On March 17, 2010, the children of L'Ecole Française du Maine will celebrate Franco Day. In the morning, children of grades 2 to 7 will be in the State House in Augusta. La chorale will sing and the children will serve as pages in both Houses. At 7:00pm, La Chorale will be performing at the Franco-American Heritage Center in Lewiston. Artists from Canada will be performing as well. Please join us for this wonderful event. Entrance is free.
This winter, we have been cross-country skiing at school and at Pineland, and downhill skiing in Sugarloaf. Unfortunately the snow is now almost gone, and we cannot go cross-country skiing on Friday afternoons anymore… You might be wondering what we are doing for sports? Well, we do sports while enjoying the little amount of snow we have left! Didier has organized running activities, which is a little hard… but then we do relays, and even though we still run a lot, it is much easier because it is a lot of fun! We work on cooperation, running, being precise and having strategies, and we do all that very happily!
The Olympic games are still going on in the pre-K class. Wednesday, we continued our competition. This week, we pretended to do ski jumping and alpine ski slaloming. We also had a medal ceremony and were very proud to go back home with our own medals. We also listened to the national anthems of England, France, Canada, China and of course, the United States. We learned to stand up and to listen respectfully to the anthems. We had a very good time.
In an effort to encourage and promote youth participation in winter outdoor recreation, Maine Winter Sports Center (MWSC) and Maine Huts & Trails (MH&T) are pleased to announce a partnership that will provide Maine's elementary and middle school students taking part in the MWSC Healthy Hometowns program with a significant discount on hut lodging fees.Any student who takes part in the Healthy Hometowns program can stay at the huts with their family or as part of an organized group for a special rate of $25pp any Sun-Thu night from Dec 11 - April 1, excluding holidays. A hut stay includes two meals and lodging.Adults who are acting chaperones on group trips are offered member pricing ($65). Adults accompanying healthy hometowns students on non-school or group trips pay regular rates.For more information visit www.mainehuts.org and www.mainewsc.org.
The Maine Winter Sports Center was founded in 1999 as an organization designed to promote healthy lifestyles for Maine residents and create opportunity for Maine people, with a focus on rural towns. The Healthy Hometowns program was established by the Maine Winter Sports Center with the mission of getting Maine children outdoors, having fun, and staying physically active. Healthy Hometowns provides low cost ski rentals and programming in the winter, making skiing more accessible to communities and schools across the state. We are committed to an active lifestyle year round.
Maine Huts and Trails is a non-profit organization whose mission is to contribute to the economic, social and natural environment of Maine’s Western Mountain region by creating and operating a world-class recreation corridor for current and future generations. Our backcountry trails enhance access to beautiful lakes, rivers and forest lands, and our low impact huts provide inviting spaces that facilitate outdoor adventures and learning. This self-sustaining resource stimulates environmentally sensitive economic opportunity in the region by attracting visitors of all ages and abilities.
Top photo courtesy of Sugarloaf-USA/ Second from top by Andrew Mills/The Star-Ledger
Congratulations to Seth Wescott for an amazing Gold Medal win at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver!
Margaret Gould Wescott, Seth's mom seen hugging Seth in the picture, came to L'Ecole Française du Maine last spring to offer a great dance performance. Beth and Mikki Cote (Eli's mom) are former members of Margaret's dance company at University of Maine at Farmington.
Here in Maine and across the nation, we are all very proud of Seth. Heartfelt appreciation goes to Seth and his family, we are grateful to you for the positive attention you have brought to your home state. Wishing you all the happiness you deserve and continued success! While many of our students have been fortunate enough to meet Seth up at Sugarloaf, we would be honored if ever your busy schedule allows for you to pay us a visit in the future!
This week we wanted to celebrate the Olympic games.
We divided the class into 4 teams: England, China, Canada and France.
First, we colored each of the flags and we built the Olympic torch. Then, we went across the street to make our parade and to begin our games. We put many different flames into one big one. We began with a ''speed skating race'' and we pretended we had skates. We learned about the Olympic games and we can't wait to continue the different competitions, indoors and outdoors.
Of course, we also made our own medals with play dough!
Seeds of Independence is attempting to collect 1,000,000 vitamins to aid the earthquake victims in Haiti. We will leave Portland on March 27th to begin our 12th annual trip to LaRomana, Dominican Republic where many of our medical staff, workers, and supplies will travel to the Port-Au-Prince area to continue with the aid and reconstruction.
