Newsletter Issue No 9
January 24, 2019 

Calendar 2019-2020
In This Issue
Free Yoga / Mindfulness Classes at SDFAS!
Jog-a-Thon
A journey through SDFAS Middle School
A special Chinese New Year celebration
The 10th Annual Talent Show
French and English Book Fair.
LA MATERNELLE
L'ÉCOLE ÉLÉMENTAIRE
LE COLLÈGE
AFTER-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
WINTER BREAK
WHAT'S COMING UP

Quick Links


Calendar




Girard Gourmet Lunches



Access to Grades
 
Ask Stéphanie for login info


School Council Minutes

The School Council met on January 14, 2019.

Minutes are now available online.

Click

 
Re-enrollment Timeline 
 
Friday, February 1st, 2019: The Admissions Office sends re-enrollment contracts to SDFAS families. 

Sunday, February 24th, 2019: Deadline to sign the re-enrollment contract and pay the deposit.

 The school will not be able to guarantee a space in the school for any re-enrollment request logged after Sunday, February 24th

Siblings of current students need to follow the same admissions process as new applicants and submit a complete application before February 1st, 2019.


 
Financial Assistance Process and Timeline
 
SDFAS offers tuition assistance to qualified applicants, based entirely on demonstrated financial need. Application are submitted via School and Student Services (SSS), a service of NAIS, the National Association of Independent Schools.
Be sure to create your account before  February 1st, 2019   to show your intent. Applications received after February 1st will be reviewed on a fund-available basis. 
All supporting documents have to be uploaded as early as possible and no later than  March 31st, 2019 . Information provided during the Financial Assistance process is kept in strict confidentiality.

School's SSS code: 1698

Useful links:

How to Apply for Financial Aid via SSS  - This flyer gives helpful tips on completing the PFS and submitting additional documents.
 
PFS Workbook  - A guide to completing your PFS from start to finish.
 

 
Bourses Scolaires Françaises
 
The French Government awards scholarships to French nationals, three years and older, who demonstrate financial need.

La campagne boursière 2019/2020 est ouverte. Le site internet du Consulat a été actualisé et des rendez-vous sont à présent disponibles.

1er mars 2019  :   date limite de dépôt des dossiers

Avril 2019  : premier conseil consulaire des bourses scolaires (émet des propositions)

12-13 Juin 2019   : première commission nationale des bourses scolaires (arrête des décisions)

Fin juin 2019   : communication des décisions aux familles

Veuillez prendre rendez-vous avant  le
20 février 2019   avec Emmanuel Poulain, notre Directeur des Finances et Opérations pour valider le dossier.  

Plus d'information sur le site du consulat  :  Bourses Scolaires
 
Isabelle Gilet, Admissions Office

 
Planning and Recruitment Meeting
 


SDFAS will be hosting a PLANNING and RECRUITMENT meeting (aka Plenary meeting) on February 7th at 2.30pm
The meeting's objective is to go over our future activities (make sure they will take place and address any issues or concerns) and to invite potential replacements for current organizers.

SDFAS is actively looking for 
- A Parent Social chair for this year 
- A Talent show chair for next year/ they would be an apprentice to Kerry Riche as she organizes the one coming up shortly
- A Teacher Appreciation co-chair to assist Celine Theano and Amy Allemann 
Head organizers/chairs
for the Kermesse as well as the International Food Fair for this year

PARENT SOCIAL 
Date: To be determined
Chair: OPEN 

TALENT SHOW
Current organizer: Kerry Riche
Date:  February 8th
Co-Chair/Apprentice(s): OPEN


FRENCH and ENGLISH BOOK FAIR 
Current Organizer: Linda Morales 
Date: February 18 - 22 , with the 22nd being Minimum Day before February break 
Due to this exciting opportunity to combine the French & English book fairs, we will need twice as many volunteers in each slot this year. Thank you for being generous with your time!
Please check the sign in sheet
Co-chair/Apprentice)s): OPEN

GALA (FYI)
Date: March 30th 

TEACHER APPRECIATION / WEEK )
Luncheon 
Current Organizers: Celine Theano and Amy Allemann
Co-chair/apprentice(s): OPEN
Date:  Wednesday May 1st, 2019

________

KERMESSE and INTERNATIONAL FOOD FAIR 
Kermesse Chair: OPEN
International Food Fair Chair: OPEN
Tuesday 18th of June, 2019 
________


Additionally, SDFAS  is actively looking for a President to replace Lydia Inostroza who has served in her role for the last 4 years. The President's main goal is to ensure that our school activities calendar is maintained.

