Head of School Message

Where do you experience joy?

This is the query our community is asking this month.  The heartfelt answers children and adults give speak to the deep resonance joy has in this community. Learning should be joyful. Even with inevitable bumps and struggles, school should be experienced as a joyful place.  

Like you, our families come to Westfield for its reputation as a school that values educating the whole child.  In the youngest grades, our children acquire the habits of lifelong learners and master foundations like math facts, sight words, and phonemes. Older students read to learn, write and speak to communicate their ideas and values,  use math to solve problems, and expand their worldview in science and social studies.  Their questions deepen and their answers grow in nuance and self-awareness.

We take childhood seriously.  Respecting their development, younger students benefit from learning alongside older students, while older children gain leadership experience by guiding peers and younger children.  All of our students’ individual learning happens within our community.  Collaborative work allows students to experience the exchange of ideas that deepens their thinking. They come to know themselves as people with complex identities.  They learn that who they are is shaped and reflected by their friends and family - their community. They experience how community makes thriving a reality.

Our alumni unanimously speak of the unique foundation they take with them from their years at Westfield Friends. They have learned to listen deeply to others, trust their inner voice, and give themselves time to think and act with conviction and hope. Take a few moments to read through some of their stories. Westfield alumni are in every field imaginable – writers, lawyers, activists, engineers, artists, ministers, organizers, entrepreneurs, teachers, and financiers.  Their lives are grounded in purpose and filled with joy.

I believe in the unique work we do together. I invite you to explore our website, come for a campus visit, and join our community in active and joyful learning. We look forward to connecting with you as you help us create the world we seek.