All-School Handbook

Afterschool Care is our after-school childcare program. It runs until 6 PM on school days.

Afterschool Explorers (previously called PM Classes) are one-hour classes that dive into specific areas of interest for students. These are typically weekly from 3:45-4:45 PM.

 “Arts and Cultural Enrichment” Week: ACE Week occurs during two scheduled vacations (in October and February); participation is optional.

A student space for music, movement, and studio arts.

Includes Toute Petite Section, preschool, prekindergarten, and kindergarten

Includes 1st grade (CP) and 2nd grade (CE)

Includes 3rd grade (CE2), 4th grade (CM1), and 5th grade (CM2)

An interactive, multi-sensory, natural play space directly east of the playground, funded by the 2012 Gala Special Appeal

Name of the tuition management company that administers direct debit system for French International tuition payment plans

Childcare available on Staff Training Days and Parent-Teacher Conference Days (not available on All-Staff Day); often includes field trips and special programs

This program is now called Aftercare. It was previously called FASCA which stood for “FAIS After-School Creative Activities,” our after-school childcare program; available until 6 PM on regular school days.

International Baccalaureate

Parking lot adjacent to Satellite 3

Parking lot between Satellites 1 and 2

Parking lot accessible from Miller Road

French term encompassing French International Toute Petite Section (TPS), preschool (PS), prekindergarten (PK), and kindergarten (K)

“Middle Years Programme” of the International Baccalaureate

“Primary Years Programme” of the International Baccalaureate

“Parent Liaison Committee”—similar to a PTA or PFA; volunteers include Lower School grade/class parents liaising with Lower School staff and teachers

Allows students who do not wish to commit to an Afterschool Explorers class for an entire semester to attend participating classes on a flexible schedule

The covered play area over Lot B, adjacent to the playground and between Satellites 1 and 2

Unique number assigned to each family; used to identify K-8 families during afternoon pick-up

The enclosed play area next to the gym

The commons area on the second level of the Rose Préau

Preschool for 21/2-year-olds—French International’s youngest grade level, began in 2018.

A contribution to the Annual Fund equal to seven percent of a student’s Basic Tuition—a convenient option that allows families to fulfill their Annual Fund contribution while re-enrolling

• Please drive slowly on campus: 10 mph maximum.
• You may not turn left on Cornell Road when exiting campus during the hours of 8 – 9 AM and 3 – 4 PM.
• Cell phone use is not permitted while driving on campus.
• Always yield to foot traffic and stop for all pedestrians in crosswalks.
• All students should be dropped off curbside or in a parking lot.
• Please respect people with disabilities, and do not park in the spaces designated as accessible parking for persons with disabilities, or in the area between the spaces, for any length of time, in any circumstances, unless you have the appropriate permit.
• In the event of emergencies or fire drills, please follow instructions from staff and exit the campus immediately if asked to do so. This is important for everyone’s safety.
• Do not block the fire station driveway and do not pass cars who are leaving that gap open.
• No U-turns are permitted on Miller Road.
• Parents are asked to model good behavior for the children and always walk on sidewalks (not in the street) and cross at crosswalks.
• If you arrive early to pick-up please turn off your engine while waiting. Vehicle idling is the leading source of toxic air pollution in Oregon and can be hazardous to human health, especially children’s.

• You may park in any parking lot or in any clearly striped parking space on campus.
• Parking is not allowed in the Tualatin Valley Fire Station #60 lot. 
• Parking Lot B, located under the Pavilion between Satellites I and II, is reserved specifically for Maternelle (preschool-kindergarten) families in the mornings and afternoons. 
• Parking is not allowed along red curbs at any time.
• Parking along yellow curbs, including the bus lanes, is not allowed unless the driver remains at the wheel.

Toute Petite Section, Preschool, Prekindergarten, and Kindergarten

State law requires that preschool and prekindergarten children be escorted to their classrooms and signed in by the responsible adult. Although it is not required by the state, the School recommends that parents accompany kindergarten students to classrooms every morning. Parking Lot B (under the Pavilion) is reserved for Maternelle parents while they accompany their children to their classrooms. All families with children in the Maternelle grade levels (TPS-K) should obtain a Parking Lot B Pass. Please display this pass while using this parking lot.

