Message the Co-Chairs of the Board Volunteerfrom Spotlight
Dear EB Community, The 2019–2020 school year was an unprecedented one. Before the spring, 2019–2020 saw a festive World Celebrations event, amazing Annual Fund participation, and the launch of the International Track for Middle Schoolers with no French language experience who sought a bilingual learning environment. The school was on track for a banner year when the COVID-19 pandemic came to the Bay Area. Our swift and decisive response showed the strength of the EB program and the adaptability and creativity of our faculty and staff. In the fall of 2019, we launched our new Middle School International Track (IT Track). The IT Track serves families who want their children to experience the rich, bilingual, multicultural environment of EB, but have not previously had any French language experience. Unlike a traditional Middle School, IT Track students have four times the second language exposure, while concurrently learning with their counterparts in the English-taught portion of the curriculum. The program is studentcentered, focused on internationalism and has been a great success, with new families feeling the warmth and individualized attention of EB’s learning environment.
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Our Annual Fund campaign was wonderfully strong, with over $438,000 raised and 87% of parents joining in. We sincerely thank you for your support of this critical fund. Having the exemplary participation of our community meant that we were able to pivot quickly and make the necessary adjustments to transition to distance learning, purchase the needed safety
equipment, prepare our campus, and continue supporting staff and families in the spring. Your contributions of funds and volunteer time help to sustain our children’s rich experiences.
“We are grateful
for the school’s quick reaction and nimble transition to online learning. The dedication of the teachers, administration, and staff of the school earned all of our respect and admiration.”
and parents’ needs. We think we can speak for all of us when we say that we are grateful for the school’s quick reaction and nimble transition to online learning. The dedication of the teachers, administration, and staff of the school earned all of our respect and admiration. While the end of the school year never afforded us the chance to return to campus, EB held its first socially distanced event for our 8th grade graduates. We congratulate them on their poise, perseverance and their move to high school! Finally, a huge thank you to the Board members whose service came to an end in spring 2020. Their drive and dedication to EB are much admired. They include Aaron Ross, Alexandra Thusy-Privat, Brian Thomas Turner, Alexandra LaGatta, and Patrice Zauret. They have made and continue to make innumerable contributions to the school and their influence will be long lasting.
Pria Hidisyan Mark Westover Board Chairs Then came the global pandemic of COVID-19. In March, EB’s leadership took the difficult decision to close the school’s campus and move to online learning in the face of mounting cases in Alameda County. The school has been held as a local model for its outstanding response. Our teachers were creative and proactive in rising to the overnight challenge of implementing virtual learning. As the shelter-in-place remained in effect, the school continued to adapt its programs to adjust to students
