French classes

[Anonymous]

Our DS takes the Saturday French class for native speakers at Alliance Francaise. We chose AF due to its location and we can sign up session by session However, we don’t think he’s getting a ton from it and are wondering how the AF classes compare to the Saturday French (Les classes du Samedi) classes in Bethesda. Has anyone done both? Bethesda is a bit of a hike for us (twice as far compared to AF) with other younger siblings not yet ready for classes and we’re finding it hard to commit to an entire year of Saturday school. We were going to do the Bethesda Les classes du Samedi summer camp this year to get a feel for it, but then it was cancelled. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

I tried to request information at Classes du Samedi and no one responded to me. My guess is they are short-staffed this year. You could try French Academy DC. They are in Checy Chase DC. My kid took a class there and I think he got something out of it even though he was shy. I liked the class.

[Anonymous]

+1 for French academy DC. Admittedly we haven’t tried their Saturday classes, but I was very impressed with their small, well-staffed summer camp (and we will be returning).

[Anonymous]

My DS has been at les Classes du Samedi for two full school years (entering his 3rd) and it's been wonderful. We are native speakers and he's been able to keep his levels on par from where he was previously (french private in Seattle) while being at MCPS school for regular school. They were hard to get in touch with at first, but I had reached out during the summer and no one is really around then. They are otherwise well-organized and well-staffed. Just don't reach out during the summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS has been at les Classes du Samedi for two full school years (entering his 3rd) and it's been wonderful. We are native speakers and he's been able to keep his levels on par from where he was previously (french private in Seattle) while being at MCPS school for regular school. They were hard to get in touch with at first, but I had reached out during the summer and no one is really around then. They are otherwise well-organized and well-staffed. Just don't reach out during the summer.

Also adding that it's a full 3 hours on Saturdays with a virtual meeting during the week, with a good amount of homework and optional French clubs before class. So really meant for remaining at the native level of proficiency.