Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Week of November 17th - 21st

Bonjour -
Be sure to check out the post below regarding the Foreign Language Trip to Quebec!

Seventh Grade scholars are working on our FOOD unit, just in time to dazzle you at Thanksgiving with their new vocabulary. They are creating a mini-poster showing and labelling 10 items (plate, cups, napkin, silverware, food...). Some of the food vocabulary includes:
le poisson (fish)
le poulet (chicken)
le lait (milk)
un oeuf (an egg)
un crepe (flat pancake)
le fromage (cheese)
la pomme (apple)
la pomme de terre (potato.."apple of the earth")
la glace (ice cream)
le bonbon (candy)

**Also, we are coming to the end of the marking period (Dec 5th) and we will be having another notebook check. Be sure you are ready!

Eighth and Ninth Grade scholars are working on the unit "Ma Chambre" talking about items in the bedroom. We will be having our quiz this week on Thursday covering our new vocabulary, plus prepositions. They have a graphic organizer to help focus their efforts. Vocabulary includes:
une chambre (a bedroom)
une porte (door)
une fenetre (window)
un lit (a bed)
une chaise (chair)
plus possessions in their room such as:
un ordinateur (computer)
un baladeur (CD player)
un portable (cell phone)
un appareil-photo (camera)
un velo (bike)
un cahier (notebook)
une montre (watch)

**Also, we are coming to the end of the marking period (Dec 5th) and we will be having another notebook check. Be sure you are ready!

Foreign Language Trip to Quebec, Canada

The Foreign Language Department seeks to provide opportunities for students to enrich appreciation and knowledge of other cultures. This year, we are planning a trip to Quebec, Canada during April 30th – May 3rd, 2009. This trip will be a combined adventure for those students taking Spanish or French. The tour company, which is organizing our trip, has scheduled several activities for both our French and Spanish students.

The cost of the trip is $455.00. This price includes a visit to Quebec, round trip motor coach transportation from Rochester to Quebec, hotel accommodation, night-time security in the hotel, 24 hour trained multilingual tour leader, admission to all services per itinerary, breakfast and dinners. (Lunches are the only expenses not included).

The following are the refund policies for this trip:
1. All applications for this trip are subject to approval by building administrators.
2. Since there is limited space, a $55.00 non-refundable down payment is required as soon as possible in order to secure a place on this trip. Spaces will be filled on a first come first served basis.

Cancellation Policy:
There is a trip cancellation insurance that you may purchase at an additional cost of $29.00. If you desire to purchase this insurance, it has to be paid at the time that the initial deposit is paid. (If you purchase this insurance and if the student is unable to travel, s/he will receive a full refund).
If you have not purchased the trip cancellation insurance and you cancel the trip after December 15th, 2008, there will be no refund unless you are able to find someone who might take that spot. (the tour company charges a fee of $55.00 per name change). If someone else is willing to go in your place, then we will be able to refund you everything minus the $55.00 fee.
Please remember that the tour price is based on 40 paying participants. If anyone backs out, after we have made a commitment with the company, it will affect the trip cost for the rest of the group.

Medical Insurance:
If a student does not have medical insurance, or if the current medical insurance does not cover him/her in Canada, then that student is required to purchase medical insurance for this trip at the cost of $20.00. This insurance may be purchased up to one week before departure.

Payment Schedule:
Our tour company requires all payments to be made 45 days before departure. In order to facilitate payment, please abide by the following schedule:
November 25, or ASAP $55.00 + $24.00 (optional -Trip cancellation insurance)
December 19, 2008 $100.00 January 22, 2009 $100.00
February 13, 2009 $100.00
March 13, 200 $100.00
Total: $455.00 + $24.00 Trip cancellation insurance (Optional)

Fund Raising
We will be working on fundraising, but we will not be able to fundraise for the entire amount. Students are encouraged to save their money, use the trip as a "Christmas/holiday/birthday" present and to earn money though odd jobs (raking leaves or shoveling snow for family or neighbors).

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at michael.brundage@rcsdk12.org

Monday, November 10, 2008

November 10th - 14th

Bonjour -
All 7th Grade scholars got a progress report from French class, AND their tests from Friday back. Each scholar has a graph in the front of his/her notebook to graph the test scores. This is a great tool for scholars to chart their progress.
This week in class we will be working on:
-ordering snacks and beverages in a cafe
-asking about prices and paying for the food/drink
-using French money
Some useful vocabulary:
j'ai faim...I'm hungry (literally - I have hunger)
tu as faim?....are you hungry?
Qu'est-ce que tu veux?...What do you want?
Donne-moi...Give me
S'il te plait...please (informal)
si'il vous plait...please (formal)
je voudrais (I would like)
merci..thank you
merci beaucoup...thank you very much

Eighth and Ninth Grade scholars are continuing to review their verbs (faire, etre, avoir and the -er verbs), plus question words with our new vocabulary. We are still working on our unit covering "Le monde personnel et familier" to be able to describe ourselves, describe friends, ages, describing a bedroom, and talking about and describing everyday objects.

Monday, November 3, 2008

November 3rd - 7th

Bonjour -
Seventh Grade scholars will be using their number vocabulary (I hope you remember them!) to talk about people's ages. In French, like Spanish, talking about age uses the verb "to have". I "have" a certain age will be "J'ai vingt ans".
J'ai ________ ans. = I am/have ______ years old.
Il a ________ ans. = He is/has _______ years old.
Elle a ______ ans. = She is/has _______ years old.
We will be practicing ages with our conversations to focus on our listening and speaking skills.

The Eighth and Ninth Grade scholars had their test last Thursday about faire and question words. This week we will be starting a new unit covering "Le monde personnel et familier" to be able to describe ourselves, describe friends, ages, describing a bedroom, and talking about and describing everyday objects.