Our robots speak both French and English.
San Diego French-American School offers a robust and ever evolving STEAM program for all students, as early as in the Toddlers program and all the way through 8th grade. Subjects such as coding, robotics, and cyber safety are all part of the curriculum, which is created by our Director of Technology, in close collaboration with our French and English teachers across all grade levels. The goal is not only to teach coding, and robotics but also use STEAM resources to support and create bridges with our whole curriculum.
STEAM is an approach to learning that incorporates Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics as access points for guiding student inquiry, dialogue, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking.
Cyber Safety classes from Kindergarten through 8th grade prepare students to make safe and intelligent choices online and in life, therefore helping students take ownership of their digital lives.
SDFAS students enjoy a wide array of STEAM resources in our Innovation Lab, such as MakerBot 3D Printers, Ozobots (Pre-Elementary), BeeBots (Lower Elementary), ProBots (Upper Elementary), TI graphing calculators, Innovative Hubs, Rovers, a laser cutting machine, virtual reality headsets…etc.
Here are some highlights of our STEAM curriculum for each division:
- Pre-Elementary: students in toddlers through Kindergarten classes will practice early coding and robotics while manipulating our Ozobots. They will work on fine motor skills (tracing letters, shapes), counting, and creating art using the Ozobots. In Kindergarten, they will be introduced to cyber safety, and use the Ozobots to recreate stories and work on 2D shapes.
- Elementary: after 1st grade, students will start using the BeeBots to practice their mathematical and logical skills. After 3rd grade, they will continue with the use of virtual reality headsets to support social studies or science, and the more advanced ProBots to put their geometry lessons into practice as well as learn to code with Scratch Jr. Students as young as 3rd grade are also exposed to 2D and 3D computer aided design via TinkerCAD. 5th Graders learn how to code rovers to trace 2D shapes to reinforce their understanding of equivalent fractions. Students also utilize block coding to create 3D designs.
- Middle School: students use the TI graphing calculators + Innovative Hubs + Rovers to reinforce and extend their understanding in geometry and systems of equations.
AI Statement
San Diego French-American School (SDFAS) embraces Artificial Intelligence (AI) and uses it to strengthen its mission and provide a diverse, equitable, and inclusive bilingual education. SDFAS integrates AI to personalize students’ learning paths, allowing them to thrive in a culturally rich environment.
At SDFAS, AI-assisted tools are utilized in the STEAM curriculum, encouraging creativityand critical thinking while supporting cybersecurity and digital literacy from a young age through to the 8th grade. Upholding SDFAS’s core values of integrity, open-mindedness,
empathy, and resilience, AI serves as a catalyst for nurturing future global citizens.
At SDFAS, we employ ethical AI practices to ensure the privacy and security of each community member, fostering a collaborative and transparent culture that respects everyone’s voice and potential. Our commitment to AI allows us to provide equitable education, where technology facilitates connections and multilingual communication, as well as instills a lifelong curiosity and love for learning.
