Thursday, October 15th, 2020
Dear Families of L'Ecole Française du Maine,
This newsletter is quite full of updates for our school community! Below you'll be asked to please consider nominations for our upcoming Parent Representatives Election for our School Council, due by October 23rd.
Our English classroom in La Maison is finished! Amy would love to welcome parents of English students to a brief presentation of English this year and a chance to walk through our beautiful new space this Friday, Oct. 16th, from 3:00-3:30.
More reminders about picture retake day (Oct. 23rd), Halloween parade, and protocols (Oct. 30th), and the last chance for l'Ecole des Loisirs bookclub to follow!
As always, if you have any questions regarding any of the following included in this newsletter, please email Emily at office@frenchschool.me
Merci!
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AEFE (French Schools Abroad) Director, Olivier Brochet
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Thank you for continuing to perform the daily check before coming to school.
Communication with the school is paramount; if you have any uncertainties regarding to the checklist questions or anything that cannot be answered negatively, you must call or email the school office as soon as possible.
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| Parent Representative Elections- Nominate through Oct. 23 |
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Parent representatives in 2017
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As with each year, we will be hosting an election for Parent Representatives to our School Council! 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 will need 3 parents to join our Council. Please consider taking on this small commitment to assist in growing connections between the school and families. Meetings for the foreseeable future will occur over zoom or in the parlor of La Maison, schedules, and availability pending.
If you would like to nominate yourself or someone else to be a candidate, please email office@frenchschool.me by Friday, Oct. 23rd, with the name of your choice! We need at least 3 volunteer parent nominees. Voting will take place Tues. November 3rd via an online anonymous ballot survey.
Merci!
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Our very own Faunce family shared a campground with Maine Senator Angus King this past Indigenous Peoples' Day weekend! What a timely reminder to exercise your right to VOTE in the upcoming elections if you have not done so already! Maine has early voting available now until Election Day, Nov. 3rd. If you still need to make a plan to vote check out www.vote.org for more helpful information.
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| School Picture RETAKE Day- Friday, Oct. 23rd |
For those who were absent on Picture Day or would like to retake their pictures, our photographer, Danielle Peterson, will be retaking portraits on Friday, October 23rd. Danielle will be masked and taking pictures from a safe distance, one family/student at a time. The children will come to the separated photo area on the playground masked, take their mask off for the photo, and put it directly afterward. If you would rather your child keep their mask on at all times, please let us know so we can plan accordingly.
Danielle's photographs from the original picture day will be available for review and purchase shortly!
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| Staff Training from Half-Day Oct. 9th |
Our staff completed their biannual CPR and first aid training during last week's half day. From basic first aid, EpiPen/allergy procedures, and grander emergencies, our staff is now prepared to handle anything that may come their way! Merci to Wendy Betts and Jessica Boardman for sharing their expertise and time to perform the training.
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In honor of Indigenous Peoples' Day...
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Although Indigenous Peoples' Day has passed, at L'Ecole, we have been inspired to continue learning more. The teachers have been busy coming up with ways to incorporate awareness of these essential cultures and history into our semester's curriculum.
Thank you to parents in our community for sharing their ideas, contacts, and resources for learning more!
As promised in last week's newsletter, L'Ecole Française du Maine has purchased the license of the documentary Dawnland.
For decades, child welfare authorities have been removing Native American children from their homes to "save them from being Indian." In Maine, the first official Truth and Reconciliation Commission in the United States begins a historical investigation. Dawnland goes behind-the-scenes as this historic body grapples with difficult truths, redefines reconciliation, and charts a new course for state and tribal relations. Dawnland aired on Independent Lens on PBS in November 2018, reaching more than 2 million viewers. The film won a national Emmy® Award for Outstanding Research in 2019 and made the American Library Association's list of 2020 Notable Videos for Adults.
A special link for those in our school community to enjoy the film at their leisure can be found here, with the vimeo password: teal.seven.can
Please also find an excellent guide to accompany viewing via this link.
Although this film is for adults only, students and teachers have been doing their part of learning more about Indigenous Peoples throughout Maine and North America.
Merci beaucoup Amy Johansen (English Teacher) for reading the story of a Native American girl, The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses to our upper grades last week; students used clues from the story to list what they could learn about Indigenous cultures. L'Ecole is also excited to host a visiting lecturer from the Penobscot Nation to present drum making, as well as welcoming visitors and educators from the Abbe Museum to teach all ages of students more about Wabanaki culture through storytelling and various artifacts.
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| Bienvenue à La Maison & the New English Classroom |
Please join Amy for a brief presentation of English Language Arts at EFDM and enjoy a chance to walk through our new English classroom; renovations in La Maison have been completed, and students will soon begin using the new space.
Friday, Oct. 16 from 3:00-3:30 pm
Parents of English students (grades 2-5) are welcome to join Amy for a presentation of her plans for the school year and the new English classroom!
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Halloween (Socially distanced) Parade
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Halloween, like most events in 2020, will be celebrated differently in this unprecedented year. In light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, L'Ecole Française du Maine will take extra safety precautions in continuing this wonderful tradition.
As in years past, we will plan to have all students participate in a walking parade around South Freeport village, fully in costume! This event will take place from 2 PM to 3 PM on Friday, October 30th, as listed on the academic calendar. We ask that ALL student Halloween costumes include their face mask. Students should NOT wear any additional costume masks on top of their protective masks. Any parents who would like to join us for our walkthrough of South Freeport Village will be required to wear a mask as well. Teachers, with the help of parents, will be separating their class groups with an extra distance between bodies.
Parents of younger children will be asked to park down at the Freeport Wharf and walk up to meet our group on the school playground. Together, we will parade from the playground, down Park St. and down the hill toward Brewer's Marina.
A small celebratory treat will be waiting for all, after which parents can either take their child home from the wharf parking lot or walk back up the hill to school with the group for dismissal as usual. Map of the Parade
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| L' Ecole des Loisirs Bookclub! |
If you have not yet and would like to sign up for a book subscription, please do so by Tuesday, October 20th! Read more below to join our book club with the French publishing company, l'ecole des Loisirs. Our school has a chance to build our French library with each student subscription, so please utilize the group form within the available catalogs or submit your payment online at regroupmax.com.
Please find a link to a pdf of the Parent Letter above available for reading in French and English, where you can click on the series for each level and review the select books included in the year's subscription!
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Important Flu Shot Information during COVID-19
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It seems as though it's never been easier to get access to a flu shot. Most pharmacies have a shot available, or you can schedule a visit with your healthcare provider. Find more information about the latest flu statistics on the Maine flu website.Keeping yourself and those around you safe from the flu includes what we're already doing to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Please continue to practice social distancing, wear a mask, and stay on top of hand hygiene!
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Thanks to all for providing a great supply of special cleaning products to kick off our school year! We have paper towels and hand sanitizer to enter the winter season, but could use more of the following wishlist products if you happen to come across any while doing your weekly shopping:
- Hand soap (larger refill bottles welcome!)
- Lysol or a similar brand of disinfectant spray cleaner
- Disposable child-size masks
- Glue sticks
Merci beaucoup for keeping these items in mind and for your generous donations!
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Reopening Plans and Covid-19 Protocols 08/03/2020 version
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| Implementing Maine CDC Protocols Safely |
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Everyone gets their temperature taken at the start of the day- Even Emily!
Frequent hand-washing throughout the day
Learning outside whenever possible
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| Window to the past ... just for fun |
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February 2007, Francis Carlier teaches 3rd and 4th grade at L'Ecole Française du Maine. Since 2011, Francis has been the Director of the Lower School of the San Diego French American School and a pretty good surfer too!
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