As I sat down at my computer this morning, I realized that this is my last real letter of the year—I’ll wish you a happy summer break on Wednesday, the last day of school, but that will be a brief message. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your positive feedback about these letters. I truly enjoy writing them, then reading Andria’s translation, and I’m glad to hear that, for at least some of you, they’ve become an important weekly rendezvous.
With the summer break almost upon us, this week has been all about celebration—ceremonies have followed one after the other, each one emotion-packed. Earlier in the week, our kindergarteners were in the spotlight—proud, but also a little overwhelmed in front of their families who came to support them for this important moment. It’s impossible not to be moved by children scanning the audience looking for their parents, their joy shining through when they spot them. Yesterday was the turn of the 5th graders, freshly back from Canada. For them, we combined their end-of-year show and graduation, which made for a somewhat wild but joyful evening that ended with a well-deserved reception. And tonight, we celebrated our 8th graders as they wrapped up their time at The École—some after more than ten years by our sides. There’s no doubt that for them, and for us, it will be an unforgettable moment to conclude yet another unbelievable school year.
As you read in yesterday’s letter, we now have the master key to our new school building. I never would have imagined things would have moved so fast in just a few months—anyone who has had any construction work done in New York knows that delays are almost a given. And yet, here we are, bang on time and ready for the 2025–2026 school year. We’ll be welcoming 69 new students, with full classes in Pre-Nursery, Nursery, and Kindergarten, as well as in 1st and 2nd Grade. This year, we found ourselves in the (perhaps enviable but quite uncomfortable) position of having to tell many families that we didn’t have space to enroll their children. In total, 365 students are currently enrolled at The École for September 2025, about ten more than last year—steady growth in line with our promise to offer larger classrooms in our new building while keeping class sizes capped at 20. There are several applications still in progress—and summer always brings its share of surprises—so we may end up with slightly higher numbers come the first day of school. In any case, I’m happy to see that The École continues to attract more and more families. It has now firmly established itself among the most highly respected schools to tour when families are looking for a good school for their children, and we’re already receiving applications for the 2026–2027 school year!
All that’s left for me to say now is how proud I am to lead such a unique school, and how committed I remain to continually improving it. Our new building will be an extraordinary new addition as is Sophie—who has just completed her first year with us. She now has an incredibly nuanced understanding of our identity, goals, and opportunities. Thanks to her, we’ve reached a new milestone. Over the next two to three years, we expect to welcome nearly one hundred students in Middle School alone, and we’ll be hiring new colleagues who will, in turn, bring new expertise and ideas. These are incredibly exciting prospects—and I can’t wait to get started (though right now, I really do need a vacation!).