Flying Point Oysters

Photos by Warren Miskell

The Coast of Maine has long been known for its pristine shoreline, strong tides and ice-cold waters.
These natural conditions have made Maine a reliable source for premium quality seafood for centuries. Today this tradition lives on. Maine's rich ocean harvest continues to satisfy seafood enthusiasts year after year.
In keeping with this tradition of premium quality, Flying Point Oysters are a special example of Maine Seafood at its very best.
Flying Point oysters are farmed by a husband and wife team in Freeport, Maine.

What gives Flying Point Oysters their outstanding flavor?
Flying Point Oysters derive their complex, salty/sweet flavor from the waters in which they are grown. Strong, incoming tides nourish them with cold, briny ocean water. Swift outgoing tides provide the oysters with a rich array of nutrients from the vast wetlands to the north of the growout site. This dynamic environment gives the Flying Point Oysters its outstanding flavor.

A great deal of care and attention is invested in the cultivation of each Flying Point Oyster. The results are being enjoyed in America's finest restaurants and can also be purchased right here in Freeport.

To order, please call (207) 221-5172 (Valy: art teacher at L'Ecole Française du Maine)

Pricing
Petites - perfect for serving on the half shell: 0.75 each ($9.00 /doz)
Selects - Ideal for grilling, broiling or oyster stew: $1.00 each

Field trip to the oyster farm

Photos by Warren Miskell

On Friday October 9, 2009, the children from grades 2 through 7 went on a field trip to the oyster farm. They learned about the development stages of the oysters.
In the spring of each year, oyster seedlings are purchased from a local hatchery and placed in a floating nursery system. In the fall, when the oysters have reached 1"-2", they are removed from the nursery and transported, via barge, to their final growout location. Once at the growout site, the oysters are planted directly on the bottom, and then harvested two to three harvest years later.
From seed to harvest, it takes about three years for an oyster to reach market size.
They also learned about all the aspects of oyster farming.
It was very interesting!

Ellis Island: The Dream of America

On Monday October 5 the students of grades 2 to 7 went to the Merrill Auditorium where Ellis Island: The Dream of America was performed by the Portland Symphony orchestra.
Ellis Island: The Dream of America is a work for actors and orchestra with projected images by American composer Peter Boyer, composed in 2001-02, commissioned by the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford, Connecticut. The work combines first-person narrations of seven immigrants who entered the United States through Ellis Island between 1910 and 1940, selected by Boyer from the Ellis Island Oral History Project, with Boyer’s original orchestral music. The work has received over 80 performances by 40 orchestras. A recording of the work released on the Naxos record label was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition in 2006.

Field trip to Wolfe's Neck Farm for Pre-K and K-1 classes

Vrais Amis

Thanks to all that attended and supported the first annual "Vrais Amis". The event was a superb evening with 150+ people attending the Wine tasting and Auction evening at the Portland Harbor Hotel.
We were honored that the newly appointed Consul General of France Mr. Christophe GUILHOU, in his first official capacity, attended the event and the Honorary Consul for France in Maine, Mr. Severin Beliveau, was in attendance as well.
We were pleased that the Portland Press Herald and Portland Magazine were on hand to take pictures. Look in the November issue of Portland Magazine to see photos from the event.
Premier Bordeaux wines were served and Executive Chef Earl MORSE served specially created Hors d'oeuvres to compliment the wines. A Live Auction, by Mike CAREY of Tranzon Auctions, was the highlight of the evening.

Special thanks to the sponsors who supported the "Vrais Amis" event:
Portland Harbor Hotel
MS Walker
Smitten
Pet Pantry's
Michele Shems
Cape Elizabeth Garden Club
Creating Wellness at Innate
Chiropractic
Smitten
Petrillos Restaurant
The CAT
Terracotta
The Baker Family
Consul General of Canada
David's 388
Drillen Hardware
The Langham Hotel in Boston
Fore Season Indoor Golf
Winslow Park
Scott & Lynn
Charles Foehl & Sara Mayo
Amtrack
Rangely Lake Resort
Rings Marine Service
Libby Whittier
Jen Burris Designs
Hyatt Place at Mohegan Sun
Art Night Out
Hyatt Place at the Mohegan Sun
Art Night Out
Rock Paper Scissors
Sail Maine
Blue Sky Svaroopa Yoga Studio
Tranzon Auctions
Zeil Dougher and Fred Morin
RD Allen Jewelers
Garrand Marketing

Freeport Art Club (Contributing artists: Christy Deveault, Gail Morgan, Cindy Asherman, Mary Berry, Lynn Bickford, Corrine Bongiovanni, Maybelle Crasnick, Charlie Drew, Diana Johnson, Margareta McDonald, Gayl McNally, Mort Pannish, David and Pricilla McKeith)

