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General Information
Cambridge Friends School, the only Quaker school in Massachusetts, is a renowned leader in teaching social justice and equality, with a commitment to project-based, experiential learning. Guided by the six Quaker Testimonies of Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, and Stewardship, Cambridge Friends School focuses on educating the whole child in an environment that best positions the child for their success. Cambridge Friends School is deeply committed to preparing each child for the road ahead in high school and beyond, and to inspiring a life-long love of learning.
Interim Head of School Search, September 2023
History and Mission of Cambridge Friends School
Founded in 1961 under the care of Friends Meeting at Cambridge, Religious Society of
Friends (Quakers), Cambridge Friends School is the only Friends school in Massachusetts, one of only five in New England. The School currently enrolls 130 students in grades PK–8.
The core of the School’s mission reads:
The mission of the Cambridge Friends School is to provide an outstanding
education. Guided by Quaker principles, we engage students in meaningful
academic learning within a caring community, strongly committed to social justice.
We expect all students to develop their intellectual, physical, creative and spiritual
potential, and through the example of their lives, to challenge oppression and to
contribute to justice and understanding in the world.
Cambridge Friends lives this mission by educating the whole child through Quaker
testimonies of Equality, Peace, Integrity, Community, Simplicity and Stewardship.
The Community of the School
Cambridge Friends is located on more than four acres in the western section of Cambridge, Massachusetts. The neighborhood is largely residential with a mix of single homes,
multi-family houses, and apartment blocks. CFS families represent a range of communities
of varying ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, race, and geography. An active Family
Association (FA) works with the school administration to support the school and its mission, as well as advocate for concerns of families and support the wellbeing of the CFS
community-at-large.
CFS students come from 30 cities and towns around greater Boston. There are students
with a wide variety of learning styles at the School and CFS works to ensure that it admits
students with whom it can best succeed. Depending on enrollment, there are one or two sections of students in each grade with about thirteen students as the average section size.
Graduates attend a range of public and independent schools.
CFS is part of AISNE (Association of Independent Schools of New England), NAIS (National
Association of Independent Schools), and FCE (Friends Council on Education) and uses
educational resources from each of these organizations to further its mission and develop
its faculty and staff.
Website: https://www.cambridgefriendsschool.org/
The Candidate
A successful leader of Cambridge Friends School needs to believe in, and model the
excitement of, teaching elementary school age children; understand Friends practice in the
context of a Quaker school. The candidate need not be a practicing Quaker, but as Head of CFS the person needs to have experience in and be able to support a culture of decision making and accountability in which members of the community – students, faculty, staff,
and families – feel engaged and responsible.
With that understanding, the School looks for the following qualities, abilities and
expectations in its Interim Head of School:
An engaged educator, the person will have:
● Empathy, humor and warmth;
● Positive energy and a strong work ethic;
● Experience as an independent school leader in a diverse school community,
with interim leadership experience preferred;
● Teaching experience at Grades Pre-K through Grade 8.
An experienced administrator in independent elementary schools, the person will be:
● A person of integrity who inspires confidence and draws all members of the
larger community into the process of caring for the school;
● Adept at inclusive, restorative community-building, and conflict resolution;
● A proactive communicator, who is both a fine listener and has the ability to
see differences of opinion or approach as a creative force to be harnessed
for the growth of all stakeholders;
● Experienced in managing a balanced budget, capital expenditures and a
focus on enrollment by setting priorities;
● Have a deep understanding of organizational and community factors that
influence diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging as well as experience
positively affecting those factors;
● Experienced in collaboratively managing, developing, and evaluating a team
of educators and administrators;
● See leadership as service to the school community.
Application Procedure
Qualified candidates are asked to send a resumé, cover letter, a one- to two-page
educational philosophy statement, and a list of at least three professional references
(name, phone number, email address, and connection to you) to the Interim Head Search
Committee at InterimHeadSearch@cambridgefriendsschool.org no later than Sept. 30, 2023 (however, review of applications will begin immediately).
