A WORD FROM THE LFLTA PRESIDENT

Dear Colleagues,

    With the September 11 attack, this has been the most upsetting beginning for a school year ever.  Paul Simon's op-ed letter (Washington Post, October 23, 2001) emphasizes "our nation's appalling deficiencies in foreign language expertise" and calls for more funding for the Defense Security Education Project, the Defense Language Institute and the State Department Foreign Service Institute, among others.  We need to be sure we do not go back to business as usual, putting foreign languages on the periphery.  In this time of national crisis, foreign languages need to take a front seat.
    The closing of elementary French language programs in Ascension Parish was a surprise move at the very beginning of our school year.  When funds become short, one of the first disciplines cut is foreign languages.  Given our need to set new priorities for education in the twenty-first century, we need to fight harder than ever to prevent the unenlightened from further crippling our nation.  Let's work together to do the best job possible in our disciplines.
    As many of you know, the LFLTA will be meeting jointly with SCOLT March 14-16, 2002.  A copy of the registration form is included in this newsletter.  This is the first time SCOLT is meeting in Louisiana in many, many years.  We want to put our best foot forward and show our regional association that we are devoted to our profession and interested in keeping up with all that is going on.  Please plan to attend this meeting and bring a fellow foreign language teacher.  This promises to be a very exciting meeting.  The theme is Cyberspace and Foreign Languages:  Making the Connection.  See you there.

                                                                                        -Meg Marshall, LFLTA President
 

LFLTA will host the annual SCOLT conference in Baton Rouge on March 14-16, 2002 at the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center located on College Drive and Constitution Avenue near the intersection of interstate 10 and 12.  Ninety sessions will be offered during the conference, including eight Best of State, five scholarship winner presentations, eleven workshops on Thursday and several special sessions concerning culture and foreign language programs in the U.S.   Five sessions will be offered in German, two in Latin, one in Japanese, and about 20 each in French, Spanish and general sessions.  The theme of the conference, Cyberspace and Foreign Languages:  Making the Connection, is appropriate for today's educators.   Greg Butler, Keynote Speaker, is a pioneer in the area of teacher professional development that integrates learning and technology.  He has worked as a teacher, principal, technology consultant, and university lecturer.  Mr. Butler, currently Vice President of Professional Development for SchoolKit.com, has received international awards for his motivational, "leading edge" work in training and ongoing technological support to schools across Australia, the US, and the United Kingdom.
 

    LFLTA is looking for dynamic individuals willing to invest themselves in the promotion of foreign languages.  Elections will be held during the joint SCOLT/LFLTA conference for the offices of President and Vice-President.  Newly elected officers will begin their term at the conclusion of the conference.  The positions involve two-year terms, although the office of Vice-President prepares that individual for the Presidency during the next term.  In addition, LFLTA is looking for a new editor or editors for The Communicator.   If you are interested or would like to nominate someone, please notify Meg Marshall at mmarshall@selu.edu. or 504-549-2152.
    Descriptions of the duties for each position are listed below:
The President shall preside at all meetings of the organization.  In case of absence, the Vice President shall preside.  The President shall perform such duties as set forth in the constitution:  call meetings of the Executive Committee, call annual meetings, exercise general supervision, make financial decisions with the concurrence of the Treasurer, appoint all committees concerned with the Association as a whole, represent the Association in all matters which concern the general welfare of the Association.  The President shall also represent LFLTA at SCOLT and/or appoint (a) replacement or delegate.
The Vice President shall be the presiding officer in the absence of the President.  The Vice President shall also make information and applications available for the annual LFLTA awards and provide nomination forms for the nominating committee for the next year's officers.  The Vice President is also to supervise the election and announcement of the annual LFLTA awards and will chair the committee on the annual convention.  In the capacity of Vice President, this person is also to be preparing to succeed to the presidency of the organization.
The Newsletter Editor will be in charge of regular publications (usually twice yearly) of  The Communicator.
 

