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Quick Links
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Girard Gourmet Lunches:
NEW:
MyStudentsProgress
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The school council met on October 9.
Minutes are now available online.
Click
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This year an astounding 95% of parents and 100% of staff contributed to the Annual Fund, with 11 classes at 100% participation.
Since the end of Giving Week, some members of the community came forward and we are now $1,000 away from reaching our goal and receiving the challenge gift from the Board of Trustees in the amount of $100,000.
Please act now, donate online and help us raise $1,000 before Saturday!
Thank you all for your support!
Merci pour votre générosité.
Véronique Rahmati, Development Office, extension 304
[email protected]
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What: Baguette and Pain-choco (Lindt bar & piece of bread) from Prager Brothers will be sold at SDFAS every Wednesday afternoon. Baguettes will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis.
Why:
This year, these sale are part of a 8th grade fundraising initiative "by the students / for the students" in order to help partially fund the 8th grade students' graduation trip which will occur in June 2018.
When: Every Wednesday afternoon from 2:45-4:15 pm.
Where: Outside on the K-8 blacktop
Please come support them!
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The French Book Fair continues online! SDFAS and Bookwitty affiliate program.
I would like to thank all the students, parents and grand-parents who visited the French Book Fair and contributed to make it a success. It is always a pleasure to see some excitement around literature.
Although we received a hundred more books compared to last year, we know that the French Book Fair seems small to you compared to the English one. That's why Anne Ricart, our librarian, SDFAS and the Parents Association are proud to announce our affiliate program with Bookwitty.
A dedicated page for SDFAS has been created on their website, which includes the book selections from the fair as well as other French book recommendations. You can also find adult literature, art, travel, etc. Purchase the books online and have them delivered directly to your home!
Any purchase made on the site using the link below will automatically give our school a 10% discount to grow the library collection.
How it works?
Once you click on the link once, a "cookie" is installed on your computer. What this means is that every time you go to
bookwitty.com
, no matter the page, it will always link back any purchase made to our school account. And this will be the case for up to 45 days after the first time you clicked on that link.
The link to use for this page is HERE
To create an account and order books, follow those three easy steps.
1 -
Click on the link provided
2 -
Create an account. Shop!
3 -
Any purchase made will be linked back to the school. No code needed.
We hope this new system will give you the chance to get the books you love.
We also would like to warmly thank the volunteers who helped run the book fair all week long: Ann Amukele, Keri Belhon, Melanie Christie, Karen Gibson, Vanessa Hamilton, Chris Monghal, Linda Morales, Dima Saab, Berna Sidal, Céline Theano, Angela Whiteside. From SDFAS: Stéphanie Humbert, Laura Durant and the facility staff.
Happy reading everyone and see you next year!
Aurélie Demotier-Maillard
French Book Fair chair and P.A. member
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Pre-elementary: Mini Forum
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On Wednesday, October 11, 2017 SDFAS Kindergarten and PK2 students were the stars of our first mini-forum. Our three K classes, who sang two songs a cappella, opened the show. Then PK2 students interpreted "cinq petits mots".
Performing in front of an audience is such an incredible way to work on their self-confidence. Lots of fun, and your children were so proud to perform for you!
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Middle School: Diane Alpaio, Screenwriter
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Diane has written and optioned several feature length movie scripts. Her focus is on writing empowering comedies. She is currently working on two projects; a female buddy movie and a Christmas franchise. Prior to her work as a screenwriter Diane held management positions in the telecom industry and worked at the university level in alumni relations. She is thrilled to be working with our Middle School students on the EUSTORY project.
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Sailing Project in 3rd Grade
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Our first session of sailing went very well! The students were so happy even though they had a lot of theory this time (learning the parts of the boat, about wind direction, how to navigate and cooperate on the sabot, and more). All students passed their mandatory swim test and were able to enjoy sailing and practice their emerging skills.
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Sports League:
Volleyball team
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The SDFAS volleyball team's growth is fantastic: on October 10 against Nelson Middle Years, the second set's results came very close: 26/24
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Children had lots of fun during the Fall Camp during the warm weather. For the first time we had a group of 7 children participate in the ALBION Soccer camp. Other camps for ages 2-3-4 years and ages 5 and up were taking place on the campus. Children enjoyed cooking, baking, crafting for Fall & Halloween and playing, listening to stories, and learning songs with our instructors Emma & Kayla, Sarah & Chloe, and Vesna & Nohemi.
