Newsletter Issue No 9
January 26, 2017 
In This Issue
SDFAS hosted a workshop on bilingual education
JOG-A-THON become at SDFAS!
Science Projet en 6th Grade
Science Lab for the 4th Graders
Physics in PK2
Math concepts in Preschool and Kindergarten
Middle School Sports League
Middle School Information Presentation
WINTER CAMP
WHAT'S COMING UP

Quick Links





Girard Gourmet Lunches:



NEW:


MyStudentsProgress
MSP

 
School Council Minutes
School Council minutes from the January meeting are now available on the school website, parents portal:

Click 

 
This FRIDAY: 
State of the School Address
This Friday January 27, at 8:15 in the Auditorium.
Save the date! An event NOT to be missed!
This is our dedicated annual school community event: progress made in all areas, challenges and opportunities. We will also address our future plans.
You will receive first-hand information from the Head of school and the Trustees about the state of the school.

 
This SATURDAY:
Morning of Fun
 
Encouragement VS PRAISE, February 1
 
Talent Show, February 10
 
Demande de bourses scolaires
Special message for French families who wish to apply for Bourse (French Government financial aid)

Les dossiers de demande de bourses délivrées par le gouvernement français pour l'année scolaire 2017-2018 sont disponibles sur le site internet du Consulat de France à Los Angeles :

Click

Afin de les approuver, ces dossiers sont à retourner au plus tard le mercredi 15 février 2017 à l'école.

Merci de contacter Stéphanie Humbert pour plus de renseignements : 

 
Chinese New Year

SDFAS will celebrate Chinese New Year this year with a Dragon Dance on
February 17 at 11 am, all parents welcome!

 
MINIMUM DAY
Friday February 17
Registration is mandatory for daycare on Friday, February 17. Please register before Friday, February 10.
Extended Care is available from 12:00 noon until 6 p.m.

To register your child, please email:

 
3 French Movies


"House of France" a Balboa Park offers SDFAS families a discount on the French film they present in the weeks to com:

"Je compte sur vous"

"L'origine de la violence"

"Le voyage de Fanny"

to Clairemont or San Marcos.
   
Your promotional discount code is: FRAN17

Tickets can be purchased online here:

Tickets can also be purchased by visiting or calling our Box Office: 
858-362-1348

 
4e Forum des Anciens Élèves des Lycées Français du Monde


PRE-ELEMENTARY 
SCHOOL BLOG

For Pre-Elementary School information and updates 

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ELEMENTARY 
SCHOOL BLOG
For Elementary School information and updates 

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MIDDLE 
SCHOOL BLOG
   For Middle School information and updates 

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ASA BLOG
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QUESTIONS?
COMMENTS?
If you have any questions or comments regarding this publication, please contact our editor, Audrey Blanchard at
 


Click 
for the French American Chamber of Commerce website.
 
Happy Chinese New Year 2017!
Year of the Rooster
Science Fair 2017, it is now!
La Fête de la Science, c'est maintenant !


Pictured: Bodhi, Mirabelle.

This year 31 students participated in the SDFAS Science Fair. Students presented their projects to the community with great pride and enthusiasm, explaining why they had chosen their topics, what they had done, and what they had learned.  Some projects were based on observations of the natural world, while others were designed the explore the effects of a variable. We want to applaud all the students' efforts and commitment to deliver their best project. Several projects completed by 7th and 8th graders will be sent on to compete at the regional level for possible entry into the Greater San Diego County Science and Engineering Fair under the supervision of Echo Jacoway. All participants will receive a certificate of participation during  this Thursday ' s Forum at  8:30 am  in the auditorium, with the top 3 projects in each division receiving medals for their achievements.
Let's get ready for the Jog-a-Thon!  
Entraînons-nous pour le Jog-a-Thon !







Pictured: Ian, Gisèle and Jack.

Our students from PK0 to Kindergarten are getting ready to run on February 3rd for our next Jog-a-Thon. Due to the recent heavy rains, they had to train at the Preschool on the bike track!

ÉDITO 



Great athletes are never satisfied with their performance. They keep training every day, they use videos in order to identify areas for improvement, and they have experienced coaches who provide support and guidance to help them perform even better.
 