SDFAS is also looking for a Treasurer to replace Keri Belhon who has served in her role for the last 4 years. The Treasurer's main objective is to keep track of spending and to help event chairs stay within their assigned budget.

Happy New Year again to all! 
Thank you for spreading the word and for sharing your time.

SDFAS Parents'

Ciné Club - February 1st
GUY Bande Annonce (2018) Alex Lutz, Festival de Cannes
GUY Bande Annonce (2018) Alex Lutz, Festival de Cannes

 
Free Info Sessions February 11
 
New Tax Laws - Plan for the Future & Protect your Assets

Monday February 11 at 8.45 am and 7 pmin the SDFAS Auditorium

with Betty Kim, CPA, Encore Partners

 
Minimum Day February 22
 
Grade PK0-5: Dismissal at 11:45 am

Middle school: Dismissal at 12 pm

Extended Care: 12 pm - 6 pm
Register before February 15th by sending an email to  EXTENDED CARE.

Grade K-8th: Pick up in lunch area 
Preschool: Pick up on playground

There is no Girard Gourmet school lunch service on minimum days, so if your child is staying in extended care, please provide a lunch.

Contact Valérie if you have questions.

 
Read the Last Écho
If you would like to read the last Newsletters "L'Écho". 
It's possible on the Website!


PRE-ELEMENTARY 
SCHOOL BLOG

For Pre-Elementary School information and updates 

Click
 

ELEMENTARY 
SCHOOL BLOG
For Elementary School information and updates 

Click
 

MIDDLE 
SCHOOL BLOG
   For Middle School information and updates 

Click
 

ASA BLOG
    Follow us to receive our pictures, update and stories from our instructors and your children.

Click


VISIT OUR SDFAS FACEBOOK PAGE

 
Don't forget to like and follow us on Facebook!
 
Thank you for your support.


FOLLOW US 
ON TWITTER


Follow us on Twitter
@SDFrenchSchool
 
Click 


FOLLOW US 
ON INSTAGRAM


SDFAS is sharing pictures

Click 


FOLLOW US 
ON VIMEO
 
SDFAS is sharing Videos

Click 


BLOGS

We are also sharing the blogs for each division:
It takes only a few clicks to subscribe!
Access the blogs from our homepage:

Click 

 
QUESTIONS?
COMMENTS?
If you have any questions or comments regarding this publication, please contact our editor, Audrey Blanchard at
 


Click 
for the French American Chamber of Commerce website.
 
Bonne Année 2019 from the Journalism elective!

Bonne Année 2019 from the Journalism elective!
Video: Lilou, Maëlig, Titouan, Chloe, Maria, Elizabeth and Angelo.

Our wonderful students of the elective Broadcast wish you all a happy new year 2019! This elective is an activity focused on journalistic practice. Students in Broadcast Journalism learn journalism fundamentals, how to deliver the news for various platforms, how to use professional-level broadcast equipment and how to structure and direct a newscast. Through this elective, our students meet challenges and build work skills. It allows them to gain self-confidence and develops motivation and curiosity.
When it rains at school! 
Quand il pleut à SDFAS !

When it rains at SDFAS!

The students had so much fun last week!

ÉDITO
 



This week in which we celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. day this past Monday provides a great opportunity for us to talk with our children about the importance of weaving service to the community into our lives. SDFAS works to educate students about this value, for example through our Fall food drive in service of the organization Feeding San Diego or our upcoming annual school-wide Jog-a-thon on February 1st from which 50% of the proceeds go to local charities decided by our students.

As always, January is a very busy month rich in curricular and co-curricular activity at SDFAS. The year 2019 is no different... Upcoming community events include the State of the School address to all interested parents on Friday, January 25th from 8:30 - 9:30 am with coffee and croissants in the auditorium. This annual SDFAS ritual allows us as a community to share in discussion about the school's recent achievements and future opportunities as well as plans for school improvement. The school's financial picture at the end of 2017-18 will also be shared together with the school's financial outlook for 2018-19. Finally, the roadmap for this year's strategic planning process will be shared together with accomplishments so far and work still to be done in this important domain.

