Each 5th grader rang the Friendship Bell to mark the transition to Middle School at today's Bell Ringing Ceremony.

Lower School News

Message from Kelly Bird Pierre

This morning's Grade 5 Meeting for Leaving reminds us all how much growth happens between when students first arrive at Lower School, whether in Nursery or grade 5, and how many people are involved in each student's progress and success. It was wonderful to watch the younger students arrive and look up at the 5th graders on stage, in awe of them and inspired by what they themselves will become, and to hear the 5th graders talk about how many people have impacted them on their journey. Thank you for partnering with us in your child's learning and development. We wish you all a rejuvenating summer full of time outside and together.

5th Grade: you were the leaders of our Lower School, and you were models of camaraderie. As one of you said at a meeting recently, "We listen to each other, we support each other, we respect each other, and we have all grown so much." You are all smart and kind and each contributes a gift that makes your class stand out. It has been so heartwarming for us to watch you each shine as individuals while also celebrating one another's gifts. You cheered for your classmates as they tackled the high ropes courses at Camp Onas and held your classmates up as you passed them through the web of the low ropes course. You admired one another's lyrical poetry and prose, looked on in awe at your peers' musical talents and athletic abilities, and stood back and watched as others produced detailed drawings and anime or manipulated building materials with ease and ingenuity to create prototypes of green energy. You inspired not one book club but two, and you encouraged your friends that wrote for the newspaper - publishing six issues! You impressed us with your renditions of Coldplay and the Beatles on glockenspiel and, Chorus, you made us cry when you sang "True Colors." Your classmates looked on as you flexed your math muscles in Problem of the Week. You wrote books on ancient civilizations around the world that have gone into circulation in the LS library for all of us to read and learn from. You worked together as a group to decide how you would each participate in the National School Walk Out Day so that you could voice your concern and honor everyone's feelings. You helped us better understand the testimony of Peace in your play and wowed us with your stage presence. You designed your own science experiments, collected and organized data and taught us which products were best and how to manipulate recipes and objects for larger explosions and higher bounces. You have set the bar high for those that come after you fifth grade. We have no doubt that as a group you are going to go forth and "peacefully transform the world." You have inspired us, and we will not forget you. Please don't forget to visit!

As you move on to Middle School, I'd like to read you a poem and hope it will serve as a potential roadmap for your years ahead:

Success - Ralph Waldo Emerson

To laugh often and much;

To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;

To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;

To appreciate beauty,

To find the best in others,

To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child,

A garden patch or a redeemed social condition;

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.

This is to have succeeded.

Lower School STEAM Open House - June 12 - Current Gr. 1-4 Families - Join Us and Spread the Word!
We are hosting a free Maker Ed activity for current and prospective students entering grades 2-5. Our Lower School STEAM Open House takes place next Tuesday, June 12 from 4-5:30 pm. There will be a choice of hands-on activities taking place in the four Light Lab studios (robotics, aeronautics, Shibori fabric dyeing, and hydroponic gardening) for prospective students in grades 2-5. Current grade 1-4 students and their families are welcome to join us and bring a friend! Register online here. Click here to download a flyer to share.

Message from Erica Seay, Director LS Extended Day Program & After-School Clubs
As the school year comes to an end, I am eager to share information about possible After-School Clubs choices for fall 2018. Clubs may include: Origami, Clay Club, Cooking, Robotics, Wolf PAC, UK Elite Soccer, Mandarin, Chess Club, Maker Club, Hip Hop and Improv, Math Club, and more! Be on the lookout for more information later in the summer. In the meantime, I will be sending out a survey for all club participants to fill out for 2017-2018. Your voice is valued, and your feedback is important to us. When you receive the link, please be sure to complete the survey. Should you have any questions/concerns, please contact me at eseay@friendscentral.org.

Message from the Lower School Service Committee
The Lower School Service Committee would like to thank all the families for supporting the Lower School service projects this year. You came through with canned goods and arts supplies and much much more! Our final project of the year raised $368 for Plant One Million whose mission is to restore the tree canopy in the greater Philadelphia area. Thanks so much, and enjoy your seeds!

