Dear Greene Street Friends School Families and Caregivers,

I hope this letter finds you well and enjoying the start of summer. As I reflect on the 2025–2026 school year, I am filled with gratitude for the many moments, both big and small, that shaped our year together. From classroom discoveries and student-led performances to meaningful service projects, assemblies, field trips, athletics, arts, and community celebrations, our students continued to bring joy, curiosity, creativity, and care to our campus each day.

Even as the school year has come to a close, Greene Street is still beaming with energy. We are proud to embark on another summer of Horizons at Greene Street Friends School and to launch our inaugural GSFS Summer Friends Early Childhood Camp. Both experiences center joy, learning, exploration, and connection, and they offer a beautiful representation of our Quaker value of community on full display.

That same sense of community will guide our shared work in the year ahead. As we look toward the 2026–2027 school year, we are excited to begin our work around next year’s Quaker theme: Community. In Quaker schools, community reflects a commitment to authentic relationships, mutual support, inclusion, and shared responsibility. It calls us to value each person’s place within the whole, to look out for one another, and to create the conditions where every person is welcomed, affirmed, and able to let their Inner Light shine.

At Greene Street, this theme will invite us to deepen our understanding of what it means for GSFS to be both in and of the Germantown community and in meaningful relationship with the greater Philadelphia community. We will continue to think intentionally about service learning, civic engagement, and partnerships beyond our campus, asking how our students can learn from, contribute to, and be shaped by the communities around them. At the same time, our theme of Community will build upon our longstanding commitment to creating classrooms and shared spaces where every student feels seen, known, and valued. It will ask us to continue affirming the gifts, talents, lived experiences, cultures, family structures, and intersectional identities that make our school community vibrant, diverse, and whole.

In this spirit of reflection and continued growth, I am writing today to share that Trimester 3 report cards and STAR 360 reports are now available.

Trimester 3 report cards offer a culminating picture of your child’s learning and growth this year. As you read through the narratives, checklists, grades, and teacher comments, we hope you gain a strong sense of your child’s accomplishments, areas of continued development, and the many ways they have engaged as a learner and member of our school community.

STAR 360 reports are also available for students in Grades 1–8. STAR 360 is one of the assessment tools we use to better understand student progress in reading and math over time. Because STAR is an adaptive assessment, each student’s questions are tailored to their current level of understanding. The reports are designed to show growth, benchmark information, and percentile rank, rather than simply a numerical score. For students who completed STAR assessments across the year, the report will show available fall, winter, and spring data points, offering a broader view of growth over time.

As always, STAR 360 data is one part of a much larger picture. We use this information alongside classroom assessments, teacher observations, student work, projects, and daily instruction to make thoughtful decisions about support, enrichment, flexible grouping, and continued learning goals.

As families settle into summer routines, please also take time to review the summer learning page that corresponds with your child’s division and incoming grade level. Lower School families should review the Lower School Summer Literacy & Math Learning page, which outlines summer reading, math, and writing expectations, including activities connected to next year’s Quaker theme of Community. Middle School families should visit the Middle School Summer Learning site and select the page for their child’s incoming grade level, where they will find reading, math, and, for some grades, science preparation and optional enrichment. These summer learning materials are intended to support meaningful practice while still making space for rest, play, exploration, and time with family and friends.

To access your child’s Trimester 3 report card, please sign into the school’s website or visit www.mygsfs.org. From there, select your child’s name and click on the Trimester 3 Report in the Performance section. This will provide you with a downloadable PDF file. If you encounter any difficulties, please reach out to Geoffrey Deans. Your child’s teacher is also available to address any questions or concerns you may have about the report’s content.

Before reading the report cards, we encourage you to review the description of report card content and rubrics linked here. This document includes important information about how to interpret the different sections of the report card and may be helpful as you reflect on your child’s progress. Lower School families and caregivers should also note that student reading levels may be referenced within the report narratives. The school measures “on,” “above,” and “below” grade level in alignment with Fountas and Pinnell’s national standards. These levels can help guide families in selecting appropriately matched, or “just right,” books for their children. More information can be found here.

To access your child’s STAR 360 report, visit www.mygsfs.org, navigate to your student’s progress section, and locate the STAR 360 report under “Reports.” If you have questions about your child’s STAR results or how they are used to inform instruction, please connect with your child’s teacher, Westy Higgins (Lower School), Kiri Harris (Middle School), or me directly.

Thank you for your continued partnership this year and for all the ways you help make Greene Street Friends School such a vibrant, caring, and connected learning community. I wish you and your family a summer filled with rest, joy, and meaningful time together, and we look forward to welcoming students back in September for another year of learning, growth, and community.

Warmly,

Darien Headen