MS 256: ACADEMIC AND ATHLETIC EXCELLENCE
FRENCH DUAL LANGUGAGE PROGRAM APPLICATION
Please hand-deliver, mail, email, or fax to:
MS 256 – 154 West 93 Street, New York, NY 10025
Fax Number: (212) 531-0586
Email: jperl2@schools.nyc.gov
Applications are accepted on an ongoing/rolling basis
PART 1: STUDENT INFORMATION
Student Name: _______________________________________________________
Gender: ______________________________
Date of Birth: __________________________________
Home Phone: ________________________________________________________
Home Address: Number + Street: _________________________________________________________
City: ____________________________
State: ________________________
Zip: _________
Current School Attending: _______________________________________________________________
Does your child have a current Individualized Education Program (IEP)? _________________
Does your child currently receive ELL Services? ___________________
Does your child require a Barrier-Free setting (as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act)? ______
On a Scale of 1 – 10 (one being considerably below average and 10 being exemplary) please rate your
child’s fluency in each of the areas listed below:
Spoken English: __________
Spoken French: __________
Writing English: __________
Writing French: __________
Reading English: __________
Reading French: __________
Overall Fluency in English: __________
Overall Fluency in French: __________
PART 2: PARENT/GUARDIAN INFORMATION
I certify that all of the above information is true and correct. I understand that giving false information
will invalidate this application.
Parent(s)/Guardian(s) Name: _____________________________________________________________
Daytime Phone Number: ______________________________
Mobile/Cell Phone Number: ____________________________
Email Address: _______________________________________
Parent Signature: ____________________________________
Date: ______________________________________________
(Application is incomplete without parent signature).
Note: This application has 9 pages. All 9 pages must be completed to process the application. Upon
receipt of a completed application, a representative from MS 256 will contact you to schedule an
interview day and time for your child.
PART 3: STUDENT WRITING SAMPLES
Please respond to the following prompts in the languages requested. (If you are completing the
application electronically, you may write in the space directly below the prompt. If you are printing and
mailing, faxing, or hand delivering the application, please attach your responses on additional pages –
responses may be typed or hand-written). If you do not feel comfortable, or are unable to complete a
response in the language requested, please indicate (in your native language) that you will not complete
the section. No student will be penalized or denied entrance to the program based upon his or her
inability to complete a writing sample.
English Writing Prompt:
Why do you want to attend a Dual Language Program? Why is being bilingual important to you?
French Writing Prompt:
Racontez une histoire d’un voyage que vous avez fait, en faisant ressortir l’aspect drôle ou sévère de
l’histoire. Où êtes-vous allé(e) ? Qu’avez-vous fait ? Pourquoi le voyage était-il important pour vous ?
PART 4: STUDENT READING SAMPLES
Please read each of the passages below and answer the questions that follow.
Cousin Maurice by Nan Meyers
Janine was upset when she heard the news. “Your cousin Maurice is coming to Albany to stay with us
for a week,” said Mom. “I want you to be nice to him. He needs to get away, and we are his family.”
Oh, Mom is such a do-gooder, thought Janine. She was always trying to make everyone feel welcome.
But Maurice was, well… Janine didn’t want to think about it.
As usual, Maurice was his annoying know-it-all self, always correcting Janine and always acting like he
had all the answers. When Maurice told her that he had been to every history museum in New York,
Janine had to bite her tongue to keep from being rude.
One day, Janine wanted to go to the rec center to meet her best friend, Charise. “Take Maurice,” said
Mom. Ooooohhh! Janine wanted to scream, though she knew it wouldn’t do any good. “Come on,
Maurice,” said Janine. “We’re going to the rec center.” “You mean ‘recreation center’,” said Maurice,
correcting her for the umpteenth time.
The day was perfect, and the sun’s rays beamed down on the ground. Maurice walked besides Janine,
looking at everything with amazement. Boy, was he annoying! “Look!” Maurice pointed to the sky. “A
red-tailed hawk. You rarely see them near the city.” Janine looked to the sky and saw a strange-looking
bird drop quickly to the earth, landing in a nearby empty lot.
“He must have a mouse or something in his sights,” said Maurice. Janine couldn’t remember ever
having seen a hawk before, at least not in her neighborhood. “You know what’s so cool about hawks?”
asked Maurice. “What?” asked Janine. She had never thought about hawks, so she certainly had no
idea they could be “cool.”
“Their eyesight is about eight times greater than ours. That’s why they can be high in the air, or up in
some big tree and still see a tiny mouse from far away. They also can see with both eyes, like we do, or
with one eye at a time.”
“One eye at a time?” Now Janine started thinking that Maurice was making this up. “Yeah, they have
both binocular and monocular vision.”
That did it. “You don’t have to use such big words around me,” said Janine. “I don’t know what you’re
talking about.” Janine surprised herself; she couldn’t hold her tongue any longer. “I’m sorry,” said
Maurice. “My mom always tells me I do this, use big words to impress people. Let me start over. Okay,
just think of pictures you’ve seen of hawks. You notice how their eyes are set on each side of their
head.”
