Newsletter Issue No 3
September 28, 2017 
In This Issue
First Meeting for the PA
MEET THE NEW TEACHERS
EUSTORY / WWI Project
STEM
2018 GALA in celebration of our 30th Anniversary
Library News
360 Classroom
Delegates meeting
Spanish Elective
Adult French Classes
After school activities
WHAT'S COMING UP

Quick Links




Girard Gourmet Lunches:


NEW:


MyStudentsProgress
MSP

 
1st Gala Committee Meeting
tomorrow at 8.45 am

The first Gala meeting will take place tomorrow, on Friday, September 29 at 8:45 am in the sunroom (behind the auditorium). We look forward to welcoming new and returning parents. If you cannot attend this 1st meeting but would like to participate, please send an email to Véronique Rahmati at

 
French Film Club
Max & Leon 
Friday, September 29
 
Free Workshop on Financial

Free Workshop on Financial Planning for College on Saturday September 30th at 9.30 am in the auditorium.

Click HERE to register

 
Parent Information Evening - The SDFAS Experience from A to Z

On  Tuesday, October 3 from 5:30 - 7:00 pm in the auditorium.

Recommended for all families interested in learning more about the full SDFAS curricular sequence from Pre-Elementary to Elementary and from Elementary to Middle School, including High School Placement counseling. The presentation is divided into two parts (Pre-Elementary/Elementary and Middle School/High School Counseling) and parents are welcome to attend either or both sessions:

5:30 - 6:15 pm

1 - Introduction: SDFAS mission and philosophy; benefits of bilingualism

2 - Pre-Elementary curriculum & experience

3 - Elementary curriculum & experience
Q&A

6:15 - 7:00 pm

4 - Middle School curriculum & experience

5 - High School Placement Counseling
Q&A

 
Sibling Pictures

Alexandra Borbolla will be available for the sibling pictures  October 9-14 . The package of sibling pictures will be $95.

Click HERE for more information and to book a time and day. Slots are available before class from 7:30 to 8:40 am or on Saturday 10 to am - noon.

Note that the school pictures with the company Lifetouch are only for the individual and class pictures in grades K-8. 

 
Monthly Morning Coffee with Mark in the auditorium



Meet and greet opportunities. Parents are invited to join new Head of School Mark Rosenblum for morning coffee in the auditorium, for all or part of an hour, from 8 - 9 am on the following dates:
 
Tuesday October 10
Friday November 17
Tuesday December 5
 
See you there if you are interested and able to make it on one of these dates!

 
Parenting Workshop
Thursday, October 12

PARENTING WORKSHOP at SDFAS with Hilde Gross on Thursday October 12th from 6:30 to 8:00 pm in the Auditorium.

Registration to the conference is mandatory:
Sign up at the front desk or email Stéphanie at [email protected]
 Deadline to register: Thursday October 12
th 2017 by 12:00 noon
 
Minimum Day Friday,
October 20
   
Dismissal is at 11:45 am for PK0-5, and at 12 noon for middle school.
 
Extended care is available from 12 noon until 6 pm.
 
Parents must register their children for extended care on minimum days before Friday October 13th, by sending an email to EXTENDED CARE if you cannot pick up your child by 12 noon.
 
There is no Girard Gourmet school lunch service, so if your child is staying in extended care, please provide a lunch. Children who are not picked up by noon will go to the lunch area. Please pick up your children in the lunch area for K-8 and from the playground in preschool.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions:   
[email protected]
 
 
Film UNKNOWN GIRL at Digital Gym Cinema in the San Diego


The San Diego Media Arts Center - Digital Gym Cinema in North Park invites the SDFAS community to the French film, THE UNKNOWN GIRL starring Oscar nominee Adèle Haenel and Olivier Bonnaud. It is an emotional French drama about a woman who gets obsessed with the case of a dead woman after learning that the woman had died shortly after having rung her door for help. The film will be showing from Friday September 29 to Thursday October 5. Digital Gym Cinema gladly offers the SDFAS community a "special deal" to receive $2.50 off the general admission price. Simply use promo code "DGCCP" during the checkout process when purchasing tickets online. If buying in person at the box office, make sure to mention French American School in order to receive this special discount.


PRE-ELEMENTARY 
SCHOOL BLOG

For Pre-Elementary School information and updates 

Click
 

ELEMENTARY 
SCHOOL BLOG
For Elementary School information and updates 

Click
 

MIDDLE 
SCHOOL BLOG
   For Middle School information and updates 

Click
 

ASA BLOG
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Thank you for your support.


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BLOGS

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Access the blogs from our homepage:

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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.
 
