Welcome, Families of Friends Academy!
Welcome to the Friends Academy Parent/Caregiver Page, the place to find everything – from school forms to permission slips, handbooks, and what's for lunch.
Below, please find information that pertains to multiple divisions in our community.
All-School Welcome Letters- Head of School Paul J. Stellato
- Director of Student Life Camille S. Edwards
- Director of Diversity, Equity + Inclusion Nailah Moonsammy
- Director of Arts Andrew Geha
- Interim Director of Athletics and Physical Education Matt Johnsen
- Director of Auxiliary Programs Carline Folkes (Enrichment, Extended Day, and Bus Transportation information)
- New Students/Families Welcome Celebration – Wed. Aug. 28 from 4 to 7 pm; an event for all new families from Play Group to 12th Grade; returning 5th grade students; returning 9th grade students; and all-division FA Host Families
- 2024-25 Vacation Calendar
- Dress Code guidelines – 20% site-wide discount for FA Families, July 16-August 2, 2024. Visit our FA/Lands' End Store; also, sign up for Flash Sale emails
- Click here to request financial assistance
Athletics
- Visit VantageSportz to register for Grades 7-12 Athletics
- Entering Grades 8-12 Summer 2024 Conditioning Programs
Parent Programs and Parent Council
- Welcome and Invite from our 2024-25 Parent Council President, Allie Pritti
- Sign up for a 2024-25 Parent Council Committee
- Family-to-Family Program
- NWEA Standardized Testing (Gr. 3-8)
- Learning Support/Academic Support – To come later this summer
Tuition Refund Plan
Tuition Monthly Payment Plan Form
Security Procedures & Protocols
Mark Schoeffel, Upper School Principal
Below, please find information that pertains to our Upper School families:
Welcome Letter to our new Upper School Families – Upper School Principal Mark Schoeffel
New Students/Families Welcome Celebration – Wed. Aug. 28 from 4 to 7 pm
- New 9th/10th/11th grade parents and students
- 5:30 to 7 pm – Upper School Host Families (parents and students)
Whom to Contact in the Upper School
Academics
- Summer Assignments
- 2024-25 Academic Pathways
- 2024-25 Course of Study
- Digital version of Schedule card
Placement Test Info and Dates:
- Language Exam:
New Students: August 27th at 2PM - Math Exam:
New Students: Math Exam August 26th at 2PM (for Summer Admits & others)
Athletics
- Summer 2024 Athletic Conditioning and Fitness Schedule & Information
- Fall 2024 Upper School Athletics Information (Forms may be found online at VantageSportz and are live 30 days before each season begins.
- Registration for Fall 2024 Sports begins Friday, July 26. Upload your child's physical to VantageSportz as soon as it is complete. NOTE: Students must have a current physical to participate in a sport.)
2024-25 School hours: 8:00 am - 3:15 pm (Mondays, 3:10 pm)
Senior Driving
Christine Saunders, Middle School Principal
Below, please find information that pertains to our Middle School families:
- Back to School 2024-25 Information for Families – Middle School Principal Christine Saunders
- Welcome New Families – Middle School Principal Christine Saunders
- Whom to Contact in the Middle School
- Summer 2024 Assignments
- 2024-25 Course of Study
- New Students/Families Welcome Celebration – Wed. Aug. 28 from 4 to 7 pm
- All Grade 5 students and parents; New 6/7/8 students and parents
- 5:30 to 7 pm – Grade 6/7/8 FA Host Families (parents and students)
- Athletics
- Fall 2024 Grade 7 and 8 Athletics Information (Forms may be found online at VantageSportz and are live 30 days before each season begins.
- Registration for Fall 2024 Grade 7/8 Sports begins Tuesday, Sept. 3. Upload your child's physical to VantageSportz as soon as it is complete. NOTE: Students must have a current physical to participate in a sport.)
- Grades 5 and 6 2024-25 Interscholastic Sports (to come)
- Summer Conditioning programs for students entering Grade 8
- School Hours:
- Students may arrive at 7:30 am
- Advisory begins at 8:00 am (mandatory)
- Dismissal at 3:15 pm
Alfred (Rik) F. Dugan III, Interim Lower School Principal
Below, please find information that pertains to our Lower School families:
- Back to School 2024-25 Information for Families – Interim Lower School Principal Rik Dugan, coming soon.
- Lower School Questions?
- Please contact Lower School Administrative Assistant Jess Robbins at 516-393-4230 or jess_robbins@fa.org
- Summer 2024 Assignments
- Suggested Math Activities
- Suggested Summer Reading lists
- Summer Reading Assignments
- 2024-25 Course of Study
- New Students/Families Welcome Celebration – Wed. Aug. 28 from 4 to 7 pm
- All new students and parents in Play Group through Grade 4
- 5:30 to 7 pm – FA Lower School Host Families (parents and students)
- School Hours:
- Early Childhood – 8 am to 2:45 pm
- K/1/2 – 8 am to 3:10 pm
- 3/4 – 8 am to 3:20 pm
- 2024-25 Dining:
- Early Childhood students bring non-heated lunch and eat in their classrooms
- K-4 students eat in our main dining hall Commons and have a choice of hot and cold lunch options, as well as a weekly dessert
- Lower School Dismissal Form – Will be available in August 2024
- Our After 3 & Weekend programs
Parent Tools
Breakfast and afternoon snack items are available for purchase in the Dining Commons during the school year.
