It was such a pleasure to see you on Tuesday. Like many of you, I imagine, I had a restless night on Monday – and it wasn’t just the sudden heatwave that kept me awake. For our team, back to school isn’t just about seeing familiar faces again; it is also the moment when our plans become reality: Will the class schedules that look so great on paper flow as they should? Have all the rooms been allocated to the right people? Have we forgotten to order something obvious?
All the questions that keep us awake at night evaporate once we see the parents and kids. It’s at that moment we realize that all our doubts were in vain. Sure, there will be hiccups, but nothing serious can go wrong when our team and community are back together again. We know that we can count on each other to resolve any little problems that arise.
And for the most part – the elevator in the Maternelle Building aside – there weren’t any problems! Everything (well, almost everything, but I’m keeping schtum about the rest) went as planned. The consensus is that the summer makeover has made our school even more beautiful – the pops of color look great, the learning spaces are comfortable, the 1st graders adore their new classrooms, and the latest Nursery class on the 5th floor of the Maternelle Building is a wonderful space full of life and light, where children are going to love learning and having fun.
The first day is a very special one for a head of school because we don’t do much, but what we do is crucial: we smile, we reassure, we take a child by the hand and walk them to their classroom. It is the moment when I feel most inspired by my colleagues, by the care they put into preparing their classrooms and lesson plans, by their patience, and their talent at making every child, new or returning, feel like they are at home at The École.
As I walked around our two buildings this week, I was struck by how fortunate I am. Fortunate to lead such a talented team that, over the past few weeks, has demonstrated tremendous generosity in its work and consideration. Fortunate to watch these children grow, change, and flourish. Fortunate to have such a relationship of trust with our families – the conversations we have in the mornings and the evenings, no matter how short, mean the world to me. Fortunate, always, to work with Philippe and Laurence to help them realize their project of a unique, open, bicultural school.
I can’t wait to tell you all the stories that make The École the magnificent school it is – to share the tales of our daily life, reasoning, and work with you. Just as I can’t wait to read and hear your reactions to my weekly letters. In the meantime, I look forward to seeing you for the traditional back-to-school picnic tomorrow – almost 800 people have RSVP’d!
And just like that, I have the answer to one of the questions that kept me awake on Monday night. There is one thing we forgot to order – sunshine for tomorrow. I’ll be crossing my fingers all night tonight, hoping for good weather.