News de Nous is your go-to source for information each week!
We publish this newsletter to keep you informed of what's been happening and what's to come. Our reporters are on the scene with the latest breaking news from the heart of St Pete's youngest French-speaking community.
Please take a few minutes to read it through carefully. - Merci beaucoup!
Featured in this week's News de Nous: As we reflect on all we are thankful for, FASTB families are at the top of the list. From the entire FASTB team to our friends- we wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!
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School Photos
Picture Day is scheduled for Tuesday, November 30th!
Dress for the occasion and smile for the camera!
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Happy Thanksgiving!
Best wishes to you and yours for a safe and happy Thanksgiving!
We look forward to seeing you all after the holiday break on November 29th!!
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Classroom Parents - Teaming up to Help Strengthen Our Community! |
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Many thanks to the parents who are organizing a new initiative
Classroom Parents
Each class will have a lead volunteer to coordinate for the classroom.
The goal is to:
1- Initiate micro-scale communication per class for class-relevant conversation
2- Strengthen sense of community through collective celebrations, activities & involvement
3- Assist teachers in communicating school work goals & requirements as necessary
More information to follow soon!
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This week in Art, The Moyenne Section worked on the circle, inspired by Kandinsky. We approached the layout and rotation at the level of graphics. The students drew circles of various sizes in the correct direction and using cookie cutters on a large piece of paper. Then the students used watercolors to paint the inside of the circles and glued yarn around the edges of the circles. Superbe!
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Learning about the human body in GS |
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We are discovering the human body in Kindergarten. As a nice follower-up to Halloween, the students wanted to learn about the skeleton! We have discovered that our bodies are comprised of 206 bones. The smallest one of all can be found in the ear and is called the stapes, while the longest is the femur.
We made skeletons out of Q-tips, which was a fun way to reinforce what we learned about skeletons while working on our fine motor skills!
Bravo les enfants!
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The Learner Profile: Inquirers & Open-Minded |
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The IB Organization aims to foster internationally-minded students, aware of their impact on their community both locally and globally, and understanding their role in the creation of a better and more peaceful world.
In order to better execute this mission, the IB Organisation created a concept called the Learner Profile, a list of 10 attributes that are valued and upheld by all of the IB World Schools.
As we move forward as a PYP Candidate school, we are also working to incorporate the Learner Profile into our own school community.
Each week we will be taking a look at one of the Learner Profile attributes and seeing how it can help foster responsible members of local, national and global communities.
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The IB Organization describes Inquirers as those who are capable to say:
“We nurture our curiosity, developing skills for inquiry and research. We know how to learn independently and with others. We learn with enthusiasm and sustain our love of learning throughout life.”
Nurturing students who are eager to learn and who have the confidence to seek answers to their own questions is a keystone in the education of an IB student. We want to encourage our children to become Inquirers and to help them push to the end of their curiosity as they seek to better understand the world.
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The IB Organization describes Open Mindedness as those who are capable to say:
“We critically appreciate our own cultures and personal histories, as well as the values and traditions of others. We seek and evaluate a range of points of view, and we are willing to grow from the experience.”
Educating students to become open to the world around them will help them become more conscientious and kind-hearted citizens in their communities. Not only does open-mindedness highlight qualities of compassion and empathy, it also allows children to ask questions beyond their relm of comfort and to get used to thinking about and seeing their world in different ways.
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"Café et Conversation" Under the Tiki Hut ! |
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Please Join Us!
Tuesday mornings from 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Under the Tiki Hut! - All are welcome!
What is it all about anyway?
It's just what it says - Coffee and Conversation!
Best of all, it's a great way to connect and build community relationships in a casual environment. There will be a theme each week, but no real agenda and last-minute drop-ins are welcome :-)
Tuesday, November 30th Marion and Magali 1st / 2nd grade and Art
Missed it? No worries, you can always join us next time!
*Many thanks to Dunkin' Donuts for generously donating coffee and munchkins for each Tuesday's Cafe et Conversation. Be sure to stop by and thank them for the support of our school at the following locations: 6325 9th St N (MLK St N and 62nd Ave N) or their Pinellas Park location at 7315 US HWY 19 N (34th St N and Park Blvd.)
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2021-2022 After-School Clubs |
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After School Clubs Have Started, but it's not too late to join the fun!
We are still taking enrollment in clubs! (fees will be pro-rated for a late start)
Here is a short description of the clubs offered this session:
Monday: Arts & Crafts with Sami - Sami will provide weekly Arts & Crafts activities that will include seasonal crafts, abstract creations, painting, and more!
Tuesday: Spanish with Sarah - Participants will learn basic Spanish words and greetings while exploring unique and particular aspects of various Hispanic countries. Activities will include play, song/music, & arts and crafts that highlight the language and cultures of Latin America and Spain. Sarah is a native Spanish speaker born in Puerto Rico and has over 20 years of experience working with children as a nanny and tutor.
Wednesday: Suzuki Guitar Group Lesson with Alex
All Suzuki students taking lessons are encouraged to attend this activity which is a component of the Suzuki Method. For details or to enroll, please contact Alex directly. Students will be dismissed by Alex from the Music Studio to their parents. Students who are not picked up will be sent to the aftercare program. You can also contact Alex to sign up for private lessons: alexgammon81@gmail.com
Thursday: Gymnastics with Sami - Sami has been a gymnastic coach for the past three years. She will work with your children on flexibility, tumbling, balance, and coordination techniques! The students will work towards a final performance of their skills after the 10-week session!
Friday: Social & Dining Etiquette and Dance with Victoria - Victoria trained at the Protocol School of Washington, and she specializes in etiquette, starting with children as young as three years old! Her etiquette classes are based on understanding and living with respect. Classes are super fun, filled with activities, interactive lessons, and role-playing games to get the best manners out of our little ones!
Victoria teaches dance classes and workshops nationally and internationally. She will be teaching dance as a free form of self-expression for boys and girls (including hip-hop, modern, and theatrical). We will have a presentation at the end of the semester.
Tutoring Club with Cécile - Cécile will be here Tuesday - Friday from 3:00 PM - 3:45 PM to assist any student who signs up to receive additional assistance with their school work! The Tutoring Club is available on an "a la carte" basis.
Cost and Schedule:
$150/each activity for 10 weekly sessions
Daily Clubs are from 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM, Tutoring Club from 3:00-3:45
This Club session will end the week of December 6-10 and a new 10-week session will start in January.
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FASTB Is Still Enrolling: No Prior French Needed for Ages 3-5 |
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FASTB is now offering the Florida VPK Program!
This wonderful program will allow ALL of our 4-year-old students to receive additional resources from the State of Florida!
As a reminder: Preschool and Kindergarten 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.
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 five 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 excellent 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. Please feel free to visit our Admissions page and website to explore further and learn about our admissions process. We look forward to hearing from you! |
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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.
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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 daily temperature checks, practice distancing, frequent hand washing, and encourage 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
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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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