Bonjour!
Featured in this week's News de Nous: FASTB collaborates with Miami Consulate to host a symposium on French Education in Florida, VPK enrollment instructions, After School Clubs in full swing, a future student arrives on the scene? :), a peek into the classrooms, PYP training begins...These stories and more are a mere scroll away...
Now that we have an approved VPK, we are open for enrollment in our program. If your child turned age four on or before September 1, 2021, please visit here to fill out the application and receive your child's certificate number to join! VPK at FASTB is part of our French Immersion environment. We are proud to be the only school in Florida teaching the VPK program in French! VPK will benefit every family and ensure that each student is in line with the state standards. There will be three assessments throughout the school year and a final evaluation after the school year. We are anxious to get started and can't wait to add this to the list of amazing things happening at FASTB!
We are also excited to have begun the IB process! The staff is working hard to complete the required training for the PYP: Primary Years Programme. Our Assistant Teachers will be helping immensely by monitoring portions of the classes to free the teacher's schedules for the training. This initial course lasts four weeks, but the benefits to the school will last for years to come!
As always, please reach out to Tamye in the office with any questions: tamye.crutchfield@fastb.org or you may call the school between 7:30 am - 3:30 PM.
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FASTB was proud to host the first symposium on French Education in Florida, held Friday and Saturday, October 1-2, 2021. An initiative from General Consul of France, Laurent Gallissot, the Symposium gathered participants from the accredited French schools, Alliances Françaises, FLAM Programs, AATF, and approved Charter High Schools offering a French track. FASTB is grateful to its teachers for their active participation and interest, and for giving up part of their weekend for this conference. It was great to meet our colleagues from Miami and to share ideas!
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The Symposium, coordinated by the cultural attaché in Miami, Anthoni Dominguez, offered workshops on teaching French in a bilingual context.
We extend a special thank you to Dr. Frédéric Leveziel, Associate Professor of French and Spanish at USF St Petersburg Campus, for his tremendous help.
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Josephine Baker, Black French-American Icon to enter the Panthéon |
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Baker in uniform in 1948. Following World War II, Baker was awarded the Croix de guerre and the Rosette de la Résistance and made a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur by General Charles de Gaulle |
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Josephine Baker (1906 – 1975) was a French entertainer, Resistance Agent, and Civil Rights Campaigner born in the United States. Her career was mostly focused in Europe, particularly in her adopted country of France. She was the first Black woman to star in a major motion picture, the silent film Siren of the Tropics, released in 1927. During World War II, she aided the French Resistance. After the war, she received the Resistance Medal from the French Committee for National Liberation, the Croix de Guerre from the French Military, and General Charles de Gaulle appointed her a Chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur.
While she is cherished by all countries and communities, Miami is particularly proud as it is the place where Josephine Baker succeeded for the first time in her native country to perform for a non-segregated audience on January 10, 1951, at the Copa City Club. This event represented a major breakthrough for the communities of Miami as Josephine used this unprecedented victory to convince other theaters to welcome inclusive audiences. On November 30th, 2021, she will be the first Black woman to enter the Panthéon in Paris, a mausoleum for Illustrious French and Humanist Figures.
On Nov. 28, 2021, Miami communities and artists will celebrate her during a one-night-only special event that will gather local leaders, artists, musicians, and dancers, a tribute, planned by the General Consul of France, Laurent Gallissot, and the city of Miami Beach:
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On October 1st during the symposium at the University of South Florida (St Pete Campus), Benjamin Monto, Middle School Teacher at FASTB, presented lessons plans on Josephine Baker, a Black French-American icon, for teachers from pre-school through college using books recently acquired by The French American School of Tampa Bay. Merci, Benjamin!
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What is Artsonia? So glad you asked!
Artsonia is the world's most extensive collection of student art, published by teachers and students from around the world. Parents and family can view the art online, leave comments, and order keepsakes featuring the artwork.
The artwork created by your child is uploaded onto the school's Virtual Art Gallery, where you can view it and order items featuring your own child's artwork! C'est fantastique!!
What's more, your purchase helps support our Arts Program! Artsonia gives back 20% of your purchase to the school so that we can buy more art materials, and your kids can make even more fabulous creations! Voilà!!
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Middle School Students Build to Learn |
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This week, middle school students made a Mathématics Challenge for 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students. They wrote problems that required the students to use their logic and the school environment. It allowed the Middle Schoolers to create real situations and observe the results. Next week, students will correct the answers and will make a new challenge that will re-enforce the concepts the students are learning. You can watch the fun here.
