Global Learning

Why a Global Learning Program?

Global Learning is a program of educational travels that from Primary school to LFSF High, allows students to enjoy the incredible power of bilingual education outside the classroom as teachers translate classroom learning into a rich variety of travel experiences. Students emerge from these programs with superior speaking skills, new-found confidence and knowledge.

Each educational trip brings learning to life, inspiring the next adventure. Each destination brings a new and different focus that aligns with the curriculum for that grade: History & Geography, Science & Technology, Languages & Culture, Sports or Service Learning.

The educational benefits are just the beginning. School travels generate memories that last forever. They are designed to foster student engagement and team building. Students who participate in educational travels often share how they had a lasting impact on their relationships with their peers and on their world views. Besides having the time of their life, students get to interact with people who have different languages, ethnicities, cultures, perspectives or religions.

Because experience is everything.

In line with the mission of our international school, a part of the LFSF Global Learning program focuses on languages. Living and learning among native speakers supercharges language learning and culture awareness through immersion.They make connections to everyday life.

It’s language learning that’s local.

Global Learning in Primary School

GRADE 1

Objectives: Autonomy/independence, Nature

Destination 2023-2024: Slide Ranch, Marin County (CA)

For their very first Global Learning Trip, our LFSF cubs learn all about what it is to be independent. This year, they went camping overnight in Marin County at Slide Ranch, where they had the opportunity to attend various workshops around farm animals. They milked goats, built land art, went on a trail hike, sat around a campfire, and explored their natural surroundings : the beautiful Marin Headlands.

They even braved the infamous Karl the fog and together with their peers installed their campground under the stars.

GRADE 2

Objectives: Physical Education and Nature

Destination 2023-2024: Happy Valley , Santa Cruz (CA)

Gr2 students from both the Ashbury and Sausalito campuses travelled to Santa Cruz to spend a couple of days in the Happy Valley center.
They enjoyed wonderful weather and were able to take a hike in the redwoods. They observed the local flora and fauna and were introduced to a rope course as well as a treasure hunt ! Our students had the opportunity to gather around a campfire where they roasted marshmallows and sang songs with their teachers, and they even ended the stay with a dance party.

This trip is also a good opportunity for the students to reinforce their sense of autonomy and independence while also remembering to work together and cooperate within a group.
Everyone came back from the trip, well... happy!

GRADE 3

Objectives: Environment

Destination 2023-2024: Camp Ocean Pines, Cambria (CA)

In Gr3, our students leave for four days to learn all about their surroundings. This year, they explored nature, though sports like archery and hikes, manual and artistic activities... they even touched snakes, accompanied by a wildlife expert!

This field trip is the perfect opportunity for our students to continue learning outside of the school walls, develop their friendships and everyday curiosity!

GRADE 4

Objectives: Environment

Destination 2023-2024: Grizzly Creek , Plumas National Forest (CA)

As per tradition, our Gr4 students build a giant Geodome in the forest. This grade's Global Learning trip is all about living as closely as they can to nature. Their focus is on learning about different plants and animals, their habitats and how they interact with each other.

GRADE 5

Objectives: Francophone culture, History and Geography

Destination 2023-2024: Quebec, CANADA

Our Gr5 students get to celebrate their last year in elementary school through an inter-campus trip gathering all students from both our Ashbury and Sausalito locations. This year, they went to Quebec, Canada, to learn, and practice their French outside the walls of their usual classroom.

Global Learning in Middle School

GRADE 6

Objectives: Inclusion and belonging

Destination 2023-2024: Tahoe (CA)

The first Global Learning trip of the year is dedicated to Gr6 students in September.

Our brand new middle schoolers barely have time to discover their new campus that they are already taken on an amazing adventure to get to know each other.

This is the stage where many new faces arrive at the school, and even for the ones who have been LFSF lifers (at the LFSF since Kindergarten) they may have been on different campuses, and not know each other very well yet. The 4-day integration trip to our beautiful Lake Tahoe is designed to help them better connect and feel integrated. They often hike together around the Lake perimeters, and gather back at the cabin for meditations or yoga lessons, and they even had a dance this year!

GRADE 7

Objectives: Music, Culture

Destination 2023-2024: New Orleans, Louisiana

The trip to New Orleans was an opportunity for our Grade 7 students to discover the history of Louisiana. They explored its music with a visit to the jazz museum and attended concerts in the city, as well as delved into its cuisine. During these culinary visits, the students learned about the region's rich and complex history. They also observed the street names, often French or Spanish, which reflect the city's different historical eras.

Visits to Whitney Plantation and the WWII Museum enabled students to enrich the studies they had done in class. These were powerful and moving visits, prompting a great deal of exchange between the students and their teachers. It was also a chance to travel back in time, sailing the Mississippi on a steamboat, and marveling at the flora and fauna of the famous Bayou—an entire ecosystem!

Students were able to enjoy a unique experience outside the classroom: taking the time to observe, listen, have fun, and live together.

GRADE 8

Objectives: Languages (Spanish, German, Mandarin) Linguistic Enrichment

Destinations: Spanish, German and Mandarin countries

German Option Students

From Bayreuth to Nuremberg, and onward to the snow-capped peaks of Austria, the Gr8 German option students immersed themselves in the culture and language they've been studying since 6th grade. Thanks to their Global Learning trip, they reunited with their pen pals in Bayreuth and spent the weekend with their host families. Alongside their correspondents, they explored Nuremberg, delving into its poignant history as a city profoundly affected by wartime bombings. In Austria, our students discovered traditional Austrian instruments, learned to cook Germanic cuisine, and celebrated a student’s birthday (Alles Gute zum Geburtstag Alexei!). The journey concluded in Munich, where they visited Nymphenburg Castle, the BMW Museum, and indulged in a bit of shopping for chocolates and Haribos!

