Featured in this week's News de Nous; New Orleans Visitors join us, Music & Me returns with Music Together Program, plus the latest enrollment news and an update on Adult Education. These stories and more are a mere scroll away... |
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News & Notes From Ms. Tamye |
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This week has been full of new friends and the joyous return of our Music Together Program!
We were humbled to be asked to admit some students displaced by Hurricane Ida. These students have joined our classrooms temporarily from Ecole Bilingue of New Orleans, a school from within our network of French schools. It is our pleasure to provide some continuity for them until they can return home safely. I'm proud to say the FASTB family was able to get them situated quickly within the school. I am also proud of the students for the warm way they welcomed their new friends! Thank you to everyone who has made them feel welcome as an extended part of the FASTB family!
We are well on our way to another successful school year and are excited to again offer the Music Together program this year. Music & Me will be here on Thursdays, and I look forward to hearing all the fantastic tunes throughout the building!
or you may call the school between 7:30 am - 3:30 PM.
Have a great week ahead, everyone!
~Ms. Tamye
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Pictured Above: Olivier with Houston and William, students from New Orleans, LA. |
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The Art Fresco Project, otherwise knowns as "The Tree of Life," continues this week with the middle school students. We worked on the projects with inspiration from Art Nouveau and Orientalism. Students created different graphics with smalls brushes. They learned about prominent colors traditionally used in Asian style art, such as gold and macrame. We can't wait to see the finished products hanging in our hallways! |
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"Café et Conversation" Under the Tiki Hut ! |
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We are excited to announce that we will be hosting Café et Conversation gatherings for parents under the Tiki Hut on Tuesday mornings from 8:30-9:00 AM. Our first gathering will be on September 21st, and we hope you can join us!
Come on out, grab a cup of coffee and mingle within our FASTB community of families! Nothing formal, no agenda, just time to get to know our community better. We know life has been hectic for the past 18 months, so please take a break amongst friends!
And please feel free to bring some muffins or bagels to share :-)
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Teacher Office Hours on Zoom |
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As mentioned in our parent meetings, FASTB is resuming our weekly Zoom sessions for parents. Please take advantage of this opportunity to connect directly with the teaching staff and ask any questions you may have. The teachers will observe the following availability schedule:
Cécile
Wednesday's at 8:00 PM
Zoom ID: 947 0153 9812
Zoom Password: 34frwq
Kettly/Françoise
Thursdays at 5:30 PM
Zoom ID: 958 1921 1829
Zoom Password: Px459m
Marion
Wednesdays at 5:00 PM
Zoom ID: 964 7790 1047
Zoom Password: fastb
Olivier
Tuesdays at 5:00 PM
Zoom ID: 721 415 941
Zoom Password: 20202020
Benjamin
Wednesdays at 5:00 PM
Zoom ID: 890 1747 6038
Zoom Password: college
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Les Choristes de Tampa Bay font leur début |
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Our CP and CE1 students learned to sing the song “J’ai deux pattes mais pas de doigts” during Chorale Class with Benjamin. Students had to pay close attention to many things at once in order to properly follow the musical instruction: how to articulate the words so the sound can be heard from far away, learning the new vocabulary of the song and holding the melody! |
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Soy and Milk Allergies at FASTB |
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Two students at FASTB have an allergy to Milk and Soy.
Food allergies affect about 6% to 8% of children in the United States. Allergic reactions can be life-threatening, and in rare cases, deadly. While emergency treatment is available for allergic reactions, there is no cure yet. The only treatment for food allergies is the strict avoidance of allergens. Sometimes a small amount of allergen can cause a reaction.
We ask parents to explain to their child/children not to share food with other kids and let them know that other than not eating allergenic food, children with allergies can do everything else!
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2021 Good Burger Awards - FASTB is a finalist, please vote for us! |
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A Good ‘Burger is a business, organization, or individual in greater St. Pete making a positive impact in our community. In honor of a former mayor who referred to his citizens as “burgers” (as in St. Petersburgers), the Good ‘Burger Awards were established to honor those who contribute in a positive way to make our community special.
