meet in individual classrooms from 5-6PM; Middle School round robins will take place from 6-7PM.

"I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to Allyson for her brilliant attention to detail and unwavering support of the school and its educational mission. As the true east to my west, I am exceptionally lucky to work alongside her as both a colleague and friend."

- Rachel Presley, Director of Communications