Kindergarten Hatches Baby Chicks

We know it is spring at Friends School of Portland when the kindergarten class embarks on their annual chicken hatching project!

Initially, in late March, students shared what they thought they knew about chicks.

"Chicks are cute."

"Chicks are baby chickens."

"Chicks have beaks, wings, and feathers."

"Chicks come from their moms"

"Chicks need fertilizer to grow"

"Chicks come from eggs"

"Baby chickens don't fly"

"The boy chicken puts the chick in the egg. I don't know how he does that."

"The boy chicken guards the eggs that have chicks growing in them so that the only eggs the farmers can get are the ones with no chicks."

"Chicks come from an egg a boy chicken lays. Eggs that you eat come from a girl chicken,"

"Chicks need food and water."

"Chicks are birds."

Over the course of March and April, students investigated their initial thoughts and questions as they anticipated hatching chicks of their own in their classroom. In mid-April, their eggs were moved off the rotator ready to start making their appearance outside of the shell. Students arrived in the morning to see that the first chick hatched, and by the end of the day four were outside of the shell. Every half hour of the day was assigned to two kindergarteners to monitor for changes. The class was surprised by how much there was to report!

Chicks were then moved to their brooder to get ready for children to decide together on names. Sir Cheepsalot, Cutie, Encanto, Chatty Kathy, Cookie Dough, Blueberry... to name a few!

Students welcomed Laura Mailander from Cultivating Community to school to collect their newly hatched fluff balls. She shared about the organization that she works for and answered many questions from curious kindergarteners who had learned much from their initial chick and chicken conversations!

"Will they be bossed around by older chickens?"

"How do the chicks survive in a box when you drive them to their new home?"

"Are they being raised for eggs, meat, or pets?"

"What about foxes on the farm?"

"Which ones might be roosters?"

"Will you eat the chickens?"

"How many chickens do you have at your farm?"

Cultivating Community is an organization that works in food justice, particularly empowering new Americans by teaching sustainable farming practices. Students look forward to donating their chicks to their good work. Students also look forward to a chance to visit their farm to see the chicks loving life at their new home.

Welcoming Visiting Poet, Samaa Abdurraqib

Samaa Abdurraqib visited our middle school students on Tuesday, April 12 for a series of readings and workshops. Samaa, a local poet, was able to join Friends School of Portland for National Poetry month with a generous grant from the Maine Literacy Foundation. Samaa led three interactive workshops with students reading her original poetry and that of Wanda Coleman and Terrance Hayes. After students read works by other poets, each student took time to write their own American Sonnet, a form of a sonnet that comes with many freedoms but should have 14 lines. "Samaa validated students' work and ideas. She brought a good sense of humor that students really connected with," shared one middle school teacher.

Middle school students shared their experiences:

"I hadn't heard of Wanda Coleman or Terrance Hayes before. I really liked their poems and how Samaa explained that she didn't always know what a poem is about. But that she knows when she likes one!" - Eighth-grade student

"She was really cool." - Sixth-grade student

"I liked her poems and the poems that she shared." - Seventh-grade student

"It was really cool to talk and hear from someone who writes and publishes poems. She was really honest about if she liked the poem or not, and if she knew exactly what an author meant. I liked knowing that a poet just likes things and tries things out." - Fifth-grade student

At the end of the day, fifth and sixth-grade students shared their poetry in a simple coffee house reading with their younger buddies. First and second-grade students were thrilled to share their appreciation and acknowledgments of their older buddies' work!

"I really liked the words you chose."

"You are brave for reading."

"I liked all the poems."

"Can we hear more? I liked them all!"

Take a listen to Samaa reciting her poem "The Hard Part" here.

A Handful of Stars: Book Study with the Third and Fourth-Grade

As the culmination of their book study of A Handful of Stars by Cynthia Lloyd, third and fourth-grade students made mason bee houses to raise money for Mano en Mano, an organization that supports migrant workers in Washington County.

After reading Cynthia Lloyds' book, students chose different interest groups to research several topics related to the text including mason bees, lowbush blueberries, migrant workers in Maine, and the non-profit Mano en Mano which assists Maine's migrant worker community. Students created informational posters to share what they learned with their peers.

Next, students learned more about mason bee homes and how to construct them. Students made prototypes with help from Spindrift Carpentry and assessed their models' ability to be replicated, the cost, and the aesthetics. One model was selected to replicate. Over the next weeks, students created two mason bee homes in pairs.

After completing their bee homes, students visited Love Lab Studio in Portland to set up their mason bee homes to be sold and meet with Eva from Mano en Mano.

Students created labels with blueberry ink paint, wrote letters to customers, and set up homes. Speaking with Eva was a highlight for many. She shared the history of Mano en Mano and her work with the organization. She works with students across the state year-round and is based in Portland. Students were especially interested to hear about how the many blueberry farms in Maine and the Blueberry Harvest School have continued to operate during the Covid pandemic.

A big thank you to Spindrift Carpentry, Hancock Lumber, Love Lab Studios, Satronen Sound, and the many parents and families who contributed their time to make this project happen! All proceeds of the mason bee homes sold at Love Lab Studios will support Mano en Mano's Blueberry Harvest School. If you haven't gotten your mason bee home yet, check out the home in this year's FSP auction!

