“Wake up! Wake Up! C’mon, first day of school!”
– Nemo

Welcome to the 2025-2026 school year at AAS-Sofia!

I hope that you had a splendid summer with family and friends. 

It has been a terrific first 4 days of school (only 176 school days until summer!). We ended today with the traditional whole school assembly and flag ceremony, which is a special event that brings everyone together to celebrate the new school year.

This morning, we held the first Parent Coffee of the year. We had a record number of parents attend–thank you for coming. Different AAS staff members will host Parent Coffees throughout the year. The Coffees are an opportunity to connect with AAS staff, other parents, and learn more about the School. Please join one when you have the chance.

Tuesday was the first day of school. It was a delight to welcome new and returning students to the campus. There were students walking onto campus for the first time, and others walking into school for their 2341st time (seniors who began at AAS in Pre-Kindergarten). There were students skipping joyfully toward the school, younger ones pulling their parent’s hand away from the school with some tears, older students walking in sleepily as it was the first day in months that they had woken up before noon. Many students carried flowers for their teachers and teaching assistants, which is one of my favorite Bulgarian traditions. 

Regardless of how they arrived at school, I hope that all students left at 15:30 feeling good about the day. I hope that they connected with old friends and/or began new friendships. I hope that they all looked forward to day two of school. 

Just as there are new students at AAS, there are new staff and faculty as well, including 10 teachers, two counselors, one teaching assistant, Security Coordinator, Student Support Services Coordinator, and Director of ICT. I hope that they all had a great first day of school as well.

At AAS, one of our priorities is to have an environment where every student (and everyone else too) feels accepted, respected, included, and supported. This is a priority, because it is a simple fact that students do better in school and life when they feel that they belong. If your child is ever struggling with this, please contact us so we can help.

This summer we had a few fun additions to the campus. We added two table tennis tables outside the MS/HS entrance, as well as a water fountain and basketball half-court to the upper field sports area. We were also fortunate to have a grade 10 student do a volunteer project and build a mud kitchen for the Pre-Kindergarten playground–they love it!

Tomorrow (Saturday, August 30) is the annual Back to School Barbecue, sponsored by the AAS PTO. The Back to School Barbecue includes an infomart, where you can learn more about resources in the AAS community, including music instructors, coaches, and more. The Barbecue is also a perfect time to make new friends and reconnect with existing friends. It runs 11:00 to 14:00, and is free for the AAS community. Thank you PTO!

We are here to help make this year the best it can be for you. If you want to connect with us about anything, please do not hesitate to reach out. 

Whether you are new to AAS or have been here many years, I wish you the best for the 2025-26 school year!

“What we learn with pleasure we never forget.”
– Alfred Mercier