Kindergarten through Eighth Grade

Please drop off students in front of the satellite where their classroom is located. Blue signs indicate where cars should stop. Children must exit the car on the curbside; do not let them exit on the street side of the vehicle. Vehicles may not park in the yellow zones; if a parent wishes to stay on campus longer than the time it takes for a child to exit the vehicle, they may park in the 15-minute parking spaces so traffic is not blocked or impeded.

Pick-up Numbers

All new French International families will receive two cardstock copies of a family identification number, which is to be used during the pick-up procedure. Please keep one copy in each car used to pick up your child. 

Helpful Tips for Pick-up

• Preschool and prekindergarten students need to be picked up from their classroom by parents, legal guardians, or parent-authorized individuals. State law requires that the adult picking up the child sign out the child before leaving. This includes both half-day and full-day students.
• When you arrive by car on campus, please line up single-file in order and wait for traffic to move forward towards the turn-around. Make sure your number is visible on the passenger side of the windshield. As you enter the pick-up area, an aide will call out your pick-up number and your child or children’s names. Please do not get out of your car; an aide will assist students in entering cars. As soon as your child is safely in the vehicle, please move forward.
• Please do not park your car in the turn-around or leave your car unattended in the pick-up line.
• As you are waiting, please pull all of the way forward to allow more cars to fit in the turnaround.
• Children left after the pick-up period, which ends 15 minutes after dismissal, will be directed to Aftercare or Afterschool Explorers for which the students are registered.
• Please communicate with your children on a daily basis whether they are to stay in their classrooms, go to Aftercare, go to pick-up, go to Afterschool Explorers, and who will be picking them up that day.
• Don’t rush or arrive too early! The first 15 minutes of Aftercare are free! For example, if your child is released at 3:15, your child will go to Aftercare around 3:30 if you are not here yet, and they are welcome at no charge until 3:45.
• If you have students in both the Lower School and Middle School, your lower school student is welcome to stay in the circle until you arrive at 3:40 to pick up your middle schooler.
• Please – do not park along the west side of 87th street or leave your car unattended in the bus lanes

Parent Authorization for After-School Pick-up

If someone besides parents or legal guardians will be picking up a child from school on a regular basis, please inform the Extracurricular Office. If the change in pick-up is not on a regular basis, please inform the Front Office at info@fisoregon.org or (503) 292-7776.

We believe that all students want to work and live in a community built on honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility. As a community, we teach practices that are principled. This includes giving credit for the ideas of others and not passing them off as one’s own as well as being truthful in all interactions. 

The Learner Profile guides our actions that promote academic integrity. 

• Principled students understand that they must take responsibility for their own actions and be mindful of the impact of their choices on the community.
• Knowledgeable students understand the importance of giving credit for other’s ideas and the value of doing their own work.
• Inquiring students understand that critical thinking skills support principled research.

French International welcomes students and families who will thrive in an internationally minded curriculum. We support learners to become inquirers, principled communicators, and open-minded thinkers who have a commitment to learning and growing. Helping your child realize their full potential is a privilege we take very seriously. We consider families and guardians as partners in our students’ journey of developing into global citizens, with an appreciation and understanding of diverse cultures and perspectives, to help make a better, more peaceful world.

French International admits students whose families value the advantages of an academically balanced, stimulating and engaging curriculum in small-class environments.

We believe:

• Our school benefits from a community with students coming from a range of diverse cultures, abilities, and talents.
• Our program is a partnership with families who strive to develop international-mindedness, respect, and independence.
• Our students benefit from a well-rounded curriculum that is inclusive, nurturing, and challenging.
• Our school can provide continuity and community for families arriving from other IB schools or language immersion programs.

Admissions mission-appropriate student:

Our school strives to welcome students from a wide range of gender, race, religious, socioeconomic, language, immersion, and geographic backgrounds. We value families who see themselves connected to the global community and assume a sense of responsibility toward its members, by embodying the attributes of the IB learner profile (caring, open-minded, principled, balanced, communicator, knowledgeable, thinker, risk-taker (courageous), inquirer, and reflective). 

Our school values growth, change, and exploring new ideas; however, we are not a school for everyone, and we take into account students’ learning needs and whether or not we can accommodate them as their best possible learning environment (see Inclusion Policy). We believe in having a mutual partnership with families, keeping each other informed of any learning needs or trends that arise for the student.

