November 27, 2022
Bonjour,
It was a busy week here at L'Ecole, and a big one for our candidacy with the IB Primary Years Programme! We welcomed Catherine Caillet on Monday, November 13th, and Tuesday, November 14th, for our IB Consultant visit. This was essential in our journey to becoming an IB World School. Catherine toured the school, met with the teaching team, students, administrative staff, and parents, and visited classes during these two days.
Bravo to our teaching staff, students, administrators, and IB coordinator, Elise LeBihan, for concluding a successful visit. Our IB consultant highlighted the path forward in this accreditation process. For families unable to attend the several information sessions this month, be on the lookout for upcoming virtual opportunities to learn more about helping implement the PYP for your student.
This week's newsletter includes the announcement of Parent Representatives elected to the School Council this year (felicitations!) as well as classroom updates, including an exciting musical addition for elementary students and photos from recent happenings such as a planetarium trip and soup making!
With our first actual winter weather this week, it's time to start planning for the fun events of the season! I have also included some more information below about the return to Ice Arena Fridays for the upcoming months. We hope your family can participate, and all ages are welcome.
Many families and staff members have traveled to be with their families and celebrate Thanksgiving together. It is, therefore, essential to follow the CDC recommendations below so that our school community remains healthy and safe. Thank you for taking care of each other!
Recommended actions:
Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines. Get tested if you have symptoms. Wear a mask if you have symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19. Wear a mask on public transportation. You may want to wear a mask at any time as an extra precaution to protect yourself and others.
Thank you for taking the time to read on!
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Upcoming dates to keep in mind
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Friday, December 9th: The first Ice Arena Friday of the season, 12 pm-2 pm
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December 16th: Winter Performance at 2:00 pm South Freeport Community Hall
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Winter Vacations: December 16 at 3:30 pm to January 2 at 8:30 am
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Friday, January 6th: Sugarloaf Friday Outdoor Ski Experience
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Monday, January 16th: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day: No School
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Friday, January 20th: Sugarloaf Friday Outdoor Ski Experience
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Monday, May 22nd: Grandparents and Special Friends Day, 11 am to 2 pm
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Monday, May 22nd: Suzuki Music Concert 2 pm to 3 pm
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Welcoming Catherine Caillet, IB PYP Consultant |
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Our students, teachers, parents, and FASTB community members did a phenomenal job presenting to Catherine Caillet the school's progress in embracing the International Baccalaureate Philosophy and practices. The school is very grateful for their enthusiasm and their knowledge of the IB. |
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The Programme of Inquiry (POI) is a curriculum roadmap of a child’s educational journey through the IB PYP at EFDM. Built along six transdisciplinary themes, each unit is developed by teachers to encompass the curriculum requirements of the French Ministry of Education, The State of Maine Guidelines, the Federal government recommendations, and the Philosophy, Standards, and Practices of the International Baccalaureate.
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Elise LeBihan (PYP Coordinator) points the POI to Catherine Caillet, IB Consultant. Catherine is the former Lower School Director of the French American International School of Portland, Oregon. Catherine is EFDM's consultant from the IB organization during the two-year PYP accreditation process.
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The year is divided into six transdisciplinary themes through which all subjects are taught. These themes allow students to look at the world around them with more depth and understanding.*
The entire PYP Curriculum is built to be transdisciplinary, with each unit revolving around one of these six themes. Each unit encompasses all subjects and languages from Math, Language Arts, French, Science, Music, and History and is crafted and taught in harmony by the entire teaching team of a specific grade. (This only applies to our older elementary)
*(Early Childhood is only required to do 4 units per year, 2 of which must be Who we are and How we Express Ourselves)
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Each of the Transdisciplinary Themes is approached through a Unit of Inquiry: A 4-8 week in-depth exploration of a concept. (Some units are revisited throughout the year.)
This unit is organized into several different sections
A Central Idea: global and timeless; this statement supports students’ understanding of the transdisciplinary theme it connects to and challenges students to extend upon prior knowledge.
Lines of Inquiry: These outline how students will approach their research and serve to clarify and refine the central idea.
Key Concepts: Form – What is it like?; Function – How does it work?; Causation – Why is it like this? Change – How is it changing?; Connection – How is it connected to other things?; Perspective – What are the points of view?; Responsibility – What is our responsibility?; Reflection – How do we know?
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On November 13th, 2022, Catherine Caillet met with the teaching staff to discuss the IB PYP accreditation process. |
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22-23 Parent Representatives for School Council |
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Thank you to our parent body for submitting their online ballots and voting for this year's parent representatives to the School Council! We are so excited to welcome Claire Danby, Caroline Foust-Wright, Alli Nawara, and Jess Kelly to the 2022-2023 council! The remaining parent nominees will remain on hand as alternates; we were so grateful to have such a broad selection of eager parent candidates.
We hope to hold the first meeting with the new council before the new year. As always, minutes from each meeting are posted in the glass entryway for the school community to review. If you have questions regarding the school council, don't hesitate to reach out!
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Space is limited for these events, so sign-up while you can! Please use this link to enroll for the Ice Arena Friday(s) of your choosing. We hope you can join us for these memorable winter events! |
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Music Time for Elementary Grades |
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Students in Elodie and Simon's classrooms are so excited to have a designated weekly music time, made extra special because it is with our beloved Piano instructor Peter Dugas! Peter is happy to visit each elementary classroom this year and take up where La Maternelle's Music Together program leaves off: continuing to instill a love and passion for singing and learning about instruments, rhythm, and various cultures connected through music. Merci beaucoup, Peter, for enriching our school in so many ways!
