May 4

Dear Families,

It's the beginning of a new month, and I send you wishes for warmth, strength, and health, along with encouragement to pat yourselves on the back frequently and to let things go when you need to.  

FSP is steadily coming together for next year. As you know, the board and faculty are devoting themselves to creating a calendar that will allow us flexibility and ensure as much in-person learning as possible.  The middle school wing is taking shape rapidly as are the courtyard and hillside landscape.  We have a healthy enrollment of returning students and new ones and a committed and adaptable faculty--all the critical ingredients for a fine year, even if things may look different at times. Our mission and SPICES will continue to undergird everything we do.

I wanted to share the process we're using to review and update financial aid in light of the coronavirus pandemic. All of us have been affected in some way already, and likely more than a few are feeling stress around their children's return to FSP next year.

One of the definitions of integrity is the state of being whole and undivided. We are committed to keeping our school community whole, and this means finding additional ways to support families, as well as keeping all of our faculty members with us.  

We invite you to consider completing this COVID-19 Pandemic Application for Additional Financial Aid by Friday, May 8. In the spirit of integrity and community, we trust families will ask for only what they need. We will do our best to find the resources to keep the FSP community intact.  

If you didn't apply for financial aid through FACTS earlier this year, but judge that you need help in the coming year, you must immediately submit an application on that website:  https://online.factsmgt.com/signin/4FLYK and then fill out the above form.

Please contact me or Business Manager Keith Jones (finance@friendsschoolportland.org) if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
Jenny
—-
Jenny Rowe
Head of School

End of Year Report Cards 

Like most other things, end-of-year report cards will look slightly different this spring.  After working on this question together for several weeks, the FSP faculty has come to the conclusion that the narrative section of our report card is the best tool to communicate learning and growth this time, and we have decided to set aside the standards-based checklists we use when we are in school together.

As they do each trimester, teachers will use the narrative to communicate their observations of students' interests, strengths, and needs.  But teachers feel that it is also critical to recognize the unique partnership with parents and students that defines at-home learning, as well as the independent learning many students have pursued alongside the school curriculum. Over the next several weeks, teachers will reach out to students and families to ask for any reflections on student learning and growth since March you would like to contribute. Teachers will use your thoughts in addition to their own assessment to inform their written narrative reports.  As always, we are grateful to you students and families for your flexibility and trust as we navigate this change, and so many others, as a school community.

Nell
——
Nell Sears
Director of Studies