Welcome to all of you!

 

In this Newsletter, you will find summaries of all the recent activities undertaken by APELEVIA at College Mignet and Lycée Georges Duby since January and also dates for your diaries for upcoming events.

 

GENERAL INFORMATION

 

Games Evening March 27^th 2010:  The committee were very disappointed that this fundraising evening had to be abandoned due to lack of interest but we hope to organise further events in the future.

 

Bilingual Education in Marseille-Provence:  On Wednesday 3rd March, the Mediterranean Anglo-Business Network (MAAB), held a conference in Marseille, on the subject of Bilingual Education in Elementary Schools.  This meeting was attended by Claude Symonds,  Valerie Le Den, Chris West .

The speakers included:

 

Jean Paul de Gaudemar     -    Recteur –  Académie Aix-Marseille.

Gail Ellis                              -    British Council Paris – Head of English Language            

                                                 Teaching

Robert Maury                      -    Provence Promotion - Managing Director

Neil Calder                          -    ITER  -  Communications

Adelia Hackenheimer          -    Lycee George Duby – Head of International Section

Julia Fady                            -    Collège  A.Mignet – International Section

Alan Tricker                         -    IBS Provence – Head of International Studies

Laurence Mouquet              -    Collège J.Monod – Deputy-Head

Sophie Bellot                       -    EPIM  -  Head

 

The debate covered a number of important questions :

 

Are the public and private International Education facilities that exist equitably and efficiently distributed throughout the territory and do they satisfy requirements of the Anglo American families and businesses?

 

Where are these facilities and what do they offer?

 

Are non-French speaking children catered for?

 

What are the reactions of foreign Companies who are seeking to invest here?

 

Where does International Education lead?

 

A lively and rich debate was held and the Rector answered some very pertinent questions, we thank him for giving us the opportunity to meet him and to talk openly about the subjects that we have been following over the years, namely the lack of places in our schools.  He advised us that, plans to build a new College and Lycée in Marseille were underway, in the hopes that Education Nationale will be in a position to satisfy the demands of Companies in the region who are suffering from the lack of facilities within easy distance of Marseille and Aix -en- Provence.

 

Mrs. Hackenheimer gave an interesting presentation on the benefits of International Education based upon her long experience and explained the difficulties of trying to satisfy the demands of everyone in the region. 

 

Mrs. Fady underlined this speech with her experience and also of her frustration in not being able to meet demands in every year in the College Mignet, she gave an example of families searching for places and being forced to split the children into several schools, through lack of space in Mignet.

Following an intervention on this matter from Claude Symonds, President of APELEVIA, the Recteur confirmed there were no immediate plans to open another class in Mignet.

 

Mrs Mouquet’s problem was quite the opposite, as the recently opened International Section in the Collège Monod needs pupils.           - Valerie Le Den

 

COLLEGE NEWS :

 

Entrance Exam May 20^th 2010: This year there were 48 candidates due to take the exam for 6eme but in effect only 39 did.  Once again the level was very high but as always, only 25 places were available. The collège kindly laid on coffee and cakes for the parents whilst they waited for their children.

 

For your information, the next entrance exam will be held on the 30^th August 2010 (date to be confirmed on the Collège website).  At the moment there are the following places available:

-        6eme: 5

-        5eme: 3

-        4eme: 5

-        3eme: 2                                                                                           - J Fady

 

Collège Life:  Numerous events were held by the Collège during the last term for the benefit of the children:

- The Conseil General financed a theatre trip for four classes of 6eme children with the TCHOUM troupe to deal with the problems of violence and abuse.

- For the 5eme, a talk was given by The League against Cancer on the prevention of drug abuse and smoking.
- for the 4eme, “Le médecin malgré lui”, by Molière enabled the staff to talk about the relations between men and women.
L’APJ came to talk about the judiciary system.
- For the 3eme, a week was organised to discuss AIDs and sexual education.  The problems of organ donors was also tackled along with talks on the experiences of several transplant patients.

An awareness campaign against dangerous games is expected from the Social Services.
The CESC is to consider  “How to eat better with respect for the Environment” with the help of the Université Populaire Rurale.                     - Claude Symonds

 

End of year party for 3eme International Sudents:  It was with their feet in the water, the cicadas and the view of St Victoire that our 3eme students celebrated the end of Collège with a ‘pizza-party’ courtesy of APELEVIA and hosted by the Anderson Family.  We wish to thank the Andersons for their warm welcome and hospitality.  For the children it was a great time to relax before their Brevet and we wish them continued success at the Lycèe.                   - Frederique Chabran

LYCEE NEWS :

 

A Day for Future Graduates:  On the 4^th and 5^th March 2010, we had the ‘Day for Future Graduates’ during which the Premiere students had the chance to visit several universities to help them with their future choices.

 

Mme Régnault explains:

 

“Last year, the Lycée Duby organised for 31 adults to escort 243 students to 17 different sites.  This year, 31 adults enabled 334 students to visit 11 sites on the Thursday and 12 sites on the Friday.

Therefore 91 extra students.

11 head teachers were deployed in spite of the mock Bac exam and the trips (2 teachers returned from trips to England and went directly to their sites).”

 

Frédérique Chabran and myself, with Mme Blanc, a French teacher at the Lycée, accompanied 42 Premiere students to the IEP in Aix, in order to attend a very interesting conference on the course, given by Mr Duval, Director, Mr Nourian, Head of Studies and Mr Ferrazzola, Head of Education.

 

The IEP offer a 5 year course (with one year abroad)

 

-           the 1^st year is characterised by an interdisciplinary approach (economics, history, political science, sociology, languages, sport etc …).
-           the 2^nd year is the learning of the method and lateral thinking (approaching a subject in different ways).  The students choose a subject for dissertation to be finished in the 4^th year.
-           the 3^rd year constitutes of 9 months abroad (Embassies, Consulates, large corporations) or two terms in a foreign University.
-           the 4^th year is the year of specialising and finishing the dissertation.
-           the 5^th year allows the student to orientate their professional lives or research at the University, in this way preparing for their exams of category A (ENA, ENM, ENSP etc..).