By enrolling your child at French International, you assume a commitment to regular and punctual attendance. Oregon state law requires that students attend class daily unless they have a medical excuse or unless there is a family emergency. The School strongly discourages absences during the regular school year for any reason other than illness, since they disrupt the student’s academic program. Parents are urged to schedule medical and dental appointments outside of school hours, and to not schedule vacation trips during school time. It is extremely difficult to reconstruct the classroom learning situation once the lesson has been missed. If it is necessary to keep your child out of school for some reason other than illness for a prolonged period of time, the appropriate Division Head and your child’s teacher must be notified.

On days your child is absent, please call the school attendance line at x1270 before 9 AM or send an email to attendance@faispdx.org. This communication is for your child’s protection. French International will attempt to contact parents for unexcused absences.

Student Release for Appointments

When your child has an appointment and needs to be excused early from the classroom, please inform the teacher as well as the Front Office or Middle School Office.

Tardiness or Late Arrival

French International expects all students arrive on time and be ready to learn. Students who arrive late to class can be disruptive to the learning environment and teachers and students must stop what they are doing to integrate a child who is tardy. If you expect to be more than fifteen minutes late, please call the Front Office or the Middle School Office. They will notify the teacher so your child is not marked absent for the day. Middle School students must check in with the Middle School Administrative Office. Lower School parents must check in with the Front Office when bringing students late—it is not enough to only inform the teacher. Tardies and absences will be marked on report cards. Families who frequently bring their child to school late will be contacted by the appropriate Division Head.

Parents Out of Town

It is crucial that the School have all necessary contact information in the event of an emergency when parents are out of town and are leaving their children with an alternate caregiver. Please email attendance@faispdx.org with all necessary contact information.

At French International we believe that assessment is integral to all teaching and learning. Through a wide variety of strategies, assessment includes a combination of summative, formative, and observation/anecdotal assessment tools that provide information about student learning and development as well as a framework for planning, self-reflection, and collaboration.

We believe that assessment:

• Promotes students' learning and allows students to be an active part of the learning process.
• Allows teachers to guide their instruction and to communicate progress with students and families.
• Shows evidence of a students’ growth,  progress,  learning, and development.
• Helps teachers gather a broad range of data  on their students:  knowledge, conceptual understanding, skills, attitudes, and actions.
•  Is linked to appropriate learning objectives, and age-appropriate inquiry questions. These objectives are aligned with the French International School of Oregon curriculum, French standards and IB requirements.
   

Maternelle Assessment Policy

Assessment Practices 

We recognize that our students have differing learning styles as well as different cultural experiences, expectations and needs.  

A wide variety of assessments are designed by teachers for use in their classroom with this in mind.  These tools include but are not limited to: observations, performances, checklists, rubrics, anecdotal records, continuums, tests, written and oral responses, videos, audio recordings, photographs, drawings and open-ended tasks. In addition, teachers conduct pre-assessments in many forms including, but not limited to: artifact walks, wonder walls, KWHL charts, class discussions, or written pre-assessments.

Reporting on Assessment

Reporting on assessment includes communicating what students know, understand and can do. Reporting involves parents, students and teachers as partners and is intended to track student learning over time. Reporting to parents, students and teachers occurs through conferences, use of Seesaw (K-5th grade), the portfolio, report cards, Je valide (maternelle), the cahier du jour (daily work), standardized assessment and the exhibition.

Conferences

Teacher/Student Conference

Teachers will conference with students both formally and informally on an ongoing basis throughout the school year. As students get older they become more involved in the assessment process.

Parent/Teacher Conference

Teachers and parents will conference at least twice per year to formally address all aspects of the program andto discuss and identify social, emotional and academic strengths or areas for improvement. Parent/teacher conferences can also be scheduled throughout the year as needed. Parents and teachers may include students in these conference meetings as well if desired.

Student-led conference

Teachers at all grade levels have the option of having a conference be framed as a student-led conference. In this approach, students guide their parents through the classroom and show them evidence of their progress in their learning. This may also include visits to specialist classrooms or other areas of the school as well. For younger students, student-led conferences may take the form of an “open classroom” with guiding questions for parents to pay attention to as they observe their child in learning centers.

