Haricots Verts (French Green Immersion Charter)

[Anonymous]

Re: the PK-5 vs. PK-8 question. Mundo Verde was approved as a PK-8 program, so it is definitely possible. But you will need to be able to show the ability to design a middle school curriculum if you want to have a middle school program. And I think the middle school years are a challenge for all the PK-8 schools because they have people peel off to schools which have a defined high school option, and then you start to have diminishing class sizes, which really hurts in a language program where kids can't join after 2nd or 3rd grade.

Good luck! Some resources other than the PCSB:

http://focusdc.org/school-design-and-development-overview

http://www.buildinghope.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=54

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oyster doesn't have French.

Are you thinking of a curriculum focused primarily on France, or on the whole Francophone world? Are you thinking of a French curriculum, such as offered in a Lycee or of an American or IB curriculum taught in French?

These are poignant considerations. I'm sure it will take us a while to figure it out. What are your thoughts? Let's get a real conversation going. I'm thinking about this now. What I know is I have the passionate interest, but I don't know anything about what you've described. Anyone with real world knowledge out there? Please chime in. This has the makings of a start-up!!!

I can answer my own question of what's important to me. I'm coming at this from the viewpoint of a current charter school teacher, who thinks it might be exciting to be part of a start up. I'm also a parent, but my own child would be too old for the program, so I'm looking at it less from that perspective.

I'd be much more interested in a school that celebrated all Francophone heritage. Where students studied about, and read literature from Mali and Togo and Benin, as well as France and Belgium and Switzerland, and where students looked at issues that faced those countries. I'd also be much more interested in a school that did a lot of outreach of French speaking African families in the area.

As far as curriculum, I find the Lycee curriculum to be very rigid, and would prefer an American model, perhaps with an IB programme.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oyster doesn't have French.

Are you thinking of a curriculum focused primarily on France, or on the whole Francophone world? Are you thinking of a French curriculum, such as offered in a Lycee or of an American or IB curriculum taught in French?

These are poignant considerations. I'm sure it will take us a while to figure it out. What are your thoughts? Let's get a real conversation going. I'm thinking about this now. What I know is I have the passionate interest, but I don't know anything about what you've described. Anyone with real world knowledge out there? Please chime in. This has the makings of a start-up!!!

I can answer my own question of what's important to me. I'm coming at this from the viewpoint of a current charter school teacher, who thinks it might be exciting to be part of a start up. I'm also a parent, but my own child would be too old for the program, so I'm looking at it less from that perspective.

I'd be much more interested in a school that celebrated all Francophone heritage. Where students studied about, and read literature from Mali and Togo and Benin, as well as France and Belgium and Switzerland, and where students looked at issues that faced those countries. I'd also be much more interested in a school that did a lot of outreach of French speaking African families in the area.As far as curriculum, I find the Lycee curriculum to be very rigid, and would prefer an American model, perhaps with an IB programme.

I am so, totally, completely with you on the bolded part. I love that idea. And I think the French-speaking population of DC includes so many African-heritage families, it would be a real mistake not to take this approach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I'd be much more interested in a school that celebrated all Francophone heritage. Where students studied about, and read literature from Mali and Togo and Benin, as well as France and Belgium and Switzerland, and where students looked at issues that faced those countries. I'd also be much more interested in a school that did a lot of outreach of French speaking African families in the area.

If it's really going to be French/Green focused, another advantage of PK-8 is the opportunity to build the green focus/issues/history etc of environmental issues in all of those countries and others (Senegal, Cote D'Ivoire, etc). There could be a whole avenue of learning history, science, world economics, math, agriculture, nutrition, health... with this French Green focus. The older the kids get, the more they can engage these topics through these lenses (as well as so many other lenses that have nothing to do with French or green).

We can do this, I can already see us fighting here on DCUM about the 5th grade trip to Mali and Switzerland!!! (Affectionate YY reference, and I really mean it, it is affectionate! )

[Anonymous]

I don't think a curriculum focused on France would be as popular. I'd go for either the International Bac. or the US curriculum, just taught in French. Look at what WIS are doing (not saying we have to copy them, but it is almost the only French immersion program in DC).

[Anonymous]

Whatever you do, please name it Haricots Verts. I love it!

[Anonymous]

To those who responded to the email - I sent out a response and created a yahoo group. Look for the information.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Whatever you do, please name it Haricots Verts. I love it!

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Whatever you do, please name it Haricots Verts. I love it!

We promise, even if it morphs into a Portugese, technology, meat-focused immersion charter, we will still call it Haricots Verts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To those who responded to the email - I sent out a response and created a yahoo group. Look for the information.

Got it and joined. Thanks for setting that up!

[Anonymous]

I'm all for the Francophone Diaspora focus. Sounds awesome! There's so much that we could learn from developing African nations. Also, we could pay attention to little known Francophone cultures- Haiti, french-speaking Louisiana, etc... Anyways, I'm off to join the Yahoo! group. Thanks for starting!!!!

[Anonymous]

If you are truly serious, you might consider contacting Yu Ying a little further down the line. They gave a LOT of help to Mundo Verde, and then to Sela; then they wrote the model application for the DCI which all the other consortium schools are using. You could say that YY has a lot of experience writing charter applications. Also, they were founded by a group of parents too, who had a dream to create the school they wanted their children to attend.

BTW, their entry level classes (as are Sela's, I believe) the year they opened were Pre-K, K, and 1st. If your school ended up being a DCI feeder, then children of founders would get founders preference to roll into the DCI. So, it's a thought to keep in mind for middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I'd be much more interested in a school that celebrated all Francophone heritage. Where students studied about, and read literature from Mali and Togo and Benin, as well as France and Belgium and Switzerland, and where students looked at issues that faced those countries. I'd also be much more interested in a school that did a lot of outreach of French speaking African families in the area.

If it's really going to be French/Green focused, another advantage of PK-8 is the opportunity to build the green focus/issues/history etc of environmental issues in all of those countries and others (Senegal, Cote D'Ivoire, etc). There could be a whole avenue of learning history, science, world economics, math, agriculture, nutrition, health... with this French Green focus. The older the kids get, the more they can engage these topics through these lenses (as well as so many other lenses that have nothing to do with French or green).

We can do this, I can already see us fighting here on DCUM about the 5th grade trip to Mali and Switzerland!!! (Affectionate YY reference, and I really mean it, it is affectionate! )

Just about the only French-speakers I haven't seen anyone mention are the French Canadians. It would be a mistake to ignore them - they practically invented immersion schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are truly serious, you might consider contacting Yu Ying a little further down the line. They gave a LOT of help to Mundo Verde, and then to Sela; then they wrote the model application for the DCI which all the other consortium schools are using. You could say that YY has a lot of experience writing charter applications. Also, they were founded by a group of parents too, who had a dream to create the school they wanted their children to attend.

BTW, their entry level classes (as are Sela's, I believe) the year they opened were Pre-K, K, and 1st. If your school ended up being a DCI feeder, then children of founders would get founders preference to roll into the DCI. So, it's a thought to keep in mind for middle school.

Do you know any point people at Yu Ying? Also, do you have experience with this? Would you be willing to contact Yu Ying on our behalf? I know this all just got started today, but I think we should just start digging into any "pot" of info. The more we know, the better!

[Anonymous]

You might want to download this, as long as it is available:

http://www.washingtonyuying.org/images/stories/pdfarticles/yy_body_of_charter_application_-sept_17_no_highlightsn-v2.pdf