Weekly School Updates

Dear Waterview Community:

We hope you all had a good break last week, and enjoyed the change of pace. We’re full speed ahead again here on the Waterview Campus, so here’s what’s been going on, and also what’s coming up. 

Black History Month

As I mentioned last week, February is Black History Month, so we had two special guests come and speak to our students in two important assemblies on February 20 and 22. Dr. Dorothy Bland addressed our High School students on Monday, and Mr. Neil Foote spoke with our Middle School students on Wednesday. Both of these speakers reminded us that Black History is American History and we celebrated many famous Black American figures who impacted our country in so many different domains. They shared their inspiring personal stories as well, which helped our students better understand the struggles and victories of Black Americans. 

DELF Ceremony - February 22

Congratulations to all of our students in 5th grade and the immersion class who passed the DELF exam and were awarded their diplomas on Wednesday. For those of you who are not familiar with the DELF, or Diplôme d’études en langue française, it is an official qualification awarded by the French Ministry of Education to certify the linguistic competency of candidates from outside of France in the French language. 

The DELF includes four independent certificates corresponding to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Listening comprehension, written production, and written comprehension are the areas assessed in the examination. This prestigious certificate is valid for life and recognized worldwide. We celebrated the French language with poetry and literature read by our students, including “À Aurore” by George Sand (Aristide Flaquière) and extracts from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's Le Petit Prince (Gabriel Blackman, Aydin Mirzadeh, Madeleine Leonard, Sebastien Guillant, Talia Lumbroso and Navir Acharya).

We also enjoyed beautiful piano pieces played by two accomplished musicians: Sophia and Katherine Smith. It was a beautiful ceremony and we are grateful to all who attended and to the team who made it all possible. Thank you!

100 Days of School - February 24

The French immersion classes from Churchill came to spend the day on Waterview on Friday. They thoroughly enjoyed the program for the day, which included drama, games, challenges involving the French language and all kinds of fun for the younger students. This was led by the Waterview French Immersion Class and Mme Damour, and by Mme Jouve and M. Bachelez from Churchill, and Mme Baudry, the Immersion Program Coordinator. I probably shouldn’t share this, but yes, they had pizza for lunch!

“Get your Glow On” Spring Fling Boum - February 24

The PTO and our student affairs team have been working hard behind the scenes to put on a fun night for our Middle School students in the MPR on Friday evening from 7-9 p.m. We will have music, games, dance challenges and much more - all with glow sticks and lamps. As always, food and beverages will be provided. So we hope your Middle School children will get their glow on and have some fun together with their classmates. 

Coming up - Medieval Fair - March 9, 2023

You are invited to attend the Medieval Fair on March 9 from 1:30-4:30 p.m. in the MPR. Our students, under the guidance of Mme Masson and Mme Charles, will be taking us back in time to learn about everyday life in the Middle Ages. Come and learn about topics as varied as music, fashion, art and literature, and share in games and quizzes to learn more about the medieval era, as well as crafts and food tasting. Students are encouraged to dress up for the occasion!

As you can see, the week has been rich and full, and we’re looking forward to many exciting things coming up soon. In March, our 9th graders are heading to France. In April, the 8th graders head to Washington, DC. In May, there are trips to Quebec and NASA. In June, our 6th graders head to Fossil Rim. 

Your children have some wonderful opportunities along their journey here at DIS, and we are so enjoying sharing these beautiful experiences with them. Enjoy your weekend!

Warm regards,

Patty