"Learning is at its best when it's deadly serious and very playful at the same time. When I say it's deadly serious, I mean that learning should be disciplined and that people should find ways of learning how to ask questions, how to think about evidence, and how to find the truths that are out there. That's a very serious pursuit. On the other hand, in every serious thought, there's a line of laughter." Dr. Sara Lawrence Lightfoot
 
Mr. De Clerck is available for extra help and conferences after school Tuesday - Thursday and by appointment.  You may contact me by calling 641-5116 x 2225 or emailing sebastien.declerck@venturausd.org.
 
Internet Links: English-Italian Dictionary, English-French Dictionary, VHS Foreign Language, VHS Home, Zangle! Student Connect, Zangle! Parent Connect, VUSD, California World Languages Standards, Cougar Press, California Ed Code, Les Amis Francais de Ventura, French YouTube videos, Italian YouTube videos, Other links for Italian, Other links for French, French and Italian Films, California Department of Education Budget

The VHS Film Club is a informal, unofficial gathering of VHS students interested in film of all nationalities and genres. We meet Wednesday mornings at 6:45 AM for breakfast, discussion, and film viewing. The organization is open to any and all VHS students.

The FPP was defunct last year. See Monsieur De Clerck in room 125 if you are interested in reviving this student group.

The Federation of Players of Petanque (FPP) is an informal and unofficial gathering of VHS students interested in playing the traditional French game of petanque, or boules. We play Fridays at lunch on the softball fields. Any and all VHS students, staff and faculty are invited to join us. Check out these petanque pictures from the VHS website.

THIS LINK DOES NOT CONNECT YOU TO FRENCH 3-4 INFORMATION FOR THIS YEAR. SEE THE LINK ABOVE FOR "FRENCH 3-4 (2011-2012)" FOR CURRENT CLASS INFORMATION. You may, however, use the materials in this link to supplement your studies of French language and culture.
Français 3/4 is being offered period 4 (with advisory on Tuesday and Thursday) and period 6 this year.
- Français 3, Français 4 is a fast-paced, multi-faceted, and challenging development of advanced conversational French and language, and an exploration into post-World War 2 French literature.
- It seeks to establish a strong base for early language development through near immersion in the classroom, varied teaching methods , class discussion and conversation, projects, tests and approximately 45 minutes of reading a night.
- The class encourages student interest in French culture through guest speakers, in-class presentations, music (Jacques Brel, Corneille, MC Solaar, Francis Cabrel, Emily Loizeau, Helmut Fritz), pre- and post-war French literature (Paroles, de Jacques Prévert ; Le Petit Prince, d’Antoine de St. Exupèry ; l’Étranger, d’Albert Camus ; and Oscar et la Dame Rose, d’Éric Emmanuelle-Schmitt) and films (Les Enfants du Paradis, Les Choristes, Une Pure Formalite, and Toto le Heros).
- The class incorporates internet-based research projects, CD, DVD, slides & overhead projection, as well as lecture and in-class oral exercises to achieve its objectives.
- The curriculum assumes mastery of basic French conversational skills, and seeks to introduce students to more advance grammar structures as well as more mature cultural topics (e.g. French literature, history, & society).

MONSIEUR DE CLERCK IS NOT TEACHING FRENCH 1 THIS SCHOOL YEAR. French 1 is being taught by his esteemed colleague, Ms. Terri Withers-Schroeder. The materials on this site, however, are open to any students wishing to further their French studies.

Français 2 is being offered periods 4 and 6 this year.
• Français 2 is a fast-paced, multi-faceted development of the French language and culture.
• It seeks to establish a strong base for early language development through near immersion in the classroom, varied teaching methods (including TPR- Total Physical Response- and TPRS- Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling), class discussion and conversation, projects, tests and approximately 30 minutes of reading a night.
• The class encourages student interest in French culture through guest speakers, in-class presentations, music (Jacques Brel, Edith Piaf, Joe Dassin, Hugues Aufray), and films (Le Huitieme Jour, Au Revoir Les Enfants ; Argent de Poche, and Entre les Murs).
• The course is not designed for any " type " of student, but rather seeks to accommodate all types and levels of learning.
• While the development & acquisition of conversational communication will be the focus of the course, students will also be developing French reading & writing skills.
• The course assumes knowledge of basic French conversation and verb conjugation, and seeks to set the foundations for a mastery of regular and irregular present conjugations, as well as serves as an introduction to the past, imperfect, future, and conditional verb tenses.

SIGNOR DE CLERCK IS NOT TEACHING ITALIAN 1 THIS SCHOOL YEAR. Italian 1 is being taught by his esteemed colleague, Ms. Aline Grossman. The materials on this site, however, are open to any students wishing to further their Italian studies.

SIGNOR DE CLERCK IS NOT TEACHING ITALIAN 2 THIS SCHOOL YEAR. Italian 1 is being taught by his esteemed colleague, Ms. Aline Grossman. The materials on this site, however, are open to any students wishing to further their Italian studies.

Le Cercle Francais is a club open to all Ventura High School students interested in French art, music, film, cuisine, and culture. The club meets every Friday at lunch in Monsieur DeClerck's room (125). This year's club president is Mademoiselle Jasmine Rodriguez-Sanchez de la Mancha.

Gli Amici Italiani is a club open to all Ventura High School students interested in Italian film, music, art, cuisine and culture. The club meets every Monday at lunch in Signor DeClerck's room (125). This year's club presidents are Singorine Anna Sever e Catlin Smith.

Honors French 3-4 Combination is being offered periods 4 and 6 this year. Get ready to read "Candide" by Voltaire.
- Honors Français 3, Français 4 is a fast-paced, multi-faceted, and challenging development of advanced conversational French and language, and an exploration into French artistic movements, history, politics, poetry, literature, and modes of thought.
- It seeks to establish a strong base for continued language development through daily discussion, projects, reading, exams, and approximately 30 minutes of homework a night.
- The class encourages student interest in French culture through literature, in-class presentations, music and films.
- The class incorporates internet-based research projects, CD, DVD, slides & overhead projection, as well as lecture and in-class oral exercises to achieve its objectives.
- The curriculum assumes mastery of basic French conversational skills, and seeks to introduce students to more advance grammar structures as well as more mature cultural topics (e.g. French literature, history, & society)

Italian 3/4 is being offered period 3 this year. More information on this new course will be posted soon. For now, explore the song "L'anno che verra" by Lucio Dalla.

Ventura High School
Sebastien DeClerck