CODOFIL Scholarship Program 2002
    The Council for the Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL) and the CODOFIL Consortium of Louisiana Universities and Colleges are pleased to announce the 2002 scholarship program.
    Each year, thanks to foreign governments and foreign universities, CODOFIL offers scholarships of 3 to 5 weeks for summer study in French immersion programs in Belgium, Canada and France.  These scholarships are available mostly to Louisiana teachers of French and university students who are majoring or minoring in French or French Education.
    In addition, the Foundation CODOFIL will once again offer 3 Domengeaux scholarships for year long study in Belgium and France.  Louisiana university students studying French education, language, literature or business may apply.  These scholarships are named after James Domengeaux, who was instrumental in the creation of CODOFIL.
    For further information, contact the CODOFIL office at 217 W. Main Street, Lafayette, LA  70501;  telephone 800-259-5810 or 337-262-5774; fax 337-262-5812; or email   codofil@bellsouth.net.  An application form as well as information about the scholarships, will be available at the CODOFIL web site:  www.codofil.org.

Future Foreign Language Teachers
(submitted by Paula Summers Calderon)
    What is the future of Foreign Language programs in Louisiana?   If I told you that at the present time there are three Foreign Language student teachers at Louisiana State University, you might think our future is bleak.  Last spring, there were none.  Perhaps our future is looking brighter.
    Two students in the fifth-year graduate program are teaching under Christine Renaud Merchant at McKinley Middle Magnet School.  They have already completed Phase I under Terri Hammatt at Highland Elementary School.  In August, 2002, Jessica Bennett and Ayasha Combest will graduate from LSU, each with a Master's in Education.  Ms. Bennett will be certified to teach French and Spanish in grades K-12, and Ms. Combest will be certified to teach French in grades K-12.
    Erena Messina, a student teacher in the traditional program, is teaching Spanish under Jeanne Jendrzejewski ("Mrs. J") at University High School.  Erena will graduate in December 2001 with a B.S. in Secondary Spanish Education.  She will be certified to teach Spanish in grades 7-12.
    As their University Supervisor for Field Experiences, I have had the opportunity to see all three of these ladies "in action."  I am thrilled to say they are all talented, enthusiastic, and they each have a great command of the languages they are preparing to teach.  I am proud to have Ms. Bennett, Ms. Combest, and Ms. Messina as future foreign language teachers trained at Louisiana State University.
    Teachers, I urge you to begin recruiting future teachers now.  My love for teaching and my love for the French language were cultivated in high school.  If it had not been for my high school French teacher, I might not have chosen education as a career.  Pay attention to your brightest and best, and encourage them to become foreign language teachers.

State Spanish Club Convention
    The Spanish Student and Club Convention is at LSU, Pleasant Hall, on Friday, February 1 at noon until Saturday, February 2 at 4 p.m.  This convention, patterned after the French Club Convention, is not just for Spanish Clubs.  The mission is to bring together all Spanish students in grades 8-12 throughout the state to participate in Spanish-related activities.  Students will learn crafts, songs and games from four Spanish speaking countries (Peru, Chili, Colombia and Mexico).  There will be a dance at the LSU Union on Friday night.  There will be skits and other opportunities for all the students from different schools to interact.  For those clubs interested in competition, there is a scrapbook and banner competition.  There will also be a written and speaking competition this year for those students interested in competing.  The cost is only $60 per student.  Price includes Friday night in Pleasant Hall, 3 or 4 in a room, dinner and dance on Friday, breakfast on Saturday, all materials and all activities.  A newly designed tee-shirt will be available if ordered.

ALCFES
    The ALCFES (Association Louisianaise de Clubs Françaisdes Ecoles Secondaires) annual convention will be held on Nov 30, Dec 1 and 2 at the Hilton Hotel and Towers in Lafayette.  This year's congrès will feature as always:  ice-breakers, regional and state elections of officers, skit, quiz bee and banner competitions as well as a "Rally" to be held on Saturday, Dec. 1 at Vermillionville where local artisans who speak Louisiana French will make presentations to the students entirely in French.  Students will have questionnaires to fill out and will receive an ALCFES T-shirt for their completed questionnaires.  During the entire congrès, students are rewarded for speaking French with "des piastres" d'ALCFES.  They can then redeem these "paistres" for prizes on Sunday morning.
    ALCFES president is Andrew West of Catholic High School in Baton Rouge.  Richard Guidry is the state coordinator.  Five summer scholarships to study in Nova Scotia, Belgium and France will be awarded during the convention.  For more information and to register, log onto AlCFES.org.

