Recent feedback on Lycee Rochambeau

[Anonymous]

00:00 again. We're an expat family and the ease of moving around with minimal academic interruption is a huge benefit for our family. I also get the sense that most families would opt for good publics otherwise, including us.

[Anonymous]

OP back with an update. So, our kid was accepted, we're happy to say, and we're currently considering whether to stay where we are (our very sweet non-immersion neighborhood school) or switch over to LR for CP next year. We do think language immersion would be a great opportunity, so we're torn. We spoke to a couple of neighbors who have their kids enrolled in upper grades, but could also use a bit of feedback from the hive mind here. A couple questions:

1) Does anyone have any comments on the quality of the aftercare program?

2) For parents who've switched their kids to immersion at a similar point (1st grade), did you do anything to prepare ahead of time? I'm wondering about tutors, Saturday language school, etc., vs. just letting my kid enjoy the spring and summer and not worrying about it until the school year starts. FWIW, we will be vacationing in France this summer (her first time in a non-English-speaking area), but hadn't planned on anything else in preparation. We both work FT and are an Anglophone family, so are somewhat limited in what we can do in preparation.

2) My kid would be in the immersion program (program for small group of 1st-3rd graders who need more help with French before transitioning to their regular classrooms). It seems most kids in the immersion program have at least some proficiency in French (just based on chatting with neighbors and what I've read here). OTOH, our kid is starting essentially from zero--she's had regular French exposure 1x/week for years, but seems to only know a few phrases and some vocabulary. So, a little worried that she will trail too far behind the others, especially since she'll be among the youngest in the group (turns 6 this fall). A long shot, but anyone who has a kid who's been in this program who can comment on whether kids starting from zero may have a particularly rough start?

4) Anything else that we should really be considering as we decide?

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP back with an update. So, our kid was accepted, we're happy to say, and we're currently considering whether to stay where we are (our very sweet non-immersion neighborhood school) or switch over to LR for CP next year. We do think language immersion would be a great opportunity, so we're torn. We spoke to a couple of neighbors who have their kids enrolled in upper grades, but could also use a bit of feedback from the hive mind here. A couple questions:

1) Does anyone have any comments on the quality of the aftercare program?

2) For parents who've switched their kids to immersion at a similar point (1st grade), did you do anything to prepare ahead of time? I'm wondering about tutors, Saturday language school, etc., vs. just letting my kid enjoy the spring and summer and not worrying about it until the school year starts. FWIW, we will be vacationing in France this summer (her first time in a non-English-speaking area), but hadn't planned on anything else in preparation. We both work FT and are an Anglophone family, so are somewhat limited in what we can do in preparation.

2) My kid would be in the immersion program (program for small group of 1st-3rd graders who need more help with French before transitioning to their regular classrooms). It seems most kids in the immersion program have at least some proficiency in French (just based on chatting with neighbors and what I've read here). OTOH, our kid is starting essentially from zero--she's had regular French exposure 1x/week for years, but seems to only know a few phrases and some vocabulary. So, a little worried that she will trail too far behind the others, especially since she'll be among the youngest in the group (turns 6 this fall). A long shot, but anyone who has a kid who's been in this program who can comment on whether kids starting from zero may have a particularly rough start?

4) Anything else that we should really be considering as we decide?

Thanks!

OP again. One other question: Does anyone know how selective their admissions process is these days? Is pretty much every reasonably on-track kid granted admission, or are some kids wait-listed or rejected? This I was just curious about, but won't really affect our decision.

[Anonymous]

I can't help with the other questions, but I know about aftercare. My CP student is in "Club Rochambeau" activities four afternoons a week and we are happy with it. I think there were 2 options per age group on just about every day, so some degree of choice based on interests. There's also the option of supervised study hall (with someone helping with homework) or garderie, which seems to mean they hang out in the library reading or playing games. We haven't used the former but my kid likes the latter on days when the regular activity is not taking place.

