Thursday, September 17th, 2020
Dear Families of L'Ecole Française du Maine,
As we anticipate the novel challenges of this school year, we are excited to implement multiple methods of keeping parents and families informed and connected! Consistent, easy, and frequent communication between school and families is one of our highest priorities this year. Within this newsletter you'll find a new app to download connecting you to your student's classroom, a schedule of conversations, and of course the reminder that teachers are always available for a quick check-in at pick-up or drop-off time!
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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| "Seesaw" classroom communication app |
We are excited to introduce another method of connection to assignments and activities within the classrooms this year! Teachers are presently busy getting familiar with the Seesaw app. The idea is that teachers can upload images frequently from classwork, projects, and assignments that appear on student's profiles within Seesaw (you'll only have access to the posts created by your student's teacher for that student). Parents will have access to snapshots from their students' day to spark conversations at home and with teachers.
Below please find links provided by your student's teacher. Choose your child from the class list and create your account. After this, teachers will approve and verify your account and sharing will begin!
If you have more than one child using Seesaw, follow the link from one teacher to create an account, then use the other link from the separate teacher to then click the 'Sign in' tab at the top of the screen. You will not need to create a new account.
After you sign up, download the free Seesaw Family app and sign in anytime.
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| Possible Bike Trip for grades 1-5 |
Last week a survey was sent to all families of students in grades 1-5 to gather information on the possibility of our much-beloved bicycle trips around Wolfe's Neck Center. If you have not completed this survey, please check back in your emails to add your voice!
Children attending the trip would be masked as appropriate and keep their distance from other Wolfe's Neck guests throughout the expansive bayside area and farm. Lunch will be a packed picnic lunch from home to eat with their class.
We will require 3+ parent volunteer chaperones to assist teachers throughout the day at the farm.
We would love to host a bicycle trip on an upcoming Friday in September and/or October.
All grades 1-5 would need to be dropped off at Wolfe's Neck Center instead of EFDM on this date, between 8:30 and 9am. Pick-up will also take place at Wolfe's Neck Center, between 2:30 and 3pm.
If your child cannot ride a bike and is within grades 1-5, please let us know asap!
If your child(ren) requires a rental bike provided by EFDM, please let us know asap!
If you would be able to chaperone on an upcoming Friday, please let us know asap!
Based on chaperones and biking abilities, we will announce the finality of this event early next week! |
| Adult Education & DELF Programming |
Have you been wishing to learn French alongside your EFDM student? We are now accepting enrollment into our Adult Education programs for this year! For more information and to submit an enrollment application, please follow this link.
If you have a student who has graduated from EFDM and would like to continue their French exposure within our DELF program, please find more information and sign-ups here!
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| Classroom "Virtual" Tours |
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This is certainly the year of adapting to change! Since we cannot have large groups of adults entering the building, we plan to include photos of students within their classroom environments, indoors and out. Each upcoming newsletter will present a different classroom at work and play!
Dasha and Katie's Classroom Petite Section, Preschool
Welcome to the PS classroom! Dasha and Katie love the fun, joyful learning that takes place amongst our littlest friends. As families of this age may be aware from their "Cahier de Vie", our PS class is always on the go-- from outside sports to daily songs, art projects and recess time! Learning tools and spaces within the classroom are cleaned between use and masking and distancing always encouraged (age-appropriate mask breaks as recommended by the Maine DHHS are taken as needed). So much vital and vibrant learning happens at this age, and we are lucky to have such a wonderful group of preschoolers with us!
Circle time with daily songs and routines is shared by all!
PS students enjoying their summer nature walk.
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Friends are busy learning about one another and building crucial fine motor skills.
Controlled and accessible classroom toys and centers make cleaning easier and fun-time still paramount!
With Dasha as their teacher, PS students get to enjoy wonderful art projects "tout le temps"!
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Music classes may look a little different this year, but we are proud to say that we preparing now to host in-person music sessions, (safely distanced), for those interested in continuing or beginning their Suzuki music education!
Please reach out to Emily in the office with interest, or reach out to one of our teachers below! We'll work to get your student into the music lesson schedule during a weekday slot.
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| Bienvenue à "Conversation sous la tente" |
This fall we will be be replacing our "Café et Conversation" with "Conversations sous la Tente", each Wednesday morning from 8:30-9:00; and as long as the weather is cooperative! These meetings provide an extra opportunity for our school community to gather and share experiences. We hope you will mark your calendars and try to attend. As before, a theme each week but no real agenda and last minute drop-ins are welcome :-)
Wednesday morning from 8:30-9:00
September 23, 2019: PreK-K with Marie September 30, 2019: K-1 with Victorien October 7, 2019: Grades 1-2 with Elodie October 14, 2019: Preschool with Dasha
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| Construction of a replica of Thoreau's cabin |
L'Ecole Française du Maine will be building a replica of Henry David Thoreau's cabin in the yard of "La Maison." The small structure will remain for all of us a reminder of this unique time we are living. The pandemic has brought to our attention that Thoreau remains more relevant than ever, as we search for truth, resilience, self-reliance, a better appreciation of what we already have, and better respect of nature. Our students will observe nature closely, experience the four seasons, and participate in the construction of the famous 1845 cabin of Walden Pond, Concord, Massachusetts. This year-long project will involve all subject areas and all grades. Handy volunteers are welcome :-) more info to come.
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Messages de rentrée de l' AEFE et de la Mission Laïque Française
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Olivier Brochet, directeur de l'AEFE, adresse son message de rentrée aux communautés scolaires du réseau des établissements d'enseignement français à l'étranger.
Nouvelles perspectives, rentrée inédite, développement professionnel au sein du réseau. Découvrez les annonces du directeur général de la Mission laïque française, Jean-Christophe Deberre, dans ce message de rentrée.
French International Schools in North America is a network of 54 schools located in Canada and the United States, which implement the French curricula, and employ a majority of teachers who are qualified in the French National Education system. These schools also are truly international: in addition to enrolling French and Northern American students, they welcome students from a wide range of countries from around the world.
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Helping Students in Beyrouth
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Helping students in Beyrouth. After the terrible disaster that occurred on August 4, 2020 in the Lebanese capital, the AEFE joins forces with non-for-profit organizations: Solidarité Laïque, the MLF, the AFLEC and the Union ALFM to support a fundraiser in favor of the students of Beirut's public schools and thus enable them to be equipped for the coming school year.
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Reopening Plans and Covid-19 Protocols 08/03/2020 version
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Thank you for continuing to perform the daily check before coming to school! Together, we can continue to keep one another safe. As always, if you have an uncertainty regarding any of the questions on the checklist below, please call our office to discuss before coming to school: 207-865-3308
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| Changes to Calendar Events |
Having created our current school calendar with hopes of the best possible outcome in light of COVID-19, some special days and events may have been scheduled which will likely have to be adjusted or changed.
Please be sure to note the change of our much-loved Grandparents' Day event. Instead of October 5th, our plan is to hopefully host this event in late spring 2021. Updates will be shared as we near that season.
The half-day schedule for October 9th will remain as is!
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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 throughtout the day
Learning outside whenever possible
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