This commission of the APE was created to help welcome and support parents who arrive at EABJM from abroad – returning French nationals as much as foreigners – in their adaptation and successful integration into a new education system, a new environment and a new culture. 

The group also welcomes new Parisian parents to help them and their children settle happily into the school.

We actively welcome the involvement of longer term EABJM parents of all nationalities and aim to provide informal occasions to help strengthen the school community.

We offer a programme of activities throughout the school year to provide opportunities for parents from ALL sections of the school to meet each other and form new friendships.  Some activities are in French while others are in English; most of them informally bilingual.

NEW PARENTS  : PiA organises a number of initiatives to help welcome you to the school:
 - Parent partners (see below)
 - Welcome Picnics on the Saturday before school starts (Sat 30th August, 2008), organised by the Peer Leaders (see below)
 - Information meeting - 18h30, Thursday 11th September, 2008
 - Survival Guide - copies will be distributed at the information meeting.  For a copy of this year's guide, see below

FAQs - We have worked with the Admissions office to try and anticipate many of your questions.  You'll find the FAQs under 'About EABJM'

Coordinator:

Rachel Skingsley

All new parents will be automatically added to the PiA e-mailing list. If you do not want to receive these mails, please reply to a mailing with 'unsubscribe' in the title line.
For 'old' parents, please email pia if you would like to be put on the PiA emailing list to be kept updated about new events. 

Please note that if you are not logged on as a parent, you will not be able to view the information about current  events on this website.  If you have accepted a place for your child for 2008 and would like further information about PiA activities, please contact pia

Theatre Picnic - for all new Theatre pupils and their families- Adaptation and Bilingual classes

Saturday 30th August, 12h-14h30

You and your children are invited to attend a casual ‘bring your own’ picnic on: Saturday August 30, 2008 (raindate Sunday August 31, 2008) from: 12h-14h30.
The children will be grouped into their new classes and there will be a team of EABJM Peer Leaders (High School Seniors - 16-17yr olds) who will organise ‘getting to know you’ games and answer their questions.  The idea is to give the children a chance to meet class mates before starting school and to give you the chance to meet each other, network and ask questions of existing parents.
Location: in front of the glass peace memorial in the Champs de Mars park, in the 15th.  The peace memorial is a large glass building at the Ecole Militaire end of the champs, away from the Eiffel Tower.  Peer Leaders will wear bright T Shirts marked ‘Demandez-moi’/ ‘Ask Me’.
What to bring: Please pack your child’s picnic separately from your own so that s/he can eat with the peer leaders and their new class mates.  Bring a rug to sit on, lots of liquids and a hat if it’s hot.
Dress: very casual.

Dupleix & Suffren Picnic - for all new Dupleix and Suffren pupils and their families

Saturday 30th August, 16h-18h

You and your children are invited to attend a casual ‘bring your own’ picnic on: Saturday August 30, 2008 (raindate Sunday August 31, 2008) from: 16h-18h.
The children will be grouped into their new classes and there will be a team of EABJM senior students (15-17yr olds) who will play games with them and help them get to know each other.  The atmosphere will be very informal and no one shy will be forced to participate or to separate from their parents!  The idea is to give the children a chance to meet a few class mates before starting school and to give you the chance to meet each other, network and ask questions of existing parents.
Location: in front of the glass peace memorial in the champs de mars, near school in the 15th.  The peace memorial is a large glass building at the Ecole Militaire end of the champs, away from the Eiffel Tower.  Look for the PiA team in their brightly coloured T Shirts.
What to bring: Bring a rug to sit on, a snack and a drink and a hat if it’s hot.
Dress: very casual.

EABJM Parent Partners help welcome new parents to the school and to Paris.  This summer, we have already paired more than 100 new families with our multinational team of ‘old’ parents.  They offer a friendly contact to help new parents settle into the school and are happy to answer questions; from the philosophical to the practical. 
 
If you would like to benefit from this welcome service.  Please download the parent partner form (below) and email it to Monique O’Neill stating your child’s name and class, your preferred language of communication and other languages spoken.  If you add in the number of your arrondisement, we will try, where possible, to partner you with someone who lives nearby.  Please note that over the summer holidays there may be a short delay before you receive a reply.
 

For Current Parents:
If you would like to help extend a welcome to a new family, please email Monique O’Neill stating the ages/classes of your children, their EABJM établissement and the languages that you speak.

 

We operate five different French/English conversation groups (45 minutes French followed by 45 minutes English) that meet once a week, rotating around member’s homes.  This has proved to be a rewarding way to practise language skills whilst making friends and discussing a very wide range of topics.
You can choose from:
Monday mornings:  9h30 - 11h30
or

Tuesday mornings:  9h30 - 11h30

If you are interested in joining a group next year, please contact The PiA conversation group team  with your preferred day (Monday or Tues am ) and your level of French/English (Mother tongue, advanced, intermediate, beginner).
All levels and nationalities welcome.

 

In addition to parent partnering, PiA organizes a student-to-student initiative, Peer Leadership, to help students new to EABJM adapt quicker and more easily to EABJM and life in Paris and to build and foster community between the different language groups at EABJM. Teams of dynamic, multilingual Peer Leaders, chosen from the Premiere and terminal (senior) classes, organise the welcome picnics, offer pre-starting school email contact for any questions and then follow up/  mentor new students for the first few months of school.  Peer Leaders will earn CAS (Community, Action, Service) credit for their service to the school.
Contact  Mary Carey for more information about Peer Leadership or to find out how to become a Peer Leader.

