JUNE 17-JULY 07, and JULY 10-30, 2008
ORCA (Organisation de Séjours Linguistiques et Culturels en Centres Américains) is a non-profit association registered in Senlis, France (30 miles north of Paris). Its members are professionals in fields involving the knowledge of American civilization and language (journalists, teachers, travel agents, etc.).
We will have 40 French students coming in Houston during the February 2008 stay (2 weeks) and 40 French students coming in Houston in June and in July 2008 (3 weeks). A number of French families will sign up for a return visit in July 2008 or 2009 for a 3-week period by American students. It will not necessary be with the same young person who came to your home. Both students will be within reach of an American and French teacher but each student will share his American or French friend’s life, environment and activities.
We need to secure accommodations for the French students who will be coming in February, June and July 2008. They will have their airfare paid, their medical and liability insurance covered, and an appropriate allowance to see them through their stay. American families will provide their French student with room and board. The host family will be able to choose their guest from the registration forms that we've already received from France.
All the French students have been selected by their English teacher and according to their ability of speaking English, their good manners and social background.
There will be about 15 ORCA centers functioning in the USA in spring and in summer 2008.
We need to know as early as possible the host families who would like to receive a French student in 2008. If you are not directly interested, maybe you could talk to friends who might be. Share the word!
If you need more information or are willing to host a French student, please do not hesitate to call me at my residence in Houston at (713) 896-7298, or e-mail me at cgboutin@yahoo.com .
Yours truly,
Claude Gérard Boutin
Coordinator
At the Awards Ceremony
The previous recipient(s) of the trip to France shall make a mandatory presentation to the audience in order to relate their experiences in France. This presentation must be done first in French and then in English.
The current recipient(s), that is to say the recipient of the current year, must attend the Awards ceremony. The new recipients will be presented to the audience and give a brief speech. Any winning student not attending the awards ceremony will be automatically disqualified from participating in the upcoming trip.
The current recipient(s), that is to say the recipient of the current year, must attend the Awards ceremony. The new recipients will be presented to the audience and give a brief speech. Any winning student not attending the awards ceremony will be automatically disqualified from participating in the upcoming trip.
Calendar Guidelines
The director of Destination France determines the date of the jury interview of candidates.
After the jury has selected the winner(s), the director of Destination France is notified. He, in turn, personally notifies the winner(s).
A certificate of participation is sent to each member of the class of Destination France. A letter is sent to the school principal of each Destination France class member, commending the student’s high level of academic achievement. That level of achievement will have already been determined by the student’s performance on the exam of Le Grand Concours.
A confirmation letter is sent to the recipient(s) so that they may confirm their intent to go to France during the summer and live with a French family for three weeks. The recipient must commit to a three-week stay in France or else forfeit the scholarship.
After the jury has selected the winner(s), the director of Destination France is notified. He, in turn, personally notifies the winner(s).
A certificate of participation is sent to each member of the class of Destination France. A letter is sent to the school principal of each Destination France class member, commending the student’s high level of academic achievement. That level of achievement will have already been determined by the student’s performance on the exam of Le Grand Concours.
A confirmation letter is sent to the recipient(s) so that they may confirm their intent to go to France during the summer and live with a French family for three weeks. The recipient must commit to a three-week stay in France or else forfeit the scholarship.
Destination France Teacher Responsibilities
The teacher will choose the content-matter of the classes (civilization and language).
The classes will be conducted only in French.
The class will be of a ninety-minute duration, on Wednesday afternoons in room 333 at Bellaire Senior High School from 4PM to 5:30PM. This is not written in stone. It is a guideline for the French teacher whose situation may not permit her to arrive exactly at 4PM. However, the class will always be of a ninety-minute duration.
The course will take place from October to March. There will be twenty classes in total.
A maximum of two absences is allowed during this time frame. Three tardies constitute one absence (an absentee sheet will be given to the members of the jury at the end of the term).
Each student must write a “journal” during the first five minutes of the class and give this journal to the teacher at the end of the five minutes. The teacher will determine the subject of the journal. This is to demonstrate the progress the student is making in expressing himself/herself.
Each student must maintain a binder and place in the binder the notes he/she has taken during each class. The binder will be collected at the end of the course so that the members of the jury can examine them before interviewing the candidates who are competing for the trip to France.
