Welcome Back Jérôme Train!

You may have seen a familiar face around EFDM this week. We welcomed Jérôme Train, Pedagogical Advisor from Dallas International School, back to L'Ecole Française du Maine for a 2nd visit this year. Again, he observed teachers, classes, and held afternoon professional development workshops. During this visit, Jérôme continued his training on creative writing and he emphasized practical applications and the benefits of teaching in a multi-age classroom. Jérôme offers teacher training sessions to more than 17 French Schools on the east coast of the United States for the Mission Laïque Française (MLF - America), of which EFDM is a member. We are extremely grateful for his visit and expertise.  Merci Jérôme!

Teachers got hooked! - Poisson d'avril !

In the United States, students get excited about April Fools' Day for the pranks. Here at EFDM, like in France, our students have other ideas in mind on April 1st.

The day typically begins with students discreetly drawing various types of fish on paper.  Some fish are colorful, some are plain, some have words on them, some are big and some are small. The fish are then cut out and a piece of tape is put onto each fish. This is when the excitement begins...Students plot, scheme, and patiently wait for their opportunity to stick the fish onto the backs of teachers without them knowing.  Our teachers lovingly ignore it, pretend they don't know what happened, and spend the entire day with the fish hanging on their backs, like Sophie pictured above. 

And speaking of fish, don't forget to check out these beautiful fish paintings from our Early Childhood students that were inspired by the work of Elois Renouf.  Perfect timing with Poisson d'avril, as well as the upcoming fishing season here in Maine!

Here come the capitals!

Pictured above, our 2nd graders master the upper case letters.

Despite being a lost art here in the U.S., cursive writing at EFDM is an important part of the curriculum. At EFDM, cursive writing begins in Kindergarten, with preparation for writing beginning in Early Childhood classes through activities and various art projects. Cursive writing not only develops fine motor skills but also helps develop brain synapses and connections.  The numerous advantages of this lost art include more efficient speed with writing to get ideas on the paper, prevents reversals and confusion of letters, develops muscle memory that helps enhance spelling ability, provides constant spacing from letters and spaces between words, and also helps left handed children with writing. 

Looking for a good book?

Make sure to visit our upper grade classroom where plenty of book recommendation posters are on display. Students in Grades 3 & 4 have been reading books and making recommendations to the class on a weekly basis since September.  

And although some say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, we think you should!  Check out this gorgeous poster that 3rd Grade student Amelia made!

Les Peintures de Sable des Amérindiens Navajos

During traditional Navajo ceremonies, images are painted in colored sand on the floor of the hogan (Navajo home) by a skilled artisan.  Once the ritual is complete, the painting is swept away. Thankfully, these Navajo inspired pieces from our GS/CP students will not be swept away and are now on display next to the upper grade classroom! Enjoy!

Introducing Loulou

If you have a GS/CP (k-1) student at EFDM, you have probably heard about Loulou, the "class stuffie".  We thought it was time to introduce the world's traveling wolf to the rest of our community.

Throughout the year, Loulou has taken a sabbatical from his usual wolf activities, and has decided to travel around the world, first class of course!  He has been visiting a few countries from all of the seven continents.  During his visits, he sends a detailed letter to the GS/CP class about the country he is visiting, and he LOVES to share selfies from his trip!  His letter to the class includes information about cuisine, money, language, landscape, architecture, places of interest, and much more.  After that, students record information about the country also include sketches and glue images into their travel notebooks.

Loulou's trip began in Maine and then headed to Canada, Brazil, Antartica, and recently, Australia.

Next stop: Asia!

Make sure to take a peek at the book that Elodie and Victorien have compiled in class documenting his journey. Bon voyage Loulou! Asia here we come!

Don't forget...

Need a haircut, facial, or massage? Head Games salon in Portland has you covered! You can get pampered for a great cause! They have named LymeTV Cause of the Month for the second time and, on April 9th from 4-8PM, are donating 100% of all salon service proceeds to LymeTV. LymeTV (founded by EFDM student Julian's parents) has many programs geared to tick-borne disease prevention and information. This is especially important in Maine since the state has the highest incidence of Lyme disease in the nation. 

