Quoi de Neuf?

Tome 2, Issue 2
Running Full Force

fvrier 2014
are seeing less and less franglais each
day, and we are proud of them!

Special Guest

Welcome back from winter break!!! Even

though it is only January, we have hit the
ground running. During our recent
collaborative planning session, we could
not stop thinking about how far our
students have come and how passionate
they are about the language. We know it
has been rigorous, and thats the way we
like it . If you thought first semester
was great, just wait and see what we have
in store for this semester. Yes, you
guessed it--it only gets better!

Proficiency Scores are on the RISE

Just before the winter break, we had

Cathy Bouabr, a middle school French
teacher in the district, come visit our
French Immersion class to tell us all
about life in Cte dIvoire. The students
had a great time learning about their
culture and especially their style of
clothing. We are very appreciative of
Madame Bouabr for sacrificing a few
hours to come spend it with us.
Of course, the students had to try on the
clothes in an effort to be one with the
culture. They loved it!

We are sure that you have noticed that

your childs proficiency scores have been
increasing. If the score has increased by
one point, you can compare that to moving
a mountain. These students are working
extremely hard, and it is paying off. We

them write and sing their own song in

French, devise a sports commentary on a
game, and write a critique of a film or TV
show. We have an exciting semester
coming up!

Passport
We started out this semester by
studying Paris. We learned about
geography, different sections of the city,
monuments, and Parisian cuisine. As a
culminating project, each student made a
poster and gave a presentation on an
arrondissement of Paris. We all learned
a lot about what you can see and do in
such a grand city. Last week, we had the

Immersion

opportunity to taste different Parisian

dishes. You can see the attached photos
from our taste test in class. Thank you to
all the students and parents who
contributed to our efforts!

We have just wrapped up a unit on

describing ones daily routine, from food
to schedules to shampoo. As our
phenomenal students advance in their
knowledge of the language, we are
beginning a unit on entertainment (le

divertissement). Students will learn how

to describe their preferences in music,
film, sports, and art. They will also
expand out from making basic declarative
sentences to more complex sentences and
subordinate clauses in order to present
their opinions. Look forward to hearing

We are very excited to start a unit on

impressionist art and artists. This unit
will last about 5 weeks, and it will be
culminated with a large showcase of
student work. Mark your calendars for
this event! It will take place on March
4th at 6pm. The students presentations
at this event will be counted as a
summative Presentational Speaking task.

Sponsor a Haitian Child

for a School Year
French Exchange

Immediately after studying the

We have gotten a nice response from
parents who are interested in hosting a
French exchange student from ClermontFerrand in October. We are still in need
of more parents to volunteer and help us
out.

Impressionism unit, we will begin studying

Haiti. We are excited to experience the
rich culture e.g. cuisine and music that
Haiti has to offer. As a culminating
project, each passport class will sponsor a
Haitian student, which will cost $75. You
may be wondering, Well, how are we
going to get those funds? Well, Im so

Venir
Vernissage (Art Show)

glad that you asked that question . We

really want the students to take control
of this project, and we believe the
easiest way is for the students to bring in
one baked item e.g. brownies, cookies,
etc. In an effort to show the students
how committed we are to helping the
Haitian students who are poverty
stricken, we (the teachers) are going to
sponsor a child as well. We are very

excited about this project, so please be

on the lookout for more information
about this endeavor.

Skype

The Director of International Relations in

Clermont-Ferrand would like to
experience a Skype Session with our
Immersion students. We will be featured
in their newspaper. This Skype session
will take place in February. This is an
exciting opportunity for us at MGM and
for them. They are so excited that our
students can communicate (both written
and verbally) in French. Please be on the
lookout for more details.

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