Sunday, September 28, 2008

Thursday, September 25, 2008

D.I.S. Dad’s ROCK!

D.I.S. Dads,

I would like to welcome all the new dad’s as well as say welcome back to all!

We had a very good time and turn out at our first gathering at Chic. Please watch
the calendar because, our monthly gatherings will rotate each month from
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday’s. Our goal this year, as the D.I.S. Dad’s club,
will be to have fun and to help enhance and make all school functions and
fundraisers better for our kids and families. We will also put on the Father
Daughter Dance on February 8th and our first golf tournament on November 11th at The Golf Club At McKinney
.
The GALA Fundraising committee has asked if any dad’s have a favorite
restaurant, your own business, frequently visited business, or a family member or
friend that we could obtain a donation from. They would like to know so nobody
else will solicit them. I have donation forms, but for planning reasons, the name
or business name would be great for now.

Thanks, Bill Sheahan
Feel free to contact me for any reasons.
Bill@forwarddesigns.com

P.S. The rained‐out picnic has been rescheduled for this Saturday, 9‐27.
And remember, D.I.S. Dad’s ROCK!

What is Funtopia?



Now that our kids are in 4th to 7th grade, it can be a challenge to find activities which offer them some independence from us, but which we know are safe for them. They have a neat Friday night program geared especially to kids ages 10-13. At one time, I think the entire DIS 6th grade class took over Funtopia last year. It’s cheap and it allows for some of the parents to grab dinner together and the “tweenagers” have a lot fun.

It's called Funtopia, and it's every Friday from 7pm-11pm. The cost is $10 per child. There are plenty of responsible adults, all who work for the recreation center. Other than weekly themed activities, they ALWAYS have loud music, karaoke, ps2, wii, gym games, inflatables, and all sorts of table games.

For those of you planning to attend the Annual Fund party tomorrow, what a great way for your children to have fun at the same time you have fun! we hope some of their school mates might decide to join in the Funtopia too.

Campbell Green

16600 Park Hill (1 block west of Hillcrest at Campbell)

Dallas, 75248

214-670-6314

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Friday, September 12, 2008

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Stages of Second Language Learning



Below are nine stages of Second Language Learning. They have been grouped in to three phases that outline the initial steps to learning a new language for any individual, young or old.
These stages provide an example of how students acquire a new language, however, it is important to keep in mind that different children may enter school at different stages, and that all children may not pass through all stages at the same rate or even in the same sequence. Regardless of how your student progresses through these stages, your continued support and encouragement will help him or her with the very difficult task of learning a new language... more

Raising Bilingual Children: The First Five Steps to Success

Raising Bilingual Children: The First Five Steps to Success
by Christina Bosemark, founder of the Multilingual Children's Association

When I was growing up, the only way to raise a truly international child was via an exorbitantly priced Swiss boarding school. Luckily, such elitism has been thrown out the window, and now parents raise multilingual children themselves. The children grow up just as world-savvy and sophisticated -- and actually know their own parents! Still for the do-it-yourselfer, a few tips can smooth the way.
The most common question people ask me is "How do I raise a bilingual child the best way?" "Easy, just talk to them!" is my tongue-in-cheek response. It seems almost impossible to imagine the baby transforming into a communicating creature, let alone one conversant in several languages. Although the miraculous progress from cooing to speech occurs in exactly the same fashion whether it transpires in one or in several languages, the practicalities are different. Here are the first steps to raising your very own polyglot tot... more

Qualifications required for teachers in France versus the United States and their Impact.



The French state is responsible for the training and certification of French elementary and secondary school teachers. Each academie, responsible for a particular geographic area and supported by the universities in that area, runs an Instituts Universitaires de Formation des Maîtres (IUFM). IUFMs provide two years of post-graduate teacher training for nursery and primary school teachers in France. The curriculum of each IUFM is carefully regulated by the state to conform to specific standards. The curriculum for each IUFM includes training in French, mathematics, a foreign language, and physical education during the two year; the skills each teacher trainee is expected to master are specifically listed in a national standard skills reference book. Additionally, approximately one-third the training is devoted to actual work experience including in school placements…more

Guess what we all are watching this weekend?