The entrance exam is the same for the IEP in Aix, Lille, Lyon, Rennes, Strasbourg and Toulouse.

1100 places are available between the six IEPs.

The  entrance exam for next year took place on the 2^nd July 2010.

(Sciences Po. is a PUBLIC establishment and doesn’t advise any other preparation organisation apart from Tremplin-IEP).

 

The Exam

 

The general average obtained at Baccalaureate has a coefficient of 1.

It consists of 3 written exams over 7.30 hours.

1)         A dissertation regarding a topical question: 3hrs (coefficient 3).
2)         A dissertation regarding the history course in Terminale: 3hrs (coefficient 

           3).
3)         A test on a modern language: 1h30 (No QCM) (coefficient 2).

N.B.  There is also a French-German option for 20 students (half German/half French) with a very good level of German.

 

For any further information please visit: www.sciencespo-ix.fr

                                                                                                            - Claude Symonds

 

Entrance Exam 10^th March 2010:  This year there were approximately 470 students who sat the entrance exam for Seconde in the International Section, of which the school can only take 90.  More students had the level required than places available, so the dossier had to intervene in the final selection.  Even then, it was with a heavy heart that we had to turn down a lot of excellent students. 

                                                                                                    A. Hackenheimer

 

Information regarding the construction of housing next to the Lycée:  Following the news of the housing project next to the Lycée (230 flats, but talk of 300) the three parents associations of the Lycée have, with the Headmaster, talked to the Governors Board of the Lycée as well as the regional council and have written to the townhall of Aix to request a meeting to talk about the traffic problems, accessibility, parking and security in the surrounding area and transportation.  The President of the PACA region has sent a letter to the Maire of Aix and we have also written to Mr Guérini, President of the Conseil General. We then attended a meeting on April 1^st when he announced the construction of a collège next to the Lycée (600 students, opening in September 2014).  We asked for a plan concerning the whole layout, taking into account conditions for the users (1500 students from the Lycée, 600 collège students, 3-400 personnel and 1000 new residents).

 

A steering group committee has been set up in association with the Conseil General, the Aix townhall and six people from the local area and the parents associations (Lycée, collège and school).  The three parents associations from the Lycée are represented by Claire Hasan and Annie Respaud.  The first meeting was held on May 12^th.  We have reiterated our request (already expressed in 2003) for a coherent syllabus between the collège and the lycée and for the need for an International Section in the collège.  Mr Bénéfice (academic inspector) has replied that TWO collèges would feed the international section of Duby: Luynes and Mignet.  We have also remembered the welcoming conditions of the international section (boarding or long distance journeys, by bus or car) and the importance of maintaining these.

 

Parents, CIQ and the Headmaster of Duby, have repeatedly drawn attention to future traffic problems, accessibility, parking, planning, transport and security,  the importance of  protecting the students from the sale of illegal substances, and the safety of the surrounding areas.  A meeting with the Mairie of Aix (and the local community) will be held in June to talk about the construction of the housing and the consequences. 

The next steering group committee will be held in September/October.                                

                                                                                    - Claire Hasan-de-Severac

 

Europeans:  The musical “Europeans!” opened to a full house on May 11th at the Théâtre du Jeu de Paume and closed to a full house on May 20th at the Lycée Georges Duby. Enthusiastic congratulations have been pouring in. Two years of hard work for a few hours in the spotlight, was it worth it? I believe the cast and crew of “Europeans!” join me in saying, most definitely, YES! 

A heartfelt thanks to all of you who supported our project.          - Patricia Haillot

 

Meeting of the International Section, 21^st May 2010:  During a meeting at the Lycée, Madame Hackenheimer and teachers from the section met with the parents of the future Premiere and Terminale classes to give a presentation on the International section:

 

Out of 325 students, 52% are French, 27% are Bi-national and 21% are other nationalities.  After Terminale, roughly 50% of the students study in different countries.  A huge amount of work is done by the teachers of the section but also by AGESSIA whose help has become indispensable since the number of candidates is so large.  They help the students choose their universities, write motivational letters, fill out forms, translate school reports, help with the UCAS forms,  and help to maintain their oral levels etc…  Certain universities consult the reports starting from 3eme up to the second term of Terminale.  The end of inscriptions in the British universities is the 15^th of January; 15^th of October for Oxford and Cambridge which means that the Premiere students must think about their post-bac orientation and can’t wait until September to deal with it.

 

Changes in the OIB:  The OIB has existed in France for thirty years and is becoming more and more recognised in other countries.  Madame Hackenheimer reminded us of the importance of the English subjects in the OIB:  they represent 40% of the total Literature bac  (L) and Economic Science bac  (ES)  and 30% for the Scientific bac (S) and therefore need a lot of work.  For English, the students have six books to study, 3 in Premiere and 3 in Terminale.

 

This year the “synoptic topic” was added which will be on the Victorian era.  Seven poems and two books will be studied in class, the students shall then be questioned on this theme orally.  Another novelty: a comparative essay of unknown documents.  Madame Hackenheimer therefore wants to encourage the students to do personal research on the Victorian era.  She reminded us that from the beginning of Premiere, the A and B groups are completely remixed and there is no longer any difference made between the students.

 

In History/Geography there are two written tests (two hours of History and two hours of Geography).  The oral test is changing.  The candidates shall be questioned on History AND Geography.  Therefore they must revise both subjects without preference.  Mr Gibbs wishes to alert everyone that certain aspects of the syllabus for Seconde and Premiere could be used in the Bac.  He therefore advises the students to keep their notes from Seconde and to work regularly.

