Parker News

Thanks to a transformational gift from the Vassiliadis Family Foundation with support from the E.E. Ford Foundation, Parker is now able to formalize and expand the creation of the Paul Esch Office for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (The Office). This new office at the School provides the structure and resources needed to align teaching practices, foster professional growth, and ensure that every student benefits from a unified vision of learning.

As part of Parker's English 10 Summer Class, the students did a flower arrangement activity with a two-fold intent.

At Parker, the advisory period curriculum is built to foster an inclusive community, promote character education, and build healthy relationships through meaningful activities and engaging discussions. This school year, Parker expanded the presence of the CASEL framework in advisory programming to further support the student as a whole by transitioning to a stronger focus on Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). This change benefits students in their current developmental stages and prepares them with life skills for their future beyond Parker.

Students typically learn about birds in our science classrooms, but this fall, Grade 8 students were able to be inspired by avian behavioral patterns in a new way. During advisory, students participated in a unique Birds of Different Feathers work style assessment. This exercise allowed students to discover their “bird” personality type and learn how it influences their approach to work.

The Class of 2024 has chosen to attend 75 different colleges in 23 states, Washington, D.C., and Scotland.

Literacy is one of the most important skills a young student can learn and one of the most important skills to grow and strengthen as students progress through the Lower School and into Middle and Upper School. 

The Francis Parker School Class of 2023 is off to do great things! We’re sending our 131 graduates to over 70 different schools across the United States.

Grade 8 students had a blast at the Middle School Science Challenge. Students presented their science class projects during a fun-filled day of competition and presentations.

Beverly Yeh and Ari Gass, math teachers for Grades 6-12, are helping Parker students grow their creative problem-solving skills through productive exploration and questioning.

In March 2020, Parker social studies teachers sat down in their home-office chairs, met on Zoom, and deliberated over how to best teach the most essential curriculum to their students within the constraints brought on by the pandemic. They referred to their department’s scope and sequence guides, detailed documents created by Parker faculty that lay out specific learning targets and outcomes for each class.

Parker holds its mission statement as a bold challenge to all of us as we care for students, create programming, and steward resources to establish the best learning environment possible.

One of the most important projects your child will do in Middle School is their ungraded Middle School Portfolios.