22nd Annual GrapeFest on Sept.11, 12, 13 and 14





Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Wipe Out Kids’ Cancer Fun Run & 5K will be on Saturday, September 20th in Addison



Dear Friends,
Just wanted to remind you that this year’s Wipe Out Kids’ Cancer Fun Run & 5K will be on Saturday, September 20th in Addison. I hope you’ll consider joining Team DIS again, and supporting this great cause.

If you want to register for the DIS team (we already have 29 people participating!), please follow these easy on-line instructions, and I will pick up your packets for you and have them on Saturday morning. We will plan on having a reserved table at the Food Tent for the post-race festivities (including a concert by Eddie Coker, who the kids love), if you can make it. Everything will be finished by about 10:30 or so.

If your children run or walk in the race, they will get a free pass good for all day Saturday to the Oktoberfest.

Let me know if you have any questions or comments.

With warmest regards,
Beth

WOKC FUN RUN Registration Instructions:

· Copy & paste this link into your browser: https://www.active.com/register/index.cfm?event_id=1599084&skipLogin=true

· Click on the third button “Team Member Registration” and then click “Continue”

· On the next page, select the button for either the Fun Run (1 mile) or 5K and complete the checked boxes (including the request for initials) and hit “Continue”

· On the next page, on the “Select a Team” drop down menu, select “Dallas International School” and complete the rest of the information about the participant
· Our password is tigres

· NOTE: For the 2nd to last question, “Where do you wish to pick up your run packet?”, please select “Run On Richardson” so that I can pick up your packet for you

· On the next page you will be asked for payment info

· Once you complete payment, you will receive an email with your confirmation #.

· When you have the confirmation, please send me an email with your T-Shirt sizes.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Dallas Accueil Calendrier Septembre 2008

Calendrier Septembre 2008

A propos de Dallas Accueil

Dallas Accueil est une association apolitique, non confessionnelle, à but non lucratif, s’adressant à toute personne francophone ou parlant la langue française. Dallas Accueil est affiliée à la Fédération Internationale des Accueils Français et Francophones à l’Etranger (FIAFE), qui gère un réseau mondial de plus de 126 accueils.

Sa vocation est d'accueillir et d'aider les personnes de langue française qui s'installent à Dallas et ses environs, à s'intégrer à la vie américaine et à les accompagner tout au long de leur séjour à Dallas.

Fondée en 1985 et gérée exclusivement par des bénévoles, notre association dispense dans un cadre informel des informations pratiques et propose des activités aux familles expatriées ou locales, francophones et francophiles.

Dallas Accueil multiplie les moments de rencontre, d'échanges et de découverte en proposant notamment :

- un café mensuel pour faire connaissance, se retrouver et échanger les derniers tuyaux,
- des activités culturelles, touristiques, manuelles, sportives, culinaires et ludiques,
- un club " mamans-jeunes enfants ",
- un journal mensuel qui foisonne d'informations pratiques (petites annonces, calendrier des évènements…).

NOUS DÉCLINONS TOUTE RESPONSABILITÉ EN CAS D’ACCIDENT OU D’INCIDENT SURVENANT LORS DE L’UNE DE NOS ACTIVITÉS.

Nous espérons vous avoir donné un petit aperçu de la vie dynamique de notre association, alors bon surf et à bientôt !

Plano Ballon Festival - September 19, 20, 21, 2008



Benefits of Language Immersion

video

School district offers Spanish immersion up to 7th grade

By JEFF BRADY / WFAA-TV

".....He says most American school districts graduate students who are woefully ill-prepared for the world they will face and foreign language skills are a prime example.
"After having been to China twice, I think we have maybe five years to turn things around and get serious," he said. "