With the stay-at-home orders issued by Governor Wolf to stop the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus), MPFS moved to virtual instruction on March 17th, 2020 and MPFS @home was born!  Click here to view our COVID-19 Resources page.

The goal of our virtual learning, or distance learning, program initially was to "get us through" the first stay-at-home orders issued in Pennsylvania back in March. However, since then, our faculty and staff have crafted a unique, flexible virtual learning program aimed to accommodate our families’ needs and, more than just a band-aid for a difficult situation, MPFS @home has evolved into a true asset to the MPFS community providing classroom accessibility like never before.  

Additionally, our Admissions Office has been able to remain open, without interruption, since March of 2020 with the institution of our Virtual Admissions Center. Click here to learn more about Virtual Admissions at MPFS. 

Beyond the difficulties of this year, MPFS @home makes possible future outreach and accommodations for families and students that would previously have been impossible. This step forward, combining new technologies with the innovation of the MPFS faculty and staff, will help to further diversify and provide meaningful access to the learning experience one can only find at MPFS. And as we often say, at MPFS diversity is our superpower! 

As an independent school, the faculty and administrative staff at MPFS are allowed the flexibility to craft an outstanding virtual learning program and had the ability to do test-runs before the stay-at-home order was put into place. Additionally, each family has been equipped with Chromebooks for their students to ensure that all MPFS students, regardless of finances, are able to successfully participate. 

As a Quaker school, MPFS teaches the Quaker testimony of Stewardship, which empowers students of all ages to be stewards of our local community and the larger world. While the current situation is unsettling, the MPFS community is proud to be doing our part to help flatten the curve and contain COVID-19 (coronavirus) to protect our vulnerable friends, neighbors, and the general public.

MPFS is sensitive to the fact that working parents are struggling to juggle the demands of full-time work with the added responsibility of full-time parenting and education. To best accommodate families during this time, the MPFS @home schedule is broken up by division and creates blocks for time spent with classroom teachers, a break for lunch and physical activities, and time spent with special teachers. This schedule balances the importance of student community with video check-ins and time spent working independently. We work hard to provide a meaningful balance. We are aware attending live Zoom chats can sometimes be challenging as family life continues to happen around our students. We are mindful of this and enter this new time with much flexibility and understanding

Lower school students begin the day with a morning check-in on Google Hangouts or Zoom and then begin a review of their assignments and tasks for the day. The afternoon is blocked off for lunch, physical activities organized by our Athletics Director, independent work, or downtime. Finally, students join their virtual classroom again for an end-of-the-day check-in and goodbyes! Click the following links for the Preschool, Kindergarten-3rd, and 4th-5th MPFS @home Schedules. 

Middle school students begin the morning with Advisory in their virtual classroom which gives students a chance to say good morning, see each others' faces, share any news, and "be" together. Students then rotate through their various core subjects, as well as specials, as a class. The afternoon is blocked off for lunch, physical activity, independent work, and office hours with their teachers. Middle school students end the day with another period of Advisory. Click here to view the Middle School MPFS @home Schedule.

Our school counselor continues to collaborate with teachers, meet with whole classes, small groups, and individuals virtually. This work is vital to sustaining and nurturing the social and emotional well being of our students during these challenging times. 

For questions regarding MPFS @home, please contact Director of Admissions & Program Angela DiMaria. We have instituted a new application process to provide our prospective families with a virtual and interactive alternative to our Admissions process. Learn more about our Virtual Admissions Process here. We encourage interested families to RSVP to our Virtual Admissions Open House!