FANS 2018 AGM Minutes 7pm - 6th June 2018, Belrose ...€¦ · 2018 AGM FANS 06/06/2018 FANS 2018 AGM Minutes 7pm - 6th June 2018, Belrose Community and Children's Center (Belrose,

2018 AGM FANS 06/06/2018

FANS 2018 AGM Minutes 7pm - 6th June 2018, Belrose Community and Children's Center (Belrose, 2085) In attendance: Cecile Bufante, Tim AITKEN, Nader ALBERT-MAKSOUD, Coralie Andrade, Cristiane Wood, Corinne ANDREW, Lee-Anne Bacina, Sandra BACCHI, Frederic BAUDIN, Frederic BECHTOLD (DE BORDE), John BENSON (Thomas), Audrey BENZAGLOU, Janet BERBERIAN, Francois BERTOLIATTI, Nicolas BINSE (Yu), Carmen BLANCO (SAIZ DE QUEVEDO), Sylvie BOULTER, Frederic BRUCHET, Justin BUCHTA (LAISNEY), Virginie Cargnino Rubio, Raphaelle Broglin, Petru CLOETE, Lisa CREFFIELD (McInerney), Monica DAURELE, Claire and Caspar DE CARTERET, Olivier DEBARGE, Claudia DEDUN, Véronique Morgan-Smith, Xaviere DESMET, Hugues DEVAUX, Annick Drabbe, Andre Drabbe, Edith DUPONT, Jeremy DUPUIT (Laurent), Bruce EDMISTON, Jean-Sebastien FONTANA (Wilson), Jennifer Tinsey, Mark Frear, Philippe Gandillet, Christine GANDON, Geoffrey Gautier, Vanessa GIRAL, Alexis GIRAL, Stephane Grange, Sarah HALL, Soraya HAMAMI, Christine Hancock, Hervé Soulard, Christine Charron-Doucet, Vanessa Hilliard, Priya MOHANDAS (HISLOP), Regine HOARAU, Laurence HORROCKS, Sasha HULJICH (YOUNG), Sandra HYLTON, Janos Jersch, Catherine KLEIN-CAMACHO (Alba), Yarek KOWALIK, Joice Kuroiwa Trzimielina, Franck LABERTHONNIERE, Sonia LAMARQUE, Corinne Pixton, Patricia Lopez, Dominic MALSOM, Adeline Dias, Benedicte Marie, Michel MARIER, Stefan Martin, Oksana MARTYNENKO, Sylvie McKay, Nicholas MEAD, Sandra Michaelis, Francis MICHEL, Cecile MICHELS, Terrence MOLONEY, Vincent Mortier (Pickett), Mathieu NUNEZ, Geraldine OLIVER, Bruno PETIN, Caroline PHIPPS, Sebastien PLASSARD, Guillaume POULET, Carine Prate, Lionel PUYHARDY, Emilie Waiss, Marc SANCHEZ, Patricia SCHMIDT (Peters), Maria SERRANO (PIZZINGA), Geoff SHRIMSKI, Pauline SILVESTRE (Dupuy), Tiphaine SIMEON, Caroline SMITH, Karine Smyth, Nathalie SPANOS, Aurelie Favennec, Janetta SYMONDS, Yvan Taillandier, Patricia TAYLOR, Tania TITOV (Kaufmehl), Thierry TRY, Jodie TURNER (Robb), François VANTOMME, Peggy VOSLOO, Carole Waight, Catherine WALL, Neil WATSON, Michel WEBER, Chris WILLEY, Nicolas WILMART, Lara and Karl WILSON. Apologies - 7:00pm-7:13pm: Attendees registration 7:13-7:17pm: Welcome from the FANS President and presentation of the agenda President Philippe Gandillet reminds the objects of the FANS association:

1- Promote the French language and francophone culture amongst families residing in the North Shore of Sydney. 2- Organise and fund the French bilingual program at Killarney Heights Public School in partnership with the School Principal and the Department of Education of NSW. 3- Encourage children and families to learn other languages and cultures as well as respect for one another.

President Philippe Gandillet then presents the agenda of today’s AGM and informs the attendees that no election will take place for the new Committee, as Candidates Alexandre Mac Innes, Yann Tristan and Cedric Le Bescont informed the Secretary at 3.40pm today that they were withdrawing their candidacy. A letter from them will be read later. 7:17pm-7:19pm: Approval of the minutes of the Annual General Meeting of 7th June 2017 Feedback on 2017 AGM minutes had been received from a FANS member: From Questions 3 on page1 “KHPS_FANS intensive French program will be included with the minutes”, this document was not included in the 2017 minutes. This omission is corrected in this current minute. Read the “KHPS_FANS Intensive French Program” document. Approved by Raphaelle Broglin, Christine Charron-Doucet and Carole Waight

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7:19pm-7:31pm Presentation of 2017 accounts as of 31st December 2017 (presented by Karine Smyth) Overview: TARGET $1.3million of Income.... ...to cover $1.3m of expenses

Parents Fees (86%) Staff costs (88%) Fundraising (5%) & Interest (3%) Operational costs (6%) Senior classes & social activities (~6%) Senior classes & social activities (~6%)

- Our Not-for-profit organisation targets Breakeven each year on $1.3m of expenses - The vast majority of our income is parent’s fees to pay for the additional 12 teachers - A HUGE thanks to all those who help us on fundraising that covers operational costs of the programme. PLEASE

continue to invest in our community and help cover our programme costs! - French classes for teenagers and adults run at a small profit to help cover admin costs - Social activities are run at breakeven

Improved budget measures and one offs led to a $110k profit in 2017: Planned improvements:

- $10k Senior classes run more efficiently - $6k increased fundraising - $4k savings from smarter training (local instead of abroad) - $3k better cash management (higher returns despite drop in interest rates) - higher wins expected in 2018

One-offs - $7k generous sponsoring donation - $28k fewer (zero) legal fees - $20k from fewer casual teachers - $20k more fee income due to higher number of anglophones

This leaves us with a comfortable balance sheet - plans for 2018:

- Our assets now exceed liabilities by $780k - As a Not-for-profit we are to be prudent in our management and cater for business continuity risks. We need to retain

at least $500,000 to cover our costs in the event the school closes the programme (e.g. staff’s notices). Those $ are invested wisely and safely.

