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Our
school is a two-story building on a two-acre site. Half of the building
and the land is owned by the Township of Lower Merion and houses the
Bala Cynwyd Public Library, which our students can access from the inside
of the building. The other half is owned by the French International
School of Philadelphia and houses the school. Since the property that
the school purchased was built in the '70s to house an elementary school
with an enrollment of 250 students, it was already equipped with all
the necessary amenities. The ground floor includes four spacious and
bright classrooms, and a large multipurpose room which is used as a
gym, cafeteria, and assembly room and which is equipped with a professional
sound system. This multipurpose room can be divided into two smaller
rooms by a folding partition. The second floor includes nine bright
and comfortable classrooms, our music and science room, our technology
lab, our French resource center, our faculty room, and our office suite
for our administrative staff.
We recently developed a technology plan which led to the cabling of
the entire building and the installation of a network, connecting each
classroom to the internet via two new iMAC computers and providing telecommunication
services to all functions of the school. The technology lab, fully networked,
includes 8 new iMac computers with CD Rom and DVD capability and a server
station with full access to the internet. The computers are set up in
two clusters, which provide eight workstations. In our French resource
center, our students have access to a large collection of French books
for children and resources and can make worldwide connections through
the internet.
The French International School of Philadelphia, which houses our pre-kindergarten
to eighth grades, is conveniently located at 150 North Highland Avenue,
in Bala Cynwyd, on the Main Line, less than 20 minutes away from center
city Philadelphia. It is immersed in an academically and culturally
rich environment which enhances EFIP's program. Our immediate neighbors
include three prestigious independent schools, Saint-Joseph University,
and the Barnes Foundation. The outdoor space includes a fenced-in young children play area which is equipped with a new climbing structure and play equipment, a junior play area, a playing field, and a paved play area. Our ground floor classrooms have direct access to our young children's playground through doors that are kept locked from the outside during the day. The front door is monitored by our receptionist whose office is located in the entrance lobby.
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