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An annual AATF springtime tradition, la Réunion Printanière is a not-to-miss event for CT French teachers.
This year, join your local colleagues for a screening and interactive professional development workshop centered on the award-winning animated film Linda veut du poulet, a very colorful story of family, protest, and a very important chicken (Trailer HERE.) This Réunion Printanière event begins with a fabulous North-African-inspired buffet lunch, time to meet-and-greet other French teacher colleagues, and an informal pre-viewing discussion. Lunch is followed by a full viewing of the film and a hands-on workshop presented by AATF-CT Comité Exécutif members, exploring how to use this movie in your French classroom to teach language, culture, and visual storytelling.
As an added fun bonus, your ticket cost will be 100% allocated to academic prize money for SCSU French students.
Only $20 for active AATF members!
($40 for non-members, or click HERE to join or renew.)
Two steps to RSVP:
1. Email Dr. Luke Eilderts to say you are coming: eildertsl1@southernct.edu (or with questions).
2. Pay via yellow buttons at right.
The event will be held at the Adanti Student Center, on the campus of Southern CT State University,
at 345 Fitch St., New Haven.
AATF MEMBERS: $20
Non-MEMBERS: $40
The AATF-Connecticut’s FREE singing competition
for French students is back for 2025!
Deadline for video submissions:
Wednesday, April 30th, 8:00 pm EST
“Alors, on chante!” is an opportunity for your French students to sing a song “en français” and win glory...and trophies or certificates.
Simply submit a video of your students singing in French, whether filmed in class or anywhere, and that’s all there is to it!
• All types of French-language songs are welcome.
• CT French students of any level are welcome to participate.
• Solo acts, small groups, or large groups are all welcome.
• To submit videos, teachers must be active/paid members of the AATF for calendar year 2025.
(Membership can be checked/renewed HERE.)
This year, the judges will follow the rubric below. We anticipate selecting a winner and honorable mention for “La video la plus réussie” for each group size and school category (ex. small/elementary; large/high school, etc.).
Some additional guidelines from the judging panel:
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Clips must be between 1 and 4 minutes long.
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Emotion and enthusiasm are encouraged.
Winners will be notified by mid-May.
Questions can be sent to: Laura Longacre - laura.longacre@cheshireacademy.org
Recent past EVENTS below:
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French & Québécois
Cooking Workshop
Feb. 2025
A lucky group of a dozen AATF members gathered again at Newbrook Kitchen in Cheshire for a magical evening of cooking, sharing, and conviviality.
Chef Danielle got all attendees involved in preparing a fantastic French meal, featuring classic dishes from France and Québec, including a homemade poutine and delicious clafoutis aux cerises.
Newbrook Kitchen is a delightful supper club that we encourage you to check out!
Fall Meeting
and Atelier
Oct. 2024
A group of local French teachers met up at Cheshire Academy for a fun fall event and workshop.
AATF-CT President Jon Shee presented a session called "Leveling-Up Your Intro-Level French Classes," which was followed by a lively discussion and Q and A session.
AATF-CT Comité Exécutif member and longtime French teacher at Cheshire Academy Laura Longacre organized a super evening with delicious food and drink in a perfect, cozy setting.
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Rentrée Gathering
Sep. 2024
French teachers met in two different locations in Connecticut simultaneously (Hartford and Norwalk) for our annual Rentrée Gathering.
Free food and drinks were enjoyed as new friends were made and ideas for the upcoming school year were shared.
Réunion
Printanière
May 2024
A crew of enthusiastic French teachers from around the state gathered in West Hartford at Avert Brasserie for a super afternoon of food, drink, networking, and learning.
AATF Comité Exécutif member Heidi Edel presented an interactive workshop as attendees were regaled with delicious French food, wine, ane more.
An annual tradition, La Réunion Printanière was once again a crowd-pleasing hit!
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French Cooking Workshop
Feb. 2024
A lucky group of a dozen AATF members gathered at Newbrook Kitchen in Cheshire for a magical evening of cooking, sharing, and conviviality.
Chef Danielle got all attendees involved in preparing a fantastic French meal, featuring:
• coq au vin
• gratin dauphinois
• crême brûlée
• homemade vinaigrette + salad
Newbrook Kitchen is a delightful supper club that we encourage you to check out!
CONCERT:
LeFLOFRANCO
Nov. 2023
1400 Connecticut French students and teachers came to the SCSU Lyman Center in New Haven for a rousing, interactive concert with Ottawa-based artist, LeFLOFRANCO and DJ Skorpyon.
