School Life & Services: Farewell Mme Kosman

Dear Catherine,
 
On behalf of the collective Board of EFIP’s Board of Trustees, and from each of us personally, we thank and celebrate you for your unwavering dedication to our extraordinary school. Without your pivotal role as one of its cofounders EFIP may never have been created.  The numerous diverse roles you assumed during the last quarter of a century have provided solidarity, educational excellence and creative inspiration, all of which have resulted in a unique educational institution. Subsequent to helping to create the school you became one of EFIP’s first faculty members. You continue to be remembered as a beloved preschool/kindergarten teacher and French language coordinator.
 
The educational guidance you offered the many children blessed with the good fortune of being in your classes remains a gift for which they and their families remain grateful. During these many years you have provided a source of guidance in the pursuit of a model bilingual educational program. This was obvious in your contributions to the Middle States Re-accreditation Process.
 
These strengths, along with your intelligence and gentle sensitivity in interactions with your peers, identified you as the obvious member of the EFIP faculty to assume the role of Interim Co Head of EFIP during the difficult transition period of 2015 -2016. In this capacity you maintained your cooperative spirit and insightfully sensitive perceptions on all matters.
 
We thank you Catherine for being one of the outstanding pillars of the entire EFIP community.
 
With much gratitude,

EFIP’s Board of Trustees

Catherine, thank you very much for being such a great mentor. You have taught me so much throughout the years and I will be always be grateful for all your teaching advice, care, kindness and thoughtfulness. Thank you for being such an awesome teacher to your students and a second mom to me. Merci merci.

Stéphanie Zenou

Madame Kosman:

Thank you for your contribution to EFIP.  You always had a kind word and smile for me…and you always liked my hair =).
Enjoy your second attempt at retirement…and change your number so they can’t find you!!

With affection,

Janine Momasso and Family
(Rene-Martin Momasso, KB)

Catherine Kosman was my first colleague at the French International School, and a person I can comfortably call my friend. She embodies many qualities needed in a true educator, a patient mother and wife, and a wonderful human being.

Clear thinking
Admirable
Teacher to all
Honest
Energetic
Reliable
Intellectual
Never negative
Excellent example

Catherine, best wishes for many years of happiness, adventure & good experiences to come!

Marybeth Neyhard

Chère Madame Kosman,

Sans vous avoir rencontré ce beau jour d'été 2010 au "Sprayground", EFIP ne ferait peut-être pas partie de notre quotidien. Votre enthousiasme et sincérité nous ont convaincu très rapidement.
De vous avoir eu à la tête d'EFIP cette année fut un beau cadeau pour nous, parents, et aussi bien sûr pour les enfants.
Votre présence est rassurante, vos sourires sont réconfortants, et EFIP ne sera certainement pas la même sans vous.
Alors un grand MERCI pour cette belle année et profitez maintenant d'une retraite bien méritée.

Delphine et Jason Evenchik

Mme Kosman, je vous connaissais en tant que maîtresse attentive et attentionnée et  coordinatrice exemplaire du programme français et savais que  l’EFIP n’aurait pu fonctionner sans vous… Votre passion inégalable pour l’école se ressentait quotidiennement. Récemment de façon plus personnelle nous avons partagé de nombreux moments importants pour l’école dont je me souviendrai longtemps. Votre implication et dévouement à notre école ne seront jamais oubliés. Merci encore.

Très affectueusement,

Marie Gantz

Chère Madame Kosman, 

Nous tenions à vous dire à quel point nous avons apprécié votre style d'enseignement qui marie avec grâce autorité et chaleur. Merci d'avoir pris le temps de découvrir et d'apprécier notre Lucas, et il n'oubliera jamais l'introduction à l'art et aux artistes que vous lui avez procurée. Je suis bien triste que vous ne soyez plus là pour enseigner aux 3 autres, mais vous souhaite néanmoins bien sûr, une merveilleuse active retraite. 

Annabelle Blanchet et les Fox Boys 

Catherine Kosman was the kindergarten teacher of our daughter Aruna in 2010. She made a huge impact on Aruna, and all the children, by introducing them to art history – a sophisticated subject for five year olds!  One day that year, our family went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Aruna gave us a guided tour, demonstrating her special expertise (thanks to Mme Kosman!) in all things Picasso!  She told us, inter alia, about Picasso’s “Blue Period”, and also some of his quirky personal habits.  Obviously the stories about what Picasso did in real life, when he wasn’t painting, made an impact on the kids, too.   Thank you, Mme Kosman, for instilling a love of art and its history in our children!

