Head of School Message
Where do you experience joy?
This is the query our community is exploring togetherasking this month. The heartfelt answers children and adults share speak to the deep resonance joy has at Westfield Friends School. Learning should be joyful. Even with inevitable bumps and struggles, school should be experienced as a place of joy, belonging, discovery, and inner meaning.
As a Quaker school serving Preschool through eighth grade, Westfield Friends School is grounded in the belief that educating the whole child matters deeply.
Families come to our South Jersey campus in Cinnaminson, an eastern suburb of Philadelphia, because they are seeking a school where academic growth and human development are inseparable. We don't just teach children; we walk alongside them as they discover their own unique voices and creative potential.
Learning that Grows with the Child
In the youngest grades, children acquire the habits of lifelong learners while mastering essential foundations such as math facts, sight words, and phonemic awareness. As students grow, they read to learn, write and speak to communicate their ideas and values, use mathematics to solve meaningful problems, and expand their understanding of the world through science and social studies. All learning is approached with a sense of play and curiosity.
With time, students’ questions deepen. Their thinking becomes more nuanced. They grow in self awareness and confidence, learning not only how to learn, but how to understand themselves and their place in the world.
Community as the Context for Growth
We take childhood seriously. Respecting each stage of development, younger students benefit from learning alongside older peers, while older students gain leadership experience by guiding and supporting others. All learning at Westfield Friends happens within the context of community.
Creativity thrives in collaboration. Through shared projects and the exchange of ideas, students learn that their identities are shaped by their relationships. They discover that when we hold one another in the Light, the entire community thrives.
A Foundation for a Purposeful Life
Our alumni consistently speak about the unique foundation they carry with them from their years at Westfield Friends. They have learned to listen deeply, trust their inner voice, and give themselves time to think carefully before acting with conviction and hope.
Westfield Friends alumni can be found in every field imaginable, bringing a purposeful joy into writing, law, activism, engineering, the arts, ministry, organizing, entrepreneurship, education, and finance. Their lives are grounded in conviction and shaped by a commitment to thoughtful engagement with the world.
An Invitation
I believe deeply in the work we do together at Westfield Friends School. I invite you to explore our website, visit our campus, and join our South Jersey school in active and joyful learning. We look forward to connecting with you.
Dr. Margaret Haviland, Head of School
Preschool 3
Joyful learning
