Uncle Sean's handiwork- chairs get a makeover

Thanks go to Beth's Uncle Sean, a mostly retired but still sought after master upholsterer. Sean originally came from Ireland, where he learned the trade, and his work is appreciated by many. In fact, when the Governor's Mansion/Blaine House was remodeled a few years back, Sean was asked to do all of the upholstery. Sean recently shared his skills to complete a makeover of stuffed child-sized chairs. These chairs had been at the school for over 6 years, and the fabric had become faded and worn. As the chairs are a little larger than typical children's chairs, they are ideal for children in early elementary grades. We would have been sad to see them go because this size is hard to find, so we are thankful they have been given a new life! The outcome is adorable, and sturdy- thank you so much Uncle Sean! Thanks also to Beth's mom who selected and donated the fabric, we know the kids will enjoy the chairs very much!

 Sean Brosnan and Beth, in his workshop

Third graders test out the chairs in the library

Preschool Turkeys

The preschool children are getting ready for Thanksgiving. This week, we created turkeys to decorate our classroom. The Toute Petite and Petite section children painted the shape of a turkey and made the imprints of their hands in paint to create the wings. The Moyenne section students painted a plate to make the body of their turkey and cut out a circle in paper for the head. Then, they stuck feathers onto the plate. It was a lot of fun!

Ancient Greek Pottery

Students of CE1/CE2 (grades 2-3) studied red and black figure pottery in art. We talked about the pottery wheel, the shapes of vases according to their purpose, and the three-phase firing technique. Each student was in charge of "making" a vase out of the pizza cardboard and then reproducing the figure of his/her choice onto the cut cardboard. Make sure to take a moment to admire the beautiful Greek vases displayed in the hallway.  -Bravo les artistes! 

Hike up Bradbury Mountain State Park

The students in grades 2 and 3 took a hike up Bradbury Mountain on a beautiful fall day. On the way up, they made rubbings, and at the top of the mountain, they did paintings of the landscape.

Trip to Maine State Museum

The students in grades 2 and 3 took a trip to the Maine State Museum where they were able to see Native Americans artifacts first hand. They learned about the history of Maine and its industry; and viewed and sketched the wildlife of Maine. Students learned how to make rubbings and took part in a special activity at the museum. They ended the trip with a tour of the Capitol and a picnic lunch before heading back to school. It was a great day.

Halloweeen 2012

The streets of South Freeport were filled with superheroes, princesses, literary characters, animals, pirates and more on Halloween! The whole school community gathered on the school playground to share costumes before the annual parade to the Post Office for treats! The festivities continued on into the evening. Many school families went trick-or-treating in the village together while Beth and Willy gave out candy at the school. Graduates of the school returned to help distribute treats- namely Holly Golightly, Scarlet O'Hara, and a CanCan Dancer! Jack O'Lanterns lit the way and spooky music filled the streets; it was a  night to remember. As you can see from the photo of the staff- Halloween is not just for kids!

Not a typical day in the hallway...

Lions and Tigers and Bears- Oh My!!

Argh Argh!!

 

Cyrano de Bergerac and Roxanne (No, not just a Musketeer with a weird nose!)

Elodie with class

Yassine with class

Howdy Becassine! Cultures collide!

 Holly Golightly, Scarlet O'Hara and a CanCan Dancer hand out treats

The Faculty takes Halloween seriously!

Construction Continues

The excitement builds as walls are finished and glass starts to be installed. We cannot wait to see and move into this new space in the near future!

Open House: November 3rd at 3pm

Greek Mythology

Grade 4 students have been studying Greek Mythology in English class.  They have read myths, created their own myths, and researched Gods, heroes, and beasts.  The culminating activity of our unit was to dress up as Gods and invite 5th graders to a party on Mt. Olympus.  The 5th graders came as humans or demi-Gods.  As we dined on ambrosia and nectar, all students introduced themselves in character.  They shared their name, family history, special talents, and regaled us with stories of their past adventures.