Finally, in order to learn more about our school's program and offerings at key transition points within a student's SDFAS trajectory, please be aware that on Tuesday, February 4th from 6 - 7 pm the school will host in the auditorium a presentation on our Middle School entitled: "The Middle School Experience: A Journey through the Middle Years at SDFAS." The entire school is welcome, though we especially encourage 3rd, 4th and 5th grade parents to attend. And then, one week later on Monday, February 11th from 6 - 7 pm, the school will host in one of the Kindergarten classrooms an evening for Preschool parents entitled: "PK2 to K Transition Evening" in which information will be shared by teachers and administrators about our Kindergarten curriculum and teaching methods. Please mark your calendars!

Finally, I'd like to take this opportunity to once again wish all of our SDFAS families a very happy new year and to let you know how delighted we are to be involved so centrally (and bilingually!) in the education of your children.



Mark Rosenblum, Head of school



Chers parents,

Cette semaine, les célébrations autour de Martin Luther King sont une excellente occasion pour nous de parler à nos enfants de l'importance d'intégrer l'aide à la communauté à notre vie de tous les jours. SDFAS enseigne cette valeur aux élèves, par exemple à travers notre collecte de nourriture en automne, organisée par Feeding San Diego ou notre célèbre Jog-a-thon annuel qui cette année aura lieu le 1er février, avec toute l'école, et dont 50% des bénéfices iront à des oeuvres de charité choisies par nos élèves.
 
Comme toujours à SDFAS, le mois de janvier est un mois riche en activités scolaires et parascolaires. L'année 2019 n'est pas différente... Parmi les événements à venir, nous avons le State of the School address pour tous les parents intéressés, le vendredi 25 janvier entre 8h30 et 9h30 avec café et croissants dans l'auditorium. Ce rituel annuel à SDFAS nous permet, en tant que communauté, de participer à une discussion au sujet des réalisations récentes et des opportunités futures, ainsi que de planifier les améliorations. 
Seront également présentés le bilan financier de l'année 2017-18 et les projections financières pour 2018-19. Enfin, je partagerai avec vous la feuille de route pour le processus de planification stratégique ainsi que les travaux déjà accomplis et ce qui reste à faire dans ce domaine très important.
 
Pour en savoir plus sur le programme de notre école et ce que nous offrons aux élèves de SDFAS aux moments clés de leur parcours scolaire, notez que le mardi 4 février, de 18h à 19h dans l'auditorium nous vous proposons une présentation intitulée : "The Middle School Experience: A Journey through the Middle Years at SDFAS." Tous les membres de la communauté sont les bienvenus, mais nous encourageons particulièrement les parents ayant des enfants en CE2, CM1 et CM2 à y assister. Sachez aussi qu'une semaine plus tard, le lundi 11 février, entre 18h et 19h, l'école proposera, dans l'une des classes de Grande section de Maternelle, une soirée intitulée : "PK2 to K Transition Evening" au cours de laquelle enseignants et administrateurs partagent des informations concernant le programme de Grande section et les méthodes d'enseignement. Retenez bien ces dates!
 
Enfin, j'aimerai vous souhaiter à nouveau une très bonne année et vous répéter combien nous sommes heureux d'être impliqués de façon si centrale (et bilingue!) dans l'éducation de vos enfants.


Mark Rosenblum, Chef d'établissement

Next Week: Free Yoga / Mindfulness Classes at SDFAS!




Babeth Esterly and Bénédicte Brouder are excited to offer to our community (staff and families) free yoga/mindfulness community classes at SDFAS starting the week of January 28, 2019.

- Tuesdays: Benedicte, 7:30 am to 8 am, auditorium

- Wednesdays: Babeth, 7 to 7:30 am, auditorium

Children are welcome to participate with parents if able to stay patient and focused.

