Friday, March 21st, 2025

Bonjour,

L'Ecole Française du Maine students made the front page of the Lewiston Sun Journal leading up to their truly magnificent "spectacle" at the Franco-American Center in Lewiston last Thursday! We are incredibly proud of all our students, whose stunning performance was the results of months of rehearsals and hard work. We would like to extend a special merci to everyone in our community who offered their support, be it by supporting students in their efforts, to all our families for assisting with logistical arrangements, and last but not least to our teachers for their dedication in putting together such a fantastic show! Bravo, tout le monde!

Families are reminded that participation in our community School Food Drive will continue through March 26th! Organized by Riley and Grades 3-4-5, this event was created as their class continues to explore the IB Transdisciplinary Theme of Who We Are through their unit on heroism, community and identity. Please drop-off your donation items in the glass entry of the school. More details and information posters made by the students can be found below.

This week, students in Moyenne Section visited the Pineland Farms Maple Sugar Shack to kick-off and prepare for Maine Maple Sunday. We hope your family will find a fun (and delicious) way to celebrate! A list of local participating farms can be found here. This spring is sprouting with new field trips and special presentations for all classes; details regarding specific school field trips will be shared from the office directly to parents. Please also check the calendar below for upcoming Showcases and chances to share in the classroom fun!

Although today may be the first day of Spring, Summer Camp sign up is already here! Summer Fun at EFDM is available to families of our current student body, those who may be joining us for the first time next fall as well as families not enrolled in our school-year program. It's a wonderful transition to the school year and a great way for interested families to learn a little more about L'Ecole. Sign-up details are included in this newsletter.

For any questions or further information, please feel free to contact us at office@frenchschool.me Thank you for your continued support and involvement in our school community.

Warm regards,

Emily and Willy

Upcoming dates to keep in mind

• March 12th-26th: School-wide Food Drive Event
• March 20th: Moyennne Section EC4 showcase 2:45 pm
• March 28th: Moyenne Section EC4 field trip to Portland Museum
• March 28th: Grande Section/K Showcase 2:45 pm
• April 8th: Grade 1 Showcase (French/Fabien) 8:45am
• April 9th: Grade 2 Showcase (French/Fabien) 8:45 am
• April 10th: Grades 3-5 Showcase (English/Riley) 8:45am
• April 18th: Early Dismissal 11:30 am for all
• April 21-25: April Vacation (potential camp depending on need)

2024-2025 School Calendar

2024-2025 Events Calendar

It was a true pleasure to share “The Heart of Maine” with all of our greater school community. The dedication and passion poured into this production by both students and staff over the past several months culminated in a performance that will be remembered and talked about for years to come!

We extend our deepest gratitude to the Franco-American Center in Lewiston, along with its incredible members and volunteers, for their unwavering commitment to preserving and celebrating Franco Culture in Maine. Your support and enthusiasm help keep traditions alive, and we are truly grateful.

To Jenny, Peter, and Lindz--- Thank you for sharing your artistic talents with us and for all of your efforts to create such a successful show. With such an inspiring show behind us, we are already brimming with excitement for next year’s production—(stay tuned for what’s to come!) Families can already add March 12th, 2026 at 11:00 am to their calendars, for we've already booked our performance date with the Franco-Center!

Our Inspiring Artistic Team:

From left to right: Lindz Amer, our dynamic Music Together instructor, who brings joy and rhythm to every session with their ukulele; Jennifer Lemaire, talented playwright and director, whose creative vision brings our stories to life on stage; and Peter Dugas, accomplished pianist and music educator, who enriches our programs with his artistry and passion for music.

Under their thoughtful guidance, our students have not only discovered the magic of theater but also explored the rich history and cultural legacy of Maine’s Franco-American community.

We are so fortunate to have this exceptional team nurturing creativity, expression, and a deep sense of identity through the performing arts. Un grand merci!

From left to right: Theresa Shanahan, Executive Director of the Franco Center in Lewiston; Willy and Elizabeth LeBihan, Founders of L'École Française du Maine; and Séverin Beliveau.

We are deeply grateful to the Franco Center for its commitment to preserving Franco-American heritage and for hosting La Rencontre—a beloved luncheon that brings our community together in celebration of language, music, and tradition.