Bethesda Country Day is an option for aftercare for the preschool students, and may be for primaire as well, but you'd have to ask. They ride the shuttle bus to the Forest Rd campus and get dropped off at BCDS (next door). We did this for part of last year. I don't love BCDS, but another option to consider. I think BCDS also allows for a later pickup than activities at Rochambeau.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't help with the other questions, but I know about aftercare. My CP student is in "Club Rochambeau" activities four afternoons a week and we are happy with it. I think there were 2 options per age group on just about every day, so some degree of choice based on interests. There's also the option of supervised study hall (with someone helping with homework) or garderie, which seems to mean they hang out in the library reading or playing games. We haven't used the former but my kid likes the latter on days when the regular activity is not taking place.

Bethesda Country Day is an option for aftercare for the preschool students, and may be for primaire as well, but you'd have to ask. They ride the shuttle bus to the Forest Rd campus and get dropped off at BCDS (next door). We did this for part of last year. I don't love BCDS, but another option to consider. I think BCDS also allows for a later pickup than activities at Rochambeau.

OP here--thanks so much for chiming in re: aftercare. What would you say are the most popular options for aftercare for CP students? She currently does a lot of classes in aftercare (yoga, robotics, etc.). However, if we move her to LR, I'm thinking that at least initially perhaps some downtime might be good (garderie?), since she may be more tired than usual with all-day immersion for the first time.

We actually live pretty close to the Rollingwood campus, so will pick up there. However, since it seems like aftercare ends at 5:30, I'd to adjust my work schedule when it's my turn for pickup..

[Anonymous]

Congrats OP! I don't have experience at LR but I did teach English in CP at a lycée in another city. Regarding your question 2, I'd look for ways to integrate some French, without going overboard. Maybe a few minutes of French a day at home, just listening to an audiobook program or watching a short excerpt of a language learning video, but not expecting your child to speak the French she's learning if she's not ready. As you may know, it's considered normal for children to go through a "silent period" where they are first learning a language. From Wikipedia:

"The silent period is often associated with Stephen Krashen's input hypothesis, and does not appear very frequently in the modern second language acquisition literature.[2] Krashen hypothesizes that learners are building up language competence during their silent periods through actively listening and processing the language they hear, and that they do not need to speak to improve in the language.[2] He says that silent periods of up to six months are not unusual.[1] According to VanPatten and Benati, although discussion of the silent period in modern second language acquisition research is rare, this is not necessarily any indication that the idea is wrong; rather they are of the opinion that it indicates how the priorities of the field have changed."


I think it couldn't hurt to do a fun weekend class or something, like your local equivalent of http://www.oldtownfrench.com/ Something fun and active.

I wouldn't stress about fluency level, but more exposure would definitely be good, especially in advance of your travels and a big transition to a new school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Congrats OP! I don't have experience at LR but I did teach English in CP at a lycée in another city. Regarding your question 2, I'd look for ways to integrate some French, without going overboard. Maybe a few minutes of French a day at home, just listening to an audiobook program or watching a short excerpt of a language learning video, but not expecting your child to speak the French she's learning if she's not ready. As you may know, it's considered normal for children to go through a "silent period" where they are first learning a language. From Wikipedia:

"The silent period is often associated with Stephen Krashen's input hypothesis, and does not appear very frequently in the modern second language acquisition literature.[2] Krashen hypothesizes that learners are building up language competence during their silent periods through actively listening and processing the language they hear, and that they do not need to speak to improve in the language.[2] He says that silent periods of up to six months are not unusual.[1] According to VanPatten and Benati, although discussion of the silent period in modern second language acquisition research is rare, this is not necessarily any indication that the idea is wrong; rather they are of the opinion that it indicates how the priorities of the field have changed."


I think it couldn't hurt to do a fun weekend class or something, like your local equivalent of http://www.oldtownfrench.com/ Something fun and active.

I wouldn't stress about fluency level, but more exposure would definitely be good, especially in advance of your travels and a big transition to a new school.

