October 28, 2022
Bonjour,

Can it be the end of October already? This school year is flying by so quickly!
November will be just as busy with lots of events and special days for you to note on your calendar!

First up, on Monday, October 31st we are so excited to host our annual Halloween Parade. Details for what to bring to school and where and what will happen can be found below. Our Halloween parade is a beloved event; we hope all families can join in the fun! As a reminder, costumes are encouraged for adults and children alike, but please ensure they are not scary, as we do not want to frighten our little ones!

Please consider nominees for this year's Parent Representatives to the School Council. An online ballot will be shared early in November for electing new Parent Reps-- more details can be found 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 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!
Upcoming dates to keep in mind

  • October 31st: Halloween Parade at 2 PM
  • November 8th: Online Election for Parent Reps to School Council
  • November 8th: IB PYP Pot Luck Dinner at La Maison 6-8 PM
  • November 10th: Early Release: Parent-Teacher Conferences
  • November 11th: Veteran's Day, No School
Halloween Parade Monday, October 31st at 2PM
Come one and come all for this year's special Halloween Parade! Students and families will march alongside teachers and classmates through South Freeport village, fully in costume, collecting some treats along the way! This much beloved traditional event is a great chance to celebrate our community.

This year, the event will take place from 2 pm to 3 pm on Monday, October 31st.

Students should come to school dressed as usual on Monday, October 31st, with a costume in their bag. There will be a chance to get into their costumes before the parade. Older students in Elodie and Simon's classes will depart the playground precisely at 2 pm. Students from Victorien, Marie, and Alison's classes will follow with a 2:15 pm departure. All parents can feel free to meet their students' class outside on the playground at the designated times.

We will all parade from the playground together, down Park St. to the Bernard residence, and onward down the hill toward Brewer's Marina. Parents of younger children may plan to park down at the Freeport Wharf and walk up to meet our group on the school playground so those little ones can drive back to school after the walk.

A small celebratory treat will be waiting for all at each stop, after which parents can drive or walk back up the hill to school with the group for dismissal from the playground as usual. Please only take your child home after confirming dismissal with their teacher. We extend a special thanks to our hosts- the Brewer and Bernard families- for inviting us to "trick-or-treat" again this year!
Parent Teacher Conferences- Sign Up's
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!
Classroom Carpets Upgrade
Please take the opportunity of the upcoming in-person Parent-Teacher Conferences to take a peek at the transformation of our classrooms! Over the October break, all upstairs classrooms were refurbished with new, bright, durable carpets to take us into a new generation at L'Ecole. New carpet installation in the hallway and office was completed over the summer, so the entire school is now finished! This has been a dream for quite some time, so we are very excited about this project's completion. We built up the kids' anticipation by keeping the classroom colors secret until the end! :-) Thanks for taking a look!
Meeting with Edouard Philippe
Willy Le Bihan, Founder and Head of School, met with Édouard Philippe this week. They discussed the rapid development of French International Schools in the United States and the possible collaboration with the University of Le Havre. Mr. Édouard Philippe is currently the Mayor of Le Havre, France, and previously served as Prime Minister of France from May 2017 to July 2020 under President Emmanuel Macron.
IB PYP Potluck - November 8th
Come find out more about how you can bring the PYP Home
during our PYP Potluck on Tuesday, November 8th!
IB PYP Presentation - November 8th - 8:30 am
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.
Elise LeBihan and Catherine Caillet at Winslow Memorial Park in Freeport in 2021.
Catherine Caillet is the former Lower School Director of the French American International School of Portland, Oregon. Catherine is a consultant from the IB organization supervising the school during the two-year PYP accreditation process.
Agency and Action in the PYP
Agency is the keystone of the PYP as it allows students to take learning outside the classroom. Students with agency have the voice, choice, and ownership to take meaningful and intentional action, acknowledging the rights and responsibilities of individuals and by supporting the voice, choice, and ownership of everyone in the learning community.
Student-initiated action will be considered a dynamic outcome of agency and an integral part of the learning process that can arise at any time.
-- The Enhanced PYP

Student-initiated action can be as small as changing opinions on a subject after reflection or as large as contacting local authorities about an important issue. The size of the action is far from what is important as what really matters is how action and agency, along with the other elements of the PYP framework, work to strengthen students’ confidence in their capacity to make a positive change in the world.
What does Action look like? 
  • A change in attitude
  • A consideration or plan for action in the future
  • A demonstration of responsibility
  • A commitment to leading or participating in a youth advocacy group
  • An engagement in school decision making
  • An expression of support in community, local, and global decision-making.

