October 1st, 2021
Bonjour,
It's starting to really look and feel like fall around school! A general reminder, especially for la Maternelle children, feel free to begin sending in an exchange of extra clothes to replace t-shirts and shorts brought for the warmer weeks of school. We'll be needing long sleeves and long pants from here on out, most likely. Also, please pack a labeled jacket or sweatshirt for your student-- the weather is always shifting here by the coast!
Read on for some exciting additions to our school curriculum and community in preparation for Indigenous Peoples Day. Also, be sure to check out the enrollment links for DELF continuing education, now open!
Picture Day was a huge success! It's always fun to see the new haircuts and sharp-dressed students showing their biggest smiles. Photos will be available via an online gallery for purchasing in a few weeks. Soon after these photos are shared, you may opt to sign up for Picture Re-take Day, which will be available for students who were absent Picture Day too. A date will be announced shortly.
***** If you would like to be invited to enroll in the October vacation camp for Tues-Fri Oct. 12th-15th, please reply to the following survey linked here if you have not done so already. Those who have expressed interest will soon receive the link for signing up!
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Indigenous Peoples Day- Monday, October 11th |
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Our hope is that with this Indigenous Peoples Day (coming up on Monday, October 11th), we can work to bring about more inclusion and diversity of perspective and experience within our small school community. Exploring ways to bring relevant additions to a curriculum is a never-ending endeavor; admittedly, this process is a long one, in conjunction with constantly shedding light on our implicit biases and acknowledging that we are not yet experts in teaching these concepts. Ideally, together as educators and parents, we can join the process of learning alongside students, and the additions we invest in each year will bring about learning long after a Monday in October.
In this effort, we are excited to announce that EFDM will be the host of a traveling exhibit from the University of Maine Hudson Museum called, "People of the Dawn: Past and Present". This made-for-school exhibit includes display panels showcasing drawings and photographs illustrating traditional life from 1600 to the present for members of the Wabanaki tribes (the five tribes of Maine: Mik'maq, Maliseet, Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, and Abenaki).
Also included are many hands-on materials: examples of traditional artistry in baskets, birch bark work, and other tools. Reference books, videos, and CDs also come with this traveling trunk of knowledge. English classes will be taking charge of preparing this exhibit in La Maison, and it will be available for all classes to tour and explore. We plan to also open up this temporary "gallery" for families during certain after-school hours so that the learning can continue at home. Please check back once we have received and prepared the exhibit for specified viewing times! "People of the Dawn: Past and Present" will be visiting us from the end of October into early November.
You might also wish to check out more about the Hudson Museum, including their online gallery tours and contemporary artist and Wabanaki elder video interviews.
Also, we recently added new additions to our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion section of our school library. The following list of books will be available to each age group at L'Ecole, to introduce concepts and inspire discussions about Indigenous cultures, peoples, and the complicated history of this land, Maine, and the United States at large. Many of these children's stories focus on themes of inclusion, empathy, and kindness. These books will soon join the options to take-home library selections, so you'll be able to read and enjoy them too!
In English:
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Call for donations-- Tools! |
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It came to our attention during the bike trip that L'Ecole needs to build its toolbox! Do you have any extra screwdrivers, hammers, or other tools that could still be useful in a new home? Please consider bringing your donations of tools and hardware to school for us to build our collection. A box will be available in the glass entryway for any tools you are willing to donate. Thanks for taking a look in your garage, and we look forward to seeing what you find!
We will also put the tools to great use for an upcoming building project. We are lucky to have a "Builder Papa Extraordinaire" in the EFDM family- and he has agreed to help our students build a Little Free Library. These free libraries, listed on a nationwide map, encourage reading for all ages! Thanks, Doug! (Papa to Noa, Tessa, and Nelson) - More details to come!
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Enrollment is now open for both our DELF continuing education this school year. Information, including schedules as well as enrollment opportunities, can be found via the link below:
Reach out to Emily office@frenchschool.me or Laura delf@frenchschool.me for more information about continuing education at EFDM.
