News de Nous is your go-to source for information!
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.
This edition features articles on IB PYP, St. Pete Run Fest, and calendar update.
Please take a few minutes to read it through carefully. - Merci beaucoup!
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November 27th, 2022
Dear Parents & Guardians,
With great pleasure, we welcomed Catherine Caillet at FASTB on Thursday, November 10th, and Friday, November 11th, for our IB Consultant visit. This was an important step in FASTB’s journey to becoming an IB World School.
Though the school was closed on Thursday (due to Tropical Storm Nicole), our hearts and minds remained open! Catherine toured the school, met with the teaching team, students, and parents, and visited classes during these two days. Catherine Caillet also had meetings with the administrative staff.
We are very happy to report that we are on track to becoming an IB World School. We deeply appreciate the knowledge and advice Catherine shared with all of us. With her kind words and congratulations on our progress, we are ready and eager to continue our IB journey! Our next step: the IB Verification Visit led by a team of IB representatives later in the school year to confirm that the school has met all the requirements for official authorization!
Congratulations to the students who participated in the St Pete-Run Fest race and crossed the finish line “avec brio”! We are proud of them!
Many families and staff members have traveled to be with their families and celebrate Thanksgiving together. It is, therefore, important to follow the CDC recommendations below so that our school community remains healthy and safe. Thank you for taking care of each other!
Recommended actions
Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines. Get tested if you have symptoms. Wear a mask if you have symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19. Wear a mask on public transportation. You may choose to wear a mask at any time as an additional precaution to protect yourself and others.
Next week marks the beginning of the afterschool activities for the second trimester. Please click on the link below to enroll your children.
We’ll be very happy to see you all at the Winter Festival on Wednesday, December 14th, in the afternoon. The School and the PA have been working together to make this fun event possible. Do not hesitate to contact the PA officers if you want to help. We need volunteer parents! It will be greatly appreciated; Please contact the PA at parentsassociation@fastb.org
More details to come soon.
Finally, I would like to remind everyone that parking in the veterinary clinic parking lot is strictly forbidden. Our neighbor called the office several times, and their manager recently met with me. It is important to respect their space; thank you for your help.
Warmly,
Corinne Güngör
Head of School
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Upcoming dates to keep in mind
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Monday, November 28: The second semester for Aftercare/Club starts.
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Friday, December 9: Morning Coffee with the Head 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM
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Wednesday, December 14: Winter Festival from 2 PM to 3 PM
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Winter Break: Dec 16 at 3:00 PM to Jan 3 at 8:30 AM
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Saturday, December 17th: Parents Association Holiday Party at 4 PM
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Friday, January 13: Morning Coffee with the Head 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM
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Friday, January 13: Hat Day
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Welcoming Catherine Caillet, IB PYP Consultant |
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Our students, teachers, parents, and FASTB community members did a phenomenal job presenting to Catherine Caillet the school's progress in embracing the International Baccalaureate Philosophy and practices. The school is very grateful for their enthusiasm and their knowledge of the IB. |
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The Programme of Inquiry (POI) is a curriculum roadmap of a child’s educational journey through the IB PYP at FASTB. Built along six transdisciplinary themes, each unit is developed by teachers to encompass the curriculum requirements of the French Ministry of Education, Florida State Guidelines, the Federal government recommendations, and the Philosophy, Standards, and Practices of the International Baccalaureate. |
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The year is divided into six transdisciplinary themes through which all subjects are taught. These themes allow students to look at the world around them with more depth and understanding.*
The entire PYP Curriculum is built to be transdisciplinary, with each unit revolving around one of these six themes. Each unit encompasses all subjects and languages from Math, Language Arts, French, Science, Music, and History and is crafted and taught in harmony by the entire teaching team of a specific grade. (This only applies to our older elementary)
*(Early Childhood is only required to do 4 units per year, 2 of which must be Who we are and How we Express Ourselves)
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Each of the Transdisciplinary Themes is approached through a Unit of Inquiry: A 4-8 week in-depth exploration of a concept. (Some units are revisited throughout the year.)
This unit is organized into several different sections
A Central Idea: global and timeless; this statement supports students’ understanding of the transdisciplinary theme it connects to and challenges students to extend upon prior knowledge.
Lines of Inquiry: These outline how students will approach their research and serve to clarify and refine the central idea.
Key Concepts: Form – What is it like?; Function – How does it work?; Causation – Why is it like this? Change – How is it changing?; Connection – How is it connected to other things?; Perspective – What are the points of view?; Responsibility – What is our responsibility?; Reflection – How do we know?
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From left to right: Corinne Güngör, Head of School ~ Maeve Mulvie,
English Language Arts Teacher ~ Catherine Caillet, IB Consultant ~ Emmy Decker, IB PYP Curriculum Coordinator, and FLE/ESL teacher
Merci Catherine, for your guidance!
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Sign Up for Extended Day Options for 2nd Semester |
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After School Childcare from 3-5:30 daily
Customize aftercare monthly to meet your needs:
- Design your plan: Use the link below to pick the days and hours you need aftercare each month. Rate: $10/hr
- Select 1, 2,3,4, or 5 days of aftercare per week.
- Choose to enroll for 1,2, or 2.5 hours/day.
