Ecolespeak

From Chris:

When I picked up Calvin at school Tuesday, Monsieur Gilles handed me an official notebook (a travaux pratiques) with Calvin's name and stamp on it. (On the first day at school, Calvin and M Gilles had selected a castle stamp to signify Calvin's work - I don't think kids are expected to be able to write their names yet, although Calvin does.) The notebook has several pages of clearly important information - hello Babelfish, help me out! Here's page one:

this book is the book of correspondence of your child. it will be the bond between the school and the family, at the administrative level. it will make it possible to communicate various information throughout the year to you. it will have to be sign has each time and being pays has the school the following day. this book should not remain has the house. pretty a protege book would make it beautiful.

Hmm, guess we should return it tomorrow. After we figure out what we need to do, of course. Moving down page 1 ...

if your child must be taken the exit of the school by somebody of other has that his parents, we need obligatorily an authorization signee precisely indicating the name of this person. if your child cannot eat certain food (allergy, religious reason, mode...) please prevenir me. thank you in advance of your assistance.

Check. (Mode means diet, by the way.) Next page is from the Sous-Direction de la Sante', which I'm pretty sure is the division of health. Makes sense:

with an aim of deceler a possible disorder of the vision, a systematic depistage will be carries out in the current of the year by the school doctor of health of establissement. the results will be communicate to you as soon as this examination will have ete practical. the school equipe medico-soiale is has your provision for any further information. please believe, Madam, Sir, has our feelings devoues.

I get the next page, probably because M Gilles hand-wavingly explained it to me. (Did I mention? On the 3rd day or so, he said to me, "I am Calvin's French teacher, and he is my English teacher." Very sweet.) Anyway, it's the "are you coming back next year" form. We will likely move Calvin to the 5-minutes-closer school next year, so I can do that. But what's this note, "rayer la mention inutile" or "stripe the useless mention"? Ah, I've seen how they fill out multi-choice forms, they cross out the invalid options leaving the right one visible.

The brutal part is the school counsel's meeting minutes. Centre de Loisirs? La Classe Nature? Here goes, section 1: "the role of the welfare officer and the medical department." Skip that for now, it's long. Section 2? "center of leisures"

between 35 A 45 children use the services of the center of leisures during the school holidays and Wednesday. the framing east ensures by Mrs. sarah AMIRI and 5 or 6 organizers. the activities as often as possible deroulent outside (games collectives) and of many exits are organisees (visit of a farm, cinema, small palate, house of the insects...)

Good to know it's there. Section 3: "gouter recreatif", babelfish barfed on it. The dictionary suggests it might be playtime snack.

this gouter has ete imposes by the town hall of bets has the school and with the parents from November 2005. the invoicing is basee on a system of fixed price and not a system has the meeting as that is the case for the school canteen (geree by the town hall of the xveme). in qualitative term it has ete request by the parents of eleve to set up more gouters vary and nutritionnellement less rich. in particular, the parents wish that fruits be propose each day with the children.

Uhhhh, dunno. Maybe snacks during after-care? Have to ask.

Next section, the tantalizing "La Classe Nature." Could it be naked day at the preschool? Nah.

class 1 of lysis imbert will leave 5 days, of May 29 at June 2, has clairefontaine (flowering ash) for a natural class organisee by the PEP, whose theme is "the taste". Nadia TEGHA will accompany the class. the cost of the natural class eleve has 7.089E, that is to say 260 euros per child. the voyage will be carries out in the bus.

Pretty sure he's not in class 1 of lysis imbert, and he's definitely not going away for 5 days no matter how cool the flowering ash might be. Kinda like the summer camps meeting we went to for Carter - would he like to go to Australia for a few weeks this summer? Mmmmm no thanks, we're already abroad learning a new language and culture - one at a time!

Next: travaux - work, I'm pretty sure. Sounds like construction next door? It's currently a blighted and by all signs unused gravel soccer and basketball area with a big fence around it.

the blinds have ete repares or exchanges as that had ete prevu. the doors of the preau will be reparees or remplacees in 2006. within the framework of work has to come in the joint ground has the school, the town hall of the xveme goes etudier measurements has to implement in order to reduce the harmful effects. we point out that the construction of 190 residences and a gymnasium should take place in 2007. in same time, the members of the PEEP federation will ask to meet the town hall or the assistant in load of town planning in order to evaluer the harmful effects engendrees by work on the operation of the school

School carnival on April 6, some outings (but maybe not for Calvin's class again?), the end-of-school party, and that's about it. Whew. Good thing we only run into stuff like this a couple of times a day!