The ASPect - Orientation 2013-14 - American School of Paris

Getting
To Know You
In the same way that we organize a comprehensive
Welcome Program for ASP families and parents, we also organize
trips at the start of the year with the main objective of
getting new ASP students integrated as quickly as possible.
All Middle School grades undertake a week’s trip – either
here in France, in the French Alps of Savoie (Grade 6), or in
the British Lake District with Outward Bound (Grades 7 & 8).
The longer trips for Middle School create an amazing first
impression for everyone!
Our middle schoolers spend a week working within their
advisory groups of 12-14 students. The goal is for each group,
along with its ASP Advisor, to gel and for the students to develop
a sense of trust, friendship, cooperation and good spirit.
“I made so many new friends”
They go through a series of challenging outdoor activities
including a gorge walk, high-ropes course, tunneling,
canoeing, rock-climbing and an overnight expedition in the
mountains. Only by working together can the group succeed,
and through the de-briefing sessions that follow the activities,
they grow to understand each individual’s strengths and
weaknesses. Importantly, they also learn to respect and listen
to each other.
In Upper School, a special Upper School Activity Day is organized
at ASP in early September. Throughout the day, the students
are involved in a range of activities to help them learn more about
the school and its expectations as well as get to know and form
new friendships with other upper schoolers. More information
about the program will be communicated at the start of the school
year.
“We get to interact with kids from our grade that
we might not have classes with”
More information about these programs will be communicated
at the beginning of the year.
“We really learned to work as a team”
The teachers will attest that especially for students of
middle-school age, the benefits reaped from these trips are
tremendous. It builds a foundation for cooperative learning
that will carry on throughout the year. It creates a rich pool
of shared memories, which are still reference points in June.
After our week together, there are no longer any new students
in the Middle School!
“Feels good to step out of our comfort
zone and conquer our fears”
9