Goals:

- to offer a welcoming and nurturing community space and moment, for members of the community to benefit from the energy and support of a group to practice yoga/mindfulness

- to provide opportunity to wake up body, mind and spirit with kindness

- to serve as role-modeling for children in line with SDFAS values

- to develop a pattern/discipline of community practice

Follow the link below to register: SDFAS Yoga / Mindfulness Class

Middle school students can attend without their parents. Limited to 20 yogis.
February 1st: Jog-a-Thon





PLEGE/SPONSOR YOUR CHILD
Run Times:

- PK0 = Jog for 3 minutes
- PK1 = Jog for 5 minutes
- PK2 = Jog for 7 minutes
- K = Jog for 10 minutes
- 1st - 5th grade = Jog for 15 minutes
- 6th - 8th grade = Jog for 20 minutes

* Snacks (sliced fruit) will be offered to the students at the end of the run. In efforts to reduce waste and keep a green-friendly campus, single use plastic water bottles and paper cups will not be given out this year. Students should come prepared with their own reusable water bottle. Students are welcome to run with a hydration pack or other portable water sources if they wish. *Students are reminded o wear comfortable clothing and athletic shoes. Students may wear their blue P.E. t-shirt, Sports League uniform top, or any other athletic apparel of their choice. 

by grade for parents who are interested in watching their child run. 

We are in need of parent volunteers to help with cutting fruit. We also would like to encourage you to come out and cheer for the students as they participate in this annual school wide event!! 

Questions? Volunteer? Contact Diesa Seidel
February 4: 
Les Années Collège 
A journey through SDFAS Middle School

You are invited to a presentation about SDFAS Middle School!

February 4, 2019 from 6 to 7 p.m. to SDFAS Auditorium
 
All SDFAS parents are invited. Highly recommended for 4th and 5th grade families! 
Current Middle School parents are welcome too!
 
Topics:

- Academics and Visible Learning (Curriculum, Schedule, Electives, Clubs, Projects)
- Community Atmosphere
- Academic Learning and Personal Growth
- Character Development and Social Learning
- Global citizenship: Self-Reflection, Collaboration, Leadership, Digital Citizenship
- Preparation and Transition to High School
February 5: A special Chinese New Year celebration at SDFAS





On February 5th, 2019, the students of SDFAS will enjoy a special Chinese New Year's celebration event. For our celebration, we would greatly appreciate it if parents could lend the school any Chinese New Year decorations. The decorations will be returned promptly.

According to the Chinese zodiac, 2019 is a year of the Pig. Years of the Pig include 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, and 2031. 
Pigs are diligent, compassionate, and generous. They have great concentration: once they set a goal, they will devote all of their energy to achieving it. Though Pigs rarely seek help from others, they will not refuse when others ask for help. Pigs are relatively calm when facing trouble. No matter how difficult the problem is, Pigs can handle issues and challenges properly. They are extremely responsible and take pride in completing work and projects with quality in mind.


This event is not open to parents. However, we will take pictures and film.
February 8: 10th Annual Talent Show





For any inquiry, please contact Kerry the director and organizer of this event. 
February 15 through February 22: French and English Book Fair

Due to this exciting opportunity to combine the French & English book fairs, we will need twice as many volunteers in each slot this year. Thank you for being generous with your time!

To volunteer sign up HERE
LA MATERNELLE

The King's "Galette" in Pre-Elementary


In the French culture January is the month of the special cake " la galette". In Preschool each class found inspiration to work around this theme. From PK0 to Kindergarten, students were able to listen to stories like "Roule Galette" and sing songs such as " J'aime la galette". Through this theme, students also made crowns, used their fine motor skills to shape some paper-and-clay "Galettes" and especially practices their cooking skills as they prepared and ate a real "Galette".

 

Robotics in PK1


Pictured: Gaïa, François, Iris and Brody.

In a bilingual school, having the opportunity to talk is a priority. And it can be difficult for many reasons: shyness, lack of interest, a new language to learn... That's why we sometimes use robots as a media between the child and the teacher. The attention is not focused on that one person anymore, just on the animated object. And this slight change makes a difference!

In Preschool robotics, students have primarily used Ozobots: devices that follow lines and colors on a flat surface. In PK1 now, they discovered how these devices work, how to "awaken them" and "put them to sleep". When the robots change colors, follow lines, move faster or slower, and turn, students immediately want to share what they have noticed. They want to talk. It's a great starting point to introduce specific vocabulary terms in both French and English. Students are active, motivated, and want to come back as soon as possible to the Innovation Lab!

