News & Weekly Letters

When I was growing up, my granddad would tell me tales about the winter of ’54, a winter so epic and so bitterly cold that a local lad who had the bright idea of licking the icicles on the Sablière bridge ended up with his tongue stuck to the railings. Warm water was apparently used to free him (my grandfather was a veritable source of anecdotes of dubious veracity). And then, in January 1986, a massive snowstorm hit my small village in the Ardèche, followed by an Arctic freeze that brought all activity to a standstill for two weeks.

There are many ways to gauge a school’s good health. Some are more subjective or harder to define than others. You can mention, for example, how happy our students are when they arrive in the morning or when we see them skipping along the corridors (they never walk; they only skip). You can feel the sense of community at events like last night’s apéro, when we toasted the start of 2026 over a glass of champagne. You can listen to the stories families share about their experiences at The École, from those who have been with us for years to those who joined only a few weeks ago. Each individual account is deeply personal, but pieced together, they sketch out a collective experience. Even though these indicators may seem intangible, I find them invaluable, and I was glad the inspectors felt the same way when they were here in December.

I hope your break went well and that you were able to enjoy some well-deserved rest with your loved ones., whether in the snow or the sun, whether you travelled far or stayed close to home in NYC. For my part, I spent a scrumptious 10 days with my family in Lyon. I wish you all the very best for 2026 and hope the new year brings you every possible happiness. I would also like to quickly say get well soon to two of our parents who are recovering from skiing accidents (they’ll know who they are, and both are doing well – no need to worry!).

Last night, with a nod to Proust, I went to bed early. It’s been an intense week, as you know, marked by the visit of Mr. Olivier Quénis and Mr. Ludovic Sauvage as part of The École’s French Ministry of Education accreditation review. Since the start of the year, Sophie and I have worked hard on the administrative side of things, which allowed the inspectors to have a clear idea of how the school operates (an operation that is a bit out-of-the-ordinary when viewed from France: a private, independent, bilingual school, with benefactors rather than a board of governors…that hosts parties for 350 people in a ping pong club!)*

After the myriad of fictional characters roaming the corridors this week for Spirit Week, next week will be marked by the arrival of two very real visitors! As I announced here, we’ll be welcoming the inspectors from the Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE) as part of The École’s accreditation renewal process. Over the course of two days, Mr. Quénis, the inspector for Primary, and Mr. Sauvage, the inspector for Middle School, will take a 360-degree look at our school to grasp its nuances and understand how it works as fully as possible. Every school has its own background and context; there is no such thing as a single universal model.