Oobleck!

In English Language Arts class with Kelly, students had a lot of fun making Oobleck!

What is Oobleck?  It's a non-newtonian substance made from corn starch and water. After reading Bartholomew and the Oobleck, we had to make some! (And then write about it, of course!)

Music Class

We love Mondays with Miss Maggie!

Reading Presentation

We love it when our older students read to our younger students!

DELF: New website and congratulations to our recent graduates

We couldn't be prouder of our alum who recently passed their certification examination!  The DELF/DALF program is expanding at l'Ecole Française du Maine. 

 A special page was added to the school's website this week:   https://efdm.org/delf/

Contact Laura PIEHL, Director of the DELF, with any questions.   delf@frenchschool.me

Thank you to our School Council Parent Representatives 2017-2018

Thank you to Cédric Bernard, Chelsea Delorme, Dominique Sauer and Sonya Kahlenberg for serving on the School Council this year (from November 2017 to November 2018).  Our meetings were quite productive and positive; detailed minutes are on display on the bulletin board outside the office.

These dedicated parents took their role very seriously, relaying parents' feedback, questions, and requests- as well as parents' compliments and encouragements too! Also, many articles in our weekly newsletters were written to support their efforts in reaching parents with the feedback requested.

For example, the upcoming re-enrollment evening discussion is directly the fruit of the conversations between the parent representatives, our school community and the school administration.

Thank you for improving the experience of our students!

Outdoor play

The exceptional wooded area surronding the playground of L'Ecole Française du Maine.

Recess is probably the most crucial moment of the day for our young students. Fully aware of this intrinsic need of children, the Founders of the school, Willy and Elizabeth LeBihan, chose South Freeport as the location of L'Ecole Française du Maine. They fell in love with the place because of the surrounding woods, and easy walk to the Bliss Woods, Stonewood Trail, Sayles Field, and Ridge Trail. 

From time to time, the teachers plan for the students to explore the wooded area during recess time: to build a fort, make pottery with wet clay or dig the ground in search of treasures.  Also, they play games with our staff.  These are the memories they will keep forever.

Halloween Parade

We had a terrific time at our annual Halloween and hope your child did too!  What a treat it was to see our community light up the South Freeport neighborhood.  Many of our students agreed that Halloween was by far the best day of the year.

A heartfelt thank you to

John and Steph Brewer, proud parents of two EFDM graduates, and

Cedric and Emmy Bernard, proud parents of Madeleine and Lucy, for hosting two parade stops during our walk!

The stops were certainly a treat for all to enjoy.  Thank you for making our parade so special!                                                        

Cedric and Emmy Bernard, with Emmy's Parents. We are so grateful for our EFDM community.  Thank you to all our parents, teachers, and staff for making our school so wonderful for our students.  We are so grateful for your helping hands, teamwork and enthusiasm.  Merci!

Buzz, buzz, BUZZ....

You may have noticed the many bumble bees buzzing about in the parade this week, including a bee keeper!

Not to worry, there won't be a 'Spelling Bee' anytime soon, however Kelly did make sure to quiz her students throughout the parade on their spelling words!

Stay tuned, there will lots of Halloween photos coming soon!

Early Childhood Autumn Walk

Last Friday was a gorgeous day to walk in the woods for our seasonal walk.

Introducing Emily Walsh our Yoga and Relaxation Teacher

We are thrilled to introduce our newest faculty member at EFDM.  Please welcome Emily Walsh, who will begin teaching Yoga and Relaxation classes on January 20!

Emily Walsh is very pleased to be joining the team at L'école, putting her studies of French to good use, having fun through movement, and finding peace in relaxation. Emily graduated from New York University with a personalized degree in Mind and Body Wellness, concentrating in neuroscience and psychology as well as dance and body awareness practices. She believes in finding daily ways to lessen tension, in building new habits to ensure perpetual growth, and assisting youth through the stresses of school-life and the trials of growing up. Her unique style of teaching emphasizes an enjoyment and celebration of each body's capabilities. Throughout her career at NYU, she included in her studies regular courses in French, feeding her passions for growing the mind, language, and culture. Upon graduating, she received her 200-hour yoga teacher's certification from Sanctuary Studios in Plymouth, MA with explicit coursework in children's and teen yoga. For the past five years since moving to Maine, Emily has been working as Mindful Learning Coach at Freeportbased Affect Academics Inc., a tutoring center specializing in research-based learning interventions. She has specialized training and experience teaching yoga and mindfulness to students with various disabilities, and currently holds an Educational Technician III certificate from the State of Maine. As a trained ballet dancer since childhood, in her spare time she performs with Portland based dance company Indie Dance Works, and is also an avid hiker and nature-enthusiast.  Welcome Emily!