Summer Camp Registration is Open for All Camps!
Check out our Mighty Maker Camp for grades K-4 using the Lower School Light Lab. To learn more, contact Kat Clayton in the Summer Programs office at summerprograms@friendscentral.org or 610-645-5132.

Eighth graders were recognized as they transition out of Middle School at today's Meeting For Leaving ceremony.

Middle School News

Message from Alexa Quinn

Our final week of school was overflowing with fun, community spirit, and celebration. On Monday, we announced the recipients of our eighth grade citizenship awards in the morning and celebrated "Bubblemania" in the afternoon. On Tuesday, eighth grade had a special celebratory day at Six Flags Great Adventure. On Wednesday, students concluded classes and wrapped up their service projects. On Thursday, we held our annual field day, Phoenix Game Day, in which students competed with their color teams to win the coveted Phoenix Cup. Today, we celebrated our eighth graders in our Meeting for Leaving, a ceremony in which eighth graders cross a symbolic threshold as they complete their Middle School years.

Our speaker during the Meeting for Leaving was Dianne Forman. After 47 years in education, and nearly five years as our Middle School Learning Specialist and the Director of Support Services at FCS, Dianne is retiring. Anyone who has met or worked with Dianne is immediately impressed with her knowledge of education, her understanding of how people learn, and her deep commitment to what is best for students. She is a superb educator and colleague, and she will be deeply missed. That being said, we are thrilled that she will have the time to both relax and to indulge her inspiring sense of adventure. We are so grateful to Dianne for her innumerable and invaluable contributions to Friends' Central, but especially for everything she has accomplished in the Middle School. I know you will join me in wishing her the most wonderful adventures in retirement.

In my remarks in today's assembly, I expressed my gratitude to our sixth, seventh, and eighth graders for everything they contributed to the Middle School and to FCS this year. I also want to add my boundless thanks to our entire Middle School faculty and staff for all of their hard work and dedication. Finally, thank you -- our Middle School families -- for everything you have done to support your children and the School.

On behalf of the entire Middle School faculty and staff, we wish you and your child(ren) a fantastic summer!

Senior Night on Tuesday was a celebration of the many achievements of the Class of 2018. Click here for more photos.

Upper School News

Message from the Upper School Office

Happy summer! It has been a bittersweet celebration of the Class of 2018 this week: testimonies shared during Senior Night on Tuesday, accompanied by exhibits of their Senior Project work, reminded us of just how big a hole they will leave in our community as they graduate. We invite everyone to join us at Commencement tomorrow morning at 10 am on the graduation terrace; we look forward to hearing from faculty speakers (and parents of graduates) John Gruber and Margaret Somerville. Tonight's Baccalaureate Meeting for Worship, for graduates and their families, offers a final opportunity for the class to come together in worship as they have done for many years.

Today's farewell picnic included yearbook distribution and the publication of Ink, our students arts magazine. These are big projects, and we are grateful to the yearbook staff (especially editor Elena Sissell '18) and to the Ink crew, led by editors Eva Gonzalez '18 and Elisabeth Forsyth '20. They, in turn, are most appreciative of their faculty advisors Heather Tomes and Emily Harnett for their support and encouragement.

Words cannot express how much we will miss retiring faculty members Peter Seidel and Erika Harnett, but the student testimonials you will find in Focus are a good place to start. We wish them well and hope they will visit often! Erika is delaying the end of her Friends' Central experience just a bit to leads a summer student trip, and we wish those traveling to Italy with Erika and students participating in the bi-annual trip to Peru led by Cristina Perez safe, fun and rewarding experiences. And, because we really have trouble saying goodbye, look for a June letter from the Upper School office containing information about the fall; in particular, please note summer reading for all students, along with other academic preparation that may be required for students as they prepare to move on in their studies.

Commencement 2018 Recording
Senior parents: this year, Commencement will be recorded for parents by the Home and School Association. The link to this video will be distributed in the summer to all parents of the Class of 2018.