All supplies are critical, but vitamins are in very short supply and are much needed as the victims continue to suffer from malnutrition and related diseases.
Seeds of Independence Po Box 8 Freeport, ME 04032
Website: www.seedsofindependence.org
Donations may be in the form of vitamins and/or cash/check for the purchase of vitamins. For donations or more information, please contact Mary-Lou Carhart at L'Ecole Française du Maine: phone# (207) 865 3308.
Seeds of Independence is a Maine-based 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation. All proceeds will go towards the purchase and distribution of the vitamins.
We visited Angie at the Post Office to send a letter to our pen pals in France. We sent them our counting book.
Angie showed us how to weigh a letter and where letters go afterward. She gave us cookies and juice and a bag full of surprises. To thank her, we sang her two songs, in French of course… and we brought the school’s mail to Elodie on our way back.
In English we read Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper, and each of us did a different project on it to present to another class. Mine was a picture book destined for Valerie's class. After some hard work condensing the story, telling it in an age-appropriate way, and drawing pictures, I finally got to present it! I loved sitting in their classroom, with so many eager eyes watching me intently. I think that it was a good experience for me to write and illustrate for pre-school comprehension-something that wasn't easy for me-and then see first-hand everyone's enjoyment. I hope that in future I'll get to do more projects like this!
Pour célébrer la Saint-Valentin, Pique-Assiette et France-Amérique vous proposent la recette des délicieuses ravioles de l'amour, un petit plat à déguster à deux.
Pour 2 personnes: 250 g net de chair de betterave cuite 2 rouleaux de pâte à nouilles 1 grosse cuillère à soupe de ricotta 1 morceau de parmesan 2 noix concassées Huile de noix Noix de muscade Fleur de sel
Peler les betteraves et les détailler en cubes ; les passer au mixer.
Assaisonner avec une pointe de fleur de sel et saupoudrer généreusement de noix de muscade. Ajouter la ricotta et 1 belle cuillère à soupe de parmesan fraîchement râpé ; bien mélanger et transférer dans une poche à pâtisserie.
Dérouler les rouleaux de pâte fraîche. Les couper en deux dans le sens de la largeur, puis en deux dans le sens de la longueur, de manière à obtenir 4 rubans par personne.
Sur deux des rubans, répartir 5 dômes de farce (10 au total), en prenant soin de bien les espacer.
À l'aide d'un pinceau à pâtisserie, badigeonner d'eau (ou d'œuf) les bords des rubans et les espaces entre les dômes de farce. Recouvrir avec les deux autres rubans, et appuyer délicatement sur les bords et entre les dômes.
Découper les ravioli avec une roulette dentelée (pour leur donner une forme carrée, retirer environ 1 cm de pâte en haut et la même chose en bas). Bien caler la farce de chacun d'entre eux – en chasser l'air – afin qu'ils restent intacts à la cuisson.
Les pocher 5 minutes dans de l'eau salée, à peine frémissante.
Égoutter à l'aide d'une écumoire, répartir sur des assiettes chaudes, arroser d'un filet d'huile de noix et parsemer de noix concassées et de lichettes de parmesan. www.pique-assiette.ch
Accord vin, la suggestion de Jean-Luc Le Dû Cour-Cheverny « Cuvée Renaissance », Domaine François Cazin 2005
La betterave rouge, ce légume à la chair tendre et au goût fin et sucré, demande un vin élégant et pas trop puissant pour s'exprimer à table. Dans cette optique, nous vous proposons ce mois-ci le Cour-Cheverny « Cuvée Renaissance » 2005 du Domaine François Cazin. Cette minuscule appellation d'origine contrôlée de la Loire, ne produit que des vins issus du cépage Romorantin. Ce cépage, dont la légende nous dit qu'il fut introduit dans la Vallée de la Loire par le roi François 1er, est apparenté au Chardonnay. Malgré ce lignage, le Romorantin produit des vins très différents les uns des autres. Léger et soyeux, avec une très légère sucrosité, le Cour-Cheverny rappelle un peu les vins de Vouvray ou Montlouis mais avec une acidité moindre. Cette rondeur de goût s'accorde bien avec la betterave alors que l'utilisation de noix et parmesan dans la préparation donne un joli relief au plat. Bon appétit.
