Kickin’ Back & Playin’ Some Tunes
Bonjour ! Music is all around us and this week’s News de Nous has the latest – FASTB Jazz Day is just a few days away, plus it turns out that there’s more to the above photo than meets the eye – story below.
Also, the latest update on scholarships – short version: apply now; classrooms were buzzing this week; enrollment info and Camp FASTB as well – it’s all here in News de Nous !
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Florida Scholarships for K-12 – Apply Today
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Good news for families with students entering grades K and up this fall – FASTB will be able to accept state scholarships: McKay, Florida Tax Credit, Gardiner and Hope! We are in the final stages of having our school listed on the scholarship websites – we now know that will be in May.
Even with that pending, it is very important that you apply now if you want one of these scholarships – the way it works is that your application is reviewed and the scholarship is awarded before you choose a school, so you can get started right away. Here are the links:
We will announce, via News de Nous, our website and social media, when FASTB is added to the list of participating schools. Merci !
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Jazz Day Tuesday – All Are Welcome!
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The official FASTB International Jazz Day Jam, co-sponsored by our friends at Music & Me, is now just 6 days away – Tuesday, April 30th at 1:30 right here at FASTB. All are welcome to attend; we will have a band made up of local jazz musicians, plus some members of the FASTB family – Mr. Alex of Music & Me fame (guitar), Suzuki instructor Jenny Diedrich (violin) and Director Dan Hannigan (keyboard). Students will also be pitching in as we celebrate individuality within a group dynamic and the inclusiveness of jazz. Everyone is welcome to join in on the jam too!
International Jazz Day will see hundreds of events in 190 countries around the world that day – you’ll see FASTB among those in the U.S. here on the official site. We’re also on the map on the home page. Jazz Day is presented by the United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz.
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En Classe: Pre-K Note-worthy – Inside and Out
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Our young artists in Pre-K are gluing and painting in anticipation of Jazz Day! Notes, instruments and smiles – what more do you need?
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Moving outside, our garden was a little dry this week so our students were more than happy to help (above) – then it was off to the sand and water table (below), a great spot for creativity, concentration and cooperation, while also developing motor skills.
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And from the “Hmm, this feels strange” category, students wrapped up their exploration of the senses last week with the sense of touch – eventually, everyone got in on it!!
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En Classe: Elementary Follows the Script
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Along with making great strides in their French understanding and speaking skills over the course of the year, elementary students have immensely improved their cursive writing skills (above) from day 1 to now – not easy work, so great job everyone!
In a related story, students also worked on syllable recognition and placing them in the right places, boosting vocabulary in the process (below).
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Math and logic games (above), such as Puissance 4 (Connect 4 in the US) and tangrams kept brains busy and challenged, while in Découverte du monde, students discussed matter, focusing on objects we use every day (below).
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2019-20 School Year – Enroll Today!
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We are continuing to accept applications and enroll students for 2019-20, so if you are thinking about applying (or know someone who may be interested), please consider a visit and tour. If you are further along in the process and wish to contact us to finalize and secure a spot, please give us a call at (727) 800-2159.
Below is the sequence of events for our application process (please note that there is a new online application form):
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- Inquiry: Submit the Application Inquiry Form on our web site and we will contact you to set up a school visit to give you more information about FASTB and answer questions
- Apply: Click here for our new online Enrollment Application which offers the convenience of applying and paying the fee entirely online
- Interview: After receiving the completed application we set up a parent or guardian and child interview to assess readiness and ability to benefit from our program
- Acceptance & Enrollment: Upon acceptance, an Enrollment Contract must be signed and deposit paid to secure a spot for the upcoming year
Please visit FASTB.org and click on the Admission tab for more on the process, tuition, financial aid and more – we look forward to hearing from you!
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Hard to believe – summer and camp is not that far off! But it’s not too late to throw your name in – visit our Camp FASTB page on FASTB.org to get information and access to our camp online inquiry form. Please fill that out and submit so we can begin to finalize enrollment. Even if you have already contacted us informally about your interest, we ask that you fill in the form so that we have consistent information for everyone – Merci!! Camp FASTB Details: Beginning June 10, we will offer up to 6 weeks of French Immersion camp broken down as follows:
- Full Day – 9am-3pm $300 per child, per week
- Half Day – 9am-Noon $200 per child, per week
- Extended care will be available at an additional cost. We are targeting the weeks beginning June 10, June 17, June 24, July 8, July 15 and July 22.
Campers must be at least 5 years old before 9/1/19
We are also accepting applications for French speaking camp counselors so if you or someone you know is interested, please let us know – merci!
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Not often do you see violinists playing while lying on their backs – but you do when proper posture training and back support is in order! That was the case recently as our instructor, Jenny Diedrich, showed students different ways they can work on their posture – on the floor (above) or against the wall (below) – these exercises make it much easier for students to hold their instruments in the right place and support their backs. The key will be eventually doing it naturally, without the wall or floor!
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A reminder that Jenny’s Suzuki Strings recital is this Saturday – if you can make it, stop in and you’ll get a peek into the future and your children will be inspired. Information is below:
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FASTB Calendars 2018-19 AND 2019-20
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We have released our academic calendar for 2019-20 and you will note that the timing is more in line with area schools (no construction project thissummer!). To access the new 2019-20 calendar, click on the image below left and you can download a pdf. For this year’s calendar, click the image below right. Please also check the Events tab on FASTB.org periodically for more specific information on certain events. Merci !
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Cultural Exchange – Host a French Student
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Peggy Labat (center) with Constance (right), a French student who visited Florida in February, and Zsofia (left) whose family hosted Constance
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Recently, we enjoyed a visit from Peggy Labat, who has developed a new high school exchange program between her hometown of Le Havre, France and Tampa Bay, through which students spend a few weeks with a host family, completely immersed in a new language and culture!
Are you interested in hosting a French student for a few weeks? Do you, or someone you know, have a high school child that might want to visit France for a few weeks? If so, please take a look at this summary of Peggy’s program and feel free to reach out to her by email at peggy@englishnstuff.com. We also have a few pamphlets that describe the program here at the school if you’d like to stop by and pick one up. Merci !
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Spring has decided to finally settle in up in Maine. To keep tabs on activities of our friends up north, don’t forget to visit the Blog and Instagram of our school in Maine, L’Ecole Française du Maine – Year 18 is rolling along!!
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The French American School of Tampa Bay, (FASTB), founded in February 2017 by Elizabeth and Willy LeBihan, offers a unique immersion school experience to students from Early Childhood through grade 12.
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2100 62nd Ave N, St. Petersburg, FL 33702
Telephone: (727) 800-2159
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