Border Crossings: Kolosko-Dimow Duo at the Museum of Art

Border Crossings
Kolosko-Dimow Duo
October 7, 1:00 p.m.
Colby College Museum of Art
Waterville, Maine

Nathan Kolosko, classical guitar; Carl Dimow, flute and bass flute

The Kolosko-Dimow Duo will feature works from their new recording, Border Crossings, which draws on elements of classical music, world music, and jazz: Dimow's Klezmer Suite, Kolosko's Nayarit Suite (inspired by the novel The Pearlby Steinbeck), and the duo's collaborative arrangements of the Afro Sambas by the legendary Brazilian guitarist Baden Powell. Colby applied guitar faculty Carl Dimow appears here as flutist with critically acclaimed classical guitarist Nathan Kolosko.

Funded in part by the Freda M. Charles Music Fund

More concert dates for Nathan Kolosko

- The ISQ - Improvisational String Quartet - with Jozef van Wissem - Saturday October 17th, 8:00 pm
Space Gallery Space Gallery
http://www.space538.org/events.php

- Kolosko-Dimow Duo December 10th, 12 noon
UNE noonday concert
http://www.une.edu/

- Nathan Kolosko - Thursday January 14th, 12 noon
http://www.portlandconservatory.net/Nooondayschedule.pdf

New Recordings (to be released this fall)

- Border Crossings - This long awaited second release with Carl Dimow will include two new large scale compositions by each of us and our own arrangements of Baden Powell's Afro-Sambas. CD release concert TBA.

- Enso - Recorded in Tokyo with guitarist Dan Cosley. This recording contains two new compositions as well as a set of structured improvisations. The sonic variety on this recording is quite dramatic.

Below is a link to sound samples of my new composition from the recording, Yangisse jarabi: Published by Production d'OZ

http://www.productionsdoz.com/c378106983p17522348.2.html

Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm!!

Sincerely,

Nathan Kolosko
www.nathankolosko.com

Les papillons

We had monarch caterpillars in the class since the beginning of the year. We watched them evolve into cocoons and butterflies and released the first one a few days ago. We even made cards to announce the birth of the butterfly!

The K-1 class.

Lewiston Cabaret!

“Merci” car restoration celebration at the railway village on October 10th

All photos by Don Gaither, from the collection of Chris Allen.

The historic “Merci” Car, also known as the 40&8 Car, is a French railroad boxcar built in France in 1886, and is now part of the collection at the Boothbay Railway Village museum. The Car, filled with over 1,000 personal gifts from French citizens to the citizens of Maine, arrived in Maine in 1949 as part of The Gratitude Train, a French response -- a collective “merci,” or thank you -- for 700 box cars, called the Freedom Train, filled with relief supplies from the people of the United States. The relief supplies in the Freedom Train were sent to France in 1947 to help alleviate the devastation caused by the ravages of the Nazi occupation in World War II.

The Gratitude Train, or “Merci” Train, was also a response of the French people to the sacrifices made by Americans to protect France in WWI, and to liberate France from the Nazi occupation in WWII. Most of the gifts contained in the Maine Merci Car are preserved at the Maine State Museum in Augusta.

2009 marks the 60th Anniversary of the arrival of the Maine Merci Car in Maine. This historic boxcar was one of a 49 car railroad train, one for each of the then 48 States and one for the “territories” sent by the French people in February of 1949. It is only one of 39 such cars known to exist today. To mark the 60th Anniversary, the Boothbay Railway Village, with the help of volunteers and over twenty individual and organizational donors, is restoring the superstructure of the boxcar to look as it did when it arrived in 1949. The car was festooned with 46 plaques and banners, including the crests of each of the 40 French provinces that existed in 1949. The Railway Village is also launching a donor drive to raise additional funds to build a protective pavilion for the Maine Merci Train and a small endowment for its future preservation and for educational programs. A list of current donors may be found on the Railroad Village website, www.railwayvillage.org.

The restoration unveiling and ceremony on Saturday, October 10th at 1 pm, will open with a presentation of the flags of the United States, France, Maine and the “La Societe des Quarante Hommes et Huit Chevaux,” (the 40&8 Society) a philanthropic organization of American veterans organized after WWI in 1921, by an honor guard of the Society. The “40&8” designation refers to the fact that the boxcar could carry forty men (“hommes”) or 8 horses (“chevaux”).

The Honorable, M. Christophe Guilhou, Consul General of France in Boston, will greet the attendees in French and English.

Mr. Joseph R. Phillips, Director of the Maine State Museum, where the gifts from the people of France to the people of Maine are preserved, will also speak on the history of the Maine Merci Car. Photos of some of the gifts will be available for viewing.

