PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Chers collègues,
Heureux printemps à tous! The school year is drawing to a close, but we haven’t stopped working and we are sure that all of you are very busy also. Your officers and the executive council have been busy making plans for next year. Our plans at this time include the fall meeting, National French Week activities, and the winter meeting. The fall meeting will be held at Immaculata University with Roseni Gabrielle speaking about culture and politics in Haiti. In November, to celebrate National French Week, we are looking forward to our first Journée Francophone to be held at Widener University with a varied program for high school students. Lynn Miller, who with Annette Emgarth is author of the new book French Philadelphia: The French Cultural & Historical Presence in the Delaware Valley will give a lecture and sign books at Rosemont College during National French Week. In January, for the winter meeting, Janel Lafond-Paquin will share with us her ideas and materials for teaching Le Petit Prince, for which she was named the Best of NECTFL in 2005. These and other events are offered as professional development opportunities for members with Act 48 credits available. We hope that these events will inspire you and that you will make plans now to join us. Please check the calendar for specific times and dates.
Félicitations to our Grand Concours winners and their teachers who continue to encourage them. We hope to see all of you at the Distribution des Prix at Chestnut Hill College, May 17.
Amitiés,
Elaine Danford
Kim Marucci
Listserv Notice
Our listserv is exclusively for National and Philadelphia Chapter members. We send reminders of meetings and other events, as well as news that has not been included in the most recent newsletter. To read the complete Listserv Policy, go to our site, www.aatfphila.org. The listserv complements the website, and sometimes reinforces it. Members can request that open French positions be posted. If you are not on the listserv and would like to be included, please send a message to josilver@erols.com. And of course, if you would like to be removed or have your e-mail changed, you have that option. -- Joanne Silver, Secretary-Treasurer AATF Philadelphia.
All is well in the Best of Worlds!
The school-year will soon be coming to an end. As we heave a sigh of relief and look forward to the summer months, it is time to focus on our accomplishments and celebrate our successes. If the Grand Concours is a measure of the state of health of French, we are indeed doing well. Thanks to your efforts and your students’ hard work, we have exceeded 100,00 in the number of participants for the past two years! Our region alone accounts for 19,287 participants with a host of national winners. Hats off to you!
In spite of these impressive numbers, you may feel somewhat disheartened because the numbers of students in your schools or your districts are declining. May I make a couple of suggestions?
- Remind your students that although other languages may be overtaking French in American schools, French is an international language, present on all continents and thus will serve them well in their professional pursuits.
- Remind your students also that French culture, history and art have influenced many others over the years. As such, the study of French will help them better understand the other school subjects and enhance their overall scholastic performance. Have the students conduct comparison activities to uncover this fact.
- Contact the Heritage speakers of French in your area. The Alliance Française will help you identify them since many of their members are French-speaking Francophiles. Ask them to help you start culture clubs in Elementary grades. These weekly club meetings, held after school, familiarize the little ones with the “practices and perspectives” of the French culture. Youngsters play, sing, eat and fall in love with French. Subsequently, they choose to study French. The experiment is working in other places. It is a sure way to hook disciples of French for years to come.
Let me know how I may help. Have a great summer! In the meantime, I hope to see many of you in Milwaukee.Thank you for your hard work.
Alice K. Cataldi
AATF Region IV Representative
National French Week Contests 2006
The theme for the year 2006 is “La Musique francophone: tout un monde à découvrir / Francophone Music: A Whole World to Discover. Please see the April 2006 National Bulletin for more information. Local deadline will be announced in the fall newsletter.
French is alive and well in the Philadelphia area
The French International School has purchased a second site for expansion in Bala Cynwyd at 23 City Avenue. The two-story 12,000 square-foot building will house the upper school of the 14-year-old bilingual school for students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.
Prompting the search for additional space was the school’s ten percent annual enrollment growth, which brought it to its 250-student capacity this year. The two-campus arrangement will open up more space at its North Highland Avenue site for its younger students. The school now owns both properties.
Mrs. Pascale Davidson, Head of School, said, “We will begin the work immediately to have the classrooms and facilities ready by September. This is a long-awaited outcome that will enable us to grow to 400 students in the coming years.”
Our members are working hard to promote French outside of the classroom. Some of our members wanted to share their plans and/or experiences with you. Vive le français!
We just hosted a group from Provence for our third year. They were here for 2 weeks on a homestay program. Unfortunately, we are not returning to France as we did not have enough students. So disappointing! If there is a group out there that would let us join, I'd love to go.
We are taking a group of 8-10th graders to Canada in June for a combination home/hotel stay.We are trying hard to attract more students to French and this is the first year for this trip. While we had wanted to go during Carneval, our district would not let students out of class. Another disappointment.
As for "the continent," our level 4 students are going to Le Bec Fin, and our level 2 and 3 students are going to The Phantom of the Opera in NY.
