MIDDLE SCHOOL FAQ
ADMISSIONS AND ENROLLMENT
Q What is the San Francisco Friends School (SFFS) admissions schedule?
A SFFS follows a similar admissions calendar to many other San Francisco independent schools. Starting in October, we will be accepting applications for middle school students entering fifth and sixth grades in the Fall of 2012.
Q Will parents have a chance to meet with the admissions team?
A Yes, SFFS feels it is important to understand parents’ perspectives and educational philosophy. The admissions team will schedule a half-hour meeting with each applicant’s parents.
Q What should students expect when they have a School Visit?
A Middle School applicants will spend a day at SFFS; in that time they will visit and participate in classes, and meet with a teacher for a brief interview. In a separately scheduled session of approximately one hour, applicants complete a writing sample, a small packet of math problems, read a short passage followed by comprehension questions, and participate in a small group collaborative activity.
Q Will SFFS give preference to Quakers or children of alumni of other Friends schools?
A SFFS will consider each applicant individually, regardless of faith or family educational background. However, SFFS is committed to enrolling students whose families embrace the basic tenets of a Friends education.
Q What kind of child will thrive at SFFS?
A SFFS seeks students who are ready to engage intellectually and socially in a challenging program. Our teachers will encourage each student to develop his or her individual abilities within or across any discipline, and demonstrate eagerness to take on challenges and be a part of a creative problem-solving team. SFFS is committed to supporting students and families who reflect San Francisco’s cultural, racial, ethnic, religious and economic diversities.
Q What kind of families does SFFS seek?
A SFFS strives to enroll students whose families understand our mission and will support the values of simplicity, mutual respect, peaceful problem-solving and service in our school community. We welcome parents who will actively participate in the SFFS family and help to create a vibrant school culture.
Q How many students are in the SFFS Middle School?
A Each Middle School grade enrolls between 48 and 57 students divided into three sections of 16 to 19 students. Advising groups are 10 to 12 students. Our middle school includes roughly 200 students.
CURRICULUM
Q How do Middle School students use technology and learn media literacy?
A We use a broad definition of technology; we are not only introducing computers, but microscopes, digital cameras, solar energy panels, compasses and other tools of science and the arts. Laptops and other technological resources are available in the classroom; media literacy and technological learning is integrated with curriculum across the disciplines.
Q Do SFFS Middle School students take standardized tests?
A Yes. Fifth through eighth graders take ERB tests.
Q What is the SFFS homework practice; how much time are students expected to spend on homework?
A Our teachers ask that parents set the stage for academic independence by letting students complete their work by themselves, limiting their work to a reasonable amount of time. We ask that students spend roughly 10 minutes per grade level (50 minutes at 5th grade, 60 minutes at 6th grade, and so on) in addition to at least a half hour of reading in areas of personal interest.
Q What is the San Francisco Friends School’s outdoor education program?
A SFFS has an outdoor education program that has been developed to integrate thoroughly with academic curriculum, to build outdoor living skills, and to deepen each student’s commitment to environmental stewardship. Beginning in kindergarten, our students experience a well-sequenced series of field trips, hikes, and overnights. We are mindfully keeping our program accessible and inexpensive; the school is building a collection of outdoor equipment, and plans trips that utilize the plentiful resources of various Bay Area ecosystems.
Q Does SFFS support children with unique strengths and/or challenges?
A SFFS is dedicated to nurturing the individual abilities of each child and to providing appropriate enrichment and support within a rigorous academic environment. Teachers help each child to make the most of his or her unique talents, while also presenting learning strategies so that individuals may tackle particular challenges.
The school staff includes a Developmental Support Coordinator, a Middle School Developmental Support liaison, Educational Therapists and tutors who work together with teachers and parents to assess students learning strengths and weaknesses, and provide both referrals, remediation and/or on-going academic support. Professional Development funds are used to keep the teaching staff trained in the latest understandings of cognitive development, and help them provide innovative short and long term support for their students with learning struggles. Our Educational Therapists work with students in small groups during and after school hours, while tutors shore up reading, writing or math skills. Our Enrichment program includes quiet study, homework help, and small academic enrichment classes such as Slingerland tutoring or Making Math Real. Some students also receive support from tutors and occupational therapists outside of school. Children with particular academic strengths – early readers, strong mathematicians, able young scientists – are supported by our "spiral curriculum"; teachers mindfully create curriculum that balances challenges and successes for all students.
Q What is the role of community service at SFFS?
A At SFFS, as at all Friends schools, we believe that active involvement in a community teaches respect for others and builds significant self-esteem in young children. Hence, service projects are not extracurricular activities; middle school teachers strive to develop curriculum that includes service learning. Teachers and students initiate individual and class projects which invite relationships with a broader community.
Q How does SFFS support graduates transition to high school?
A SFFS established a high school transition philosophy and program that reflects the mission of our school and which encourages collaboration between students, teachers, counselors and parents to identify high schools that would best fit our graduating 8th graders. Students and parents are asked to reflect on what they seek in their high school experience, which serves as a starting point for the process. SFFS offers direct guidance to students on the application, testing and interview and transition processes, works to prepare students for meaningful high school visits and fruitful interviews with admission officers, and encourages the academic engagement and success that makes them attractive candidates to high schools.
Q Is San Francisco Friends School accredited?
