New Parents Welcomed into York House Community 

This week, the York House community welcomed 70 new families at this year’s New Parents’ Evening. The virtual event took place on October 5 and was expertly MC’d by the YHS Parents’ Association President and Grade 1 parent Tanya Mehta.

The formal livestream program featured a special welcome from Head of School, Julie Rousseau, and Chair of the Board of Governors, Michelle Ostrow ‘89. This was followed by speeches from the Head Girls of the Junior and Senior Schools, Jamie (Grade 7), and Sophie (Grade 12), along with a beautiful violin duo performance of JS Bach’s Concerto for two violins in D minor by Jessica (Grade 10) and her sister Emily (Grade 9). New faculty and staff at York House this year also attended the event.

Volunteers from the New Parents’ Committee – led by Chair Alicia Winter – packed welcome gift bags for new families, which included delicious charcuterie boxes and refreshments courtesy of event sponsors The Graze Company and Township 7 winery. New family attendees also received a USB copy of a unique video featuring every single new student enjoying their first days as Yorkies.

Following the livestream, guests had the opportunity to meet and have conversations with other new families in smaller “Zoom Rooms” where they were able to share their first impressions of the school and stories from their daughters’ experiences so far.  A special thank you to members of our Board of Governors, Advancement Committee, Parents’ Association, New Parents’ Committee volunteers and school staff for hosting the online gatherings and the Advancement, Communications and IT departments for their support in making the event a success.

Our First-ever Virtual New Parents’ Evening

On the evening of October 6, York House hosted its first-ever virtual New Parents’ Evening live on Zoom. More than 80 new families attended and were officially welcomed to the school community by Head of School, Julie Rousseau, and Chair of the Board of Governors, Michelle Ostrow ‘89. The evening was hosted by President of the Parents’ Association, Farrell Eckman, and featured speeches from Head Girls of the Junior and Senior Schools, Zyra (Grade 7), and Lauren (Grade 12), along with a moving performance of Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” by Sheba (Grade 10). New faculty and staff to YHS also attended the event

In collaboration with the Advancement & Alumnae Relations team, volunteers from the New Parents’ Committee—led by Committee Chair Zena Zou—delivered welcome hampers to new families in the 24 hours before the event. These included delicious snack boxes and a bottle of wine courtesy of event sponsors The Graze Company and Township 7 winery along with a copy of a video featuring new students in their first days as Yorkies! 

Guests also spent time in break out rooms for an opportunity to meet other families and share their experiences as new members of the YHS community. A special thank you to members of our Board of Governors and staff for hosting our breakout groups and the Communications and IT departments for their support in making the event a success!