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Concerts and Events- Please Plan Ahead |
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As we return to more community events this year, we are confirming plans for this year's Suzuki concerts and various performances. The School Winter Performance on December 16th will take place from 2:00-3:00 pm in the Community Hall across the street from L'Ecole. All are welcome to attend this event! Setting our sights ahead for spring, you can plan for the Suzuki Concerts just as they appear on the calendar for May 22nd and 23rd. With pleasure, we also announce that Monday, May 22nd, is the rescheduled Grandparents & Special Friends Day date! Grandparents/Special Freinds will be invited into the school classrooms and playground on the morning of the 22nd, after which they can stay for the concert. |
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2023 Bilingual Summer Camp ! |
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Bilingual Summer Camp and Childcare June 26, 2023 – August 25, 2023
Please join us if you want a safe place for your kids to enjoy the summer! Mornings will include a fun French activity, and afternoons will be filled with arts & crafts, games, and plenty of time for free play. In addition, 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
To enroll, complete the form below.
Placement is limited, and we have had many requests already!
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CE2, CM1, CM2 Trip to the Planetarium |
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The current IB unit Simon and Sarah are having their students explore is all about our place in the Universe- specifically, how life on Earth is tied to its place in the solar system and the larger universe in general. Students will delve into areas of inquiry such as the Earth's rotation around the sun and how this affects life on Earth, the various positions and conditions of other planets in our solar system, and the cultural beliefs and knowledge surrounding celestial objects throughout time. A great way to supplement this learning was to bring students to the Southworth Planetarium in Portland. Needless to say, the class was thrilled! Thank you to our chaperones and parents who made this trip possible. |
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The University of Southern Maine has a wonderful planetarium open to the public for various shows, courses, lectures, and bookings. Their staff astronomers are always hoping to share their excitement for the stars! We encourage all families to take advantage of this wonderful learning experience close-to-home. |
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More News from the Classrooms |
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Elodie is thrilled with so many parents offering to bring in their various perspectives, knowledge, and artifacts regarding life cycles and living things for the CP/CE1 current IB unit! We look forward to arranging for all of this learning during the month ahead. |
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Beginning with a close observation of their ingredients, Marie's class participated in a wonderful project where they made vegetable soup together! Students even got to bring home a cup to their families, still warm from the cooking. Bravo, les enfants! |
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Our kindness program continues! The children are engaged and enjoy what they are learning in a very inquisitive way. As you know, November is Gratitude month, not just because of Thanksgiving. So we are taking the entire month to pause, reflect, and express what we are grateful for. It is quite uplifting to hear students' answers. Have you asked them? We encourage you to do so!
So you can keep abreast of what we are learning, each EFDM student now has a kindness communication folder where you will find: a printout of the BRAVE BREATH (we practiced during our Courage unit), the GRATITUDE BREATH (which we start each current session with), a journal students can write or draw, the Choose Love Pledge, and the November Calendar. Feel free to post the breath cards, the calendar, and the pledge at home. The folder and the journal need to come back to school each Thursday to be refilled. We look forward to having this communication folder so families can review these materials together. Remember, you can register and connect to the platform here for Parents and Caregivers.
In Kindergarten recently, students drew their "Gratitude Soup," while in 1st and 2nd grade, we talked about what would go into "Apple Cake of Gratitude," a book by Dawn Casey. The students brought the recipe home so you could bake it together. Upper grades wrote messages of gratitude, thankfulness, and courage on leaves to fill the tree that is in the staircase near the classroom.
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French American School of Rhode Island - FASRI |
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The French School of Maine (EFDM) belongs to several networks of accredited schools (AEFE, NEASC, AFSA, and MLF). As the Founder of EFDM, Elizabeth LeBihan is often asked to participate in peer-reviewed accreditation visits. In November, Beth served as Vice-Chair for the New England Association of School and Colleges accreditation visit of The French American School of Rhode Island FASRI. This was a great opportunity to connect with other administrators of some of the top independent schools in North America.
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New Fence and a New Tent! |
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Taking advantage of the warm and dry fall weather, Maine House. Pro's crew has updated the aluminum fence around the playground, gates, and tent, which will soon have clear sides and above-ground flooring. In December, the house "La Maison" will also get increased security systems with locks and cameras. |
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COVID-19 Protocols - UPDATED 09/05/22 |
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The graphic chart below indicates what you need to do if your child is exposed to or contracts COVID-19. Please keep in mind that these protocols are subject to change. We will publish updates in this newsletter should they occur.
To help keep our community healthy:
Please let us know if you have yet to receive your family's 5 COVID at-home tests! Should your child be exposed to COVID or experience any symptoms, please test before coming to school.
Thank you for keeping your student home when they are sick!
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Got a question? Let us help! |
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Please use the email address office@frenchschool.me for general school correspondence. Questions and requests sent to this address are forwarded as needed. We do our best to respond to emails as quickly as possible; thank you for your patience.
Thank you for checking your school contact information to ensure you are using this email address. We are finding that some emails are heading to other accounts, and while they eventually land in our inbox, this may delay our response time.
Alternatively, please know that you can call us anytime for an immediate response! School Office Phone: (207) 865-3308
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A window to the past ... just for fun |
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Circa June 2010: Teachers Laura Piehl and Valérie Legentil prepare crêpes during the school carnival! |
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