LeFLOFRANCO was the winner of the 2023 Manie Musicale, with his song "Danser avec toi."
Students were on their feet the whole time, singing and dancing along with Flo, as lyrics were projected to help them get even more involved.
This National French Week event was truly EPIC!
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Fall Meeting
& Atelier
Nov. 2023
Teachers from all around the state gathered at Cheshire Academy for a fun evening of socializing, snacking, and learning.
AATF Connecticut Comité Exécutif members Laura Faga, Melissa Tubbs, and Ally Cianci presented an engaging presentation with activities and strategies for developing interpersonal skills in the French classroom.
Rentrée
Gathering
Sept. 2023
A longtime tradition in the AATF Connecticut, we kick off each school year with a fun gathering of friends, colleagues, drinks, and food.
This year, in order to make the event as accessible as possible to all French teachers in the state, we offered the Rentrée Gathering at three different locations, simultaneously!
Avert Brasserie:
West Hartford
Priam Vineyards:
Colchester
JB Percival:
Fairfield
Bonne rentrée à tous et à toutes!
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Réunion Printanière
2023
AATF colleagues got together in New Haven for a delicious, multi-course meal at Union League Café for this year's Réunion Printanière.
AATF CT Trésorier Evan Downey presented a workshop on student feedback and engagement and followed it up with a fun trivia game.
Vive la convivialité!
Atelier sur la MUSIQUE
du monde francophone
& Fall Meeting
A fantastic group of enthusiastic CT French teachers gathered at Cheshire Academy for a workshop on la musique du monde francophone, presented by Laura Faga and Ally Cianci.
After the presentation, a rousing Karaoke competition ensued, and the talent was dazzling. Great performances from many of our talented AATF Connecticut members showcased both their linguistic and vocal talents. Evan Downey won the competition with his enthusiastic rendition of a current hit by Les Trois Gourmands, "À nos souvenirs."
Want a useful trove of excellent French-language songs AND lyric sheets to use in class? Click HERE for our AATF CT Livre de Chant.
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Rentrée Gathering "Nord/Sud" • 2022-23
Our first Rentrée Gathering in person since the pandemic, this one was held in two cities simultaneously:
NORD: ÀVERT Brasserie • West Hartford
SUD: Hub and Spoke • Black Rock
Friends new and old from all over Connecticut gathered to discuss the new academic year while enjoying delicious food, wine, and cocktails.
Réunion Printanière 2022
Finally, post-Covid, AATF Connecticut French teachers were able to get together in person for a lovely luncheon and interesting workshop led by Trésorier Evan Downey.
Atelier Florian in New Haven hosted this delightful event, where conversation flowed and many of us got to share a table for the first time in years.
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Soirée Cabaret
We had a full house at the New Haven Theater Company space for our Soirée Cabaret, featuring "Si Jamais" - a group of 5 professional musicians and educators from Rhode Island.
Guests enjoyed delicious food and wine as they sang along with Victoria Richter to a classic set list of French-language songs.
To contact or hear the band, click mic below.
CLICK mic
to hear the Band!
3rd Annual French Hockey Night
with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers
CT French students and their families gathered along with French teachers at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport for a reprise of our French Hockey Night!
After the game, there was a meet-and-greet with the francophone players during which students could practice their French and get autographs.
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Atelier de
Chocolaterie et Vins
AATF members gathered at the beautiful Westport home of Comité Exécutif member Susan to enjoy a special evening of gourmet chocolate with paired wine tastings
Belgian Master Chocolatier Benoît of BE Chocolate provided an educational workshop about all things chocolate and led attendees in a ganache-making activity.
Paired wines accompanied tastings of the delicious confections as attendees got to mingle over charcuterie and cheeses.
6th Annual
Rentrée Gathering • 2019
The lovely Bistro Basque in downtown Milford was the location of this year's annual Rentrée Gathering.
Passed appetizers from the Basque region sated the group's hunger while custom cocktails and wine were poured skillfully by our friendly bartender.
Many new faces were in attendance and numerous ideas were shared as new friends were made.
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Cérémonie de
Remise des Prix 2019
Connecticut families gathered at Hopkins School in New Haven, where students earning medals on Le Grand Concours were recognized publicly for their fantastic accomplishments.