 

Finally, Madame Hackenheimer and her colleagues thanked the parents for their contribution to AGESSIA which must not be uniquely linked to the exams.  As well as the activities mentioned earlier, AGESSIA buys educational material which benefits ALL the students of the International section.  It is important that ALL the members of our educative community contribute to the section in the spirit of solidarity and generosity.                                                         - Claude Symonds

 

Cricket at the Lycee:  On a balmy May evening, the first cricket match, of hopefully a yearly event, took place between the students and the teachers. During the year, Mr Lewis, Mr Reevy and Mr Coates have been teaching the students the fundamentals of this traditional English summer sport. A regular match can last many hours and often several days but the students were taught a version called ‘inter cricket’ whereby the batters play in pairs and each pair face 12 balls or 2 over’s. When the batter is OUT (by either a fielder catching the ball or the wickets are hit), his team loses 5 runs but the batter continues batting until he and his partner’s 12 balls have been bowled. Each team starts with 200 runs from which runs are added or deducted.

The students were sponsored for runs scored and wickets taken. The proceeds will be sent to a charity involved with the Haiti earthquake disaster. At the time of writing, it is not yet known how much money has been raised but we will let you know in the next Newsletter.

Both teams played very well in this very fast paced game and the score was so close that the scores had to be double checked but it in the end it was the students who beat the teachers by just a couple of runs.  The teachers scored 244 runs and the students scored 251.  The students were captained by Clint Walraven and the teachers by David Coates.

Thank you to all the students and teachers who took part in the match and to their vocal supporters. Thank you, also, to Geoff West who umpired the match and to the scorers Valerie Le Den and Ivana Babjakova.

Finally, thank you to Dave Lewis who initiated this project and hopefully it will continue as a yearly event.                                                           - Christine West

 

Bac Ball 2010:  On Friday 28^th May, around 400 students celebrated the Bac Ball in the magnificent Jardin D’Albertas.  The weather was fine and the students looked splendid in their suits and evening dresses.

 

A group of students started off the evening with music and were followed by a professional orchestra for the dancing.  The sit down meal was excellent and a glass of champagne accompanied the delicious chocolate dessert.

 

The two professional photographers worked the entire evening without a break, despite the cold which soon fell.  There were numerous parent who helped out whilst remaining discreet!  The Principal, Mr Bard was invited to dance as were the other teacher and administrative staff who were present.  It wasn’t until late in the evening when everybody was leaving that the syudents realised that one part of their young lives had finished to leave space for one no less exciting.. the start of the next stage of their academic lives.

 

As in previous years, APELEVIA made a generous donation to the evening, to help this memorable event.                                                   - Christine Roncalez

History of Arts Reform for the year 2010/2011:  Since the Lycée was opened, students have been very fortunate to be able to chose History of Arts as an option in 2^nd, which in many cases continued through to Terminale and consequently became part of their Baccalaureate.  This option, has been taught by 6 different teachers, headed by Mr. Esnault, all of which are motivated and passionate about their subjects.  The option included literature, architecture, photography, cinema, art and sculpture.

We discovered that there would be changes to this option, in  the new 2nde reform, planned for next year. The Lycée will be offering  an option “Patrimoine”, which will be a lot less complete, offering only about 5 outings a year to visit sites as an introductory subject. APELEVIA alerted the FCPE and PEEP and asked them to join us in making our fears known to the Rectorate.

In spite of receiving many protest letters at the Rectorate, to date, we are alone in receiving a reply to our demand not to touch this option which will be completely devalued by this reform.   We will continue to make our voice heard at the Rectorate and hope to bring this affair to a satisfactory conclusion.                                  

                                                                                                      - Valerie Le Den

 

Return of Books:  After a meeting with Mme Lapostolle, Archivist of the Lycée, the administrative staff and the two other associations, we asked for volunteers to help with the return of school books from the 8^th - 22^nd June.

 

We are happy to note that many of you responded to our request and we would like to thank you all very much.                                                - Claude Symonds

 

 

AGESSIA NEWS :

 

AixMUN 2010:  Fourteen students represented the Lycée at the first Aix Model United Nations conference celebrated on March 5, 6 and 7, 2010. It was organized by the student organization AixONU of Aix Science PO and took place at l’Institut d’Etudes Politiques and the Mairie d’Aix-en-Provence. The walls were decorated with the flags of many nations, and the students dressed in business attire as delegates of the country they represented. The sole committee at this well organized conference was the committee on disarmament and international security. The intensive debates centered on the complex and difficult theme of the situation in Afghanistan. A wide variety of countries were represented by our lycée students and numerous university students. One of our students and debate club member, Joshua Morrison, won the Prix d’Honneur. The process was fluid and adhered strictly to formal rules of procedure although there were moments of fun and laughs. The presidency assured decorum the entire weekend which ended with a formal resolution. It was an excellent experience. Our students and the countries they represented were as follows:

 

Germany: Joris Brandt and Oliver Sieweke

Australia: Alice Symonds and Allison Bell

China: Natacha Morice and Lara Oliveau

Denmark: Ufuk Inci and Sofiane Bouazzaoui

Russia: Joshua Morrison

Iran: Mohammed El Boudi

Japan: Caroline Mercier and Fabien Le Den (previous lycee graduate)

Serbia: Laura Verbeke and Anciane Vitour                            - Valerie Le Den

 

Exchanges – Vintage 2009-2010!

 

Short-Term Exchanges:   After a busy Autumn term organizing this year’s short-term linguistic and cultural exchanges with three prestigious schools from Canada, Australia and the United States, the combined efforts of AGESSIA staff and board members (volunteers) resulted in three short-term exchanges, including a brand new one, benefiting twenty one Seconde students from the English Section.

