Community

The Cambridge Friends School community is a vibrant blend of students, families, faculty and staff, trustees, alumni, and friends of the school. We intentionally strive to build community in a welcoming, supportive environment where each individual feels respected and affirmed. And we welcome families to join in creating that community! There are many ways to connect: joining the Family Association, volunteering at events, attending a community Quaker Meeting for Worship, singing along at an assembly or an All School Sing, joining an affinity group, or teaching an after-school class, just to name a few. 

There are so many ways for families to get involved at Cambridge Friends School! All parents and guardians of Cambridge Friends School students are members of the Family Association, which supports the School’s philosophy, programs, and activities for the benefit of our students. From hosting classroom breakfasts, to presenting guest speakers at Family Association Meetings, to fostering community and affinity through several group gatherings, the Family Association works to bring our community together to learn, share, and connect. 

Volunteer opportunities include: 

• Being an Admission Ambassador, helping the Admission Office to engage prospective families by helping at the Open House, acting as a host family, and attending admission events.

• Volunteering for school events, including potlucks and picnics, school dances and fun days, bake sales, community drives, among many others.

• Becoming a class representative, which helps to foster community within your student’s class.

The Family Association also fosters community through affinity groups, which brings together families that share a common identity. These groups meet several times throughout the year to gather over a meal or fun kid-centered activity and share each other’s company. The family affinity groups are often formed from the desire of the current families, so create your own! In recent years, affinity groups have included: 

• Families of Color Group, including transracial, biracial, and blended families

• Rainbow Families Group

• Kids of Asian Descent Families Group

• Jewish Families Group

• Adoptive Families Group

• Neurodiverse Kids Families Group

Throughout the year, the school holds Quaker Meeting for Worship – or “silent meeting” – which families are invited to join. Whether you are a practicing Quaker, just curious to experience a meeting, or anything in between, you are welcome!

Throughout the year, there are All School Meetings for Worship, as well as online and in-person community Meetings for Worship organized by CFS. There are also local Quaker Meetings, including the Friends Meeting at Cambridge, who founded our school 1960 and who we are in the care of today. Keep an eye on the calendar and Weekly Newsletter for Meeting dates and times. 

What happens at a Quaker Meeting for Worship?

In Meeting for Worship, we sit in silence, waiting and listening for guidance from within. The experience of silence is different for each person. For some members of the community, sitting in silence might mean simply practicing being quiet. For others, Meeting is a time for deeper reflection, for contemplation, for reverence, for prayer. Any person may feel moved to speak during the Meeting. We listen to each other with open minds, quietly, not arguing mentally, not judging, and not rushing to formulate a response. Sitting together in silence, remaining open to the Spirit, helps us to overcome our differences and approach a sense of oneness. When the school gathers for All School Meeting for worship, classrooms share the responsibility for care of these Meetings, and the class often shares a thought or query, a poem, or an inspiring story at the start.

— From the Cambridge Friends School Faith and Practice

Throughout the year, the school offers a variety of events and seminars for families, from fun days like the Fall Festival to a talk, workshop, or film screening from a thought leader on a topic relevant to our community. Have an idea for an event or talk? Connect with the Head of School or the clerks of the Family Association and help enrich our community!