Welcome, ECFS families

July, 2026

Dear Middle School Families:

I hope that this letter finds you all well.

As the month of July winds down, I hope that you’ve had the opportunity to enjoy time with your family and friends making important connections and reconnections while being able to enjoy time outside and away from screens. It’s a challenge that many of us encounter, myself included, and I hope that you’ll be able to enjoy more weeks of staying offline as long as possible before school starts on Thursday, September 10th. As we prepare for the school year, I wanted to let you all know that our MS Parent Resources website has been updated, and now includes back-to-school information for the 2026–2027 school year. I recommend that you bookmark this page, as it will continue to be a valuable resource throughout the school year.

My summer has been an exciting one so far. I’ve been able to spend time with family, take in World Cup games, and read more for pleasure.  I have also been able to participate in some great professional development and curricular initiatives with other administrators and faculty. We have been re-imagining our advisory curriculum, making small adjustments to our schedule, tweaking our course content in several areas, and aligning ourselves cross-divisionally in how we approach classroom observation. I’m very excited for what the school year will bring.

One book that I’ve really enjoyed reading this summer is Mattering: The Secret to a Life of Deep Purpose and Connection, by Jennifer Wallace. This author, some of you may recall, spoke on campus last fall about toxic achievement culture, and this book builds on that work by outlining what should replace it. The book focuses on how our lives are transformed when we are reminded, in small and intentional ways, that we are valued and that we have value to offer. It aligns well with our division’s current focus on belonging, but builds on it by suggesting that “mattering” combines a sense of belonging with a sense of purpose.

Technology is something we have been thinking a lot about and adjusting to. Last school year, we maintained a strict policy around students not having access to smartphones or smartwatches during the school day, while also being more deliberate about generally limiting student in-class screen time, especially in 6th grade. We have found that restricting device access for all of our students has freed up some of students’ cognitive ability that might otherwise be dedicated towards sneaking looks at notifications, and encouraged students to seek help from adults at school without being tempted to over-rely on you in moments of difficulty. It has also made it much easier for us to prevent temptation around academic dishonesty. We are again asking parents to complete the device registration form in Magnus, so we know if your student(s) will be bringing a phone or smartwatch to school and if so what that device is. Please note that this form is required regardless of whether or not your student will have a phone or smartwatch, as we need to know whether to be expecting them to turn one in or not.

We are at a moment as educators where we are facing some seemingly competing pressures around technology. I have heard from some of you who are very concerned with limiting student screen time in and out of school, and others of you who want to know what we are doing to help students prepare for a world where students will inevitably be using AI. These goals, at the middle school level, are not really as in tension with one another as they may seem. In Middle School, we hope to build up the basic skill base which will allow students to be effective AI users in the future: we want them to ask great questions, develop their own unique voices, evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of various arguments, collaborate with one another to solve problems, self-advocate with adults when needed, and use technology ethically. As we ask students to make decisions around using AI or not when at home (the default is not to use it, though there may be exceptions), we will emphasize the “why,” as they will be setting themselves up for failure longer-term if they attempt to use shortcuts now.

This will be my 27th year in education, 9th at ECFS, and 7th as Middle School Principal. I am really looking forward to the start of another school year, supporting our students and families. I am excited to be guiding our students as they become thoughtful, ethical learners.

There are a number of details related to the start of school which will be answered by the updates on our website, but we also will answer questions and preview the school year during our first Virtual Coffee with the Principals, which will take place virtually on Tuesday 8/25 at 7:30pm. Please RSVP for that event using this form. If you have any more immediate questions related to the new school year, please feel free to email the Middle School Office at schooloffice-fm@ecfs.org.

I wish you a wonderful remainder of the summer!

Sincerely, 

Jon Alschuler
Middle School Principal

Terry is excited to join the Middle School math team at ECFS this September. She has been teaching for 35 years in various settings, moving to New York in 1995 to pursue her graduate degrees at Teachers College, Columbia University, eventually earning her EdD in 2005. For the past 8 years, she taught middle school Math at Riverdale Country School, where she was also a member of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging department, supporting the LGBTQ+ community. Outside of school, Terry sings in an activist folk trio and with The Stonewall Chorale, the nation's first LGBTQ+ choir, entering its 50th season in September. Terry might be found hiking or walking her partner's dog in Brooklyn over the weekends.