L’Ecole Française du Maine is seeking your help in providing relief to Haiti at this difficult time. The French school in Haiti, Centre Alcibiade-Pommayrac, located in Jacmel, just outside of Port-Au-Prince, was completely demolished during the earthquake. While the 740 students in the school were fortunately able to escape unharmed, the wife of the Principal was tragically killed. The Director of the school, Gérard Borne, who also serves as the Honorary Consul of France to Haiti informed the Mission Laïque Française (MLF) of these events.
This school is affiliated with the MLF, as is L’Ecole Française du Maine. The 107 French schools worldwide belonging to the MLF are now working together to raise funds to rebuild the school in Jacmel, Haiti.
A special fund has been created in Paris at the CIC Transatlantic Bank for this effort. Each of the MLF member schools is collecting donations to send to this cause. Your donations are entirely tax-deductible, and can be made out to the order of L’Ecole Française du Maine. The funds collected by the individual schools will be forwarded to the account in Paris and then allocated directly to the contractors of the rebuilding project. Thank you for any contribution you can make. Donations large and small are appreciated. Please help us rebuild Centre Alcibiade-Pommayrac to make a lasting difference in light of this disaster.
Our first Friday at Sugarloaf was fun and successful. A group of 15 students from L’Ecole Française Du Maine took their classroom to the mountain for our “première classe de neige”. The day began with schoolwork, taught in two condos generously made available by school families. Beth, Willy and Didier provided the instruction to the students (who were motivated to complete their tasks in order to “hit the slopes”!)
Didier is a certified ski instructor who has great experience teaching skiing in the French Alps. His expertise in this area proved invaluable on this outing. Didier was able to assess the ski levels of the students and group them accordingly, ensuring safety and enjoyment for all. Many parents who are experienced skiers volunteered to chaperone and assist the students during the day.
After a late morning ski session, the lunch break was held at the same two condos, where all enjoyed lasagna, salad, sandwiches, fruit and whoopie pies in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. It was fun to share this time together outside of the school, such a positive and memorable experience.
We offer sincere thanks to the parents who made this outing possible by volunteering to help students with skiing, opening their homes to lodge students and faculty, providing organizational support, and pitching in to help with lunch preparation and more! Without their help and support, this trip could never have come to fruition. For a first time out, no one could have asked for more! Merci beaucoup for all of the collaboration and good will! This day will remain a happy memory for our students- one we hope to repeat in the near future!
The class of CE1, CE2 and CM1 has been exploring and discovering French poetry. Our last work was on the calligrams, which were created by the French poet Guillaume Apollinaire. A calligram is a poem whose shape will be of an object, animal or person.
After having explained and discovered calligrams written by different poets, we experimented on a calligram on the sun. Then, each student chose something to write his/her calligram. We’ve had quite a selection: a cup of hot chocolate, a horse, a flower, and a face, among many others.
The CE1, CE2 and CM1’s works are in the hallway so please come see their beautiful and very talented productions.
Here is the math problem of the week of the 6th grade class. Can you solve it?
Eugène ALOGIC, son of Anne and Diogène ALOGIC, decided to look for all his ancestors to create a family tree. The number of ancestors registered increased so much that he decided to give them numbers:
He gives himself number 1 and decides that, for everyone in his family tree, the mother would have a number that is the double of her child, while the father would have the mother’s number, increased by one. Thus, Eugène’s mother, Anne, is given the number 2, and his father, Diogène, the number 3. (Please click on the diagram above to enlarge it.)
What will be the number of the paternal grandfather of Eugène’s maternal grandmother?
Voici le problème de la semaine de la classe de 6ème. Pouvez-vous le résoudre?
Eugène ALOGIC, fils d’Anne et de Diogène ALOGIC, a décidé de rechercher ses ancêtres pour établir son arbre généalogique. Le nombre de ses ancêtres recensés augmente tellement qu’il décide, pour s’y retrouver, de les numéroter :
Il s’attribue le numéro 1, et décide que pour tout individu de son arbre généalogique, la mère de cet individu aura un numéro double de celui de son enfant, tandis que son père aura le numéro de la mère augmenté de un. Ainsi, la mère d’Eugène, Anne, se voit attribuer le numéro 2, et son père, Diogène, le numéro 3. (Vous pouvez cliquer sur le schéma pour l’agrandir.)
Quel sera le numéro de grand-père paternel de la grand-mère maternelle d’Eugène ?
