Mission
Vision:
Making the world better by challenging minds, nurturing spirits and honoring individuality.
Mission:
Friends School is a supportive, dynamic community committed to educating the whole child-head, hand, and heart - and to training exceptional teachers for tomorrow's classrooms. We provide a strong academic foundation while developing creative expression and nurturing a passion for learning. Our students gain a deep understanding of themselves and are inspired to act with compassion and integrity.
Values:
We believe in Head, Hand and Heart.
We recognize and celebrate the gifts, challenges and inspirations of each individual. There are many ways to be smart, and there are many ways to learn about the world. Our teachers nurture students' natural curiosity by engaging their minds, bodies and spirits in the learning process. Teachers ensure that students' physical, social, emotional and cognitive interests are being engaged and strengthened in all learning experiences.
We believe in community.
A true education is founded in the myriad of life's meaningful personal experiences and connections. Being part of a community where everyone feels safe, valued and connected greatly enhances learning. Our school is a place where everyone is nurtured and respected for his or her individuality and contributions to the good of the whole. We hold in high esteem rituals and traditions that help children develop self-awareness and understanding of themselves as part of the bigger world.
We believe learning is for life.
We inspire a lifelong love of learning. We understand that quality education is a cumulative, integrated process and that child-centered, critical and creative learning experiences are essential. We value the integration of the arts into a well-rounded education. We intentionally cultivate a growth mindset, in which our students and teachers learn to thrive on challenge and see failure as a springboard for growth. Through individual and cooperative hands-on learning experiences, our students construct their own knowledge and engage with the real world.
We believe in the importance of social and emotional learning.
Our social and emotional curriculum helps students learn self-awareness and self-regulation, which in turn facilitate their interactions with and understanding of others. This begins with knowing our own emotions and needs and how to express and manage them appropriately. It includes recognizing and responding to the needs and emotions of others through empathy, gratitude, compassion, and the intentional teaching of kindness. Ultimately, having effective strategies for listening and speaking with one another develops an ability to problem solve in all kinds of situations, often leading to inspired conclusions and stronger interpersonal relationships.
We believe in providing a rich and challenging academic program.
Our teachers understand that learning requires discussion, experimentation, creative experiences, and context and it is these building blocks that provide the basis for academic learning at Friends. Teachers employ multiple instructional strategies to be sure that our high academic standards are met, or surpassed, in lessons that are engaging, authentic, and meaningful to students. Our teachers integrate content areas that combine art, math, science, literacy, social studies and music to reflect the natural learning process and an understanding of current brain research. Our students become fluent readers, articulate writers, sound mathematicians, critical scientists, and curious global citizens.
We believe in training teachers.
Friends School offers a unique Teacher Preparation Program to aspiring teachers that enables them to attain a Colorado teaching license as well as a Master's degree in education. We partner with public, charter and other independent schools throughout Boulder County to give Teacher Candidates an exceptional hands-on classroom teaching experience with a mentor teacher. Our program launches new teachers with every tool to be successful in their careers. We actively support our current faculty and staff with on-going professional and self-development opportunities.
We believe in environmental stewardship.
Experiencing the wonder and beauty of nature is intrinsically valuable and is critical to developing environmentally conscious citizens. Friends teaches children about sustainable living practices and provides rich experiences with the natural world. Children who understand the complexity and interconnections in our world are personally motivated to work toward the sustainability of the planet and make conscious choices about the use of the earth's resources.
We believe in preserving the joy and innocence of childhood.
In a world where children are exposed to endless stimuli and in which they can grow up too fast, we aspire to be a caring and nurturing environment where children are simply children. We understand the essential role that play and imagination form in the development of young minds and bodies. Play is how children begin to understand their world. Laughter, meaningful social experiences, and connection help children to be in an emotional state to be ready to learn.
We believe that diversity makes our community stronger.
We prepare children to have successful relationships with people from a wide variety of backgrounds, socioeconomic levels, and family structures. We recognize each person possesses unique intelligences, talents, affinities, and challenges. We discuss, embrace, and learn about many aspects of diversity in the classroom: race, culture, religion, sexual orientation, family structure, learning styles, skills, challenges, and interests. We help children utilize this knowledge and to recognize and respond to issues of prejudice and injustice. We respect our differences and understand that diversity makes our community a healthier place.
We believe in partnership.
We understand that education is a journey and that a strong partnership between home and school is essential. We actively include parents in their child's education and the life of the school. We have a robust Parent Education program that supports parents to be their best. We communicate frequently with parents and, by providing diverse opportunities for participation, we ensure that everyone has a place at Friends School. As well as partnering with other public and independent schools in our Teacher Preparation Program, we also partner with local organizations for service and off-campus learning opportunities. Friends is a private school with a public purpose.