Please call the salon at (207) 773-8393 to book a service for this benefit event! There will be complimentary food, adult beverages, and a FREE raffle entry for a Tiffany & Co. necklace!  Don't wait, book today!  See you there!

Chemists have all the solutions!

And Dr. Shane surely does too!  

Last week, Leif and Annika's grandfather, Dr. Shane, made science class a blast! He mixed solutions, made nylon, almost popped balloons, and had us all in awe of his chemistry concoctions!  

We are so grateful for his visit.  Merci, Dr. Shane!

And don't worry... thanks to a special dress up day, we had hockey helmets and called in the Fire Chief for when things got a little exciting during the chemistry demonstration!

Visit from Arnaud Mentré, Consul Général of France in Boston

from left to right:  Simon Aubert, professor des écoles; Arnaud Mentré, Consul Général of France; Willy LeBihan, Founder and Head of School with 3rd grade students of l'Ecole Française du Maine)

The Consul General of France in Boston, Arnaud Mentré, visited l' Ecole Française du Maine on last week during his first trip to Maine. Willy LeBihan, Founder and Head of School, gave the Consul a tour of the facilities and described the history and mission of the School. Mr. Arnaud Mentré met teachers and spoke in French with our students, for instance explaining the role of a Diplomat. His genuine interest for French education and the immersion approach was much appreciated by all.

Mr. Arnaud Mentré attended a reception at the Maison Française du Maine and discussed the accomplishments of the school with several parents and school alum.  The two-day trip to Maine of the Consul General of France included meetings with Governor Janet Mills and receptions in Lewiston during the celebration of Francophonie Month. Laura Piehl and Willy LeBihan attended the events.

Roll, Throw, Build, Paint and Bake!

This week our upper grade students visited Portland Pottery for some practice on the wheel!  Students created two clay objects on the wheel that they painted and will be fired in the kiln soon.  Huge thank you to Karen and Sarah at Portland Pottery for their expertise and tour of the studio. 

Portland Pottery offers a great selection of April Vacation camps as well as Summer Camps for your child.  April Vacation camp information can be found here and Summer Camp information can be found here.

Encore!

We couldn't help but to share more pictures from our show last week at the Franco Center for Performing Arts.  We are still smiling ear to ear!

Bravo les champions!

3rd Grade 2019 Read-a-thon champions!  Congratulations!

A Winter Stroll

Early Childhood students are savoring the last bits of winter...  A winter walk through the woods in the cool, crisp air was another highlight of their week.

Got mail?

The CE1/CE2/CM1 classroom will be anxiously awaiting the mail truck next week as the pen pal partnership in France continues.  This week, students from EFDM sent a response to our French friends that included pictures of our beloved pets.

C'est moi le plus fort

(photo credit: Daryn Slover Sun Journal)

We couldn't be prouder of our students who lit up the stage at the Gendron Franco Center for Performing Arts on Thursday - and we weren't the only ones who noticed! The Sun Journal covered the event- please read the article here.  Not only did our talented students show off their proficiency in French, but they also danced, sang, and performed to the delight of a large and appreciative audience.  Bravo!

This show, 'C'est moi le plus fort' is a story about a wolf who is determined to confirm he is the strongest one in all the forest. He takes a journey through the woods for confirmation. Along the way, he asks all the other creatures: "Who is the strongest?". One by one, they all respond: "You are!", until he meets what appears to be a small toad, who has an extremely large mother!

This production of  'C'est moi le plus fort' was artistically put together by our talented teaching team.  Our teachers worked together to craft costumes, props, choreography, music selections, and more.  Bravo to Marie, Dasha, Victorien, Suzie, Elodie, Simon, and Sophie for sharing their talent with us! And of course, a big thank you to the Franco American community for being so supportive of our performances year after year and being such a wonderful audience. Merci!