News & Weekly Letters
Weekly Letter from Jean-Yves - MAP & STRIVE
I’m writing to you this week from San Francisco, where I’m attending a conference with heads and coordinators from French-American and French-Canadian schools. During the workshop sessions, I had the pleasure of presenting the way we do things at The École–an exercise that is always fascinating, allowing, as it does, for feedback on our practices from external perspectives.
Weekly Letter from Jean-Yves - Intercultural Issues
I say it often, but one of the most fascinating and challenging aspects of our work at The École is navigating intercultural issues. My international career helped prepare me somewhat–after seven years working in a French-British-German school in Taiwan, constantly having to bridge the gap when it came to understanding others and being understood, I thought that things would be simpler in a French-American school in New York.
Weekly Letter from Jean-Yves - From a Child's Perspective
A few years ago, one of our departing teachers–the legendary Vincent, who taught 1st Grade, for those who knew him–made a few touching comments during his exit interview that have stayed with me since (classic, selfless Vincent–turning a moment that should have been about him into a conversation about others!) Among other things, he told me that I was at my most discerning when I managed to see things from a child’s perspective.
New Building Update #2
As promised, this letter intends to keep you informed about our progress with our exciting relocation to 115 E 22nd Street. You can find our first letter here.
Where we are now
On Tuesday, October 22, we visited our architects’ offices downtown. The goal of this meeting was to pick the material and the color for the cabinetry, the laminates, the restrooms, and the floors, which is both an exciting and slightly overwhelming process!
Weekly Letter from Jean-Yves - Like Parents, Like Children
It’s my favorite season. The trees and streets of the West Village are covered in multicolored leaves, the stoops are lined with pumpkins, it’s chilly out, and the sky is blue as an orange, as Éluard would describe it. It’s the time of year for dressing up–for anyone who was wondering, last night I was channeling Bob Harris in Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation. Last year, I wrote about the importance of play at school, and I was delighted to see the playfulness of our parents on display at the Halloween for Grown-Ups event–starting with Philippe and Laurence, who were magnificent as Mary Poppins and Bert the chimney sweep.