News & Weekly Letters

The reception at the French Consulate last night in honor of Philippe receiving the National Order of Merit medal gave The École community an opportunity to once again gather–under an ornate chandelier–over a drink to celebrate a project that belongs to each and every one of us.* At the heart of this project, as we know, lies bilingualism and biculturalism and the desire to give our students access to a double culture where they can draw from the best of two education systems that will equip them with unique skills and abilities.

An update on our new building is long overdue!

Those of you who drop off your children at the Elementary and Middle School Building in the morning, in particular, will know it’s been pretty busy next door: trucks carrying material, workers coming in and out, and a general flurry of activities.

Last night, I attended a reception organized by our friends at Léman Manhattan to welcome–or make one last attempt to win over–the parents of students who have been accepted into their high school for 2025-2026. Our partnership is going from strength to strength; I clinked glasses with many parents from The École (which, I’m not afraid to say, remains the gold standard when it comes to hosting social gatherings!) because all of our 8th Grade students who applied to Léman have been accepted.

I am writing to you today from Nashville, where this year’s NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools) conference for heads of school is taking place. It’s an important annual event that I have wanted to attend ever since starting at The École, but there are always so many other things to do that it was complicated to imagine not being at school, so I kept postponing it—until this year, when I finally took the plunge.

As I already mentioned here, February 14, five years ago, was the day I wrapped up my interviews for the position of head of school at The École. It remains an important date for me, an opportunity to reflect on the journey I have taken. To mark the occasion, Andria and I will have dinner tonight in the same restaurant we bustled into in 2020, and we’ll toast the upcoming February break.