It’s the Year of the Ox, which signifies stability and positivity in the new year. To celebrate Lunar New Year, we are sharing this special video created by the students and teachers of our school. We hope it will bring happiness and peace to you and your family.
To celebrate the Lunar New Year today, all Preschool students (PK0, PK1, and PK2) enjoyed some activities and a special lunch provided by Panda Express through their program “Panda, let’s explore”. This provided us an opportunity to teach students about the history and traditions of the Lunar New Year. Enjoy a few pictures of the day in Preschool: Happy Lunar Year!
Infection Prevention Tips
Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces at home, work, or school, especially when someone is ill. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.
All students and parents should wear masks upon exiting their car for drop off and pick up, practice good hand hygiene, and maintain a distance of 6ft from others at all times.Minimum Day Pick Up Times
February 8th – February 21st
You’re invited to shop at our Scholastic Book Fair online.
Book in French www.bonjourbooksdc.com code: SDFAS-2021
BooK in English All purchases benefit our school and connect kids with new books, favorite characters, complete series, and more. You’ll love the NEW option to shop for Book Fair exclusives directly from the interactive booklist and enjoy these special online shopping features:
Visit our Book Fair Homepage and https://www.scholastic.com/bf/sdfas – Click “Shop Now” to get started
*Free standard shipping is available on book-only orders of $25 or more after all discounts are applied. Free standard shipping (books) must be selected during checkout. Orders containing products other than books are not eligible for this shipping promotion.
More Info
Tuition Letter 2021-2022 and Reenrollment through FACTS, sent on Monday, February 1st by Mark Rosenblum, Headmaster Dear Parents, A year ago, our lives were turned upside down. Up against seemingly insurmountable challenges, you placed your trust and confidence in us. Undaunted, the school responded with a bold vision. With the choice to learn either on campus or at home, our students are back in school. Whatever lies ahead, SDFAS remains unwavering in its commitment to deliver an exceptional bilingual education. As we enter the re-enrollment period for next year, I am more excited than ever about our school’s future. The Board, working in close partnership with the school’s senior leadership team, has taken great care to evaluate the need for additional resources while remaining mindful of the financial commitment of our families. To manage the budgetary implications of Covid-19, the school is drawing significantly from its reserve funds. These pre-Covid reserves have enabled the school to make necessary investments and absorb extra costs. We will continue our commitment to the prudent financial planning and stewardship that enabled us to weather this crisis. Tuition levels for 2021-2022 are detailed below. They were carefully considered to enable the school to progressively recover from Covid-19 impacts on expenditures and enrollment without having to forego planned improvements to the academic program and SDFAS student experience. For example, next year the school will implement its Covid-delayed vision to offer Spanish as a third language to all students in PK0 – 4th grade. This new curriculum sequence will feed into the school’s existing Spanish program in grades 5-8. These tuition levels represent an increase of 4% for PK and 6% for other grades. Consistent with last year’s increase and in alignment with our Strategic Plan, additional tuition revenues will enable the school to deliver an exceptional bilingual education while managing additional Covid costs through fundraising and reserves. Re-enrollment agreements are now available on your FACTS family portal. In order to secure a place for your child(ren) in the rising grade, your signed enrollment agreement(s) will need to be submitted with the tuition deposit by Friday, February 19th, 2021. If you have any questions about re-enrollment, please contact Isabelle Gilet at or (858) 456-2807 ext. 306. As always, thank you for your ongoing trust and support. Offering your children an SDFAS education is, more than ever, a gift of enduring value. Sincerely, Mark Rosenblum, Head of School Kyndra Leach, Chair, Board of Trustees Peter Westlake, Treasurer, Board of Trustees
Financial Aid Allocated by SDFAS The deadline to apply was February 1st. Please submit your application as soon as possible, as we are starting to allocate funds. SDFAS offers tuition assistance to qualified applicants based entirely on demonstrated financial need. You will be able to upload your tax return or other supporting documents later. More Information: Financial Aid.
Bourses scolaires françaises pour l'année scolaire 21-22
Child Care Aware® of America (CCAoA) for Military/DoD Fee Assistance programs
2021 GALA – TRUE COLORS – SAVE THE DATE! May 15, 2021
Join the Gala Committee! Next meeting Tuesday, February 16th at 11 a.m. Zoom Link – Meeting ID: 331 052 0338 Passcode: 6550
The Gala directly benefits our students and faculty. Funds raised help us improve our campus (auditorium, track & field, etc.), preserve the socio-economic diversity of our student body through financial aid, invest in expert educators through professional development, foster innovation through programs and facilities (innovation lab), and much more.
