Thursday, March 29, 2018

Trip to Augusta



Last week students in the CM1/CM2/6ieme classroom took a trip to Augusta for a tour of the State House and Museum.  For this visit, students participated in 3 different guided tours about Maine History and also visited the State House and State Museum.





Partnership with Greely High School French Students




On Wednesday we welcomed Maggie McCormick, a former EFDM graduate, back to school to read to our GS/CP class.  Maggie is currently in the advanced French program at Greely High School.
Merci Maggie!

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Greely High School French Students



Last week we welcomed students from the Greely High School French program to exchange 'en francais' with our students.  High school students read aloud to our GS/CP classroom and also spoke with our students.  Bienvenue Greely students!




Friday, March 23, 2018

Rallye mathématiques!

Last week students participated in the North American Rally Mathématiques contest!  Bravo students!

Capture the Flag

It's something quite special to see our entire upper grade classes all playing collectively at recess.  What a school!

Thursday, March 22, 2018

Le Bonheur - March Performance

As with past years, this show is an opportunity for EFDM to showcase its talented students and their proficiency in French. This performance allows us, in a very enjoyable way, to see the returns on the investment that we have all made in providing our children this education. It is also a time to recognize the accomplishment of these students, not just in their language skills, but in their ability to perform on stage at such a young age. It is something that we encourage and require as a way to build up their confidence, and we know it will serve them well in the future.


Every year at EFDM, the entire school performs in March at the Gendron Franco Center for Heritage and Performing Arts in Lewiston.

This years show was the result of collaboration among every member of our staff – not just a handful of them, but ALL of them. Our dedicated teachers all helped to put this performance together, meeting on a weekly basis since the fall to figure out all aspects of the planning, scripting, choreography, and props. It is a true testament to their teamwork, and we thank them for all of their efforts to make this happen. 

We are extremely grateful for the Gendron Franco Center for Heritage and Performing Arts for its continued partnership – it is an honor for the EFDM community to be invited here each year.

This year's show, Le Bonheur, was a museum of happiness.  2 student tour guides, Maeve Mechtenberg and Leela Hidier, took us on a tour throughout the 4 different happiness rooms.  The first room, was happiness is when we celebrate.  The 2nd room was happiness in sunny weather.  The 3rd room was happiness from the simple things in life.  And finally, the 4th room, was happiness is when we are together.





Wednesday, March 21, 2018

State of Maine Study

In English Language Arts class, the 3rd graders recently began their State of Maine study!  This is a fun and engaging unit that students love, year after year.  To begin the unit, students use The Maine Atlas to discover Maine. Stay tuned...more Maine excitement coming soon!

Monday, March 19, 2018

2nd Grade How-to Books

In English Language Arts class, the 2nd grade class recently completed a How-to unit.  In this unit, students surveyed various How-to books, followed How-to directions on how to do something, and then brainstormed personal ideas on a skill that they could teach someone.  Students then completed a graphic organizer that helped them write their own How-to book.

When the books were finished, students shared their books with the GS/CP classroom. Kelly is very proud of her young authors!







Thursday, March 15, 2018

CE1/CE2 Classroom Celebration

Last week, the CE1/CE2 reached 1000 points on their classroom point system.  Check out the reward: A ziplock bag full of arts and craft materials AND an some time in class to create anything and everything! Merci Patrice and Estelle for your creativity!





Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Gorilla Day Illustrations


In celebration of World Gorilla Day, the Kindergarten class made beautiful illustrations of gorillas. Last week, Sonya Kahlenberg (proud parent of Lilah and Hazel), Executive Director of the Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education (GRACE) Center, hand delivered the artwork to her Congo team.   The team loved them and thought they were very well done! These illustrations will be hung in the new education center, which will be completed this month.

The first World Gorilla Day was celebrated on September 24, 2017. World Gorilla Day creates the opportunity for people all over the world to come together in celebrating the gorilla, and more importantly, taking action to protect gorillas in the wild.

Snow Day Reading!

Don't forget that snow days are great days to READ READ READ! The Read-a-thon is a close race this year.  Keep up the great work English Language Arts students.

Monday, March 12, 2018

100th day of school celebration!

Every morning, GS-CP count how many days they have been coming to school by adding a coin to their piggy bank. This is a great opportunity to review how to say numbers in French, practice math by making exchanges (10 coins against one bill of 10, and that day, 10 bills of 10 against one of 100), seeing how many tens and units are in a number, and much more.


The special day started with a portrait to remember their 100th day of Kindergarten or First Grade. The rest of the day was filled with fun activities around the number 100. 

Each student created their own crown as they are Kings and Queens of learning. To continue, they wrote how they imagined they would be when they are 100 years old and drew a self-portrait to illustrate their story. They created collections of 100 different objects: pompoms, paper clips, beans, game pieces, pearls, googly eyes, etc. They had different challenges to complete cooperatively: guessing how much of a glass would be filled by 100 drops of water, write (with correct spelling) 100 words independently, build a structure with 100 cups, assemble a 100 piece puzzle, count how many balloons were in the classroom, complete 100 fitness moves (10 jumping jacks, jumping on one foot 10 times…). 









To end the day in color, they created a piece of art made of 100 hand prints. But first, they had to count how many times they would each have to print their hands. 

This was an excellent day and everyone had a whole lot of fun!!!