La Rue de l'Ecole

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April 2013
Coming Soon at FASRI
 
Wednesday, May 1
School Forum
(All parents welcome!)
6:30 PM 

Thursday, May 9
Fiesta Latina &
New Curtain Ceremony
6:30 PM

Friday, May 10
Caf� Day

Thursday, May 23
New parent orientation
In This Issue
Message from the Head of School
Grandparents' Day
Trustee receives French honor
Faculty luncheon: merci beaucoup!
Exciting changes ahead
Did you know?
Blended learning takes off at FASRI
Middle School tackles Molière
Fifth graders visit the Middle School
Oh, the places they'll go...
Beaujolais Turns 20: Meet the Team
Quick Pics
Message from the Head of School

 

Dear All,

 

Spring is officially upon us. With warmer weather comes the time for schools to reflect on the year at hand and plan for the future. Later in this issue, you will read about some changes that will take place in the fall regarding staffing; I and the coordinators have been interviewing some great candidates recently for the positions that need to be filled. For now, though, I would like to share with you what's been happening around the French-American School as we gear up for the end of this school year.

 

We have been working since last year on a new social curriculum for our students, and our most recent faculty day was the official launch of the program that our faculty members have chosen. Our current division coordinators presented the Responsive Classroom to their peers. This approach to student culture and behavior is a school-wide initiative that focuses on whole-child nurturing and development. You can read more about it here

 

I was impressed by the work of our coordinators on this project and am excited to see improvements in our community culture and atmosphere with the approach's full implementation in the fall. We've ordered the full curriculum program, which will most likely be "summer reading" for our returning faculty. We will be in contact with our parents, too, with more information as it arises, to make sure we are all moving in the same direction and reinforcing these valuable techniques at home and at school next year.

 

But our students won't have to wait until next year to start benefiting from a responsive classroom. For instance, we have adjusted the way our students transition between classes, from two-by-two to single-file, and this has already made a big difference in the time it takes to move from space to space. Work is also underway on a comprehensive code of conduct that will address the unique needs of each age group. 

 

Soon, our middle school students will also attend morning meetings before classes begin. This will help them prepare for the day together with classmates and teachers, and it is proven to reduce behavior issues and other conflicts. I know that I have spoken of the importance of punctuality before, but this new program makes arriving on time for school all the more vital to our students' growth and success as part of their class.

 

This year I took on a much more prominent role in student behavior and discipline, in order to lighten the load of our current coordinators. I have enjoyed speaking with the students, hearing their concerns, and working with them and their teachers to find constructive solutions. I plan to maintain an active role in both the guidance and counseling of our students: a responsibility I will share with our Lower and Middle School directors.

 

Early spring is also evaluation time at FASRI. I have been working alongside our intrepid division coordinators to schedule each faculty member's evaluation, in preparation for contract-signings in May. The evaluation process includes a class observation and a meeting with the teacher, as well as the completion of a comprehensive performance rubric. We implemented this specific rubric after the faculty voted it the best of several options we explored. I look forward to these visits and conversations, which will begin after vacation.

 

As more news and plans solidify, I will be happy to share them with you. Please enjoy the rest of this newsletter; there are many exciting things happening at FASRI, as always. Thank you for reading and enjoy the remainder of your vacation.

 

 

Dominique Velociter

 
Grandparents' Day at FASRI

Last Friday, we welcomed a record number of grandparents and special relatives to the school for our annual Grandparents' Day. The morning kicked off with breakfast and a few songs--en francais--by the elementary school students. 

And then it was off to the classrooms, where teachers and students shared their lessons and routines with their special guests. 

It was a lovely morning, enjoyed by all. Thanks to everyone who came--and to our fabulous parent volunteers! See you next year!

Trustee receives French honor

Recently, FASRI Trustee and longtime friend Patricia M. Lawlorwas honored with the Palmes Academiques, a prestigious French award that honors success in the academic, educational, and cultural spheres. 
 
Patricia was honored mainly for her contributions as a French professor at Provi-dence College. She has helped a partnership between PC students and our school blossom, as well. Thanks to her, there are PC interns and volunteers helping the school in various ways throughout the year, while they benefit from exposure to our bilingual, bicultural environment. 
 
Congratulations, Patricia: an award well deserved. F�licitations!
Faculty luncheon: merci beaucoup!

 On March 29, FASRI parents combined forces to throw the annual Faculty Appreciation Luncheon. Each year, this parent-run potluck for the teachers and staff takes place during a scheduled professional development day, and it is always a nice break from the day's activities.

This year's lunch was no exception. The whole staff enjoyed the extensive and delicious buffet and good conversation: all in all, a wonderful way to celebrate the year. 

Un grand merci to all of the parents who cooked, baked, bought, carried, set up, and cleaned up. It was a wonderful meal, start to finish, thanks to you!

Exciting changes ahead

 

International schools like ours have the advantage of a constant influx of new faces, ideas, and enthusiasm each fall as we welcome faculty and staff from around the world. This coming school year will be no exception, as we say goodbye to several team members and welcome the new.