For additional information about the school and Interim Head Search, visit the CFS website: https://cambridgefriendsschool.org/about-cfs/career-opportunities/
Cambridge Friends School does not discriminate in its policies based on race, religion, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, or age.
Director of Marketing, Communications, and Development
Job Summary
The Director of Marketing, Communications, and Development tells the story of Cambridge Friends School in a compelling way to prospective families, current families, alums, donors, and faculty/staff through a variety of media channels to support the mission of the school. Reporting to the Head of School, the Director of Marketing, Communications, and Development creates marketing campaigns to increase the enrollment of new families and increase retention and engagement of current families, and assists with development efforts. This role oversees all media and communications for the school, including the website, emails, social media, and magazine, and drives mission-aligned fundraising in conjunction with other school Directors.
Cambridge Friends School is a pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade Quaker School located in Cambridge, Massachusetts with a commitment to project-based, experiential learning. For over 60 years, it has been the school’s mission to engage students in meaningful academic learning within a caring community strongly committed to social justice. Guided by the six Quaker Testimonies of Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, and Stewardship, Cambridge Friends School focuses on educating the whole child in an environment that best positions the child for success and a life-long joy of learning.
The Director serves on the school’s Administrative Team, and is a key part of our small but dynamic community. The position is a full-time, 12-month position with a competitive salary and benefits.
About the Job
As part of your regular activities, you will…
- Collaborate with Admissions to create and implement marketing and engagement plans to increase enrollment and retention, including web, advertisements, print, email, and on-campus experiences
- Create and post regular social media updates, a weekly newsletter for current families, and other regular communications
- Collaborate with the Head of School and Development Committee to create and implement fundraising campaigns
- Serve as primary photographer/videographer of daily life at school and at special events
- Manage events, including promotion, registration, and production support when needed
- Manage the content and design of the external website, internal portal for current families, email system (push pages and Constant Contact), print magazine, flyers, and brochures, ads (digital, print, billboards/wraps)
- Support faculty in creating on-brand emails and regularly sharing classroom news that effectively illustrates our values, mission, and weekly activities with families
- Assemble, produce, and distribute annual school magazine, Connections, to support admissions and development
- Maintain relationships with advertising and communication vendors
- Serve as spokesperson for the school with regard to all media
- Serve as brand steward for the school
About You
We’re looking for someone who…
- Enjoys collaborating with others as a teammate and serving as a knowledge-leader for communications in the community
- Is enthusiastic, flexible, and has strong organizational skills with an knack for managing time across a variety of tasks
- Loves paying attention to the details in design and writing
- Brings strong writing and editing skills in a variety of contexts (web, email, social media, advertisements, etc)
- Is creative and has an experience-oriented approach to the work
- Enjoys being part of the vibrant community life of the school
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree
- 3 or more years experience in a small marketing and communications office with concurrent projects; Independent school or other non-profit experience is a plus
- Superior oral, written, and visual communication skills
- Ability to prioritize and organize projects and work independently
- Aptitude for technology and for learning new systems, software, and platforms
- Ability to collaborate and guide parent and board volunteers
- Self-motivated, collaborative, and willing to work beyond traditional office hours including evenings and weekends when necessary
It is Cambridge Friends School’s policy to provide equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, religion, pregnancy, identity, national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, military service, application for military service, or any other status protected by applicable law.
Qualified candidates should send a letter describing how your skills align with the role described above along with a resume and references to Katie Marion, Head of School at k.marion@cambridgefriendsschool.org.
Middle School Sixth and Seventh Grade Humanities and Math Position - Parental Leave October 2023 - June 2024
Cambridge Friends School is dedicated to providing an outstanding education guided by Quaker principles. We engage students in meaningful academic learning within a caring community strongly committed to social justice. CFS seeks a dynamic Middle School Sixth- and Seventh-Grade Humanities and Math teacher to fulfill an extended parental leave position. The successful candidate will have a deep understanding of project-based and inquiry-based learning. We desire a candidate who has the versatility and talent to carry out all of the responsibilities necessary to teach in our small, inclusive school, including but not limited to the following: documenting curriculum, developing lesson plans, differentiated instruction, managing the classroom and behavior, integrating social justice and issues of equity into the curriculum, communicating with families, and participating richly and fully in the life of the School. Our ideal Middle School teacher is passionate, collaborative, reflective, and able to inspire a diverse range of learners in a positive manner. Candidates should have a bachelor’s in education or a related field (master’s preferred) and experience teaching Middle School-aged students.
