News & Weekly Letters

This summer, I rewatched The Seven Year Itch—during one of my long Greek afternoons—Billy Wilder’s film starring Marilyn Monroe, which, I had forgotten, features the iconic dress / subway grate scene. I chose to watch it because the title made me smile: I am, after all, beginning my seventh year at The École. Am I, too, about to get restless and find myself tempted by the promise of something new?

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.

This is already my last letter of the school year—well, maybe you’ll get one final note next Thursday wishing you a wonderful summer, but that will be it! I’d like to thank everyone who reads these letters regularly and those who find the time to reply, even briefly, or slip a word in (my grandmother would have said “me toucher un mot”) about something they read in a letter when they see me at the door in the morning. It was through these conversations that I realized my recent letter about the identity of our school—when I wondered if it is a little too French—struck a chord and prompted many thoughtful responses that will definitely serve as future letter-writing inspiration.

I was delighted and proud to welcome you all to Baruch College’s Engelman Recital Hall this week for our traditional End-of-Year shows. There are always such moving moments when children showcase their many talents and have us laughing one moment and tearing up the next. The shows are also an opportunity for us to see just how involved our parents are—it might seem like a given, but believe me, it isn’t! At The École, even grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, family friends, and nannies show up for the occasion! I would like to thank all my colleagues, especially Cécila, Ryan, and Waylissa, for their remarkable work in class all year; we are all incredibly impressed by the results.

I don’t believe I’ve shared this in a weekly letter before: I’m addicted to crosswords. I share this passion with my mother, who got me hooked on them as a child  and who, to this day, still completes them at a diabolical pace. In an effort to fine-tune my English, I have been doing the New York Times crossword daily since arriving in the States. One clue repeatedly pops up:  “Educational support group” (3 letters). Yep, you got it: PTA.