Dear Friends,
Thank you for all your good wishes and concern following the fire in London that closed down Heathrow Airport last weekend. Following the FOCCUS pilgrimage, like many Americans, I found myself stranded alongside 300,000 others! It was very frustrating and took three whole days to get home! The representative at British Airways told me that every carrier had blocked all spare seats for two whole days, therefore, after some quick thinking and a long time on the internet, Alison and I travelled by train to Paris, stayed overnight at the airport, took a plane to Frankfurt, and finally a plane to Newark! If we had waited it out at the airport, we would have missed the first of the interviews for a new Director of Music!
Along the way, we met some wonderful American families who all did the same thing as us. There was one silver lining in the cloud though – we found ourselves with just a few hours to kill in Paris, so we went to Notre Dame for the Vigil Mass of Sunday and saw the breathtaking restoration of the Cathedral and heard the amazing restored Cavaillé-Coll great organ. We lit candles for you all there!
Last week, we interviewed five extraordinarily gifted and talented musicians to take on the role of Organist and Director of Music. Mo. Turner and Darren Littlejohn have written an update on the Choir School transition and there is good news to share; please scroll down to read the article.
This Sunday is the Fourth Sunday in Lent, also known as Laetare Sunday, and by the old English title Refreshment Sunday. The Young Adult Group are baking Simnel Cakes to share at Coffee Hour and these will be blessed at the end of both the 9am and 11am masses.
Finally, please register for our Holy Week Preparation Quiet Day to be led by Bishop Andrew St. John. You can click here to register. We have not held a quiet day since the pandemic, so please take advantage of just a few hours of stillness in our beautiful church preparing for Holy Week.
Affectionately,
Your Priest and Pastor,
Carl
Dear Saint Thomas and Choir School Community,
I’m pleased to share an update on the Choir School and its forthcoming partnership with the Professional Children’s School.
As we continue to work closely with our colleagues at PCS in preparation for the autumn term, we’re grateful for their warm welcome and for the many opportunities they’ve provided for families, staff, and now supporters of Saint Thomas Church and Choir School to visit. In due course, there will be further opportunities for other interested members of our community to visit both sites.
Staffing
We are especially grateful to Mr. Seeley, the Senior Administration team, and indeed the entire faculty and staff for embracing the rhythm of this academic year—with its many traditions and distinctive opportunities, several of which are expected to continue into the next year.
New Staffing Structure for STCS (2025–2026)
We are delighted to confirm that staffing for the 2025–2026 academic year has been finalized. Current team members who will remain with us have signed their contracts, and we are confident that their continued presence this September will provide a meaningful boost to community morale. It is with great pleasure that we share the following staffing structure for STCS next year—all of these roles will be filled by existing staff:
* Staff will reside at STCS
Administration
• Director of Transition
• Director of Admissions and Administration*
Residential Life and Administration
• Residential Life Coordinator and Administrator* (Houseparent)
• Residential Life Coordinator and Nurse* (Houseparent)
• Residential Fellow and Athletic Director*
• Two Residential Life Fellows*
Residential Life Fellows will provide support to students in music, practice, study hall, administration, academic engagement at PCS and STCS, as well as preparation for and participation in services.
• School Counselor
Teaching
• Grade 4 and 5 Teacher based at PCS*
• STCS-specific teaching (Health, Music Studies, Social Justice, Latin, and Theology) will be delivered internally at STCS; grade-level details to be confirmed.
Music Faculty and Staff
• Voice Coach
• Instrumental Teacher
All music faculty and staff listed above will serve as part of the broader Saint Thomas Music Department, which also includes:
• Organist and Director of Music* (interviews for this 2025–2026 position are taking place this week)
• Associate Organist*
• Assistant Organist and Associate for Musical Studies Teacher*
• Graduate Organ Scholar* (search to commence shortly for the 2025–2026 academic year)
Support Staff
Housekeeping, Maintenance, Catering, and Reception services will continue according to our current model. The notable exception is that school-day lunches will be provided by FLIK, who also cater for PCS.
Most members of the clergy team will continue to reside on site.
We are deeply thankful to those staff members who will be moving on at the end of this academic year. Their professionalism and dedication have been invaluable, and we look forward to offering our full thanks and appreciation in due course.
Re-enrollment and Recruitment
Current families are in the process of re-enrolling for the autumn term. We are pleased to report that several new boys have already been accepted to Saint Thomas for next year, and additional inquiries are actively being pursued.
Recruitment remains open year-round. We encourage you to direct any inquiries to Ms. Margaret White, Director of Admissions and Administration, at mwhite@choirschool.org.
Thank you to all who have shown both interest and support of the Choir School as we plan for a new chapter together. If you have any questions about our please do not hesitate to contact either of us at transition@choirschool.org.
Darren Littlejohn
Chair of the Choir School Committee
Mother Turner
Director of Transition