 

At this time, we can confirm the departure of the following teachers: Bruno Bourlet, Veronica Gazeryan, Jerome Orriere, Pascale Rivier, and Genevieve Vincent all move on to new endeavors, both in the States and abroad. Martine Dunn, our school secretary, and Danielle Dispagne, our afterschool secretary and aide, will also pursue new opportunities in the fall. They will all be dearly missed, and we hope that they will stay in touch. We thank them for their hard work, energy, and the sharing of their talents during their time at FASRI.

 

We can also announce a change in the Education Director positions. Adeline Broussan, who was slated to be one of our two directors next year, has been accepted to a Master's program at Brown University! She will return to FASRI as a part-time social studies teacher in the Middle School, which will allow her the time to pursue her studies. Congratulations, Adeline!

 

In the fall, Audrey Talarico will maintain her position as Director of the Elementary and French programs. She will be joined by Jeremy Freitas, who will assume the role of Director of the Middle School and English programs. Dominique Velociter, Head of School, is pleased with the new leadership format and looks forward to an exciting year and new team of teachers for 2013/14.

 
Did you know?

 

Did you know that our middle school students are learning Spanish, too? That's right: by sixth grade, FASRI students are on their way to being trilingual!

 

Thanks to their knowledge of French, they tend to pick up this third language much more quickly than their monolingual peers: so much so that they're even able to write one-act plays, en espa�ol.

 

Come to FASRI's "Fiesta Latina" and watch our students' creations on Thursday, May 9, 2013. Doors open at 6:30 PM, and there will be a dedication of our new curtain (thanks to funds raised by the Parents' Association) at 6:45. Refreshments will follow. We hope to see you there!

 

Blended learning takes off at FASRI

 

You can find innovative curriculum practices across all ages and subjects at FASRI. Most recently, a few of our teachers have introduced the concept of "blended learning," or a "flipped classroom," as a new approach to math instruction. This technique creates a much wider learning environment for students by incorporating web resources and assignments that can be accessed anywhere. 

 

In the Middle School, teacher Ryan Cook has been honing his students' skills in math with the help of Khan Academy, an online database of thousands of videos and other resources in math and a range of sciences. Bethanie Downes, one of our elementary school English teachers, has introduced her first grade class to the IXL Program, which is billed as "math for the left and right brain." 

 

Stay tuned for more innovative learning news from our classrooms!

Middle School tackles Moli�re 

 

 

Have you checked out FASRI's YouTube channel, fasriTV? We've posted a few new videos recently, including our Middle School's rendition of pieces by Moli�re. Click the photo above to see the video, or visit the fasriTV channel to see all of our uploads.

Fifth graders visit the Middle School

 

In preparation for the fall, our fifth grade students recently took a trip downstairs to the Middle School. They had the chance to visit with our current sixth graders, sit in on classes, and learn a little more about the teachers and the program.

Oh, the places they'll go...

 

Spring at FASRI is always an exciting time: especially for our eighth graders! Most of them have heard from their high schools of choice and have chosen their path for next year. Look for more news on the Class of 2013 in a special feature next month! 

 

Speaking of eighth grade graduates...our first Middle School grads are on their way to college in the fall. They have been accepted by some great institutions across the globe. Stay tuned for more updates on this trailblazing class!

Beaujolais Turns 20: Meet the Team

 

 

We are fortunate to have another great team for a very special 20th anniversary Beaujolais Festival in November. Thank you to Stephanie Naudo, FASRI parent for chairing the event this year, and to Mark Goldberg, friend of the school and event Co-Chair (both pictured here). 

 

Stephanie volunteered for the Beaujolais Festival last year, and used it as a case study in her Arts Management course fundraising unit at UMass Amherst. Mark brings with him a wealth of experience in organizing fundraising events in the Providence community, notably for Providence Preservation Society. Both of them will be leading a great team, including Sophie Hones as event Art Director, Andrea Degos as Chair of the Auction Committee, and Amy Larkin and Capucine Rebuffe for the Marketing Committee. 

 

MERCI BEAUCOUP to all for working on the event, which raises crucial funds to support education at FASRI. More news soon!

 
Quick Pics
FASRIFund_pins
FASRI Fund: get your pin! We love FASRI! Make your gift to the FASRI Fund today and wear your J'HEART FASRI pin with pride. We are shooting for 100% parent participation, and as of April 18, we are at 25% - you can help us make our goal to support student programs at FASRI! Thank you.

First grade digs in: Maitresse Audrey's CP (First Grade) class enjoys an in-class ice cream party. The first graders won the party for selling the most Beaujolais raffle tickets this past fall. 

 

Namast�! Maitresse Isabelle's Moyenne/Grande Section (Pre-K/K) class takes advantage of the new spring weather with a trip to India Point Park for an outdoor yoga session by the water.

 

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French-American School of RI | 75 John Street | Providence, Rhode Island 02906 |