Portfolio (we don’t do portofolio in MS)

In order to track student progress over time, Seesaw is used in maternelle and lower school to showcase learning that is taking place over the course of every year. The cahier de vie is also used as a way of documenting the learning and events (at school and at home) in maternelle. In kindergarten to fifth grade, writing samples are also chosen by students and saved over their years here, and sent home with them to showcase their progression in writing over time at our school. 

Report Cards

Formal report cards are sent digitally to parents twice per year. The report cards are developed to reflect developmental growth over the span of a cycle (three years in the French system). In the report card teacher comments allow teachers to describe the curriculum taught, Units of Inquiry, and address student's knowledge, concepts, skills, learner profile attributes and actions observed. In maternelle, students are encouraged to validate the skills they have made progress in over the course of the year, and positive reinforcement of their capabilities is used to reinforce this progress.

The Exhibition

Fifth grade Exhibition provides students an opportunity to synthesize and apply their learning by engaging and reporting on an in-depth, collaborative inquiry. Every year, we reflect on how, at each grade level, we can support and enhance the skills needed for students to be successful during their 5th grade exhibition.

Standardized Assessment

We also use a limited number of standardized assessments. In the first and sixth grades the French National Assessment is administered as required by the French Ministry of Education. This is a standards-based pre-assessment that is directly linked to the French National Curriculum.

We also administer the Educational Records Bureau Comprehensive Testing Program (CTP online) in the fourth grade (this assessment is also used in our Middle School in the sixth and eighth grades). This is a norms-based assessment designed to deliver personal feedback via item analyses for each student and class. It also provides comparative data on each student, including differentiation among performers across the full academic spectrum. Language assessments in both French and English are given to track progress, beginning in kindergarten.

The French International Lower School Assessment Policy was developed in May of 2011, reviewed and revised in October 2011, May 2012, May 2016 and annually thereafter by Lower School Teachers. Last update: October 2022

The French International School of Oregon is committed to ensuring all students have an equal opportunity for success. These rules foster and encourage a safe and undisrupted educational environment. School officials have the authority to take appropriate actions to prevent or stop conduct that seriously disrupts student learning.

Relational Aggression

Relational aggression is defined by the French International School of Oregon as any behavior that harms others through damage or threat of damage to relationships or feelings of acceptance, friendship or group inclusion. Examples of such behavior include unwelcome teasing, name-calling, excluding, humiliating, spreading rumors, playing harmful practical jokes, threatening (e.g. to isolate, to harm), disrespecting another’s property, coercing, and manipulating power in a relationship. Students who participate in such behavior will be subject to disciplinary action. If the behavior is repeated over time, discipline will include suspension or expulsion.

Harassment Prevention

Harassment, hazing, menacing, bullying, intimidation, or discrimination or any act that injures, degrades, or disgraces a student or staff member (hereafter referred to collectively as “harassment”) will not be tolerated. Harassment of students by other students or employees based on a student’s sex, race, national origin, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, pronouns, religion, disability, or any other legally protected characteristic is prohibited conduct and will not be tolerated. Harassment may be verbal, nonverbal, written or physical conduct that interferes with a student’s educational program or activity or that creates an intimidating, offensive or hostile educational environment. 

Harassment includes, but is not limited to, the following examples:

• Conduct or comments that threaten physical violence; 
• Offensive, unsolicited remarks such as slurs, jokes, and bigoted statements and questions; 
• Unwelcome gestures or physical contact; 
• Display or circulation of pictures, emails, texts, other written materials, items, or pictures degrading to anyone due to their sex, gender identity or expression, race, ethnicity, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, or other legally protected status; and  
• Verbal abuse or insults about or directed to any student or group thereof because of their relationship to any of the groups listed above. 

Sexual harassment is one form of prohibited harassment. It is defined as (A) a demand or request for sexual favors in exchange for benefits, (B) unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that is physical, verbal or nonverbal and that interferes with a student’s educational program or activity or that creates an intimidating, offensive or hostile environment, and (C) assault when sexual contact occurs without a student’s consent because the student is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, is unconscious or is pressured through physical force, coercion or explicit or implied threats. Sexual harassment includes, but is not limited to, sexually suggestive remarks, gestures or jokes; derogatory sexual terms for people; deliberate and unwelcome touching, pinching, brushing or patting; sexual illustrations; describing or asking about personal sexual experiences; hazing, pranks, or other intimidating behavior directed toward a person because of their gender; unwelcome advances; requests for sexual favors; and sexual assault.

