School Life

Intergenerational Program

For over 40 years, Newtown Friends School has shared a rich and diverse intergenerational program with Pennswood Village, an adjacent continuing care retirement community that is home to people ages 65–105. The program fosters relationships between students and residents, actively enriching the life of both communities.
By fostering these varied interactions with Pennswood Village’s vibrant residents, the intergenerational program lets students practice appreciation of and consideration for others while they make connections with these interesting and caring individuals. Children learn about historical figures, faraway places, and long-ago times from the perspective of those who experienced these things themselves. Residents serve as living examples of lifelong learning and service, contributing to the spiritual, emotional, behavioral, and intellectual growth of each child. 

 

Weekly Activities

Friday Friends - Sixth graders travel to Pennswood Village each Friday to participate in a variety of programs, including water volleyball, Wii, Drums Alive, technology tutoring, crafting, croquet, bocce ball, flower arranging, and discussions about current events and how times have changed. Activities are led alternately by students and residents.

Monthly Lunch Bunch - Students and Pennswood residents enjoy lunch and conversation with one another at Pennswood Village. 

Classroom Volunteers -
 More than 20 Pennswood volunteers regularly visit and work in NFS classrooms, where they partner with teachers and interact with students in a variety of ways.

Special Events

  • Halloween Parade
  • Panel discussions: politics, poverty and homelessness, changing gender roles
  • Interviews and resident apartment tours
  • Pre-K and Kindergarten Community Helpers Day and facility tours
  • Pre-K Musical Presentation of Dinosaur Songs
  • Back-to-school and volunteer appreciation luncheons
  • Pennswood Village resident speakers on the Holocaust and the Civil Rights Movement
  • Earth Day Presentation by students in collaboration with residents
  • Resident experts for student initiated research projects: Immigration, Depression, Environmental Sustainability, and Aging
  • Spanish Conversations with 7th and 8th grade students and Spanish speaking residents.
  • Pre-K Holiday Tree Trimming
Located In Newtown, Pennsylvania, Newtown Friends School is a Private School For Grades Pre-K-8th Grade.