For questions, contact Ana Walsh, 2021 Gala Chair, anaswalsh@aol.com and Véronique Rahmati, Director of Development, development@
February 15th Surveillance Testing Schedule
Our Atelier Crêpes on Saturday was a big success. Thank you Virginie Saget and Greg Rivalan for sharing your cooking skills and your family recipes. Nous nous sommes régalés! Here are some pictures of the sweet and savory crêpes made by SDFAS families!
Our community outreach program is expanding to include another series related to health! En Bonne Santé (in Good Health) will consist of a series of zoom events and potential outdoor meet-ups (pending COVID restrictions) to get our parents and students thinking about and actively pursuing a healthier lifestyle. New exciting events coming soon!
Let’s Go Hiking Tired of the pandemic? Looking to connect with other SDFAS families while enjoying the outdoors and respecting social distance guidelines? Take the family hiking. SDFAS mom, Mony Liquard, is organizing an informal monthly hiking activity as a way to safely get to know other families while leisurely hiking. Each hike will be roughly an hour, and appropriate for all levels. REGISTER HERE. We hope to see you soon on the trails! We will confirm the first event as soon as the county lighten the restrictions for group gatherings.
Please come regularly to check the lost and found in front of the main gate (next to the admin building). We have lots of sweaters, jackets, lunch boxes… All unclaimed items will be donated during the February break to an orphanage in Mexico.
If you have been quarantining, are currently registered for the Girard Gourmet, and have not yet received a coupon code with credit for your missed meals, please contact Ariel at aaellison@sdfrenchschool.org.
PK2 with Haruko
Kinder B with Marie-Claire
April 5th and April 7th, 2021
More Info We are hosting our annual school science fair between April 5 and April 7, 2021. During these days, we will have student display boards set up on campus, and we will also have a virtual science fair for students who wish to share slide presentations about their experiments. Seventh graders will be presenting their projects. Participation for all other grades is optional. Science fair is an opportunity for students to use research and experimentation to explore topics of interest. As such, we invite and encourage all interested students to develop and share a science project. Students who participate will conduct an experiment and gather data in a journal. They will then compile their information into a slide presentation and/or display board. For safety purposes, experiments must be conducted off-campus. As such, parents and guardians are responsible for supervising and procuring materials. We would like students to make their own discoveries, so we encourage them to work as independently as possible. Between the days of 4/5/21 and 4/7/21, SDFAS community members will have the opportunity to look at all submitted projects, either virtually or in person. In addition, students will vote on the projects they found to be most interesting. If you are interested in participating in our annual science fair, please reach out to your student’s homeroom teacher. We will follow up with additional information. Some helpful resources for project ideas and guidelines are sciencebuddies.com and gsdsef.org. If you have questions, please contact Suneeta Cohen, scohen@sdfrenchschool.org.
Did you know that although computer science has become foundational to every industry and field of study, representation, and participation in computer science is still far from balanced? Research shows only 3% of Black students learn computer science in high school or beyond. At San Diego French American School, we firmly believe in teaching students the value and importance of understanding Computer Science. Watch this 3-minute video with your child. Together we can change the face of computer science. https://video.link/w/SokOb
While diversity and inclusion are a daily, year-long endeavor, the federal government designates certain months to specifically showcase and memorialize the history of certain peoples and communities. Every year since 1976, February is Black History Month. This month, all students at SDFAS will be offered the opportunity to reflect on the experiences and achievements of Black people around the world through readings, activities and conversations.
Preschool and Kindergarten Here are some resources to discuss diversity, inclusion and Black Excellence with your children during the month of February.
Audio and Video Albums
Podcasts - 5 to 10 years old
Books recommended in English
Elementary School In Elementary, every class will participate in different activities, readings and conversations with their teachers according to their grades. Here are some recommendations of books and Podcasts :
Books recommended in English
Potcasts - 5 to 10 years old
Middle School In Middle School, students will be able to attend a book club during which we will discuss a different book by grade level. We may also initiate an analogous film club if students are interested! The book club is optional and will take place during D.S. time. In addition, each week we will send a set of questions and reflections to discuss at home with your children if you are interested in reading the books with them. To participate, please purchase the book selected for your child’s grade and contact the teacher hosting the book club!
Book Clubs
Podcasts
Click on the arrow to see more.
Parent-Teacher Conferences You will find here the registration links and schedules for the next Parent-Teacher Conferences (PTC). The meetings will take place on Zoom and the links to access the teachers’ zoom rooms will be sent directly by mail on Monday, February 8th. If there are no time slots available for a teacher, please reach out to them directly to discuss another time for a meeting. Ahead of the PTCs, we will be reviewing students’ progress with them. We encourage you to review their grades with them, available on FACTS. Friday, February 19th / 1 pm to 4 pm : WEJOININ PAGE to register: https://www.wejoinin.com/sheets/mwbty
Academic Newsletters
Ambassadeurs en Herbe This year, SDFAS students will have the opportunity to measure their public speaking skills by participating in the Ambassadeurs en Herbe international contest. We wish good luck and light words to our contestants! If they are chosen to go to the next round on the 15th of February, they will measure themselves to students from all the North American French Schools.