Reporting and Consequences

Anyone who has engaged in such behaviors will be subjected to disciplinary action up to and including immediate suspension or expulsion, and the School may report the behavior to law enforcement officials if it believes that behavior has caused harm to or threatens the physical safety of another student, or if it believes a crime may have been committed.

Opportunity for informal resolution: A student who has experienced or witnessed harassment and feels safe and comfortable doing so is encouraged to let the offender know of the impact of their offensive behavior, especially if the student feels there has been a misunderstanding or something has happened that is easy to correct. A student who feels unsafe or uncomfortable addressing the behavior directly does not need to address the offender and may seek help from French International as described below.   
 
Reporting the concern: A student (or parent) may always inform an aide, the child’s teacher, the School Counselor or the Division Head, and the School of harassment they have experienced or witnessed, and French International will promptly address the concern. Students are encouraged to come forward and promptly report their concerns so French International is aware of the problem and can take action to support the student by bringing a stop to the offensive behavior. 
 
Once French International is on notice of a report of harassment, steps will be taken to understand and investigate the complaint, and consequences will be determined to rectify the situation and end the offensive conduct.

When a student or a student’s parent reports behavior that may violate our policy, the student or the student’s parents will receive a written notification with the following information:

• The rights of the student who filed the complaint.
• Information about the internal complaint processes available through French International that the student who filed the complaint may pursue, including the person designated by the school for receiving complaints.
• Notice that civil and criminal remedies not provided by French International may be available to the student through the legal system and that those remedies may be subject to statutes of limitation.
• Information about services available to the student through French International, including any counseling services, nursing services or peer advising.
• Information about the privacy rights of the student and legally recognized exceptions to those rights for internal complaint processes and services available through French International.
• Information about, and contact information for, state and community-based services and resources that are available to persons who have experienced sexual harassment.
• Notice that students who report information about possible prohibited conduct and students who participate in an investigation under our policy may not be disciplined for violations of the school’s drug and alcohol policies that occurred in connection with the reported prohibited conduct and that were discovered as a result of a prohibited conduct report or investigation, unless the student gave another person alcohol or drugs without the person’s knowledge and with the intent of causing the person to become incapacitated and vulnerable to the prohibited conduct.

Confidentiality will be maintained to the fullest extent practicable under the circumstances and French International will share information learned in an investigation only with those who have a reasonable need to know. The person who initiated the complaint, and if applicable, the person’s parents shall be notified when the investigation is initiated and concluded, and whether a violation of our policies was found to have occurred, to the extent allowable under state and federal confidentiality laws. 

Protection against retaliation. Retaliation is a very serious violation of this policy. Retaliation is any form of intimidation, reprisal or harassment directed against a student who in good faith reports discrimination or harassment or provides information during an investigation.  By way of example, retaliation can occur when peers of a student accused of harassment learn of the complaint and then mistreat the individual who made the complaint or other individuals who support the complainant. French International does not tolerate this type (or any type) of retaliatory behavior.  Any retaliation should be immediately brought to the attention of the student’s teacher, the school counselor, the Division Head or the Head of School. Students who engage in retaliation will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including suspension or expulsion from school. 

The initiation of a complaint, and the participation in an investigation, in good faith about
behavior that may violate the policy may not adversely affect the educational assignments or any terms or conditions of employment or of work or educational environment of the person who initiated the complaint or who participated in the investigation.

Definition of Bias Incident/Harassment

Bias generally refers to any belief, attitude, behavior or practice that reflects an assumed superiority of one group over another and which influences judgment. Bias is expressed through prejudice or discrimination and can be overt or covert. Bias can be directed against individuals or groups, but it can also be institutionalized into policies, practices and structures. While freedom of expression and the open exchange of ideas are a vital part of the educational discourse, bias activity dehumanizes people, erodes individual rights, debilitates morale, and interferes with the effectiveness of work and learning environments.