Mandarin Option students

Despite encountering several challenges, including flight cancellations, an earthquake, and adverse weather conditions, our Mandarin option students demonstrated remarkable resilience and adaptability during their educational excursion to Taiwan. During the first two days of their trip, the students were able to visit, as planned, the most interesting sights in Taipei, such as the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial, National Palace Museum, and Shilin Night Market. Unfortunately, foggy weather prevented the group from safely flying over to Kinmen to meet their penpals, with whom they had been corresponding for the past year. They transitioned to Hualien, where once again, their resilience was tested by a 7.4 magnitude earthquake. They managed to evacuate the area promptly and safely, thanks to their amazing teachers. In the midst of all of this, the group still got to see Hualien's coastline and taste local cuisine before returning to Taipei, where they managed to recover from all their emotions. They explored Ximending district and enjoyed Dim Sum at a nice restaurant to celebrate a student’s birthday, and finally landed back in San Francisco all safe and sound.

Spanish Option Students

The Costa Rica Global Learning Trip was a superb cultural experience inland and on the Pacific coast of this wonderful, lush country. Students took advantage of their time with host families to forge even stronger bonds and experience authentic Spanish-language immersion. They report having particularly enjoyed going to their Spanish classes, learning how to cook, doing fun activities with their host families, discovering nature and going on hikes… they have created lifelong memories!

Global Learning at LFSF High

GRADE 9

Objectives: Geology, ecosystems, travel journal.

Destination 2023-2024: New Mexico

The Global Learning Trip to New Mexico offered Gr9 students an immersive experience in interculturality and multiculturality. Exploring cities like Albuquerque and Santa Fe, rich in Hispanic and Native American influences, provided firsthand exposure to diverse cultures. Visits to landmarks such as Carlsbad Caverns, Bandelier, and Petroglyph Park enriched our students' historical and geological understanding. Throughout the trip, students could enjoy various museum visits and fun activities like a Top Chef-style cooking competition and even got to reveal their inner creativity when they got to craft their own screen printed notebooks under the guidance of a local artist.
Across their six days out in New Mexico, our students documented their experiences through travel diaries, which will be exhibited in the school library for all to enjoy at the end of the year.

GRADE 10

Objectives: US History

Destination 2023 2024: Washington, DC

Our Grade 10 students visited Washington, DC as part of their Global Learning program, which focused on American history. They saw several emblematic monuments, including the famous obelisk, and admired the architecture of the Lincoln, Vietnam War, World War II, and Martin Luther King Jr. memorials. Of course, delving into American history also meant visiting the wonderful museums in Washington, DC. Our students particularly appreciated the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the International Spy Museum.

While Global Learning is a pedagogical project, it also provides the perfect opportunity for students to enjoy themselves and create fun memories together. They had the chance to see an NBA basketball game and a hockey game, and even went bowling!

Our students had a wonderful time, learned a lot, and their bond is now even stronger.

GRADE 11

Objectives: Art, Francophone culture

Destination 2023 2024: Tahiti, French Polynesia

The students of the Lycée Samuel Raapoto extended a warm welcome, greeting our students with music, dance, and flowers upon their arrival at the airport, as well as offering traditional Tahitian dishes for the snack on the first day.

Our Gr11 students enjoyed swimming on the sublime beaches of Papeete and Moorea, visited archaeological sites, a cave, and an Ecomuseum where they learned about various species and coral around the island. They also visited a belvedere with a view of a volcano, participated in traditional Tahitian and Marquesan dance lessons, and learned Polynesian songs. Special thanks go to the host families and teachers who organized this exchange with utmost dedication: Marouna, Ranitea, Sophie, and Lycée Director Belinda.

GRADE 12

NEWS & NOTEWORTHY

Benefits Students Gain From Traveling

Compassion

School trips bring awareness of how other people live and what other cultures prioritize, leading students to think differently about their own lives.

Confidence

Traveling and being away from home creates opportunities for students to be confronted with new experiences and challenges they will overcome together with their peers and teachers. They develop the ability to solve practical life challenges even in unfamiliar contexts. Their experiences and newly acquired knowledge will provide them with perspective and confidence making it easier to gain the respect of others.

Better academic performance

Research has shown that travel increases gains in academic content knowledge. It is also an important investment to enhance a student’s academic performance in the future.

Perspective and Individuality

New settings and temporary distance from home are great incubators for thought. New experiences will challenge preconceived ideas and invite students to open their minds.

Travel provides experiences that will likely help develop personality, sense of purpose, values and priorities. Discovering a new place is also a chance to discover one’s self.

Growth & Independence

Through the Global Learning program, students have opportunities to see what they are capable of accomplishing by themselves. Traveling allows students to develop themselves in ways that can only be achieved by venturing outside of their comfort zone.

Appreciation

Educational trips are also a chance to allow students to realize what they miss most from home and school. Experiencing another place and culture is an opportunity to appreciate what they have and realize the importance of the little things that often go unnoticed.

New Friends

Travels, through the exploration of new places, and cultural immersion, can spark new friendships and relationships that never would have been acquired without traveling. It will also tighten the relations between the traveler

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