FASTB is a finalist in the category Arts and Culture, establishing St. Pete as an Arts & Culture destination on the national stage.
Award winners will be determined by popular vote. Voting is open to the public from Monday, August 30, 2021, to Friday, October 1, 2021. Winners will be announced during the 9th Annual Good ‘Burger Awards on Thursday, October 28, 2021. Tickets are required to attend.
Thank you for voting for FASTB; friends and family can vote too :-)
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Music Together In-School Program Begins Year 4 at FASTB! |
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We are thrilled to welcome back Music & Me, offering the Music Together In-School Program at FASTB for 2021-22! Music & Me will work with each class outside under the Tiki Hut, bringing this terrific music appreciation program to our students. This fun, hands-on approach includes everything from basic rhythms with the younger students to songwriting with our middle schoolers. As with every member of our staff, the Music & Me Teacher will have a temperature and wellness check upon arrival each week and, during this COVID time, will not conduct any music lessons inside. |
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Adult Education and DELF classes are back! |
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Bonjour!
We are very excited to announce that Adult French classes and DELF preparatory classes return to FASTB this year! Unfortunately, because of Covid precautions, our first semester will be online only. The Fall semester includes 13 classes, from the week of September 13th to December 18th.
Adult Ed:
The classes take place on weekdays, typically between 5-8:30 pm; please send us your availability if you are interested in joining a class!
DELF preparatory classes:
At FASTB, we offer a preparatory course for students from middle school/high school and adults. The classes prepare the students for the DELF exams. The Diplôme d’Etudes de Langue Française (DELF) (English: Diploma in French Studies) is a certification of French-language abilities for non-native speakers of French, administered by the International Centre for French Studies (Centre International d’Etudes Pédagogiques or CIEP) for France’s Ministry of Education.
The French American School of Tampa Bay has also become an official testing center for the DELF and DALF, alleviating the previous need to travel to take the DELF exams. The DELF Exam designed by the CIEP is an official qualification awarded by the French Ministry of Education certifying a level of fluency in French. Such certifications are useful for school records, as well as college and job applications. The classes are an hour and a half each week after school, sometime between 3:30 to 6 pm.
For those interested in finding out more about these classes, we will have a virtual Open House on Tuesday, September 7th at 7 pm on Zoom. Specific log-in details will be sent in the coming days to all who participated last year and those who have expressed interest so far this year. If you would like to be included, please send an email to adulted@fastb.org with your name, contact information, availability, and level in French (beginner, intermediate or advanced).
Merci!
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FASTB Is Still Enrolling: No Prior French Needed for Ages 3-5 |
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We are continuing to enroll our Preschool & Pre-K students. Over the summer months, we have worked hard to enroll in the Florida VPK Program and are awaiting our contract to be signed. This is a great program that will allow ALL of our 4-year-old students to receive additional resources from the State of Florida! We would love your help to get the word out that we now have this program available, so we offer a Referral Credit of $250 for each student you refer who enrolls before October 15th.
As a reminder: Rising Preschool, Kindergarten, and First Grade students can enter our immersion environment with no previous instruction in French. These years are foundational for language development, and students at this age are particularly suited to thrive in this environment.
At FASTB, Kindergarten students are not only at a great age to learn a second language, but they also have the bonus of being eligible for Florida scholarships (must be 5 on September 1), which are available to students K & up. Please see the latest on Florida scholarships and Step Up for Students in the article above to learn how you could benefit from this great offering in Florida.
Private Virtual Tours
You hear things about language immersion, but what does it actually look like? Well, the best way to see what we do first-hand is to schedule a private virtual tour, which will take you inside our dynamic and safe classrooms to see where it all happens.
We also conduct after-hours in-person tours and will continue to do so through the fall months.
You can also feel free to visit our Admissions page and website to explore further what we offer and learn about our admissions process.
We look forward to hearing from you soon - merci!
