1.  What makes a Harford Friends School education unique?

HFS provides an outstanding academic experience within the context of our Quaker values and beliefs by nurturing academic and human excellence in mind, body, and spirit. Teachers and students are jointly engaged in a continuing search for truth through the gift of each individual’s mind. Love, compassion and respect for each individual are key to the learning environment.

2.  What kind of families does HFS seek?

HFS strives to enroll students whose families understand our mission and will support the values of simplicity, mutual respect, peaceful problem-solving and service to our school community.  We welcome parents who will actively participate in the HFS family and help to create a vibrant school culture.

3.  Is HFS administered by a religious body?

HFS is an independent, not parochial school.  We look to the Society of Friends (Quakers) for guidance and wisdom.  We are also part of a supportive network of Friends schools around the country, which allows us to share ideas, experiences, resources and Friends values.  However, the school is separately incorporated and financially independent of any religious body.  It is a non-profit, tax-exempt corporation managed by an independent Board of Trustees.

4.  Who will teach my child?

Currently, two-thirds of our faculty hold a Master’s or higher degree. Harford Friends School seeks to hire teachers who hold a Master’s degree in the subject they teach or have the equivalent classroom experience in their chosen grade level, division, or subject. Teachers new to the profession who may not have earned their Master’s or have not taught long enough to earn that equivalent are partnered with a mentor teacher for the first year.

5.  Does the school require a uniform?

No. Clothing worn by students at Harford Friends School must be neat, clean, and appropriate to the occasion, whether that occasion is academic, athletic, social, or recreational.  On physical education days, students should wear attire appropriate for the planned activity, generally modest athletic wear including sneakers. Students may not wear hats in the school building.  Clothes that are torn, frayed, patched, or immodest are not permitted in school.

6.  Will HFS offer before and after-school care?

For its middle school students, HFS provides before-school care starting at 7 AM and after-school study hall until 4 PM. When necessary, students may remain at school until 5 PM provided the request is received by the school at least 24 hours in advance. Children’s Center of North Harford, located directly across the street from HFS, offers both before and after-school care for children in grade five and below. HFS has information on those programs and we are happy to include them in any informational mailing to you.

7.  What is a vertically-split classroom?

In a vertically-split classroom, children learn in a setting with children whose ages span a wider range than in a traditional classroom.  Through careful planning and choice of methods, teachers address the interests and abilities of all children.  The vertically-split classroom provides opportunities for children at both ends of the range to benefit from and provide models, extend an interest, have a diverse audience for projects, give or receive peer support, and develop broader social and emotional connections, skills and abilities. (This is an option dependent upon faculty expertise and sufficient enrollment, and may not be offered each school year.)

8.  What extra-curricular opportunities will HFS provide my child?

Extra-curricular activities at HFS are limited only by imagination and the time and energy available to offer them. We have Destination Imagination Teams at both the Lower and Middle School levels.  Parents volunteer to lead quarterly activities of special interest to them and the students. In the past we have had Friday afternoon Activities of photography, cooking, yearbook, ornithology, scrap-booking, improvisational acting, archery and more. After-school clubs and activities are possible with the approval of the school and the commitment to have the activity operate in accordance with the school’s philosophy and quality expectations.

9.  Will my child be expected to learn a foreign language?

Yes! Harford Friends School plans to renew its collaborative partnership with Fun with Foreign Language to provide our Lower School students with a twice-a-week immersion experience through which students will learn to understand and speak either Mandarin Chinese or Spanish. Students in our Middle School currently study Spanish.

10.   How is discipline handled?

At HFS the lower school, teachers create a learning community where children’s needs can be met, understanding that conflicts and disruptive behavior are an inevitable and instructive part of learning in community. At every grade level, children are taught conflict resolution skills and are guided and helped to use those skills to find solutions to conflicts.  Outcomes of disruptive behavior will follow logically from the behavior, emphasizing reflection, learning, and solutions, rather than blame and shame.

At Harford Friends School, rules and guidelines serve to promote a sense of community, safety, and trust. Any time a rule is broken, community trust is weakened. It is the work of both the individual and community to restore trust and a sense of security through reflection, learning, and the development of effective solutions.