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CP and CE1 Students Collaborate to Escape the Bear |
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Look out, here comes the bear!
The children have learned the rules of a cooperative game. We have to get away from the bear before it catches us. Be careful, the bear can move one step forward, two steps forward and even turn around! Quick, let's run!
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Our little MS superstars showed how they could move quickly through multiple obstacles this week! This activity allows the children to read the room, make a plan to work through the stations and allows their brain to shift easily between activities! They were excited to get to the end and try their hand at knocking over the animals with the ball! They were all winners! |
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Cycle 3 Masters The Art of Senoufos |
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During Art Class with Magali, Olivier's class continued to work on the art of the Sénoufos. It is a nomad African tribe from Mali known for the links between arts and magic. The students finalized a work inspired by the Sénoufo hangings. They applied the technique of gluing woolen threads, which required creativity, dexterity, and patience. |
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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. These meetings provide an extra opportunity for our school community to share experiences. We hope you will mark your calendars and try to attend. There will be a theme each week but no real agenda and last-minute drop-ins are welcome :-)
Coming up next Tuesday, October, 12th:
Olivier, Teacher of grades 3-4-5 will attend
Please come get to know Olivier better and thank him for all of his hard work!
October 19th: PS/MS with Cécile and Kettly
October 26th: GS with Françoise
Nov 2nd: Middle School and Chorus with Benjamin
Nov 9th: FLE, DELF, Adult Ed, IB PYP with Emmy
Nov 16th: Music and Art with Magali and Alex
Missed it? No worries, you can always join us next time!
*Many thanks to Dunkin Donuts who is 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 Ave.)
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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 year:
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 - In the Spanish Club, 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. She looks forward to sharing her language and culture with the students at FASTB!
Wednesday: Social & Dining Etiquette and Dance with Victoria - Victoria is the Founder of School of Body Elegance®. She teaches classes on Etiquette, Deportment, and Public Speaking. 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! Get your children ready to conquer the world!
Victoria is also an internationally recognized dancer and performer. She is the Director of Tampa Tango Argentino Dance School and Tangoflex®, an online, on-demand fitness and flexibility program. 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.
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: Funday Friday with Tracy - Funday Friday is an opportunity to have a playdate at school! Our students work so hard during the week that they will look forward to playtime with friends to kick off the weekend! The kids will play board games, do outdoor activities, learn some card games, and more! Funday Friday is a chance to give your kids some much-needed downtime with their friends in a controlled and trusted atmosphere!
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
Email Tamye to enroll your child, and be sure to indicate your club choice(s)!
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Meet your IB PYP Coordinator! |
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As FASTB moves forward as a Candidate School, we are happy to introduce you to the school’s IB Coordinator: Emmy Decker!
Most of you will already recognize Emmy from her role as a French/FLE Teacher or ESL Teacher here at FASTB. She grew up in multicultural Paris and learned to appreciate the value of knowing multiple languages very early in life. After obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree in English Language, Literature, and Civilization from the prestigious Paris Sorbonne Université, she continued her studies at La Sorbonne with a Master’s Diploma in Applied French – Teaching French as a Foreign Language.
During her Master’s program, she taught French for a year at Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pennsylvania as part of the renowned Fulbright FLTA (Foreign Language Teaching Assistant) Program before returning to teach French at the American University of Paris. After completing her studies, Emmy taught at the Alliance Française of Christchurch, New Zealand before joining FASTB in 2019.
Having taught French on almost every continent, we are thrilled to have Emmy lead us as we pursue this internationally recognized programme.
What is an IB Coordinator?
An IB Coordinator is the person who is designated to communicate directly with the International Baccalaureate Organization as the school moves through the necessary steps towards IB Primary Years Programme Accreditation. Emmy will be helping the school community, (students, teachers, and families) throughout this project. As teachers prepare work to be submitted to the accreditation committee, Emmy will be compiling the final portfolio that is sent to IB at the end of this long process. She is also in charge of the professional development of our staff and integrating the IB philosophy into our curriculum and school community.
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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! We would love your help to spread the word about our VPK, so we are offering a Referral Credit of $250 for each student you refer who enrolls before October 15th.
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.
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.
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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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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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 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 that Alex has returned to FASTB in a new role in 2021-2022. Alex has begun a Suzuki Guitar Program, with his studio located at FASTB!!! Of course, FASTB students will be first in line to sign up for lessons!
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
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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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