Les sablés

Our aspiring chefs are at it again, this time making « Les sablés », a French biscuit made with flour, butter and sugar.  The French word sable means "sand", which is the French term that takes the place of the English "breadcrumbs". Our young bakers rubbed cold butter into flour and sugar to form particles of dough until the texture resembles that of breadcrumbs or sand.  

Spot it!

Marie and Dasha are at it again... They planned another exciting adventure for our Early Childhood students! Apparently, the classroom mascot, 'Lucie la souris' had not yet explored the entire L'Ecole Francaise du Maine interior and exterior space.  Our students had a challenge of showing Lucie special areas of the school.  First, students were given picture clues and had to figure out the location of the photo.  When they found the object that was pictured, they discovered a smaller photo of the same object that they had to bring back to the classroom to show the mascot. This activity was a blast! 

Trip to South Africa

Our GS/CP students got their passports ready again...this time to visit South Africa.  Merci beaucoup Danielle for your presentation to our world travelers!

Outdoor Sports

Outdoor sports class is always a treat!

Family Picnic

We enjoyed seeing all of you at the Family Picnic yesterday! What a wonderful way for us all to connect before summer vacation. Thanks for coming!

Wolfe's Neck Farm Bike Trip

Last Friday we had beautiful weather on our bike trip!  Our final bike trip of the year was picture perfect!

Dymkovo Toys

On display this week are Dymkovo inspired toys from Russia. Traditionally these toys were made by women for the annual holiday Svistunya or "Whistling", a spring fair that celebrates the sun. Birds, lambs, pigs, horses, nannies, noble ladies, elegant gentlemen, and female water carriers were made and painted with colorful geometric patterns. These toys were purchased at the fair and make whistling noises, while also kept as a souvenir. 

Our GS/CP students did a beautiful job making these clay figurines!  Bravo to our little artists!

Tour of the United States

In English Language Arts class, students have taken a virtual tour across the United States and have learned about the five different regions in our country.  They have also practiced the state capitals. Students chose a state to research for our state poster project. This week, the 4th graders made presentations to the 2nd and 3rd graders.  Bravo!

Promenons-nous dans les bois

This week our Early Childhood students took a spring walk through the woods. Along the way, they took notice of all things 'spring' including the budding trees, flowers, animals, and climate.

African Art

Check out this African inspired project the GS students created this week!  This collage focused on repetitive designs that follow a direction while at the same time, working from large designs to smaller ones.  

Lights, Camera, Action!

This week our 2nd, 3rd and 4th graders experienced what it was like to be an 'Improv Performer' in front of an audience!  For the next few weeks, students will practice the art of improv and drama with their classmates. Students will react to and express themselves about various topics and statements, en français of course!

The educational value of improv for kids includes sharpening communication and public speaking skills. It also promotes fast thinking and engagement with ideas. And, on a deeper level, improv can help break through mental barriers to creative thinking in any field.  Not to mention, our students had a blast participating in this activity and are already looking forward to the next round! 

Reading with Friends

We just love it when we see this at the end of the day...  

There is nothing better than sharing a good book with friends.  

Gustav Klimt Mosaic Project

Merci to Simon and his class for this creative and collaborative rendition of Gustav Klimt's "Tree of Life".  Klimt would certainly be proud of this piece!

Oh Happy Day!

Thanks to Victorien for bringing lots of smiles to our hallway and classroom this week with his 'Fleurs à la Maniere de Takashi Murakami' project.  These flowers were made entirely by the GS/CP students; they even created the display themselves! Bravo to our little artists and merci to Victorien for this project which will surely brighten your day!

MLF Conference in Dallas

Last week Victorien participated at a pedagogical conference organized by the MLF America in Dallas. Participants from the network of French Schools in the US, Canada and Mexico gathered to learn about the latest research and developments in several educational fields including cooperation between students (presented by Cyril Lascassies, a special guest from France), efficient ways to teach French language particularities and training students to write like authors on a daily basis in class. The conference allows participants to exchange about initiatives, projects and organization at different international schools in North America.

Election Day in May!

This week was an exciting week at EFDM as students cast their ballots to vote for their favorite books!  EFDM participated in the AEFE organized 'Prix Albertine Jeunesse'favorite book contest in partnership with the Albertine Library in New York.

The Prix Albertine Jeunesse, a reader's choice award, invites children between 3 and 11 years of age to choose their favorite book from a selection of works of Francophone youth literature that are available in English translation. This prize seeks to reinforce the practice and love of reading in both French and English. 

The variety of books were selected by a committee that includes the staff of Albertine Books in New York City, the AEFE network of North America, the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the U.S., and the French Embassy in Canada. The theme of the 2018-19 prize selection is "heroes and heroines."

Our EFDM students read the books in English and French then voted by casting a ballot following proper voting format supervised by EFDM trained voting specialists. 

And the EFDM book choice winner is.... 

Mon Jour de Chance

by Keiko Kasza!  

Stay tuned to see if this book won nationwide!