Connor Hartigan of Hopkins School accepted the AATF CT Tom Betts Senior Prize ($1000). Amelie Warneryd of St. Luke's School in New Canaan was the recipient of the AATF CT Alberta Conte Junior Prize of $500. Both students gave speeches in both French and English.
Sienne Moore and Sofia Mancinone of Shepaug Valley H.S. accepted the Alliance Française of Northwestern CT Junior and Senior Prizes (respectively) of $500 each.
For more info on how your students can apply for all AATF CT prizes, click HERE.
La Réunion Printanière
at Bar Bouchée
Fabulous, sunny weather and an incredible 4-course gourment French meal were the highlights of this year's Réunion Printanière at Bar Bouchée in Madison.
In addition to culinary delights and much new friend-making, attendees enjoyed a workshop on Project-Based Learning (PBL) led by St. Luke's School French teachers Evan Downey, Susan Sarrazin, and Jon Shee.
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6th Annual CT French Teachers'
TIP SWAP
An AATF Connecticut tradition, 2019 marks the 6th year of the Tip Swap!
This year, teachers from around the state met up in West Hartford at Àvert Brasserie for super wine, cocktails, and appetizers as they shared tips in an "unconference" format.
Topics varied greatly, from ways to incorporate technology into the curriculum, tricks for doing cultural comparisons, and innovative units using music and lyrics.
There were many new faces at this year's Tip Swap, and many new friendships were made!
National French Week CONCERT 2018:
Webster!
An AATF CT record for attendance: Almost 1500 Connecticut French students and teachers came together at Southern CT State University's Lyman Center for a rousing performance by Québécois/Sénégalais hip-hop artist Webster.
Webster got kids jumping out of their seats, waving their arms, and repeating refrains in French, as he shared important messages about believing in oneself, working hard, and never giving up.
Visit Webster's website HERE.
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Fall Meeting 2018:
Science in the French Classroom
Organizers Laura Faga and Geneviève Brand put together a fantastic set of presentations that showed attendees successful ways of integrating science-related themes into a French language curriculum.
Held at a laboratory classroom in the stunning Hartford Science Center, this event was full of information and helpful, innovative ideas for CT French teachers.
Jennifer Terni of UCONN also spoke about the hugely successful "UConn/Université de Toulouse Exchange Program," which is a 5-year program for engineering students and includes a full year in Toulouse, France. For more info on that program, click HERE.
5th Annual
Rentrée Gathering • 2018
Une belle quarantaine joined up at famed New Haven venue "Lyric Hall" in September for our annual Rentrée Gathering.
Guests caught up with old friends and met new ones while enjoying incredible food from Rawa Restaurant and drinks from the bar in the historic front room.
Then the crowd moved to the presentation space, which was an original vaudeville theatre around the turn of the century. AATF Comité Exécutif members presented a fast round of teaching tips and tricks, and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry expert, Howard Scherry, led a show-stopping discourse on the world's most beloved author.
Gina Reichert earned the AATF CT "Vedette d'Honneur" thanks to her enthusiasm for our chapter and the great work she does at West Haven High School to promote French.
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Réunion Printanière 2018
Bernard's in Ridgefield
Une trentaine de profs et un repas extraordinaire....
Bernard's French restaurant in Ridgefield was the perfect locale for this year's Réunion Printanière.
Lisa Urso was chosen as the most recent AATF CT Vedette d'Honneur for all of her enthusiastic participation in our activities.
A recap of the year's events was followed by annual elections in which Jon Shee was reelected Président and Sandi Van Ausdal was reelected Vice-Présidente.
AATF Trésorier Evan Downey gave a workshop on using embedded Quizlet codes into Google Sites for students to have an interactive experience learning various grammar points via digital or analog data sets.
Luke Eilderts of SCSU won our fun trivia game that wrapped up an enjoyable, tasty event!
Cérémonie de
Remise des Prix • 2018
In spite of a last-minute tornado (!), families and teachers made it through the storm to get to Hopkins School in New Haven, where students earning medals on Le Grand Concours were recognized publicly for their accomplishments.
5 finalists from the AATF French Cultural Trivia Bowl competed live for the grand prize of a $250 Amazon Gift Card. Matthew Ichida-Marsh of Greenwich High School was the winner.
Dominic DeMarco of St. Luke's School in New Canaan accepted the AATF CT Tom Betts Senior Prize ($750). Caroline Lauf of Fairfield Warde High School was the first recipient of the AATF CT Alberta Conte Junior Prize of $350. Both students gave a beautiful speech in both French and English.