- We are considering a range of small to medium sized projects to invest over the next couple of years to strengthen the programme (e.g. expenses involved in secondary school project, upgraded FANS website and back-office software)

- our financial situation, as well as the need to maintain salary levels for our teachers, are the 2 main factors we consider when determining the program fees

The Treasurer, Karine Smyth specified that the audited accounts offer more details and are available for all members on FANS website 7:31pm Presentation of Association’s 2017 activities and projects for 2018 7:31pm-7:45pm Governance and review of the procedures (presented by Frederic Baudin) 2017/2018 - The circumstances created a good opportunity to have a fresh perspective at how the Association is run:

- Transition year with a new FANS Executive Officer - New expertise brought into the Committee in governance / accounting

The Committee looked to increase its oversight of the processes, and ensure they are documented to facilitate transition to new Committee members / employees. Work was focused on Financial processes and the AGM.

- Financial processes o Mapping of key processes and controls in place (expense approval, payroll, invoicing, cash management,

budgeting and reporting) o Documentation of existing processes (payroll, fees invoicing and collection) o Implementation of regular internal reporting (YTD results by core activity) and cash flows forecasts o Strengthening other internal controls (e.g. in payroll supervision)

- AGM o Documentation of AGM process (all the things to do before, during and after the AGM) o Review of procedures around voting and candidate election (Candidate statement required for more

transparency to the members) following the feedback from last year's AGM

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Frederic Baudin then introduced the ongoing project on Governance of the Association, presenting the 3 key pillars in the

governance of any organisation (depicted through a picture of a pyramid):

1. The organisation internal policies and procedures (base level, e.g. the financial processes mentioned earlier); 2. The Board's charter (Level 2, representing the guidelines and principles guiding the Committee in its role as oversight);

and 3. The legal or statutory level (Level 3, which are the laws applicable to the Association and our Constitution)

The project started with a presentation to the Board on Governance in October 2017 and the creation of a Sub-committee in January 2018. Work is being done on all 3 levels, as follows:

- Base level: refer to work mentioned above on Financial processes and AGM processes. - Review of the FANS Constitution (level 3)

o Our Constitution was compared with the Model Constitution by NSW Fair Trading. No major issues were noted. o However key changes are being considered:

▪ simplification of the objects of the Association; ▪ widening of FANS membership to our whole community (to be done in consultation with key

stakeholder such as the P&C) ▪ Guidelines for Committee members to ensure appropriate level of experience/expertise and facilitate

a good balance between stability and renewal of the Committee. - Code of Governance (level 2): in the pipeline

o major project for 2018-2020 o Based on Good governance principles and guidance published by the Australian Institute of Company directors

for Not for profit organisations o All changes made since March 2018 have considered these good governance principles (e.g. review of AGM

procedure) 7:45pm-8:09pm: Bilingual Program at KHPS (Presented by Christine Gandon) REMINDER – THE FRAMEWORK

• Roles and Responsibilities • FANS is in charge of the administrative, operational and financial management of the program • KHPS is in charge of all pedagogic matters • We teach the NSW curriculum in French under the Control of the NSW Department of Education Control • We are not Controlled BY AEFE (French Schools abroad)

• Funding and Financial matters • FANS is a non for profit Association • There is no funding from either the French Gvt, nor the Australian Gvt. • The program is 100% self funded • 90% of costs are staff costs • FANS must maintain reserves for bond refunds and employees notice periods

• Teachers of French • They all have a teaching degree from a francophone country • Average years of teaching: 11 years • They are all native French speakers

• 2018: 620 students enrolled in the program out of 697 students

26 classes out of a total of 28 classes 39% francophones 61% anglophones (12% in intensive French, 50% in traditional track)

• 2017 vs. 2018

240 native speakers 239 native speakers 370 non-native speakers 388 non-native speakers

MAIN EVENTS 2017 (June 2017- May 2018)

• Signature of the Memorandum of Understanding with KHPS: MOU between KHPS – French Embassy & FANS signed in Nov 2017. Formalises commitment for a long term partnership

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• Departure of KHPS Principal and FANS Executive Officer: Resignation of FANS EO and Departure in June 2017. Retirement of KHPS Principal in April 2018

• Appointment of 2 new Executive Teachers in 2018: Following Maternity leave of Mrs Angaru & Chirez, appointment of Mrs Simeon & M Gautier as acting French Executive Teachers

• Renewal of Label Franc’Education: File backed by French Embassy sent in March 2018 • Introduction of Immersion Classes (CLIL) in Y2 and Y5 classes: Pilot classes in Y2 in 2017, and T2 2018. 2 classes for

Anglophones in Y4 & Y5 in 2018 • Training of Teachers Team for both AIM and CLIL approaches: AIM workshop for all teachers in March 2018. CLIL

Workshop planned for Sept 2018 • Interns to support French Reading Groups: 2 interns from France to support French teachers in semester 1, 2018 • Launch of Intensive French classes for Anglophones in T2, 2018: 80 anglophone students from Y1 to Y6 enrolled in

Intensive French classes before school starting Term 2, 2018 HUMAN RESSOURCES 2017

• A high turnover in 2017: 9 resignations / 15 FANS employees. All departure were in ‘good terms’ • June 17 S Duffy Executive Officer Personal Reasons • October 17 K Allouet Admin Assistant Move to Victoria • June 17 N Charbonneau Teacher Move to Canada • Nov 17 A Thibault Teacher Move to France • Nov 17 A Guibert Teacher Personal reasons • Dec 17 H Schmit Teacher Private School • Dec 17 S Angaru Exec Teacher Maternity Leave • Dec 17 N Berger Teacher Private School • May 18 G Chirez Teacher Maternity leave

OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT 2017 • Reorganisation of Back Office Team: Back up plans between the 2 assistants. New tracking tools to facilitate follow up of

enrolments and fees • Promotion of the program: Creation of promotional material and review of all support material • Introduction of new Budget Management tools: Creation of Cash Flow tracking tool. Development of Key Performance

indicators to track revenue/expenses vs Budget and previous years 7:58: 7:59: Mr Gautier, Francophone Teacher explains how the CLIL program is working in his classes. CLIL is teaching a subject in a non-dominant language with visual help and participative. 7:59: 8:01: Mme Hamami explains the AIM method used to learn another language which is used in many international schools. Mme Hamami has seen a huge improvement after running it for 2 years. French is known to be a difficult language, with this visual method kids memorise quicker and no grammar is involved. Role plays are run. A lot of repetition. The anglophone are now starting to use this method too. All new French teachers are now trained with AIM. 8:09pm-8:20pm: Bilingual High School Project (presented by Janos Jersch) SURVEY (conducted in Sept 2018)

- 93.5% in favour of continued bilingual education, with a majority wishing for a public high school in the North Shore - Healthy class projections of a minimum of 30 students per class year.