A In the 2009-10 school year, we were granted a full six-year term of accreditation with the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS), which is part of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). Our school is also a member of the Friends Council on Education (FCE), an organization providing support to over 80 Quaker schools across the country. Our teachers and trustees attend workshops and conferences through FCE, and visit other Friends schools to learn about the particular ways Quaker educators respond to educational challenges.
QUAKER EDUCATION
Q Is SFFS administered by a religious body?
A SFFS is an independent, not a parochial, school; it is separately incorporated and financially independent of any religious body. We look to the Society of Friends (Quakers) for guidance and wisdom. We are also part of a supportive network of Friends schools (Friends Council on Education) around the country, which allows us to share ideas, experiences, resources and Friends values. SFFS is a non-profit, tax-exempt corporation managed by an independent Board of Trustees. Through the Board’s Quaker Life Committee, representatives of the school and San Francisco Friends Meeting members share information about events and speakers of mutual interest, and reflect upon the spiritual dimension of the school.
Q Where can I learn more about Quaker Education?
A The Friends Council on Education website at www.friendscouncil.org has many resources and downloadable publications for parents interested in Quaker education. Additionally, our school library and the San Francisco Friends Meeting Library have books and pamphlets for loan.
FACULTY
Q What kind of teachers does SFFS seek?
A SFFS Head of School Catherine Hunter has recruited a skilled, compassionate faculty with the firm belief that the faculty’s energy and diversity are critical to ensuring a superior and nurturing education. The SFFS faculty is almost balanced by gender, one-third people of color, and represents a broad array of perspectives from independent, public and charter school settings; collectively they have worked with children and youth from preschool through 12th grade. Their work is enriched by professional development through the Friends Council on Education, and other national programs and institutions.
Q What is the teacher-to-student ratio in the Middle School?
A SFFS is committed to small classes of 16-19 students in the middle grades. This allows for rich discussion, and plenty of teacher feedback for each student. Larger groups rehearse in chorus or instrumental music ensembles; groups of up to 40 students take Physical Education together once or twice a week.
Q What professional development opportunities are available to SFFS faculty?
A SFFS is deeply committed to individual and collective professional development, encouraging faculty and staff to attend workshops and conferences locally, nationally, and internationally. Our teachers have received state technology grants, have been the recipients of Fulbrights for study in Japan, and currently serve on national level science curriculum development committees. Teachers new to SFFS attend a Friends Council on Education workshop entitled, “Educators New to Quakerism,” and visit Quaker schools in the Philadelphia area. We have a Project Zero facilitator on staff working directly with teachers to promote deep teaching for understanding. Many teachers have attended “Responsive Classroom” and “Schools Attuned” workshops, programs that are particularly well aligned with our mission. Teachers attend the NAIS People of Color conference, the National Middle School educators conference, and other forums for discussion of current research and practice.
EXTENDED DAY PROGRAM/ SPORTS PROGRAM
Q What are before and after-school options for my child?
A SFFS happily accommodates a variety of family schedules. The Extended Day program is open at 7:45 am and also from 2:30 – 6:00 after school. We provide a relaxed program of play and structured activities, as well as quiet reading and study time for older children. Enrichment classes, intramural and interscholastic sports, study hall, homework helpers and music lessons are also available.
Q Does SFFS offer extracurricular activities?
A Many children are engaged in elective activities in SFFS’s Enrichment Classes. These classes are offered for a small additional fee from 3:15 – 5:15 in the afternoon and include painting, chess, swimming, flag football, Mandarin, music lessons and crafts. For those families receiving tuition assistance, financial support is also available for the Extended Day and Enrichment Class programs.
Q Does SFFS offer a sports program?
A There are a variety of competitive athletic opportunities at SFFS. The school is currently a member of the San Francisco Athletic League, a group of nine similarly sized schools, where our fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth graders compete in five different sports. Our middle school interscholastic sports options include cross-country, basketball, futsal, volleyball, soccer and baseball. Beyond those team sports, we offer rock-climbing, martial arts, dance, circus arts, and flag football. We urge every middle school student to sign up for an interscholastic or an intramural sport each season of each year of middle school.
THE ROLE OF THE FAMILY
Q How do parents participate at SFFS?
A Family involvement in the community is central to the continued growth and health of SFFS; families work together to help shape a school culture in which their children will thrive. SFFS parents are as actively involved in the school community as their schedules permit, assisting with service projects, accompanying field trips, or supporting parent education initiatives. Parents participate on a committee with a focus that resonates for them, whether it is Community Involvement, Diversity, Library, Room Parent or Admissions. All family members are welcome to attend a monthly Meeting for Worship and all-school Parent Association meetings. Families also contribute to fundraising efforts in the school’s Annual Fund, and at events such as the spring fundraiser. We are proud that we have achieved our goal of 100% parent, staff, and trustee participation in the Annual Fund since our school opened, and we look forward to carrying on this tradition.
TUITION
Q What does SFFS cost?
A The tuition for 2011-2012 is $24,045. We are committed to attracting faculty of the highest quality and recognize that to do so we must offer competitive salaries. We also believe that teachers are the heart of a school and that children and families thrive where teachers are treated with equity and respect.
Q What if the tuition is too expensive for some families?
A SFFS is dedicated to making its education accessible to students of varied economic backgrounds. We offer varying levels of tuition assistance based on a family’s financial situation. Tuition Assistance Applications are available upon request. Please also refer to the Affording SFFS section of the website, and do not hesitate to contact Yvette Bonaparte with any further questions, or for support in the Tuition Assistance application process.