Board of Trustees Update - November

Dear French International Community,

Happy December! I hope everyone had a wonderful short break from school, and those who celebrate Thanksgiving enjoyed time with family and friends.

November was an exciting month for the Board of Trustees and the school. As a Board, we met virtually to participate in a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) training focused on understanding implicit bias. With the support of Dr. Alan Phan, a DEI leader and Associate Head of School at The Evergreen School in Seattle, we examined different forms of bias and worked in groups to explore how unconscious biases may show up in our work in ways both big and small. It was an important step to fostering a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive board of trustees and a central part of our strategic plan.

The campus transformation also saw big wins in November. We officially received our building permit for the Maternelle construction, and have already started to see more activity around the future home of our new Maternelle buildings and play areas. I can’t wait to see how it continues to develop. 

Over the next couple of months, we’re settling into the heart of the Board’s work for the year. Led by the Budget and Finance Committee, we’ll be looking closely at the budget and preparing recommendations for next year’s tuition and salary levels, our biggest sources of revenue and expenses, respectively. We’re also continuing to support Scott and his team through the Northwest Association of Independent School (NWAIS) Self-Study, a key part of our NWAIS re-accreditation. NWAIS is one of our three accrediting bodies (the others are the IB and the French Government) and the last re-accreditation we’ll go through for the next several years.

As we’re coming into this holiday season, I’m grateful for our community and our school. I’m envious of my children almost every day, and thankful for each student, teacher, administrator, staff person, parent, and friend that makes this community special. 

If you ever have questions about the board, please feel free to reach out!

Tschüss,

Janna
Chair, Board of Trustees