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The second-ever SCFS Get Outside Challenge took place October 13-27. This event was designed to deepen community ties, raise funds, and encourage friends to enjoy the great outdoors. Participants walked, ran, hiked, and biked their way through ten mile markers chosen in collaboration with the 5th- and 6th-grade Geography class. In just fifteen days, our hardy crew travelled from State College, PA all the way to San Francisco, CA - over 2,700 miles! It was a joy to students track their laps around the Friends School campus loop and parents organize class hikes on the weekend. We even had friends of the school log miles in other states. Friends School was thrilled to work with community partners on this challenge. Local businesses, organizations, and individuals pledged to fund mile markers along our route to benefit the 2021-2022 Annual Fund. As participants logged their miles, they "unlocked" these gifts along the way. We are so grateful to this community for their support and dedication. Stay tuned for a full report on this year's Get Outside Challenge to find out our final mileage total, the amount we raised for the Annual Fund, and a breakdown of who traveled across the country with us. Congratulations, friends! We did it.
As the days grew warmer this spring, Friends School found creative ways to practice stewardship. Students celebrated Earth Day with gardening and service projects around campus, conducted scientific observations of wildlife at the school pond, and created pieces of art that will make our building even more inviting. Children and their families participated in the first-ever SCFS #GetOutside Challenge to benefit the Scholarship Fund; in total, friends ran, walked, hiked, biked, and scooted over 1,000 miles in just two weeks. It truly has been a season of big outdoor energy, bearing witness to all the different ways one can practice what Quakers call right relationship with the earth. Read more about this good work by taking a look through the Spring 2021 issue of A Friendly Voice.  #GetOutside with Friends School!
The SCFS “Get Outside” Challenge is a brand new event for our community. In honor of Earth Day, we invite friends to get out into the natural world - running, walking, hiking, biking - from Saturday, April 24 through Sunday, May 9. Participants will gather pledges, get outside, and log their miles to see how far we can go together. In light of ongoing pandemic conditions, this will take place in lieu of the Fun Fair, an event that traditionally offers a delightful day of games, snacks, activities, and live music for our school to enjoy together with folks from the wider State College community. There are so many ways to take on this challenge: families can organize a weekend hike; individuals can plan to go on walks or jogs; a class can work together to set a goal for how many total miles they hope to go; parents can organize a walk, run, or scoot for their pod at a local park. We encourage all friends to choose their favorite way to get outside! How can I participate?
As an extra-fun bonus, Chen’s Mongolian Buffet will be hosting a #FriendsAtChens weekend on May 8th and 9th, the final days of the “Get Outside” Challenge. All you have to do is place an order and identify that you are supporting SCFS, and our friends at Chen’s will donate a percentage of those profits to SCFS. This applies to take-out orders, too! All proceeds from these events will benefit the SCFS Scholarship Fund. We hope that friends will feel led to participate, invite others to join in, get outside and go farther together. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Annie Boggess, Director of Development and Alumni Relations, at aboggess@scfriends.org. If you would like to make a gift towards scholarships at Friends School but do not plan to participate in the “Get Outside” Challenge, friends are encouraged to make a donation to SCFS through Centre Gives on May 11 and 12. With the goal of supporting nonprofits throughout Centre County, the Centre Foundation has hosted this 36-hour online giving event for the past ten years. Centre Gives is an exciting opportunity for community members to amplify their impact and make Quaker education more accessible for all. Click here for more information about Centre Gives, and stay tuned for more details about how to leverage your gift to the SCFS Scholarship Fund. Thank you for your support! State College Friends School is seeking an Interim Head of School for the 2021-2022 school year to begin on July 1. Located in scenic central Pennsylvania just minutes away from Penn State University, SCFS is an independent Pre-K through 8th grade school that serves students from several surrounding counties. For the past 40 years, State College Friends School has offered a vigorous educational program grounded in the Quaker testimonies of equality, integrity, and stewardship. These values shape an academically stimulating and inclusive school community in which our students can develop a sense of confidence and agency in their world.In the face of the pandemic, the SCFS community has approached the 2020-2021 school year with creativity, flexibility, and a commitment to health and safety while maintaining an interdisciplinary, child-centered curriculum. Teachers and students have successfully conducted in-person learning this year through a combination of outdoor