CREATION OF A TASK FORCE - Composed by 6 Anglophone and Francophone parents, with various skills: communication and research specialists, legal

and finance experts, project management, all serious advocates for bilingualism. - Objective: Fact-finding mission for an immersion bilingual program in a public high school

ACADEMIC SUPPORT - Dialogue with academic experts on bilingualism, language education and pedagogy - A funding application for the DET for a feasibility study conducted by UTS / University of Sydney being reviewed.

VISIT OF GLEN EIRA COLLEGE TO STUDY ITS MODEL - Government school in Caulfield East, Victoria running diverse language programs - Focus was on the French programs: French Immersion class using CLIL method & French national class following CNED

and the Victorian curriculum. CONCLUSION ON PROGRAM MODELS

- Preferred base model: integrated bilingual program, modelled on the Glen Eira French immersion class (using the CLIL methodology)

- Option: added extra-curricular hours for those wishing to follow the French curriculum (CNED classes) in selected subject matters.

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- An adapted LOTE program for students that have evolved in a bilingual setting at KHPS. POLITICAL SUPPORT

- Meeting and support from Brad Hazzard, MP for Wakehurst and part of the NSW government who has a long-standing relationship with the school.

- Potential blueprint to address the broader issue of languages education in NSW. - Full Support and advice from the French Embassy for our project. They have confirmed their help when a high level

approach is required. NEXT STEPS

- Sharing the vision of a bilingual high school program with principals in the North Shore & Northern Beaches. - Continue to engage with the DoE on multiple levels: feasibility study being pursued by academics and a high-level

approach with political support. PROJECT TIMELINE 2017-18 8:20pm-8:27pm: Adults/Adolescents Classes (presented by Benedicte Marie) DELF Junior exam results (Oct 2017)

- All anglophone students who took the DELF A2 passed. The average mark was 79.9. Special mention to Marisa RASO who, with the higher score in her category (91.50), won a 6-week trip to France!

- All 8 francophone students who took the DELF B1 passed. The average mark was 87. Special mention to Émeline WEBER who, with a score of 93, won the 1st prize across schools in B1

- 2 students passed the DELF B2 that is the required level to enrol in a French university! 8:27pm-8:32pm: Social Activities (presented by Benedicte Marie) Key one-off social activities

- Wine and Cheese 25 Feb 2017 (95 participants) - Tennis and BBQ 1st April 2018 (approx. 50 participants) - FANS Dance Party on 20 May 2017 (75 participants) - Trivia Night on 19 Aug 2017 (93 participants) - Last day of school drinks on 15 Dec 2017 (approx. 60 participants) - Wine and Cheese on 10 March 2018 (125 participants)

Regular social activities - French books Club at RSL - Men’s drinks at RSL (‘soirée mecs’) - Movie Nights - Visits and walks

the latest were: - S.H.Ervin Gallery Intrepid Women: Australian women artists in Paris 1900-1950 - Barangaroo & Walsh Bay with French guide Veronique Mandray - Bondi to Bronte / Sculpture by the sea - Australian National Maritime Museum “Wildlife photographer of the year”

Special thanks to the FANS members who led these regular activities in 2017/2018: - Raphaëlle Broglin, Lionel Puyhardy, Carole Carpenter, Lydie Leforestier, Veronique Mandray

7:32pm-7:35pm: Welcome New Families (presented by Annick Drabbe) So many great initiatives in 2017 to welcome new members to FANS

- In February 2017, the Wine and Cheese evening at the Rugby Club was held instead of the annual picnic. This was a real success. New families were present and introduce themself to the FANS community.

- Sylvie Laroche, member of FANS, was in charge of helping 2 families arriving from overseas. Her help was greatly appreciated. This “buddy” system was then initiated for families arriving from overseas.

- In May 2017, new families were invited to come to FANS Disco night. - In the middle of the year, a café-meeting was held to ensure that newcomers had settled well at school. - In August 2017, new families joined FANS Trivia Night. - In October and November 2017, we met twice: 2 new families who started in September.

2018 AGM FANS 06/06/2018

and in 2018... - At the end of January 2018, a morning tea was held at the Poppy Park. The new 2018 families did appreciate the

initiative as they were able to get answers to many of their questions before the school period started. - In March 2018, the second Wine and Cheese evening was again organised at the Rugby Club. - In May 2018, another café-meeting was organised with Emilie Waiss to welcome 2 new families. Emilie had volunteer to

take over the role for Next Year. 7:35pm-7:39pm: French Market 2017 – (presented by Adeline Dias) Another hugely successful FANS French Market Better and better every year

- Extended hours: 9am-4pm - Improved communication within the school and to the public - Waste management with new recycling bins and no plastic bag policy - ATM: 144 transactions in a day + gold coins donation boxes were a hit

Results - Less visitors because of the weather but people stayed longer - $ 53K ; excellent result given the circumstances (2016=$44K) - 827 crêpes, 640 Fairy Floss, 230 snow cones, over 400 croque monsieurs and more than 100 volunteers!

A big THANK YOU to all the volunteers, the school and our sponsors who contributed to this success! 8:39pm-8:42pm Video from the French Market https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lO45viGfkEk 8:42pm-8:45pm Withdrawal of candidates Alexandre Mac Innes, Yann Tristan and Cedric Le Bescont President Philippe Gandillet reads a letter from candidates Alexandre Mac Innes, Yann Tristan and Cedric Le Bescont sent today informing the Committee at 3:40pm (3 hours before the AGM) about their candidacy withdrawal to FANS Board’s election. In the letter, the former candidates explain that they are withdrawing their candidacy because they feel there has been a misleading campaign against their candidacy and were not given by the Committee the opportunity to present their program during the AGM.

8:45pm-9:35pm: Answer to the questions raised in advance to the committee See in the annexe for all questions and answers received by the committee for the AGM. Slides were shown with the original questions in French when no translation was provided. 8:45pm-9:15pm Bilingual program: presented by Christine Gandon and Janos Jersch (question 12 only) Slide 36 on question 11: Mme Simeon adds that the teachers are teaching in French,

but not teaching French language.