Mr. Earl Bennett, of Florida, a catalyst behind the restoration of the Merci/40&8 Cars throughout the United States, and founder of the website www.mercitrain.org, will also talk about the history of the Merci and Gratitude Trains.

The ceremony is expected to last forty minutes and will take place during the first day of the annual Fall Foliage Festival and Fair, considered one of the top Fall Fairs in the northeast. Gates to the Railway Village on Rte 27 South in Boothbay open at 9:30 am, and there is a nominal admission charge of $2.00, which supports the work of the Boothbay Civic Association and the Boothbay Railway Village. Additional contributions are welcomed.

The Boothbay Railway Village is a non-profit, 401 3(c) cultural and historical organization, located at 586 Wiscasset Road (Rte 27 South), Boothbay, Maine. To find out more about this event, or the work of The Railway Village, see their website, www.railwayvillage.org, or call 207-633-4727.

The plaque of the crest of the Province of Maine, France, one of forty provincial crests, which will adorn the historic, restored Maine Merci/Forty&8 Railroad Car being restored at the Boothbay Railway Village. Mr. Severin Beliveau, Honorable Consul of France for the State of Maine, sponsored this crest. Details of this and all sponsors of this restoration effort may be viewed on The Village website, www.railwayvillage.org.

L'Ecole Française du Maine was happy to contribute to this project through the sponsorship of a plaque of the Brittany region of France, a replica of the original plaque which decorated the "Merci Car" upon its arrival to the United States.

L'eau...

Last Friday, we started to work on the theme of water. We gave a bath to our baby, Emma. We learned new vocabulary and spoke about hygiene.Then we made an experiment with objects from the classroom to observe if they would sink or float. We glued photos of the objects on a chart. We had fun!

The children of Petite et Moyenne section.

New vertical blinds in the Pre-K classroom!

We are so happy with the new blinds which were purchased for the preschool classroom. These custom blinds are perfect for every moment of the day as we can open them completely or just a little bit, depending on the activity at hand. For example, we can close them entirely for our naptime too. Please peek in and take a look!

Visit from Curriulum Coordinator of Mission Laïque Française

On September 17, we had a visit form Soizic Bonnet, Curriculum Coordinator for the Mission Laique Française. Ms. Bonnet travels across the country sharing her knowledge and experience with the French schools who are members of the MLF in America. At L'Ecole Française du Maine, Soizic was very busy during her short stay. She conducted classroom observations in all classes and met individually with the teachers and administrators following the observations to give feedback and answer questions. We were all happy to benefit from her extensive knowledge and years of teaching experience at all levels. Soizic also read or new Projet d'Ecole and gave us valuable feedback on that as well. Her advice and contributions are helpful and appreciated as we move forward with our concentrated efforts in the area of oral language development in our school.

Visites à l'école

Inspecteur Georges Alzina and the staff enjoying Maine lobster at the Harraseeket Lunch and Lobster

On September 10 and 11 we had the visit of M. Georges Alzina, the newly appointed Inspecteur de l'Education Nationale for the French schools of North America. During his visit, Monsieur Alzina conducted classroom observations and met with Beth and Willy to discuss the many aspects of the school. Monsieur Alzina also made a presentation to the faculty and answered our many questions. He was very pleased with our delivery of the French national curriculum and the performance of talented teachers here. He found our school offered a positive and inclusive learning environment and the school parents and the local community to be supportive of the work we do. His encouraging remarks gave us all a much appreciated boost of energy at the beginning of the year.

Building renovations

A lot of work was done at school during the summer!
The corridor was painted, a truckload of mulch was delivered and spread on the playground, the old heating system radiators and piping were removed and replaced by shelving and new counter tops in the classrooms, the building was insulated, and a commercial grade dish sprayer was installed in the kitchen for Mary-Lou. The boys' bathroom received new wall tile and best of all...new classroom furniture is due to arrive any day! More on that once it gets here!

Come meet the new Consul General of France at “ Vrais Amis”

Please join us in welcoming the newly appointed Consul General of France Mr. Christophe GUILHOU, Cultural Attache Mrs. Anne Miller and Honorary Consul for France in Maine Mr. Severin Beliveau at our event "Vrais Amis" this Friday at the Portland Harbor Hotel - 6pm to 9pm
To buy tickets go to www.efdm.org or call +1 (207) 865-3308.
We are looking forward to seeing you there!