11.  To what extent may I be or will I be expected to be involved?

Over the past century of educational research, two factors influence a student’s chances for achievement more than any others – small class size and parental involvement. At HFS, parents and teachers partner with each other to form two halves of an embrace around the child. Parents are expected to be involved in the academic life of their child as well as the life of the school. Last year, HFS parents fulfilled more than 400 hours of volunteer service to the school in the form of field trip chaperones, open house guides and greeters, fundraising volunteers and coordinators, activity leaders, among many others. As a member of the HFS community there is ample room for parents to share their talents and trainings as well as their interests and energies!

12.  In what “specials” will my child receive instruction?

Our students receive expert instruction in art, computer technology, music, physical education, and Spanish.

13.  Will there be field trips?

Yes! HFS is committed to “learning by doing” and the real-world discovery and application of skills. Our program averages more than one field trip per month in each grade!

14.  How will students be challenged beyond the scope of the curriculum?

In a small class within in a school guided by Quaker values, close classroom relationships are created. Teachers get to know the interests and strengths of each child as they develop within the learning community throughout a school year.  With that knowledge, along with an understanding of individual learning style and personality, teachers challenge each student, ‘nudging’ each child to his/her ‘growing edge.’  Teachers accomplish this through questioning carefully during discussions and one-to-one interactions, differentiating an assignment for an individual student, or co-creating a project to extend a concept or interest.  The possibilities are endless and very exciting for the teacher, student, and for the learning community as a whole.

The Mastery Program is designed to allow a student to follow an interest and further his/her study of a specific topic.  Successful completion of a Mastery Project results in a special note added to the student’s official transcript.  It does not provide extra credit within an existing course.  To pursue a Mastery Project, the student must complete an application (Appendix G) and find an in-school project advisor and an out-of-school advisor (if warranted).  The proposed project must be approved by the end of the school year prior to its required completion, and must have some demonstrated benefit to one’s own study and to others in the school, the community, or in the field of study. For Lower School students, the project may be begun at any time prior to the end of the third grade year, but must be completed by the end of the fourth grade.  For Middle School students, the project may be begun at any time prior to the end of the seventh grade year, but must be completed by the end of eighth grade.  There are three products of a Mastery Project:  1) an original paper, 2) a publicly viewable product (three-dimensional display, Power Point presentation, artwork, etc.), and 3) a public presentation of learning for a wider audience than students and faculty of Harford Friends School.

15.  Does HFS maintain a minimum age requirement for enrollment in first grade?

HFS intends to abide by the MSDE public school minimum enrollment age of six years old (as of September 1^st) for enrollment in first grade. However, HFS reserves the right to make case-by-case determinations for grade placement based upon our Admissions Assessment findings and the recommendations of the Admissions Committee.

16.  How large will HFS classes be?

No class will be larger than fifteen (15) students.

17.  What will the minimum class size be?

HFS does not set a minimum for its class sizes. Class effectiveness and sectioning depend upon the skills and abilities each child brings to the classroom. HFS has operated successful classes with as few as three students, but recognizes that a class of six or seven may not be feasible if the combinations of skills, abilities, and needs is not effective.

18.  To what extent can learning differences be supported in an HFS classroom?

Teachers differentiate learning for all children by carefully observing and questioning, by offering the individual attention possible with a small class size, and by differentiating/modifying class assignments and teaching methods when children encounter challenges.  Ongoing communication with parents about children’s interests, abilities, and difficulties will help the teacher match pace and assignments to the students.  However, the school is not staffed with a learning specialist, nor are we able to provide ongoing individual tutoring required by some students with (documented) specific learning differences.  Teachers are not necessarily trained in diagnosis and intervention methods required by those students. However, teachers do use the multi-sensory, hands-on, authentic, and carefully sequenced learning experiences, which are ‘best practices’ for all learners.

19.  When does the school year begin and end?

The Harford Friends school year begins the Wednesday after Labor Day and usually ends on the second Friday of June. The school is required by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) to hold 170 days of classes each year. HFS generally schedules 175 days to allow for days during which the school is closed due to inclement weather.

20.  When does the school day begin and end?

The school day begins promptly at 8:00 AM and ends with a 3:00 PM dismissal. There is an optional study hall between 3:00 PM and 4:00PM for Middle School students. After-school extra-curricular activities include Destination Imagination (DI) team practices, Math Counts team practices, student play rehearsals, intramural basketball, study skills workshops led by HFS faculty, among others.

21.  Does HFS serve lunch or will I need to pack my child’s lunch?

Students bring their own lunch. Lunches brought from home must not require refrigeration. The school’s parent association, the Home and School Association, organizes pizza lunches once a month as a fundraising event and as a treat for the students.