9:15pm-9:19pm Secondary Bilingual Project: presented by Janos Jersch 9:19pm-9:19pm Questions addressed to candidates Yann Tristant, Cédric Le Bescont and Alexandre Mac Innes No answer was provided by any of the 3 candidates as requested. 9:19pm-9:23pm Account and financial: presented by Karine Smyth

Question from a member in the assembly: Could the questions be published in English to all members in the next newsletter? Answer provided by the Secretary Marie Antoine: The questions and answers will be included in the minutes of the AGM. FANS can provide a translation. 9:23pm-9:34pm Other questions: presented by Frederic Baudin and Philippe Gandillet

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In addition to the answers to the questions raised, Frederic Baudin addressed on behalf of the Committee the complaints raised by the Candidates who withdrew their candidacy:

• On the misleading campaign, he indicated that there was actually significant misinformation and rumors that were circulating, hence the Statement issued by the Committee to re-establish some facts and remind the members of the framework in which FANS is operating.

• On the absence of opportunity for candidates to present their program at the AGM, he noted that this year the Committee implemented Candidates' statements, which gave an equal opportunity to all candidates to present themselves and their ideas. The AGM agenda also included a Q&A session on the Candidates' statement. It was also noted that the FANS Committee received many questions throughout the year from a minority of members, which were all responded to.

Frederic Baudin concluded by reminding all present that the Current Committee is made up of volunteers who have given an enormous number of hours during this year to serve FANS' objects to the best of their abilities throughout the multiple activities and projects that were presented. 9:35pm-9:40pm Q&A Comment from a member in the assembly: Thanks for your very informative presentation, and there’s a lot of positives to take from FANS’ program at KHPS, and also to know there’s another option to learn French with the Lycée Condorcet. Vice-President Janos Jersch adds that Lycée Condorcet is a private school that follows the French curriculum, and caters for a much larger proportion of expats. However, KHPS’ bilingual program is a very different proposition as it caters for a community of Australian, mixed and francophone families that look to settle for the long term, integrating the Australian culture, and sending their children into a local public school within a multicultural setting. 9:40pm-9:45pm Raphaelle Broglin dissolves the current committee and all positions are declared vacant. We have received the following nominations:

• For the role of President, 2 nominations: Frederic Baudin and Yann Tristant (withdrawn candidacy)

• For the role of Vice President, 2 nominations: Janos Jersch and Cedric Le Bescont (withdrawn candidacy)

• For the role of Public Officer, 2 nominations: Terrence Moloney and Alexandre McInnes (withdrawn candidacy)

• For the role of Treasurer: Claudia Dedun

• For the role of Secretary: Virginie Rubio

• As General Committee Member to welcome new Families: Emilie Waiss

• As General Committee Member for Social events coordination: Lionel Puyhardy

• As General Committee Member for French Market coordinator): Coralie Andrade

• As General Committee Member: Thierry Try New elected committee (no vote required)

• President: Frederic Baudin

• Vice President: Janos Jersch

• Public Officer: Terrence Moloney

• Treasurer: Claudia Dedun

• Secretary: Virginie Rubio

• 4 General Committee Members: Emilie Waiss, Lionel Puyhardy, Coralie Andrade and Thierry Try 09:45pm The Annual General Meeting ends

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Annexe: Answer to the questions raised in advance to the committee Questions have been grouped when related.

1 – Q1: Why hasn’t DoE recognized the French programme yet? What has the committee done and what is it doing to ensure the programme carries on, notwithstanding changes in KHPS’ Principal or other events? Q2: Qu’est-ce qui est mis en place pour permettre au Department of Education de signer le fameux Memorendum of Understanding qui a pour objet d’assurer la pérennité de l’enseignement du français à Killarney Heights Public School ? (FANS

translation: What is put in place to enable the Department of Education to sign the famous Memorandum of Understanding which aims to ensure the sustainability of teaching French at Killarney Heights Public School?)

- Question should be addressed to DoE - Memorandum of Understanding between KHPS, FANS and the French Embassy in November 2017 - KHPS 3 y strategic vision 2018-2021

“Through our strong partnership with FANS, we are committed to academic excellence within an English/French bilingual setting, and to developing creative, and successful learners”. 2 - Comment expliquer que les élèves « francophones » se retrouvent plusieurs heures par semaine, et plus particulièrement en cours de literacy, seuls avec leur professeur de français non accrédité alors que cette pratique est interdite par le Department of Education ? (FANS translation: How to explain that "francophone" students find themselves on their own several hours a week, and

more particularly in literacy classes, with their non-accredited French teacher whereas this practice is prohibited by the Department of Education?) - Compliance with Doe’s regulations is KHPS sole responsibility - KHPS is fully compliant with Duty of Care regulations

3 - When and how are the competences in French for the francophones measured, for instance in comparison to the level of French expected by French Education Nationale?

- We follow the NSW curriculum, so there is no comparison done with expectations from the French curriculum - Literacy programs are assessed in French and English by respective teachers during classes. - The learning progressions in intensive French classes are built in accordance with the French curriculum and controlled

by a French teachers. 4 - L’examen du DELF Prim, destiné à évaluer le niveau d’élèves débutants en français langue étrangère, est-il à la hauteur de nos enfants en Year 6 inscrits dans un programme bilingue pendant 7 ans avec le support des familles, éducatif et financier (plus de $21,000 par enfant)? (FANS Translation: The exam “DELF Prim”, meant to assess the level of beginners in French as a foreign language, is it

suitable and up to our children in Year 6 enrolled in a bilingual program for 7 years with the support of families, educational and financial (more than $ 21,000 per child)?

- The DELF Prim examination is passed on a voluntary basis only - Delf Prim A1 is well suited for Anglophones students. Some of them sit in Prim A2 - Francophones sit in Delf Prim A2. Experience shows that Y 6 students do not have the maturity to sit in the next level

(Delf Junior B1) - French families can choose to sit in Delf Junior B1 organised at Alliance Francaise if they wish to

5 - Le niveau de français des élèves et le programme éducatif FANS sont-ils évalués, et si oui, comment, par quel organisme reconnu et où peut-on trouver le rapport d’évaluation ? (FANS Translation:

Are students' French level and FANS educational program evaluated, and if so, how, by which recognized organization and where can the evaluation report be found?)