General info on school practices and guidelines as well as specific info for each school division.
Our values of Simplicity and Equity guide us in creating a dress code that strengthens our school community.
Friends Academy Parent FAQs
"How Do I?" FAQ
"How Do I?..."
- Create Calendar & News alerts and add FA events to my calendar
- Pay my bill? Log onto My BackPack, then "My Account."
- Upload my child's health forms, physical, and immunizations? Log onto Magnus Health (Note: Log-in information for new families will be emailed week of July 11th.)
What is Magnus Health?
Friends Academy uses Magnus Health, which is the electronic storage system for our students' medical records and is accessed via the FA Parent Portal. Visit this site to complete your child's Vital Health Records, and upload your child's physical examination and immunizations. NOTE FOR NEW FAMILIES: Log-in information will be emailed the week of July 11th.
What are the Security Procedures & Protocols?
Early Dismissal protocol for parents
Bus Companies and Emergency phone numbers
In the event of inclement weather, the following protocols will go into effect:
- Parents will receive a direct phone call with a recorded message from the Head of School via the school's phone alert system.
- FA's status will be posted as a pop-up window on the FA website.
- FA's status will be available on Cablevision and FIOS - watch the closings and delays crawl on the television or go to the websites for News12 Long Island or FIOS1.
FA's first line of communication is the phone alert system. If you do not receive a call and are concerned about the safety of the driving conditions, please check the FA website, News12 Long Island, or FIOS1.
Online Safety & Privacy
Below, please find helpful resources for protecting privacy and staying safe online.
Quick Links
Including today's games and info about directions to games.
The Friends Academy experience is built upon a deeply engrained foundation of community, one of our Quaker Testimonies.
We are a community that looks for the best in all of its members and that celebrates the wide variety of gifts and talents they have to share. We are a community that encourages students to aim high, to try new things, to push beyond the known and safe to new levels of achievement, all within a strong network of support that helps students get up to try again when they fall. Students are free to fully explore their potential as individuals because they learn in an atmosphere of trust and respect. They form bonds of friendship that will last a lifetime.
There is also an interconnected community among the parents and caregivers at Friends Academy. OUr Parent Council aims to strengthen our community ties by maintaining a close working relationship among parents/caregivers, faculty, administration, and trustees. All parents of current students are automatically members. The Parent Council welcomes families to volunteer and participate in its various activities and welcomes each opinion and point of view.
Volunteer for a 2023-24 Parent Council Committee!
Our parents and caregivers are a vital part of our Quaker school community. Explore how our families learn more about Quakerism and their children's experience in a Quaker school in this video.
2024-2025 Parent Council Executive Board
President - Allie Pritti
Executive Vice President - Cathy Dorego
Executive Secretary - Phaedra Kazanas
Treasurer - Kerri Grasso
Assistant Treasurer - Meera Mehta
Lower School VP - Jonathan Ortiz
Lower School Asst. VP - Emily Silverstein
Lower School Secretary - Franki Doshi
Middle School VP - Jennifer Ross
Middle School Asst. VP - Liting Chen
Middle School Secretary - Sue Mandel
Upper School VP - Adina Eigen
Upper School Asst. VP - Alton Brown
Upper School Secretary - Carol Marcell
2024-2025 DEIJ Parent Committee
Coming soon!
2024-2025 Class Representatives
Lower School
- Play Group – Christina Snipas and Maria Karageorgiou
- Pre-Kindergarten – Stephanie Yohe and Jen Tytel (Wolf)
- Kindergarten – Jennifer Squire and Melissa Alber
- 1st Grade – Olivia Pisano and Kristin Schneider
- 2nd Grade – Liz Witthuhn and Gabriella Gargagliano
- 3rd Grade – Amy Younai and Kara Kelly
- 4th Grade – Kylie Southall and Kara Kelly
Middle School
- 5th Grade – Sharon Bergstein and Ebony Barrett
- 6th Grade – Carolyn Mott and Christine Pelletier
- 7th Grade – Christine Cohen and Nancy Destefano
- 8th Grade – Brooke Russakoff and Claudia Roth
Upper School
- 9th Grade – Jennifer Woods and Danielle Smith
- 10th Grade – Kui Huang and Hayley Rejwan
- 11th Grade – Dana Brett and Amanda Berritto
- 12th Grade – Eileen Ennis and Claudia Paris
2023-24 Parent Council Calendar
A Family's Guide to a Quaker Education
What is Quakerism really about, and what makes it so unique?
In this guide, we'll explore:
- What's important to understand about Quaker values and beliefs
- How Quakers have always been progressive and forward-thinking leaders
- The benefits of an inquiry-based Quaker education
![Quakerism guide thumbnail Quakerism guide thumbnail](https://www.friendsacademy.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Quakerism%20eBook/Quakerism%20guide%20thumbnail.png?width=1064&height=703&name=Quakerism%20guide%20thumbnail.png)