As a French and Spanish teacher who is threatened every year to become a SPANISH ONLY teacher again, I am open to all suggestions on how to keep French alive and flourishing at Council Rock. Please share what the other schools are doing.
Lois Drabot
Council Rock North
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I teach Middle School at the Baldwin School, in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. This year we took a group of 7th and 8th graders to Quebec during our Spring Break. We visited the cities of Quebec and Montreal. This was an enjoyable trip; the students took advantage of the many opportunities they had to speak French in stores, restaurants and with Tour Guides. This was the second year that we have offered this trip, and several students who took it last year decided to come again this year.
French is very much alive and well at the Baldwin School.
Christiane de Boisseson
Pendant le mois de février un group de 12 élèves d’Agnes Irwin, accompagnées par deux professeurs, ont passé deux semaines merveilleuses en France. Nous étions logées a l’hôtel Trianon Rive Gauche qui est situé en plein Quartier Latin juste en face de la Sorbonne. Nous avons commencé notre première étape en passant 3 jours à Paris où nous avons fait une visite guidée du Quartier Latin, et ensuite nous avons visité la cathédrale de Notre Dame, le Louvre, et les alentours de Monmartre. Ce qui a beaucoup plu aux élèves, c’était la visite guidée à vélo. Nous nous sommes baladées dans les environs du Marais de Beaubourg, du Palais Royal et nous avons terminé la visite en traversant l’îîle Saint Louis ; site web de la location de vélo : www.parisvelosymps.com.
Ensuite les élèves sont descendues en Provence pour passer une semaine avec des familles d’accueil à Nîmes. Les élèves ont été très chaleureusement accueillies par leurs familles françaises. Nous sommes allées à Saintes-Maries de la mer, à Aigues-Mortes, au Palais des Papes, à La Chartreuse de Villeneuve les Avignon, et aux Baux. Nous avons passé une journée entière à Aix en Provence, et l’après-midi, nous avons retracé les endroits préférés qui servaient comme inspiration pour Cézanne. Nous sommes passées par l’intermédiaire de l’agence : www.horizons-monde.fr. Voici un témoignage d’une des filles américaines :
Le séjour en famille, c’était une expérience unique et importante : cela nous a permis de développer notre connaissance de la culture française et de nous familiariser avec la vie de tous les jours. Nous avons goûté à des plats célèbres de Nîmes. J’ai mangé de la raclette et beaucoup de bons fromages de la région, et bien sûr…des crêpes !
Après avoir passé une semaine à Nîmes, nous sommes remontées à Paris pour 3 jours. Les élèves ont passé une matinée à l’Ecole Alsacienne à visiter des classes d’histoire, d’économie, de physique, et de littérature française. Nous avons parlé avec la direction du lycée de la possibilité d’établir un programme d’échange de courte ou de longue durée. Ce genre d’échange ouvre de très intéressantes perspectives pour les élèves des deux pays.
Rita Davis
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Celi Putnam, Teacher of French in the Episcopal Academy Middle School, will chaperone a group of 9 Middle school students of French to Montpellier, France for our annual Homestay/study program there.
From June 9-26, 2006, students will live with French families in Montpellier all while attending morning classes in language study. In the afternoons and on weekends, the group will enjoy day excursions to Nimes, Avignon, grottes de la Clamouse and to nearby beaches and historic towns.
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A French High School, LE LYCÉE BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, in Orléans and an American High School, AGNES IRWIN SCHOOL, in Rosemont, PA celebrate the 300th birthday of Benjamin Franklin! On April 19, a group of visitors from Orléans observed Upper School Language, Math and Science classes at The Agnes Irwin School. The French Department at AIS had established a contact via email in the Fall while looking for ways to celebrate the 300th birthday of Benjamin Franklin. The American students proudly shared their school and experiences in French with our visitors who had endless questions and comments to make. The French language was heard everywhere in the school that day - by students and teachers alike. We also received as a gift from the Lycée Orléans a copy of the poster they designed for the Ben Franklin celebration as well as a DVD of the interdisciplinary activities their school designed.
Sylvie Molta, The Agnes Irwin School
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French-American friendships can continue and reinvent themselves, passing from teachers to students and enriching lives on both sides of the Atlantic. A few years ago, Armand Idrac, who as a young teenager had survived D Day living in Caen, Normandy, gave his memoirs to AATF member Joanne Silver. Michael Bowe, school computer technician in Downingtown, converted the Macintosh disquettes to PC format, and the publishing began. This summer, Michael's daughter, a French V student of AATF member Andy Grim, will live with a family in Caen, and will be able to share with them the full and classroom versions (each in French and English--4 books total). Amanda is planning to meet Armand's family, including high-school-age grandchildren, as well as other French persons who resisted and survived the period from Occupation through Liberation during WWII.