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FASTB Wellness Team Effort |
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Thank you to our parents and staff for being vigilant about spotting symptoms, per the Wellness Agreement. It is great to have everyone looking out for one another during this persistent time of COVID cases rising. For those not familiar, our Wellness Agreement is signed by families and staff, pledging to monitor for the prominent COVID-19 symptoms and stay home if these symptoms appear. Additionally, we do temperature checks every day and practice distancing, hand washing, and wearing face coverings to keep each other safe! |
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COVID-19: Protocols, Recommendations, and Waiver |
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Would you please read carefully and become familiar with the drop-off/pick-up procedures and other guidelines?
Here is a summary of our 2021-2022 protocols and recommendations:
- We encourage all parents/caretakers/older siblings to get vaccinated.
- Masks are strongly encouraged for all members of our school community inside the school during operating hours (teachers and staff, students, and parents, as well as vendors, volunteers, and visitors). In addition, they are recommended outside on the school grounds.
- Masks will be encouraged inside regardless of vaccination status.
- Access to the school building is limited to essential workers and students.
Our number one priority is always to do our best to protect our community. We need to create a safe environment for all our students who do not have the opportunity to be vaccinated.
The school is extremely grateful to the following parents, who are medical professionals, for sharing their time, expertise and for helping us write clear protocols.
At the French American School of Tampa Bay:
Dr. Gaetane Michaud, MD, Pulmonary Critical Care, Tampa General Hospital and USF Tampa
At l'Ecole Française du Maine:
Dr. James Gallea, MD, Emergency Medicine Specialist
Dr. Lisa Lucas, DO, Primary Care Physician
WAIVER: Parents wishing that their child does not wear a mask inside and /or outside may request an exemption from School Director Tamye Crutchfield: tamye.crutchfield@fastb.org
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Suzuki Guitar with Alex Gammon - Registration is open! |
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Our returning families already know Alex through his role (and popularity) as the Music Together Teacher for the past three years at FASTB. So, you probably already know how much the kids adore him, have heard about his amazing baritone voice and his excellent guitar playing! We are delighted to inform you that Alex will be returning to FASTB but in a new role in 2021-2022. Alex is going to be starting a Suzuki Guitar Program, with his studio located at FASTB!!! Of course, FASTB students will be first in line to sign up for lessons!
It was a treat to meet Alex this summer, in Maine, where he visited L’Ecole Française du Maine and met with the Suzuki Guitar Teacher, Gary Wittner. Gary gave Alex many helpful tips and ideas on how to bring this opportunity of a Suzuki Guitar Program to life in St Pete. It’s very exciting!
Alex got his first guitar at age 13, just for show. Still, when his family thrust him into private lessons with Sarasota guitarist Jami Gee, he centered his life around the instrument, learning jazz, rock, and classical pieces. As a teen, Alex played guitar in the Fogt’s Junior All-Star Band, which performed at Sarasota retirement homes and blues festivals, covering old swing hits and dancey jazz tunes.
After studying Childhood Anthropology at Florida State, Alex was intrigued by Early Childhood Development, which led him to the Music Together program. Blending his passion for Music and Early Childhood Development, Alex passed the Music Together and Canta y Baila Teacher Training in the fall of 2018 and winter of 2019, respectively. He began working with FASTB students in December 2018, teaching the Music Together in School, Rhythm Kids, and Music History/Ukulele curriculums.
He took the role of the FASTB Suzuki guitar teacher in the Fall of 2021, hoping to bring music to the students' lives via his favorite instrument. We are thrilled to have Alex on board, offering this exciting opportunity to our school families. If you are interested in having your child take guitar (or ukulele) from this devoted teacher, you can contact him directly at:
(941) 321-7962
Rest assured- Music Together with Music & Me will also return, and we will introduce you to the new teacher soon :-)
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The French American School of Tampa Bay
2100 62nd Ave N, St. Petersburg, FL 33702
Telephone: (727) 800-2159
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