View the video of the 3-4 Class Mason Bee Project here:

Book Review Study with the 1-2 Classes

First and second-grade students' recent writing unit took them on a field trip to a local bookstore, Print. Students enjoyed being out in the world, cozying up in the stacks, and eagerly sharing new books with their friends. Print employee, Stephanie Heinz read one of her favorite books to students and answered many questions about book buying and publishing. Stephanie shared the ways that Print displays books with "shelf talkers," short reviews. Students will be reading a book and writing a book review to be displayed at Print in the coming weeks.

Reflections and Connections: Visiting Artists' Week

Visiting Artists' Week is an FSP tradition. In March, we welcomed ten artists to share their talents with mixed-age groups of students. Work centered around the theme of Reflections. Project mediums ranged... mask-making, collage, rust art, comic bookmaking, printing, music composition, and more. The Friday assembly was a treat! Students shared their work with one another and their parents.

Below is a little more about each artist who joined us this year and a few process photos of the amazing work our building of artists created together!

Ellie Barnet grew up in Midcoast Maine. Raised at an Inn specializing in art workshops and surrounded by an artistic family, she knew from a young age she wanted to be an artist. She received her education in Fine Arts at Boston University, majoring in painting. Since graduating Barnet has studied with Knox Martin at The Art Students League in New York City, and attended workshops taught by Lois Dodd and Joel Janowitz.

She currently lives and works in Portland, Maine. Her work can be found at the Harmon Meek Gallery in Naples, FL and the Elizabeth Moss Gallery in Falmouth, ME, as well as in the Ogunquit Museum of American Art, the Polk Museum of Art, the Museum of Art-DeLand, and the Golisano Children's Museum of Naples, FL.

Ellie offered Collaborative Collage

Christina Bechstein is an artist, mother, and educator who has taught in art, design, and architecture programs across the United States. Her art practice is interdisciplinary and collaborative in nature, encompassing and overlapping such fields as social sculpture, large-scale community-based public art, activism, sculpture, textiles, film, and performance. 

In her social business project Love Lab Studio, Christina works to make simple creativity public as a force to co-create a better world. Christina is also part of a new pilot group in Portland Maine, Sister Makings, that tends to community and relationships and brings new neighbors, local women, and our children together over crafts, food, coffee, and gardening.

Christina offered a Mosaic Quilt 

Chris Child is an Emmy award-winning TV composer and has contributed music for a broad range of TV shows and commercials. He has composed the music for video games developed by Harmonix, including 2016’s Amplitude for the Sony PS4 game console and Rock Band.

Under his artist name Kodomo, he has released several critically acclaimed albums, EP's, and remixes. He performs in New York City and electronic music festivals around the world (Montreal, Barcelona, Paris, and Tokyo). Child is also the owner of the record label FOIL Imprints embracing a spectrum of electronic music genres.

Chris offered Electronic Sound Art

Flor Cron is a queer Peruvian-American farmer, performer & transdisciplinary artist who works with intuitive movement, dirt, installation, printmaking, fiber, Instagram, and food.  

From a young age, Flor frequently traveled to Peru to visit her maternal family. There, their passion for movement, food, and textiles was ignited. Flor lives in Portland, Maine, which is settled on stolen and occupied territory of the Wabanaki Confederacy.

Through performance and making with the readymade, available materials, Flor locates the present moment and the relationship between her two cultures. She explores the defeat and transformation of trauma through the twin powers of vulnerability and forgiveness, and how exposing pain can transcend trauma.

Flor offered Experimental Printmaking

Leah Gauthier is an intermedia artist living and working in Cumberland, Maine. She makes wild-inspired embroidered paintings, living sculptures, and community works exploring food as an agent of social change. 

Gauthier’s art has been exhibited nationally and internationally. She has been an artist-in-residence at MacDowell, Eyebeam, and The Burren College of Art in Ballyvaughan, Ireland, and has received grants and awards from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, Puffin Foundation, Efroymson Contemporary Arts Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, and others. She has taught at Butler University, Henry Radford Hope School of Fine Art Indiana University Bloomington, the School of the Museum of Fine Art Boston, Tufts University, and Maine College of Art and Design. 

Leah offered Mixed Media Bookmaking, exploring lost meals

Bella Harvey majored in sculpture at Maine College of Art and Design and while there gained an interest in creating wearable art and the concept of identity through masks and puppets. Her masks and puppets are influenced by Bread & Puppet Theater’s large-scale paper-mâché masks, Jan Svankmajer’s multimedia stop-motion films distorting the human form, and Yuri Norstein’s animations created using 2D paper puppets. She works in many mediums such as plaster, foam, clay, and paper-mâché usually in tandem.

Bella offered Mask Making

Cora Kircher is a comic artist who lives in Portland, where they work in a restaurant. They drew and wrote separately for a long time before realizing that combining the two mediums was the best way for them to make art. Cora's art often centers on relationships and the natural world, using imagery and dialogue to create a story. Cora believes that art can be many things, but personally tries to make art that is political, emotional, and/or funny, and is really looking forward to making art with cool people at FSP!

