News & Weekly Letters

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.

It was still a little too early to share here, but I can now reveal some of the developments that will see the light of day during the next school year. With five weeks left until the last day of school 2025-2026, we are almost fully prepared for back-to-school 2026-2027, although we still have a few recruitments to finalize, particularly to cover maternity leaves. On that note, I would like to wish Ciara, our 4th Grade American teacher, all the happiness in the world as she prepares to welcome her first child. Today was her last day, and a small surprise party had been organized to properly celebrate her departure!

School years fly by; at least that is what we tell ourselves in the month of May, when there are only six weeks left, and we find ourselves feeling a tad overwhelmed by everything that remains to be done. That feeling is partly due to the fact that school years are punctuated by traditions and milestones—as I mentioned here a very long time ago—that roll around in quick succession.