- No French entity can assess a French-language based program on a foreign curriculum. - The DoE has the authority to assess the programs that run inside its public school system. - In late 2017, The DoE has assessed as ‘excellent’ the KHPS bilingual programs on all 14 elements of the assessment

framework. 6 - Australian accreditation for French teachers: what specific benefits does this bring directly to the quality of the education received by our children? vs the French teacher's existing French Educational System accreditation?

- The Australian accreditation doesn’t give any added value to the French teacher. It’s simply an official recognition of his ability to teach within the Australian education system and gives the teacher the ability to exercise the Duty of Care for his/her students.

7 – Q1: Are all FANS teachers certified in their home country or by DoE? If not, how is this managed? Q2: Les professeurs employés par FANS sont-ils tous certifiés professeurs des écoles par le Ministère de l’éducation nationale française (ou autre pays francophone) et/ou accrédités pour enseigner le syllabus australien dans le NSW? (FANS Translation: Are

the professors employed by FANS all certified teachers of schools by the French Ministry of Education (or other French-speaking countries) and / or accredited to teach the Australian syllabus in the NSW?)

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- There are 12 Teachers employed by FANS, all are native speakers with a degree in education: - 7 of them are ‘professeurs des écoles’ (French , Swiss, or other) - 1 is NESA-accredited (New South Wales Education Standards Authority) - 3 of them have their CAPES (French Secondary School Teaching Diploma) - 1 has a Licence responsable de formation (Teaching Training Diploma, BAC+3) - The FANS teachers have 11 years of teaching experience on average, - In addition, at KHPS, there are also 3 French native speakers, which are accredited with the DoE. These positions are

restricted & only available to KHPS through the Community Languages program. 8 - Pouvez-vous compléter le tableau ‘NAPLAN Results 2017’ que vous avez présenté à la réunion d’information du 19 février 2018 en y ajoutant les 3 compétences d’évaluation manquantes, à savoir Reading, Spelling et Numeracy ? (FANS Translation: Can

you complete the 'NAPLAN Results 2017' chart that you presented at the information meeting on the 19th February 2018 by adding the 3 missing assessment skills, Reading, Spelling and Numeracy?)

- NO we can’t. - Only the School and the DOE have access the nominative data for each student. - Authorisation would need to be granted by KHPS

9 - Comment expliquer que les résultats du NAPLAN de notre école soient dans la moyenne plutôt basse des écoles australiennes ayant une démographie similaire à la nôtre (déterminée par le gouvernement australiens et accessible sur le site MySchool) ? (FANS Translation: How to explain that the results of the NAPLAN of our school are in the average rather low of the Australian schools

having a demography similar to ours (determined by the Australian government and accessible on the site MySchool)?) - Question for the School - and not for FANS to comment. - KHPS has said it is satisfied with the NAPLAN results - and they are definitely not ‘low average’. The results are

consistently well-above the national average. - Looking at school comparisons through MySchool, private schools such as the Lycée Condorcet and International

Grammar School who run a French bilingual programme score lower than KHPS, and they definitely don’t consider themselves to be ‘low average’.

10 - Would it be possible to consider all extensive French lessons (for the francophones) taking place out of school hours? If not, why and what could be envisaged?

- For this to happen, we would need: - available teachers - available classrooms (therefore authorisation from the school) - no timetable conflicts (band, intensive French for anglophones, Staff meetings…) - Authorisation from the school to authorise longer days for students 5 days/week

11 - Comment expliquer que dans une école publique nos enfants « francophones » manquent 3 heures par semaine de cours en anglais de literacy du Syllabus australien par rapport aux enfants «anglophones»? Quand est-ce qu’ils comblent ce retard, notamment en ce qui concerne le Word Knowledge ? (FANS Translation: How to explain that in a public school our "francophone" children miss

3 hours per week of English Syllabus literacy courses in English compared to "English" children? When do they fill this gap, especially with regard to Word Knowledge?)

- Timetabling is exclusively KHPS responsibility - not FANS - In the francophone stream, the French teachers follow very carefully the Australian syllabus during literacy lessons, and

these are taught in French. The skills and knowledge taught are the exact same ones as those delivered by the Australian teachers. At the end of each literacy session, Francophone students are first assessed in French, then in English in the same manner as their Anglophone peers. Although evolving in Anglophone-dominant linguistic context, these assessments show that Francophone students have no problem transferring their skills and knowledge into another language.

12 - Quel expert pédagogique recommande l’apprentissage d’English literacy en français et quel rapport d’évaluation démontre son intérêt ? Est-ce une exception de KHPS ? (FANS Translation: Which pedagogical expert recommends learning English Literacy in

French and which evaluation report demonstrates its interest? Is this an exception of KHPS?) - Pedagogy is exclusively KHPS responsibility - not FANS - If you are interested in bilingualism we suggest, you read

- Linguistic interdependence and the educational development of bilingual children - Cummins (1979), - Papers from academics such as Dr R. Cross (Australia) or A. Durgunoglu (US) - Canada also offers widespread examples of French Immersion programs (more than 300,000 students) where

the application in learning literacy, and a variety of other subjects taught in the non-dominant language have proven successful over decades.

2018 AGM FANS 06/06/2018

13 - Nous avons appris par le P&C de l’école que FANS avait été évalué par le Department of Education le 24 mars 2018. Pouvez-vous nous préciser en quoi a consisté cette évaluation et quel en a été le résultat ? (FANS Translation: We learned from the

school's P&C that FANS had been evaluated by the Department of Education on the 24th March 2018. Can you tell us what this assessment was and what was the result?)

- The bilingual program (not FANS) has been assessed in September 2017 by the NSW DoE as part of External validation process carried out in KHPS by their Leadership and High Performance unit.

- KHPS was assessed as excelling in all 14 elements of the framework. The bilingual program was assessed as an ‘Excellence program’. Ask KHPS for more details.

14 - Les cours de LOTE (Community Language classes) sont-ils un programme du Department of Education ou font-ils partis de l’offre FANS ? Pourquoi sont-ils limités à 45 minutes par semaine par élève alors que le Department of Education préconise 2h par semaine minimum ? (FANS Translation: Are Community Language Class (LOTE) courses a program of the Department of Education or are they part

of the FANS offer? Why are they limited to 45 minutes per week per student while the Department of Education advocates 2 hours per week minimum?) - Timetabling is exclusively KHPS responsibility - not FANS - LOTE (Language Other Than English) lessons are a non compulsory component of the NSW curriculum. - Community languages classes are 2 hours maximum per week.