Elementary: Mini forum September 14
Élémentaire : Mini forum du 14 septembre

First Grade rules 2017-2018
First Grade rules 2017-2018

First graders have been working hard on learning the school rules. Learning and following rules are important ways to keep us safe and having fun! The classes are off to a great start!
24-Hour Relief Drive for Mexico earthquakes disaster
Conduite de secours 24 heures sur 24 pour le désastre des tremblements de terre au Mexique

 

Spearheaded by the School Humanitarian Committee made of faculty, students and parents, the SDFAS community joined efforts to collect supplies in a 24-hour relief drive for the Mexico earthquakes disaster on Monday September 25 and Tuesday September 26.
The Humanitarian Committee also promoted help to victims of Harvey, reaching out to the Awty International School which is part of the AEFE school network. The Humanitarian Committee's mission is to set up an emergency response task force as well as selecting actions to be conducted throughout the year.
Thank you to all of you for the donations, and thank you, young and older students, for your help and diligence to help out sorting and packing the supplies for Mexico. Thank you to our parent volunteer for taking care of delivering the donations to a charity across the border. Finally, thank you to Ms. Seidel for accepting to lead the Humanitarian Committee this year, and thank you to the members of the Committee.

ÉDITO
 



We are privileged here at SDFAS and in San Diego to live in a safe environment and protected community. The same is not true at the present time for many in North America and around the world. 

Notably, as we are all aware, recent hurricanes have devastated large portions of Texas, Florida, the Caribbean (including St. Maarten, Martinique and Guadeloupe) and Puerto Rico. And, recent earthquakes have caused widespread damage, loss of life, and strife in Mexico. 
It can be difficult to explain the impact of such events to our children. They, and we, often feel helpless. 
We feel we must react. We feel we must help. But we often don't know how best to do so. 
It has warmed my heart this week and should warm the heart of the SDFAS community to know how successful the Humanitarian Group's 24-hour disaster supply drive has been. 
The articles collected will be sorted by student volunteers and boxed for shipment to Mexico. While perhaps small in the grand scheme of the relief effort, it is actions such as these that help our community and our students to learn the values of empathy and solidarity with peoples in need, and this on a global scale.

In age appropriate ways, I encourage parents and teachers to speak with our children about their role as global citizens and how important it is to be aware of these types of events in the world. 
Indeed, rebuilding these communities will take a sustained effort over many months. Puerto Rico and Mexico City may never be the same but with strong support from around the world through actions such as ours, we strengthen the global aid network and foster bonds of fellowship. 

This is all part of an SDFAS education.


Mark Rosenblum, Head of school


Chers parents,
 
Nous avons le privilège de vivre à San Diego en sécurité et dans un environnement privilégié au sein de la communauté de SDFAS. Au regard des évènements récents, nous ne pouvons pas en dire de même  pour un grand nombre de personnes vivant en Amérique du nord et dans le monde. Des ouragans ont dévasté des parties importantes du Texas, de la Floride, des Caraïbes (y compris St. Martin, la Martinique et la Guadeloupe) et de Puerto Rico. De récents tremblements de terres ont également sinistré le Mexique et notamment sa capitale. 
Cela peut être difficile d'expliquer à nos enfants l'impact de tels évènements. Ils se sentent démunis, et nous aussi. Nous aimerions réagir. Nous aimerions aider. Mais souvent, nous ne savons comment nous y prendre. Cela m'a réchauffé le cœur de voir cette semaine la vague de soutien à la collecte organisée par notre Groupe Humanitaire. Les articles donnés ont été triés et emballés par des élèves volontaires avant d'être expédiés au Mexique. Même si cette action peut sembler insignifiante comparée aux efforts menés dans le monde entier, ce soutien permet à nos élèves d'appréhender les valeurs essentielles que sont l'empathie et la solidarité. 

J'encourage les parents et les professeurs de parler aux enfants de leur rôle en tant que citoyens du monde. En effet, pour reconstruire ces communautés, il faudra des efforts soutenus pendant de longs mois. Puerto Rico et la ville de Mexico ne seront peut-être jamais tout à fait les mêmes. 
Toutefois, par le biais d'actions comme la nôtre, nous cultivons la fraternité entre les peuples et nous montrons que toute aide compte, si petite soit-elle. 

Ceci fait partie prenante de l'éducation prodiguée à SDFAS.

Mark Rosenblum, Chef d'établissement

Grandparents and Special Friends Day
La journée des Grands-Parents et des Amis

Grandparents and Special Friends Day will take place  Friday, October 20 . Save the date!

The event will start at 9 a.m. in the auditorium with coffee and pastries and a short presentation/video. Our special guests will participate this year in the Halloween celebration. They will be the judges of the pumpkin contest, and enjoy the parade with us. Of course, costumes are welcome.

Please remind grandparents and special friends to register for the event by sending an email at  [email protected]  by  Monday, October 16 .


