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

Congratulations, Graduates!

Gnu Stories: Highlights from the SSFS Community

Preschool Butterfly with Text

New flexible scheduling options, extended care, and summer programming offer families more choices for early childhood education
Sandy Spring Friends School (SSFS) is launching an expanded Preschool at Sandy Spring program with new year-round offerings for 3- and 4-year-olds beginning in Fall 2026. Families will now have access to a variety of scheduling options, including full-day, half-day, extended care, partial-week, 10-month, and year-round enrollment. The expanded preschool program is designed to meet the needs of today's families while providing young children with a nurturing, play-based learning environment rooted in outdoor exploration, discovery, and community. A nutritious hot lunch and healthy snacks are included as part of the program.

See More about Sandy Spring Friends School Launches Expanded Year-Round Preschool Program
Graduation - Class of 2026

Congratulations to our newest alums, the Class of 2026! SSFS held our 64th commencement outdoors on June 6th. The program included inspiring speeches from students, teachers, administrators, and trustees; beautiful musical performances; and of course, the presentation of diplomas. We are so proud of our graduates and wish them all the best in their new adventures! 

See More about Class of 2026 Graduation
Newsies - US and MS Musical 2026

Congratulations to the cast and crew of our Spring 2026 Middle & Upper School musical production: Newsies! With live music performed by our very own arts teacher, director, and musician extraordinaire Dana Scott as well as student violinist Amisa H. '27, the multi-aged cast showcased their amazing singing, dancing, and acting talents as they shared the story of Jack Kelly and the Newsies kids taking on NYC publishers in a fight for better working conditions in 1899. 

See More about Middle & Upper School Musical Production: Newsies
A Message from the OIEJB

May and June offered opportunities for our community to celebrate cultural heritage, honor religious observances, and reflect on the many identities and experiences that enrich life at Sandy Spring Friends School. Through learning, storytelling, and community engagement, students and adults continued exploring what it means to foster a culture of belonging rooted in curiosity, respect, and connection.

See More about Message from OIEJB: May-June 2026
2026 Alumni Family Fest

More than 150 alumni, former students, alumni families, and friends returned to campus for Alumni Family Fest 2026, a joyful weekend of reconnection, reflection, and celebration. Highlights included the Alumni & Former Student Brunch with current and former faculty and staff, Meeting for Worship, and the Golden Springers Brunch honoring milestone reunion classes. Families enjoyed the beloved Strawberry Cowbake, complete with inflatables, lawn games, art activities, and live music from Chris Shank '04 and his band Married With Children. Beyond campus, the Class of 2006 celebrated its 20th Reunion with a vibrant gathering at Lone Oak Farm Brewing Company, while alumni from the early 1980s came together at Elder Pine Brewing & Blending Co. for an informal reunion of friendship and shared memories. The weekend reflected the enduring spirit of the SSFS community and the connections that continue to nurture us across generations. Looking for another opportunity to connect? Check out the line up of exciting alumni events for the 2026-2027 school year. We hope to see you on campus soon! 

See More about Alumni Family Fest 2026
We Did It - Fund Our Scholars Match 2026

The Sandy Spring Friends School community came together in extraordinary fashion through Fund Our Scholars and the 2026 Friends Celebration. After surpassing the original $500,000 matching challenge, the supporting foundation increased its match to $610,000 in response to the community’s generosity. In total, Fund Our Scholars raised approximately $1.33 million in support of SSFS, including $628,840 toward General Endowment and $710,000 toward operational support. Combined with sponsorships, ticket sales, auction activity, games, raffles, and donations, the Friends Celebration generated a record-breaking net profit of $1,442,060 in support of the School’s future. This milestone was only possible because of the hundreds of alumni, parents, grandparents, faculty, staff, students, and friends who stepped forward with gifts of every size. Thank you!

See More about Matching Gift Update: WE DID IT!
Alumni Spotlight - Winston Fisher '92

For Winston Fisher ’92, Sandy Spring Friends School was far more than a place to learn. It was a place where he felt accepted, challenged, and genuinely safe to be himself. “It was the community,” Fisher reflects. “It was a group of people who were just accepting and a place where I could feel comfortable. That really made a difference. It embraced me.” Today, Fisher’s life and career span business, philanthropy, and civic leadership. Read more about Winston, and his advice to current Springers!

See More about Spotlight on Winston Fisher '92
DCEVGP 2026

The SSFS Upper School Engineering Club competed in this year's Washington DC Electric Vehicle Grand Prix (DCEVGP), along with 29 other public and private high schools in Washington DC, Maryland, Ohio and Virginia. Participation in the DCEVGP serves as an excellent opportunity for students to apply engineering, science, and math principles and strategy to construct and race battery powered electric cars, and improve understanding of renewable energy technologies. This year, the SSFS Engineering Club joined with two racing cars! Drivers swap out periodically during the race - see the driver swap below!

See More about Washington DC Electric Vehicle Grand Prix 2026
MAEOE - Green Schools

Sandy Spring Friends School has been named a Maryland Green School! There are 642 active Maryland Green Schools, 36% of all Maryland schools. In a letter to SSFS, the Maryland Associate for Environmental & Outdoor Education writes, “This designation is more than an award. It’s a powerful reflection of your entire school community’s commitment to environmental leadership and literacy." Grounded in our Quaker values, we continue this work together.

See More about SSFS Designated a Maryland Green School
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
DECA 2026

DECA is an international organization encouraging development of business and entrepreneurship skills through educational opportunities and competitions. For the second year in a row we had a student place in the top 3 in their category at the State convention and thereby earn a spot at the International Career Development Conference. 

See More about Upper School Students Participate in DECA's International Career Development Conference 
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

June 24

Preschool Open House

5:00-6:30 PM

June 29

Summer at Sandy Spring Camp Begins

July 16

SSFS Summer Social

For New & Returning Families | 5-7 PM

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.