15 - Le programme CLIL est-il nouveau pour les élèves francophones ? Comment est-il évalué ? (FANS Translation: Is the CLIL program

new for francophone students? How is it evaluated?) - At the moment CLIL (Content Language Integrated Learning) has been piloted in 2017 in a Year 2 Class for a Geography

module taught to both Francophone and Anglophone Students, and has been evaluated by the School with positive results.

- In 2018, we have two classes piloting CLIL in Arts and History/Geography (taught in French) both to a Year 4 and a Year 5 classes to Anglophone students.

- They are all currently being assessed, as the methodology is new in the School. 16 - Combien d’élèves francophones (hors nouveaux arrivants) sont soumis au programme EALD (English as an Additional Language or Dialect) ? Comment expliquer qu’ils reçoivent un soutien en anglais seconde langue ? (FANS Translation: How many

French-speaking students (excluding newcomers) are subject to the EALD program (English as an Additional Language or Dialect)? How do you explain that they receive support in English as a second language?)

- This question is out of scope, FANS manages French language programs, not English. - Feel free to ask KHPS directly for more detail.

17 - La méthode AIM a-t-elle était évaluée et si oui par qui ? Qui bénéficie des cours AIM (classe, année, groupe) ? (FANS

translation: Was the AIM method evaluated and if so by whom? Who benefits from AIM courses (class, year, group)?) - All K-6 anglophone students in the bilingual program benefit from the AIM method (in LOTE) - It is also used with francophones in lower grades. - AIM is a widespread language methodology used in Canada in bilingual settings. - In March 2018, The Executive General Inspector of AEFE paid a courtesy visit at KHPS and was very impressed and

interested in this methodology. 18 - Les cours du CNED pour étudiants en High School sont-ils évalués par l’Education Nationale et sont-ils validés en fin d’année ? (FANS translation: Are the CNED courses for students in High School evaluated by the National Education and are they validated at the end of the

year?) - No, the CNED French Literacy classes offered by FANS for students in High School are not necessarily evaluated. - Each family may decide to send all work complete to the remote teachers from CNED (Education Nationale) in France in

order to obtain a report card and certificate. It is a choice depending on the family’s objectives. 19 - Peut-on se satisfaire d’un programme éducatif qui ne repose que sur le soutien financier des parents sans le moindre apport financier ou pédagogique de la part de nos partenaires (Ambassade de France et Agence de l’Enseignement Français à l’Étranger), sans aucun encadrement spécialisé en bilinguisme, sans aucune structure compétente d’évaluation d’apprentissage et sans aucune validation en fin de cycle ? (FANS translation: Can we be satisfied with an educational program that relies

only on the financial support of parents without any financial or educational support from our partners (Embassy of France and Agency for French Education Abroad), without any specialized supervision in bilingualism, without any competent structure for learning assessment and without any validation at the end of the cycle?)

- Pedagogy is exclusively KHPS responsibility - not FANS - AEFE supports financially only schools following the French curriculum - The French Embassy supports KHPS via the AAFEBS (limited support) - FANS employs 1 person (part -time) to raise funds and identify new potential grants

2018 AGM FANS 06/06/2018

20 - Les membres n’ayant plus d’enfants dans le programme éducatif, sont-ils concernés par la structure pédagogique au même titre que des parents membres ? (FANS Translation: Members who have no more children in the educational program, are they concerned

by the pedagogical structure as well as parent members?) - Pedagogy is exclusively KHPS responsibility - not FANS - Parents stay members until 31 Dec of each year whether their children are in the program or not.

21 - All advanced French lessons before 9am so as to avoid missing 3hrs/week of English literacy lessons: I like the sound of this, however is it feasible?

- Timetabling is exclusively KHPS responsibility - not FANS - For this to happen, we would need:

- available teachers - available classrooms (therefore authorisation from the school) - no timetable conflicts (band, intensive French for anglophones, Staff meetings…) - Ok from the school to authorize longer days for students 5 days/week

22 - Is the Killarney Heights High School’s principal going to offer a bilingual program for the 2019 school year?

- Hayley Emmerton, the KHHS School Principal has clearly indicated on Info Night on 24th May 2018, that there is no guarantee a bilingual program nor a new Advanced French program could be implemented in 2019.

- Please refer to FANS statement on 28 May 2018 for more detail. 23 – Q1: Advanced French at KH High School: what is the current level of progress on this please? What are the remaining issues to get this in place? Q2: What are the possibilities of extending the French programme (for French as mother-tongue) after primary school?

- There is an existing Advanced French class option for Year 7 students with a strong French background at KHHS. - FANS has held positive meeting with Hayley Emmerton, the KHHS School Principal and the interest in our project was

shown. However, as explained, there’s no guarantee if a decision was ever to be made, it must be measured against risk, budget and timetabling issues.

- The decision lies only with the School Principal and the DoE. 24 - Alors que nous célébrons les 20 ans de FANS, comment expliquer l’absence d’un programme bilingue dans le secondaire à Killarney Heights High School, alors que le sondage effectué par FANS en 2017 montre que 93% des parents souhaitent la poursuite d’un enseignement bilingue au secondaire ? (FANS Translation: As we celebrate 20 years of FANS, how can we explain the lack of a

bilingual program in high school at Killarney Heights High School, while the survey conducted by FANS in 2017 shows that 93% of parents want the continuation of a bilingual education in high school?)

- There have been many attempts in the past, either by parents, or FANS to raise this salient issue. In the end, the decision lies with the High School Principal only, irrespective of a very positive survey conducted in 2017.

- Parents, FANS, and Candidates are the NOT the decision-makers in implementing a bilingual programme, it’s the DoE and KHHS.