Great schools do the same with their teachers by providing a strong professional development program every year. At SDFAS we have carefully cultivated our program over the years using a wide range of resources. This is why your child sometimes tells you that for two or three days there is a substitute teacher while their regular teacher is taking part in a workshop. Thanks to the extensive network of French American schools in North America, French teachers have access to a large variety of workshops. In the past two years in particular,  the options have  increased thanks to a greater number of  webinars and Forums. Some of our teachers have even decided to undertake a new advanced degree program to obtain an additional university diploma in Education. American program teachers also have many options, sometimes traveling as far as Los Angeles or San Francisco for a conference in Math, Science, English, or another subject.
 
This week, SDFAS hosted a workshop on bilingual education, with three pedagogical advisors from the AEFE* network, and 25 attendees from French-American schools around the country, including ours of course. The group spent three days on this important topic, reflecting on the latest research and looking toward the future, exploring new ideas about how to improve the teaching of languages in 21st century schools.
 
Your child directly benefits from this professional learning community, as our faculty members continue to train in their field and bring their learning back to the classroom, as part of our ongoing efforts to continually improve the way we deliver our rich bilingual and multicultural program at SDFAS


Christian Jarlov, Head of School

*AEFE: Agence pour l'enseignement français à l'étranger





Chers parents,

Les bons sportifs ne sont jamais satisfaits de leur performance, ils continuent à s'entraîner, ils utilisent la vidéo pour détecter leurs faiblesses et comment y remédier. Ils ont des entraîneurs expérimentés qui donnent les bons conseils et les aident à devenir encore meilleurs.
Les bonnes écoles font la même chose avec leurs professeurs et s'efforcent de proposer chaque année un excellent programme de formation continue. A SDFAS, nous avons augmenté notre offre depuis quelques années, nous appuyant sur une grande variété de ressources. C'est la raison pour laquelle votre enfant rentre parfois à la maison mentionnant qu'il y a une remplaçante pendant deux ou trois jours car le professeur est en stage. Grâce au réseau franco-américain, les professeurs français ont accès à un vaste choix de stages. Depuis deux ans, ce choix a été enrichi par des formations à distance ou des forums en ligne. Certains de nos professeurs ont même entrepris de nouvelles études universitaires pour compléter leurs compétences. Les professeurs du programme américain ont aussi de nombreuses possibilités, allant parfois jusqu'à Los Angeles ou San Francisco pour une conférence en maths, en science ou une autre matière.
SDFAS a accueilli cette semaine un stage sur l'éducation bilingue, avec trois conseillers pédagogiques de l'AEFE. Vingt-cinq stagiaires des écoles franco-américaines, inclus la nôtre bien entendu, ont passé trois jours sur cet important sujet, étudiant les dernières recherches et allant de l'avant pour apporter de nouvelles idées et pratiques pour améliorer l'enseignement des langues dans les écoles du 21ème siècle.
Votre enfant bénéficie de cet environnement professionnel, de ces professeurs qui continuent à se perfectionner dans leur métier, avec pour but d'améliorer leur façon d'offrir aux élèves un riche programme bilingue et multiculturel.


Christian Jarlov, chef d'établissement

This week, SDFAS hosted a workshop on bilingual education
SDFAS a accueilli cette semaine un stage sur l'éducation bilingue

Pictured: SDFAS Kindergarten Teachers Laurette and Laura present during a morning session their work and how they develop innovative bilingual lessons with their students.

The school welcomed this week 25 teachers from other French American Schools: San Francisco, New York, Berkeley, Seattle, Portland, Houston, etc. Three pedagogic advisors lead the brainstorming sessions and workshops on a very important topic: bilngual education. What do we learn from research and how does it apply to our schools?
JOG-A-THON is almost here!
Le JOG-A-THON arrive bientôt à l'école !





The Jog-a-Thon is a great time for our school to build team spirit and our a sense of community through our commitment to charities benefiting children.

We are in need of parent volunteers to help with cutting fruit and serving drinks. We also would like to encourage you to come out and cheer for the students as they participate in this annual school wide event!!

Questions? Volunteer?  Contact Diesa Seidel:  dseidel@sdfrenchschool.org
Science Project in 6th Grade
Projet de Science en 6ème

Pictured: 6th grade students have worked on the cell project, please see some pictures click

The 6th grade students have been learning a lot about cells in US science class. They used microscopes to look at the different types of living cells and to see some of their internal organelles (any number of organized or specialized structures within a living cell). Next, students added contaminants to the cells while looking at them under a microscope to observe how the organelles reacted to their changing environments. That way, they started learning the functions of the different organelles.
Students then had to learn the functions of each organelle and had to build a model of one cell. In order to help them better recall the organelles and their functions, the students created analogy models; in which they chose something they knew well that could compare to a cell. They decided which part of their item of choice best matched the function of which organelle. 
Students were encouraged to use creativity and look around their home to find what they needed to build their analogical model of a cell. What a fun time we all had to see what each student came up with and in the sharing of our cells!  Each student has had the opportunity the share his or her model and all of us who were listening decided which organelle we thought made the most sense and helped us better understand the actual organelle and its function. Thanks for all the hard work and extra efforts!