If you love books and would like to help during the book-fair, please contact Aurélie  [email protected]
Middle: Art classes - Pottery
Collège : Cours artistique - Poterie


Every Thursday afternoon, 6th grade students get to enjoy a ceramic workshop as part of their "Artist in Residence" program. Artist and Ceramist Jacob Johnston (also a parent of an elementary student) teaches various art technics to make beautiful creations with clay.
EUSTORY / WWI Project with the German Pacific School


The Kick Off session of the EUSTORY/ WWI project took place on Saturday September 16, 2017 at SDFAS with visiting students from the German Pacific School!
EUSTORY is a contest for students in the French and German in middle schools and high schools. Eustory is organized by French and German institutions, such as the Institut Français and the Goethe Institute. Its purpose is to keep alive memories of historical events, promote cross-cultural understanding, peace between nations, and provide a fun and interesting opportunity for French and German students to work together.
The 4 SDFAS and 4 German Pacific School students, alongside with their parents, had the opportunity to meet each other, and made a first exploration of the theme "Peace in War". We also had the pleasure to watch an excerpt of the movie "Joyeux Noël".
All contest entries must be submitted by March 25, 2018.
For more information, please visit www.eustory.fr , or contact Mr. Baron and Ms. Brouder for SDFAS and Ms. Elbe for the German Pacific School.
Pre-Elementary: STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)


Margot, future engineer or architect?

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) is omnipresent in our SDFAS' curriculum and our students practice STEM activities on a daily basis.
Science activities include: Exploring the sand area, identifying simple machines like gears and wheels and pulleys, planning and designing structures. Making patterns are also some examples of STEM activities in Early Childhood
Our approach? We are targeting the "what" instead of the "why".
"What": questions focus on what is happening, what children are noticing, and what they are doing. By focusing questions on what kids observe and notice. We are helping them not only to develop valuable communication and observation skills, but also to build their confidence by giving them questions they can answer themselves as they become experts. 
Elementary: Space and Geometry
Élémentaire : espace et géométrie




Pictured: Isabelle, Reyhan, Mahalet and Olivia, Bodhi, Léandre

This week, 2nd graders have worked on " locate the objects relative to each other or to other points ". They made models of the classroom using Lego material. A true fun activity, with lot of interactions.
Pre-Elementary Program: Multisensory approach
Programme des maternelles : Approche multisensorielle

Pictured: Julien.

Multisensory learning is learning that involves two or more of the senses within the same activity: auditory, visual, tactile, and kinesthetic.
 
A classic approach tends to target only visual and auditory senses. Our teachers are always trying to integrate different pathways, as we are all different learners.
 
In PK0, Geraldine is using visual and tactile to work on colors.

Middle School: Theater and Performing Arts Clubs


MS clubs have now started! Students enrolled in the French Theater Club (La Troupe) and the Spanish Theater Club, have now embarked on a journey which will climax with their performances on Thursday May 10, 2018 at SDFAS. For now, they are learning to know and trust each other as acting partners.
As part of this year project, SDFAS would organize a Multilingual Theater Event "Drama in progress" this Spring, where SDFAS students would have the opportunity to meet with drama troupes from several San Diego Language Schools (German, Italian, Greek speakers and more).  Contacts: Ms. Addo (La Troupe) - Ms. Patino (Spanish Theater Club)
Delegates meeting
Réunion des délégués

Following the delegates election in each class, the elected delegates had their first meeting on Monday, September 25th. They were able to present their questions and to propose some solutions.

Sports League: 
Cross-Country


Pictured: Emeraude, Ava, Tahlia and Emi.

Congratulations to the SDFAS Cross-Country team on an excellent start to the season. The team competed in their first meet at La Jolla Shores, a 1.7 mile beach run, where the girls dominated and finished in first place out of 5 other league schools. The boys team ran an impressive race, placing 2nd overall by a margin of 4 points.  
The team's 2nd race was a technical 1.5 mile course at San Dieguito Lower Park. The girls crushed the competition and swept the overall 1st (Lexine Arambulo), 2nd (Tahlia Zadeyan) and 3rd (Chloe Gross) place finishes individually. In the 5th/6th division, the girls cleaned house again, taking the gold (Tahlia Zadeyan), silver (Emi Ayala-Sekiguchi) and bronze (Emeraude Westlake). 
The boys placed 3rd as a team, and was led by John Guckian (1st place overall), Nicola Redon (silver medal), and Emil Belhon.

Volleyball


Pictured: Nathalie, Nolwenn, Chloe and Kaylie.