We extend special thanks to Séverin Beliveau, a prominent attorney and founding partner of Preti, Flaherty, Beliveau, Pachios & Haley LLC. A leading figure in Maine politics for over four decades, he has served in both the Maine House and Senate, chaired the Maine Democratic Party, and has long championed Franco-American culture. Séverin graciously opened the event with heartfelt remarks that set the tone for the performance, highlighting the importance of community and cultural preservation.

A former Honorary Consul of France for Maine, Séverin Beliveau has supported L’École Française du Maine since its founding and continues this mission today as a Distinguished Professor of Franco-American Studies at the University of Maine.

Why Celebrate 2025 Francophonie Month in Maine?

Francophonie Month is a time to honor the French language and the diverse cultures it connects—past and present, local and global. In Maine, where French has deep historical roots, this celebration offers an opportunity to recognize the many ways in which the language has shaped our identity.

From early Acadian and Québécois settlers to the vibrant wave of new Francophone Mainers arriving from countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, Togo, Senegal, and beyond, the French language continues to thrive as a living link across generations and continents. These new voices enrich Maine’s communities with cultural traditions, entrepreneurial energy, and a renewed commitment to multilingualism and diversity.

Celebrating Francophonie Month strengthens our connection to this shared heritage. It brings together old and new generations of French speakers, fosters understanding between cultures, and highlights the many benefits of bilingual education. For our students, especially those enrolled in immersion and bilingual programs, it's a chance to see themselves as part of a broader global Francophone family—one built on resilience, exchange, and pride in one’s identity.

In 2025, L’École Française du Maine proudly presented "Le Cœur du Maine" ("The Heart of Maine"), an original performance that reflects this rich tapestry. Set in a whimsical, imaginary jungle, the play features the loon, bear, and moose—iconic figures of Maine’s wilderness—as storytellers of the Franco-American experience: migration, labor, and perseverance. Led by a wise lion-narrator, the audience was invited on a journey that not only explores the historical roots of French in Maine but also honors the voices of new Francophone arrivals whose experiences add new chapters to this ongoing story.

Francophonie Month reminds us that French is not only a legacy—it is a living, evolving language that continues to unite people across cultures, backgrounds, and borders.

Grades 3,4,5 have recently started a “Who We Are” IB unit with the central idea: 

The characteristics and cultural beliefs about heroes in various cultures and throughout history help define individual beliefs”.

Their lines of inquiry include:

• Our personal and cultural definitions of the characteristics of a hero
• Heroism versus activism and how ordinary people become heroes
• How heroes across different cultures and throughout history have inspired us to become heroes in our own communities

Not all heroes wear capes, and in an effort to dive deeper into how we can become heroes in our own community, Riley, our English teacher, and the 3,4,5 students are hosting a school-wide food drive to benefit the Freeport Food Pantry. In English, the students will collaborate to spearhead this event: writing up and creating information flyers about the food drive to send home to school families, decorating donation boxes (provided by the pantry), visiting classrooms to inform them about the drive and handing out flyers, organizing the donations and keeping track of the stock we receive.

This effort not only helps the local community, but also offers a wonderful opportunity for students to:

• Discuss the impact of collective action and how individuals collectively can have an impact on the community.
• See firsthand how anyone can become a hero and encourage active participation towards making a difference.
• Inspire others, in and outside school, to be heroes in their community.

Food donations will be accepted for 2 weeks from March 12th - March 26th! 

Thank you to everyone who rises to the 3,4,5’s challenge of becoming a local hero!

This week, our Moyenne Section class embarked on a delightful adventure with Raphaël to the Pineland Farms Maple Sugar Shack as part of their Where We Are in Time and Place IB unit on using our senses to understand and adapt to the world around us. The students experienced the changing seasons firsthand—seeing the transformation of the trees, smelling the sweet aroma of maple sap, and tasting the delicious flavors of early spring in Maine.

Throughout their studies, the children have been exploring how our five senses help us navigate the world, how animals and nature adapt to seasonal shifts, and how we, too, can observe and respond to these changes. Pineland was the perfect place to visit!

We are incredibly fortunate to have such rich learning opportunities right in our backyard. A heartfelt merci to Pineland Farms for a truly sweet experience!

The Maine Maple Producers Association welcomes you to join Maine’s Maple Syrup Producers, statewide, as they celebrate Maine Maple Sunday. On March 23rd, Maine maple producers will be hosting the 42nd annual Maine Maple Sunday. Spring is a great time to get out and enjoy the great State of Maine and everything that it has to offer, including Maine Maple Syrup.