Candy Buy-back

Visit to Wolfe's Neck Farm: Grades K and 1

We spent most of the day at the farm, and first, we learned the essential rules:

- Be careful and be safe:
Listen to and follow directions, don't go near the electric fences, wash hands well and often

-Be respectful:
Listen to the teachers, and to the questions and answers of the other children participating
Be respectful of the animals, make sure not to excite them or yell loudly
Respect the environment, paper goes in the trash and we need to be careful of the plantings

-Have fun!

We saw rabbits, turkeys, ducks, a big pink pig, goats, sheep, cows and hens!

We learned that animals are raised for their meat, eggs, milk, wool, and also for their droppings which are used as fertilizer.

After we washed our hands, we got into the tractor trailer for a ride to the fields!

We each got to pick a pumpkin for Halloween!

We learned how a pumpkin grows from a seed to a pumpkin,  and we did a "pumpkin dance"! 

Thanks to all of our instructors at the farm, it was a wonderful day!

Haiti Fundraiser at Trattoria restaurant - Help Elodie help others!

HAITI FUNDRAISER  and   BENEFIT LUNCHEON 

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21 @ 1:30 
Trattoria Athena 

One of the great aspects of having such a small intimate restaurant, is that we get to know many of our customers very well. Getting the latest news on "life" or asking for (or providing) advice on any number of topics is something that we look forward to when we see regulars' names on the nightly reservation list. And that's from all of us here: front of house and back of house employees. We know who's a vegetarian, who's allergic to shellfish, who craves the exotic, who likes the "off the wine list" wines, or who loves to be surprised. In that vein, we have become great friends with Elodie LE NEZET, or simply to us, Elo (with an over-exaggerated horrible French accent by me) who is a transplant from France teaching at l'Ecole Française du Maine in South Freeport. 
In our many conversations, it has come out that she is a passionate supporter of the Haitian relief effort, and is planning her second trip down there to volunteer by teaching the French-speaking teachers through grammar workshops, vocabulary, and other pedagogical practices in great need. She has also built a relationship with many of the residents of Terroir Rouge: a town with no electricity. Elo is planning on raising enough money to bring the maximum number of Bogo Lights (solar powered) to Terroir Rouge to help students study and work at night. Extra funds will be used to sponsor students throughout a school year which provides them with an education, a uniform, a hot meal each day and medical care among other benefits. 
To support the above causes, we will be hosting a benefit dinner in which all Trattoria Athena employees will be donating their time and efforts in helping out with the event. The event will feature typical Haitian food using, of course, the best local ingredients around. The menu is still a work in progress as we try and research Haitian cuisine (not my expertise!). I promise as always, everything will be delicious! And, Elo, who is quite the French pastry chef, will also be helping out with the dessert! There is no "set cost" for this event, but rather a suggested donation of $50/pp which obviously includes a four course meal with wine. 

Please call for reservations for this truly wonderful cause!
EFHARISTO  GRAZIE!!! Marc, Tim and the rest of the Team Trattoria Athena 
25 Mill St. Brunswick, ME 721.0700 info@trattoriaathena.com 

Apple picking: les petits au verger

On the 27th of September, the preschool class went apple picking at Sweetser’s Apple Barrel and Orchards, in Cumberland, with the kindergarten class. We learned about the boxes to store the apples and the ladders that are used to pick apples from tall trees. We watched how a machine sorted out the apples according to their size. It was very interesting! We were also able to pick and eat an apple. Some said that it was the best one they had ever eaten! We brought back some apples to school and we made apple sauce. We could not wait to taste it! It was yummy!

Parents' Association holds Yard Sale for Haiti

On September 29, 2012, the Parents Association held a benefit yard sale for teacher, Elodie Le Nezet's next volunteer trip to Haiti. Many school families and friends contributed items for the sale, came by to help out, or made a purchase to help the cause. The School extends a special thanks to Caryn Bickerstaff and Stephanie Brewer for all of their hard work preparing for the sale and for spending the entire day working the sale, despite the rain! In all, we raised $400 which is being put towards Elodie's travel expenses. Thanks to all who made the effort to support this important cause!