Etienne Giroire interviewed by students from L'Ecole Française du Maine

Second and Third graders are pictured above with their teacher, Didier Carribou, cheering for Etienne Giroire, ATNINC five days before the start of "La Route du Rhum", the most famous transatlantic single-handed yacht race in the world. The official flag of La Route du Rhum seen in this photo was donated to the school by Kip Stone after his victorious win during the 2006 race, and is a very special and cherished gift.

Etienne Giroire, sailing ATNINC, of Fort Lauderdale, is the sole American participating in the 2010 single-handed transatlantic race "Route du Rhum" with his Walter Greene designed 40' Trimaran "ATNinc.com" . Etienne is a very experienced sailor, a favorite among the 11 sailors of the "Rhum Class". The record to beat is 19 days.

"ATNinc.com" 40' Trimaran of Etienne Giroire was designed by world-class nautical architect Walter Greene, of Yarmouth-Maine. Students are planning to visit Walter during the race.

Skype session with Etienne Giroire from his boat in Saint-Malo, France

A great thank you to Etienne Giroire, who took the time from his busy schedule, five days before the race, to answer questions from second and third grade students.

How long will it take you to cross the Atlantic?

The record with a boat like mine is 19 days.

How and when will you be able to sleep?

I will sleep when I can; near the European shore or near Guadeloupe I cannot; too many risks (ie: collisions). I may be able to nap a few minutes at a time. When in the middle of the ocean, I'll have some opportunities to rest. If the wind stops, that means it's nap time!

What will you eat?

Fruits, cereals, pasta, saucisson, bread, lots of water and a few canned goods.

Can you fish?

No, my boat sails too fast.

How do you cook pasta on board?

It is a real treat that I have a small kitchen on the boat

What are some of the dangers you are facing?

The number one danger is collision with large commercial ships near Europe.

It is almost impossible to stay awake at all time.

How do you navigate the boat?

My job is to adjust the sail (orientation, surface etc..) depending on the wind conditions.

I use winches and ropes. The wind usually changes constantly and when it doesn't, I rest for a while.

Do you have a motor?

Yes, to recharge batteries and computers, but we cannot use it to race.

Etienne ended the questions with a great quote:

" La mer n'est pas un endroit dangereux, mais il faut savoir la parcourir"

Good luck Etienne and Atninc

More info at www.atninc.com

La Route du Rhum - 2010

The Route du Rhum is the most famous transatlantic single-handed yacht race in the world, which takes places every four years in November. The race is between Saint-Malo, Bretagne, France and Point-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe, France in the Caribbean. The first competition, won by Canadian Michael Birch in his boat Olympus Photo by a margin of 98 seconds over second-placed Michel Malinovsky in Kriter V was held in 1978, and was marked in tragedy by the disappearance of Alain Colas during the crossing.

On Sunday October 29th, 2010 at 1:02, at least one million fans will cheers on the cliffs of Brittany at the start of the race. This event will be broadcast on television all over the world and 5 million French citizens are likely to watch it live on Sunday afternoon, celebrating the magic single TransAtlantic Race. This event compares to the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games.

On Monday, first and second graders of L'Ecole Francaise du Maine will watch the start of the race to cheer Etienne Giroire, the sole American participating in the race. Our students have been exchanging emails with Etienne and communicating via Skype with him in the cockpit of his boat in Saint Malo. Etienne's boat was designed in Yarmouth, Maine by Walter Greene.

Four years ago, L'Ecole Francaise du Maine followed famed Freeport sailor, Kip Stone, during his victorious race (Class 40). Kip came to the school to describe his preparation and the danger he faced alone in the North Atlantic. He later invited our students onto his boat, "Artforms". In Westbrook, our students learned "tee-shirt printing" as Kip is also the owner of "Cool at as Moose" stores in Maine and Quebec.

A special thanks go to Thornton Ring who got a complete chart of the North Atlantic, so that Didier's students can plot Etienne's position each day. The race will last 20 days.

Route du Rhum 2006 & L'Ecole Française du Maine

Photos by Marie Preaud

We have lived a unique experience with navigator, Kip Stone, who came to visit our class and who invited us to visit his racing boat. We were also included in a radio broadcast featuring Kip, where we sang the French song, Santiano, to honor Kip and wish him well in the upcoming race, La Route du Rhum. The race would take Kip from St. Malo, France to Guadeloupe. We followed him throughout the course, tracking his position day to day, charting his location on a map in our classroom and exchanging messages via email with Kip on his boat. We experienced many emotions throughout this project: we felt some worry when Servan Escofier, Kip’s leading opponent, came closer to him, and we were afraid he would need to stop the race when his automatic pilot was malfunctioning, We finally cried out with joy when we heard the incredible news of his victory ! From this common adventure we keep and cherish our photos and reports which we have displayed in the hallway just below one of Kip’s sails --which spans the length of the school! We also kept a Captain’s Log to document and illustrate Kip’s journey and our correspondence with him. To conclude this project, on December 14, we went to Kip’s printing factory where we learned how to print T-shirts. He had prepared, just for us, a special T-shirt decal with the school’s logo and that of his boat, in souvenir of la Route du Rhum.

