Sandy Spring Friends School

 

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SSFS Weekly and Bi-Weekly Newsletters

Gnu Stories, the SSFS all-school newsletter, is sent bi-weekly on Mondays during the school year, and features stories that provide families with a snapshot of school life at SSFS and connects them to the wider community. 

Learn More: Weekly Division Newsletters

Wildebeest Statue

Hands-On & Immersive Learning

Gnu Stories: Highlights from the SSFS Community

SSFS - MoCoShow News Article 2026

MoCoShow featured Sandy Spring Friends School in a news article posted March 12, 2026, highlighting recent School and student accomplishments, renewed community support, and a focus on long-term stability with new school leadership. The article also featured the beautiful aerial photo taken by SSFS alum Zac Miller '04. The many successes of the school year featured in this article come directly from the support of our community: Thank you! 

See More about SSFS In The News
2026 Upper School Intersession Week

From our own backyard here in Maryland to California, Puerto Rico, and beyond, Upper School students participated in various experiential learning opportunities during Intersession week. Students immersed themselves in new cultures, engaged in meaningful service, and grew together in community. Hear from students and staff by visiting the 2026 Upper School Intersession Week Blog.

See More about Upper School Intersession Week 2026
US Speech Team Awards 2026

Congratulations to the members of the SSFS Speech Team for a fantastic 2025-2026 season! About half of the 12-person Upper School Speech Team, coached by US history teacher Barbara von Salis, were new to the club this year. Even when when competing against one another in the same categories, our students supported and mentored one another, helping each team member be the best they could be. Ten of our students qualified for Regionals (Metrofinals), and two are headed to Nationals!

See More about Upper School Speech Team Season Wrap-Up
Franny's Farm Blog Mar 2026

After a long, cold, cloudy winter, Community Farmer Francis Zell '00 ("Farmer Franny") is pleased to see garlic and onion shoots start to emerge... and even more pleased to see the resurgence of the "wildfire" lettuce mix that was planted last fall. As Francis shares, "seeing that lettuce proudly pop right back up this spring has been a timely reminder of a bunch of things for me. Great things sometimes take a little bit of time. Positive things can emerge from negative events. The path forward isn’t always linear. Snow actually can insulate plants, and our community is pretty amazing!"

See More about Franny's March 2026 Farm Blog: Wildfire Lettuce
Spring Crafts Fair at SSFS

The Sandy Spring Friends School Craft Fair was a huge success! We welcomed nearly 400 community members who came out to shop, support our talented vendors, visit the Summer at Sandy Spring camp open house, and enjoy a wonderful day together. A big thank you to everyone who attended and helped make the event so special. Be sure to keep an eye out for another Craft Fair in the future!

See More about Spring Crafts Fair: A Success! 
Message from the OIEJB: March 2026

Spring is a busy and exciting time for SSFS. In addition to Immersion Week, Intersession, and Spring Break, community members from many faiths and a variety of identities celebrate major holidays, religious observances, and more. Find out more about Women's History Month, Iftar & Eid al-Fitr, Passover, and Holi, among the many celebrations and observances of our community members this spring.

See More about Message from the OIEJB: March 2026
Quiz Bowl Team Champs 2026

For the first time in program history, Sandy Spring Friends School’s Quiz Bowl Team has been crowned champions of the Montgomery Academic Beltway League (MABL), finishing a remarkable Championship Round with a perfect 4–0 record against the region’s top academic teams. The championship match pitted SSFS against defending champions and top-seeded Montgomery Blair High School in a dramatic contest worthy of the occasion. Read details of the match below, and don't forget to watch the opening round of WETA's It's Academic on Sat., March 7 at 10 AM or 7 PM (also streaming on WETA’s YouTube channel after March 7). 

See More about Upper School Quiz Bowl Team: MABL Champions!
QQQ Web page

When we ask students, staff, alums, and families to share what makes SSFS unique, they overflow with enthusiastic reflection. In fact, the phrase, “delightfully quirky” comes up regularly! What does “quirky” mean, anyway? One definition is “unusual, especially in an interesting or appealing way.” Sounds like SSFS! We invite you to visit our "Quotes, Quirks, and Quakerisms" web page and see how our identity as a Friends school meaningfully shapes every aspect of school life, giving us shared purpose, a deep sense of belonging, and joy!

See More about "Quotes, Quirks, and Quakerisms" Web Page

Upcoming Dates: SSFS All-School Events

April 23-24

Way Opens Day

Celebrating a Year of Revewal at SSFS
RSVP online!

April 28

Planning with Purpose Webinar

12-1 PM
Webinar

May 2

Friends Celebration

7:00 PM
Ten Oaks Ballroom

GnuStories: Previous Articles

Division-Specific Newsletters: The Week Ahead

Division-specific newsletters are emailed to SSFS families each Sunday afternoon during the school year and posted on the division-specific pages of the Parent Portal. These newsletters provide messages from division heads and "must-know" calendar information about upcoming events for the week. 

Parents and guardians must log in to the Parent Portal to access the division-specific pages where the newsletters are posted.

Please Note: Only SSFS parents have access to the links above. SSFS employees may access the division-specific newsletters via the Faculty/Staff Portal.