education, upgrades to the school’s physical plant, classroom reconfigurations, and innovative pedagogy. RESPONSIBILITIES AND QUALIFICATIONS The Interim Head of School will oversee school operations for approximately 100 students in seven multi-grade classrooms guided by seven lead teachers, several assistant teachers, three administrative staff and two part-time staff. They will be responsible for guiding the work of faculty and staff, advancement of the school through enrollment and development efforts, ensuring the upkeep of the school building and grounds, and strengthening the school’s relationships with members of the wider State College community. A successful candidate will bring experience in progressive education at the primary and intermediate levels in addition to effective administrative and managerial skills. The ability to work with faculty and staff collaboratively and build mutual trust and respect with the community will be crucial to the Interim Head of School’s work. While familiarity with Quakerism is preferred, all applicants should be willing to embrace, embody and clearly communicate the Quaker testimonies which are at the heart of the school. APPLICATION PROCESS Applicants should submit materials as a single PDF file to search@scfriends.org. A complete application will include all of the following:
Applicants may also send materials to the following mailing address, though this is not required: State College Friends School Attn: Interim HOS Search Committee 1900 University Drive State College, PA 16801 Questions about the search process should be directed via email to Seth Blumsack, Clerk of the Search Committee, at search@scfriends.org. State College Friends School is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  One of the central tenets of our work at State College Friends School is teaching students how to build peace. This can look like everything from practicing sincere apologies to analyzing social movement tactics from United States history. Children of all ages learn that they have the agency and the responsibility to actively engage in resolving interpersonal conflicts and, one day, finding ways to address the systems of oppression that harm so many. As you look through this issue of A Friendly Voice, we invite you to reflect upon the question, “What does peace mean to you?” We appreciate you taking the time to read about the good work that is happening at our school. If any questions or reflections arise, feel free to share them by replying to this email. If you would like to support Friends School’s mission nurturing tomorrow’s peacebuilders, please consider making a gift to the Annual Fund by clicking here. If you would like to receive a hard copy of future issues of A Friendly Voice, please email Annie Boggess at aboggess@scfriends. Over one hundred members of the Friends School community gathered on Saturday, February 27 for the SCFS Virtual Winter Gathering: Lighting the Way. The evening began with an invitation for each of the attendees to light a candle in their respective homes. Quakers believe that this inner light makes each human precious and unique - and connects us all to the collective good. Friends enjoyed homemade meals prepared by a group a talented parent chefs, took advantage of the opportunity to chat and connect in smaller breakout rooms, then came together to enjoy live music from SCFS alumna Laura Boswell and alumni parents Molly Countermine and Rene Witzke. The online auction was open for bidding all weekend, offering everything from kombucha-making classes to original artwork to Mexican coffee. The live event closed with the singing of "As We Leave this Friendly Place," a Friends School classic. Thanks to the love and effort effort of the whole Friends School community, we raised $20, 336.99 for the SCFS Scholarship Fund. Whether you cooked or purchased a delicious meal, attended the live event, donated or bid on auction items, or made a direct contribution to the Scholarship Fund, you helped make this possible. Together, our light shines brighter. 
State College Friends School's summer camp program has always been a favorite with families who want a well-balanced day of physical activity, imaginative play, and creative expression for children in Pre-K through middle school. Beginning June 2020 the Pre-K camp program (Wee Friends) will offer a half-day session from 8:30 - Noon, a full-day session from 8:30 to 3:30, and after care until 5:30 p.m. Each themed week will feature story time, creative arts, free-choice centers, outdoor games and playground time, and music. Registration is available at our free Winter Play Day, this Saturday, February 15th from 9:30 - Noon or at the Summer Youth Fair. June 15-19: Fun in the Sun! ($100/week-1/2 day; $185/week-full day) June 22-26: Under the Sea ($100/week-1/2 day; $185/week-full day) June 29-July 2: One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish ($80/week-1/2 day; $148/week-full day) NO CAMP JULY 3RD July 6-10: Creative Campers ($100/week-1/2 day; $185/week-full day) July 27-31: Once Upon a Time ($100/week-1/2 day; $185/week-full day) |
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IRS notice for 501 C3 non-profit organizations: State College Friends School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.
A Tradition of Successful Learners
- Confident, Creative, Compassionate -
- Confident, Creative, Compassionate -