Vrais Amis

Please visit our website (www.efdm.org) to purchase tickets.

Article in the Portland Press Herald

COLUMN Close to Home: France honors the founders of French School of Maine

JULIANA L'HEUREUX / LES FRANCO AMERICAINS August 26, 2009

Willy and Elizabeth LeBihan of South Freeport are certified teachers who share a common educational goal: for their three children to be raised speaking fluent French and English. As a result, they created the bilingual L'Ecole Francaise du Maine/The French School of Maine, in South Freeport.

This spring, the couple received the distinguished title of Knights and were awarded l'Ordre des Palmes Academiques (the Knights in the Order of Academic Palms) by Xavier Darcos, French minister of education. This distinguished honor, created by Napoleon, is one of the world's oldest civil awards.

French Consul General Francois Gauthier presented the award June 18 in recognition of the immersion school, where all academic subjects are taught in French by native speakers of the language.

The LeBihans started the school in 2002 in Winthrop with only 12 children, two of whom were their daughters. Soon thereafter, the school moved to a newly renovated sunny building in South Freeport, where students from Winthrop and southern Maine could easily commute. Today, 70 students are enrolled in kindergarten through the seventh grade. Adult French evening programs are also offered.

Elizabeth "Beth" Chaote LeBihan explains how the couple's vision for a French school probably began when she met her future husband while they were studying in Ireland. Beth's mother is a Franco-American who grew up speaking French in the Sand Hill neighborhood of Augusta. Her mother's roots date many generations to the MicMac tribe in Quebec.

Beth studied in Ireland as an exchange student so she could connect with her father's Irish heritage. Then she met Willy, a French national born near Paris and raised in Brittany, on the northwest coast of France. Willy was able to spark Beth's interest in her mother's French heritage.

"It all came back to us sharing a French heritage, even though he was studying English and I was learning about the Irish," Beth says.

When the couple married, they decided to raise their children to speak both French and English. "I was astounded by how effortlessly and quickly my very young children learned to be fluent in both languages," she says.

Maintaining that fluency was put at risk the day her oldest daughter came home from kindergarten and asked her mother to speak in English.

"At that moment, we realized something dramatic had happened. Our opportunity to continue speaking French at home was at risk," she says.

The LeBihans wanted to retain the bilingual skills they worked hard to learn. They put their many years of teaching experience to work for them by learning how to create a bilingual school. Their learning was on site, observing immersion programs in New Brunswick and in Brittany, France.

L'Ecole Francaise du Maine is modeled after French schools where children begin their education as toddlers.

Receiving l'Ordre des Palmes Academiques was a huge honor.

"These awards are often received after a lifelong career," says Beth. "We are humbled by the recognition."

Gauthier, the consul general, was especially helpful to them when he visited the school. He extended his outreach throughout Maine to support Franco-Americans.

Development efforts to support the immersion school include the upcoming "Vrais Amis" ("True Friends") soiree. Sponsored by the Parents Association, the French wine tasting with silent and live auctions is scheduled for 6 to 9 p.m. Sept. 25 at the Portland Harbor Hotel. Information and tickets are available at the school's Web site, www.efdm.org.

Juliana L'Heureux can be contacted at: Juliana@mainewriter.com

Discours de M. François Gauthier, Consul Général de France, lors de la cérémonie de remise des Palmes Académiques à Elizabeth et Willy LeBihan

My dear friends, chers amis,
Three and a half years ago I had the privilege to preside over the ceremony that marked the opening of the new building of L'Ecole Française du Maine.
Today, I am very excited to be here, one more time, to express on behalf of the French government my gratitude to the founders of your school, Elizabeth and Willy LeBihan.
If we look back, what they have done has been quite impressive. They have succeeded in setting up the first French-immersion program in Maine, in expanding what was initially a tiny group of adventurers to a remarkable institution where children find an incredible model of education, and in establishing the school as a beacon of excellence and culture.
You did that because you had a vision: building on the French heritage of Maine, on cultural diversity to provide an ambitious curriculum where children are given the best for their future: with the teaching of a foreign language at a very young age, with the teaching of arts and music, with an education that includes even art of cooking and bonne cuisine, l'Ecole Française du Maine has become part of the life of dozens of kids and a source of pride for the community.
You have also been able to convince parents and teachers to follow you and to implement a project that has been their project, their dream and their achievement. Your success is their success and I want to thank and salute the parents and the faculty for their involvement and their continuous support.

Les energies

CP-CE1 became very knowledgeable these days and aware of the environment while learning about 'Green energies' with Sebastien Legentil. They learned about solar panels, windmills, and the power of water. They also watched "Home" a movie by Yann Arthus-Bertrand.