The evening will show case:

* Premier Bordeaux wines for tasting
Chateau Fonguillon Lenclos 2005 Montagne Saint-Emilion ~ Bordeaux, France
Chateau Bellevue 2005 La Randee ~ Bordeaux, France
Domaine Chiroulet Rouge 2005 Cotes de Gascogne ~ SW France, France
Domaine Chiroulet 2006 La Cote dHeux Gascogne Blanc Sec ~ SW France, France
Le Vin de Bob, 2005 Bergerac Blanc ~ Bordeaux, France
Chateau Compassant 2004, Thunevin Red
Methode Traditionelle Bulles - Non-Vintage ~ Loire Valley, France

* Specially created Hors d'oeuvres to compliment the wines
Le Vin de Bob 2005, Thunevin White
Plugra poached Glidden Point Oysters, Candied Citrus Emulsion
Domaine Chiroulet 2006, La Cote dHeux, Thunevin White
Gnocchi encrusted Live Scallop, Warm Apple Glacage
Chateau Fonguillon 2005, Thunevin Red
Wild Grouse Paillard, Porcini Mushroom Arancini
Chateau Compassant 2004, Thunevin Red
Oxtail & Foie Gras Stuffed Venison Loin, Smoked Juniper scented Jus
by Executive Chef Earl Morse

* Live Auction by Mike Carey of Tranzon Auctions
Hyatt at the Mohegan Sun
Penthouse stay for 2
Boston Red Sox
Tickets for 2 with complementary Amtrak train tickets to the game
Portland Harbor Hotel
Weekend stay for 2 including breakfast
200 Fresh Oysters
Locally harvested
Historic Bed & Breakfast in Quebec City
Stay for 2
French Language Classes
1 year of adult education lessons
Langham Hotel in Boston
Weekend stay for 2 including Sunday Brunch
Complementary Amtrak train ticket from Portland to Boston
Plus various other items from local businesses

* Fine Art by the Freeport Art Club
Paintings by local artists
Including Margareta “Meta” McDonald

To buy tickets go to www.efdm.org or call +1 (207) 865-3308.
We are looking forward to seeing you there!

Fieldtrip: environment and biodiversity

We went on a field trip for our science class. We are currently studying the environment and biodiversity. Didier and Willy took us for a walk in the woods next to the school where took notes and collected various samples.

The 5-6-7th grade class

La chorale des petits

This year, the Pre-K to 1st grade classes have a 'chorale' too.
Scott is playing piano for the accompaniment and the first song being learned is "La Mère Michelle", a song about a lady who has lost her cat. Et tralala!
Watch for us at the concerts!

Sport!

For the first two sport sessions, we went to the soccer field in Freeport. Didier, our teacher, asked us to invent a new game and its rules. We had a lot of ideas, and it was a lot of fun! Here is what we invented:
JEU DES 2 CIBLES (GAME OF THE TWO TARGETS)

L’équipe qui marque le plus de points a gagné ! (The team who gets the most points wins)

-1 ballon, 2 cônes espacés de 10 à 20 m. (A ball, 2 cones at a 10 to 20 meters distance
- 2 équipes de 4 à 5 joueurs sur le terrain (teams of 4 to 5 players on the field)
- équipes mixtes, il peut y avoir des remplaçants (mixed teams, teams can have subs)

Règles : (Rules:)
1) Il faut renverser un cône en lançant le ballon dessus pour marquer un point,
You have to knock off the cone with the ball to score one point.
2) Interdit de se déplacer ballon en mains,
It is forbidden to move from place to place while you have the ball in your hands.
3) Interdit de toucher un joueur adverse.
It is forbidden to touch a player from the other team.

ET C’EST TOUT, AU DEPART !!! (AND THAT'S ALL WE HAD TO START!!!)
Bilan : C'est injouable, il faut rajouter des règles, pour pouvoir jouer!
(Conclusion: it doesn't work, we need to add more rules),
Règles trouvées : (New rules)

– On délimite autour des cibles une zone interdite a tout joueur,
Règle 2 non respectée : balle à l'équipe adverse,
Celui qui marque (renverse le cône) le remet en place immédiatement.
(- we create a forbidden zone around the cones, when rule number 2 is not respected we give the ball to the opposite team, the player who scores has to put the cone back in place immediately)


The 2-3-4-5-6-7th grade classes

Pique-nique à Winslow Park

All the school went to have a picnic at Winslow Park on Monday September 14, 2009. We invited the school parents and were happy some could join us for this get-together. Mr.Ring gave us a ride in the big blue bus. When we arrived we split into two groups: Pre-K to 1st grade and 2nd to 7th grade. The first group played all kinds of games: la tomate ('the tomato' ball game), le facteur ('the mailman') and we played on the park's games. The older group went to explore the park's trails.
We all had lunch together. Mary-Lou had prepared us a delicious meal. We had baked beans, pasta salad, burgers and hot dogs, corn on the cob and watermelon for dessert.
The first group then went back to school to take a nap or read stories. The 2nd to 7th grade group stayed a little longer to play 'le jeu du drapeau', the flag game. This is a strategic game: you need to find ways to take other teams' flag while protecting your own. This was a lot of fun.
We all had a wonderful day!