Our Community

One of the most important things children can get from school is a true sense of connection.

Our Early Childhood students are held close—by their teachers, by their classmates, and by other Waynflete students—as they explore, discover, and play.

Waynflete’s small class sizes, two-year advisor program, and Reggio Emilia curriculum are all designed to give our youngest learners lots of time with adults and friends they trust. That feeling of being seen and being safe is the foundation of all the learning, stretching, and growing that follows.

The Buddy Program

When you are in preschool, even a second grader seems really big. To build community and create bonds across the Lower School, Waynflete pairs each Early Childhood student with their own “Buddy” in a higher grade. Buddies meet regularly to read books, make crafts, play games, and answer questions about what being a Big Kid is really like.

Friends of Founders

Waynflete Upper School students are frequent classroom visitors, sharing their own learning and expertise in connection with Early Childhood studies. Stories of world travels, cello solos, printmaking demonstrations, and showing off soccer skills are some of the ways older students captivate and connect with our youngest learners.

Pachanga

A beloved Waynflete Lower School tradition, weekly Pachanga gathers the entire Lower School community together for group singing and sharing. Early Childhood students regularly perform their own musical compositions at Pachanga, teaching everyone how to sing along—and twice each year, families are invited to come and share the fun.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION

Diversity is a condition of excellence.

A Waynflete education works as well as it does because our small and challenging classes contain so many different perspectives and life experiences. And as one of the most diverse schools in southern Maine, our entire community is committed to the urgent, essential, and ongoing work toward equity and inclusion.Learn how diversity can drive caring participation in the world.

Because it is a small, warm, loving community, my children are so well understood by their teachers. As a result, they are learning at remarkable rates. Most important to me, however, is that they are all HAPPY! They feel loved and cared for by both the adults and their peers.

– Parent Review on Niche

EXPLORE

What is Waynflete like for families?

Choosing an independent school means joining a new community not only for students, but for their families. Everyone you meet on the bus line, in the bleachers, during play dates, and around the bonfire at Beats and Bites comes from many different communities and diverse life experiences.You will have many chances to get to know them—and love them.

THE WAYNFLETE WIRE

Kindness is Part of Our Curriculum

Starting school means starting to form new friendships. Learning how to be a good friend is a lifelong skill. See how the Early Childhood program helps children learn the language of human interaction

CONTACT

“Our EC classroom hums with the work of children—excited and productive play. It is an environment that nurtures experimentation, curiosity, and risk taking. We listen to children’s questions and ideas and design connected and purposeful learning opportunities that encourage deeper inquiry. Come see where they have taken us today!”

Anne Scribner Hopkins
Waynflete Lower School Director