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!

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.