 

In March and April, students from Geelong Grammar School, Melbourne, and Appleby College, Oakville, Ontario, spent three weeks at our school, dividing their time between classes with their French partners, special « French as a foreign language (FLE) » classes given by teachers and workshops animated by an AGESSIA board member and sightseeing in the region thanks to our dynamic host families, to Ms. Babjakova, Comenius Assistant with the English Section and to AGESSIA board members. In June, a student from Palmer Trinity School, Miami, came and after a week at school, visited the region thanks to her host and other families from the Miami trip.

 

Over the Easter break, our Seconde students flew off to experience their exchange partners’ foreign and eye-opening cultures.  They attended school, sometimes adapting to much stricter dress codes, discovered new subjects such as Photography, Textiles or Woodwork, and got a taste of laptop education (e-school)!  They joined their partners in their extracurricular activities and shared family or boarding school daily routines, some enjoying, among other things, the fun of an American high school prom, an Australian football or American baseball game,  visiting the Niagara Falls or eating Kangaroo meat!

 

The feedback from these exchanges has been very positive and we hope to renew them on a larger scale next year.                             

 

Seconde Long-Term Exchanges:  For the first time, an academic and cultural immersion exchange was set up with Geelong Grammar School and Palmer Trinity School.  In the first term, four Australian and two American students spent about 10 weeks with their exchange families and attending school full-time including extra FLE classes and workshops.  AGESSIA organised two weekend trips, to Lyon and Paris, and several weekday cultural outings during their stay.

 

At the end of May, four students flew to Melbourne and are currently experiencing the same type of full cultural and academic immersion.  The experience is extraordinary so far as witnessed by the students: Juliette says: “Geelong Grammar School has an amazing campus, where the philosophy of education is dynamic and open not only to academics, but also to sports, art, and music.”;  Alexande says: “I have been quite surprised by the fact that people are very easy-going , and it is easy to make a lot of friends.”; and Morgane says: “On Monday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons, sport is on… I personally play netball, (a kind of basket ball), and on Tuesdays and Fridays, we have activities. Here again, many are proposed, for instance knitting/sports/debating/ceramics/charities…”

The exchange to Miami will take place from mid-August to the Toussaint vacation of our students’ Premiere year and we will be sure to keep you up to date!

 

Our thanks goes to the Lycée Georges Duby administration and teaching body for their continued support of these enriching exchange programs and to our exchange partner schools for their trust and collaboration. Praise also goes to our students who understood their role as ambassadors of their high school! A photo album is within the English Section of the school website.       - Helen Chayegan

 

AGESSIA: now has its own web site.  It is still under construction at the moment, but you are invited to visit both the English and French versions as not all the pages are in both languages yet.

 

You can meet our active members, find out more about the Association, why it was created, what we do and and all sorts of useful information and reports.  You will find us at:  www.agessia.org                                                                                               

                                                                                                       - Daniele Blake

 

 

DATES FOR YOUR DIARIES

 

We look forward to welcoming you all to the Garden Party at the end of September/beginning of October (date to be confirmed).

 

We would like to wish you all a very happy summer and look forward to seeing you in September.

