A New French School for Denver
French American School of Denver is working to become Denver’s first public French immersion school.
“I am excited about the possibility of extending an affordable, high-quality, bilingual French education to families in Denver for elementary and middle school.
Martin Lafitte, Executive Director, Alliance Française de Denver
We are looking forward to collaborating with FASD in the recruitment of students, teachers, establishing partnerships with the francophone community, and participating in cultural and educational events.”
“We are confident that FASDenver would be an appropriate candidate to receive future grants and Embassy support.”
Consulate General of France Los Angeles
“FASDenver has designed its mission and program to serve a diverse community of students and foster global citizenship.”
French American Chamber of Commerce-Rocky Mountain
Vision
The French American School of Denver (“FASDenver”) will be a premier bilingual educational institution that prepares students for global citizenship and supports a community of lifelong learners that will succeed in high schools and universities both locally and internationally.
Mission
FASDenver provides a diverse community of learners a French language immersion curriculum that meets the highest standards of both France and the United States. We encourage and inspire critical thinking, creativity and empathy to develop open-minded, bilingual and bi-literate learners who thrive within and beyond our walls.
Core Values
In the fall of 2018, a group of motivated parents launched the idea of creating Denver’s first public French language immersion school. We were united by the desire to inspire and encourage each student to excel and seek academic and personal challenge, to discover interests and fulfill talents, to embrace diversity and build community, to uphold integrity and contribute to making a difference. To achieve our mission, we delineated the following as the core values of the French American School of Denver:
● Offer its learners a rigorous curriculum in French and English, preparing them for top performing high schools and universities.
● Provide a well-rounded, global education that incorporates multiculturalism, arts and technology.
● Recruit and maintain a diverse population of students and staff through community outreach and civic engagement.
● Encourage collaboration between students, staff and administration in order to involve students in the decision making process and develop leadership, communication and conflict management skills.
● Ensure educational equity by providing additional support to all students in need so that all students can achieve academic success.
FAS Denver Needs Your Support!
In order to take the next step in becoming Denver’s first public French immersion school, FAS Denver needs to demonstrate enrollment interest from Denver-area families.
Join our list of interested families by completing the following online Letter of Intent to Enroll form.
NOTE: This Letter of Intent will be used to demonstrate to Denver Public Schools that there is adequate support for this proposed charter school. Signing this Letter of Intent does not obligate the student to attend the French American School of Denver nor does it guarantee admission. All parents and students will be required to attend a pre-enrollment meeting prior to the school’s opening.
Why Immersion?
Bilingual learners score better on standardized tests, are more advanced readers and are more likely to graduate.
Why French?
In the United States, French is the number four native language and the second most taught second language after Spanish. French is second only to English for the number of countries where it has official status – 32 as opposed to 45. And, with 56 members, La Francophonie is now larger than the British Commonwealth, which has 53.
French is also the only language, with English, that is taught in every country of the world, with 100 million students and 2 million teachers – 20 % of whom are outside of francophone countries. The number of French speakers has TRIPLED since 1945 largely since most former French and Belgian colonies kept French as their language of government, education and science after decolonization.
Between 6 and 11 million Americans speak French, as does half the population of Algeria, and 15 percent of Israelis. French is still a working language of the UN, the EU, and dozens of international organizations including the International Red Cross committee, International Labor Organization, Amnesty International, and Doctors without Borders. Francophone countries form an important bloc in the UN, the EU, the African Union, and the Arab League.