December 5th, 2023

Bonjour,

As December unfolds, we marvel at how quickly the school year is advancing.

In this edition, we celebrate the remarkable achievements of our Suzuki students, whose performances earlier this month were truly inspiring. Our music teachers eagerly anticipate their continued growth, showcased in the upcoming spring concerts. In a special highlight, Elise LeBihan, IB PYP coordinator at L'Ecole, performed with the Scottish Sinfonia in Scotland last week, inspiring our young musicians.

We're also excited to remind you about our Winter Celebration Performance on Friday, December 15th, from 2 to 3 PM at the community hall across from L'Ecole. This school-wide event, just before the holiday break, promises to be a delightful occasion for our families.

This newsletter also brings you a glimpse into the vibrant activities happening in our classrooms across various grades. From artistic and culinary projects to mathematical and scientific explorations, our students are demonstrating their diverse talents. Bravo to everyone!

Additionally, we are looking for two host families for French student-teachers Clémence Bouteiller and Célina Ravier, who will be with us from February 26 to March 15, 2024. More details below.

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

• December 15: School Winter Performance at 2:00 pm in the Community Hall
• December 18 - January 1: Winter Holiday Break- No School
• January 2: Classes resume
• Jan. 12th: Sugarloaf Friday (the first of the season!)

2023-2024 School Calendar

1st Trimester Events Calendar

We are so proud of our students who performed together for the recent Piano, Cello, and Violin Suzuki concerts. It is such a treat to watch the growth through the seasons of our talented and passionate bunch! Merci to our Suzuki teachers Peter, Ben, and Shaina, for all of their hard work and encouragement!

All families are invited to attend the school-wide Winter Performance on Friday, Dec. 15th from 2-3 pm. This year it will be held across the street at the South Freeport Church Community Hall. Each classroom will perform either a dance or song, as well as their Chorale program. We hope to see you there to show the students your support! Merci!

This week in Petite Section we had a visit from Aoife, a local midwife, who spoke with us about how she helps moms during pregnancy. We learned how babies grow and develop and how they get nutrients from their mothers. We saw a model of a uterus and a placenta and discovered how babies are positioned before they are born. Aoife showed us how she listens to a baby's heartbeat and we even got to listen to our classmate's heartbeats!

The Moyenne Section continues to play their way through some big learning concepts! Students are getting lots of practice recognizing numbers in various forms, whether in written numerals, on a dice, or counting on fingers. Their morning workshops are filled with math games these days!

As an EFDM student, you don't have to be in Anaelle's cooking club to try your hand at cooking! To celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, CP and CE1 students measured, mixed, and made some delicious treats! They followed their recipes with great concentration, and enjoyed their cookies with delight!

For a Thanksgiving art project, CE2 and CM1 students recreated the famous surrealist painting by Rene Magritte "The Treachery of Images", except with a turkey! This classic adventure in art history made for some humorous and delightful festive decorations for the school hall.

After receiving a postcard from France from Maeve, a former student from last year, the grande section class decided to write her a letter to respond. Each student dictated a sentence in French to Alison. After she wrote them, we copied them onto the letter and made drawings and photos. We went to the post office to send the letter to France. Well done!

The direct link to Danielle Peterson's online gallery of photos taken on school picture day was shared directly with families before the Thanksgiving holiday. If you have yet to receive the link, or have any questions, please reach out to Emily ASAP. Thank you for supporting local artists like Danielle!

L'Ecole Française du Maine is an official partner of the Teacher Training Institute (INSPE: Institut National Supérieur du Professorat et de l'Education) at the University of Burgundy at Dijon, France.

This coming semester, we are delighted to welcome two French graduate students pursuing Master's Degrees in Elementary Education. Completing an Internship is an essential first step in the program of study leading to the Teaching Certification of Professeur des Ecoles by the French Ministry of Education (MENJS) ).

Willy LeBihan, Head of School, and Pascale Crispin, Professor at the University of Burgundy, will supervise these two internships.

We are looking for two host families, internships will be between February 23, 2024 and March 16, 2024.

Hosting a French Student Teacher offers a rich cultural exchange and language learning opportunity. Please meet our interns with their biographies below. Do not hesitate to contact Willy for more information about hosting a graduate student: wlebihan@frenchschool.me

Meet Clémence Bouteiller, a 23-year-old Student Teacher-in-training from Chalon sur Saône, France. She is passionate about teaching young children and has gained experience through various internships, including in schools and hospitals.

Clémence is also a keen athlete, enjoying sprinting, cross-country, swimming, climbing, and hiking. She's not much into team sports but likes watching basketball and soccer. Besides sports, she loves music, especially pop and R&B, and is learning to play the ukulele.

An adventurous spirit, Clémence loves exploring, traveling, and experiencing different cultures. She's also a nature lover, particularly enjoying beautiful sunrises and sunsets. Clémence is excited to use her energy and knowledge in the classroom to inspire and educate young minds.

Célina Ravier is a 21-year-old from Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Eastern France. Born in Besançon, she's studying Elementary Education in her first year of a Master’s program. Célina aims to become a primary school teacher, inspired by her love for children's curiosity and learning.

She's a talented dancer, enjoying hip-hop, dancehall, and Afro styles, and she also sings and plays the synthesizer and guitar. Célina participates in various sports like basketball, swimming, climbing, and canoeing. A lover of travel and languages, she's fluent in English, improved by travels in Ireland and the UK, and proficient in Spanish, enhanced by a 6-month stay in Valencia, Spain. Célina is a passionate, multi-talented individual with a global perspective.

Congratulations to Elise LeBihan, IB PYP Curriculum Coordinator at L'Ecole Française du Maine, on her outstanding violin performance in Edinburgh, Scotland last week! Elise began her musical journey with the Suzuki violin at L'Ecole française du Maine at age 4 ! On November 26th, Elise was part of the first violin section of the Scottish Sinfonia playing Bruckner's Symphony No. 6 in A major, Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, and Wagner's Overture to "Tannhauser". Bravo, Elise!

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.