Welcome to All,
We are very pleased to be sending you this October Newsletter, summing up the
recent activities of APELEVIA at College Mignet and Lycee Georges Duby since
the start of the new school year.
WELCOME TO ALL NEW PARENTS !
- Our Garden Party, on October 4th was a huge success: Approximately 60
families (with 30 or so children and teenagers) from both the College and Lycee
got together to make new or renew old friendships. As always it was a lovely
occasion and one to note in your diaries for next October. Thank you to Claude
Symonds for her generous hospitality.
- APELEVIA Committee Meeting on 5th October (where the individual roles were
determined for the school year 09/10). We welcomed new members to the
Commitee: Frédérique Chabran and Nina Hibbert, and formed lots of subcommittees
which will be involved in all activities concerning your children.
- Elections of Parent Representatives on 16 th October : During the month of
September a large amount of work took place on account of these elections.
Updating our organisation’s objectives, creating a list of candidates, awareness
campaign, naming the parent representatives, folding the information and stuffing
envelopes, being on duty and counting votes on the day of election. A huge
thank you to all who gave their time!
Additional details on the results :
COLLEGE MIGNET :
Conseil International : 1 seat (out of 1) for APELEVIA
Out of 240 registered voters, there were 82 votes (1 null and void and 81 votes
for APELEVIA) (As opposed to 49 last year)
The percentage of participation was therefore 34.16%
APELEVIA is represented at the CI, not the CA, as our section is too small a part
of the school as a whole.
We will be representing you at the Conseil meeting which takes place at the end
of the school year, to appraise the functioning of the International Section and
discuss ideas and suggestions for future improvements.
LYCEE DUBY :
Conseil International : 2 seats for APELEVIA, 1 seat for the FCPE.
The numbers of registered voters is 298
The number who voted was 84
The percentage of participation was therefore 28.18 %.
APELEVIA obtained 63 votes which allowed us to gain the two seats.
IMPORTANT : with one extra vote, we could have obtained the three seats on
the Conseil International !!!
Conseil d’Administration: 1 seat for APELEVIA, 2 seats for PEEP, 2 seats for
FCPE.
The number of registered voters is 2745 & the number who voted was 669.
The percentage of participation was 24.37%.
APELEVIA obtained 131 votes ( 19.58% against 16.79% last year)
RESULTS OF THESE ELECTIONS :
We would like to thank all the parents who voted.
We have noted a greater amount of participation overall for collège Mignet,
however, this support is still weak, as this year, one extra vote at the Lycee for
the CI would have allowed us to have had all three seats.
We would like to remind you that only your votes allows us to be active at the
College and Lycee and to have a presence in the CA and CI. This way we can
represent you in all the important decisions made on behalf of your children in the
international section. Our experience allows us to put forward the international
needs of your children (a presence at class meetings/development of exchanges
with foreign schools with financial support from the Lycee, such as Boston for
example/hours of lessons for GCSE preparations etc… ).
.
Next year, we need more votes for APELEVIA!
COLLEGE NEWS …
First of all, a small reminder about the International Brevet taken by the students
in 3° in the international section last June:
We had very strong results:
100% pass, with a high percentage of mentions:
Out of 30 students: 3 mentions T .B. (10%)
9 mentions B. (30%)
10 mentions A .B. (33,33%)
8 admis (26,67%)
Congratulations to one and all, and all our best wishes for continued
success at the Lycée !
SEPTEMBER:
- A welcome coffee morning for new parents of children in 6°. Information about
the function of 6°, of the international section and the French system. The
meeting is always welcome and appreciated by the parents.
- Donation (and labeling) of numerous books and 10 dictionaries to Madame
Fady for the library.
- Speaking and participation at the meeting organised by the Collège for the new
parents of children in the international section: 6° and other classes.
- We would like to remind you that this year children in 4° et 3° (International) will
benefit from an extra hour of English per week (5 hours).
- Evaluation tests for 6° (concerning all the classes) carried out throughout
France at the end of September.
Note Collège Mignet’s good results in these evaluation tests. Out of all the 6°
classes, only 8 students were considered ‘in great difficulty’. They obtained less
than 40% in the evaluations.
Also note that out of 213 students in 6°, 45% were classified ‘favorisés A’ (milieu
socio-économique), against 19% in the Académie.
OCTOBER:
- Participation by APELEVIA in the discipline-meetings which are held every
Thursday at the Collège. These meetings, held by the Deputy Principal and the
CPE are for establishing the discipline for all the students who have
observations, disciplinary incidents etc. during the week.
Madame Briot, CPE, appreciates the parental presences at these meetings,
which shows that it’s the educative community which judges. She regrets that
few of the teachers can participate regularly.
- Meeting with Semepa (organisation concerned with the work at Mignet parking)
where they announced that a ‘magnificent’ exhaust fume chimney will soon be
built alongside the College but the building of the new science block will be
postponed. Along with other parent associations, we have arranged a meeting
about this with the relevant people at the Mairie. Work in Progress… The
children need to be able to do their practical work in proper conditions.
- A successful start for the Cricket Club on Wednesdays after school. Thank you
to David Lewis for his enthusiasm and time.
- More participations in Commisions of Vie Scolaire and Discipline councils.
- Preparations for ‘Thanksgiving Lunch’ organized by APELEVIA for those
children in 6ème et 5ème on the 26th November. This is partly financed by
APELEVIA.
And finally, we are happy to inform you about the return of the Deputy Principal,
Mr Marc Laurent after the October holiday. The Head of Collège de Velaux
whom he stood in for is better and will be able to resume his duties at the
beginning of November.
LYCEE NEWS …
As for the Collège, we will start with a reminder of the results for the OIB (Bac à
option Internationale) At the Lycée Duby :
100% success!! And, an impressionable number of mentions
Out of 86 candidates:
-17 mentions T.B. (19,77%)
-25 mentions B. (29,07%)
-24 mentions A.B. (27,91%)
-20 admis (23,25 %)
Please note that all the students at the Lycee of Luynes in the International
section take the OIB which is not the case in all the private or public schools and
that their results are quite distinguished.
Congratulations to all these students and our best wishes for your
continuing studies.
- Tulips for the Telethon 2009!
Mme. Regnault, Mr. Strozza and the Commitee of Health Education and
Citizenship (CESC) which APELEVIA is a member of, are going to launch an
appeal in favour of the Téléthon on 4-5th December 2009. The aim is to sell
3,000 tulip bulbs for 1 euro each which will then be planted by the students in
Secondes on the 23rd and 24th November in the shape of a 9m2 heart on the
Lycee hill. On the 4th December, some 2,000 balloons will be blown up by the
students and cover the heart for a press photograph with all the volunteers. The
aim is to have 100% participation by the students. We are looking for your
help in the week of sale at the Lycee the 9th, 10th, 12th and 13th November
between 9.30am – 11.00am or 11.00am – 14.00pm. Please contact Helen
Chayegan at hchayegan@aol.com if you can help. Your children are also invited
to come and help at the sale.
Lycee Life Committee:
The meeting on the 18th October tackled the following subjects: problems with the
opening hours and working conditions of the CDI, the banning of mobiles in the
building and the request to have an area inside where they could be used; a lack
of a place to relax inside, the lyceens demanded to be able to meet in the Hall;
the dangers of the roundabout; the banning of computers in the boarding house;
and finally the problems with stress at the lycee (to be raised with the CESC
Committee).
FOR YOUR DIARIES!!!
- 9th – 13 th November : Sale of tulips at the Lycee in aid of the Téléthon.
- 26 th November : Thanksgiving Lunch for students in 6° et 5°.
- Thursday, 3 rd December : APELEVIA invites you to a Beaujolais Nouveau
evening at the Mairie Annexe de Luynes at 19.30h. Charcuterie and cheeses will
be served to accompany the Beaujolais Nouveau. Don’t miss this enjoyable
event!
The APELEVIA Committee.

Hello everyone,

We hope you’ve all had a great summer and you are now ready for the new school year.

Here is the latest news from the College:

Building work

    4 temporary prefabricated classrooms have been installed on the old site of the science block. They are almost totally operational except for special tables with plug sockets, which, despite the close monitoring over the holidays by Mr. Dominique Laurent, the school bursar, will now only arrive at the end of October.

    The toilets in the playground have been refurbished. Let’s hope the children can be sensible and show respect for others and keep them operational.

  Due to the fact that the application for planning permission for the new science block was only registered in June, building work is now unlikely to begin until early next year.

College Life

Class numbers in the College are once again full to bursting with about 30 pupils per class. Nevertheless, Mr Cadis is continuing to receive admission requests.

A number of 6eme pupils have chosen classes offering 2 foreign languages; German/English (30 pupils) and Arabic/English (15 pupils). These students will be divided into 2 classes comprising 15 German/ English, 8 Arabic/English and 5 English only students.