“Yeah,” said Janine. She had seen pictures of hawks, so she could picture what Maurice was saying. “By
seeing out of one eye at a time, they see two completely different pictures of the world. And when they
see out of one eye, that’s what experts call monocular, or single vision. But when they go on attack, like
that hawk just did, they have binocular vision, which means they see out of both eyes. That lets them
see things like we do, only eight times better. And that’s how they survive.”
Janine thought for a second. They had stopped walking, and were now standing by the fence next to the
empty lot. Janine noticed the hawk fly off, either having caught something, or having missed its target.
What Maurice was saying… it made her think. He was obviously different than a lot of her friends. But
he also knew a lot of stuff. “How did you learn all this?” asked Janine. “I read it in a book,” Maurice
replied. “You read a lot of books, don’t you?”
Maurice shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m an only child. Books keep me company and get me interested in
a lot of different things.” Janine and Maurice went to the rec center. Janine introduced him to Charise.
The girls talked about what was going on with their summer vacation, and every so often, Maurice
would interrupt them to talk about something that popped into his head.
Later that evening, Charise called Janine. “Your cousin is so… interesting.”
“You know, he really is,” said Janine.
1) What is the setting for most of the events in the story?
A)
a school in the fall
B)
a rec center during the summer
C)
a museum during spring vacation
D)
outdoors during summer vacation
2) What is Janine’s MAIN problem in the story?
A)
Janine doesn’t want Maurice to visit.
B)
Janine thinks her mom is a do-gooder.
C)
Janine wants to go to the rec center.
D)
Janine doesn’t want to learn about hawks.
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3) In the beginning of the story, why is Janine annoyed with Maurice?
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4) Which word BEST describes Maurice?
A)
Unhappy
B)
Unloved
C)
Outgoing
D)
Knowledgeable
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5) In what ways are Janine and Maurice DIFFERENT?
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6) What is the theme of the story?
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A)
Treat others how you want to be treated
B)
Listen when other people are speaking
C)
Always be nice to family members
D)
There may be more to a person than you think
7) What is the main idea of this story? Use details from the text to support your answer.
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8) Which of the following details would best fit with the main idea of this story?
A)
Charise is Janine’s best friend
B)
Maurice studies hawks
C)
Maurice likes to read books
D)
Maurice and Janine are different from each other
__________
« La Communication : Émetteur, Récepteur, et le langage »
Dans la vie courante, nous rencontrons souvent des signes ou des systèmes de signes. Les feux de
signalisation en sont un exemple : tout le monde sait que le vert donne le signal du passage des
automobiles ; le rouge au contraire marque l’arrêt des véhicules et la possibilité pour les piétons de
traverser la rue. Le drapeau sur la plage des vacances est le signe qui indique si la baignade est
autorisée ou non.
Ces messages transmettent peu d’informations.
Il existe aussi des signes visuels ou sonores simples : les gestes pour arrêter un taxi ou un bus que l’on
peut rapprocher de celui de l’élève levant la main pour attirer l’attention de son professeur et lui
demander la parole.
Dans les deux cas précédents, une première personne, l’émetteur, adresse un signe ou un message à
une seconde personne qui le reçoit, le récepteur : une situation de communication est créée, le message
est reçu.
Des systèmes de signes plus complexes ont été élaborés par les êtres humains pour que la
communication entre eux soit plus efficace, plus profonde, qu’elle ne se contente pas de transmettre
des messages simples.
Le code de la route, par exemple, est un système de signes visuels qui donnent des messages simples.
L’alphabet des sourds-muets, fondé sur des gestes, ou l’alphabet morse, qui joue sur le relief, sont des
systèmes complexes de communication. Mais l’instrument le plus complet de communication est bien
sûr le langage. Le langage est un système complexe qui s’organise suivant des règles. Il comporte le
lexique et la syntaxe ou grammaire. Il existe de nombreuses langues qui sont parlées par les différentes
communautés : parmi eux, le français, l’anglais, ou bien le chinois.
1) Où trouverait-on ce texte?
__________
A)
dans un livre de bandes dessinées.
B)
dans un livre scolaire.
C)
dans une magazine sur le pôle sud.
D)
dans un livre destiné à des enfants de moins de 5 ans.
2) Le texte de quoi s’agit-il? C’est à dire, quelle est l’idée principale du texte?
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3) Vous avez lu qu’il existe plusieurs formes de communication. Nommez au moins 3 formes de
communication.
a) ______________________________________
b) ______________________________________
c) ______________________________________
4) Selon le texte, il doit y avoir deux choses pour créer « une situation de communication. » Quels
sont ces deux éléments?
a) ________________________________
b) _______________________________
5) On transmet souvent des messages sans devoir utiliser des mots. Par exemple, la main levée à
l’école signifie à l’enseignant que l’élève a une question. Pensez d’une autre situation (à la maison, à
l’école, ou ailleurs) où vous transmettez un message en utilisant un geste ou un signe. Décrivez le
geste ou le signe, et dites ce qu’il signifie.
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6) Selon le texte, lequel n’est pas considéré un système complexe de communication? __________
A) le langage
B) les feux de signalisation (vert, jaune, rouge)
C) l’alphabet des sourds-muets
D) l’alphabet morse
If there is anything else you would like to share with the Admissions Committee, please do so below :
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