La route du Rhum - 2006 - Victory for Artforms, by Caroline Kurrus

Photos by Marie PREAUD

Stone first in class and sets record in historic Route du Rhum - by Caroline Kurrus 



November 16, 2006. Pointe à Pitre, Guadeloupe. American sailor Kip Stone crossed the Route du Rhum finish line off Point à Pitre, Guadeloupe, to win the Class 2 monohull division at 10:38 GMT today (5:38 EDT). The 3,500 mile solo transatlantic race started October 29 in St. Malo, France. Stone also set a new class record of 17 days, 22 hours, and 36 minutes, beating Australian Nick Moloney’s 2002 record by approximately 18 hours. 



Stone, of Freeport, Maine, is the first American to win a class in the celebrated Route du Rhum, which has been held every four years since 1978. Stone joins Americans Phil Weld, Walter Green, and Steve Fossett in completing the race. 



“This is a very demanding race from all perspectives," said Stone upon arrival in Point à Pitre. "It’s a fabulous race and I’m really very happy. We ran into all kinds of conditions - wind from zero to 40 knots; a very hot sun, lots of rain, winds from every direction. I don't think I saw the sun at all the first week out.” 



Stone had his share of mishaps along the 3,500 mile route. A sudden front moved through on day 10 and shredded one of his headsails. To secure the flapping sail, he used a knot known as the Prusik to ascend the rig in 20 knots of wind. On another day, he was smacked in the back of the head by a flying fish. 



Over 70 sailors in eight classes competed in this year’s event. Servane Escoffier, the 25-year-old French sailor, came close to overtaking Stone in the second half of the race. “It took me a while to maneuver so that I was able to cover her. It was a tight race," said Stone. 



Stone's win in the Route du Rhum adds to an impressive solo sailing resume. He won the Open 50 class in the 2004 Transat from Plymouth, England to Boston, Mass, and set a new course record. Stone and designer Merfyn Owen partnered in 2005 to win the Bermuda 1-2 and placed second in the double-handed France to Brazil race, the Transat Jacques Vabre. 



Artforms, a fifty-foot carbon-fiber ocean racing vessel, known as an Open 50, was designed by Owen Clarke Design, built by McConaghy Boats, and launched in Sydney, Australia in 2003. Stone sailed Artforms halfway around the world to Plymouth, England, to compete in his first solo transatlantic, the 2004 Transat. 



Stone is the 45-year-old owner of Artforms, a screen printing company in Westbrook, Maine, and the Cool as a Moose retail stores in Freeport and Portland, Maine. He graduated from Middlebury College in 1987.



For the Route du Rhum, Stone teamed up with L'Ecole Française du Maine, a French immersion school in Freeport, Maine. Third graders at the school are learning math, science, geography, and more as they follow Kip and Artforms. 


---

For more info on Kip Stone and "Cool as a Moose" products visit

www.kipstone.com
www.artformsinc.com

Candy Buy Back Fundraiser

Nathan Kolosko - upcoming events

Hello Everyone,

Below is a list of most of the upcoming events for this Fall/Winter. The first performance is next Thursday November 4th.

Hope to see some of you at these performances. Best Wishes and thank you for your continued support !!

Fall/Winter 2010-11

Thursday November 4th 12:00 noon

Nathan Kolosko - solo concert

First Parish Noonday Series

425 Congress St. Portland Maine

Saturday & Sunday November 20th at 7pm & 21st at 3pm

US premiere of new composition for choir and guitar

Bowdoin Choir, Bowdoin College

Tuesday February 8th 12:00 noon

Noonday Concert Bates College

Olin Arts Center

Friday February 11th 7:30 pm

Portland Conservatory Faculty Concert

A program of all original works

With Carl Dimow - Flute & Ben Noyes - Cello

PCM - Woodfords Church

202 Woodford St.

Saturday April 16th 11:00 am

Festival 21

Performance lecture on prepared guitar

Gordon Chapel, Old South Church

645 Boylston Ave., Boston MA

New Publications now available at:

www.nathankolosko.com

Tonadilla - 10/2010 Doberman-Yppan

Nayarit - 8/2010 Productions D'Oz

VTT

On October 8, 2010 the classes of grades 2,3,4,5 and 6 went to the field on Pownal Road for mountain biking activities.

This was a wonderful day!