The girls volleyball team competed in 2 games this season against The Rhoades School (15-25, 17-25, 10-15) and The Cambridge School (12-25, 15-25, 9-15). The young team played hard and fearlessly faced their seasoned opponents. Bravo and keep up the fighting spirit!
Adult French Classes
Classe de Français pour les adultes

We have a great selection of French classes for adults, on Tuesday with Isabelle A2/B1 Intermediate level from 1:30 - 3 pm, A1 beginner from 5-6:30 pm, on Wednesday with Stephanie A1 level on Wednesday from 9:15 - 10:45 am and A2 level from 11:10 - 12:40 pm.
 
Notice the level of concentration of the students during this morning adult French class rushing through a contest on numbers. This class is full and we are opening a new A1 beginner class on Tuesday from 9:15 - 10:45 am.
Fall Break: October 23-27 (5 days)
Mise à jour des activités extra-scolaire

SDFAS is offering vacation camps for PK0-8 th grade at the following dates:  ONLINE REGISTER

Deadline registration Oct. 15th, 2017 on Oct. 16th a $50 late registration fee will be added to your total. 

Pay online HERE Each camp in preschool is managed by one instructor and one assistant. 

There are different groups divided by level PK0-PK1, and PK2-K. For older children there is only one group 1st - 8th Grade with one instructor. We also offer half day Surf Camp* and half day Soccer Camp.

The theme for each vacation break will be based on the season Fall, Winter and Spring activities. Children will do arts and crafts projects using nature, fun stories and activities. Children will get familiar with different songs, stories and participate in outdoor activities. If cancelation occurs on or before Oct. 15 th , we will retain a $50 cancelation fee per child. If cancelation takes place after Oct. 16 th , there is no refund. We reserve the right to cancel the camp if the minimum of 6 children is not met; we reserve the right to combine camps if registration doesn't meet the minimum.

A welcome email confirmation will be sent to parents of all registered students on Thursday Oct. 19th . We do not offer hot lunch during our vacation breaks. We offer childcare from 4-5 p.m. for $50/week. Late pick up will be charged $1/min after 5 pm. Drop in full day from 8:30 am - 4 pm. $85 per day or half days 8:30 am - 12:30 pm $75/half day are available only for preschool. Surf camp is $340.  Albion Soccer camp for 1 st -3 rd grade from 9-12pm is $250, for 4 th -8 th grade from 9-2pm is $300. If you need camp until 4 pm, your child can join the afternoon camp, price is $100/week.

*Surf Camp (Surf Diva) K-8th Grade. 9:30 am - 12:30 pm.
Children will learn to surf in small groups in a fun and encouraging environment at  California's #1 Surf School owned by twin sisters Izzy and Coco Tihanyi, at La Jolla Shores.

The Tihanyi family has two children attending SDFAS, who also surf in the ASA program and are very involved in the daily school activities and fundraising. Your child will benefit from this activity by developing balance, athleticism, and self-confidence with our positive and highly trained instructors. Surfboards and rash guards are provided for the surf lesson. Classes will feature detailed instruction in: ocean awareness, waves and currents, water safety, surf etiquette, surfing equipment, surfing history, global surf geography. All levels are accepted.

The surf program for SDFAS, La Jolla Surf Camp for boys and girls, is run by the top instructors at Surf Diva. Children must know how to swim. Parents need to fill out the package available from the office, sign the waiver and provide weight and height of their children. All children will meet the instructor at the drop off/pick up zone near the north bathrooms at La Jolla Shores.

Cancellation policy: For parents who are not sure if their children like surfing, you can cancel after the first class with a full refund minus the first class cost. Parents have to drop off and pick up their children to and from La Jolla Shores beach. Wet suits are available for rent.
 
WHAT'S COMING UP

SEPTEMBER

- Friday 29: The First Gala Meeting in the sunroom 8:45 am
- Friday 29: French Film Club of San Diego at SDFAS for "Max & Leon" 7:00 pm

OCTOBER

- Week of October 2 - 6: Sibling pictures  with Alexandra Borbolla
- Tuesday, October 3: All parents information evening: "The SDFAS Experience from A to Z"  5:30 - 7 pm
- Thursday - Friday 5-6: Taste Week in PreK and K
- Monday 9:  School Council #1 at 3:20 pm
- Wednesday 11: Mini Forum PK2-KA
- Thursday 12: Choice Application Workshop 12 - 1 pm
- Friday 13 - Friday 20: French Book Fair
- Thursday, October 12:
Parenting Workshop on Limits and Consequences with Hilde Gross 6:30 - 8 pm

- Monday 16 - Thursday 19: 6 th and 7 th grade overnight field trips
- Monday 16 - Thursday 19: PK-5 th P/T Meetings
- Monday 16 - Friday 20: Giving Week
- Friday 20: Halloween / Grandparents Day / MINIMUM DAY
- Friday 20: Elementary and MS P/T Meetings 1 - 3 pm
- Monday Friday 23 - 27: Fall Break