Heather Sharkey and Vijay Balasubramanian

Chère Madame Catherine KOSMAN,

Félicitations pour cette longue carrière, la qualité de ton travail est à la hauteur de la qualité de ta personne.
Je te souhaite une excellente et très longue retraite, profites-en-bien.

Razika IFOURAH

Chère Madame Kosman,

Merci d'avoir apporté la "french touch" à notre école. Nous avons pu profiter de votre bienveillance qu'une année, mais vous avez su comprendre les soucis auxquels on est confrontés quand on arrive dans un pays et une école qu'on ne connaît pas. Vous avez su nous rassurer et aider avec des petits mots et conseils quand on ne savait plus où donner de la tête. J'ai suivi vos conseils sur les lunchbox, mais avoue être contente que les vacances arrivent pour ce point là! On vous souhaite maintenant pouvoir profiter un peu de votre petite  famille, sans oublier la grande famille à l'Efip!

Certainement à bientôt quand il y aura des événements à l'école, car je pense que vous viendrez voir les enfants de temps en temps.

Bon vent

Famille Le Meliner

Thanks for your beautiful smile and the wonderful support you have given me.
The mural I've been working on is just a quickie display window, but I will let you know if the real thing (the Jewish mural) comes through.
Maybe you and/or Bill would enjoy immortalizing yourselves in paint...!?

Much happiness to you both,

Ann Northrup

Dear Mme Kosman,

The Buxbaum family is deeply grateful for your many years of service to EFIP. Thank you for co-founding such a wonderful school—what a brilliant idea!!!! Rebecca has this to say about your legacy: "EFIP helped make me the person I am today, in my love of languages, understanding the world, teaching, and maintaining strong friendships." Marielle chimes in, "What I remember most about having Mme Kosman as my kindergarten teacher is that she was always caring." Christine and Larry could not have asked for a better place to help shape our children with the humanitarian and intellectual values we hold dear. It is one thing for a child to be instructed that humanity makes up one enormous family that needs to respect and take of one another, as well as take care of our planet. But it is another thing altogether to be taught these values AND to breathe them in every day because the child is immersed in a stunningly diverse community with smart, open-minded, responsible leadership. That leadership--that's you! Words will never fully express how much your legacy means to us. It is the legacy of an institution that creates—not producing smart phones or sausages or automobiles or socks—but rather, a certain kind of person. A kind of person the world needs more of. A kind of person that you are. Thank you forever.

The Buxbaum Family

Dear Mme. Kosman,

Aidan entered EFIP in Kindergarten and Newman in PK4. They both had the good fortune of having you as their teacher. I am not sure what I am most grateful for: the respect, creativity and curiosity you instilled in the boys or how you gently led two apprehensive parents through these important years. On both accounts we are very appreciative and thank you from the bottom of our hearts for providing a lasting foundation.  

On a more global level, thank you for your selfless dedication to EFIP the past 25 years.  You have played a major role in shaping the school we love today. Newman and I wish you the very best as you embark on your second retirement from EFIP. I know that EFIP will always be with you and I can assure you that Catherine Kosman will always be with EFIP!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Amy and Newman Yeilding

Chère Catherine

Je viens à mon tour te remercier pour ton soutien et pour ta confiance tout au long de cette année scolaire. Nous nous étions déjà dit au revoir après notre collaboration en grande section. Cette fois c’est à la Directrice que je souhaite bon repos et une bonne retraite. Je garderai comme souvenir, cette impressionnante énergie que tu as déployée pour cette école. Tu as un dynamisme incroyable que certains doivent t’envier. Tu n’es pas du genre à tergiverser, je l’ai souvent observé, alors moi aussi j’irai droit au but, merci pour tout, bon vent et à un de ces jours ici ou sur les côtes Normandes avec grand plaisir. 

Très affectueusement,

Delphine Cormier 

When I think of Madame Kosman, a big smile spreads across my face! She is a truly remarkable person. The children love to see her each day and the faculty always look for her warmth and true kindness every day! Madame Kosman is an amazing teacher and coworker who will be deeply missed at EFIP. I sure hope she has a reason to come visit…regularly! I will miss you but know you will finally be enjoying your retirement! 

Love & Best Wishes! 

Francie Dishaw