Cora offered Graphic Story Telling

Roberta March started to pursue her art education later in life and is now a second-year MFA student. Her first degree was in business administration and she received a master's in marketing, followed by a career in human resources in banking. In London, Roberta attended Hampstead School of Art for a foundation diploma in Fine Arts. After she relocated to Houston she studied for four years at The Glassell Studio School of Art. 

She moved to her new home Portland, Maine in 2019. She became an American citizen the same day she started her MFA program at Maine College of Art where she is a candidate to graduate in May 2021.

Roberta offered Butterfly Mosaic Making.

Sarah Navin When she's not behind the front desk, Sarah is writing and illustrating a creepy webcomic called Darker Further Down, which she shares at instagram.com/coinswallow. The story follows two young women living in a thoroughly haunted and distorted Maine town. Sarah writes (and reads!) plenty of weird fiction, and is still exploring the possibilities that visual storytelling has to offer.

Sarah offered Mind’s Eye Me

Amy Wheeler is a writer, photographer, and intuitive artist living in Maine. Her artistic beginnings are likely coded in her DNA with many makers and creator thinkers running back three generations on both sides of her family. She is a retired teacher and belongs to the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Freeport. 

Amy offered Rust Print Poetry

Gratitude for Lee Chisholm and Linda Ashe-Ford

Outside our front office, we display our collection of all-school photos taken each year since our first year. Lee and Linda have touched countless students and their families during their time at FSP. Thank you!

Linda Ashe-Ford will be retiring at the end of this school year. She joined FSP five years ago and has significantly grown our Aftercare program during this period of FSP’s growth. A colleague who works in Aftercare said: “Linda is amazing to work for and to work with. Her ability to communicate with thoughtfulness and understanding to both students of all ages and those who work for her is really special.” An eighth-grader said, “Linda is absolutely amazing. Before Covid, we used to have cooking club, and I miss it so much.” On top of her work in Aftercare, Linda has contributed professional and personal expertise to our DEI work, supporting FSP’s “difficult conversations,” establishing our antiracist scope and sequence, mentoring preschool staff, consulting with teachers and administration about inclusivity and equity work, and assisting our first parents of students of color affinity group. 

Lee Chisholm will be retiring after fourteen years with FSP. His exploratory and wonder-filled approach to science and math, combined with his artistic passions (poetry, watercolor, and sculpture, to name just a few), have bolstered our middle school program since nearly the beginning of the school. Known as a master storyteller, Lee has been an intrepid and authentic presence for his students and colleagues. Lee and his late wife Sukie have been involved in every play production in FSP history! When alums look back on their time at FSP, Lee’s name rings out as one of those teachers that changed their lives and who embodies what this school means to them.

Lee will continue to be involved in our play productions… Linda will continue to consult with us on our developmentally specific DEI work… We look forward to the ways that Linda and Lee will continue to connect with the Friends School community!

Please save the date for a retirement celebration to be held at FSP on Saturday, June 4 at 4 pm. More details to come!

Catching Up with Alumnx: Quinn Lavigne '09

I had the chance to talk to Quinn Lavigne, who graduated in 2009– a member of the first graduating class at FSP!

She currently lives in California teaching fourth grade. The age of students she teaches is a good fit for her: they love being at school, they write little love notes, they can hold a conversation, they are super curious, and they care about social justice.

What memories stand out about FSP?

Jonathan and Anne got married her first or second year. She and the other students used to paint in his bald spot “John and Anne Forever.”

She remembers mapping nooks and crannies with a project involving a projector. Mary Tracy had them write poems on the picnic tables.

What was it like on Mackworth?

She loved Mackworth. She remembers the “turkey re-education program” they would do during mating season. It involved yelling and chasing to protect turkeys from running into the reflective windows.

“One thing I loved was being able to call Mackworth my spot.” There was a real sense of place: pinwheels for peace on the beach, the secret beach, fairy houses. It gave her insider knowledge.

How did it matter that FSP is Quaker?

Quinn was one of the only students who grew up Quaker, which meant she knew how to see SPICES in practice and real life.

“We were such a small group, so tight-knit – I remember having a teacher-facilitated conflict resolution… such a visible representation of Quaker values.”

“In high school especially – the gossip, you go through different friends. (At FSP, we were) learning to address it head-on.

What do you like best about the school where you now work?

At Katherine Delmar Burke School, her current school, mistakes are welcome. She quoted Jo Bowler, a thought leader with a big impression on the school: “Mistakes grow the brain.” She loves considering what it means to truly believe that instead of just saying it.

What wouldn’t you want to see change?

“I’d hate to see the size of FSP get too big…I loved having community within the community.” At her current school, she doesn’t see as much cross-grade community building.

What would you like to see change?

“More diversity in the teaching staff.”

What is your advice for graduating 8th graders?

“Do your homework. Clean your room.”

Middle School Students Explore the Question: What are the Factors that Lead to Change?

A Study of the Civil War with 5-6 Teacher, Allie Miller

This year, fifth and sixth-grade students explore the question “what are the factors that lead to change?” in social studies and science. In the fall, we examined how wars and revolutions can lead to societal change. A focal point of our study was the United States’ Civil War. We explored the causes leading to the conflict, what happened during it, and how it concluded.

Studying the Civil War is well and good. To study the persistent impacts of the Civil War on contemporary American life is even better.