Message from Mary-Lou

Watch "Home" by Yann Arthus-Bertrand

The movie HOME, directed by French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand, premiered worldwide on June 5, 2009. In New England, it was screened at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, in front of a packed audience. If you missed this screening, you can watch HOME online (in English, French, Spanish or German) until June 14.

To do so, please visit HOME’s Youtube page:
http://www.youtube.com/user/homeproject

You can also visit the film’s website:
http://www.home-2009.com

HOME, directed by internationally recognized photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand, takes us on a fascinating aerial journey all around the planet. Narrated by Glenn Close, the documentary was filmed across fifty countries and shot entirely from the sky in high definition, offering a powerful commentary on the major environmental and social issues challenging our world today. HOME invites us to stop for a moment in order to look at our planet and realize how we treat its treasures and beauty.

Presented as part of World Environmental Day, HOME premiered simultaneously throughout the world on June 5, creating a global event. The film is the result of a collaboration between Yann Arthus-Bertrand, the producer and director Luc Besson and Francois-Henri Pinault, Chief Executive of the French luxury group PPR – the majority shareholder of PUMA and the world exclusive partner of HOME.

Check out our new ad!

Check out our new ad in Portland Magazine!

The first in a series of new ads created by Garrand Marketing, this colorful ad is featured in the special Sumerguide edition 2009 of Portland Magazine.

Thank you to all of our creative and talented friends at Garrand for designing this appealing and intriguing ad!

http://www.garrand.com/

Thank you Parents for the meals!

Dear Parents,

We want to express our sincere gratitude for the delicious meals you provided for us during conference week. It is true that the conference days are long for us, and to be able to enjoy a meal, prepared by someone else, makes all the difference. We all loved the chicken pot pie, pot roast, lasagna, soup and all of the trimmings...including salads, baguette, wine, delicious French cheeses and desserts galore. We even received bouquets of flowers to dress the table! Thank you for much for your thoughtfulness and your time.

Merci beaucoup from the entire staff!!

D-Day memorial celebration and tree planting

Concours d’art: "Tibili le petit garçon qui ne voulait pas aller à l’école"

The 1st and 2nd grade class participated in an art contest organized by the French Consulate in Boston. It was based on the book "Tibili le petit garçon qui ne voulait pas aller à l’école" by Marie Léonard and Andrée Prigent. This is the story of Tibili, a 6 year-old African boy, who spends his days laughing. When his mom talks about school, it’s a catastrophe! Tibili doesn’t want to go…
The participants had to create, alone or as a group, a sculpture, drawing, model, collage, photo or painting inspired by the theme ‘My school in Africa’.
About 15 New England schools participated, and we are proud to announce that Murielle’s class finished second! Bravo!

Souvenirs d'automne - DVD

We are pleased to present you with the opportunity to purchase our school DVD!

The DVD represents an entire year of work- shooting the footage, selecting and editing and preparing the completed film. The result is a marvelous accomplishment and a souvenir to cherish for years to come.

DVD Cost: $25.00 per copy

About the film: “Souvenirs d’automne”
The children of the school invite you to share their autumn memories.
Each class presents their favorite moments: a walk in the woods, arts, discovery of autumn, field trips, halloween parade, etc.
Bravo to the 6th grade class, who edited the film!
In addition to the movie, you will find the two trailers and extracts from concerts where the chorus sang and the children played music.

Please note that the DVD has no zone restriction, it can be read/viewed in Europe as well as in the USA. Email Elodie at: echancelier@efdm.org for more information.

Le Grand Concours: About the Contest

Le Grand Concours, or the National French Contest, is a French event in the form of a 60-minute national test, designed, written, financed, and disseminated by the members of the American Association of Teachers of French. Its purpose is to help stimulate further interest in the teaching and learning of French and to help identify and reward achievement on the part of both students and teachers.

All students of French, from grade 1 through senior high school, are eligible. In addition, students studying French on overseas campuses, with a private tutor exclusive of any formal classroom instruction in French, or via Homeschooling, are all eligible to compete for awards.

This year, over 100,000 students across the country participated in the contest.

Achievement Results of L’Ecole Française du Maine in the 2009 Grands Concours
This year, as in past years, L’Ecole Française du Maine achieved outstanding results in the Grands Concours National French Contest. All of our students in grades 1 through grade 6 participated in the FLES Division of the contest (Foreign Language in Elementary Schools).

