FASRI Annual Report 2021-2022

THE FRENCHAMERICAN SCHOOL

We are proud to provide you with this year's Annual Report Each year, FASRI's annual report is a brief summary for our faculty, staff, students, families, alumni, benefactors, and the community at large Our annual report showcases the school's mission and the actions we take to implement, develop, and improve our approach to our mission and our goal to cultivate globally minded, confident, creative learners.

This report is also proof of the fervent support we receive annually We recognize that it would not be possible to complete our mission without the generosity and support of the FASRI community We frequently acknowledge how fortunate we are to have a community of faculty, staff, families, alumni, and friends that engage themselves, so profoundly, in our school and its mission. We are grateful for your continued faith in FASRI and all that we do to prepare our students to be engaged, global citizens

As we look back on the 2021/2022 school year, we can take stock of our many individual and collective achievements The lingering COVID 19 pandemic was still imposing several layers of constraints on our daily life at school; however, we were successful at maintaining in-person learning while riding the waves of several mini surges of COVID 19 cases among our school community.

Students inspire us daily with their appetite for learning, intellectual curiosity, and amiable and joyful attitudes! We have demonstrated a commitment to fostering a safe and positive learning environment with a school culture rooted in mutual respect, a growth mindset, and kindness.

We are grateful for the work done around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) which translated into workshops for faculty, staff, and parents led by our DEI consultant and the FASRI DEI Statement added to our Strategic Plan and Core Values

eflection engaged by the Board, the school leadership, faculty, New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) re on process is an opportunity to assess the school and make it iting Team in June 2022 for the Foundation Visit and were ation Standards. We are now looking forward to the second part of the process with the NEASC Program Visit in November 2022 related to the Program Standards.

Academically, we continued to center the multilingual program on acquiring language proficiency, building literacy in both French and English, and learning math through play and manipulatives We focused on developing critical thinking, problem solving, and collaborative skills while exploring all areas of learning, including STEAM and humanities We strived to foster a deep understanding of the diversity and wealth of the human experience We aspire for our students to discover, explore, think, imagine and communicate their ideas, values, and reflections through a thoughtful understanding of a world where all languages, cultures, traditions, perspectives, and identities are valued. We wish to prepare them to make a positive impact in the world. The dedication of our faculty and staff is commendable, and I am grateful for them.

Our students ongoingly engage in a wide range of learning activities and projects at the classroom and the school levels, such as, for example, outdoor learning, experiential learning, the ETwinning project in Maternelle, pen pal programs in Maternelle and Elementary, the AEFE Albertine Book Awards, the Math Number Race, the Marble Race Challenge, the International Day celebration, the Francophonie week, the MLF Odysseus Project and the Used Book Fair for Ukraine school age children efforts which allowed us, as a community, to demonstrate our generosity and support with concrete action.

Additionally, I wish to applaud and thank the volunteer parents, students, and teachers who helped make the first edition of the Salon de Paris Art Exhibition a success! This marked the return of an in person community event and fundraiser I am thankful for the relentless efforts of our consultant and volunteers and the expert guidance our Art and Music teachers provided to the FASRI students: we were truly delighted to contemplate the art pieces and listen to the 5th graders’ Gamelan performance.

I want to express my gratitude to the entire FASRI community, students, families, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends for their continued commitment to the FASRI mission, with a lifelong dedication to opening our minds as we learn through the lenses of multilingualism I would like to reiterate my gratitude on behalf of all students who have walked through FASRI’s doors since its inception in 1994. Over the years, your steadfast generosity, your financial support, and your actions of spreading positive word of mouth experiences about FASRI have been, and continue to be, instrumental to our ongoing success. We kindly encourage you to stay engaged with our mission and continue your support.

In 2024 we will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the school’s inception, so stay tuned and prepared to mark your calendars!

With my warmest regards, Bénédicte Brouder, Head of School

THE 20222023 TEAM THE 20222023 TEAM THE 20222023 TEAM

FASRI'S EDUCATOR'S PROFILE

We consider all faculty and staff at the French American School of Rhode Island as a team of educators contributing to the learning experience of every student.

Our educators are compassionate, supportive, ready to listen, learn and change. They have a genuine belief in each child’s potential and ability to succeed.

Our educators are highly skilled professionals in their chosen field, live the multilingual and multicultural mission of the school and its values, and understand that every interaction represents an opportunity to learn.

