Hi, everybody !

I start this new topic, because the other one is already quite long, so it will be easier to go directly to the new messages.
So, as I promised to Karen, I will deal with school in France.

In France, you generally start going at school at 3 years old.
You then spend 3 years in this 1st school called "école maternelle"(I do not know the English for this kind of school, sorry !)
Then from the age of 6 you go to primary school, and you spend 5 years in this school. The first year you are in "cp"="Cours Préparatoire" (preparatory class), then the second year your in "CE1" = "cours élémentaire première année" (= first year of elementary class), then logically it is CE2= cours élémentaire deuxième année (second year of elementary class). Then it is CM1=cours moyen première année (first year of "medium" class)
and finally CM2=cours moyen deuxième année (second year of "medium" class)
I am sorry for the traslations but I absolutly do not know how to translate (correctly) the names of these school years of primary schools, so I hope you understand.

After primary school comes secondary school called "collège" in France, and you spend 4 years in the secondary school (from 11/12 to 14/15 years old) . The first year is called "la sixième" (the sixth), the second one "la cinquième" (the fifth), the third one "la quatrième" (the fourth) and the fourth one is "la troisième" (the third). You may have noticed that the years in the secondary school go from six to three, indded it corresponds to the years left before the (said) most important exam= "le baccalaureat" or "bac" (exam that takes place at the end of your years at high school)
At the end of secondary school there is an exam called "brevet" but it is not an important one, since even if you do not obtain it, you can still go to secondary school (it is a useless diploma)

After secondary school you go to high school, and you spend 3 years there = "seconde" (second), "première" (first), and "terminale" (final). At the end of "terminale" you have an important exam= "le baccalauréat", and if you have passed this exam you can go to university.

At university : you pass your "licence" in 3 years (at the end of the 2 first years you obtain a "DEUG" (diplôme d'Etudes Universitaires Générale= diploma of general studies at university), then you have a "master" in 2 years (and here I am, since I've just finished my second year of Master, but I have to finish writing my research paper = 120 pages are asked !)
After each semester at university you have to pass exams (a semester last 3 month, it is strange, isn't it). In my university we start classes in October, then the exams are the week before chritmas holidays and the week after, then the 2nd semester starts and it end at the end of april/ beginning of may, and the exams follow one week or two after the end of this semester.

Then if you fail at this exam sessions (december and may) there is a second sessions in june to try to succeed, and then have acces to the next year.

Concerning time tables :
at "école maternelle (from 3 years ol to 5/6 years old)+ primary school= pupils have classes from 8.30am, to 11.30pm, and then from 1.30pm to 4.30pm.
In these first years of school pupils work on monday, tuesday, thursday, friday and on 1week out of 2or4 (I don't remember well) they work on sunday (or wednesday) morning from 8.30 to 11.30

At secondary school pupils work on monday, tuesday, wednesday (morning), thursday and friday, from 8.00am to 12am, and from 2.00pm to 5.00pm.

At high school you work on the same days as in secondary school, but sometimes classes end at 6.00pm, and you can have some at 1.00pm (it is possible too in secondary school to start at 1.00pm)

Here are the major features of the french schools.
Is it the same in the US ?
If you have question about exams, classes or something else, do not hesitate !!

finally, here is the site I've created with the first pictures of my town. They are not great but I will make others, the problem is that everyday (since the beginning of May) it rains or there are thunder storms (I am fed up with the rain !!!!!) so the photos cannot be really great !
Nevertheless I hope you will enjoy the first ones
here is the link :
http://www.freewebs.com/for-my-american-friends/

bye
Pat

In the US schooling generally goes like this:

At age 3 or 4, students start out in nursery school (also known as pre-school). The purpose of this year is to prepare children for the structured environment of public schooling and for them to pick up on some basic social skills. Not much emphasis is placed on the learning of facts and figures.

The following year, children attend kindergarten. At this time (though my memory is not very good) I practiced handwriting, developed motor skills, and did basic mathematics. The school day for many children lasts from either 9am to lunchtime, or from lunchtime to 3pm. Some kindergarteners attend school all day.

Next, American students attend elementary school (also known as grammar school or primary school). Each year they advance through the different "grades" - some cities consider grades 1 through 6 to be elementary school, while others may only include 1 through 5. This is based on the size of the student population. All students will go through a total of 12 grades in the end, but the specific schools students attend each grade in will likely vary from place to place. Classes generally last from 9am to 3pm Monday-Friday.

After elementary comes middle school (also called junior high school). This was where I attended grades 7 and 8 between the ages of 13 and 14. Classes met Monday-Friday from 8am-2pm

Next is high school, which is usually four years of classes which prepare students for university studies. The four grades are 9th (freshman year), 10th (sophomore year), 11th (junior year), and 12th (senior year). Many of the classes I took at this time were equivalent to introductory-level university courses. Gym class (playing sports, swimming, running), orchestra or chorus, foreign language, mathematics, English, world history, United States history, economics, government, physics, biology, chemistry, and other subjects were all required. I was able to choose my own schedule in terms of the times and teachers I had. Classes met from 7:30am-2:30pm. During senior year, most students take the SAT and/or ACT - universities use your scores on these exams to decide whether to accept you or not. Most students will graduate from high school at age 18.

University (or college, as it is more commonly known in the States) consists of undergraduate and graduate studies. An undergraduate degree is typically completed in four years. It is possible, though, to complete it in less time if you take extra classes or attend school year-round. Students generally take between 12 and 18 hours of courses per week. Each course that a student takes must be passed individually, and course work can include papers, presentations, or exams. At the end of four years, students recieve a bachelors degree. Graduate school can take any number of years - two years for a masters degree in certain subjects, three years for a degree in law, five years to obtain one's doctorate, and eight or so years to become a medical doctor. It all depends on the field one wishes to work in.

Cheers,
Lucy