It challenges students to draw connections, notice patterns, and seek truth in a world saturated with misinformation. To this end, we spent the last few weeks of our unit exploring the 2021 removal of the Robert E. Lee statue on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia. Students grappled with whether Confederate monuments are symbols of heritage or hate. In particular, they discussed what they think should be done with the Robert E. Lee statue and how to better contextualize it. For a final project, students were tasked with designing a monument that would replace Robert E. Lee. Their final work was diverse and thoughtful - fireflies to symbolize light in a dark time, statues of unsung Black heroes like Mary Richards Bowser, quotes from John Lewis.

A week or so after our unit had concluded, a student excitedly poked his head into the classroom door. “Allie! They found the time capsule!” he exclaimed. (Legend had it that beneath the still intact pedestal of Lee’s statue, a time capsule containing letters, photographs, and other memorabilia could be found. For months, the time capsule eluded historians and archeologists.) Promising to send me the article, the student ran off to recess. The next day we read the article together, marveling at the artifacts found beneath the statue’s pedestal. This experience - to watch history unfold in real-time - is every humanities teacher’s wish for their students.

Welcome to the Invention Convention: First and Second-Grade Students Embark on New Engineering Unit

Katie Nowak and Xanthe Charov created a new engineering unit for first and second-grade students this year.

Their unit began to take shape in planning as they reflected on their essential question: How do individuals contribute to their communities? Each class began the unit by asking specifically, how do engineers contribute to their communities?

First, students brainstormed who engineers are and what they might do!

Students in teams built the tallest structure they could out of newspaper and tape and created bridges out of paper that could hold many, many pennies!

Mike Matthes, an FSP parent and foreman for Warren Construction, gave a tour of FSP. Mike was the foreman on both of our school building projects and was able to give great insight into how our home was built and who built it.

Mike Matthes, Warren Construction, sharing about how our school was built and who built it with Katie and Aila’s 1-2 Class.

The City of Portland provided virtual tours of the Sewage Treatment plants and the recent Veranda Street Bridge Project.

Over two weeks, students participated in a number of “think like inventors” activities. Special guest engineers held “take-apart,” “build-it,” and “what else could this be used for” activities. We’ve never seen so many creative ways to use a whisk: a reading lamp holder, and a hanger to name a few!

The unit incorporated measurements, money, data-mapping into their social studies and writing units. And concluded with a family event - the Invention Convention!

Students were asked to solve problems in response to the question “What Bugs You?” Here are a few of the incredibly creative solutions:

Gift in Honor of Jenny Rowe to Monteverde Friends School, by Jones Franzel former Monteverde Friends School Teacher and FSP Parent

Pictured above: Delivery of the new reading curriculum to Monteverde Friends School in Costa Rica

In honor of Jenny Rowe’s careful stewardship of Friends School of Portland, the FSP board donated a large reading curriculum - known as Level Literacy Intervention - to another Quaker school which Jenny shepherded over years: the Monteverde Friends School (MFS), in Monteverde Costa Rica.

Jenny’s work - and the gift itself - speaks to a long legacy of connection and understanding between Quaker schools around the globe. I’ve been a witness to a few of these intersections: I attended the Cambridge Friends School, worked as a middle school teacher under Jenny’s leadership in Monteverde in 2001, and now our daughter Nora attends FSP as a 6th grader. The connections are abundant! And I’ve been lucky to know Jenny from the perspective of teacher, school parent, and friend.

“Someone who lives their Quaker values the way Jenny does, it’s just huge,” said Melody Guindon, who’s been a Kinder teacher at MFS since 1996. “That everyone is equally valuable and valued… from there we go on to the care of the environment, and the care of our school and property, and whatnot, but first and foremost is this respect and care for each other.” Jenny brought all of these aspects together, Melody explained. “It’s just priceless to have someone who has all those qualities as a leader.”

Melody praised the stability, kindness and care that marked Jenny’s leadership throughout her 6-year tenure at MFS. “I always felt comfortable coming to her with anything that I needed to, and I felt supported and understood and heard - what you really want as a Head of School.”

Lise Wagner, clerk of Friends School of Portland’s board shared, "As Head of School, Jenny shepherded us through major changes and growth, with grace and compassion. We believed that the best gift we could give in her honor was to lend a hand to our friends in Monteverde, to help them move forward out of the pandemic. We were grateful that Jenny honed her skills in Quaker leadership at MFS and brought them to us!"

This connection will be reinforced through teaching this new literacy curriculum at MFS.

The support arrives at a timely moment. As MFS Sub-Director Maggie Fatovic explained in an email, “Many of our students are not native English speakers, coupled with almost a year of hybrid and virtual school, students were falling behind in their reading skills in English.” The new LLI training program will allow teachers to support a large number of students. “Because the program comes with complete lesson plans and prepared materials, teachers have very little to prepare for LLI. This makes teachers' lives so much easier!”

Both Melody and Maggie spoke about their gratitude for the donation and their excitement in getting started. “That’s a very significant contribution to hopefully helping many, many students in the future,” said Melody.

As we celebrate Jenny’s lived Quaker values and kind, considerate leadership, it’s wonderful to know that the spirit of her leadership continues across curricula, schools, and connections.

Jenny Rowe during her time as Head of School of Monteverde Friends School with her daughter, Clara.

