STUDY AT ROSELLA HIGHTOWER IDC (PNSD)
a) THE SCHOOL YEAR CALENDAR
Students are welcomed into school generally at the end of the first week in September.
The holidays take place during the year according to the school calendar of National Education (zone B). However, students have only one week of school vacation for All Saints' Day (October-November), and one week for winter holidays (in February);
b) ORGANIZATION OF THE DAYS
• For classes ELEM1 to SECONDARY: school lessons take place in the morning between 8h and 13h and artistic lessons take place in a time slot between 14h and 20h. The students have lessons from Monday to Friday. Some Saturdays are worked (the dates are communicated in the corpus of the year). During the child's free time during the day (between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.), studies are carried out. Students are supposed to learn to work independently, anyway the staff is at their disposal for any help.
• For the preparatory DNSP / DNSP1 classes: the artistic classes take place from 9 am to 12 pm and from 6 pm to 8 pm. School lessons take place between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Students have lessons every Saturday between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. (times can be changed as needed).
• For DNSP2 / DNSP3 classes: lessons take place from Monday to Saturday according to a schedule communicated every Friday.
c) HOW MANY STUDENTS PER CLASS?
There is no default number, actual numbers are based on selection criteria specific to our establishment.
d) INTERNAL LIFE DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR
• The rooms
As a general rule, whenever possible, students of the same age are placed in room together. Two students who wish to share the same room can request it at the time of enrollment.
Places are allocated as a priority to minor students in the Dance-Study cycle.
• The surveillance
Children are supervised in boarding school. There are several scores during the day: when the child wakes up, when he returns from dance lessons, when he returns from dinner and then when he goes to bed. Each time they leave the boarding school, students must leave their key at reception and indicate where they are going.
• Weekend
- Children aged 14 and over generally have parental permission to leave the campus at specific times. They have an obligation to report their departure. Students are recommended to go out in groups of at least 2 people.
- Children under the age of 14 are not allowed to leave the campus alone. Outings are organized at the request of students on Saturday afternoons (cinema, swimming pool, shopping, etc.). The cost of outings (transport, outing) is the responsibility of the families. Sunday is devoted to homework and rest.
- Students can return to their families on weekends without any problem, provided that this does not disturb their school and / or artistic timetable.
e) ARTISTIC STUDIES
QUARTELY CHECKS, ELEMENTARY CLASSES 1 TO PREPARATORY DNSP
Classical dance and contemporary dance
Rating during the quarterly control:
- Evaluation by the teachers and the Artistic Director
- Appreciations given by the professor and the Artistic Director
Evaluation criteria for quarterly controls (all classes)
- Technical control, coordination, quality of execution: coeff 3
- Artistic expression, musicality: coeff 3
- Concentration and assimilation: coeff 1
Other disciplines
Rating and assessments given by the teachers and targeted by the Artistic Director
CLASS COUNCILS
For each class there is a quarterly meeting of the artistic direction, the pedagogical group of the class and the head of studies and head of school life. The case of each student is examined in detail in order to determine their progress and better support their development within the curriculum.
QUARTELY SCHOOL REPORTS
- Classes ELEM1 to DNSP1: Three quarterly school reports are issued during the year and transmitted electronically to families.
- Classes DNSP1 to DNSP3: Two half-yearly school reports are issued during the year and transmitted electronically to families.
- The school report is a photograph of the student's educational situation at a given point in their schooling. The objective of the school report is above all to allow the student and his family to be informed on the pupil's level, to situate him in the training course, of the way in which the teachers perceive his work and give written directions and recommendations for progress.
After receiving the document, you start reading the general evaluation of the quarter. It is a reflection of what all the teachers in the class think, the level of the student and his work. If it is generally positive, it means that the student is on the right track, if instead the tone is more reserved, we intend to inform that more commitment and / or different results are expected in the following quarter.
Another indicator is represented by the marks obtained in each discipline rather than the general average. Skills and progress are expected in each discipline and the results obtained in each area are important.
The votes for the exams are evaluated on 20:
- Excellent/ Excellent: from 18 to 20
- Très bien/Very well : from 16 to 18
- Bien/Well: from 14 to 16
- Assez bien/Quite enough: from 12 to 14
- Passable/Sufficient: from 10 to 12
- Insuffisant/Insufficient: from 8 to 10
- Médiocre/Mediocre: from 6 to 8
- Mauvais/Bad: less than 6
In artistic subjects, even more in a training path, excellence does not exist or very little. The vast majority of students obtain quarterly dance scores between 12 and 14.5. The scores close to 12/20 are a sign of modest results which should be reinforced to ensure a safe progression from one class to another.
