What a pleasure it was to see so many of you at school today after such a long summer!
Compared with last year, when we were discovering our new building, this start to the school year feels a little more familiar. That certainly doesn’t mean that nothing has changed over the summer—quite the opposite! This year, our attention naturally turned to the Maternelle Building, where families will discover newly refinished floors, a new library space, a renovated rooftop playground and, above all, new classroom furniture—the result of a year-long reflection on our teaching practices led by Ben and Sophie. A huge thank you to all the teams, with Ben and Jan leading the charge, who made sure everything would be ready to welcome the children on Tuesday.
The summer also brought the excellent news that The École’s accreditation by the French Ministry of Education has been renewed for the next five years—a strong vote of confidence in our school. I would like to thank Sophie for her support and expertise in preparing the application, which kept us very busy during the first trimester of last year. The accreditation is an invaluable asset: among other things, it allows us to recruit the very best French teachers, access high-quality professional development opportunities for our staff, and take part in a vast array of student competitions and contests throughout the year.
We are also welcoming many new colleagues, as you can see here. This is another sign of the school’s continued growth and momentum, particularly with the expansion of our Middle School and the development of our After-School program under the leadership of Christophe and Ferebory. On a personal note, I am delighted to welcome Emily O’Hanlon, who joins us from Los Angeles to lead our Middle School—a project I have worked tremendously hard on over the past several years and one that has, over time, become a real strength of our school. It offers our Middle School students a rich, ambitious, and fulfilling educational experience that is recognized by the very best high schools in the city. Our first few weeks of working together have been extremely positive, and the prospect of working alongside Ben, Sophie and Emily this year sends my heart soaring.
Another important change this year is the creation of the CARE team (Connect – Advocate – Respond – Empower), which I will personally oversee. Its purpose is to ensure that every child has the resources they need to thrive at school through the coordinated work of its two departments: STRIVE, which is expanding and will be led by Jean-Marc, and the Wellbeing and Learning Support Department, led by Stéphanie and restructured following Katie and Dara’s departures. As part of this new structure, we are welcoming Marie Douma, a psychologist who will work directly alongside Stéphanie; Amélie Cook, who brings unique expertise in parenting and will, among other things, lead workshops for families throughout the year; and Erika, who will remain a member of the STRIVE team while also serving as our liaison with the DOE and the various outside specialists who support our students, including speech therapists, occupational therapists and other service providers.
After a productive week of faculty and staff preparation, which included excellent training sessions led by psychologist Héloïse Junier, we are more than ready to welcome everyone back and begin another school year that promises, once again, to be a wonderful one!