Jones Franzel, former Monteverde Friends School teacher and mom to FSP sixth-grade student pictured with her family.

Newly Formed Racial Justice Accountability Working Group

This fall, we have formed a group consisting of the head of school, parents, faculty, and a representative from the advisory committee. Clerked by the head of school, the mission of the group is to keep channels of communication open between administration, parents, and teachers when it comes to areas of progress, areas of block, incidents or discouragements, signs of hope, need for further study, and ideas for change. Examples of topics discussed include: ways of talking to your child about race in an age-appropriate way, or facing a moment where a racial microaggression happened with your child present and you didn't know what to do.

A few parents and faculty offered their perspective of these monthly meetings:

“As I am growing in my own racial identity I am grateful for spaces like the RJAWG where I can connect with other people committed to addressing injustice and supporting each other on our journeys. ”

“My hope is that this group will help keep racial justice work at the forefront of our minds and lead to collective action. It can feel vulnerable to talk about such difficult things, but I think we must.”

“For me, this group is about coming together as members of the FSP community to “walk the walk” of our values. We engage in inquiry around the theme of racial justice, with the intention of cultivating a school community that truly embodies the practices of equity and inclusion. As a parent, participating in this group is a way for me to contribute and model the kind of engaged citizenship that I hope an FSP education inspires in my child, as well as an opportunity to connect more deeply with other members of the community in a meaningful way.”

“I committed to participating in the working group because meaningful systemic change takes time and usually starts with the individual. It has been exciting to see how teachers’ deep thinking has shifted curriculum, personal language, and classroom conversations. I think that continuing the conversation will help drive systemic change as well as support teachers.”

Sarah Halley, one of the facilitators for the faculty training this year called White People Confronting Racism, is on the planning committee for a parallel/mentor group at Greene Street Friends School (GSFS) in Philadelphia, The Parents and Caregivers Association Committee for Advancing Racial Equity in Our School (PCA CARES). This group “helps families promote the positive racial identity of our children and to develop skills to recognize and counter structural racism, unintentional racism, and microaggressions, and to undo white supremacy. We support and hold GSFS accountable for continuing to cultivate a racially just learning community.” Last year, their group read My Grandmother's Hands by Resmaa Menakem. They organize and host a session every year Called Martin Luther King Day of Action. A few years ago on MLK Day they gave a workshop on understanding and dismantling White Supremacy. As Sarah Halley explained: “The biggest challenge is getting folks to attend something else in the evenings. We used to meet at the school and the school would provide childcare and pizza but since Covid we have been meeting virtually... I can only speak to the white experience but it has been great to talk with other white parents about race challenges at school.”

Our group meets on the last Tuesday of every month, over Zoom for the time being. Our meetings begin with the review of group norms. Next, in keeping with the idea of accountability, individuals and subcommittees share out how their initiatives are progressing. There might then be an open discussion of an institutional query. At the end of each meeting, those of us who are reading Heather McGhee’s book The Sum of Us (two chapters per month), stay on to discuss the book.

Black History and Antiracism Work at Friends School of Portland: More Than One Month

Pictured above: Third and fourth-grade students participating in a recent letter-writing campaign.

At Friends School, we approach Black history and antiracism work as year-round pursuits. Any study of history, current events, society, the SPICES, must be inclusive to be accurate. There is no US history without Black history (or women’s history or the history of other groups in our country). We can’t get a full picture of our world without including voices that have been marginalized. Seeking truth means seeking out others’ truths as well as our own. Though this work is every-day-of-the-year work, Black history month is a good touchpoint to reflect on our antiracism work– particularly as it relates to centering diverse voices in our curriculum– and to take stock of how we are doing and where we are falling short.

The faculty are looking forward to resuming our intensive professional development series White People Confronting Racism in March to support a continued deep dive into how to do this work better.

Below are excerpts from classroom weekly updates that are useful examples of the ways in which teachers and students are engaging issues of identity and racial justice in different ways in their daily work together.

Carie Garret's Kindergarten:

February is a time that the Kindergarten class explores Love Week concepts in-depth. The work we have done over the year to this point regarding friendships, feelings and what to do with them, and how we are the same and different from the people around us have been great beginning points for us in this work. Recently, we read the book Let's Talk about Race by Julius Lester, during which children talked with their classmates about the little and big things that make them the same or different from one another. Children were asked to consider a query that we will refer back to again and again over the course of our Love Month. We asked children to think about What Makes You You? Below you will find their thoughts on this query as we begin our Love Month work together.

• Everyone is part of you. Everyone has everyone in their hearts.

• We are not just our skin.

• Food, air, water... the things that help us grow make me me.

• Religions.

• Different things we like, like what you like doing, but other people don't like doing makes you who you are.

• Some people are the same if they have the same culture.

• Your skin is part of you and who you are.

• Inside of us, our hearts... basically inside us is who we are.

• We are all special. It doesn't matter if we are a boy or a girl.

• What you have been through makes you you.

• All of your family probably loves you. It's nice to have a family, and that's what makes you you.

• We are different and the opposite of that is the same!

• Nobody else can be you like you are you.

• Even twins are different from each other.

Lindsay Holt's Third and Fourth Grade:

This past week we continued to delve into our Sense of Place unit. As has been our goal all year, we look at an idea from multiple perspectives. The students pointed out that this not only helps us understand other people and their experiences better, it also helps us understand our own.