First, there was an evaluation of everyone's biking skills: balance, motor actions (pedaling, steering), taking into account information on the environment.
Then Didier and Valérie set up different workshops. In these workshops, games helped all the children improve the mastery of their biking skills- balance, speed and trajectories.

Afterwards, almost all the children were divided into ability group levels for a ride in the woods with Didier, while the others continued working in the workshops with Valérie. On the trails, we worked learn other skills, including how to:
-ride in group, master our speed to avoid collisions;
-avoid natural obstacles (roots, trees, etc.);
-anticipate field changes (up hill, down hill, etc.);
-change speed, pedal harder uphill.

Everyone had a good time while learning sports skills, respecting safety rules and practicing French and learning new vocabulary during this half-day. There were big smiles on everyone's faces... should we do it again?

Merci to Mr. Ring for bike transportation, to all the parents who could come (Reed's dad, Matisse's dad and Malika's dad), to Didier for fixing and setting the bikes which needed it and to Valérie and Didier for organizing this fun afternoon!

French-American Chamber of Commerce: Event in Portland, ME

Kick-Off Event in Portland, ME

Thursday, November 18
5:30 - 8:00 PM

Portland Harbor Hotel
468 Fore St Portland, ME 04101

Register online now!

Meet the French-American business community of Maine!

Join FACCNE Board members, staff, and local members for a presentation and networking session at the elegant Portland Harbor Hotel downtown. Presentations by:

• Perry Newman, FACCNE Board Member, President Atlantica Group LLC
• Ludivine Wolczik, FACCNE Executive Director
• Severin Beliveau, Honorary Consul of France in Maine
• Christophe Guilhou, Consul General of France in Boston, MA

Cost: $25 for all. Walk-ins welcome. Online registration available through PayPal here.

Thank you to our sponsors and supporters:

Correspondance avec la France

This year, the class of second and third grade will correspond with a third grade class in Aiglun - Alpes de Haute-Provence, France. The children of that class had Didier as a teacher when they were in 1st grade...
The 2nd and 3rd grade students wrote texts to introduce themselves and took their photos: the game for the French students will be to match each description to the correct photo.
They also wrote a collective letter presenting L'Ecole Française du Maine, illustrated it with photos, and added maps where the children in France can look for:
-The United States
-The State of Maine
-Freeport

Once all this work was done, the class went to the post office to send their mail. Angie, the postmaster, welcomed them warmly, as usual. The children even helped her with her work. They learned many things about mail (postage, address, route...).

Without realizing it, the children have worked on French, writing and geography.

Merci Angie!
We are now impatient to receive a reply from France!

Les voitures à réaction

This is an example of interdisciplinary activities of the 2nd and 3rd grade class.

During the science class (Decouverte du Monde), we are studying the properties of air as a gas-(properties of matter). In groups of three, the children discovered and read (reading) the manufacturing sheet of a jet car. They then had to ask for the necessary material (practice of oral language), and agree (debate) on each building step. They had to trace, measure (geometry) and cut, then assemble and build the car (technology).
Once the cars were built, they were able to decorate and test them!
Vroum, vroum: we discovered some properties of matter and the reaction principle while using many other skills, and most importantly, while having fun!!!

EFDM School Store

For clothing items:
*If ordering 2XL or larger, add $2 to t-shirt price or $3 to sweatshirt, fleece or polo price
**Add $2 to each item ordered if requesting rush order
(we must have a minimum of 12 items to place an order at listed bulk prices)

For novelty items:

These are in stock currently and do not have to be ordered. If you choose to order these items via the order form instead of during school store hours, please make sure I have contact information to let you know when you can pick up the order from the office.

At the beginning of each school year, each child enrolled at EFDM will be given one screen printed t-shirt that will be required to be worn on field trips unless otherwise noted. If your child shows up on a field trip day without his/her t-shirt, one will be provided to your child (to be returned to the office at the end of the field trip) for a fee of $4.00. Also note that if your child's provided t-shirt is lost or damaged, you will be responsible for purchasing a replacement shirt for your child.

