This is the homepage for Service Learning at The Friends' School. Whether you're looking for ideas about what to do, or you have done your planning and you are ready to go ahead with your project, this website contains all the resources you need.
Service Learning is an educational approach that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection in order to provide a pragmatic, progressive, enriched learning experience, to teach civic responsibility and strengthen communities, while meeting societal needs (Bradley, 2003). This approach is befitting of our educational philosophy at Friends’ in that our Purpose and Concerns guides us to approach each student within our care as developing … “into people who will think clearly, act with integrity, make decisions for themselves, be sensitive to the needs of others and the environment, be strong in service and hold a global perspective.’ Indeed, the literature also supports Service Learning as an experiential educational paradigm that is a high-impact in bridging the gap between academic achievements and the inherent value of service (Anderson, Boyd, Marin & MacNamara, 2019).
At The Friends’ School, Service Learning is enacted in a variety of contexts and ways. According to the principles of Service Learning, it can be Direct, Indirect, Research-based, or a form of Advocacy.
Direct Service Learning is person-to-person, face-to-face service projects in which the students’ service directly impacts individuals who receive the service from the students.
Indirect Service Learning is working on broad issues, environmental projects, community development projects that have clear benefits to the community or environment, but not necessarily to individual identified people with whom the students are working.
Research based Service Learning is gathering and presenting information on areas of interest and need - projects that find, gather and report on information that is needed.
Advocacy Service Learning is educating others about topics of public interest - projects that aim to create awareness and action on some issue that is in the public interest.
The Friends' School is a Pre K-12 co-educational day and boarding school based on Quaker Values. Everything we do at Friends' is underpinned by the School's Purpose and Concerns statement:
The Friends' School is a co-educational Quaker school based on fundamental values such as the intrinsic worth of each person, the recognition of 'that of God' in everyone, the desirability of simplicity and the need to establish peace and justice.
As a learning community, we are concerned for the academic, cultural, physical, emotional, social and spiritual development of each person in our care.
We seek to help our students develop into men and women who think clearly, act with integrity, make decisions for themselves, be sensitive to the needs of others and the environment, be strong in service, and hold a global perspective.
We believe that these aims can be best achieved with the active support of all members of our School community.
Download a list of appropriate project ideas here.
Find some Community Partners here.
Find unit planners and sample risk assessments here.
Check the Activity Log to ensure it's not overlapping with a recent activity here.
Learn how to plan a project or event here.
Reference the 5 stages for Service Learning here
Select appropriate reflection templates and read sample reflections here.
Co-Curricular Google Site - Service page
Students at The Friends’ School are strongly encouraged to engage in service activities either through their own community links or through structured service activities and initiatives offered at school. Students are also strongly encouraged to show leadership in service, and are able to approach student leaders and service coordinators for support with new or existing service initiatives. For further information about Service opportunities, visit the TFS Co-Curricular Activities site, Service Page.
We also have more information about the underlying principles and research into Service Learning, The Five Stages of Service Learning, The School's Framework for Learning and the Strategic Plan for Service Learning at The Friends' School. These are all useful pages with lots of great information.
If you have any questions about Service Learning, please contact any Service Coordinator.
Head of Service K-12: Karina Churchill
Senior School: Karina Churchill, Greg Downes
IB CAS Coordinator: Hamish Hall
Middle School: Liesa Winkler
Primary School: Debbie Taylor and Fiona Lewis, Emily Keeling and Alice Row
Relay for Life: Simone Summers, Greg Downes
Amnesty International: TBC
Climate Action Group(s): Mathu Martin
Friends of Diversity Group: Kate Baldry, Casey-Rae Mullen, James Wright
Environmental Sustainability Group, Landcare: Emma von Poupe, Peter Smythe
Sewing for Service: Jane Smith