November 3, 2022
Bonjour,
Thank you to all our families who shared in this year's Halloween Parade! It was a warm sunny afternoon with many great costumes and yummy treats. These community events remind us of what makes EFDM so unique- YOU!
We extend a special thanks to our hosts- the Brewer and Bernard families- for inviting us to "trick-or-treat" again this year!
This week's newsletter is full of reminders:
First, consider your nominees for this year's Parent Representatives to the School Council. We will share an online ballot next week to elect new Parent Representatives-- you can find more details below!
Please also mark your calendars for an exceptional IB PYP Potluck Dinner that will be a wonderfully informative and celebratory evening for our school community as we continue the IB journey. This event will take place next week on November 8 from 6-8 pm in La Maison.
In the same week, several important notes: Thursday, November 10 will be an Early Release Day to accommodate in-person Parent Teacher Conferences. The following day, Friday, November 11th, there will be No School in observance of Veteran's Day.
Thank you for taking the time to read on!
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Upcoming dates to keep in mind
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November 8th: Online Election for Parent Reps to School Council
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November 8th: IB PYP Pot Luck Dinner at La Maison 6-8 PM
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November 10th: Early Release: Parent-Teacher Conferences
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November 11th: Veteran's Day, No School
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November 23-24-25: Thanksgiving Break: No School
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Parent Teacher Conferences- Sign Up's |
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Parent Teacher Conferences will occur at school on
Thursday, November 10th, with an Early Release at 11:30 am.
Please sign up in advance for a time slot that works best for you! Contact Emily Smith, School Director, at: office@frenchschool.me, for an alternate time/date.
We are looking forward to this chance to meet with you to discuss your student's progress and needs. We look forward to welcoming you into your child's classroom and sharing your child's work. Visiting the classroom allows you to imagine how the students spend their days.
Willy will be available in the hallway to answer questions about the school's IB journey. He will share our recently posted POI with you- The POI (Project of Inquiry) is a map showing your child's entire journey in the PYP (Primary Years Programme) from Early Childhood through the Elementary years!
Our staff will be busy meeting with you, so we won't be able to offer childcare during the conferences. Please arrange for alternate childcare. We cannot have children unattended at the school, and we want to focus on discussing your child with you.
This may change for future conferences as the IB Programme encourages students to attend meetings and participate actively in their learning. However, for this first conference, we will meet with just the parents. Conference times will also be tightly scheduled, so please book another appointment if you need more time than is allotted. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.
We can always arrange another time for you if you cannot attend the conferences as scheduled. We hope you enjoy visiting the classrooms and seeing your child's work!
Progress Reports for the first trimester will be sent home before the conferences for families to review. Merci!
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IB PYP Potluck - November 8th |
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Come find out more about how you can bring the PYP Home
during our PYP Potluck on Tuesday, November 8th!
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IB PYP Presentation - November 8th - 8:30 am |
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The Primary Years Programme (PYP) offers a transdisciplinary, inquiry-based, and student-centered education with responsible action at its core, enabling students to learn between, across, and beyond traditional subject boundaries. Through the programme of inquiry and by reflecting on their learning, PYP students develop knowledge, conceptual understandings, skills, and the attributes of the IB Learner profile.
Bring your coffee and join us at La Maison for a discussion with Elise LeBihan, IB PYP Coordinator for the school.
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Elise LeBihan and Catherine Caillet at Winslow Memorial Park in Freeport in 2021.
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School Council- Call for Parent Rep Nominees |
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The School Council is a group of staff, administration, and parents who meet a few times a year to discuss student life and connect. We want to gather at least one nominee from each classroom to host this year's election for Parent Representatives to the council. Please consider taking on this commitment to help grow connections between the school and families.
If you would like to nominate yourself or someone else to be a candidate, please email office@frenchschool.me by Friday, Nov 4th, with the name of your choice. Voting will take place via an anonymous ballot survey on Tuesday, Nov 8th.
For all nominees, we will ask for a very brief introduction to include in the ballot survey for those who may be new to the school or are unfamiliar with the parent candidates. Thank you for your consideration and participation!
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Music Together Updates for Home |
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This week, Music Together booklets went home with students! Using this booklet, you'll be able to learn and sing some of the songs introduced during Music Together time at school. There is also an accompanying CD, and instructions for using the "Hello Everybody" app can be found below! We are so grateful to Lindz for continuing this beloved weekly special for our maternelle students! |
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English Language Arts - October Projects |
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Students have been busy bees with Sarah this semester in English Language Arts class! Last week, they finished their "creepy stories" projects just in time for Halloween. Ask your students to share what their story was about-- we are sure you'll get spooked!
In addition to the Halloween season, students have been exploring the Hudson Museum's traveling trunk again this year. Students are learning all about the contents of the People of the Dawn exhibition which highlights artifacts made by Mainers with Indigenous heritage. Students were able to hold and observe these baskets, dolls, and decorations, creating a "museum" for our school to peruse and explore. Bravo to Sarah and her students for taking full advantage of these wonderful resources!
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The University of Maine Hudson Museum has several traveling trunk exhibits, including "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).
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.
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Thanksgiving Drive - Freeport Community Services |
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We'd love to continue the tradition of L'Ecole being a donation site for Freeport Community Services' annual Thanksgiving Program Food Drive. Please take a look at the details below for items requested this year! Please leave your donations in the glass entryway of the school until November 16th. After this, you may bring your donated items directly to FCS. Merci! |
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NEASC re-Accreditation - Visiting Committee |
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From left to right: Dr. Christine Nadjarian: Principal at St. Mary of the Assumption School, Brookline, MA; Hatfield Turner: The Riley School, Rockport, ME; Willy LeBihan, Head of School; Benedicte Brouder: Head of School at the French American School of Rhode Island; Dr. William Gartside: Visiting Committee Chair, Independent Educational Consultant, MA.
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Several organizations have accredited L’Ecole Française du Maine, i.e., The French Ministry of Education (AEFE), The Maine Department of Education, and soon (we hope) the International Baccalaureate (IB PYP). For the last ten years, our school was also accredited by NEASC. The New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) is an independent, voluntary, nonprofit membership organization supervising over 1500 public, independent, and international schools in the US and worldwide. NEASC is headquartered in Lowell, MA.
If NEASC accredits a school, it means that it meets or exceeds standards and criteria for judging the quality of an institution. This is done regularly through a peer group review process. A school is accredited if it has the resources it needs to achieve its stated mission through appropriate educational programs, is mostly doing so, and gives good reasons to believe it will continue to do so in the future. Every ten years, the process starts again. NEASC has inspected our school for the last six months; last week was the final inspection visit. A special thanks to our teachers, students, and parents who candidly exchanged with the visiting team. NEASC congratulated Emily Smith (School Director) and Willy LeBihan (Head of School), "You have a beautiful school!". NEASC will announce officially in three months that our school is re-accredited for another ten years!
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What is the Programme of Inquiry (POI) ? |
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The POI is a curriculum roadmap of a child’s educational journey through the PYP at L'Ecole Française du Maine. Built along six transdisciplinary themes, each unit is developed by teachers to encompass the curriculum requirements of the French Ministry of Education, Maine State Guidelines, and the Philosophy, Standards, and Practices of the International Baccalaureate. |
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Freeport Conservation Trust News |
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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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A window to the past ... just for fun |
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Circa September 2013: Strings Club with Music Teacher Linda Vaillancourt and EFDM students. |
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