LA Consortium of Immersion Schools
    The Louisiana Consortium of Immersion Schools has been approved for a three year Foreign Language Assistance Grant to gather, revise and prepare curriculum materials for Social Studies to be used in Louisiana's French Immersion Program.  The focus of the materials will be American History and Geography as as las Louisiana History and Geography for grades 1 through 8 in French Immersion.  The philosophy of the materials development team will be to integrate French Language Arts, Science and Mathematics into the teaching of Louisiana and American History and Geography while centering as much of the instruction as possible around authentic documents written in French either in Louisiana, elsewhere in New France and/or in the United States.
    This project, names Project E.L.I.C.I.T., was introduced the last two weekends of October at the annual "Réunions Pédagogiques" of the Teachers from the French Community of Belgium on Oct. 19, 20 and 21 and the Teachers from France on Oct. 26 and 27.   The project required all teachers to submit materials prepared by them to be collected and published to be used by future teachers of Social Studies in the French Immersion context.

Scholarships Available for Foreign Language Pre-service Teachers
    Gordon A. and Mary Cain Fellowships are available to students who enter the Holmes Teacher Education Program at LSU.  Student must have already completed a Bachelor Degree in a foreign language before being accepted to the program.  Scholarships include $15,000 for fifteen months and the cost of tuition.   The Holmes Teacher Certification Program leads to a Masters Degree and K-12 certification.  The program consists of the following components:

• Students have a deeper knowledge of subject areas.
• In foreign language, the students have the opportunity to teach in elementary, middle and high school settings for the practicum.
• The faculty mentors, advisors, and faculty in the professional; development schools work closely with the students for an entire academic year.
• Integrated coursework and field experiences at the graduate level are unique experiences not found in other teacher education programs.  For more information, contact Paula Summers Calderon, Univ. Supervisor for Field Experiences in Foreign Languages, at pscalder@lsu.edu.

A Word from the LFLTA President

Dear Colleagues,

The LFLTA February 16-17, 2001 meeting at the Holiday Inn in Hammond was one of our most successful meetings in recent times.  I would like to thank all of our members for their participation and their enthusiasm.  You are the ones who made the meeting a big success.  A special thanks to all our board members.  Putting together a meeting like this is a real team effort, and we are fortunate to have a dynamic and hardworking board.  Our behind the scenes man who worked tirelessly on the program, the sponsors, the decorations, and every detail of the planning is Dr. Aristides Baraya.  We marvel at his energy, his endless source of ideas, and his attention to detail.  We can count on him to do a super job.  Thanks to him and to all of you.  We look forward to next year's joint meeting with SCOLT in Baton Rouge on March 14-16, 2002.  This will be a meeting to remember:  the first time Scolt has ever come to Baton Rouge!  Bring your colleagues.  See you there!

--Meg Marshall
 

SCOLT COMES TO BATON ROUGE

The LFLTA is very fortunate to have been chosen to host a joint meeting next year with SCOLT, the Southern Conference on Language Teaching.  We will meet at the Radisson Hotel in Baton Rouge on March 14-16, 2002.  This will be the first time SCOLT has ever met in Baton Rouge!  The LFLTA will sponsor two of the SCOLT workshops, and we hope to be well-represented in the sessions.  Our local arrangements committee is busy planning the excursions and certain aspects of the organization of the meeting.  The theme of the conference will feature technology in the teaching of languages.  Some sessions will take place in computer labs on the LSU campus.  We hope to have a great turnout from the southern region and especially from Louisiana.  We look forward to an impressive professional experience for all our language teachers.  For more information about SCOLT and this meeting, please check out their website:  www.valdosta.edu/scolt.