25 - Can you please provide more detail on your "new option of advanced French lessons exclusively before 9am"? What days? How many hours? At what time? What teachers? What kind of assessment? What feedback would be provided to parents? Would this be a new program in addition to what is offered or are you planning on removing the current options for both Francophones and Anglophones? How would Anglophones be affected? Will you stop offering French lessons completely during normal school hours? How does this new program support the aims of FANS that states in the constitution that the objects of the association are to "promote the French language and francophone culture amongst families residing on the North shore of Sydney"

- Questions raised by a member to candidates Yann Tristant, Cédric Le Bescont and Alexandre Mac Innes - No response was provided by the candidates

26 - How can you as potential members of the FANS committee have any influence over the NAPLAN results the school achieves?

- Question addressed by a member to candidates Yann Tristant, Cédric Le Bescont and Alexandre Mac Innes - No response was provided by the candidates

2018 AGM FANS 06/06/2018

27 - How many potential partners have you already identified that would act as a sponsor for the French program? Who are they and how much have they pledged in dollar amounts? How much do you think you would need to raise and how far are you along in raising this money?

- Question addressed by a member to candidates Yann Tristant, Cédric Le Bescont and Alexandre Mac Innes - No response was provided by the candidates

28 - Can you provide more details on how you are planning on using the $500K surplus? What teacher development courses? What are details of the exchange programs? Is this for high school students only?

- Question addressed by a member to candidates Yann Tristant, Cédric Le Bescont and Alexandre Mac Innes - No response was provided by the candidates

29 – Q1: Has the FANS Treasurer access to all financials and accounts of FANS? How is he/she involved in establishing the FANS budget? Q2: Why is one candidate saying that the treasurer doesn't have access to the accounts and the budget? I find that statement disturbing, can you please clarify? Q3: Comment expliquer que le trésorier démissionnaire n’ait pas eu accès aux comptes de l’exercice en cours (2017) et n’a pas eu le droit de participer à l’élaboration du budget pour 2018 ? (FANS Translation: How do you explain why the retiring treasurer did not

have access to the accounts for the current year (2017) and was not allowed to participate in the preparation of the budget for 2018?) - Yes the Treasurer has access to MYOB, Management accounts, Bank accounts, and takes part in the determination of

the budget in Nov / December. Refer to the Statement from FANS Committee on 28 May. 30 - Why refuse access to the management accounts to the candidates?

- Financial reports are freely available and audited every year. The Committee monitors income and expenses of the Association on the same basis and at the same level. The Committee also reviews a breakdown by activity, whose results are shared annually at the AGM and minuted.

31 - What is the change in cash investment policy?

- Better cash flow forecasting enables more $ invested at any given time - Investments extremely safe (cash deposits), renewed regularly and comparisons done between banks at each renewal

32 - Why is the bilingual programme not already free if we are told it is possible?

- Refer to the Statement from FANS Committee on 28 May 2018: a small program could be free for a few, but we want to be inclusive and offer French to as many students as wish to enrol. We would need half the School’s teachers to be native French speakers to replace the need for FANS teachers.

33 - Q1: What are the $500,000 retained surplus for? Are they meant to cover termination employment salaries and entitlements for the French teachers at short notice? Q2: Available funds from the FANS reserves: Some of the candidates propose to spend 500K$ of non-operating surplus on teacher's educational development etc, however I am having difficulty reconciling this with the accounts. What risks could this spending expose the FANS Association to? Will it be able to meet all its commitments/liabilities if that large sum is spent? Q3: What are the extra $500,000 used for? Could it be partly invested into the French programme? Q4: Pourquoi FANS, en tant qu’association à but non lucratif, affiche un surplus non opérationnel de plus de $600,000 ? (FANS

Translation: Why is FANS, as a non-profit association, posting a non-operating surplus of more than $ 600,000?) - Answered during presentation: we have financial obligations that the Committee has to take seriously and we cannot

spend our savings without consideration for those obligations. 34 - Quel a été le montant levé lors du dernier Marché Français et comment a-t-il été redistribué ? (FANS Translation: What was the

amount raised on the last French Market and how was it redistributed?) - Answered during presentation: Amount raised for 2017 was $51k and net profit after expenses was $31k. It was entirely

allocated to the bilingual program at KHPS. The level of fundraising helps to cover the operational costs of the bilingual program.

35 - Alternative income streams - potential motivations (and likelihood) of these contributors to help fund FANS?

- This is difficult to ascertain, given the particular setting of the program. We do have sponsors that work with us and are always open to new ideas.

2018 AGM FANS 06/06/2018

36 - Q1: 2- I’m not French but francophone, it seems anglophone families taking part of the bilingual program are not automatically enrolled as FANS members. Would that be possible to include new anglophone parents by default in our association to reflect the diversity? Q2 : Comment expliquer que les parents des élèves anglophones ne soient pas contraints de payer la cotisation FANS pour devenir membre. Pourquoi cette différence avec les parents francophones ? (FANS Translation: How to explain that the parents of English-

speaking students are not forced to pay the FANS membership fee. Why this difference with Francophone parents?)

- FANS has initiated this year a project to review the Constitution and governance of FANS. As part of this project, we are seriously considering widening FANS’ membership to better reflect our multicultural community. We will be seeking input from all relevant parties (e.g. KHPS and the P&C) in assessing the wishes and impacts of widening the membership.

37 - Re. the election for the new committee members, do all candidates have equal access to all FANS voting members to collect proxies?

- Public Officer's responsibility does not allow him or her to share with the candidates the list of FANS members even if currently part of the Committee. So yes, all candidates have equal access.

38 - Why is there a confidentiality clause within the Committee. Shouldn’t it be more transparent to its members?

- This has nothing to do with transparency. Any organisation (not for profit or company) has governing bodies elected or appointed to manage its operations. In any organisation, these governing bodies discuss matters, confidential by nature or not, and determine whether or not to communicate on it. We have implemented this year regular progress reports on key projects and present every year accounts and a detailed review of the operations.

39 – Q1: Restructure FANS organisation in 2 separate entities: what are the advantages & disadvantages of this please? What are the risks that they are trying to deal with? Q2: Having 2 different legal entities for FANS, one for the French programme, one for the social side: was it considered by the committee? What would be the pros and cons? Would there be any block roads? Q3 : L’organisation FANS ne devrait-elle être scindée en deux, avec une structure juridique à responsabilité limitée uniquement tournée vers le programme éducatif et une association sociale pour réunir la communauté francophone du North Shore ? Cette restructuration a déjà été proposée à de nombreuses reprises par des parents membres experts juridiques en la matière. Qu’en est-il ? (FANS Translation: Should the FANS organization be split in two, with a limited liability legal structure focused solely on the

educational program and a social association to bring the North Shore Francophone community together? This restructuring has already been proposed many times by parents who are legal experts in this area. Any update?)