STAFF

Bénédicte

Brouder, Head of School

Gail Campbell, Director of Finance and Administration

Dana Copley, Maintenance Manager

Gina Flores, Social Worker, SEL

Virginie Gherardi, Director of Extracurricular Activities and Afterschool Care

Raissa Mensah, Director of Enrollment and Communications & Marketing

Ana Palumbo, School Nurse

Eric Jassigneux, Executive Assistant

Kristie Lynn Waite, Administrative Assistant

FACULTY

Ayoub Alaoui, Student Services Provider

Doris Bayar, Elementary Teacher

Lamia Benadouda, Teacher Assistant

Fadjidja Cahan, Student Services Provider

Julie Castadère, Elementary Teacher

Simon Castadère, Maternelle Teacher & Coordinator

Eléonore Ecorcheville, Art Teacher

May Gomez, Maternelle Teacher

Annabelle Gouriou, Elementary Teacher

Bérengère Jadec, Elementary Teacher

Isabelle Jassigneux, Maternelle Teacher

Erin Kemper, Middle School Teacher

Thomas Keohane, Music Teacher

Lucia Kiley, Elementary Teacher, English Program Coordinator

Yuri Kondratiev, Middle School Teacher

Anick Kone, Student Services Provider

Sonnie Kpangbai, Elementary Teacher

Nastassia Larsen, Teacher Assistant

Stéphanie Marichal, Student Services Provider

Audrey Michaels, Maternelle Teacher & Coordinator

Salma Nashawati, Passport Teacher

Sharon Pacheco, Middle School Teacher

Stephanie Paquette, Middle School Teacher & Coordinator

Fanny Patras, Maternelle Teacher

Rachel Perry, Elementary Teacher

Brian Pruvost, Elementary Teacher & Coordinator

Delphine Souma, Teacher Assistant, SEL

EDUCATIONINCOME

$2,817,202.00 79%

STUDENT SERVICES $29,028.00 1%

EXTRACURRICULAR INCOME $183,928.00 5%

DEVELOPMENT INCOME $71,639.00 2%

OTHERINCOME $467,348.00 13%

TotalIncome $3,569,145.00 100%

Expense

STAFF EXPENSE $2,079,502.00 58%

STUDENT SERVICES EXPENSE $296,396.00 8%

EDUCATION $62,204.00 2%

EXTRACURRICULAR EXPENSE $25,602.00 1%

DEVELOPMENT $3,283.00 0%

ADMINISTRATIVE $237,534.00 7%

BUILDING $187,266.00 5%

ADDITION TORESERVES $677,358.00 19%

TotalExpense $3,569,145.00 100%

THE BLYTH FAMILY ANDREW BRIDEN BÉNÉDICTE BROUDER BROWN & FISCHER AURELIEN BRUYELLE & STEPHANIE MARICHAL MATTHEW BURRIESCI & ERIN KEMPER DAVID & GILLIAN CAIN GAIL CAMPBELL PATRICK CAMPEAU & APRIL MACINTOSH BETTY & JEFF CARES JEFFREY & JANETTE CASE DAN & LAURA COJOCARU VIOLAINE COLA DANAHER FOUNDATION ELÉONORE AND MATTHEW DICKINSON MATTHEW & ELEONORE DICKINSON KRISTEN DUBOIS THE EDGAR FAMILY AND THE ROBERT A HICKS TRUST CHRISTINE EGAN RACHAEL ELMALEH SAMUEL EVANS & ELLEN CYNAR ANNE JUNG FERNANDEZ MICHAEL & MASCHA FRANK SHARON GARNER VIRGINIE GHERARDI GILBANE WENDY & DOUGLAS GRAY CHRISTOPHE & VICKY GRIFFITHS ERICA HARDY STEVE & TOYA HARRISON BONNIE & NICK HOPKINS ELIZABETH HOPKINS BELAY CHRISTIAN & OLGA HUBER ALBAN JACQUIN JASON JAGATIC & JENNIFER TOMASIK LOUISE JAKOBSON HARRY JOHNSON & SARAH BESEME HUSSAIN KHAWAJA & FATIMA RAZA DEVON & REED KUEHN PAUL LAVALLEE PATRICIA LAWLOR MICHAEL LAZNIK & AMY PERRY FLA AND DIANE LEWIS ANDREW LUND & RUTH BEN ARTZI SARA MAJKA TIGRAN & ALEXANDRA MAKARIAN CHRISTIAN MARTIN & VIRGINIA KRAUSE

At FASRI, students and teachers connect and learn in a classroom environment rich in a variety of languages and culture heritages: our school is multilingual and multicultural by design Our teachers continually strive to improve instructional practices Within the network of the sixty French American Schools in North America, they benefit from professional development rooted in the research findings conducted on plurilingualism, language awareness, and language acquisition.