Bias-Related Incident

Bias-related incidents are acts of conduct, speech, or expression that target individuals and groups based on their actual or perceived race/color, religion, ethnicity, national origin, gender, gender identity or expression, age, disability, or sexual orientation. Bias-related incidents should be promptly reported to the homeroom teacher and the Division Head, or the Head of School. All reported bias-related incidents will be investigated, followed by administration action and including safety/support to address the behavior.

Assault and Fighting

A student who by conduct intentionally inflicts physical injury on another student or school employee will be subject to discipline that may include suspension or expulsion.

Weapons and Firearms

The possession of any weapon or object which is considered detrimental to the educational process of the school setting, or which may be used to disrupt or endanger people in that setting, shall be prohibited. Such weapons or objects shall be seized by French International authorities and either returned to the student’s parent at a reasonable time or given to proper authorities.

Under Oregon law, a student who is determined to have brought a firearm as defined in Federal law and/or a dangerous weapon as defined shall be expelled from school for a period of not less than one year. A dangerous weapon is defined as any weapon, device, instrument, material, or substance that under the circumstance in which it is used, attempted to be used or threatened to be used, is readily capable of causing death or serious injury. Look-alike weapons used to intimidate or frighten others will be treated as real weapons. The Head of School has discretion to modify the expulsion on a case-by-case basis to the extent permitted by law.

Reporting and Consequences

Anyone who has engaged in prohibited behaviors such as what is described in the policies above will be subjected to disciplinary action up to and including immediate expulsion and French International may report the behavior to law enforcement officials if it believes that behavior has caused harm to or threatens the physical safety of another student. 

Please refer to the Lower School Code of Conduct and the Middle School Code of Conduct for further information on school rules and discipline procedures.

At the conclusion of each academic year, classroom teachers work with the administration to create classroom assignments for the new school year. The teachers make every effort to create the right mix of students within a classroom, taking into account many different factors. All class lists are reviewed and approved by the division head. This is a very important and sometimes difficult task, one that is taken very seriously by our teaching staff. The classroom teachers meet in May to draw up the classroom assignments, and the assignments are reviewed again in August after summer enrollment has been completed. Families are notified of their child’s classroom assignment(s) in late August.

If you feel there is information the School may need to consider when assigning a classroom to your child, please discuss these issues with your child’s current teacher or advisor during the spring Parent-Teacher Conferences, or with the appropriate division head. While we appreciate receiving information concerning your child’s needs, we ask that you not request specific teachers.

French International expects all members of its community to demonstrate unquestionable integrity and to contribute to the quality and reliability of the School. Realizing that we are part of a small and diverse community, we have a responsibility to act as key role models for our students.  We will strive for authentic, positive, and respectful communication with all members of our community. We understand that this may come in many different forms and languages, and are willing to embrace this variety. We will listen respectfully and open-mindedly to all points of view and share our views candidly and with consideration for the feelings and opinions of others. We will demonstrate integrity and respect in our choice of words and take responsibility for our actions. We agree to address concerns as they arise with the right people at the right time in a respectful and constructive manner.

For the health and safety of all children, dogs are not allowed on campus. Service dogs are welcome when they are working or in training, provided they are kept under control by the handler.

Fundraising Policy and Process Guidelines

In order to support coordinated and successful fundraising programs at the French International School of Oregon, the Development Office assumes responsibility for authorizing and overseeing all development activities (defined as fundraising and constituent relations) conducted on behalf of the School. All fundraising projects and/or events must first be approved by the Division Head, then gain approval from the Director of All School Programs and the Development Office before being added to the School’s schedule. Approvals must be received before any calendaring, volunteer recruiting, or communication with potential donors or third parties is initiated.

All fundraising projects or events are subject to this policy and must satisfy the French International fundraising criteria. Individual or group solicitation of funds by any department, class, team, club, or individual must receive prior approval as described above. The decision whether to approve a fundraising project will be based on the French International fundraising criteria.

Criteria for Approval

Fundraising activities will align with the mission of the School and its curriculum objectives, and fulfill the philanthropic needs implicit in the schoolwide strategic plan. All fundraising projects or events will conform to the School’s defined fundraising objectives and programs, be free of potential impact on other initiatives, and meet the institution’s current needs.