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Minimum Day Wednesday,
November 22
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Dismissal is at 11:45 am for PK0-PK1- PK2 and K-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 November 17th, 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.
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PRE-ELEMENTARY
SCHOOL BLOG
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For Pre-Elementary School information and updates
Click
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ELEMENTARY
SCHOOL BLOG
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For Elementary School information and updates
Click
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MIDDLE
SCHOOL BLOG
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For Middle School information and updates
Click
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ASA BLOG
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 Follow us to receive our pictures, update and stories from our instructors and your children.
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VISIT OUR SDFAS FACEBOOK PAGE
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 Don't forget to like and follow us on Facebook!
Thank you for your support.
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Follow us on Twitter
@SDFrenchSchool
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SDFAS is sharing pictures
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SDFAS is sharing Videos
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We are also sharing the blogs for each division:
It takes only a few clicks to subscribe!
Access the blogs from our homepage:
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QUESTIONS?
COMMENTS?
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If you have any questions or comments regarding this publication, please contact our editor, Audrey Blanchard at
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Click
for the French American Chamber of Commerce website.
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Halloween Celebration Grandparents and Special Friends Day
La fête d'Halloween, la journée des Grands-parents et Amis
Video: Elementary Flashmob, October 2017
During our last day of school before Fall Break, we celebrated grandparents and special friends' day by inviting them to participate in our Halloween parties. We took a lot of pictures and had a walking parade around the whole campus. We really enjoyed watching the Elementary Flash Mob before going back to our classrooms for a potluck with all of our friends and families.
We also had a pumpkin-carving contest. What a day!
Pictured: Nicolas Giot, Lilou and Emeraude, Anne-Laure and Shelby.
Congratulations to students and faculty for their creativity and sense of humor: it was hard to decide which costumes were best because there were so many inventive homemade creations!
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Building Bridges between Elementary & Middle School
Construire des ponts entre l'élémentaire & le collège
On October 12, 2017, 5th and 7th graders joined in the annual "Building Bridges workshop". Students met in pairs and/or small groups and engaged in three team building activities:
- Ice breakers - playing two truths and a lie.
- Getting to know each other - dialogue.
- Q & A regarding middle school - questions from the 5th graders prepared in class before the workshop with 7th graders answering.
We then welcomed the 5th graders in Middle School at the Halloween celebration on October 20 (Costume contest with awards and potluck).
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ÉDITO
The school's accreditation self study report, due for submission to CAIS (California Association of independent Schools) on December 1st, is a comprehensive document reporting on all areas of the school. One area of strength that is repeatedly highlighted in the report is "the school's diverse, open, and welcoming community".
Indeed, at SDFAS, warmth and caring toward others, mutual respect, and taking pleasure in each other's company are cherished values. These will certainly be on display as we enter November and the holiday season with all that it brings: Open House, Holiday Food Drive, Thanksgiving, La Jolla Parade, Winter Market (Marché de Noël), Winter Shows.
Recently, the remarkable SDFAS spirit of community was highly visible before October break during a week that included Giving Week, Grandparents and Special Visitors Day, and annual Halloween festivities. The preschool costume parade, elementary school flash mob, and creative (often quite sophisticated) student and teacher costumes in the Middle School all contributed to a joyful sense of shared wonder and celebration. Potluck lunch-snacks in spookily decorated classrooms rounded out the community bonding experience. The kindness and camaraderie that I experienced moving from classroom to classroom in all three divisions of the school was a clear indication of just how deep the values of openness and empathy are embedded at SDFAS amongst people who represent 45 nationalities, speak 20 languages, and all take pride in the French-American curriculum and school culture of SDFAS. We are truly a unique multicultural community in San Diego.
I would like to thank each member of the community for your ongoing contributions to the life and spirit of our school. And recently for your individual and collective generosity during Giving Week!