Peer Leaders Welcome Picnic, Saturday 1st September

The Peer Leaders (IB students) organised the second  EABJM new families welcome picnic this year, 3 days before term started.  There was a tremendous turnout of new families and the weather, which had been grey earlier in the week, stayed mercifully clear. 
The Peer Leaders, easily identifiable in their orange ‘Demande moi/ ask me’ T Shirts, grouped together the new children into their classes and then played getting to know you games and talked through what they could expect to happen on the first few days of school.  The younger groups then played a massive game of football whilst the older students plied their peer leaders with even more questions.
The new parents, their kids taken care of, took the opportunity to sit back and enjoy their picnics and meet other parents. 
By the end of the afternoon, all the kids had made new friends and appeared to be feeling much more positive about starting school – a great new initiative from the Peer Leaders!

Walk in the Forest of Verrières/ Park of Sceaux

Thursday 4th May found the PiA walking group, for the second time, out on a ramble under the welcome and professional leadership of Monique.  In total, we were 15, of all nationalities (6 French, 2 English, 1 Japanese, 1 Italian, 1 Portuguese, 2 Canadian and 2 American)

The weather was exceptional with holiday-like temperatures but with a slight haze that protected us from sun burn.  After a quick RER journey, only 10Km from Paris, we found ourselves in the middle of nature with, for music, the sounds of birds, and for perfume, that suggested by the beautiful blue bells in the woods.

On the Programme: 14km of walking, firstly along the Bièvre, a little stream that runs to Paris, in the Forest of Verrières, with several stops to enjoy Monique’s knowledgeable commentary.  We stopped for a picnic lunch next to the ‘Ruisseau de Godets’ and then followed the ‘Coulée Verte’ to the Parc de Sceaux where we followed shaded alleys, admired the french gardens that surround the Chateau of Sceaux and even managed a quick cultural visit to the Chateau.
We made notes to return with our families; if you’d like to profit from these tips, don’t hesitate to contact us!

In summary, no snags on this delightful day: the languages made good progress, in English and in French (we improve our linguistic competences as well as improving our physical endurance!), the return journey was completed (as planned) in good time to permit those who needed to pick up children to do so without stress.
Actually, there was a little breakdown – Suzanne’s shoes, which were repaired thanks to the spirit of resourcefulness of her companions.  We were thus able to appreciate, in adversity, the qualities of courage and tenacity of the victim, the scouting spirit of some and the unsuspected resources of others!

We have only one desire: to depart as soon as possible to escape again, for new horizons!                          Françoise Cabane

17th October, 2006,Walking about the Revolution...

Precisely who were the « sans culottes » ? Who invented the guillotine, who promoted it and why ? Where can you see an original guillotine today? How many prisoners were in the Bastille when it was stormed? Why did Marat die in his bath and where is it now? Where can you find an original metre measurement and what other metrification did the revolutionaries try to introduce? These are some of the fascinating questions answered by Brad Newfield on our French Revolution walk on 17 October. Starting under the statue of Danton and ending under the shadow of Notre Dame, a lively bunch of parents enjoyed a sunny walk while learning about the Revolution. We then relaxed over lunch at the Cafe Panis to chat with old and new friends!

 

8th June, 2006, PiA end of year Pot luck lunch

Over 40 "Partners in Adaptation" mothers (and me - one father) gathered at the beautiful home and garden of fellow parent Rachel Skingsley in Autueil.  The weather cooperated with near-30C temperatures and bright sunshine.  The RATP strike slowed our start, but by 13h30 the bounty of potluck dishes had arrived.  The anglophone and francophone parents mingled over appetizers and Pimms, with old friends trading updates and eagerly introducing the newer parents. Many of us had participated in PiA activities during the year, ranging from randonnées to conversation groups, guided tours to elegant dinners.  Before lunch, Rachel thanked the many intrepid organizers of the year's events. We continued conversations over lunch and didn't adjourn until it was time to ride, drive, or walk to school to meet our children.
As the one and only Dad in attendance (at this and most PiA daytime events), I'd like to report that the Moms were all very kind and welcoming. Sure, they made me serve drinks, but it's always nice to be stationed close to the bar.  The "male trailing spouse" is apparently a rare species in both the francophone and expat communities, but any others out there are encouraged to join the PiA events, or to contact me, Chris Forinash

16th June, 2006, Visit to the Jardins de Bagatelle, Bois de Boulogne

 

From the Count of Artois to Napoleon III, from the Englishman, Richard Wallace to the city of Paris, the gardens of Bagatelle have grown and been enriched by the taste and ideas of these different owners.  Today, it has become wonderful place that delights the eyes of both young and old.  A visit to Bagatelle on a sunny June day allowed our PiA group to discover, thanks to our knowledgeable guide, its history and that of the beautiful, abundant roses, the green garden and the plant Alchimilla, the Iris garden and the story of the Fleur de Lys, the little chateau and the Trianon.
This fascinating tour of history and botany finished with a picnic under the trees near the wild roses.  So close to Paris and yet it felt like the country.
Christine Simonet