Health and Wellbeing
At ASP, we believe that achieving your personal and and academic best requires a strong foundation of support.
With Guidance Counselors in each Division, College Counselors in the Upper School, a dedicated Child Safeguarding team, and a Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion task force, we are ready to support students and families, either through support services on campus, or personalized recommendations in the community. Caring for your child's wellbeing is our priority, both inside and outside of the classroom!
Thanks to our parent volunteers, new family orientation, and student buddy programs, friendships form quickly at ASP.
Before you even enrol, you will be paired with a current parent who has children in the same grade, and if possible, speaks your mother tongue language. We also have an entire onboarding program for our new families beginning with an orientation on campus.
New students are paired up with current students so that they have an instant friend and mentor to help them quickly get to know the school. Our student buddy system is particularly useful during times out of class, such as break times and lunchtime, as the new student is immediately included in group games and activities.
Guidance Counseling
Guidance counseling and care for the whole child take many forms at ASP.
In the Lower School, our Guidance Counselor teaches a social and emotional-focused curriculum at regular intervals during our 8-day class cycle, while also offering small-group learning sessions and individual care for students. Students in Middle School work directly with counselors when challenges arise, and learn important problem-solving, conflict-resolution, and decision-making skills in their Advisory classes.
Our Upper School students enjoy a focused guidance program throughout the entire year, which focuses both on the development of the individual, and the development of one's own understanding of responsibility within the local and global community. Leadership is an important component for all grade levels, and students in each Division have the opportunity to extend their learning into more focused roles and initiatives.
Staffed by our team of French chefs, our cafeterias provide fresh, balanced meals every day, for students from Grade K5–12.
While the menu changes daily, students have the choice between two main dishes (including options without meat) as well as sandwiches, salads, soup, bread, fruit, and yogurt. Parents can explore the weekly menu on the Parent Portal.
Lower School students in Grades K5–5 eat in the cafeteria, and can choose to either sign up for daily hot lunch, or bring their packed lunch from home. Students in Grades K3 and K4 eat lunch in their classroom, accompanied by teachers.
Middle and Upper School students can purchase food à la carte, and are not required to sign up for a meal plan. Healthy snacks are available for purchase throughout the day.
Child Safeguarding
The American School of Paris, in partnership with our parent community, is committed to safeguarding and promoting the well-being of our young people.
We expect all ASP community members including administrators, faculty, staff, trustees, and volunteers to share this commitment. We believe that our children have a right to grow in a supportive, caring, and safe environment which includes the right to protection from all types of abuse and other safeguarding concerns.
School personnel are trained and know how to spot signs of any young person in distress; they are confident about applying our safeguarding processes to intervene when necessary. Our child safeguarding policy and procedures are in accordance with the recommendations of the International Task Force on Child Protection, endorse the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, of which France is a signatory, and in accordance with French law.
Our nursing staff is available to support students and families.
From allergy management to daily medications, a scrape to the knee or an upset stomach, our nursing staff is a constant, reassuring presence on campus. Our nurses Betsy, Marie-Paule, and Sabrina are a dynamic team, ready to handle any health concern that may arise.
The team is available from 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, and on Saturday from 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. The nurses offices are located in Building 7 (Upper School nurse) and Building 3 (Lower and Middle School).
The team can be reached at nurse@asparis.fr for general questions, or by calling the Upper School nurse at 01 41 12 82 82 Ext. 510, or the Lower School nurse at 01 41 12 82 73.