- Following the reception of a legal expert parent email by FANS, as a due diligence, FANS sought advices from Navado Lawyers & Solicitors. The legal advice provided on 5/6/2017 indicated that the objects of our association are broad enough to include all our activities (bilingual classes, adults and adolescents classes, fundraising and social activities for our members) and therefore the splitting of the association in two entities would not be required.

40 - Pourquoi ne pas permettre, dans le cadre de la campagne, l’accès aux listes des membres à tous les candidats pour leur faciliter la demande et l’obtention des procurations de la part de membres qui ne pourront assister à l’AG ? (FANS Translation: As

part of the campaign, why not allow access to membership lists to all candidates to facilitate their application and obtaining proxies from members who can not attend the GA?)

- The e-mails of the members of the Association are collected and used by the administrative services of FANS for the needs of the day-to-day running of the Association. They represent personal data and have no purpose to be communicated outside the administrative services of FANS for another use. This rule applies to all members without exception, including elected members of the Committee.

41 - Pourquoi nous avoir dit, à l’AG l’année dernière, qu’il n’existait pas d’école publique bilingue dans le NSW alors qu’il en existe une à Chatswood Public School ; qui affiche un programme excellent et un enseignement bilingue totalement gratuit et administré par le Department of Education ? (FANS Translation: Why did you tell us at the AG last year that there was no bilingual public school

in the NSW while there is one at Chatswood Public School; who has an excellent program and totally free bilingual education administered by the Department of Education?)

- To our knowledge, there is no NSW Public Primary School offering a free French Bilingual program. - The implications for a free language program have been well explained in our 24 May 2018 statement.

42 - Comment expliquer l’absence de compétence pédagogique parmi les membres du Comité FANS et la direction exécutive ? (FANS Translation: How to explain the lack of pedagogical competence among the members of the FANS Committee and the executive team?)

- The FANS Committee is made of volunteers. There is nothing in the constitution stopping “Non FANS Employee” ‘teachers from joining as long as they can give their time and are free from any conflict of Interest. The Executive team however must have Office, Finance and HR management as primary skills.

2018 AGM FANS 06/06/2018

43 – Q1: Please can you give some details about the $30,000 legal fees in the last FY accounts? Q2 : A quoi correspondent les legal fees d’un montant total de $30,650 dépensé au cours de l’exercice 2016 ? (FANS Translation:

What are the legal fees spent totalling $30,650 in 2016?) Q3 : Nous avons su, par des sources privées, que FANS avait dépensé plus de $25,000 de frais judiciaires dans une affaire de licenciement abusif fin 2016 qui engageait la responsabilité de l’Executive Officer. Y-a-t-il eu faute professionnelle ? Si oui quelles mesures ont été prises par le Comité ? (FANS Translation: We learnt from private sources, that FANS had spent more than $ 25,000 in

court costs in a case of unfair dismissal at the end of 2016 which caused the responsibility of the Executive Officer. Was there professional misconduct? If yes, what steps have been taken by the Committee?)

- There is a Confidentiality clause attached to this legal case. Therefore the FANS committee is not allowed to comment on it.

44 – Q1: FANS had a say in recruiting the new KHPS principal? If no why, and how to remediate? If yes, how was FANS allowed to contribute? Q2 : Pourquoi FANS n’a pas été invité à participer au panel de recrutement du nouveau Principal alors que le Président du P&C de l’école y participe ? Qu’est-ce qui est mis en place pour permettre au Department of Education de signer le fameux Memorendum of Understanding qui a pour objet d’assurer la pérennité de l’enseignement du français à Killarney Heights Public School ? (FANS Translation: Why was FANS not invited to participate in the new Principal's recruitment panel while the school's P&C President

participates? What is being put in place to enable the Department of Education to sign the famous Memorandum of Understanding which aims to ensure the sustainability of French teaching at Killarney Heights Public School?)

- To our knowledge, the recruitment of the new KHPS is still in progress. The DOE panel director has confirmed full awareness of the school bilingual settings and is acting accordingly.

45 - What support does FANS benefit from, from a logistic and financial perspective, from private or public sources. How does the committee work to increase this support?

- The president, VP and Executive Officer are in regular contact with the Consulate and Embassy officials, the AEFEBS, the Politicians and the Academics. Search for Grants, Sponsors and other non financial support is one of their top priorities.

46 - Comment expliquez-vous que la Principal n’ait ni évoqué FANS, ni mentionné le programme bilingue, ni remercié les représentants de FANS dans son message officiel de départ daté du 12 avril 2018 ? (FANS Translation: How do you explain that the

Principal neither mentioned FANS nor mentioned the bilingual program, nor thanked the FANS representatives in her official departure message on the 12th April 2018)

- Vicki Johnson has always been very supportive of the bilingual program. While she may have not mentioned FANS per say in her official message she certainly did thank the whole team during her speech on the same day. She also spent her morning to thank all her staff, including the FANS French teachers. Both Sabine Duffy and Christine Gandon, past and present FANS EOs played an important part in her final assembly, and she personally extended her thanks to the FANS President and Vice-President who were present on the day.

47 - Bilingual French/English program free of charge and fully managed by the DoE: How feasible is this, as I understand that the DoE stipulates certain quotas/ratios in terms of the number of foreign language teachers in public schools? Would we as a result have less French teachers available at KHPS for teaching our children?

- Running a free language program and its implications using the available 2.6 Community languages teachers and/or the DOE-accredited French teachers has been clearly explained in our statement of 24 May 2018. As a result, having less French teachers (employed by FANS) is a likely outcome of a fully free program run at KHPS.

- This, however, is a situation only for FANS and KHPS, as partners, to reflect upon. 48 – Q1: Realistically, could the French programme become free in the future? Q2: Qu’elles sont les démarches prises par FANS et l’école auprès du Department of Education pour souhaiter que notre école transitionne un jour vers une école bilingue et gratuite ? (FANS Translation: What are the steps taken by FANS and the school with the

Department of Education to hope that our school will one day transition to a bilingual and free school?) - In its current form, with 90% of the student population enrolled in the bilingual program, with add-on Intensive French

hours, its inclusive nature and a program that appeals to the community at large, this looks very unlikely.