Regarding the swine flu virus, important information can be found on the school website (www.clg-mignet.ac-aix-marseille.fr/mignet/) In order to minimise risk, cleansing gel dispensers have been installed at the entrance to the canteen.

David Lewis is setting up a “Cricket Club” which will start at the beginning of October. If your child is interested, please contact Mr. Laurent, the Deputy Head, at the end of September. He will be happy to give further details and information.

Unfortunately, during the summer holidays, there were two terrible tragedies that affected the College. The parents of a 3eme student were killed in a road accident and a child who was to go into 5eme was killed in a separate car accident. The students were informed during their “pré- rentrée” last week  and there will perhaps be a minute of silence.

Best wishes for the new school year,

Claude Symonds

Due to some health problems, the member of the comittee in charge of translating the articles of the Newsletter has been unable to do so. We apologise in advance for any inconvenience.”
“Nous nous excusons par avance de l’absence de traduction de ces articles (empêchement  momentané dû à des problèmes de santé de la personne occupant cette fonction).

 

Hello again from all at APELEVIA. After a very cold and wet winter we are at last able to enjoy the fact that Spring has finally sprung!

 

Although you haven’t received a newsletter for a while, the board has been very busy working on projects to support and enhance the International Sections.

 

JANUARY

La Galette des rois

The Galette des Rois event, took place at the Lycee this year, it was a great success. As well as a chance to sample the delicious galettes and cider, it was also an opportunity for many Mignet parents to see the Lycee from the inside. There was also a presentation by ‘Camp Experts’, an association helping families to find summer camps for their children.

 

European Youth Parliament

The Lycee was the venue for the European Youth Parliament.

2eme Session Régionale du 30 Janvier au 1er Fevrier 2009

 

Congratulations to Chloe Gendre and her team for the excellent organization of this exceptional event that we had the privilege to host in the Lycee George Duby this year.

 

From Friday afternoon until Sunday evening the Lycee and boarding school was buzzing with activity as our organizers welcomed the visiting local schools:

Lycee Militaire, Aix en Provence,  La Nativité, Aix en Provence, CIV Valbonne, Lycee International de Manosque were warmly welcomed and installed in our boarding facilities that our students kindly vacated for them.

 

The programme started with an original Team Building method which immediately had the effect of uniting the teams ready for the tasks ahead of them.  The whole group left for the Town Hall in Aix for a Opening Conference and dinner.  Afterwards, there was a presentation, in ‘acting/theatre style’, where Giselle Malina’s talents brought the house down.  The weekends motions and resolutions were acted out which proved to be a popular way of passing information, throughout the weekend, groups re-energized and self motivated by using some very original methods.  It’s the proof that learning something completely new can be fun.

 

The next day started early, the commissions had to work together to form their resolutions which formed a major part of the day.  This was particularly difficult owing to the fact that the EVENT JOURNALIST, who had to produce four newspapers throughout the weekend, had collected photographs and information, during the night, everyone was a little sleepy but looking forward to the evening and the Eurovillage (see photographs).

 

Sunday dawned and there were some difficulties in getting up and dressed into business clothes, ready for the presentations in the Conseil regional de Provence Alpes Cote d’Azur, a prestigious and impressionable facility. The commissions and committee’s covered a wide variety of subjects for example:  Women in the 21st century: a key for world stability?  From words to action.  Which stand should the EU take on the current talks on the possible re-forging of the International Financial System?

The students presented in English or in  French and the jury, who had judged throughout the weekend, noted the participation, input and motivation of the different actors.

 

The Lycee La Nativity won the event and was selected to attend an event in Austria the following month.

 

This event, was proof of the ability, energy, intelligence and resourcefulness that some of our students have, I would strongly advise all parents to encourage their children to support this event next year, not only is a fun weekend, but it helps our International Students to practice

The skills they have learned in the Debating Club and increases their confidence for oral presentations and public speaking, the event is open to all the students in the school and prior knowledge of debating and public speaking is not necessary, those who don’t feel capable of handling this sort of role can be part of the journalist team or event organizer, there is in fact, something for everyone.

 

Well done to all who participated and all the organizers, in particular to our Headmaster Mr. Bard who was approached for his permission to hold this event even before he took up his duties in our school.

 

.The Debate Club has been given a new lease of life since this event and further contact has been established with the International school in Manosque with a view to organising regular inter-school events / competitions such as debating and cricket

MARCH

Report, from Valérie LEDEN, on the 2nd Congress for International Sections -  Centre International de Valbonne

 

On the 12th and 13th March, Daniele Blake and myself, were invited to attend the 2nd Congrés des Sections Internationales, which was run by the FDEI (Foundation pour le Développement de l’Enseignement International. The event took place at the CIV (Centre International de Valbonne) in Sophia-Antipolis.

 

It was an ideal opportunity to meet other key people, involved in International Education and listen to the ideas for the development of the OIB and ideas for improvement for this diploma.  Workshops and conferences were held and dealt with the following issues:  Teachers in International Sections  -  Added Value for other sections within the schools, the correct methods of teaching, hiring of International Staff, Formation and Training Programs for existing Teachers.

Methods of Pedagogy used within the Sections, combinations of curriculum, importance of extracurricular activities and at what ages to introduce them.

 

Standards, the importance of introducing standards and methods for primary levels, who is responsible for creating the standards?

 

OIB  -  Promotion of this diploma, competition with the Geneva International Bac, Interaction and co-operation with the partner countries, The importance of promoting the diploma both within France and in partner countries.

Further details of this congress can be found on the ASIBA website, together with the results of the propositions that were made to the Government representatives who were present throughout the two days.

 

Bio Week 23rd-27th March

 

A l’origine, il s’agit d’un projet mené par des professeurs (Mr Guérin, professeur d’EPS et Melle Capiello, professeur de SVT), pour une classe de seconde sur l’année 2007-2008.