Elsa grew up in France, where she studied Philosophy at the Sorbonne before beginning her career as an educational editor and publisher. After moving to the United States with her family, she earned a Master's degree in Teaching French as a Second Language from the Université de Grenoble Alpes and has spent the past 15 years teaching French to students from preschool through college. She founded and directed a PreK–8 language program in Westchester, while teaching at Manhattanville University, and most recently has been teaching all levels of high school French.

Elsa is passionate about helping students develop not only language proficiency but also curiosity, confidence, and a deeper understanding of other cultures. She enjoys creating engaging, student-centered classrooms where every learner feels a sense of belonging.

Outside of school, Elsa loves reading, learning foreign languages, traveling the world, hiking, and cooking and sharing meals with family and friends. She is excited to join the Fieldston community and looks forward to getting to know students and families while sharing her love of the French language and culture.

Christina Gianino comes to us with 23 years of professional teaching experience across both public and private middle and high schools. In her most recent role at Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School, she taught grades seven through twelve in both Mathematics and Health & Wellness, while also lending her talents as a high school volleyball and basketball coach. Christina earned her Bachelor of Science in Middle School Education from James Madison University and went on to take part in three distinct Master’s degree programs—two in education and one in Acupuncture. Professionally, she is passionate about learning from her students and loves observing their elation when they experience an "aha!" moment in the classroom.

Before launching her teaching career, Christina played professional volleyball in the Netherlands. She caught the travel bug early on, exploring 13 European countries in six weeks right after college, and has since visited 15 more countries, with Alaska holding the title of her absolute favorite trip. Today, she loves staying active through a wide variety of sports, including tennis, golf, hiking, pickleball, and indoor and beach volleyball. Her favorite travel partner and greatest joy is her seven-year-old son, whom she adores watching grow. Having recently relocated to Riverdale, Christina is thrilled to be teaching within her own community and looks forward to joining the school family this fall.

Ben Howort is an equity strategist, facilitator and coach with experience working across sectors including education, nonprofit, healthcare and government.  Certified in transformational coaching, change management and Results-Based Accountability, Ben uses an interdisciplinary approach to support organizations who are committed to belonging and social impact.  Ben has a decade of experience writing social justice curriculum and facilitating workshops for youth and adults.  Ben's work has included leading democratic education for middle school students at the Brooklyn Free School, facilitating trainings for K-12 educators at the Center for Racial Justice in Education and designing workshops for nonprofits and schools with the River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding.  Most recently, Ben has worked as a consultant leading the development of equity action plans for a hospital consortium across the state of Maryland, and for the City of Gainesville, Florida.  In his free time, Ben enjoys cooking, crafting and playing in the park with his two kids, Penny and Zeki.

Ava Tattelman Parnes comes to Fieldston from Manhattan Country School, where she taught middle school math, served as an advisor, and facilitated the math team. In over a decade as an educator, she has been committed to guiding every student to find a positive connection to math concepts. Ava studied Linguistics at Yale University and earned her Master’s degree in Middle School Math and Science Education from the Shady Hill School Teacher Training Center and Lesley University. She spent 18 summers working at Camp Killooleet in Vermont as an assistant director, head counselor, and boating teacher. When she is not in the classroom, Ava enjoys needle crafts, making music, wilderness canoeing, and cooking for family and friends, including her partner and one-year-old. As a Fieldston alum, Ava is excited to return to the ECFS community in a new role and is looking forward to meeting everyone in the fall.

Annette Cantarella returned to teaching twelve years ago after spending fifteen years working in the financial industry. In addition to teaching at NYC Independent schools, she has taught both Algebra and Biology in charter schools in the South Bronx. Her love of progressive learning is based on her experience and training as a Montessori Middle School Teacher, which she was lucky enough to enjoy in Bermuda. She completed her undergraduate degree in Biology, locally, at Manhattan College and Master’s degrees in both Organizational Psychology and Counseling Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University. Her outdoor time is spent skiing, hiking, or pursuing photography. Indoor time is spent cooking or engrossed in a good book! Last year, Annette's role as Scheduler was added to her responsibilities. She brings her work with Organizational Psychology and years of corporate experience to the role. This year, she is also thrilled to take on the challenge of serving as Math Department Chair, bringing her deep passion for problem-solving and progressive education to the department's vision.