OP here. Thanks so much for this. Yes, I remember the "silent period" being mentioned a few years ago when we toured another immersion program. I would imagine this could even be a bit more prolonged for our kid, since she's pretty quiet/observant in new social situations in general. We might be able to fit a weekend language class in (she also does a couple of weekend sports), and I like the idea of other regular exposure; I think we could incorporate that via audiobooks or something. If we decide to enroll her, we'll probably check out what's available at Alliance Francaise. Thanks again for your input!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't help with the other questions, but I know about aftercare. My CP student is in "Club Rochambeau" activities four afternoons a week and we are happy with it. I think there were 2 options per age group on just about every day, so some degree of choice based on interests. There's also the option of supervised study hall (with someone helping with homework) or garderie, which seems to mean they hang out in the library reading or playing games. We haven't used the former but my kid likes the latter on days when the regular activity is not taking place.

Bethesda Country Day is an option for aftercare for the preschool students, and may be for primaire as well, but you'd have to ask. They ride the shuttle bus to the Forest Rd campus and get dropped off at BCDS (next door). We did this for part of last year. I don't love BCDS, but another option to consider. I think BCDS also allows for a later pickup than activities at Rochambeau.

OP here--thanks so much for chiming in re: aftercare. What would you say are the most popular options for aftercare for CP students? She currently does a lot of classes in aftercare (yoga, robotics, etc.). However, if we move her to LR, I'm thinking that at least initially perhaps some downtime might be good (garderie?), since she may be more tired than usual with all-day immersion for the first time.

We actually live pretty close to the Rollingwood campus, so will pick up there. However, since it seems like aftercare ends at 5:30, I'd to adjust my work schedule when it's my turn for pickup..

I don't know how the numbers compare (although some activities do fill to capacity soon after enrollment opens), and the selection varies from year to year, but the options for first grade this year include soccer, judo, Arabic, painting, theater, crafts, sculpture, and science experiments. They also spend 25 minutes on the playground between the end of class and the start of clubs. The clubs (at least what we've tried) are not intense at all, but I agree that quiet downtime may be called for at the end of a full day in a new environment.

Good luck deciding!

[Anonymous]

OP here. ^^^ Thanks again, PP with kid in CP. Wow, they get time outside before aftercare each day, in addition to three recesses? That's sooo much more than the 30 min my kid gets now--and sometimes they don't go outside at all in the winter. This is one of the few things I don't like about the current school (along with the fact that it's not immersion, that is).

Bid decision ahead--thanks, we'll need the luck!

[Anonymous]

OP checking back in with an update. We decided to move our kid from our neighborhood public to Rochambeau. So, we've added some French classes and camps over the last few months in preparation, traveled to a French-speaking country, and are generally excited for the kid to start.

Any last-minute tips for starting at LR, in terms of setting expectations or anything else? How do people like the lunch offerings for CP? They seem like they'd be best for older kids? We're thinking of sending lunch in most days, but would be nice to have the option of school lunch on occasion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP checking back in with an update. We decided to move our kid from our neighborhood public to Rochambeau. So, we've added some French classes and camps over the last few months in preparation, traveled to a French-speaking country, and are generally excited for the kid to start.

Any last-minute tips for starting at LR, in terms of setting expectations or anything else? How do people like the lunch offerings for CP? They seem like they'd be best for older kids? We're thinking of sending lunch in most days, but would be nice to have the option of school lunch on occasion.

P.S. Thanks to all the PPs who commented here--very helpful in making our decision.

[Anonymous]

Realize this is an old post but wondered how it all turned out. We are considering a similar decision for an older child (9) with about 3 years of Saturday school and camp language experience. Target school is offering a new, two-year language support program (pull outs) for matriculating students. Parent is learning this heritage language but otherwise no native speaker at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you francophone? Do you speak French at home? If not, then why would you send your kid there? The French educational system is excellent but it's not for everyone...

Yes, of course!

[Anonymous]

The people I know who speak French and are academically incl inclined thought it was miles above WIS while being reasonably priced

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you francophone? Do you speak French at home? If not, then why would you send your kid there? The French educational system is excellent but it's not for everyone...

Yes, of course!

Huh?!

It’s also for the French immersion literally?!