Mark Rosenblum, Head of school
Chers parents,
Le rapport que produit l'école pour son accréditation sera soumis le 1er décembre à CAIS (l'Association des écoles indépendantes de Californie). Il s'agit d'un document complet à travers lequel l'école commente chaque aspect de son fonctionnement. Un des points forts soulevé dans le rapport de façon répétée est "la communauté diverse, accueillante et ouverte de SDFAS".
En effet, chaleur humaine, respect mutuel, et le plaisir à être ensemble constituent des valeurs sociales importantes de l'école. Ces valeurs seront certainement mises en lumière pendant les mois de novembre et décembre, la saison des fêtes avec tout ce qu'elle apporte: Journée Portes-Ouvertes, Collecte de Provisions (Holiday Food Drive), Thanksgiving, Parade à La Jolla, Marché de Noël, Spectacles d'hiver.
Et pourtant, il est à noter que cet esprit communautaire a été fort visible
avant
les vacances d'Octobre pendant une semaine mélangeant philanthropie, journée des grand parents et amis, et festivités annuelles autour de la fête de Halloween. La parade des costumes en maternelle, la danse collective en élémentaire, et les déguisements créatifs (et souvent très sophistiqués) au niveau du collège - tout a contribué à une joyeuse atmosphère d'émerveillement partagé et de célébration. L'esprit communautaire a été complété par des repas-goûter dans chaque classe, décorée pour la saison.
La gentillesse et la fraternité que j'ai ressenties en me déplaçant d'une salle de classe à l'autre dans les trois divisions de l'école ont été pour moi une indication très claire : les valeurs d'ouverture d'esprit et d'empathie sont ancrées à SDFAS dans l'ADN de l'école parmi des gens qui représentent 45 pays, parlent 20 langues et sont tous très fiers du curriculum franco-américain et de la culture de leur école. Nous sommes réellement une communauté multiculturelle unique à San Diego.
Je profite de ce message pour remercier chaque membre de la communauté pour ses contributions à l'esprit et à la vie de notre école. Et récemment pour sa générosité individuelle et collective pendant la semaine de la philanthropie.
Mark Rosenblum, Chef d'établissement
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Thanksgiving lunch at SDFAS
Le repas de Thanksgiving à l'école
Every year SDFAS celebrates Thanksgiving with a traditional family lunch. The lunch will be prepared and served by Girard Gourmet on Wednesday, November 22 (minimum day). Free range organic turkey will be served. See the menu in the attached form. There is also a vegetarian option, so please specify.
This lunch is NOT included if you registered your children with the program as it is a minimum day.
- If you will be having lunch: The lunch will be served at 11:45 a.m. for PK0-PK2 and 12:00 noon for K-8. If you and your family or friends would like to participate in the event, please fill out the registration form attached and bring your filled-out form along with your payment to the administration office.
- If you will not be having lunch: We still need to know if your child will be present at school or in extended care on Wednesday as it is a minimum day. If so, please fill out the second part of the attachment.
- If you have a child in pre-elementary and also in elementary or middle school, you can choose to either eat at 11:45 a.m. or at 12 noon and pick up your children accordingly.
Pick up:
For PK0-PK2: Parents are welcome to pick up the children from their classroom starting at 11:45 a.m. For K-8: Please pick up from the blacktop starting at 11:45 a.m. In order to have a smooth event, please fill out the form and return it before Friday, November 17 to Valérie, Stéphanie or Babeth.
Please let me know if you have any questions at: [email protected]
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Le Marché de Noël vendors needed
Le Marché de Noël a besoin de vendeurs
This year's Marché de Noël will take place on
Friday, December 8th between 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
The Marché de Noël is our opportunity to transform our blacktop into a 'holiday gift shop' by inviting our favorite local artisans and farmers market vendors.
Ever wanted to have your own little holiday shop? Here's your chance! Parents and students are invited to show off their entrepreneurial spirit. High quality homemade goods, from jewelry to sweets, have been popular in the past.
Also, if you know of anyone else who is interested in becoming a vendor, please ask them to contact us at [email protected] or give us their information and we will do so.
SDFAS vendor registration deadline: Wednesday
, November 15
Guest vendor registration deadline:
Wednesday, November 15
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Annual food drive at SDFAS
Collecte annuelle de nourriture
This year we will collect food for Feed America San Diego.
Their mission is to feed America's hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and in San Diego to engage in the fight to end hunger.