Product	Item #	Colors offered	Sizes		Price
Hats/Caps
6 panel twill baseball cap	A4007	dark royal, light pink, white, grey	One size		$18.00
Knit Cap, no cuff, 9" length	TNT	navy/cream, grey, royal	One size		$15.00
Fleece
Adult fleece vest	M985	black, hunter, true royal	S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL, 4XL		$35.00
Youth full zip fleece	M990Y	black, hunter, true royal	Youth S, M, L, XL		$37.50
Ladies full zip fleece	M990W	black, hunter, true royal	S, M, L, XL, 2XL		$37.50
Mens full zip fleece	M990	black, hunter, true royal	S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL, 4XL		$37.50
Sweatshirts
Toddler full zip hood sweatshirt	3346	heather, navy, pink, red	2T, 3T, 4T, 5/6		$25.00
Youth 50/50 midweight nublend full zip hood sweatshirt	993B	oxford, navy, pink, red, royal	S, M, L		$32.50
Ladies full zip hood sweatshirt, 2 sided-2 color fleece	9945	navy/cardinal purple, grass/carbon	S, M, L, XL		$65.00
Mens full zip hood sweatshirt, 2 sided-2color fleece	9997	sweat blue/carbon, grass/carbon	S, M, L, XL, 2XL		$65.00
Youth Pigment-dyed ringspun fleece crew	11561Y	periwinkle, poppy, willow	S, M, L		$25.00
Pigment-dyed ringspun boxy crew	1941	celery, denim, mocha, periwinkle, poppy, washed plum	S, M, L, XL, 2XL		$35.00
Polo shirts
Toddler polo	RS4600	light blue, navy, pink, red	2T, 3T, 4T, 5/6		$18.00
Youth 50/50 jersey polo	437Y	black, lt blue, pink, true navy, true red, true royal	S, M, L, XL		$18.00
Ladies 50/50 jersey vneck polo	337W	black, lt blue, pink, true navy, true red	S, M, L, XL, 2XL		$20.00
Mens 50/50 ultra blend jersey polo	G8800	black, lt blue, navy, red, royal, gold	S, M, L, XL, 2XL		$20.00
T-shirts
Toddler 100% ultra cotton tee	G2000P	white, lt blue, lt pink, navy, red, royal	2T, 3T, 4T		$8.00
Youth 100% ultra cotton tee	G2000B	white, jade dome, lt blue, lt pink,navy, red, royal	XS, X, M, L, XL		$8.00
Ladies 100% ultra cotton tee	G2000L	white, jade dome, lt blue, lt pink, navy, red, royal, violet, yellow haze	XS, S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL		$8.00
100% ultra cotton tee	G2000	white, jade dome, lt blue, navy, red, royal, purple, gold, forest green	S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL, 4XL, 5XL		$8.00
Ladies organic scoop neck tee	AA6021	bark, coal, moss, mulberry, ocean	S, M, L, XL		$16.50
Organic PE tee	AA1973	brown, black, green, grey, navy	XXS, XS, S, M, L, XL, 2XL		$20.00
Bags/Backpacks
100% cotton canvas book tote	HS008	royal, light blue, natural			$12.00
Pigment-Dyed raw edge messenger bag	1908	black, denim, khaki green, putty			$35.00
Backpack		royal			$30.00
Oxford Shirts
Boys short sleeve oxford shirt	E9003	white	Youth 5/6, 7/8, 10/12, 14/16, 18/20		$25.00
Boys long sleeve oxford shirt	E9002	white	Youth 5/6, 7/8, 10/12, 14/16, 18/20		$30.00
Girls short sleeve poplin blouse	E9007	white	Girls sizes 6/6X, 7/8, 10/12, 14/16, 18/20		$25.00
Girls long sleeve poplin blouse	E9006	white	Girls sizes 6/6X, 7/8, 10/12, 14/16, 18/20		$30.00
Novelty items
Berringer Classic Pen	42421	Sky blue/silver with black ink			$2.00
24 oz stainless fitness bottle	42594	Dark royal with white logo			$16.00
Coffee mug	40591	Almond with black foot and black rim			$11.50
Coffee/liquid tumbler	41193	Dark royal with stainless steel inside			$12.00
EFDM Car Cling window sticker	36514	Clear with teal letters			$4.00

Le Petit Nicolas

As you may know, Le Petit Nicolas is a very famous childrens' book, written by Goscinny and Sempé, known and adored by generations of French people.

It tells the story of little Nicolas, his life with his parents, his adventures at school with the teacher and his many friends. The children of 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th grades have read and studied some of those adventures in class, both last year and this year. It then seemed very exciting to show them the film that was released in France last year.

The screening of the film was a big success among the children! Lots of laughter and discussion filled the air. Back to school the following week, we had little activities prepared for the students as a way for them to reinvest the information they had gathered. We had four groups composed with students from all levels. Each group had 30 minutes to answer questions, describe characters, discuss whether they enjoyed the film or not and explain why. We then all shared together. It was a great experience!

Concerts at Jewett

Yard sale fundraiser

Thanks for all the support we received for the yard sale on Saturday. It was a successful fundraiser for the school playground fund. Fortunately, it turned out we had a beautiful weekend for the sale! Thanks again for all your help and donated items! We are looking forward to another successful yard sale in the spring.

Sincerely,

Caryn Bickerstaff and Stephanie Bowden

Greek mythology

Fifth and Sixth grade students have been working hard in English class reading Greek mythology, researching, taking notes, reporting on Greek Gods, and creating their own myths. To celebrate the end of the unit, they invited the 4th graders to join them on Mount Olympus for ambrosia, nectar, and pomegranate juice.