Guidelines for Proceeding with a Fundraiser

The viability of all fundraising opportunities will be evaluated based on the combined impact to the school community of the:

• Timing
• Expected net monetary contribution
• Publicity volume (time, period, quantity)
• Volunteer requirements
• Program management requirements
• Community context

Points of Consideration

• How does the proposed project or event meet the School's mission and/or tie directly to curriculum objectives?
• How does the project or event positively represent French International, its students, and mission?
• Will the project or event conflict with, or in any way undermine or inhibit, the primary fundraising initiatives of the School, such as the Annual Fund, gala, endowment and planned giving initiatives, or a capital campaign?
• Will the project or event compromise the safety or integrity of the School’s students, faculty, parents, facilities, or programs?
• Can this event or project be coordinated with another initiative to the benefit of both?
• If the project or event is designed to raise funds for a third party organization (local or national charity), is it representative of and approved by the division heads and director of all-school programs (who coordinates all service learning projects)?

French International is very appreciative of the high regard in which students and their families hold the faculty and staff. We ask that families who wish to express their affection and gratitude restrict their gifts to simple expressions of thanks from their individual student or family. We may also suggest the alternative of a book being given to the library in honor of a staff member, or joining with the PLC in staff-appreciation events. Gifts of significant monetary value are discouraged as there is sometimes discomfort about the appropriateness of gifts within the school context or the feeling that gifts might be expected. Our faculty and staff always welcome your kind words and personal appreciation of their efforts.

As part of our mission to develop curious and critical thinkers, we provide a robust and immersive multilingual education experience. We celebrate and work to strengthen all the languages spoken by our students in order to better interact and understand our interconnected world. 

What we believe:

• Creating a learner-centered environment is at the heart of all of our language teaching practices.
• Learning multiple languages opens doors to the world. It provides a deeper and more natural understanding of and curiosity about cultures and people.
• Being part of an immersion program from an early age develops sensitivity to other sounds and words very naturally from the beginning. 
• Making connections between languages, including one’s home language(s), is beneficial to all the languages, whether familiar or learned.
• Learning a subject (such as literature, history, geography, and math) in another language taught by a specialist native speaker adds a natural cultural understanding while reinforcing the language. 
• All teachers are language teachers across all subjects and develop the production (speaking and writing) and reception (listening and reading) of language. 
• Maintaining a diverse community of speakers of different languages is a valued part of our school culture.
• Learning languages promotes healthy brain activity and encourages open-mindedness.

Please help reduce the level of lost and found items by labeling your children’s garments (last names are best) and lunch boxes. 

When items are found they are put into the cabinet outside of the gym. Small or valuable items are kept with the receptionist in the Front Office.

Several times a year, the School displays lost items on tables in front of the Gym. All unclaimed items are then donated to a local charity. Small or valuable items, such as jewelry or eyeglasses, are kept until the end of the school year. Reminders and donation dates will be announced in the Lower School and Middle School Weekly newsletters. 

French International supports and believes that students should progress annually from grade to grade. In rare situations it is necessary for a student to be placed in a grade above or below their chronological age because of academic ability, maturity, health, attendance, or other contributing factors. This decision is made when, in the judgment of the professional staff working with the parents, there is a clear and compelling case that has a high probability of academic and social-emotional benefit to the student.

The Division Head, along with parents, teachers, and the school counselor, will use multiple indicators as the basis for consideration of retention or grade acceleration. These will include consultation with educational psychologists and the completion of the Iowa Acceleration Scale: A Guide for Whole-Grade Acceleration K-8, in the case of promotion; or the Light’s Retention Scale in the case of retention. The use of these tools and outside consultation assures all involved that the decision is based on thoughtful, professional findings and is in the best interest of the student.

Inclement weather may at times prevent the School from opening or cause it to open later than normal. French International will be closed in the event of icy or snowy weather that, in the judgment of the Head of School, constitutes unsafe conditions on or around the campus. A decision to close the School prior to the beginning of the school day will be made as early as possible, usually by 6:30 AM. The French International community will be notified of school closures via the Emergency Notification System. Information will also be posted on the French International Website and through the local media. In the event of multiple days of school closure, families with student in 1st-8th grades should watch for notices of schoolwork expectations.   