Students will receive information in class and at Forum this week: they will meet representatives of the organization and see a short video explaining the situation in San Diego and the goals of the food drive.
The food drive will last one week: Tuesday, November 14 - Tuesday, November 21, until Thanksgiving. Students may drop off canned goods (soups, fruits, fish, chicken), nuts, or cereals.
See specific guidelines in the poster.
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Middle School: Science - French class
In science class, hands-on experiments are a must! The 8
th
grade students are currently studying the chemical properties of acidic-basics. They discovered that red cabbage is in indicator of PH: it changes color depending if a chemical substance is neutral or basic. They continued their experiments by making lemonade. The goal of this experiment was to identify the role of each ingredient: sugar, lemon juice, and baking soda.
Everything relates to chemical transformation and acidic basic properties!
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Middle School: Team Building Workshop: Out-reach Program
Collège: Programme de sensibilisation par équipe
On October 12, 2017, all middle school students assembled in the auditorium for an exciting workshop: They were assigned a complex task in groups of 8/9 students.
The goal was to create an oral presentation advocating for a local charity/non-profit organization from the San Diego greater area, which SDFAS could support.
They had to articulate why the group had picked that organization and how the choice was related with the mission of SDFAS. At the end of the workshop, students were able to vote according to several criteria on what they thought was the best charity for SDFAS to support.
Congratulations to all students from 6
th
to 8
th
grades for their excellent work: working in large groups on a complex assignment such as this one is challenging. They truly enjoyed the activity and were actively engaged while they perceived the purpose of the exercise.
The winners were:
- Most organized/best oral presentation: team 5
- Make a Wish
Sophie D., Emi, Adrien R., Jade, Gregoire, Paul, Alba, Leonie
- Best articulation between mission statements of SDFAS and the chosen charity: team 6 - Glisten
Armand, Ava, Lilou, Diego, Sophie C., Cameron, Nolwenn, Zachary, Ellie
- Best Voters' Choice: team 2 - San Diego Ocean Foundation
Angelina, Chloe, Jaxon, Lily, Oliver, Seiji, Liam Emma
Now team 2 will be invited to present their project/charity to the Humanitarian Committee.
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Middle Signature Overnight Trips
Pictured:
6th and 7th graders
On Monday October 16, 6
th
graders and 7
th
graders departed early in the morning for their annual overnight trip: 6
th
graders spent four days in Joshua Tree National Park, exploring a beautiful special environment. They hiked, rock climbed, discovered plants and species of the desert. 7
th
graders were in Pali Mountain at the same time, exploring the mountain environment, hiking, practicing fun team building educational activities.
Middle: Students' feedback in their own words Joshua Tree
"The S.E.A. was awesome (S.E.A. stands for subterranean exploration area). There was this part were you could choose if you wanted to go up or down. The down part was scary and the instructor had to go in sideways so I decided to go up. At one point, we stopped at this little place where we all sat down and our instructor told us a story about the cave. The story was really interesting. When the instructor was done telling the story, we had to go up somewhere, and when you got up, you thought you were lost, but really, you just had to look up
. When we got out I was really sad because it was hotter outside and I thought the cave was going to be longer."
Aitana
"Scrambling at camp was really fun. We got to go scrambling several times in different places, going up,down,to the side, and even went by a wasp nest. It was pretty scary to me but I didn't bother them so they didn't bother me. We saw a few caves that were pretty cool and stopped at one of them to have lunch. It was kind of cramped but we got to talk and it was very fun to experience being in nature and finding our way around. We experienced what Indians probably did a long long time ago, except they had to hunt and find their water, which luckily we didn't have to do. One of the days I got stung by a cactus, which wasn't so pleasant, but other than that ,camp was very fun. I would do it all over again if I could. And I had the best friends and the best teachers to guide and support me through the way. In conclusion, I am really glad I got to experience this wonderful camping trip."
Valentina
"The thing I like the most about Joshua Tree is Scrambling. I like it because I can climb on rocks and boulders. The only thing that I hate about scrambling is that the group has to walk in a line. I also like Rock Climbing because I am good at it but I did not know I was good. I like it because it makes me feel that I could practice and become really good at it."
