community engagement & service learning
At San Francisco Friends School, an integral part of our curriculum is engaging with—and learning from—our local community.
As a Quaker school, we know that a true sense of belonging comes from the actions we take as stewards. Through queries and reflection, we hope that our students learn that responsibility is part of being a member of a community.
All around us, community organizations foster civic participation, support people in need, fight for social justice, and strive to create a better world. We believe it is critical that our students be part of these efforts.
We see service learning as vital to living our Quaker mission. It is a critical part of our social-emotional curriculum, helping students to develop empathy, compassion, and kindness for others.
Ultimately our goal for this work is to raise students’ awareness of the world around them, and inspire positive action.
Service learning enriches the overall learning experience for students, teaches civic responsibility, and strengthens our communities.
Teachers at each grade level work with community partners to design service learning experiences where students learn to serve in partnership and with purpose. Here are a few examples of grade level projects driven by authentic, reciprocal and sustained relationships created with local partners.
You’ll notice that as students get older there is more room for their “voice and choice." This developmental shift allows for creativity, ownership, and further opportunities to “Let their lives speak.”
5th Grade Case Study: Aging & Relationships
As part of their study on aging and relationships, our fifth graders participate in a project that connects them with seniors across the city. Students begin the relationship as penpals, writing to their seniors throughout the year. Then, groups of students interview seniors to learn more about their life - the joys, the challenges, and what they've learned along the way. Students then turn these stories into dramatic productions with the help our a Middle School Drama teacher and hold a special performance for their seniors. The stories are poignant, emotional - and often funny! Student perceptions about aging evolve as they reflect on their relationship with their penpal.
One Senior shared: "As a kid, I always had older adult friends! Actually, I always have had older friends. They were so interesting and incredibly supportive of all my hopes and dreams. They were good listeners—and they taught me how to be, as well!"
number of years that SFFS has opened the school year with a backpack drive to support homeless youth through At The Crossroads:
8
average dollar amount raised by 3rd-Graders annually for the International Rescue Committee:
$3K
bags of coffee sold last year by 7th-Graders to support 1951 Coffee, a cafe that hires refugees:
246
number of weeks per year that 1st-Graders dance with senior citizens in our community:
12
average number of snack bags donated by Kindergartners to Mission Neighborhood Resource Center per year:
800
number of SF supervisors that met with our 7th-Graders so far...
5
average number of preschoolers at Mission Head Start that are read to in Spanish by 4th-Graders per year:
18