* The coding and robotics lab and program have been funded thanks to fundraising
L'ÉCOLE ÉLÉMENTAIRE

Economy in 3rd grade



The third grade students are learning about Economics in Social Studies this period. They are learning about goods and services, supply and demand, producers and consumers, income, the difference between needs and wants, opportunity cost, and how money/currency makes it easier to trade, borrow, save, invest, and compare the value of goods and services. By the end of this unit, students will understand most people have a limited amount of money that they can use to buy the things they want and need; that because money is limited, people need to make good choices about how to wisely save and spend it. Through a fun and engaging S.T.E.A.M. project, students will also have the opportunity to be entrepreneurs by producing their own goods or services. They will practice being in the roles of consumers, producers, and entrepreneurs. This hands-on project provides students the opportunity to practice their mathematical skills in calculating and accounting for inventory levels, costs, profits, income, and how to manage money and time wisely and efficiently.
LE COLLÈGE

Digital Citizenship Program



The Digital Citizenship Program is part of the middle school advisory program. Each grade benefits from 4 to 5 Digital Citizenship classes throughout the school year. The latest theme that was explored was related to privacy online and how to best protect oneself with healthy choices in terms of ID and password choices for example. Students also learned proper email etiquette, especially with the use of greetings and salutations, reply, reply all, cc and bcc. 
Thank you to Mr. Tregouet, our STEAM coordinator, for making this important learning fun!

 

8th grade: inviting professionals in the classroom



The French curricular program includes efforts to make students aware of the professional world, and help them reflect on future career path choices. Exposure to professionals who can share their passion and experience is extremely valuable. Mr. Le Boyer, who is a research scientist at the Scripps Institute, recently discussed with 8th the grade students his occupation, with the hope of instilling passionate interest in the work of an oceanography scientist. Thank you to Mr. Le Boyer for taking the time to come on campus and share, and thank you to Mr. Giot for making this happen!
AFTER-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

Adult French Classes at SDFAS


New Year's resolution! Learn French, it will be a wonderful lifelong skill and experience for you and your children.  It's not too late to register!!

SDFAS offers two different teaching styles you can choose from, with Stephanie or Isabelle. 
For a detailed description of the classes and to register please check our website

Classes levels and schedules:

- NEW A0 Beginner (Isabelle)   Tuesday   12-1 pm  from 1/15/19 to 4/2/19. No class on 2/26. A6 classroom. $30/class.

- A1+ Beginner (Isabelle)   Tuesday   5 - 6:30 pm  from 1/8/19 to 4/2/19.  No class on 2/26.  C1 classroom. $27/class.

- A2+ Intermediate (Isabelle)   Tuesday   1:15 - 2:45 pm  from 1/8/19 to 4/2/19.  No class on 2/26.  A6 classroom. $27/class.

- A1 Beginner Level (Stephanie)  Monday  1:15 - 2:45 pm  from 1/28/19 to 6/10/19.  No class on 2/25, 4/22, 5/27.  A5   classroom. $27/class.

- A1+ Level (Stephanie)  Wednesday  9 - 10:30 am  from 1/9/19 to 4/3/19.  No class on 1/30, 2/27.  A5   classroom. $27/class.

- A2+ Level (Stephanie)  Wednesday  12 - 1:30 pm  from 1/9/19 to 4/3/19.  No class on 1/30, 2/27.  C8   classroom. $27/class.

 

1st Gardening Class


Pictured: Margot, Stacy, Zoe, Abibatu, Adeline, Stellan and Carlitos.

After all the rain from last week, last Friday, during our first gardening class, it was the perfect day to go and catch some escargots!!  We all had fun catching them, feeding them, observing this very special gastropod mollusk! we learned a lot.  We were all so brave and proud to hold the snails.
WINTER BREAK: FEBRUARY 25 - MARCH 1


SDFAS is offering vacation camps for PK0-8th grade at the following dates Feb. 25 - March 1 (5 days) from 8:30 am - 4 pm. 

For information please check the website HERE

Reserve your spot online  HERE

Deadline for registration is February 15th - no exceptions, after that a $50 late registration fee will be added to your total.
 
WHAT'S COMING UP

- January 25:  Café Croissants - STATE OF THE SCHOOL at 8:30 am in the auditorium
February 1st: Jog-a-thon
- February 1st:  Ciné Club #5
- February 4: A journey through SDFAS Middle School from 6 to 7 pm
- February 5: Chinese New Year
- February 7: PA plenary meeting #2 at 2:30 pm
- February 8: Talent Show
- February 11:  Free Info Sessions 8:45 am and 7 pm
- February 11:
PK2 to K Transition from 6 to 7 pm
 
- February 15 - 22:  Book Fair