Call for Nominations

Elections will be held in the fall of 2001 for the office of Vice President and for Regional representatives.  These positions are two-year positions.  LFLTA is looking for dynamic individuals willing to invest themselves in the promotion of foreign languages.  If you are interested or would like to nominate another teacher, please notify Aristides Baraya at abaraya@selu.edu.  Candidates' names will be listed in the fall newsletter and elections will follow.  New Board Members and the Vice-President will be announced during the joint SCOLT/LFLTA condference in March.

A complete listing appears in the fall, 2000 newsletter with the following additions:

Treasurer--Glynis Davis                        Northern Elementary--Karine Dixon                Northern Secondary--Diane Jenkins
                  St. Joseph's Academy                                             1720 Spencer Avenue                                     P. O. Box 608
                  3015 Broussard                                                       Monroe, LA.  71201                                       Wisner, LA.
                  Baton Rouge, LA.
                  Davisg@sjabr.org

Center Opens for Ibero-American Studies

The Center for Ibero-American Studies at SLU will open in the fall of 2001.  The Center will be funded by the Embassy of Spain and will offer symposiums, invited speakers, videos, books and the latest pedagogical material.  Dr. Aristides Baraya has been named Adminstrative Director of the Center and Cheryll Javaherian has been named Academic Director.  For more information, contact Dr. Baraya at abaraya@selu.edu.

Dr. Fred Genesee Addresses Consortium of Immersion Schools

Dr. Fred Genesee of McGill University in Montreal will address attendees at the spring meeting of the Consortium of Immersion Schools at St. Martin Parish Media Center in Breaux Bridge.  Dr. Genesee has carried out and published extensive research on alternate forms of bilingual education for both majority and minority languge children around the world and is considered an authority in the field of immersion.  His message is extremely valuable.  Hopefully a number of administrators, parents, and teachers will come to hear him.  In addition, for those unable to attend Friday, Dr. Genesee will hold a question-answer session on Saturday, May 12 from 8:30-2:30 p. m. in Lafayette.  For more information, contact NIcole Boudreaux at 337-234-8289.

Language Advocacy Forum

The Forum is operated by the Southeast Comprehensive Assistance Center of the Southwest Educational Development Lab and is very similar to the former LAFLIN operated by Cynthia Toups.  The Forum currently links foreign language teachers via the internet.  If you would like to subscribe, contact rboyd@sedl.org or webmaster@sedl.org.

News from the AAT's

AATSP:  State Spanish Club Convention
The State Spanish Club Convention this year had 167 participants, almost double that of last year.  Next year's convention is Feb. 2 in Baton Rouge.

AATF:  Margaret Marshall has been elected Vice-President of the AATF.  Professor and Head of Foreign Languages and Literatures at SLU, Meg was a member of the AATF Task Force on Strategic Planning.  She has also served as President and Vice president of the Louisiana AATF and is the current president of LFLTA.

AATF:  The AATF will meet in Denver, CO. on July5-8, 2001.  There will be two pre-convention workshops on National Board Certification for Foreign Language teachers.  There will also be four three-hour workshops during the convention.

Scholarships:  Scholarships are still available from AATF and French government for study in France this summer.

AATF Pen Pal Bureau:  Contact AATF Pen Pal Bureau at Mailcode 4510, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL.  62901-4510.  Telephone:  (618) 453-5732.  Fax:  (618) 453-5733.

Liens sur le Québec:  Bonjour Québec.com  Site touristique officiel du gouvernement du Québec  http://ww.tourisme.gouv.qc.ca
                                   PetitMonde, le plus vast réseau mondial francophone des amis de l'enfance et de la famille  http://www.petitmonde.qc.ca
                                  Canadian Film Distribution Center SUNY Plattsburgh, centre national de distribution de vidéos et de films éducatifs sans but lucratif, http://canada.plattsburgh.edu/video.htm
                                   TV5, la télévision internationale de langue francaise  http://www.tv5.org

News

French Television Series-Two new series for high school French will be available for video taping on LPB, channel 27.  CLIPS includes five programs of 30 min. each and will be shown consecutively on May 21, 2001 from 1:30 a. m. to 4:00 a. m.  Funambule includes eight programs of 30 min. each on May 28, 2001 from 12:00 a. lm. to 4:00 a. m.

