Post (?) Pandemic Info on Francophone Charter School
Maybe it's too soon to call it post-pandemic, but I assume the kids are back in person. I was hoping to hear from Francophone parents as to how the current school year has been. The latest BPN info was regarding distance learning at the school. Is the school meeting your expectations now that in-person learning has resumed? If it changes your answer at all, the prospective student I'm asking on behalf of is a second grader who has a solid foundation in French already. Mostly just want to hear the experience of current parents. Brutal honesty appreciated. Thank you for your time!
Jan 12, 2022
Parent Replies
Brutal honesty is that the pandemic has been really hard on most schools, Francophone included. But as a parent of 2 kids in the lower school (St. Jarlath's campus) I think Francophone has done a pretty good job overall. They have really excelled at keeping the kids safe during Covid, with weekly testing, clear protocols, providing home tests, etc. They are extremely lean on staffing and that creates a lot of challenges though with things like aftercare availability. For us the 2 big reasons we remain committed to the school are excellent teachers (maybe we've just been lucky but quality of teaching has been extremely high for us) and the diverse, international community which even during Covid has remained very engaged.
We have two kids in Francophone (upper school, Toler Heights), and we have been impressed. We joined Francophone pre-pandemic, and have always been relatively happy with the school. And, we have felt it has gotten stronger recently (the current exec director is very good). This year they have been dedicated to in-person instruction, rightly recognizing how crucial it is for the language immersion model, but have also been dedicated to making it a safe environment. I agree with the previous responder that there are good protocols in place. The weekly COVID testing brings great peace of mind. I also agree that the staffing is lean so there can be bumps, but from what we can tell, the staff and teachers are joyously committed to kids and the school. Our kids had spots at a strong neighborhood school and we took a leap of faith a few years back putting them in Francophone, but we have been impressed ever since. No regrets at all, we feel grateful that our kids have the opportunity to attend this school.