Echo Jacoway
Science Lab for the 4th Graders
Le laboratoire de science pour les CM1












Pictured: David, Tom and Molly.

The fourth grade students had the special opportunity to use the middle school science lab to work on an Erosion Experiment. We experienced what happens to the surface of land as water erodes it away. Perfect timing with the rainfall San Diego is experiencing right now.
 
Cathleen Anderson
Physics in PK2
Etude de la physique pour les moyennes sections de maternelle












Pictured: Hunter and Garrett, Gillian and Samir.

Yes our students are exposed to some concepts related to physic.
In PK2 they had to understand and resolve a few new concepts: what shapes of objects will be able to roll or slide down, and how to increase their speed when rolling down.
They spent a few classes building slopes, using cardboards or papers, creating some more or less steep slopes, observing the kind of objects that would roll better and faster, and at making their own conclusions.
A very scientific way of thinking.
Math concepts in Preschool and Kindergarten
Les concepts mathématiques en maternelle















Pictured: Flavio and Farah, Zoé.

In our French curriculum, all the Math skills have the power to help our students develop some important tools to structure their way of thinking. One of the skills the Kindergarten learn to master is "Reproduce an assembly from a template (puzzle, tiling, construction)."
The children will have to manipulate, after a precise observation, which will help their understanding with the abstract concepts of as space visualization.
Another skill they need to master is "Count to compare two given sets." This skill may appear as an easy one but to achieve it, you need to have fully understood the concepts of quantities. A difficult skill our students at SDFAS start learning from PK0, with a quantity of 2 objects, then 3 objects in PK1, 5 objects in PK2 and finally they will easily master the quantity of 10 objects.
Our PK1 students spend some time acquiring this next math skill: "Identify a pattern and continue the sequence."
This particular skill will allow them to develop their logical way of thinking and prepare them for problem solving skills.
 
Being able to count is not the same as simply being able to recite the numbers. This is only one of the various Math Number sense concepts our students will master by the end of Kindergarten.
Middle School Sports League



Boys Basketball Ball Dominate Encinitas Country Day:  " On Tuesday afternoon, the Junior Varsity Boys Basketball Team defeated Encinitas Country Day 36 - 8. The team started the game strong as they forced turnovers with their pressure defense. Offensively, the team stayed focused, engaging in solid ball movement and finding the open shot. It was an impressive effort led by 7th graders Seiji Ayala-Sekiguchi and Dante Schrantz. For the 6th graders, Adrien Cousin, Nicola Redon, and Colin Guckian demonstrated great poise and confidence, resulting in stand-out performances."



On Thursday, January 12, 2017, the soccer girls team played its second match on the field of SDFAS. Unfortunately the team lost 6 goals to 2 against Encinitas Country Day School, great favorite of this championship...
Next game, Tuesday 31 January against Grauer at SDFAS. Go Stingrays!
Middle School Information Presentation
Présentation du collège

The MS Information Presentation made available to all Elementary families in the auditorium last Thursday January 19th, gave them the opportunity to gain a better understanding  of SDFAS' robust Educational Program. Specifically designed for parents of incoming 6th graders, M. Jarlov, Ms. Brouder (Middle School Director) and Ms. Wallen (High School Placement Counselor) explained the design and mapping of the curriculum in 6th grade and beyond.
For any information about SDFAS Middle School, please contact Ms. Brouder.
WINTER CAMP


Our 2017 Winter Break Camp is offered from February 20-24 from 8:30 - 4:00 p.m. for PK0 to 8th Grade.

* For full day camp week 8:30-4 p.m. the price is $315 per week.

* Half day camp week from 8:30-12:30 p.m. is $275 per week. 

* Surf camp is from 9:30-12:30 p.m. ($330 per week). 

For more info about the camp themes please download the pdf form.


Click HERE to register online
 
WHAT'S COMING UP

- January 27:  Café-Croissants
- January 28: Morning of Fun
- February 1: Encouragement VS PRAISE
- February 10: Talent Show
- February 15: Dernier jour pour  déposer le dossier de bourses à l'école (French families)
- February 17: Chinese New Year to SDFAS and Minimum Day
- February 20-24: Winter Break