This is a full-time position that includes additional supervision responsibilities of middle school students during your time on campus.
Job Requirements:
- Experience working with and knowledgeable about the developmental needs of middle school children
- Knowledge of and familiarity with Reading and Writing Workshop models
- Knowledge of and familiarity with Illustrative Math math curriculum
- Demonstrated knowledge of “best practices” in teaching and learning
- Working knowledge of project-based learning
- Ability and desire to challenge and support students at all levels
- Proficiency with the purposeful use of digital technologies
- Committed to collaborating and working as part of the middle school team
- Demonstrable strong classroom management
- Familiarity with Responsive Classroom and Restorative Justice practices
- Able to communicate effectively with parents, both in person and in writing
- Committed to the creation and sustainability of an inclusive, antiracist, antihomophobic, equitable learning environment for all students
- A willingness to understand and incorporate relevant Quaker practices and pedagogy
Qualified candidates should send a cover letter, resume, and references to: Cambridge Friends School, Katie Marion, 5 Cadbury Rd, Cambridge, MA 02140, or email to k.marion@cambridgefriendsschool.org with Middle School Humanities and Math Parental Leave Teacher in the subject line.
Substitute Teachers (Faculty/Other)
The School: Cambridge Friends School is a Pre-K through grade eight day school guided by its Quaker mission. Throughout the year, the School engages children in meaningful learning experiences within a caring community. Its strength derives from the passion of its educators, students, parents, and friends and from its Quaker principles of Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, and Stewardship.
The Position: Cambridge Friends has current openings for energetic, caring, and flexible substitute teachers to support its school day and extended day programs for the remainder of the academic year. We seek substitutes with the skills and temperament to maintain a positive classroom environment and to implement lesson plans for elementary and/or middle school students. Ideal candidates will be experienced and enjoy working with elementary and/or middle school students.
Schedule: The typical academic day for substitutes at Cambridge Friends begins at 7:45 am and runs until 3:15 pm. They typical extended day begins at 3:00 pm and runs until 5:45 pm. Given the “as needed” basis of this position, we ask teachers to be flexible and yet committed to coming when coverage is requested. Sometimes substitute coverage may be for a half-day increments (7:45 am – 12:15 pm or 12:00 pm – 3:15 pm). At times, substitutes will be called late at night and early in the morning.
Salary: $22 per hour
Cambridge Friends seeks candidates who will add to our diverse community and does not discriminate based on race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status.
Interested candidates should send a resume and letter of interest to Katie Marion at k.marion@cambridgefriendsschool.org with the words “Substitute Teacher” in the subject line.
Hiring Information
Cambridge Friends School is committed to equal pay. Therefore, all faculty are awarded a salary based on the Cambridge Friends School salary scale, based on their years of experience.
In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) must be performed on all applicants and employees. As of July 1, 2013, fingerprinting is required for all new employees.
It is Cambridge Friends School’s policy to provide equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, religion, pregnancy, identity, national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, military service, application for military service, or any other status protected by applicable law. It is the intent and resolve of Cambridge Friends School to comply with the letter and the spirit of the law in the implementation of all facets of equal opportunity.
This equal opportunity policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment including, but not limited to, hiring, placement, training, promotion, compensation, discipline, termination, and retirement. Subject to the provisions of applicable law, Cambridge Friends School will provide reasonable accommodation to the known physical or mental disabilities of a qualified individual with a disability who is able to perform the essential functions of a job with such reasonable accommodation, unless to do so would cause an undue hardship on the operation of the School.