Jimmy
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Elementary: Field Trip in Julian to visit the orchard Calico Ranch
Élémentaire : Visite à Julian d'une ferme de production de pommes
On Monday, October 16, both 1
st
grade classes went on a field trip in Julian to visit the orchard Calico Ranch. Thanks to the owners David and Amparo Young (also parents at SDFAS), the children learned about apple culture and work. They picked up apples from trees, made apple juice and had the pleasure to taste delicious organic apples and pears. The ranch has no less than 120 different varieties of apples. The children were surprised and impressed to discover some apple trees are almost 70 years old! An ideal field trip integrated in a long term project for the first graders this year around trees and forest.
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Middle School: EUSTORY Project with the German Pacific School
On Saturday September 16, 2017, we kicked off the project at SDFAS.
As a reminder, EUSTORY is a contest for students in French and German middle and high schools, organized by French and German institutions such as the Institut Français and the Goethe Institute. The purpose is to keep memories of events alive, promote cross cultural understanding, promote peace between nations, and give a fun and interesting opportunity for French and German students to work together. Contest entries must be submitted by March 25, 2018.
Now, in order to provide students with tools for coming up with the movie they wish to submit as their entry to the contest, we decided to run a script-writing workshop on Saturday October 14. Our speaker, Diane Alpaio, who is a professional script writer, kindly accepted to teach our German/French group of 16 students and their parents basic elements of script writing. These valuable skills will be put to good use not only for the EUSTORY project but also for other works as life-long learning skills.
We want to express our gratitude to Diane Alpaio, and also to all participants, adults and students, who made this workshop successful and a fantastic example of high quality teamwork!
For more information, please visit
www.eustory.fr
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Middle School: Aerial Revolution - 8th grade field trip
On October 18, the 8th grade enjoyed an athletic field trip to Aerial Revolution: they thoroughly went through the warm up session before trying their circus and acrobatic skills. It was so much fun! Everyone dared to try, even if the poses seem challenging!
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Cross Country at Miramar Lake
Rencontre des coureurs au lac Miramar
Pictured: Lexine, Chloe, Emeraude and Emi.
Yesterday, our team competed again.
- Boys: third place
- Girls: first place
and four individual medals! (silver and bronze)
Congratulations to all students and their Athletic Director!
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The high school application season is now in full swing!
L'inscription en lycée américain c'est maintenant !
Our annual High School Information Night took place in the SDFAS auditorium on Wednesday, September 27 - earlier this year as some schools' deadlines are earlier.
Attended mainly by current 8th grade students and parents, though 5th grade and up were invited, we were delighted to see so many families in attendance. The evening started with an overview of the different kinds of high schools in the area (public, independent/ private, parochial), the different kinds of academic programs available (Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, etc.), and how the application process differs for public and private schools. This introduction was followed by a moderated discussion with our alumni panel, and the evening concluded with time for the audience to ask questions of our alumni students and alumni parents who were also present. We are grateful to our alumni and their parents for helping our current families get a sense of what high school student life is like. Our panel included SDFAS alumni currently attending: San Diego High School (IB Program), Mission Bay High School (IB Program), La Jolla High School, The Bishop's School, La Jolla Country Day School, The Grauer School, and Cathedral Catholic. We are so proud to see the poised, motivated, mature, and thoughtful young men and women our alumni have become since graduating from SDFAS at the end of 8th grade!
If you have questions regarding the high school process please contact Erin Stoller, High School Placement Counselor, at [email protected]
To read more about the next phases of the high school application process click
HERE
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WHAT'S COMING UP
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- Friday November 3:
LifeTouch Make-Up Picture Day
- Saturday November 4:
SDFAS Faculty Lecture at La Jolla Library 2-3 pm
- Wednesday November 8:
Mini-Forum PK1 and Kinder
- Thursday November 9:
grade Evening with HS Counseling 6-6:30 pm
- Friday November 10:
OPEN-HOUSE 10 am - noon
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Wednesday November 22:
Thanksgiving Lunch / Minimum Day
- Thursday November 23 - Sunday November 26:
Thanksgiving Break
- Sunday December 3: La Jolla Xmas Parade
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Friday December 8:
Marché
- Friday December 15: Winter Show PK-Kinder and Elementary / MS Potluck - Noon / Minimum Day
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