Joanne S. Silver, Secy.-Treas.
AATF Philadelphia Chapter
Please see www.travelforteens.com/ga2006 for info about our students traveling to Paris, Normandy, and Provence in June 2006 with Travel for Teens and sponsored by Germantown Academy.
Linda Test
For information about university student travel, Drexel University’s Modern Language Department has posted testimonies and experiences of their students abroad. Here is the URL of that page:
http://www.drexel.edu/coas/culturecomm/lang/french/resources_tranger.asp
Anne-Marie
Journée-Atelier Francophone Advance R.S.V.P.
On November 3, 2006 from approximately 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in celebration of National French Week, the Philadelphia Chapter of the AATF will be organizing a Journée et Atelier Francophone to be held at Widener University in Chester, PA for high school students of French in levels 2, 3, 4 and AP. Students will have the opportunity to perform skits or songs in French in front of an audience of their peers. In addition, students will learn about francophone countries through an interactive poster/treasure hunt. Students will receive instruction in dance from a francophone country. Students will also be exposed to a program on the planning process for study abroad. Furthermore, representatives from a variety of study abroad programs will be present for an informational fair. Finally, all students will engage in conversation over lunch with native French speakers. All students will receive t-shirts, certificates of participation, and other give-aways. All will have the opportunity to win prizes in each session. We have already secured a grant from AATF as well as additional support from Widener University. The cost for the event will be $10/student.
As you can imagine, planning for such an event takes a lot of advance preparation. In order to gauge the amount of interest from our chapter in this event, we are asking you to r.s.v.p. by mid-June. We realize that you may not know exactly how many students you will bring, or even if you can definitely come, but we ask you to give us your best estimate at this time for planning purposes only. We can accommodate between 250-275 students total for this event and we request one chaperone (preferably a teacher) for every 10 students you bring. There is no limit to how many students can attend from a given school as long as you provide enough chaperones. We will have a more formal R.S.V.P. (first come/first serve) in early September when we can confirm your registration for the event.
Please email Stephanie Schechner (saschechner@mail.widener.edu) by June 15, 2006 if you plan to try to bring students to the Journée-Atelier Francophone. Please email your name, your school name, and the total number of students you anticipate bringing as well as the level of French they will be studying.
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Local presenters at the AATF National Convention in Milwaukee
La France dans la Seconde Guerre mondiale: Joanne S. Silver and Barbara P. Barnett will give a sixty-minute session entitled La France dans la Seconde Guerre mondiale: Histoire et Mémoires. Presenters will discuss materials produced and/or distributed by Beach Lloyd Publishers, LLC, including new 2006 materials, testimonies from a Holocaust survivor from Paris, a Hidden Child in Southern France, male and female leaders of the Résistance and the recent classroom editions of the memoirs of a young Frenchman who lived through the War in Normandy. They will discuss books featuring first-person testimonies of those who lived through the War and show documentary video clips. Attendees will receive a 22-page teacher packet, ancillary materials and suggestions for creating a unit on France under the German Occupation. Most materials are in French, with several available in English editions as well.
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In Memoriam
Michele Robin, French teacher for 45 years at Moorestown HS, Cherry Hill HS and Montgomery County Day School. She was a charismatic teacher who traveled to France with a group of students every summer. She also spoke Spanish, Flemish, Portuguese and Hebrew. She will be missed by her former students and colleagues.
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Calendar of Events
Wednesday, May 17 7 p.m.
Distribution des Prix at Chestnut Hill College, Sorgenti Arena in Martino Hall. Winners in the Grand Concours, their teachers, school administrators and families are welcome. |
June 30-July 4
Pre-convention cinema workshop at AATF Milwaukee. See National Bulletin for more information. |
July 5-8
AATF Annual Convention in Milwaukee. |
Saturday, September 30 10 a.m.
Fall meeting at Immaculata University. Roseni Gabrielle will speak about culture and politics in Haiti. She is a recent immigrant from Haiti, where she worked as a journalist. |
Thursday, October 26 3:30-6:30
MCATFL (Montgomert County Association of Teachers of Foreign Language) is sponsoring a program called "ISLAM IN EUROPE". Three profs from McDaniel College in MD will speak about Islam in France, Spain and Germany. It will be at Germantown Academy. ACT 48 credits available. |
November 2-8
National French Week. |
Friday, November 3
La Journée Francophone at Widener University. An immersion day for high school students. See RSVP in this newsletter. |
Wednesday, November 8 7p.m.
Rosemont College, Main Building. Lecture and book-signing by Lynn Miller, who, with Annette Emgarth, is author of the new book French Philadelphia: The French Cultural & Historical Presence in the Delaware Valley. |
Saturday, January 27 10 a.m.
Winter meeting at Chestnut Hill College. Janel Lafond-Paquin will present strategies and materials for teaching Le Petit Prince.. |
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