Culture At the heart of a Friends school education are the Quaker values, or testimonies, of Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality and Stewardship (SPICES). From the daily interactions in our classrooms to our long-term partnerships in the neighborhood to the connections in our extended school community, we strive to live these testimonies as best we can. While few of our families or staff are practicing Quakers, we collectively commit ourselves to these values, each bringing our own perspective and experience. ● Simplicity – Clarity, priorities, and moderation. ● Peace – Peace within ourselves and the concentric rings of family, neighborhood, city, country, and world. Skills at solving problems peacefully, and removing the sources of conflict. ● Integrity – Being true to oneself and one's values, honesty. “Let your life speak.” ● Community – Understanding our role(s) in forming and sustaining inclusive, vibrant groups in the classroom and beyond. ● Equality – Respecting every person's right to fairness, including and valuing each voice. ● Stewardship – Caring for the gifts we have been given such that others might enjoy or benefit from them. Meeting for Worship – Our Meetings are held on Wednesday mornings at 8:45 a.m. This gathering is simply a time to sit quietly and reflect upon yourself, your friends and family, and the world around you. Often students compose queries, which are questions posed for thought or discussion. You are invited to join the children and teachers at Community Meeting for Worship on the first Wednesday of each month. Please note that we will continue to hold our Community Meetings for Worship on Zoom for the start of the 2021–2022 school year, and will keep you posted regarding when we are able to invite families to join us once again in our Meeting Room on campus. Peaceful Problem Solving – When a normal social conflict arises, we’ll work to solve it by listening carefully, proposing solutions, talking through possibilities, and building consensus. This Quakerly process takes time but produces a resolution that is sound and lasting. In the younger grades, children use the “Peace Table” to support the development of problem-solving skills such as attentive listening, “I” statements, and assertive language. “Meeting for Business” is also used to discuss conflicts as a group with the guidance of a teacher. In Middle School, peer mediators are trained to help students manage social conflicts of all kinds.
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