Location – 3795 E Mercer Way, Mercer Island, WA 98040, United States
Website – http://www.fasps.org/
Contact – +1 206-275-3533
It represents the beacon of bilingual education, singularly combining the French and American methods, thus offering rich, engaging, and inclusive surroundings for learning among its students. Thereby, FASPS epitomizes a mission intended to promote cultural agility, an approach which develops the academic rigor while preparing its students for an eminently diverse world they will inhabit.
Innovative teaching methods: dual language approach
What is central to the FASPS educational philosophy is being bilingual. French and English are situated throughout subjects in mathematics, science, and humanities in the curriculum. The hope is that cognitive agility would then be fostered, allowing students to think and problem solve from the perspectives of more than one language. For instance, they can try to come to a better understanding of complex subjects through multiple lenses.
In addition, project-based learning and STEAM education form the basis for the FASPS curriculum. The students design models for green energy or solve real-life environmental problems. Such initiatives not only enhance the theoretical knowledge but also develop creativity among them and build collaboration with their peers. For instance, one innovative sixth-grade “escape game” is about evolution, blended learning, fun, and teamwork.
Enhancing Cultural Diversity and Inclusivity
FASPS is a marvelously diverse institution, with students and staff from more than 60 nationalities and speaking 38 languages. This richness of cultural diversity enriches the learning environment and contributes to a valuable aspect for students to learn diversity and respect different perspectives. Additional to the curriculum, lessons that reflect the world cultures and their histories will include a global background perspective to students’ education.
This kind of program shows an initiative towards inclusivity, which is observed quite successfully at FASPS with the tuition assistance opportunities, of course: among them, for example, is the Patricia Blaise Caves Scholarship Fund. The latter supports bilingual education for different students from various socio-economic groups. Cultural activities are also covered by programs such as the eighth-grade study tour to Costa Rica, where opportunities for direct contact with another culture and learning from it take place.
Strong Communication: A Supportive Learning Community
Good communication defines a supporting learning community. FASPS applies different tools to inform and engage the faculty, students, and parents on events that take place in the school and the progress of students. Parents can follow updates of their child’s class activities, event announcements, and even students’ progress reports in the helpful platforms such as MyFASPS, Toddle, and Vidigami. Parent-teacher conferences, curriculum nights, and open houses are meetings between the teachers and the parents that interlace a bond between the families and the school. FASPS hosts multiple events throughout the year to celebrate its diverse community and to enhance the bond between the families and the school including Kermesse, the annual fall carnival; a Cultural Fair; international potlucks where families can share the cuisines of their cultures; and open invitations to parents to share their culture and heritage with our students.
For students who require extra support, the Student Success Team frequently meets with parents to review progress and provide tailored support. Collaboration helps ensure each child receives the attention and resources required for academic and social success.
Meeting Individual Learning Needs
FASPS values diversity and regards the different learning requirements of its students. The use of multisensory approaches among its teachers for different types of learners enhances a student’s ability to explore the material while making it the most accessible form possible to understand. To assist with the academic process of those requiring language support, the school affords ELL (English Language Learning) and FLE (Français Langue Étrangère or French as a Foreign Language) lessons in their mainstream bilingual program.
Flexible settings within classrooms can support small group work and one-on-one mentoring that is valued for instructional differentiation and the delivery of highly personalized learning experiences. Whether it is peer mentoring or technology-assisted learning, FASPS is committed to academic success for all of its students.
Promoting Wellness and Mental Health
FASPS makes sure that all students are properly taken care of regarding their well-being. The student-to-teacher ratio at this school is relatively low (6 to 1) , which aids in providing more personalized care and attention to each and every child who graces the halls of FASPS. In addition, the Advisory Program within the school’s middle school serves as a shield for the students to talk about their academic improvement, personal endeavors, and social changes with their respective advisory faculty.
The school has a multitude of support services varying from having a school counselor to reading specialists. These in turn can help to resolve personal and academic hassles alongside emotional ones as a way to guide the students to improve their academic performance.
In addition, FASPS supports positive discipline and conflict resolution as part of its school culture. Annual in-service training in those topics is provided for all teachers, while other programs-including peer mediation-empower students to positively resolve conflicts among themselves teaching them how to solve problems peacefully and compassionately,
Programs for Creativity and Critical Thinking
FASPS nurtures creativity and critical thinking through project-based learning. STEAM initiatives engage in experiments to find solutions for real-world problems, such as designing a solar-powered model, creating a device for a visually handicapped individual. Interdisciplinary learning encourages novel thinking and helps in solving the problem at hand.
Beside personalized learning programs, students can express their passions with critical skills. From robotics and coding clubs to creative arts such as pottery and DJing, FASPS brings innovation in all disciplines by promoting creativity within learning.
Bringing Technology into Enhanced Learning
Technology is an important component of the FASPS bilingual program, enhancing student engagement as well as their learning experience. Digital communication supports creating tie-ups among the students and teachers with the parents also includes in-class tools like iPads, coding kits and digital media platforms to engage students in different kinds of learning. Students get trained in critical 21st-century skills through STEM and STEAM programs involving coding, robotics, and video game development.
FASPS engages the curriculum so that students will be able to use these technological tools to research, collaborate, and present work effectively in an increasingly digital future.
Academic Rigor and High Standards
FASPS maintains high academic standards through an innovative bilingual program that combines the rigor of the French educational system with the flexibility of American teaching methods. This cyclical, progressive approach allows students to deepen their knowledge at each stage of their education.
The curriculum is organized into learning cycles, each of which builds on the previous one. This cyclical structure promotes deeper understanding and increasing mastery of concepts in all subjects. In math, for example, students revisit and deepen key concepts several times over the years, strengthening their understanding and skills.
As a result of this approach, students typically finish 8th grade having covered most of the topics covered in an American high school, especially Algebra 1 and Geometry. This accelerated progression gives them a significant head start, especially in math, where they are about two years ahead of their peers in a traditional education system.
This continuous, in-depth cycle of learning effectively prepares students to excel in their future studies, whether in the French, American or international system.
Future Vision
FASPS welcomes its new Seattle campus, scheduled to open in fall 2026. It will be the permanent home for Grades 4 through 8, enhancing the bilingual education program and opening up more opportunities for extracurricular activities. In the long term, it envisions being able to eventually offer a high school education and becoming a cultural meeting spot and instillation for its international community-an inspiring, inclusive place where students come together to learn and grow.
At FASPS, there will always be an open mind that can make a difference. It is this fact that convinces the school community to prepare their own global citizens who deliver at any point in life. A committed perspective towards innovative teaching methods, inclusiveness, and care about student well-being would obviously lead FASPS towards realizing a great educational experience that prepares students for future challenges and opportunities.