Dear Fellow Parents, 

 

Greetings from the ASW Board of Trustees, and congratulations on a successful first semester! It is an exciting time, and we are all very happy to be using many of the new areas that have been completed under our Master Facilities work, which is quickly coming to fruition.

We continue to have a strong enrollment and financial infrastructure that will sustain us through the coming years. As a result of careful stewardship, the Board of Trustees has been able to keep us on track with our long-term and strategic goals for operational integrity. I am pleased with the ongoing due diligence and commitment of all involved.

These achievements are due largely to the leadership and quality of the instructional, administrative, and support staff at ASW. However, none of this success would be possible without you, the ASW parent community.

ASW is a private, not-for-profit educational institution that devotes all its resources to education and program requirements, which includes prudent planning for contingencies through allocating funds to a strategic reserve. Every year at this time, the Board of Trustees approves the ASW Tuition & Fee Payment Information for the upcoming school year. Taking into account current and future financial requirements to support academic programs, operations, staffing, facilities maintenance, and necessary capital improvements, the Board approved a tuition and fees increase for the 2025-2026 school year at the February 17th meeting. After five years of maintaining tuition increases to three percent or below until 2022, the economic environment materially changed, which impacted the tuition increases in 2023 and 2024. Although decreasing, inflation will continue to have a significant impact on our 2025-2026 expenses, especially related to faculty and staff salaries, school trips, and utilities. Therefore, the tuition rate increase for the school year 2025-2026 will be 5.0% for both the USD and PLN portion of tuition across all grade levels. Learning Support Fees have increased to reflect the increased cost of resources and salaries since the last time they were changed. All other fees will remain the same. The 2025-2026 tuition rates are shown in detail in the attached fee sheet and were made available in board meeting information last week before their adoption on Monday night. Our main website has also been updated to reflect these changes.  Please note that withdrawal deadlines in August and November have been adjusted slightly to provide a better opportunity to fill the vacant seat with other applicants.

If you have questions about the 2025-2026 Tuition and Fee Payment information or related policies, please contact the Business Office at +48 (22) 702-8553 or email aswbusinessoffice@aswarsaw.org.

As in years past, a “seat deposit” will be required for each returning student to secure a seat for the 2025-2026 school year. Invoices were sent directly to your email addresses of record on February 10th, with payment due by Thursday, February 20, 2025. Invoices are available in PowerSchool. Seats not secured by deposit will be made available to new applicants after this date.  The amount for the seat deposit was increased and the date was moved up due to the competitive environment between private schools in Warsaw where enrollment commitments are central to year-on-year planning.  We’ve responded to that pressure to increase our ability to confirm enrollment and capture new applicants before they make commitments to other institutions.

I would like to draw your attention to several rewarding opportunities to get involved in ASW. The annual election cycle for ASW PTO Leadership is rapidly approaching in the coming weeks. Interested candidates for PTO board positions should reach out to the current PTO Board and their nominating committee via ptopresident@aswarsaw.org. In addition, another offering of the Aspiring School and Non-Profit Board Member Training will be offered on Thursday, March 6, 2025, at 6:00 pm. This opportunity fulfils one of the candidacy requirements for Board membership and also serves those interested in understanding more about governance practices in a variety of settings. Watch eNotes for the sign-up link and more information.

The Board of Trustees, composed of members of the ASW parent and US Embassy community, is eager to dialogue with all stakeholders and increase community awareness and interest in the governance of ASW. As part of our commitment to transparency and inclusion, all meeting agendas and minutes of our full Board meetings are published in the parent portal in the Board Governance section. These meetings, which occur every month, are open to all members of the ASW Community, and we encourage your in-person or virtual attendance and participation. Our next public meeting is on Monday, March 31st at 6:00p.

Warm regards,

James Simmons

Board Chair