Beautiful Autumn and Pumpkin Soup!

We just love autumn in Maine!  There are a lot of autumn inspired artwork and projects around the school these days including some aspiring chefs who made pumpkin soup!

Early Childhood Trip to Wolfe's Neck Farm

Our Early Childhood classroom enjoyed a trip to Wolfe's Neck Farm visiting animals, enjoying a hayride, and learning about pumpkins.  Thank you to Wolfe's Neck Farm for having us!

Thanksgiving Basket Drive

Each year EFDM collects ingredients for Thanksgiving baskets that will be donated to the Freeport Community Center. This tradition is so very appreciated by the Community Center as the need is great; they depend on our baskets each year. We put together an entire Thanksgiving meal for a family in each basket. Let's see if we can break our record this year! 

Your support is needed to prepare our annual Thanksgiving Baskets for the Freeport Community Center.  Please help those in need who are a part of our Freeport community.

If you would like to contribute, here is a list of items that the Community Center has requested:

Canned vegetables (carrots, green beans, peas, corn, etc.)

Potato flakes 

Onions

Stuffing mix

Gravy

Cranberry sauce

Pie crust

Pie filling

Large roasting pans

$10 Shaw's gift cards (for turkeys)

(No perishables please, and any items that are not on the list will be donated to the Freeport Community Center.)

Soon a table will be set up in the hallway so you can donate these items.  (Giftcards should go to the office for safe keeping.) 

Meredith Harrell, proud parent of Cameron in CM1, is overseeing this great event. 

Merci Meredith!

Bike Trip to Wolfe's Neck Farm Grades 2-4

Bike trip Fridays are always so special.  Last Friday our Grades 2-4 students had a great day biking, exploring the shore, and playing games together.

Stonehenge Project

The CE1/CE2/CM1 students are learning about the prehistoric period in art class, specifically the megalithic structures that are made of several stones. 

 In some areas, long and complex alignments of such stones exist; the largest known example located at Carnac in Brittany, France.  Another example is Stonehenge, a prehistoric monument in Wiltshire, England.  Students used rocks, moss and a constructions plan to create small scale models of these structures on our school's playground. This outdoor fun project concludes our series of prehistoric art project along with cave painting and prehistoric sculptures on display in the school hallway.

La Maison

This week's Café and Conversation took place for the very first time at La Maison Française du Maine!  Our weekly Wednesday - 8:30 am informal parent gathering has relocated to the building adjacent to the school.  The conversations focused on exciting projects in Kindergarten and First grade and were lead by Elodie Chancelier (First Grade) and Victorien Rami (kindergarten).  Students have embarked on a journey around the world; each stop along the way will provide an opportunity to learn about the music and the art of these regions.  Several guest speakers and musicians are scheduled to make this journey even more realistic and meaningful.  

Renovation of the house, La Maison Française du Maine, has advanced nicely and its usage has started. Additional work will progress in several phases.  The progression of the improvements and remodeling is relying on the generosity of philanthropists, successful grants and fundraising efforts. Eventually, the building will host a music studio, an art studio, a yoga space, lodging accommodations for teachers and much-needed space for meetings and offices.

At the moment, the basement is used to store all the school supplies and seasonal equipment, such as the carnival games.  This significant savings (of both time and financial resources) has freed the school from relying on storage units on Route One.  The main floor offers a large living room and dining room for gatherings and space used for music lessons and tutoring. The second floor is reserved for teacher lodging.

The house is entirely furnished with antiques and furnishings donated by Anita Choate (Beth LeBihan's mom) and Willy and Elizabeth LeBihan. Mr. Douglas Piehl of MaineHouse.pro of Freeportis supervising the careful remodeling and improvement of this historic building.  Floors and paint look amazing, Thanks to Doug and his talented crew!

Pumpking Art

Look how much fun the Early Childhood classroom is having making pumpkin inspired art!