The first day of school is fast approaching and we can’t wait to see the kids next week. We took full advantage of the summer break to do some large-scale reconstruction work and have created five new classroom spaces—four in the Elementary & Middle School Building and one in Maternelle. We needed new spaces to accommodate our growing student body—we are very proud to be welcoming 319 kids to school on Tuesday.

The entire team has been back at work since Monday preparing for back to school. I’ve been bowled over by the energy, enthusiasm, and professionalism everyone has demonstrated. Alongside the traditional meetings and classroom preparation, we also enjoyed an informal get-together yesterday evening—the pleasure everyone was taking in starting a new school year together was palpable.

This afternoon, I was delighted to meet plenty of new families who came to see their new classrooms. It was also nice to see some familiar faces in the crowd, particularly from 1st Grade. It warmed my heart to see the corridors full of kids after two very quiet months!

I will continue, as I have been doing for two years now, to write to the community every Friday to share our progress and our thinking, and to celebrate our achievements. Speaking of achievements, I would like to begin this week by congratulating one of our students—Alice—who passed the entrance exam for Hunter with flying colors. We are very sad to see her go but we are also extremely proud of her. I’m looking forward to seeing Alice—along with many of you—at the traditional Back-to-School Picnic on Saturday, September 10. Don’t hesitate to congratulate her when you see her!

But before then, I look forward to seeing you all on Tuesday for the first day of the new school year; I can already tell it is going to be a good one!