June 6, 2025

Bonjour,

With our fast-approaching Carnival and other end-of-year events, this special edition of the school newsletter is in order!

Please find below:

• Carnival Admission, Raffle, and Lunch Tickets Pre-Order Link
• Volunteer Sign-Up Link to remind you of your role!
• Schedule of Events and Carnival Map

We highly recommend purchasing tickets online in advance to make the admission, lunch, and raffle process smoother on the morning of the event. Tickets will also be available for purchase upon arrival (in cash or via the QR code payment form at the Carnival).

Our school carnival is much more than a celebratory event. It plays a crucial role in our community building and creates lasting memories for students. We encourage families to participate and help us rally volunteers to ensure the success and significance of this beloved end-of-year celebration.

The last day of school (Tuesday, June 17th) will be a full day of school. It is also the rain date for the Carnival, should inclement weather require us to postpone from Saturday, the 14th, to Tuesday, the 17th!

With next week being the last whole week of school, how could we not make it a Wacky one? Please take a look at the schedule of Wacky Week just below, and be sure to pick out your favorite PJs to kick off the week on Monday.

Please read to the end to find some great dispatches from our EFDM 4th and 5th graders on their class trip to Montreal, as well as some more fun we've been up to here in Freeport!

Merci!

Emily and Willy

As always, please reach out with any questions! office@frenchschool.me

Upcoming dates to keep in mind

• June 2-6: Trip to Montréal - Collège Stanislas
• June 14th: School Carnival 11 am - 2 pm
• June 16: Café et Conversation 8:30 am
• June 17th: Last Day of School (full day of school, also carnival rain date!)
• June 22 - August 23: Bilingual Summer Camp
• August 28th: Meet and Greet with teachers, parents and students at 3PM
• September 2nd: First day of school at 8:30 AM

Please consider purchasing admission, raffle, and lunch tickets in advance! Your preorder will save time and help streamline the jobs for volunteers. Tickets will also be available for purchase at the Carnival (cash or QR code online payment available).

As a reminder, this event runs on volunteers! Please use the link below to check your role, reach out if you have any questions.

We kindly ask all parents to sign-up for at least one portion of assisting with the carnival preparation and implementation. Of course, signing up for more than one task is also encouraged! Merci!

Schedule of Events for the Carnival:

9:30-11:00 ~ Volunteer Set-Up Shift

11:00-2:00 ~ Carnival Event!

2:00-3:00 ~ Volunteer Break-down Shift

Special Activities to Note:

12:00- 1:30 ~ Food Available

11:30-1:30 ~ Face-painting, balloon twisting, wacky hair!

12:30-1:30 ~ Organized Field Games with Summer Camp Staff

Yearbook Order Form

The annual yearbook is an excellent keepsake for every student's bookshelf at home. With pictures from the classroom, playground, and various events and trips throughout the year, it's always fun to look back and see how much we've grown and all that we've learned in a year! The deadline for families to place an order will be Sunday, June 8th, as Emily will finalize the order on Monday morning.

Our lucky 4th and 5th graders have been enjoying a magnifique week in Montreal! After a warm bienvenue from their Canadian host families, students jumped right into city life—many even took the métro to school their very first morning! They’ve been fully immersed in the vibrant world of Collège Stanislas, a striking contrast to our small, forested EFDM campus.

From sightseeing and museum visits to classroom experiences, this cultural exchange is full of discovery, learning, and joy. Un grand merci to Jenny, Katherine, and Anaelle for chaperoning and leading this incredible adventure. We can’t wait to hear all the stories when you return!

We'll share the full chronicles and more photos in another special edition of the newsletter soon!

While some of the oldest students have been away, teachers on campus took the chance to take advantage of many fantastic field trips and learning experiences closer to home!

Riley and the 3rd-grade students enjoyed a visit to the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum at Bowdoin College, where they learned about navigation and Inuit culture. Riley also brought her class to the Desert of Maine for some fun in the sun!

A great mix of chaperones joined Fabien and Riley on a field trip to the Falmouth Audubon, where they enjoyed a guided tour and learned more about the birds and other flora and fauna in our home here on the coast of Maine.

This week, our 3rd-grade students visited Winslow Memorial Park in Freeport with Willy LeBihan, Head of School. Willy shared his background in geology with the students. They were able to explore clues left behind by ancient glaciers. Like little detectives, they searched the landscape for signs of the Ice Age, observing the bedrock and glacial deposits to uncover the story of Maine's frozen past. Their fieldwork connected directly to how, twelve thousand years ago, thick glaciers covered all of Maine and shaped the land we see today.

Please join us!

Willy LeBihan, Head of School

Emily Smith, School Director

Jenny Lemaire, Curriculum Coordinator

will lead the last "Café et Conversation" of the school year.

on Monday, June 16th, 2025 from 8:30-9:30

at "La Maison Française"

Come on over after drop-off; we look forward to seeing you!

We are excited to offer once again this year our summer childcare/camps from June 23, 2025 to August 22, 2025.

Enrollment is now open and space is limited!

If you are looking for a safe and enriching place for your kids to enjoy the summer, please join us! Mornings filled with fun French activities, and afternoons of arts & crafts, games, and plenty of time for free play, the Bilingual Summer Camp is l’ultime Maine summer fun! (Early Childhood children will be offered time for rest in the afternoon.)

Open to children ages 3-12.

Hours: 8:30 am -3:30 pm, with extended day offered from 3:30 pm -5:30 pm.

For a detailed description of weekly themes, please read more on our website!