Student Support, Advisory, and Wellness

Character Education in Lower School

The Character Education program is a key element of our Lower School curriculum. The basic human values of respect, responsibility, self-discipline and perseverance, trustworthiness, fairness, and caring are discussed and developed during the year. The program is integrated with our curriculum in the form of discussions, writing exercises, and books that promote happiness, belief in oneself, and being a caring, determined, and responsible child.

Student Support in Middle and Upper School

As part of a distinctively American education within a French public school, the Secondary Student Support Program aims to cultivate and implement best practice in independent schools in North America and abroad. Building on the Lower School Character Education and Life Skills programs, the secondary program targets wellness issues that accompany adolescence and young adulthood.

The Support Program encourages students to be authentic, compassionate advocates for themselves and their peers. We work to ensure that each develops resilience in the face of academic and personal challenges, and knows how to identify reliable resources when the need arises.

The program is based on the two pillars of Personal Advisory and Wellness Education:

Personal Advisory

Delivered at key stages of sixth grade (Sixième) and tenth grade (Seconde) by teacher-advisors, the program ensures that each student has access to a trusted adult and faculty advocate. One-on-one sessions are conducted outside class hours, and focus on overall wellness rather than just academic performance. Outside designated advisory years, students are encouraged to maintain contact with their assigned faculty advisors.

Wellness Education

The program’s goal is to help teens anticipate the challenges they will likely face at school and beyond. Topics include: bullying prevention, stress management, navigating interpersonal relationships, cyber-safety, and developing self-esteem/positive body image. The Wellness Education program focuses on eighth grade (Quatrième), tenth grade (Seconde), and twelfth grade (Terminale) but broad prevention topics are covered in other years, such as substance-abuse education. A twelfth-grade (Terminale) program discusses the transition to university life and adult responsibilities.