ALCFES 2000 Scholarships were awarded to Jennifer S. Fogg (Barbe High School), Monique Fournet (St. Joseph's Academy in Baton Rouge), Mary Hollis (LA. School of Math & Science), Megan Russell (Ruston High School), Elizabeth Saloom (Epsicopal School of Acadiana), Matthew Bibee (Northshore High School), Rodney Willis (Baton Rouge High), Amanda Mclure (Ouachita High School), Andrew West (Catholic High School in Baton Rouge), Yousef Zarbalian (Baton Rouge High School).

Louisiana Voices is a pioneering online education guide (www.louisianavoices.com) that provides rich teaching resources on Louisiana folk and traditional arts and culture.

Teacher News and Exchange

Margaret Marshall newly elected Vice President for AATF.
Carolyn Taylor-Ward Foreign Language Program Coordinator at the State Department of Education.
Valerie Matejowsky Teacher of the Year for Neville High School in Monroe and for northeast Louisiana.
Julie Scruggs' fifth grade student was the winner of the Design a T Shirt Contest for 2001.
Philippe Radelet has a recently released cd entitled Chantons Francais 2 with songs performed by Radelet and his
                 Donaldsonville High School students.
Christine Renaud's cd entitled Paris 2000 has a text of songs and pedagogical activities.
Amanda LaFleur's Tonnerre mes chiens has Cajun idiomatic expressions.
Thanks to Freddy Depues and Lauralie Munson for setting up the LFLTA website.
Pauline Ewing and Kathryn Moreau received CODOFIL scholarships last summer.
Dr. Charles Holloway was chosen Outstanding University Professor for 2000.

Elementary Programs in Jeopardy-Ascension Parish has recently eliminated elementary foreign language programs for all but two of its ten elementary schools.  Only one middle school in that parish will off foreign languages

Foreign Language Summer Immersion Camp will take place in East Baton Rouge at South Boiulevard Elementary School for K-5 in French and Spanish.
 
 

Journey LFLTA February 16-17, 2001 to Enchantment and Success Holiday Inn, Hammond Aristides Baraya and Meg Marshall are busy at work planning our next LFLTA conference.  Our theme this year of "Journey to Enchantment and Success" is meant to be inspirational. We are counting on you to lend us inspiration by attending the meeting, getting new ideas, networking with us and helping us to promote foreign language study in Louisiana. See you later!

    Four years ago I decided to facilitate a pen-pal correspondence between the fifth grades in Baton Rouge and the school, "La Cadette," in Boma Congo.  I chose Congo because it is the country in which my parents and I were born.  Since my parents continue to visit the country annually, they made a perfect courier for our precious mail.

    The purpose of this pen-pal exchange was multifaceted.  First, I wanted the students to develop a friendship across the sea, using the French language.  This friendship gave the students a purpose to study French.  In addition, I wanted to lead students to compare and contrast American and Congolese cultures.  Last of all, I wanted students to enjoy their experience.

    To begin our correspondence relationship, students in Boma sent us a video tape about their school and their daily lives.  Through the video, my American students discovered that the children in Congo speak French on a daily basis.  We then sent a video tape (in French) to the Congolese students about our own school and the fifth grade classroom.  Later, my students toured downtown Baton Rouge visiting landmarks such as the Governor's Mansion, the New State Capitol, the Mississippi River, the "Red Stick" monument, the LSU campus and its mascot, Mike the Tiger.  After the trip, each student described in French one of the landmarks.  Posters of these landmarks and French descriptions were sent to Congo also.

    This project was fantastic and very educational.  The Congolese students sent us a small handmade wooden boat to thank us for our handmade posters and the video tape.  I highly recommend pen-pal exchanges to all foreign language teachers and students!