The new Lycée Français de la Nouvelle Orléans sign at the Patton Street campus.
“It’s been two weeks of school,” said board chair Jean Montes about running the new campus. “We’re very new at the process, but we’re happy with it.”
During the week of Hurricane Isaac, general director Jean-Jacques Grandiere visited the campus every day to make sure there was no damage, but only a single window was lost in the storm, he said. Most of the teachers who had just arrived from France evacuated to Texas for the storm, but all were back in time for school to reopen last Tuesday, Grandiere said.
Meeting for the first time in the Patton Street campus, the only specific item slated for Monday’s board meeting was the introduction of three new members — Jacqueline Simon, Joel Vilmenay and Dan Henderson — all of whom were previously advisers to the board but are now serving full-time for a year to fill vacancies. The meeting was dominated, however, by questions from the audience of about 15 people about operations at the new school.
A teacher at each campus has been designated the campus coordinator, Grandiere said, and because both are preschool teachers, they have time for the extra administrative duties while their students are napping. At a question from the audience, Grandiere said he hopes to have an assistant director next year who can focus solely on academics at both campuses.
Many of the parents’ specific questions Monday centered on the school cafeteria, where Grandiere said the acoustics make for a very loud lunch period. He is currently exploring ways to insulate the room to reduce the noise levels, he said.
“It’s a little rough for everybody at the beginning because it’s new,” Grandiere said. “We are not well served by room we are in. We have to do something.”
Parent volunteers have been helping with the lunch period every day, and three of them asked about the cafeteria furniture. The chairs are too tall for the youngest preschoolers to get into, they said, which can create confusion when they go to the trash can, then begin milling about the room because they can’t get back into their seats.
The parents urged the board to consider selling some of the large furniture and replacing it with smaller sets, and board members asked them to come up with a proposal. Montes said the board will need to evaluate all its options before making a decision, because lunchroom furniture tends to be expensive.
“As soon as we get something, someone else will say, ‘This doesn’t work,'” Montes said.
Some of the parents’ questions remained more pointed about the leadership of the board, asking how often they can expect to see board members on campus and whether the members consider their role as governance or administration. Montes replied that the executive members of the school meet more frequently with Grandiere, several times a week, so that they can stay up to date and answer questions on the progress of the school, but that in general their role is simply to set policy.
Asked about the status of the board training program Montes proposed several months ago, Montes replied they are still looking at the same company. Another parent asked for the best way to submit suggestions to improve the school, and Montes said either to the info@lfno.org email address, or at the monthly school board or PTO meetings.
After more than an hour’s discussion, one of the parents thanked the school leaders for their work setting up the new campus, drawing a round of applause from the audience.
Robert, would you please ask who the CEO is now? Is it the board? It’s not Jean-Jacques, as he is the General Director, not the CEO. The charter calls for a CEO as well as a director, and as far as I know the charter gas not been amended. I think that clarification on this issue would be useful.
How do you say guinea pigs in French? I met someone recently who told me she withdrew her two kids from this school because the school grades eventually get so small, relative to almost every other school, that she felt her child was losing on socializing skills and not learning how to deal with others from diverse backgrounds, which is a significant issue. From what I understand, it seems like parents have a bit of a snobbish attitude in wanting to send their kids there, like it’s some easy way to increase your social standing in particular segments of New Orleans society to say my kids go to French-only school. The French empire was ages ago. If I wanted my kids to have a leg up in a future, more interconnected, international world, I would choose some language other than French. But, hey, whatever floats the parents’ boat.
Lycee only had PK & K last year, and just added 1st and 2nd grades when the new year started a few weeks ago. So too small classes in upper grades aren’t a problem yet, though I know other local immersion schools have dealt with that. It seems unlikely that your friend was dealing with this at Lycee.
This school provides my child with a great education, and the additional benefit of learning a foreign language. I can’t figure out how this increases my social standing anywhere, but if it makes me a snob, then so be it. It’s possible that other languages might have more practical application, but learning one at a young age will make it easier for him to learn others when he is older.
pepe, I think you are confused. EB and Audubon have older grades and the classes do get smaller, but your friend can not possibly be speaking of LFNO.