Calgary French and International School

Calgary French & International School (CFIS) is a trilingual school in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

The school is full French immersion and all subjects are taught in French (excluding English and Spanish). The school has English, French and Spanish as core subjects. Students have high expectations and a passing grade is usually 60% or over. The school is located in a 120,000 sq. ft. facility, built in two phases in 2003 and 2005 to accommodate a growing school community.

The Elementary Wing:

72,000 square foot, two storey facility including:

• 26 classrooms, including 4 curricular labs
• Science lab
• Library/resource area
• Administration core
• Cafeteria and servery area for 175 people
• Day care for 80 children
• Two Music rooms
• Two Art studios
• Outdoor classroom
• Double-court regulation gym complex
• Junior-sized baseball diamond
• Two playgrounds – preschool and elementary
• International size soccer pitch
• Staff lounge
• Uniform Shoppe

The Junior & Senior High Wing: 42,000 square foot, two storey facility including:

• 10 classrooms
• Two science labs
• Library/resource area
• Administration core
• Cafeteria and servery area for 190 people
• Community-use double full-sized regulation gym and physical fitness complex
• Two theatre-style classrooms
• Staff Lounge
• Two Student Lounges
• Outdoor Retreat (Garden)
• Uniform Shoppe

There are two cafeterias in the school, one in the Elementary wing and the second in the Junior/Senior wing. These cafeterias offer monthly food plans and À-la-carte items, so that students can order an optional meal for each day. There are also special lunch days (normally arriving at the end of each month) when students can order pizza, and various other items. The uniform is a basic scheme consisting of various articles of clothing. This includes: Long/short sleeve dress shirts, gray wool vests, plaid red and navy blue skirts, navy blue dresses, navy blue yoga jackets, long navy blue sweaters, dress pants, red ties and red hair scrunchies.

Sports

The CFIS Vikings sports teams include golf, volleyball, basketball, badminton, soccer, cross country running, and track and field. The school's senior school basketball team ranked 1st in South Central zones. The junior team came second in the ISAA league. Their 8/9 Girls' volleyball team has won South Central Zones. The school's coaches are extremely committed to the game. For Physical Education, students are not only graded on their athletic ability, but on their good sportsmanship as well. There are also fitness tests including the beep test, sit ups, stretches and push ups.

Musicals

The school has an annual musical. All junior and senior high students are permitted to audition for the show which changes from year to year. In 2010, they started the musical program with Seussical Jr. In 2011 they performed Hairspray. In March 2012 they performed Beauty and the Beast, Fame in 2013, and Legally Blonde: The Musical in 2014. The musicals are always produced with a full set of lights and mics and for all the shows except Seussical, a live orchestra made of a mixture of students and professional musicians conducted by the school's artist in residence.

Debate

The art of debate is an important part of our school culture. Our debate club competes in numerous English and French events throughout the school year. In past years, CFIS students have qualified for both Provincial and National Debate Tournaments.

The idea behind debate is that there are two sides to every issue - the Affirmative and the Negative. The two sides of the debate have different jobs arising from their position with respect to the Resolution, issue or topic. Participants of the Debate Club benefit from developing public speaking, critical thinking, research and teamwork skills. We deal with the challenge of learning to be resourceful thinkers who can synthesize ideas and quickly articulate them.

Clubs and options

There are many elementary clubs and Junior-High clubs. Clubs mostly take place during lunch/recess periods and are optional. There are Improv clubs, Debate clubs, Yearbook club, Student Council, Science Olympics, Environment Club, Jazz Club, and others. The school follows a six-day cycle. For students in Junior High, there is an options class 2 out of the 6 days during which students participate in Robotics, Photography, Weight Training, Visual Art, Drama, Outdoor Education, Sewing or Food Studies. During 3 of the remaining 6 days, there is a choice between band, Film Studies or Learning Skills (there are only 5 of the six days with option classes) . Students will select a different option for every quarter ( 4 in every school year)

Travel Studies

Opportunities for national and international travel are offered in Junior/Senior High. These trips involve preparation / study beforehand and tie in with the appropriate curriculum.

Every year, students go on trips in and around the city of Calgary, some of which include a ski day at Lake Louise or Sunshine Village. As well, students have optional cultural voyages to various destinations including grade 7 trips to Québec, Ottawa, and Montreal. For Grade 8, there is a Week-Without-Walls. In Grade 9, there is an optional trip to Costa Rica. For Senior High, the travel studies program changes each year. In 2011, the Senior High students went to Columbia, in 2012 they traveled to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands The Travel Studies program permits students to experience first-hand other cultures and learn about ecology, geography, history and social studies as well. It is also a great opportunity to bond with friends, as students normally share their accommodations with a few friends. The students in Senior High will be going to Cambodia for the 2013 trip.

At school programs

Spanish and French language programs are offered for adults in the evenings at the school.

The Annual CFIS Fundraising Gala is the largest fundraising event for CFIS. Since 2001, Gala guests, donors and sponsors have helped raise almost $500,000 for CFIS programs and equipment.

There are local and international awareness campaigns like the Thumbs-Up! anti-distracted driving campaign, Project Haiti (donation of clothing & school supplies), participation in Operation: Christmas Child, food bank donations, Jacket Racket, 24-hour Famine, and Shave-Your-Lid-for-a-Kid (which supports Kids Kancer Kare).

External links

• Official Site