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French in Louisiana:
Film "Theo's Choice"
Teachers gathered at Greens Farms Academy to view the documentary film "Theo's Choice" and then do a question and answer session via videoconference with one of the film's creator's, Thomas Cauvin.
"Theo's Choice," a 2017 film, talks about the presence of French in Louisiana, and how the language and culture of the Acadians and Cajuns have been both threatened by globalisation and emboldened by it. A resurgence of interest in French in Louisiana is linked to bilingual immersion programs in public schools.
If you are interested in getting a copy of the film for your community, email us at info@aatfct.org.
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5th Annual French
Teachers'Tip Swap
Carole Peck's legendary Good News Café in Woodbury was the location for this year's winter tradition of the Teachers' Tip Swap.
Delicious homemade food accompanied French wines and an unforgettable Elderflower French 75 cocktail as teachers and friends followed the "unconference" format of the Tip Swap. Guests moved freely through three sets of diverse mini-sessions presented by their peers. Myriad topics from technology to new Vandertrampp songs were discussed, and there were a lot of happy people!
Heidi Edel of Shepaug Valley High School was the second recipient of the "Vedette d'Honneur de l'AATF CT." An event without Heidi is rare, indeed!
Fall Meeting & Atelier:
"Le Parler Québécois"
Professor J. Vincent Morrissette hosted a fabulous fall meeting and atelier at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield on Oct. 25th, 2017.
Before the atelier began, members mingled, enjoyed drinks and food, and shared experiences about the start of the school year.
M. Morrissette, also co-author of the recently published book "Je me souviens," talked about his upbringing that was saturated with "le parler québécois" as well as gave numerous fun examples of typical québécois words and expressions and their origins.
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4th Annual
Rentrée Gathering
Fabulous French teacher colleagues joined together at The Library Wine Bar and Bistro in Wallingford on Sept. 26th to kick off the school year in style.
Cocktails, wine, and good times flowed as teachers enjoyed delicious homemade pizzas, apps, and conversation.
Jacqueline Munk was the first recipient of the "Vedette d'Honneur de l'AATF CT" as she has been incredibly active in chapter activities. On t'aime trop, Jaqueline!
AATF CT PAST Concerts
Concert avec Brice Kapel LIVE!
Almost 1000 French students and teachers from around Connecticut gathered in November at Pomperaug H.S. in Southbury for an interactive, music-and-dancing-filled concert by artist Brice Kapel.
This concert, sponsored by the AATF CT, was in celebration of National French Week. The Alliance Française of Northwestern CT donated and distributed hundreds of free French books for students as well.
Mr. Kapel, originally from Togo and living in France, got everyone on their feet as he performed original songs in French with some lyrics in his native language, Mina. Some parts of songs were enacted with sign language.
Students were taught the lyrics and melodies of Mr. Kapel's songs weeks ahead of the concert, so they were ready and exceited to sing along with him.
Lyrics and audio clips are available HERE.
Visit Brice Kapel's YouTube channel HERE.
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"Édith Piaf Spectacular"
with Mélanie Gall
Almost 600 CT French students and teachers joined in song at this fabulous event at Pomperaug High School in Southbury in celebration of National French Week.
Mélanie Gall, a professional singer who has performed in French and English around the entire world, led students in a lively sing-along event and taught them all about the many details of Piaf's life, loves, and music.
Participating schools received lyrics packets and classroom activities in advance of the event, so there were many significant "take-aways" for students and teachers. Students learned many classic Piaf songs like "La vie en rose," "Milord," "Non, je ne regrette rien," "Sous le ciel de Paris," and many more.
Click on icons below for lyrics & activities:
LYRICS: ACTIVITIES:
Molière Than Thou
(Official AATF-CT event for
National French Week 2014)
Almost 800 CT French students and teachers gathered at Pomperaug H.S. in Southbury for a truly entertaining live performance featuring Molière's greatest scenes and characters as interpreted by Molière expert and internationally-touring actor and writer Tim Mooney.
Students were called up on stage for interarctive moments of this performance, and hilarity ensued.
Teachers had access to many prep materials before the performance so that their students could be best prepared for the show. During the show, students completed a "Chasse Aux Trésors" in which they hunted for famous Molière quotations as Tim Mooney spoke them during scenes.
For access to "Molière Than Thou" materials, please email us at info@aatfct.org.
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