As we think of why it is important to tell the story of a place, and how places shape identity, we were reminded of earlier in the year when we explored Wabanaki peoples relationship to land and the natural world in our Casco Bay unit. Through two videos we watched parts of, we learned about the Penobscot people and their relationship to the river, and the Passamaquoddy people's Kuwesuwi Monihq (Pine Island).

This year, children have wondered how they can get involved and actually help people, or make changes in the world. This coming week, there is a very important hearing for a bill that affects Wabanaki Tribal Rights, (LD 1626: An Act Implementing the Recommendations of the Task Force on Changes to the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Implementing Act) and we learned as much as we could about it.

We asked ourselves the question: "Why would we or why wouldn't we want to get involved?" We defined the terms sovereignty, ally, bill, hearing, sustenance, and stewardship. With the help of Sunlight Media Collective and the First Light organization, we learned together as much as we could about the bill. Students asked SO many good questions in the process, some that it took adults from all of these organizations working together to answer. After quite the journey, students were given an option to write a letter of testimony or not, and all of them enthusiastically chose to participate. They looked into their own systems of values and identity and wrote letters that reflected their beliefs and understandings about big ideas. This process has asked us the question, "How do we start building trust again?"

Allie Miller's Fifth and Sixth Grade:

In social studies, students considered the question of whether violence is ever justified. We used the 1967 Newark riots as a case study. Through eyewitness accounts, an excerpt from the 1968 Kerner Report, and background knowledge they built in previous weeks about the Civil Rights Movement, students contemplated this question. In a class discussion board on Google Classroom, responses indicated that most students felt that when all other methods of nonviolent direct action hadn't been effective, sometimes violent protest is understandable. I was impressed with how they grappled with and discussed this difficult question.

Pete Nowak's Seventh and Eighth Grade:

Studying the Great Depression recently and its role in jumpstarting the American Liberal movement, the 7-8 class was struck by those who were left out of FDR's various social welfare programs. We found out that during Malcolm X's childhood in the 1920s and 30s, his family struggled mightily and wasn't entitled to the same assistance offered to white Americans. We took this as an opportunity to learn about his life and about how these institutional failures shaped his views as a voice for black empowerment.

This small unit was bolstered by exploring the contrast between the non-violence policies championed by the Civil Rights movement compared to Malcolm X's encouragement that the black community use any means necessary to achieve their goals. We were also interested to learn about the ongoing questions surrounding Malcolm X's assassination and the ways that his life and work continue to resonate today.

What does it mean to be a Friends School? Conversations with FSP Teachers, Former Teachers, and Board Members

Photo Credit @Kelsey Kobik Photography

My experience leaving Germantown Friends School and settling into Friends School of Portland has had me contemplating (and treasuring!) how special it is to work in Quaker education. For me, I keep coming back to how the experience of learning at a Quaker school is transformed by the conscientious blend of love, joy, and the courage to face the truth. There is both an openness and certainty that comes from finding stillness before action. Also, I am galvanized by the collective commitment to individuality and kindness. I was curious to learn what others feel is unique and special. I asked a few faculty, former teachers, and board members "What does it mean to be a Friends School?"

Power Comes in Finding Stillness

Linda, educator and Aftercare coordinator:

“One of the benefits of working at a Friends School is the tradition of silence before meetings and gatherings. In a very busy world sitting in the peace of a quiet room has helped to center my mind leaving space to delve deeply into questions that are seeking answers. Quaker Silence is a wonderful gift to my spirit.”

Learning to Listen Deeply with Respect and Trust

Nicole Favreau, current 3-4 teacher:

“Being a Friend's School means listening to the sense of the group, being willing to stand aside when necessary, and valuing that truth is collectively revealed. It means living in the pause, confronting discomfort directly, forgiving yourself and others again and again, and trusting in the integrity of intentions. Being a Friends School means centering your work around what is ‘well’ and witnessing the joy that comes from seeing and valuing others for who they are.”

Lea Sutton, former preschool teacher:

“Quakers believe that there is a spark of the divine in every person. That belief makes it imperative that all be valued, even when there are differences. There is faith that it is possible to come to unity when there is conflict. This requires deep listening, patience, and respect. When children see these things being modeled every day, and when they are helped to learn them, the future can be changed in powerful and joyful ways. May it ever be so.”

Letting Students Be Their Whole Selves

Ashley Blake, current preschool teacher:

“FSP and Quaker-rooted education have changed my view on education forever… There is a steady, persistent hum of respect that echoes in the hallways at FSP every day… Educators at FSP honor each individual child for who they are, which provides them the solid foundation of relationship and trust to root themselves in as they learn and grow. Children are active partners in their educational experiences from preschool to 8th grade. The school’s community takes care of each other in a way that I’ve never experienced. It starts from the top and the children emulate it… The educational experiences at FSP are rooted in respect, are focused on the whole child, and truly are nurturing ‘joyful learning’ in students.”

James, former head of FSP and current board member:

“In my experience what has been a common thread in the Quaker schools I have known is that kids can be their authentic selves… The community accepts them as they are; they develop a sense of self as they learn to accept others in the same way. I also believe that the flattened hierarchy not only for administrators and faculty… but for kids and adults… allows kids to know adults and, more importantly, find their voices when talking to adults. All of this, of course, stems from the underlying mission of looking for that of God in everyone... and doing it cheerfully.”