Late Opening

When a delayed opening is announced, the School opens and classes begin at 10:00 AM. There is no Early Arrival on these days, and this starting time is the same for all grades. At the end of the day, however, all grades are released at their regularly staggered dismissal times.

Early Dismissal

If travel conditions deteriorate rapidly during the day, school may close early. An alert will be sent via the Emergency Notification System and posted on the French International Website. Local TV and radio stations will also announce the closure, and the first recording you hear when you call the School will also indicate the change. For everyone’s safety, including our teachers and staff, it is important that you pick up your children as soon as possible after you have been notified that the School has been closed.

French International has permanently installed security cameras positioned throughout our campus, which record activities only on the exterior of the School's buildings. The footage from these cameras is not regularly monitored but is intended to provide visual information in the unlikely event that it is needed. The interior spaces of our classrooms and administration building are not monitored by cameras.

Philosophy:

French International believes that all students can be successful learners. As a school, we understand that in our community we need to differentiate and modify our teaching strategies to respond to a variety of student learning needs. 

We believe that:

• all students benefit from an inclusive model of teaching and learning strategies.
• all students deserve individual support within the limits of school resources and educator training.
• teachers and staff are best able to support students when they are fully informed of student learning differences.
• a partnership with parents and outside specialists is critical to the success of students with significant learning differences.
• some students with significant learning differences may be better served in another educational environment, better suited to meet their needs.

Providing Appropriate Professional Development for Teachers: 

French International believes that teachers are better able to serve their students when they are fully informed on the topic of addressing and identifying learning differences among the student population. This may be through workshops, learning from other professionals on-site, or off-site training. Teachers are also given information about students' learning plans to better prepare for any differentiation needs a student may have during the course of the school year. Student support specialists support teacher(s) through communication, professional development, and modeling targeted instructional strategies.

Family Outreach: 

French International will inform and educate our parent community on the topic of learning differences, current research and how we can identify and address students with specific learning needs. Teachers differentiate and support all students, but greater accommodations cannot be met without documentation of identified learning differences. French International can only offer these greater accommodations (extended time on tests, having a reader read instructions to you on tests, etc.) with a formal diagnosis (see diagram at bottom of page for more clarity on this). Our school is intensive, robust, and challenging and requires significant motivation and perseverance from both the student and family. While we strive to meet the needs of a variety of learners, if the resources required by a student exceed those available at French International, the Student Support team will discuss alternative educational opportunities (see Admissions Policy).

French International maintains records on all students. Parents may inspect their child’s record upon reasonable notice. Copies must be requested in writing. Contact the Front Office for a Student Record Request Form. Please allow the administration ample time to complete the request. 

Tutoring by French International Employees

French International facilitates tutoring by French International employees. Parents wishing to hire tutors may refer to the list located behind the Parent Portal and contact the tutor directly to make arrangements. Arrangements may be made with tutors for off-campus sessions; however, if tutoring is to occur on campus, all parties must observe the following rules and guidelines:

• Please do not pay tutors directly.
• Tutoring Cards must be purchased in advance of tutoring sessions through the Front Office. The tutor may not render service without a pre-purchased card. 
• Four-hour tutoring cards are available in the Front Office; one child per card please.
• Tutoring is for currently enrolled students or, with special permission from the Division Head and Head of School, graduates of French International.
• Teachers and assistants may not tutor their own students without authorization from the Division Head and Head of School.
• Tutoring location must be prearranged and approved by the Division Head.
   

Tutors / Therapists Working on Campus During the School Day

Families wishing to have an outside tutor or therapist work with their child during the school day should first request approval from the appropriate (Maternelle, Lower School or Middle School) division head. The division head will grant or deny approval based on consultation with the student’s classroom teacher or advisor, space availability, and needed supervision. The division head or assistant will then schedule the time and room use, and collect documentation from the tutor/therapist (see below). If sessions are scheduled after 3:30 p.m., the division head will provide documentation to the Extracurricular Office.

To work on the French International campus, outside tutors/therapists need to provide the School with the following documentation:

• A copy of their professional license
• Proof of insurance
• A copy of the Non-Staff Emergency Information Form

Parents or legal guardians must fill out a Release of Liability and an authorization to exchange information.

All documentation should be updated each school year.