Most sugarhouses offer maple syrup samples and demonstrations on how pure Maine maple syrup is made. Many farms offer games, activities, treats, sugarbush tours, music, and so much more.

We would like to extend a huge thank you to our art teacher Lisa Stangarone for arranging a special visit from professional artist Pamela "Posey" Moulton to our CP/CE1 class! As a Franco-American artist who is fluent in French, Posey was an ideal artist to visit our immersion classroom.

If you have driven by Freeport Town Hall this year, you may recognize some of Posey's recent work in the art installation "The Pinkies". Posey brought the class some of her reclaimed materials she furnishes into "clothes", showed a delightful slideshow, and students even had a chance to try to daisy chain some of the materials she collects for her works. Mille mercis à Posey! 

Prolific collaborator, as both teacher and artist, Pamela Moulton (Franco-American, b.1961) tries to foster an ethos of generosity and creative exchange through making art and collaborating with multi-generational communities both near home and faraway, like Albania and India. Pamela’s installations are playful, large-scale, hands-on, and exploratory. Moulton is a multi-disciplinary environmental artist rooted in world-building and collaboration. She recently collaborated with over 5,600 community partners, including lobstermen, neuro-divergent patients, schools, artists and many more[...] Her interactive spaces may be crawled through, climbed upon and occupied—allowing the public to explore its environmental consciousness in a direct, material way."

Thanks to Lisa’s curatorial organization, we are looking forward to welcoming more local artists this spring. The inspiration among students is palpable, especially after our lovely collaboration in the Community Art Show at Meetinghouse Arts earlier this month!

Another unforgettable ski season has come to a close, leaving us with cherished memories of fun times together on the slopes! We are incredibly grateful to all the families who joined us up at the mountain this year and to our students for their energy, enthusiasm, and adventurous spirit during our Sugarloaf trips. Your participation made every run, every laugh, and every shared moment even more special.

These trips are more than just days spent in the snow—they are a reflection of our mission to embrace and celebrate the beauty of Maine in every season. Whether carving down the trails, taking in the breathtaking mountain views, or simply enjoying the camaraderie of our community, we are reminded of how lucky we are to experience this quintessential Maine experience, together.

Merci beaucoup to everyone who made this season so memorable. Until next year!

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!

AT EFDM we know that although students will be on vacation in April, many parents will still be working during our break. This is why we do our best to provide childcare for "stay-cationing" students and working EFDM families during school vacations. 

Limited to children already enrolled at EFDM and families with a true need for childcare, we are working to potentially host a "camp" (purely childcare, no followed curriculum/school work) during our April Break from:

8:30am-3:30pm Tuesday-Friday April 22-25 (No Camp on Patriot's Day, April 21)

Interest and staff availability are key factors in the planning of our vacation camps. If you are interested in this school vacation camp for your childcare needs, please complete the attached form so we can prepare to host another week of fun at l’école!

Families will be notified whether or not the camp will take place as soon as possible.

Dear Families,

L'Ecole Française du Maine continues to grow, and our successes have been noticed! We are proud to be an approved IB World School offering the PYP Programme and accredited by the Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE) and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). These prestigious accreditations, along with our continued recognition by the Maine Department of Education, validate the dedication and hard work of our team and the unwavering support of our community.

Interest in the French School continues to grow, and we anticipate strong student enrollment for 2025-2026. Families from across the country and internationally inquire about admissions for all grade levels, which is exciting news for the future of our school.

French nationals can also apply for scholarships through the French Consulate in Boston; please contact them for more information on French Bourses. Additionally, our website provides details on all available financial aid programs.

Thank you for your trust and commitment; it is a privilege to work with your family!

Sincerely,

Beth LeBihan

Founder & Admissions Director

La première campagne des bourses concerne tous les enfants devant être scolarisés à la rentrée de septembre de l’année civile en cours. Les dossiers dûment complétés et accompagnés de toutes les pièces justificatives doivent être déposés ou envoyés au Consulat de BOSTON.

Listen to students tell how they’ve become stronger, more caring, and courageous in the PYP. The learner profile encourages the development of these social and emotional skills, among others. The PYP ignites curiosity and encourages learners to ask questions. In this video, PYP teachers and students explain how inquiry and critical thinking skills are used in the classroom and beyond.