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"Café et Conversation" sous la tente |
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This fall, our "Café et Conversation" resumes "sous la tente" each Wednesday morning from 8:30-9:00, and as long as the weather is cooperative! These meetings provide an extra opportunity for our school community to gather and share experiences. We hope you will mark your calendars and try to attend. As before, a theme each week but no real agenda, and last-minute drop-ins are welcome :-)
Wednesday morning from 8:30-9:00
October 6: Grande Section ~ Kindergarten with Victorien
October 20: Grades 1-2 with Elodie and Raphaël
October 27: Grade 3-4-5 with Simon and Alex and Raphaël
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Making messes and memories in Petite Section this week! Lots of artwork and beginning skills of graphisme being practiced by all. |
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Our long-awaited supply order from France has arrived! This means the return of "cahier de vie" for each child in PS and MS this year. What a great souvenir for the year, be sure to take a look when they go home each weekend! |
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This week, Victorien's class (as well as all of La Maternelle) got to enjoy some chorus time and further their musical introductions by practicing their repetition of sounds and rhythms, and learning some new French songs. |
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Elodie brought her students outside to work on their latest art project-- using a variety of materials and colors, they each created a beachy scene to give a proper send-off to summer! |
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Simon's class has been loving their latest art projects these past few weeks too! As well as the outside time with Music Mind games and Maggie. |
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During the next six weeks, l'Ecole Française du Maine's teachers will be taking an IB course online: Making the PYP Happen. This course is offered in French and in English, which is ideal for our school community. Congratulations to our staff on this essential first step towards the implementation of the IB Primary Years Programme. |
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Please find the most recent version of our school calendar here.
Upcoming dates to keep in mind:
- Grandparents Day previously scheduled for Oct. 4th has been postponed at this time.
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Fri. October 8th: Early Release, dismissal at 11:30
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Mon. October 11th: Indigenous People's Day (no school)
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Mon. Oct. 11-Fri. Oct. 15th: October Vacation (no school)
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Friday Oct. 29th: Halloween Parade!
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Thursday Nov. 11th: Veteran's Day (no school)
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Suzuki music lessons began this week for piano, violin, and cello. The guitar is also to come!
Please reach out to Emily in the office with interest, or reach out to one of our teachers below!
We'll work to get your student into the music lesson scheduled during a weekday slot.
Ben Noyes (cello) b9noisy1@me.com
guitar teacher TBD, with enough interest!
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Covid Protocols and Recommendations |
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To reinstate our protocols for this year, please be sure to familiarize yourself with the following presentation:
Download ==> 2021-2022 protocols and recommendations.pdf
Here is a summary of our 2021-2022 protocols and recommendations:
- We encourage all parents/caretakers/older siblings to get vaccinated.
- Masks will be required for all members of our school community inside the school during operating hours (teachers and staff, students, and parents, as well as vendors, volunteers, and visitors) and are recommended outside on the school grounds.
- Masks will be required inside regardless of vaccination status.
- Access to the school building is limited to essential workers and students.
- COVID 19 PCR will not be required before school starts.
- Domestic travel doesn't require testing either before or afterward.
- International travel requires testing 3-5 days after return.
Procedures if Someone Becomes Ill or Exposed to COVID-19
- If a child becomes ill during the day, they will be isolated in the room near the main office, and the school will notify parents to pick them up immediately.
- If a staff member becomes ill during the day, they must go home.
- If a child or staff member is diagnosed with COVID-19, the school will notify the entire school community. Possible outcomes include staying open, closing a classroom temporarily, or closing the school temporarily. Regardless, rigorous cleaning and sanitizing of the school, inside and out, will precede any return of students and staff.
Guidelines for quarantine after exposure to a person with COVID-19:
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Exposure to COVID is defined as having close (within 6 feet) contact with a COVID-positive person for a period of at least 15 minutes in a 24 hour during which they would be considered contagious. Persons are considered contagious, beginning 48 hours before exposure. The use of masks decreases but does not fully remove the risk of transmission and therefore is not taken into consideration when defining an exposure.
- If an unvaccinated parent is exposed to a person with COVID-19, the parent must quarantine for 10 days, consistent with state and federal CDC guidance. A PCR COVID test 7 days into the quarantine is recommended to help assure that an exposed person is not an asymptomatic carrier. The negative test does not shorten the quarantine period of 10 days per Maine CDC recommendations. Children of exposed parents do not need to quarantine UNLESS the parent develops symptoms or tests positive for COVID. These children would still be permitted to attend school provided they can be safely picked up and dropped off by someone, not under quarantine.
- If a vaccinated parent is exposed to a person with COVID-19, the parent is NOT required to quarantine but must monitor their symptoms and get tested if any symptoms develop. It is also strongly recommended that vaccinated persons exposed to COVID-19 wear a mask whenever around others for a period of 10 days.
- Students at EFDM who are exposed directly to someone with COVID-19 must follow the guidelines for unvaccinated parents above. As vaccinations for children are available, the school will issue updated guidance on quarantine for vaccinated students.
The school is extremely grateful to the following parents, who are medical professionals, for sharing their time, expertise and for helping us write clear protocols.
At l'Ecole Française du Maine:
Dr. James Gallea, MD, Emergency Medicine Specialist
Dr. Lisa Lucas, DO, Primary Care Physician
At the French American School of Tampa Bay:
Dr. Gaetane Michaud, MD, Pulmonary Critical Care, Tampa General Hospital and USF Tampa
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Window to the past ... just for fun |
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May 2004 -The school building as we found it - we've come a long way since then! |
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