Ways to Support Student Action at Home:
  • guiding students to reflect on their actions and adjust their course of action when necessary
  • helping students connect action with personal experiences
  • encouraging students to consider the appropriateness and impact of their actions
  • supporting students in establishing and maintaining connections to local and wider communities.
  • engaging students in dialogue around what action is
  • acknowledging the various forms of action with lived/personal experiences
  • supporting students in establishing and maintaining connections to local and wider communities by providing service learning opportunities, in response to need, such as volunteering
School Council- Call for Parent Rep Nominees
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!
Peek Into the Classrooms - CP/CE1
During a recent unit on buildings and architecture, Elodie's class was hard at work!

Her CP/CE1 students also recently welcomed a special visitor. EFDM parent Caroline Foust-Wright was warmly welcomed into the classroom to share her knowledge of honey beekeeping! Students were fascinated and inspired by the props and tools used in this impressive and responsible job.
Merci beaucoup, Caroline!
Staff Spotlight, Lindz Amer, Music Together Teacher
New to L'Ecole this year, we are so happy to welcome Lindz Amer, Music Together teacher, for the preschool classrooms! The children enjoy the hands-on music-making and movement. Lindz grew up in New York City in a musical family and has been singing and making music ever since. Welcome, Lindz!
Kindness Corner Updates
We are now in a routine with our new Kindness Program. Students have asked, "is today Kindness day?" early in the week. It's a good sign.

The school shares a Kindness Bucket that we try to fill each week, whether with words, acorns, fluffy colored balls, etc., all representing what good things we wish to have in our community and to give if someone needs a particular dose of kindness...it is infectious, you know!

We have listened to and are learning the song "Fill My Bucket" here is the link for listening at home too.

During one class, students were given the outline of a bucket with the instruction to think about what they would like to have, what makes them happy, or what they could give to another. Above, you can see an example from a 4th grader. Others drew their coat of arms showing what their guiding values are. Have you asked your EFDM student what the magic formula for choosing love is? We are confident they would be very proud to say it!

So stay tuned for more news throughout the school year. As October is coming to an end, during which we talked about COURAGE, GRATITUDE will be the main subject in November. The November calendar is so you can print and post in your home. 

Remember, you can access chooselovemovement.org for home; enjoy! 
People of the Dawn Traveling Trunk Exhibit
We are very grateful to be partnering with the University of Maine Hudson Museum again for this year's Indigenous People's Day to host their "traveling trunk" exhibit 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 during the week of October 24th. Please check back next week once we have received and prepared the exhibit for specified viewing times!
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.
Thanksgiving Drive - Freeport Community Services
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!
What is inquiry-based learning? 
The core of the International Baccalaureate Program is inquiry-based teaching and learning. In a constructivist classroom (inquiry-based), the teacher is a facilitator who directs the students' inquisitive minds rather than just as a source of material for them to absorb and then spill out on paper for a test.
Exchange with University of Bourgogne to resume
Capital of the Duchy of Burgundy in the Middle Ages, Dijon has inherited a unique cultural and architectural heritage. As a result, it's an emblematic city of haute cuisine and lifestyle.

We are delighted to resume our collaboration with the University of Bourgogne, France. During the first year of their Master's Program, French university students must do a "stage" in a school. L'Ecole Française du Maine is an official partner of Université de Bourgogne at Dijon and has been happy and proud to welcome student teachers for the last 15 years.

During their practicum, the graduate students will be shadowing our teachers. It is an excellent opportunity to create and conduct classroom activities and practice their teaching skills. We will be looking for two host families this winter for three weeks; more details will come.
Protocols - UPDATED 09/05/22
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!
A window to the past ... just for fun
Circa October 2008: First 6th Grade Class of L'Ecole Française du Maine: 
These students attended the following colleges and universities:
Bowdoin College
Sorbonne-Paris
Sciences-Po Paris
Sarah Lawrence College, NY
Ecole Normale Musique Paris
University of Edinburgh
Yale
Rochester Institute of Technology & US Army Corp
Denver College

Their teacher, Friederike Munz, is now in Germany teaching at the International School UWC Robert Bosch College near Freiburg. So much accomplished, Bravo!
‌