News de Nous – 5/29/19

May 29, 2019
Ant Antics !
 Bonjour ! The simple joy of watching an ant farm mesmerized even the most cynical today – ants can actually teach us lots of lessons, fortunately one of those was not “how to break the seal and escape the ant farm!”
 Beyond the bugs, our classrooms are counting down to the last day of school (now in single digits), school photos are now ready and Suzuki music is making some big league noise; plus Camp FASTB, enrollment and scholarship updates all weave their way into the tapestry that is News de Nous…
Celebrating Year One – Graduation, June 7!
We will hold our first-ever Graduation Ceremony on the last day of school, June 7, at 2pm, bringing to a close this historic first year of The French American School of Tampa Bay, and featuring student presentations and the distribution of certificates of achievement.
We invite all of our families to join us to celebrate the success of your children in Year 1 – refreshments will be served after the ceremony. We hope to see you there!
Families: Pick Your Pics
2018-19 FASTB families – an email went out this morning with a link to the proofs of the school photos taken last week, plus the order form and instructions. If you have questions, you can contact Moorman Photographics at 727-527-1237. They have asked that you place your orders by next Friday, June 7.
Root, Root, Root for the Suzuki Anthem Performers
The Florida Music Institute, which draws Suzuki musicians from around the country and around the world each summer, will be playing the National Anthem on the field at the Tampa Bay Rays game, Thursday June 13 at 7pm. Among the musicians will be students of Jenny Diedrich’s Suzuki Strings studio, including one of our own FASTB students!!
You can email Jenny about tickets – if you join in with her group, a portion of the proceeds go to the Florida Music Institute. Head on over to the Trop next Thursday to cheer on these musicians (and the Rays)!
Camp FASTB – Weeks of July 8 and July 15
We have updated our Camp FASTB schedule for this summer – the weeks of camp will be July 8-12 and July 15-19. If you, or someone you know, is interested in signing up, you can enroll on our website by clicking here – it’s not too late.
Camp is for ages 5 and up (must be 5 by 9/1/19). We are looking forward to a great first summer of Camp FASTB – hope you will join us!
FASTB 2019-20 – Ready To Enroll!
With the last day of this school year right around the corner, we are finalizing 2019-20 applications and enrollments for Pre-K through 8th grade! Wherever you may be in the application process below, or if you are just now considering applying, please contact us so we can work with you to bring things to completion before summer vacation, if possible. We want to make sure we have enough time to plan and have everything in place for FASTB Year 2. You can give us a call at (727) 800-2159 or email dan.hannigan@fastb.org.
Below is the sequence of events for our application process (please note that there is a new online application form):
  1. 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
  2. Apply: Click here for our new online Enrollment Application which offers the convenience of applying and paying the fee entirely online
  3. 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
  4. 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!
Florida Scholarships for K-12 – Apply Today
FASTB has been given the “all clear” to accept Florida state scholarships in 2019-20. As we reported last week, there is now a second income based scholarship offered by the state of Florida: the Family Empowerment Scholarship, which will also be administered by Step Up for Students. Key points for this scholarship are:
  1. For students currently in public schools OR students entering Kindergarten
  2. Income thresholds are higher than those in the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship
If you meet the criteria in the first item above, it is definitely worth filling out the free online application to see if you qualify.
This brings the number of scholarships that we will accept in 2019-20 to five:
  1. Florida Tax Credit
  2. Family Empowerment
  3. McKay
  4. Gardiner
  5. Hope
It is very important that you apply now if you want one of these scholarships – the way it works is that your free application is reviewed and the scholarship is awarded before you choose a school, so you can get started right away. Here are the links:
Step Up For Students (Florida Tax Credit, Family Empowerment, Gardiner, Hope Scholarships): https://www.stepupforstudents.org/for-parents/
Elementary Class Has All The ANT-swers
One of our students brought in an ant farm today and our tiny visitors put on quite a show – on the move constantly. They were digging into the sand, moving it from one place to another – putting on a great example of working hard and working together. Claire took it a step further (below), teaching students more about this impressive insect – like its body parts and its amazing ability to lift 20 times its own body weight.
Students also continued to review and hone skills in math and art projects also filled the week, such as the “cocotte de papier” below – can’t show you what’s in it – it’s a surprise.
Hair Raising Week in Pre-K
End of year fun projects in our preschool class – scissor skills on display for a different kind of haircut (above). From the individual activity to working in tandem with shapes (below)…
… to the full table play-doh team activity (below), students experienced play in different ways, tapping into not only a variety of motor skill development but social and emotional development as well.
Attention Adults – French Classes Are Coming To FASTB!
We are excited to announce that French classes for adults will be coming soon to FASTB – we have to finish working out a few details and once that is done, there will be a sign-up on our website for those interested! Stay tuned…
Attention High School French Scholars
We are also pleased to announce that, beginning this fall, we will be offering after school advanced French classes for high school students, who wish to pursue a greater proficiency in the language. The Diplôme d’Etudes de Langue Française (DELF) is a certification of French language abilities for non-native speakers, administered by the International Centre for French Studies for the French Ministry of Education.
The program includes six different units (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2), with each leading to an exam and, if passed, a French diploma. The last levels of the program can give access to French universities without having to take another proficiency test before enrolling. US colleges also recognize the value of these diplomas and they are also be very valuable professionally as proof of fluency in French.
If you or someone you know might be interested in this program, please contact the school. You can click on the photo above, or here, to view the brochure pdf. Merci !
FASTB Calendar 2019-20
To access our 2019-20 calendar, click on the image below and you can download a pdf. As we get closer to the beginning of school, be sure to check the Events tab on FASTB.org periodically for more specific information on certain events. Merci !
Maine School Nears End of Year 18
As temperatures rise, school winds down up north at L’Ecole Française du Maine. Don’t forget to visit the Blog and Instagram of the school up north too!
Meet The Founders
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.
Inspired by their successful creation of L’Ecole Française du Maine: The French School of Maine 18 years ago, the Founders decided to put their experience and devotion for education to work in the Tampa Bay area they have grown to know and love.
2100 62nd Ave N, St. Petersburg, FL 33702
Telephone: (727) 800-2159
Dan Hannigan: School Director dan.hannigan@fastb.org
Elizabeth LeBihan: Founder and Admission Director admission@fastb.org
Willy LeBihan: Founder and Head of School director@fastb.org
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2100 62nd Ave N
St. Petersburg, FL 33702

Email: office@fastb.org
Tel: (727) 800-2159

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