School News: 

To my enormous relief, the kids love their school Ecole Jeannine Manuel ("EJM")  

Each day I interrogate them but don't learn much other than it was good, they have friends and they REALLY liked lunch.  (More on that later, I promise)  Amelia estimated her french class has about 19, but they are split into a smaller group of 7 or so when they take English.  We had a quick tour of the school on Monday and met their two (male) teachers briefly (shook hands)

The morning is in french.  They are able to follow math in french since the teacher writes the numbers on the board. but they are separated out to be tutored while the other kids learn other things during the french hours.   The three hours in English seem to be dedicated to writing (dictation!) and math (again).  They have the RAZ reading program so they fit right in with that!   They have geography once a week, I think!  I can't figure out when science and history occur but I think it might be during French.

They have 15 minute recesses in the morning and afternoon, and a half hour after lunch.  The rec area has two foosball tables so  B splits his time between foosball and soccer.  Amelia plays tag with her new friends.  To Bobby and Amelia's relief they don't have to use cursive, as long as they can read it.
From what I can tell, they have art, PE and music once a week.

They came home happily the first day having each made three "EMT" friends.  No, not emergency medical technicians (my first thought) but "English Mother Tongue."   My cross examination resulted in learning that one of Bobby's friends is Canadian, and one of Amelia's is Croatian, while another was born in Paris and raised in Spain.  The more I press, the more Bobby gets annoyed "Mooommmm!  You don't ask someone where they are from!!"  They claim no one in their class is from the U.S.

Every Wednesday is a halfday (8:30 - 11:30)  There is an after-school program each of the other 4 afternoons.  The second semester starts Feb 1.  They are sending out an email today at 3PM, and it is first come, first served by email response.  (The kids are still in school so I have to guess what they want to sign up for)  Last semester they offered chorus, study hall, crafts, soccer, fencing, chess, climbing, pingpong/badminton and some things I haven't been able to translate yet.  Amelia is hoping to do climbing and Bobby is hoping there will be rugby.  It costs 140 euro a semester, per weekday, and lasts from 3:30- 5:30.

While we don't get MLK day off, the school has a 2 week winter break in February and a 2 week spring break in April.

The school drop-off occurs in the pitch black, which is worse in the rain.  The sun rises at 8:45 and sets at 5.  I am comforted by the fact we will gain an hour and 1/2 of day light each month until June. We have a manual transmission car which adds to the fun, because the drop off area circle ends in a steep hill, at the top of which is a busy road, which  innocent pedestrians  are trying to cross coming into school.   This morning, I failed to yield to a man crossing a cross walk because I didn't see him (TESers, people actually STOP at crosswalks here!)  He glared right into the car and Bobby and Amelia shouted "That's our English teacher!"  Gulp.

OK, sorry this was so long and I have no pictures of the school.  I am heading out for a walk so I'll send a picture of one of our walking paths instead.