OUR PROGRAM
As a member of Friends Council on Education, we have developed a progressive curriculum grounded in Quaker Peace Testimony.
Social-emotional learning in community is at the heart of all we do. Our students are highly inquisitive, creative, "out of the box" thinkers who thrive in our child-centered, experiential learning program.
Social-emotional learning in community is at the heart of all we do. Our students are highly inquisitive, creative, "out of the box" thinkers who thrive in our child-centered, experiential learning program.
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“Our deepest calling is to grow into our own authentic self-hood, whether or not it conforms to some image of who we ought to be. |
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At Friends Western we learn and grow together in multiple modalities:
play & arts contemplation scientific investigation experiences in the outdoors gardening and animal husbandry open-ended discussion and seminar-style learning multicultural experiences engagement with our local community At the heart of our program is the Whole School Meeting, where children contemplate ethical questions, share joys and sorrows, and conduct the “business” of their school using Quaker process. Children’s home experiences and interests inform our emergent curriculum, which is in continual evolution as we learn and grow together. Families make rich contributions to the program through donations of materials, leading enrichment activities like baking, gardening, dancing and sharing of cultural traditions, and volunteering to assist teachers in the classroom. We believe in supporting all children’s access to an academically rigorous curriculum and full participation in the social world of the school. We work with families to tailor the program to each child’s strengths and needs. Each teacher receives robust coaching in teaching core academic subjects and integrating them into our Inquiry Studies. |
Truth never lost ground by inquiry." - William Penn |
Small and Intimate by Design
Each of our three classes are capped at 15 students and span two grade levels. This supports our child-centered, holistic approach to facilitating each child’s unique unfolding. Children and teachers grow strong bonds of mutual respect. Each class’s program is designed with careful attention to the developmental needs of that time in life.
Hummingbirds: Kindergarten & First Grade
Five, six and seven-year-olds explore their identities, learn social emotional skills needed to work cooperatively and independently, and engage in lively intellectual and creative work in a flexible learning environment.
Foxes: Second & Third Grades
Seven, eight and nine-year-olds deepen their academic inquiries, build their conflict resolution and ethical reasoning skills, and expand their awareness to communities long ago and far away.
Kameleons: Fourth & Fifth Grades
Nine through eleven-year-olds learn the scientific method, engage in service work in the local community, and explore U.S. history through a decolonized lens. The Kameleons run a school catering business they call “Kameleon Katering,” hence their name.
Hummingbirds: Kindergarten & First Grade
Five, six and seven-year-olds explore their identities, learn social emotional skills needed to work cooperatively and independently, and engage in lively intellectual and creative work in a flexible learning environment.
Foxes: Second & Third Grades
Seven, eight and nine-year-olds deepen their academic inquiries, build their conflict resolution and ethical reasoning skills, and expand their awareness to communities long ago and far away.
Kameleons: Fourth & Fifth Grades
Nine through eleven-year-olds learn the scientific method, engage in service work in the local community, and explore U.S. history through a decolonized lens. The Kameleons run a school catering business they call “Kameleon Katering,” hence their name.
Inquiry Studies: An Emergent Curriculum Composed of Life's Big Questions
In Inquiry Studies we explore topics in depth, grounding in anti-bias and culturally responsive pedagogies. We reach out into our local community for informal learning partnerships and are continually reviewing our library of resources using an anti-bias lens.
Some of the studies we’ve developed over the years include…
The history of the Universe, beginning with the Big Bang, culminating in a visual timeline of 13.5 billion years
Our neighborhood, conducted through field trips and child-led interviews with local business owners, culminating in creating ads for those businesses
The science and history of the LA River, through the Ice Age and settlement by the Tongva people, culminating in water filtration and conservation experiments
Some of the studies we’ve developed over the years include…
The history of the Universe, beginning with the Big Bang, culminating in a visual timeline of 13.5 billion years
Our neighborhood, conducted through field trips and child-led interviews with local business owners, culminating in creating ads for those businesses
The science and history of the LA River, through the Ice Age and settlement by the Tongva people, culminating in water filtration and conservation experiments
Arts, Language and Outdoor Education
Children have weekly Art lessons with a working artist, Kindred Gottlieb. Through her unique teaching practice, children create their own public art works, build puppet theaters, explore ceramic arts, make books of optical illusions, and more.
Kindred also teaches our Spanish program, which all children have twice a week. Using the Sonrisas Spanish immersion curriculum, Kindred playfully introduces the children to Spanish-speaking cultures and builds basic conversational skills.
Bloom Arts Foundation provides our weekly Music & Movement classes, with a program that blends African Drumming and Dance with Vocal Music.
Our Outdoor Education program, created and directed by Kameleon teacher Tim Noonan, is organized around a set of recurring experiences off campus. Parents join all of these activities.
Kindred also teaches our Spanish program, which all children have twice a week. Using the Sonrisas Spanish immersion curriculum, Kindred playfully introduces the children to Spanish-speaking cultures and builds basic conversational skills.
Bloom Arts Foundation provides our weekly Music & Movement classes, with a program that blends African Drumming and Dance with Vocal Music.
Our Outdoor Education program, created and directed by Kameleon teacher Tim Noonan, is organized around a set of recurring experiences off campus. Parents join all of these activities.
- Park Day: Weekly whole-school walking trips to Villa Park for group physical education games and a visit to the public library
- Exploration Days: Monthly hikes & ecological learning opportunities, in partnership with organizations like Arroyo-Foothills Conservancy and Wishtoyo Chumash Village
- An annual overnight Camping Trip for 4th and 5th graders in Malibu Creek State Park