- A la carte
- This is unplanned emergency care, available as needed.
- $15/hr or part thereof.
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After School Clubs
The second-trimester clubs will run from November 28, 2022, through March 10, 2023. If your child is already enrolled in aftercare, you may select the discounted rate relevant to the club(s) selected when making payment.
- Judo in French, Led by Emilie Duprat
EC3/EC4 ($180) Thursdays - 12 weeks- (no club on Feb.16)KG/Gr.1/Gr.2 ($195) Tuesdays -13 weeks
- Théâtre in French, Led by Julie Morel
Gr.1 & 2 ($150) Mondays - 10 weeks (no club on Jan. 2, Jan. 16, and Feb. 20) Gr.3 & Up ($180) Thursdays - 12 weeks (no club on Feb. 16)
- Arts & Crafts in English, Led by Samantha Andrews
EC3/EC4/KG ($150) Mondays - 10 weeks (no club on Jan. 2, Jan. 16, and Feb.20)
- Zumba in French/English, Led by Emmy Decker
All elementary levels ($180) Fridays - 12 weeks (no club on Feb.17)
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"Café et Conversation" under the Tiki Hut! |
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Please join us Friday, December 9th
Morning Coffee with the Head of School, Corinne Güngör
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM
Under the Tiki Hut! - All are welcome!
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Parents Association Invitation for Families! |
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English Language Arts News |
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In English lessons, second and third graders have just wrapped up their IB Moon Unit. After reading nonfiction texts to find information and specific details about the first moon landing, the students created newspaper articles about the event. The unit also included writing persuasive job advertisements for astronauts and creating imaginative moon-themed stories. For this past week’s grammar lesson on using quotation marks, students used their puppets - one last time - to create a dialogue between the characters before performing the conversation as a mini-show!
Students have now begun their brand new folktale unit. So far, this has involved learning about story elements and working collaboratively to summarize some fables and a West African tale.
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The PeliKids Marathon Challenge! |
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CE1+ students proudly represented FASTB at the St. Pete Run Fest Pelikids. They spared no effort during the last mile of their Marathon, which began in October. They did it! They ran 26.2 miles! 42.2km! Olivier and Benjamin are very proud of their students! Thanks to Camille and Massimiliano for their help.
The PeliKids One Miler is the culmination of an ongoing running
Marathon Challenge for kids through 8th grade, aimed at promoting an active lifestyle and healthy habits for life. Students participating in PeliKids have logged a total of 25.2 miles at school before completing the final mile of this 26.2 Marathon Challenge in front of cheering fans at the St. Pete Run Fest Finish Line!
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The Fall Season in PreSchool |
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The children enjoyed exploring the fall season with its beautiful colors in their works of art. They decorated bags and sheets of paper with prints. They also decorated a leaf with wet tissue paper. Finally, they created a collective production inspired by « the Beech Forest » by Gustave Klimt. (below)
Bravo les artistes!
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We are so happy to go to library regularly. Marion helps the students choose two books that they can borrow for two weeks. The children can select from stories, magazines, or documentaries. This will be very helpful for our future IB research projects, which is great! Marion also takes time to read a story to a grateful audience. |
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French American School of Rhode Island - FASRI |
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The French American School of Tampa Bay (FASTB) belongs to several networks of accredited schools (AEFE, AFSA, MLF, and Florida IB World Schools). As the Founder of FASTB, Elizabeth Beth LeBihan is often asked to participate in peer-reviewed accreditation visits. In November, Beth served as vice-chair for the New England Association of School and Colleges accreditation visit of The French American School of Rhode Island FASRI. This was a great opportunity to connect with other administrators of some of the top independent schools in North America. |
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Having fun ..... being kids |
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Acorns are ideal for so many art projects and activities at FASTB. First, it is so much fun to collect them by the lake where beautiful live oaks are dropping them constantly. Then, students can use them as stamps or in 3D collages and paintings. Acorns are wonderful manipulatives to learn to compute and sort. Squirrels, birds and insects seem to enjoy them too :-) |
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Exchange with the University of Bourgogne to resume |
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Capital of the Duchy of Burgundy in the Middle Ages, Dijon has inherited a unique cultural and architectural heritage. As a result, it's an emblematic city of haute cuisine and lifestyle |
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We are delighted to resume our collaboration with the University of Bourgogne, France. During the first year of their Master's Program, French university students must do a "stage" in a school. The French American School of Tampa Bay is an official partner of Université de Bourgogne at Dijon and has been happy and proud to welcome student teachers in past years.
During their practicum, the graduate students will be shadowing our teachers. It is an excellent opportunity to create and conduct classroom activities and practice their teaching skills. We will be looking for two host families this winter for three weeks; more details will come.
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What to do if someone has COVID-19 ? |
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Got a question? Let us help! |
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Reminder to Parents:
Please use the email address office@fastb.org for general school correspondence. Questions and requests sent to this address are forwarded as needed. We do our best to respond to emails as quickly as possible; thank you for your patience.
Thank you for checking your school contact information to ensure you are using this email address. We are finding that some emails are heading to other accounts, and while they eventually land in our inbox, this may delay our response time.
Alternatively, please know you can call us anytime for an immediate response! School Office Phone: (727) 800-2159
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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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