Math Olympiads We are pleased to invite all students interested in entering the Math Olympiads (MOEMS) competition to please sign up here. The contest will take place online after school and is open to all students, on-site and DL. We will determine the exact date of the contest based on feedback from interested participants.
Updates from Erin Stoller – February 12th
Lightbox Subscription Our Lightbox 1-year subscription is active now: https://sub.openlightbox.com/
My French Festival
Check out books with our new Online Library Catalog
For questions related to the library, please contact Anne Ricart, Librarian, library@sdfrenchschool.org.
Order Required Red Polo and Navy Blue T-Shirt and other Spirit Wear There is no school uniform at SDFAS; however, the school does have a Dress Code, as outlined in the Parent-Student Handbook. For the 2020/21 school year, we are excited to partner, again, with Land’s End, a provider of high-quality school clothing and spirit wear. Here is the Land’s End SDFAS webpage (900190869) where you will order: More Info here. Please remember to label your child’s clothing and personal belongings.
From Alice Kong, STEAM Coordinator. It is more important than ever to talk to children on a regular basis about online safety and digital citizenship. Family-friendly activities Grades 3-5 Grades 6-8 Helpful reading for adults
Responsive Classroom Responsive Classroom teachings remind us that in order to be successful in and out of school, students need to learn a set of social and emotional competencies – cooperation, assertiveness, responsibility, empathy, and self-control — and a set of academic competencies – academic mindset, perseverance, learning strategies, and academic behaviors. Overview of the SEL Program at SDFAS
Return-to-School Documents for Acknowledgement and Signature All parents with children enrolled at SDFAS for the 2020-2021 school year are required to review and acknowledge with signature the following documents using this ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FORM: **URGENT Action Needed!**Click here for the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FORM to print, complete, sign, scan to pdf, and return by email to Stephanie Humbert at shumbert@sdfrenchschool.org.
How to Update Contact Information and Pick-Up Authorization in FACTS?
Sign in/Sign out Procedure in Preschool with Procare App
Protocols Rules for bicycles, pedestrians, and vehicles in and around the dirt lot
Elementary School and Middle School Early Pick-Up We would like to limit the number of visitors to the main office. If you wish to pick up your child earlier than regular dismissal time for a medical appointment or any other purposes, please email Stéphanie Humbert at admin@sdfrenchschool.org with the date and time of pick-up. Please also copy the teachers so your child will be ready to go. When you arrive in front of the school, please call the front office and we will escort your child to your car. Thank you for your cooperation!
Download Magnus Health Screening App Instructions to install Magnus App For the upcoming school year, parents will use the Magnus Health Mobile App to complete a daily COVID-19 screening assessment for each SDFAS student from a smartphone in just a few clicks. This screening will need to be done every morning, at home, no later than 7:30 am, before departure for school. On August 27, 2020, parents will be able to set up a Magnus Health account via FACTS. After activating your Magnus Health account via FACTS you will install the Magnus Health Mobile App on your smartphone. To log in for the first time please follow the instructions below: At the completion of this initial process, you will be able to download the Magnus Mobile App for free on your smartphone and log in through the app to complete the screening assessment each morning. If you need additional help, you can always reference the parent tutorial. You will access the screening via the button titled “COVID-19.” We thank you in advance for your cooperation in this daily screening as it will be an imperative function of our safety protocols. Upon completion of the quick survey each morning, you will receive a message for the student’s attendance giving instructions for that day. If your child arrives at school and the screening has not been completed, we will ask that you complete it before the student exits the vehicle. A parent must be the one to fill this out. Thank you for your cooperation in helping us keep the school operational during this pandemic. Use of this App will help us create the safest possible environment for your children, our faculty, and staff. For any technical issues with the mobile app such as login problems, or problems completing the screening please contact customer support at Magnus Health SMR by phone at 877.461.6831 or by email at service@magnushealthportal.com.
Medical FormsPreschool and K Medical Forms
1st Grade – 8th Grade Medical Forms
Grades Pk0-PK1-PK2
Grades K
Grades 1-5
4th grade
5th Grade
Elementary School Parent Webinar by Mark Rosenblum, Headmaster – SDFAS Reopening Overview
Middle School School Supplies
7th Grade
8th Grade
You can find here the general information shared during the Middle School Back to School Night.
School Supplies
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Middle School Blog | Elementary School Blog | Preschool Blog | Podcast | Preschool Portal | Elementary School Portal | Middle School Portal |