DANCE EXAMS
The artistic disciplines are examined at the end of the year and evaluated by a jury composed of at least four members: the Artistic Director, three choreographic artists external to the school.
The students present themselves collectively with their class, then individually or in pairs with variations prepared by their teachers.
For DNSP Preparatory students, a classic class is presented in front of the jury. Each variation is evaluated with a note, for the classic discipline and the contemporary discipline.
The annual average determining the student’s passage into the upper class is calculated as follows:
- Average of continuous monitoring: coefficient 2
- Average of the final exam: coefficient 3
To progress to the next higher class (from elementary 1 to DNSP PREPA), the student must have obtained an annual average greater than 12/20.
THE PROGRESSION FROM ONE CLASS TO ANOTHER
The entire training course is evaluated. This evaluation quarterly checks / semi-annual (depending on grade level) rated by the teaching team and end of year exams, taking place in front of a jury of personalities from the world of dance external of the school. An annual reference average is established on the basis of the coefficients assigned to each of these tests.
This overall assessment determines:
- The transition to the upper level
- Repetition
- The radiation
- A special arrangement of the course of study
f) SCHOOLING
• Is the amount of hours of school teaching equal to that of a standard middle school or a high school?
All lessons, except EPS and Visual Arts, are provided for middle school and high school students and according to the same amount of hours.
• Are the teachers attentive to the particular rhythm of the students linked to artistic teaching?
The teachers are regularly informed of the fluctuations of the artistic rhythm throughout the year and are very attentive to the students and sensitive to their conditions.
• Does the distribution of school lessons during the week take artistic lessons into account?
The school planning is established by the CIV direction at the beginning of the year in well defined time slots, but they can be modified and adapted according to artistic constraints.
• Is there a school support system in case of difficulty?
Hours of homework and hours of math tutoring are planned to supervise students in their work and provide them with academic support.
• Can my child choose any second language (LV2)?
- At middle school level, only Spanish LV2 is proposed. However, if the student wishes to choose another language, he can request it directly from the principal, and if accepted, it will be possible to take the correspondence course "CNED".
- At high school level, Spanish and Italian LV2 are proposed. However, if the student wishes to choose another language, he can request it directly from the principal, and if accepted, it will be possible to take the correspondence course "CNED".
• As part of the high school reform, what are the specialties offered?
- 11th grade: foreign languages, literatures and cultures - English, SES and mathematics.
- 12th grade: foreign languages, literatures and cultures - English and SES.
• International students and education: the French language
School lessons are taught in French. In order to communicate with teachers, pass tests and exams, it is essential to be able to speak French both orally and in writing. To be enrolled in high school, foreign students must have at least a B1 level of French.
At the beginning of the school year, students who do not speak French will take a test to identify their level; those who do not have an advanced level will have to take French as a foreign language course organized by the school.
If the student does not speak absolutely French, it is advisable to consider continuing his studies at a distance.
g) SCHOLARSHIPS
The school can grant artistic scholarships and / or accommodation, only to students of the upper cycle - DNSP, on artistic criteria (the potential of a student to become a professional dancer) and on the social criteria of the student in the face of material impeding difficulties to undertake or pursue higher studies in dance.
The awarding of scholarships to deserving students is not automatic. Their allocation depends on the school's annual budget allocated to scholarships.
h) FEES
Please, contact the school.
i) DOES THE PNSD PREPARE STUDENTS FOR CONTESTS ?
Preparing for contests is not part of our educational project. In fact, to build in a solid and lasting way, students must work according to an adequate pedagogical progression, which contests do not always allow because they ask to focus on the repetition of variations that involve technical difficulties at the expense of global and harmonious development at a technical level. Contests requests do not always respect the specific physical abilities of each age. Despite the interest in the emulation that it can represent, we rigorously select the ones in which our students participate and in which the school is a partner. In terms of the level of the contest itself (we are looking for the best that can help our students progress) and the appropriate time for the student in his artistic and technical development.
In concrete terms, the PNSD is a partner of the Prix de Lausanne and the Youth America Grand Prix. The Prix de Lausanne is above all a prestigious and very high quality competition, open from the age of 15.
As required by the internal regulations, every student who wishes to participate in a contest must submit a prior request to the Director.
j) INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
International students admitted to the PNSD Rosella Hightower must complete the visa procedures in their home country in order to remain in France for the entire school year (for more information, please contact the French embassy or consulate in the home country). The PNSD will send them registration and accommodation certificates for their visa application file.
During the school year, the school administration will be able to assist students who will have to contact the French Immigration and Integration Office or the Nice Prefecture.