(SAES Announcement PDF)

February 28, 2008 — We announce today with tremendous pride a wonderful development in the life of this school. St. Andrew’s Episcopal School has reached an agreement with the St. Francis Episcopal Day School to bring our two schools together. We know you will share our excitement and will want to know the facts as we begin to work toward this historic union.

St. Francis Episcopal Day School enrolls students from pre-school through 3rd grade and currently has 131 students. St. Francis is located at 10033 River Road in Potomac Village, a ten-minute drive from St. Andrew’s. Since St. Francis was founded in 1988, St. Andrew’s has had a very close relationship with the school. We are both part of the diocese of Washington DC, and over the years, many St. Francis students have come to St. Andrew’s to continue their education. We are first cousins.

The Board of St. Andrew’s has given careful consideration to this opportunity and has concluded that such a union will make us an even stronger independent school. The School Board and Vestry of St. Francis have come to the same conclusion. This is a union that is good for all involved, because the fit is a natural one.

Here are the highlights of the agreement. The effective date of the union of the two schools will be July 1, 2008. The combined school will be called St. Andrew’s Episcopal School. As of that date, St. Francis Episcopal Day School will no longer be affiliated with St. Francis Episcopal Church. Two members of the St. Francis community will be nominated to the St. Andrew’s Board of Trustees. Robert Kosasky will be headmaster of the combined school.

For the foreseeable future, pre-school through 3rd grade will continue to be held at the current St. Francis site in Potomac Village, but will be known as the St. Andrew’s Episcopal School “Potomac Village Campus.” St. Andrew’s will lease the space occupied by what is now the St. Francis Day School. The current Head of St. Francis, Pat Talbert Smith, an energetic and dynamic educator, will become the Head of the new Lower School of St. Andrew’s.

Pending zoning approval, a new 4th grade will be added to the St. Andrew’s Postoak Road campus in September 2009, and a new 5th grade in September 2010. The result will be a school that extends, uninterrupted, from pre-school through 12th grade—the only Episcopal school of its kind in the Washington DC-Montgomery County area. St. Andrew’s is a school that focuses on the individual. The earlier we know a child, the better we can serve that child and fulfill our mission. We are thrilled with the opportunity to have the children of this community grow up with us.

In September 2008 St. Andrew’s will celebrate its 30th anniversary. We can think of no better way to begin our next 30 years than by taking this important step: extending our ability to provide an excellent and nurturing education in an inclusive environment for our students, uninterrupted from their pre-school years until their graduation from high school.

We are sure that many of you will have questions that we have not answered in this brief letter. Please don’t hesitate to contact the school by email at union@saes.org. New developments will be posted on this page in the coming weeks and months. We are very excited about this step in the life of our two communities. We share a common tradition, and we are looking forward to a seamless transition benefiting the children of both schools.

Sincerely,

Please email union@saes.org with questions.