TEACHING TAND EACHING AND LLEARNING: EARNING:

FOCUS

TEACHING AND TLEARNING: EACHING AND LEARNING: EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING EXPERIENTIAL LEARNINGMYSTIC SEAPORT, MCT YSTIC SEAPORT, CT

Thanks to a generous grant from the American Society of the French Legion of Honor, the FASRI 3rd, 4th and 5th graders enjoyed the Ship to Shore Overnight Program at Mystic Seaport, CT, and the Middle School students a community building overnight trip to Camp Farley, MA Elementary students immersed themselves in American History, exploring the Museum’s seaport village and sleeping aboard the 1882 full rigged ship Joseph Conrad. They learned about life on a seaport and the whalers during the 19th century. They baked gingerbread cookies, made ropes, forged a hook, felt the weight of a harpoon in their hands, and visited the last remaining wooden whaling ship, the Charles W Morgan They also enjoyed a planetarium show and climbed the rigging of the Joseph Conrad These immersive experiences foster an unparalleled sense of history and how it shapes who we are today As for our Middle School students, they delighted in community building activities at Camp Farley, immersing themselves in nature and the camp experience

As a French Ministry of Education accredited school, FASRI accesses a variety of highly meaningful and exciting competitions and projects. In Spring 2022, the 5th graders entered the AEFE Techno Sciences Challenge and were on a mission to build a marble course out of recycled materials and run a marble through the course in 20 seconds

TEACHING AND

ETWINNING EPROJECT TWINNING PROJECT

The Moyenne Section/PK2 and Grande Section/K classes participated in the eTwinning “Starring Kids” project. This project was a collaboration between students from FASRI; St Sofronii Vrachanski Primary school from Bulgaria; ES CEIP Pio XII, Santiago de Compostela, Spain; SK Materská škola, Bátovce, Slovakia; Ecole maternelle A Remond, Lyon, France; and RS PU "Boško Buha, Инђија / Inđija, Serbia Students from each school had the opportunity to meet one another, discover similarities and differences, and reflect on the importance of mutual respect and good living together FASRI students were proud to participate and share their work

FASRI is also a proud member of the Mission Laïque Française (MLF) worldwide network The 4th and 5th grade students engaged in the Odysseus Project run by the association Héritage et Civilisation They used a variety of art mediums to act as “Ambassadors of their local cultural heritage” which they shared with other schools The project ran throughout the entire school year and fostered intercultural exchanges between FASRI and several French schools located in Mali, France, and Syria for the 4th graders, and France, Tunisia, and Russia for the 5th graders

BOARD OF TRUSTEES A LETTER FROM THE

The FASRI Board of Trustees wishes to express our heartfelt gratitude for this amazing community we are so fortunate to serve Whether you are a parent/caregiver, alum, faculty, staff, or student, at the center of every school are the people who bring it to life We would not be a school without you!

We are so excited this year to celebrate a return to something a little more normal than what we have survived over the last two years What is more, we have emerged stronger and more resilient than before We are three years into our Strategic Plan, and many of our goals are already being met Our enrollment has increased by 25% and the children are thriving The bilingual education that defines our curriculum is taking shape within every student as they develop a nuanced critical awareness and understanding of the world around them With a renewed focus on social and emotional learning, as well as principles of diversity, equity and inclusion, we are fostering a learning environment that prioritizes the whole student through the practice of our core values: intellectual curiosity, respect, empathy, and integrity

As your Board of Trustees, we are stewards of the financial health of the school, to ensure its long term sustainability in an ever changing world We are so pleased to report that the school is on a strong financial footing going forward We understand that the long term outlook may change for reasons beyond our control and we remain focused, responding to a shifting financial landscape in order to ensure the continued health and vitality of our unique school.

We are also guardians of the mission of FASRI, and we remain focused on setting a course that enables FASRI to realize a collective vision of bilingual education. This year we are in the process of finalizing our ten year re accreditation process with the New England Association of Colleges and Schools (NEASC), and we are so pleased to welcome representatives from NEASC next week for a final visit. This accreditation has been an important process for evaluating our progress toward our strategic goals and has, in addition, been an important tool for reflection on who we are and how we can best achieve our vision of a multicultural community prepared to change the world

We thank our community of skilled and committed educators Thanks to their great efforts, we have persevered through the last few years and have strengthened the foundation for growth and learning in every classroom Learning is the lifeblood of our school, and it is our educators who make that learning possible

Our head of school Bénédicte Brouder and her team have continued to skillfully navigate the many facets of operating a small independent school in a small state; balancing the budget and ensuring the school’s long term financial stability, while guiding us towards our vision of a more inclusive multicultural and multilingual world We thank every single staff member for their tireless efforts to care for our beloved school

We are a close knit community, bound together by a shared vision and we now look to one another for support and encouragement as we step boldly into a world with so many unknowns The educational experience we provide our children enables them to tackle these unknowns with bravery, conviction, intellectual agility, and empathy, knowing that not only do they have agency to be change makers in the world but that the world truly needs them. We thank you for your continued commitment to our school and to our vision.

Respectfully,

The

Board of Trustees

MARTIN SMICK, CHAIR ETHAN SLUTER, TREASURER PATRICIA M LAWLOR, SECRETARY RUTH BEN ARZI, TRUSTEE DOUGLAS GRAY, TRUSTEE VALERIE MCCAIN, TRUSTEE JENNIFER TOMASIK, TRUSTEE MARK MCLAUGHLIN, TRUSTEE