During the last three classes of the course, the teacher will announce to the students the date and the time of the interview with the members of the jury. The teacher will also instruct the students to prepare a one-page letter explaining in French why he/she wants to go to France. This letter should be given to the teacher in triplicate. The teacher of Destination France will give these letters to the members of the jury before the interview.
The teacher must send to one of the judges a brief report evaluating each candidate. He/she should also give the judges a syllabus of what was covered during the course.
***Please note: twenty classes of ninety minutes duration cannot in any logical way be construed as equivalent of two semesters of academic work. It would be illogical for any student; teacher or counselor to feel that twenty lessons can cover the content area of an academic year of French.
The classes will be conducted only in French.
The class will be of a ninety-minute duration, on Wednesday afternoons in room 333 at Bellaire Senior High School from 4PM to 5:30PM. This is not written in stone. It is a guideline for the French teacher whose situation may not permit her to arrive exactly at 4PM. However, the class will always be of a ninety-minute duration.
The course will take place from October to March. There will be twenty classes in total.
A maximum of two absences is allowed during this time frame. Three tardies constitute one absence (an absentee sheet will be given to the members of the jury at the end of the term).
Each student must write a “journal” during the first five minutes of the class and give this journal to the teacher at the end of the five minutes. The teacher will determine the subject of the journal. This is to demonstrate the progress the student is making in expressing himself/herself.
Each student must maintain a binder and place in the binder the notes he/she has taken during each class. The binder will be collected at the end of the course so that the members of the jury can examine them before interviewing the candidates who are competing for the trip to France.
During the last three classes of the course, the teacher will announce to the students the date and the time of the interview with the members of the jury. The teacher will also instruct the students to prepare a one-page letter explaining in French why he/she wants to go to France. This letter should be given to the teacher in triplicate. The teacher of Destination France will give these letters to the members of the jury before the interview.
The teacher must send to one of the judges a brief report evaluating each candidate. He/she should also give the judges a syllabus of what was covered during the course.
***Please note: twenty classes of ninety minutes duration cannot in any logical way be construed as equivalent of two semesters of academic work. It would be illogical for any student; teacher or counselor to feel that twenty lessons can cover the content area of an academic year of French.
General Guidelines
Students participating in the Destination France class must have at least two years of high school French.
Sophomores and juniors are eligible to be in the Destination France class. Seniors are invited if they will agree to return to their high schools or to the Houston Chapter of AATF in the following fall semester to motivate the underclassmen or the teachers of underclassmen in the further study of the French language.
Before invitations are sent out to eligible students, the director of Le Grand Concours will verify how many juniors can be invited. Juniors will be given priority in the selection process. If additional space in the class allows, sophomores will also be invited. In some years, as many as nineteen students have been eligible to participate in Destination France. Some consideration must be taken into account concerning physical accommodation. For this reason, a priority must be set up. The director of the Grand Concours and of Destination France will work together to satisfy everyone concerned.
After identifying students who can participate in the Destination France class, the director of Le Grand Concours will send them an invitation accompanied by a questionnaire. The invitations will be sent in May to the eligible students so that they may make plans to participate in Destination France in the fall semester. The director of Le Grand Concours will determine the manner in which to notify the eligible students.
The director of Destination France will determine where the Destination France class will be held and who will be the teacher of this class. The teaching position will be filled just before the classes start. The director will also decide the starting and ending of the Destination France class.
Sophomores and juniors are eligible to be in the Destination France class. Seniors are invited if they will agree to return to their high schools or to the Houston Chapter of AATF in the following fall semester to motivate the underclassmen or the teachers of underclassmen in the further study of the French language.
Before invitations are sent out to eligible students, the director of Le Grand Concours will verify how many juniors can be invited. Juniors will be given priority in the selection process. If additional space in the class allows, sophomores will also be invited. In some years, as many as nineteen students have been eligible to participate in Destination France. Some consideration must be taken into account concerning physical accommodation. For this reason, a priority must be set up. The director of the Grand Concours and of Destination France will work together to satisfy everyone concerned.
After identifying students who can participate in the Destination France class, the director of Le Grand Concours will send them an invitation accompanied by a questionnaire. The invitations will be sent in May to the eligible students so that they may make plans to participate in Destination France in the fall semester. The director of Le Grand Concours will determine the manner in which to notify the eligible students.
The director of Destination France will determine where the Destination France class will be held and who will be the teacher of this class. The teaching position will be filled just before the classes start. The director will also decide the starting and ending of the Destination France class.
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