Teacher Margaret's "View From My Window" - February 5th

Dear Friends,

Every challenge has a silver lining. Having all of our students in Prek-8th grade arrive at the front of the building each day the past two weeks means that I have the privilege of greeting each child by name and saying good morning to many parents as well. Today I had a double dose of the cold as I helped some of the Preschool Three students run around their snowy playground. Inside were some of our other friends whom I had time to help while they were having lunch. Knowing children is one of the gifts of a small school. 

There is an intimacy that comes with a healthy, well-functioning small school. Sometimes it almost feels familial. Rather than a siloed, assembly line where kids are separated into single grades for reasons of numbers and adult convenience, we intentionally bring students together in mixed-age groups for lunch and recess, Monday yoga and stretching, Wednesday Meeting for Worship, and Tuesday Meeting for Singing, Buddies, or Gathering. Older students learn to lead and care for younger students; younger children have role models and older friends to challenge them on the playing field and the chessboard. Children of all ages have a wider array of playmates and friends.  In this way, students' social skills and resilience are stretched and strengthened.

I was recently asked what the ideal class size would be and when a class is too small. I don’t have a straightforward answer; my former colleague operates the highest performing elementary school in his area in Ghana, and there are 40 children in a class with a single teacher. Every year, his students pass the national exams, qualifying them for high school. Like my friend, I put a premium on excellent teachers and partnership with families over numbers. When Westfield has a smaller class, we intentionally create additional learning opportunities for those children within the program, mixing them with older and younger grades and meeting individual learning needs in the process. Being known for all of who you are and knowing you are seen by your teachers and schoolmates, is the heart of this small Friends School.

Holding you in the Light,

Margaret

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Meeting for Worship and our February Queries focus on the Quaker Testimony on Integrity. 

Last week, Imam Nauman Khan joined us for worship and shared a message about integrity and doing the right thing, as Allah is always with us. This week, Pastor Ernest Grant worshipped with us and explained that in the Christian calendar, Lent is an opportunity to prepare for the joy of Easter. 

This week, Kindergarten students shared their thoughts on living with integrity.

• Do we do the right thing when no one is watching?
• Do we wait and listen and then act on the voice/Spirit within each of us?
• Do we do what we say we will do?

Announcements:

• February 7th ~ Family Council Valentine's Dance 6:30-8 PM - Come dance with your children
• February Days of Giving ~ February 12 and 13
• February 13 Faculty In-Service - School Closed
• February 16 and 17 - School closed for Mid-Winter Break
• February 27 - Admissions Open House 9am-11am - tell your friends about Westfield.