Being “Patterns of Integrity”

Kirk, current board member:

"Quakerism shapes the most kind, reflective, and grounded educational ethos I can imagine. We are called to answer to what is divine in all our students and colleagues; to be patterns of integrity; to arrive with love as our first and guiding motion. What a joy for our teachers to work in that kind of community. As a Quaker and a teacher working at a non-Quaker institution, I envy that sense of loving community, yet live it daily to the best of my ability."

Letting Love Transform and Letting Everyone Contribute to the Discovery of Truth

Mary Tracy, founding teacher:

“A Quaker school believes love is a transforming power, that students will learn best when they are held to high standards as learners and as members of a loving and respectful community. A Quaker school embraces continuing revelation as an exciting process of exploration and discovery, and believes that each member of the school community is capable of revealing another facet of Truth. A Quaker school knows that humans thrive on learning and that learning is fun.”

Nell, Director of Studies:

“At a Quaker school, community isn’t an add-on: it’s at the center. The expectation that we’re all learners and seekers is baked in. It makes for a different kind of education where we’re all questioning together and none of us are expected to have the truth all figured out.”

Board Nominations for the 2022-2023 School Year

Friends School of Portland is seeking new board members eager to contribute to our young and thriving educational community.

We invite you to nominate someone who would be a good Friends School of Portland Board Member.

If you are interested in board service and would like to learn more. Please reach out directly to Board Governance Chair, Jason Wentworth, boardgov@friendsschoolportland.org

Click on the above image to download our informational flyer.

A Conversation with Three Heads of School

James, Jenny, and Sara sat down over Zoom with four middle school students writing a story for the FSP all-school newspaper. Students co-created questions to ask former Heads of School, James Grumbach and Jenny Rowe, and our new Head of School Sara Primo.

Students asked: “What did you do that helped the school?” “What is it like to watch us grow up?” “What is it like to be a new Head of School?”

Here are a few highlights from the discussion:

James: I have a metaphor for you… I think of FSP as a boat. The boat was launched by people like Mary and Tom Tracy, Lise Wagner, and Sam Solish. They had a first year together and then I came along in the second year. I think of myself as someone who came along to take the school out on sea trials. My job was primarily to make sure that the boat would float, would continue to float, and go in the direction it was pointed. I helped set that direction and that is how I helped the school. To extend that metaphor, Jenny came along and really took that boat on a voyage. Now, I am really excited to see the direction that Sara takes it in.

Jenny: It is so cool to watch you grow up! It is just so much fun… It’s one of the best things watching people grow up and stay connected even after you leave Friends School. That’s the best part of life… watching people go through it with you.

Sara: I am trying to ask good questions. I feel as if I have been handed a rope. It is a line that takes us back all the way to the beginning of Friends School. I have questions and new ideas but there is a sacred thread that goes through this school’s life. Daily I am struck in positive ways by that thread. I am hanging on to that and not letting it go.

Love Notes All-School Assembly

Love Notes created during all-school assembly for Wayside Food Programs. The notes are being passed out monthly with food boxes.

Preschoolers Noticing the Changing Seasons

The preschool classroom has made it a mission to take full advantage of the magical learning opportunities that our natural surroundings can provide us. We have spent the first weeks of school building a thriving classroom community and solidifying our sense of place. The majority of our days have been spent outside - playing amongst the trees.

Recently, we’ve noticed all of the changes on our FSP playgrounds - ushered in by the new season. Preschoolers have observed these changes during our nature walks. We have been noticing that more leaves seem to be falling daily and that our paths look different than they used to look. These observations have become the underpinnings of some really excellent conversations, and these conversations have led us down some great learning paths.

To extend our learning, we have referenced a handful of books. Preschoolers have worked to notice similar illustrations and find their own literacy links to what we’ve been seeing each day. Children have been able to make group and independent connections. We have shared collective excitement when we have noticed similarities between our reference books and our own FSP playgrounds.

The leaves, acorns, and pinecones have proven to be wonderful materials to sharpen other skills as well. Preschoolers have used these natural materials to create and extend patterns, to count within counting collections, to sort with and to classify, to order by size, and much more. The leaves have been used to decorate elaborate fairy houses. We’ve taken pinecones and used our fingers to thread pipe cleaners onto them, exercising our fine motor skills.

We’ve experienced much peace and simplicity in the rhythm of our days. It, undoubtedly, has stemmed from the preschool’s extensive time spent exploring and appreciating our natural world. We have been able to seamlessly weave into each day mathematical learning, literacy extensions, scientific inquiry, and more - all through the lens of the forest.

We look forward to more joyful, intentional, and peaceful learning adventures this year.

Launching New Middle School Elective Program: Student Highlights

Flamenco costume making during Friday Middle School electives.

This year, we have launched our middle school electives program. Each trimester, students choose between electives such as Latin, Outdoor Leadership, Activist Art, or FSP Newspaper. Each elective has a community engagement component as well as a direct link to the Quaker SPICES. This trimester, students chose between Show Choir, Outdoor Skills, Musical Instrument Making, Flamenco Costume Design, and FSP Newspaper.

