Happy Halloween!

Taste of Alsace Festival

CELEBRATE INDULGE TASTE SAVOR ENJOY!

Celebrate France at the

Taste of Alsace

A food, wine and culture festival

Tuesday, November 9, 2010
6:00 P.M. – 9:00 P.M.

120 Huntington Avenue, Boston MA

featuring

Les Voleurs de Poules

and a special guest appearance by Chef Joho
world-renowned chef of Everest, Brasserie Jo, and Eiffel Tower Restaurant
www.chefjoho.com

• Experience regional gastronomic specialties from 20 of Boston's finest restaurants
• Sample French wines, carefully paired with the cuisine
  
• Treat yourself at an auction of premium items donated by our sponsors

To buy tickets, please click here.

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Featured sponsors:

Consulat Général de France à Boston

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Presented by:

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. 


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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!!!