Pour différentes raisons, ce projet n’a pu aboutir.

Cette année les professeurs reprennent le dossier, toujours en parallèle avec les secondes.

L’aboutissement a été une semaine de sensibilisation (du 23 au 27 mars 2009), avec un point fort sur le vendredi. La semaine choisie correspondait aussi à la semaine de la presse (évènement Lycée), et aussi à la semaine sans pesticide (évènement national).

Nous avons répondu présent à l’appel à l’aide des enseignants et avons encadré les « tables des saveurs » qui consistaient à faire déguster aux jeunes (et moins jeunes) des produits bio.

 

Ces journées, aux dires des enseignants, ont eu beaucoup de succès, un bilan sera fait  avec les différents interlocuteurs, nous en ferons donc partie.

 

Journées des Futurs Bacheliers

 

On March 26-27, some 300 students visited 19 university campuses in Aix and Marseille thanks to the support of the parents who chaperoned these visits.  Overall, the students benefited from this introductory insight into further education.  Evaluations by the students and chaperones will improve this experience further in th e future.  Thanks parents for your support!

 

Journées des Futurs Bacheliers

 

At the March 30th meeting of the CESC (Comité d’Education à la Santé et à la Citoyenneté), the concern over the proximity of a snack bar to the school was raised.  The mayor of Luynes previously reassured the parent associations that the food served would be balanced. There has not been any feedback about this and the parent associations agreed to remain vigilant.  For some students, it is welcomed because they have too little time to eat at the cantine and usually have to walk into the town centre. The FCPE informed the committee that the correct permits had been approved.

Following a number of incidents related to alcohol and tobacco consumption at the Lycee, the school intervened by asking a psychologist to speak to the boarders in October and a doctor specialising in addictions to lead a confidential group discussion on three occasions in March and April. Overall; these discussions were beneficial, according to the students. Madame Regnault expressed the school’s concern and made it clear that all incidents are sanctioned.  She added that, contrary to rumours, the incidents at the school are isolated. The committee agreed that a presentation on harmful behaviors should be scheduled at the beginning of each school year for all students.

 

 March 31st Meeting with Mr. Bard

 

The PEEP, FCPE and APELEVIA met with Mr Bard.  Mr. Bard announced that the absentee rate of 6% is no higher at the lycee than at other lycees but he underlined that student presence is mandatory and all absences are recorded.  He confirmed that the sophrology classes will be offered again to the Terminales shortly. On April 2nd, internal workshops would be reflecting on the government lycee reforms and other related subjects and the parents would be invited to hear and discuss the conclusions mid April. 

 

APRIL

Irish Association of Provence  -  5th April 2009

 

Report by Valérie LEDEN

 

Daniele Blake and myself were invited to lunch at the Golf Club, Pont Royal by the above association.

 

Last Year this association organized a golf tournament and raised the sum of 3000 euros for the International Sections in the College Mignet and Lycee George Duby.  We gratefully received the cheque and spent a most enjoyable day in the company of these enthusiastic golfers. We would like to use this opportunity to thank Agnes Ahern for taking this initative, and have decided in their honour to use the colour Green for the new association AGESSIA.

This association was made official on St. Patricks day 2009.  Once again,thank you to all who participated and for the reception of our first donation cheque.

 

Concert for Carnaval, April 9th

 

The concert was a great success thanks to 17 volunteer parents who came to chaperone the event.  The decision to refuse leaving and reentering the premises during the concert ensured a more easily controlled environment for all to enjoy. Thanks parents!

 

Visit at the International School of Manosque

 

On the 13th April, Valerie Le Den visited the International School in Manosque for their International fund raising fete.  This was an exceptional event which was interesting and fun, many students and families participated and made this day a huge success.  We would like to wish them good luck and look forward to being able to exchange interest in the future.

 

Miscellaneous

 

So far this year, 99 candidates have enrolled or taken the GCSE  exams and 96 candidates have enrolled or taken the Cambridge  Certificate exams.

 

The new season has begun at the Lycee Cricket Club which meets on Thursdays. Anyone interested should contact David Lewis.

 

Important issues

 

Dear Members

During the past few weeks it has been brought to our attention by certain parents in the Collège and the Lycée, that there are some serious concerns about issues such as violence in the playground and the sage of drugs.

We wish to inform you here of the measures that have been taken on your behalf:
 
Members of our Bureau have met with the Head of each school and the CPEs to discuss these issues, and though the problems are not exactly the same, it seems that the staff’s reactions were similar in both cases:
 
- The schools’ administration staff do not deny the existence of certain problems, but would like to put them into perspective. These cases tend to be isolated, and the pupils involved are closely monitored by the staff.
 
- A number of preventative measures are regularly taken in the CESC (Comité à l’Education , la Santé et la Citoyenneté ), to deal with these issues and to offer information to the students (meetings with doctors specialised in those fields,talks on dangerous behaviours, on respect for others,etc….).
 
- The advice of the Heads of Mignet and Duby are twofold:

 

1) Always check the facts you want to report, before you do so. On a number of occasions, stories have been reported that have proven not to be true, after examination. Hasty spreading of rumours only have a negative effect on the reputation of the school, and rumours tend to snowbal.

2)  Do not hesitate to report to the school any incident you or your child has witnessed AS SOON AS it happens. If you wait, it becomes more difficult to catch the people involved, and deal with the incident. Parents should NOT be frightened of retaliation on their children, these problems are dealt with anonymously and discretely.

The heads, deputy-heads, and the CPEs of both Mignet and Duby are always available, and urge the parents to contact them or us in these cases. As a Parents’ Association, we are actively collaborating with both administrations ( Collège & Lycée), in order to find the best solutions to these difficult problems.
 

This collaboration is the only way to eradicate these issues and enable our children to work in a more studious and peaceful environment.
 
The Bureau of APELEVIA.

