FRENCH AMERICAN SCHOOL
Welcome to the Elementary School
Our preschool through fifth grade is taught by approximately forty teachers and assistants and has a student body of more than 300 in nineteen classes. Accredited by the French Ministry of Education, the elementary school follows the recommendations and directives of the French curriculum through an immersion program beginning with preschool. A high quality English curriculum is integrated starting in the second grade. The English program is based on the guidelines of the National Council of Teachers of English and the State of Oregon.
The instruction of the students follows the French system of cycles. Cycle one comprises preschool, pre-kindergarten and kindergarten and is known as maternelle. Cycle two comprises first and second grades, and cycle three, third, fourth and fifth grades. This flexible, team based system accommodates diversity and permits each child to progress at his or her own pace. The curriculum of each cycle promotes specific developmental objectives and fosters sound learning skills. This year we are also pleased to announce the initiation of our new French American School Achievement Plan, or FASAP. This will provide a structure within which the whole of our community may work together toward common goals for the school and its students.
Special projects are an important priority here at FAS; whether short or long term, to be implemented in the classroom or directed toward new pedagogical research, they are another sign of our extraordinary energy and dynamism. There is always something exciting happening in the elementary school: field trips, the semaine du goût cuisine appreciation week, OMSI science camp, theatrical performances, the annual trip to France…and the list goes on. Our commitment to the continuing professional development of the staff and ongoing research make the school a place of vitality and rich cultural exchange.