Of the school’s 30 participants, 11 students placed nationally, ranking in the top 10 placements, 7 of these ranked in the top 5. Three of our students were listed in the Tableau d’Honneur.

Ten students scored well enough to qualify for the second round of the contest. The second round is a spoken test, recorded and submitted on cassette to the test administrators for scoring in California.

One sixth grader, Anna B., placed second nationally in Division 3B, the division for middle school students who do not speak French at home and who are enrolled in a French immersion program at the middle school level. Another student, Chloe W., a third grader, finished third in Level 3A, the division for Elementary students enrolled in immersion schools. These divisions are for students who have a minimum of 1500 minutes of French instruction per week, meaning the students in these divisions are enrolled in immersion programs across the country, and are not competing against students who have only a few hours of French classes per week. L’Ecole Française du Maine achieved an impressive 8 students ranking in the top 5 placements in the 3A and 3B divisions.

There are separate divisions for students who have a French-speaking parent/s at home: Division 3HA (elementary level) and Division 3HB (middle school level). In Division 3HA, L’Ecole Française du Maine also had a student place nationally:
Colin L. ranked fourth nationally in that division (3HA).

On June 18, 2009, the Consul General of France, François Gauthier, will present the recipients and their teachers, Francis Carlier and Friederike Munz, with awards and medals honoring these achievements at the school’s graduation ceremony in South Freeport, Maine.

Volunteer

My name is Alex and I am a senior at Cheverus High School. Every senior at Cheverus is obligated to volunteer for one month at any location of the student's choosing. I had never heard of this school before reading about it on a list of volunteer locations. French being my first language, I thought it would be fun to work at a school where I could practice my French. For the past month I have been helping out teachers with certain jobs. I have really enjoyed working at this school and I have learned a lot about raising kids.

Merci!

Horst & Marie Hamann for a photocopier

Kindergarten Track meet in Boston

After having trained for several weeks, the children of GS were highly motivated to meet the children from the French schools of Boston and Rhode Island.
They were put into 8 different teams, each of which had to go through 8 workshops: there was a relay, a race with obstacles, 3 workshops for throwing, one a ball, one a javelin and the last one a disc.
The children did extremely well and were very excited to speak French with the other students.
After the track meet, everyone received a medal and each school a cup. We were very proud of the GS participation.
We also want to thank the parents for all of their help and support through this event. We could not have done it without you !
Merci beaucoup,
Elodie and Valerie

Bienvenue Rose!

This week, we welcomed a new friend into the classroom named ROSE. Even if she is a puppet, she is going to be our new classmate until the end of the year. She is three years old, she is a cheerleader and she likes sports. Sometimes she does or says something funny. We can talk with her on lots of subjects and she also loves to hug us. The other day something bad happened to her: she fell from the stairs and she broke her arm. So, we talked about that in the class and we went to the hospital with her to help her feel better.
She is very funny and we think we are going to have good time with her.
WELCOME ROSE!

Teddy bear clinic

Last Friday, we went to the hospital with Rose, our class puppet, and our teddy bears. It was really interesting. At the beginning, a performer sang us a song on what we have to do to be in good health. Then, we went into a room where nurses were waiting for us. They asked us where our teddy bear was hurt and they put band-aids and bandages on different parts of the body- as needed to make teddy better. We also put a mask onto the teddy bear's faces to help them breathe. A nurse explained how a visit in the hospital would be, showing us some scrapbook pictures of a little girl's visit. Another nurse who was dressed like a penguin showed us an X-ray of a teddy bear who had swallowed a penny. We could see it in his stomach!
When we left the hospital, we were given a goodie bag full of stickers, pencils and drawings. It was a really interesting field trip, and now, if we have to go to the hospital we won't be afraid of the doctors and nurses. They are so nice! Thank you!

Feather Dance

The Suzuki music students gave a wonderful concert on May 13, 2009. The audience was delighted to hear pieces of violin, guitar, piano and cello. In this video you will see guitar students and their teacher, Nathan Kolosko playing "Feather Dance", an original piece composed by Nathan.

Career exploration

Chelsea, a sophomore at Yarmouth High School, is interested in teaching French and likes working with children. So when the time came for her career exploration, she chose to come to L’Ecole Française du Maine.

Chelsea stayed with us for three days, visiting all the classrooms, and spending most of her time in the PS/MS classroom. She had a lot of fun helping in the class and interacting with the children, and she discovered how demanding, but rewarding teaching could be.

Merci!

Joseph Hluska & Jennifer Ely for art supplies
Steven & Laurin Koskinen for a basketball
Tara & William Magaw for hand sanitizer