KIDS NEW YORK - AUGUST 29, 2011
La Petite Ecole Goes Beyond Language Lessons
Immerse Them in French Culture
Parents who want to go beyond basic language lessons to impart their enfants with an appreciation for French art and culture as well should consider afternoon classes at La Petite Ecole.
Courses
include painting, sculpture, cooking, theater, and 
photography, all
conducted en français,
with an emphasis on the country’s traditions and techniques (souffle, anyone?).
Les classes are available for kids ages 30 months through 10 years and are taught by native speakers and visiting artists (the school’s founder, Virgil de Voldère, also owns an art gallery in Chelsea). For added authenticity, the program meets in a cozy uptown row house with decor that’s part French country cottage, part Parisian art studio.
Comment dit-on, “Sign us up”?
La Petite Ecole, 159 West 82nd Street, between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues (646-504-9694 or lpeny.com). Fall session begins September 26.
Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/20101005/upper-west-side/toddlers-learn-french-contemporary-art-at-new-school#ixzz11YDXFFOr
September 13, 2010
For more information, please contact Virgil de Voldère at info@lpeny.com or (646) 504-9694
For Immediate Release
announcing the opening of…
La Petite Ecole
a French language & contemporary art preschool
and After-School Enrichment Program
Admissions: NOW! Download application form online at www.lpeny.com
Located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, La Petite Ecole is a new preschool for 2 and a half to 5 year-olds, with an after-school enrichment program for 5 to 10 year-olds, combining French language immersion and contemporary art.
The mission of La Petite Ecole is to immerse children in French language and culture, and develop their verbal, motor, social and critical thinking skills through a developmentally appropriate, arts-integrated curriculum. Founded by Virgil de VoLdère, La Petite Ecole benefits from its connection to the Virgil de Voldère Gallery in Chelsea, by bringing in internationally renowned contemporary artists to work with the children on imaginative, hands-on projects. The school day is conducted completely in French, enhancing children's language skills in both French and their native language, and developing their "taste" for Francophone culture.
The after-school enrichment program offers dynamic French culture infused classes such as Free Flow Painting (Peindre en Liberté), Le Petit Théâtre: Dramatic Arts & Music, Sculpture Projects inspired by artists Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely, La Petite Cuisine for cooking seasonal French recipes, and Beginning Photography for kids and moms.
In September 2008, de Voldère launched a French dual-language program at P.S. 84, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, with support from the NYC Department of Education and the French Embassy. The artists represented at the Virgil de Voldère Gallery have exhibited their works at institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, Guggenheim Museum, Musée d'Art Moderne in Paris and at the Venice Biennale.
For more information about La Petite Ecole, please visit www.lpeny.com, email info@lpeny.com or call (646) 504-9694. For more information about the Virgil de Voldère Gallery, please visit www.virgilgallery.com.