Here are a few highlights from middle school students, so far:

"We get to do all the fun stuff in Show Choir... take off our shoes, sing music, and learn to do pentatonic clapping!" - Fifth-grade student

"In Show Choir, we are creating a video of different actions and singing separately, We learned really quickly that it is hard to do them at the same time...sing and dance that is!" - Fifth-grade student

" I wanted to create a community musical instrument with Jonathan because he's been talking about doing since as long as I've known him..which is a long time!" - Eighth-grade student

"Flamenco costume making was my first choice...but I didn't get my first choice. I'm in Show Choir which I'm really enjoying because you get to express yourself and do all the fun backstage filming too." - Eighth-grade student

"I chose Outdoor Skills with Aliza because I really wanted to be outside more...even though I'm outside all the time. I just like it outdoors." Seventh-grade student

"I chose Flamenco Costume Making because I really like sewing. I sewed a dress with my grandmother once." - Sixth-grade student

"I like drawing clothes that look like this...with ruffles and sequins. I thought it would be really fun to make clothes that I actually draw!" - Fifth-grade student

"I really like being able to work on what we want to. I'm making comics for the all-school newspaper." - Seventh-grade student

"I like being able to make something that the whole community at school will get to enjoy!" - Seventh-grade student

FSP 1-2 Class Teacher Katie Nowak & Community Engagement

This year, I’ve taken on a new role a few hours each week coordinating community engagement projects at Friends School of Portland. Now that the year is well underway and I’ve had time to settle this role, I wanted to share a little bit about some of the goals for this work as well as some of the projects I’ve been working on so far. I have been interested in this type of work--helping connect our school community with the greater Portland community (and beyond)--for a number of years. Faculty, staff, parents, and students are interested in projects that feel authentic, connect and incorporate the Quaker values, enrich students’ learning experience, and help strengthen our community.

Stewardship and community are at the core of our school’s values. One goal of this role is to assist each classroom in bringing these tenets to the forefront of the work and projects taking place. Initially, I am facilitating these efforts by checking in with teachers on a regular basis, learning about local needs and resources, and making connections that will help deepen our engagement with the greater Portland community.

My work so far has included collaborating with teachers to both inventory current efforts/projects and brainstorm potential community engagement projects that connect their curricular work to needs and efforts already underway in the community. I have also spent time reaching out to organizations in the Portland area in an effort to establish long term community partnerships, with the goal of deepening connections that FSP already has with many of these organizations (Wayside Food Programs, Friends of Casco Bay, Falmouth Land Trust, to name a few).

Another component of my work has been researching the community outreach and service work efforts at other schools - especially Quaker schools - to talk to the people involved in that work. A few common themes have emerged during these discussions, most notably the importance of truly listening and learning from our community, rather than making assumptions about what we might have to offer.

Two projects to highlight so far are the Casco Bay Ecosystem unit and stewardship of FSP’s Lost and Found:

• This year, the third and fourth-grade teaching team looked to include studying and honoring Native peoples in their approach to their biennial Casco Bay unit. Lindsay, 3-4 teacher, and I reached out to a number of organizations suggested by the First Light Learning Journey, a program “whose purpose is to build awareness and understanding about Wabanaki land loss in Maine...and practice equitable principles for Native engagement.” Lindsay is in the process of following up on a way to collaborate with one of these organizations.

• This year, the 1-2 classes are taking on a stewardship service project in collaboration with Maine Immigrant and Refugee Services (MEIRS). Students in the 1-2 will become the stewards of the school’s lost and found “collection.” Every few weeks, our students will collect, sort through, and return lost and found items and will then donate any remaining clothing and gear to MEIRS. This project enables students to take ownership of a school-wide stewardship effort, while also broadening their understanding of and involvement in the world around them.

My hope is that this new role will continue to help FSP widen our circles beyond our campus in ways that strengthen our community and inspire our students to become thoughtful, engaged, and active citizens. If you have ideas about potential projects, people to connect with, etc., please email me at katie@friendsschoolportland.org and stay tuned for future updates!

Physical Education is Stewardship Education at FSP

Stewardship is the cornerstone of the Physical Education/Stewardship Education program at FSP. Through Billy’s curriculum of games, sports, team-building activities, group challenges, and environmental education activities, students learn to take care of themselves (How can exercise help my body? What does my body need to be healthy?), their communities (How does playing fairly help build my classroom community? How can we work together as a community to overcome this challenge?), and our world (What can I do to be a good steward of our shared environment?)

In their PE/ SE classes last week, third and fourth graders trained to become citizen scientists, learning to identify monarch butterflies by size and field markings and noticing differences from look-alike species. Students are now identifying monarch butterflies around our campus, confirming their sighting with a classmate, and documenting this information in the classroom. This information is then added to scientific research about monarch butterflies via an online program. This week, fifth and sixth graders are working on developing exercise habits through trail runs, warmups, and stations, and they are practicing teamwork skills through classic FSP games like Fox in the Field. Last Friday, first and second graders spent their classes moving new sand into our courtyard sandbox. Shoveling and lifting helped develop strength and gross motor coordination, and students had a chance to witness firsthand preschoolers’ joy as they dug and tunneled in the new sand.