 

 

Réunions hebdomadaires sanctions Mignet/ Weekly meetings re. sanctions at Mignet :
Report from Claude SYMONDS

Ces réunions rassemblent M.Laurent, Mme Briot, Mme Lannessans,& Mme Bachman, toutes les semaines, et ont pour but de passer en revue les rapports et observations donnés aux élèves par les professeurs, surveillants, etc.. durant la semaine, et de fixer les sanctions appropriées.
A des fins de transparence,M.Laurent a décidé d’en ouvrir la porte aux parents d’élèves et aux professeurs, introduisant ainsi un regard extérieur et neutre.
Ce matin, étaient présents Mme Midoun( FCPE), Mme Symonds( PEEP) et Mr Battut, professeur de mathématiques.
Le cas de chaque élève est examiné, et les sanctions décidées (elles sont toujours adaptées au cas de l’élève,suivant son passif, le contexte,…) puis ensuite notifiées aux élèves et aux parents.
Un registre anonymé de ces sanctions est tenu à la vie scolaire et consultable sur rendez-vous.

Exemples de sanctions :

-Entretien avec les CPE ou le principal-adjoint: attitude incorrecte/insolente avec un adulte/enfant.
-Avertissement + 2H. de retenue: sortie du Collège non autorisée.
-Heures de retenue : devoirs non faits.
-1 à 5 jours d’exclusion: coups et insultes.
-Commission de vie scolaire: délits plus graves ou répétés.
-Conseil de discipline: dernier recours, avec possibilité d’exclusion.

M.Laurent ainsi que les CPE invitent les parents d’élèves délégués que cela intéresse (un par fédération) à venir assister à ces réunions qui se tiennent, en général le jeudi, de 10h à 12h.
Ils leur conseillent toutefois de renseigner auparavant par mail auprès de Mme Briot, car le jour ou l’horaire peuvent changer, suivant les disponibilités de chacun.
Les parents interessés doivent contacter les responsables de fédération, A-M. Gumilar (PEEP) et F. Midoun (FCPE).
.

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST …

 

Les annonces ou articles qui vont suivre auraient du être postés sur notre site internet. Parce que celui-ci est en travaux, vous voudrez bien trouver ci-après ces informations.

 

Hello, 

  

I am Laure Hasan, a former student of the lycée Georges Duby, of the

English international section. 

I am currently a 3rd year student at EPF (formerly called “Ecole

Polytechnique Féminine”, mixed school since 1994), a school aiming at

training generalist engineers in five years in Paris. I am looking for

a sixteen-week work experience scheme as a trainee-engineer, in the

branch of energies, especially renewable, in Great Britain, Denmark or

Sweden. 

This internship should start on September, 1st, 2009. 

Due to the economic crisis, companies are not in a position to offer internships, and I therefore ask you if you know any companies I could send my application to, or introduce me to. 

 I thank you in anticipation for your help, 

  

 Yours faithfully,

 laure.hasan@gmail.com

 

 

For your diaries.

Events for the end of the school year will be announced shortly.

Hello again and a Happy New Year to you and yours,

Here is our latest newsletter…

 

 

DECEMBER 2008- JAN 2009

 

Monthly APELEVIA committee meetings on 15th December and 12th January.

 

 

COLLEGE NEWS

 

• Work in progress : The algécos will be available to replace the science block which is due to be demolished this summer. All necessary materials and equipment will be transferred to enable courses to take place normally.

 

• The monumental staircase remains closed for structural work. Unfortunately, this means that there will be no lockers provided for the children this year.

 

LYCEE NEWS

 

Students from Lycée Georges Duby attent Paris Model United Nations.

 

Between the 5th and 7th of December, ten students, all members of the school’s Debate Club, participated in PAMUN 2008, accompanied by Mme El Assaad and Mr Lewis. Eight hundred delegates from all over Europe were attracted to the event which was organised by the American School of Paris.

The weekend conference was a great success; much fun was had and many skills were on display. Our students enjoyed debating resolutions, making amendments, speaking for them and others, contesting others and putting forward points of information.

Lycée Georges Duby was represented on the following committees: Economic and Social (Tim Pasqualini and David Collignon); Disarmament (Ossian Corish, Sara El Assaad and Laura Verbeke); Political (Youkang Jun and Tallulah Klene) and Environment (Elise Blanchard and Anciane Vitoux). Simon Nizard represented us on the Security Council.

Many thanks to all the hard work put in, in advance of the trip, by Mme Griggs, Mme El Assaad and by Mme Blake of Apelevia. Thanks also are due to the students who took full advantage of the opportunity to engage in such a special occasion and high quality forum.                                         

 David Lewis

 

Also last month…

 

• The ceremony organised to distribute certificates to last year’s successful GCSE and Cambridge exam candidates was a great success. Representatives from CMA CGM and Eurocopter presented the awards, with teachers and Apelevia bureau members present. A piano recital by two students accompanied the ceremony which took place on 12th December.

 

 

Next year’s ceremony is planned for 11th December 2009.

 

• The Conseil D’Administration Extraordinaire had to intervene due to the exceptional circumstances of the blockade on the lycee.

 

• The lycée will welcome the ‘Youth European Parliament” on 26th and  27th January. 180 participants are expected, dialogue will be in French.

 

• Placements for Seconde: The Conseil d’Administration has approved our proposal with Peep to help students find a  work placement. Parents will be contacted shortly with regards to this to see if they can help in anyway through contacts they may have. The date of this obligatory placement is from 16th June to 3rd July. Placements abroad are possible after checks have been made and authorisation given.

 

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

 

We would like to invite you to our annual Galette des Rois event which will be held at the Lycee (Salle du Foyer) this year on Friday 30th January from 5.30pm – 7.30pm. All members from Mignet and Georges Duby are welcome. It is perhaps an opportunity for Mignet parents to see the Lycee.

 

Good health and happiness for the year ahead