January 13, 2021
Bonjour,
Thank you to all who participated in the first pooled testing week!
We experienced some peace of mind with only one pool returning positive. We performed follow-up testing to identify the positive and negative individuals within that group. As with this week, any positive pool will undergo follow-up testing to identify positive individuals within that group, who will then begin isolation right away. Please reach out with outstanding questions regarding the pooled testing protocol or procedure! We'll continue this endeavor every Tuesday throughout the school year to limit the threat of the unknown and keep students safely in school (with follow-up testing taking place on Thursdays). For those curious, we include the percentage of pooled testing participants per classroom below.
There is no school this coming Monday, January 17 in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day!
Our Sugarloaf trip on last Friday's snow day was a hit-- thanks to all who made it happen! Ice Arena Fridays will continue throughout the remaining two scheduled sessions this winter. Our playground luge is also in full swing these days; winter is well underway!
Please find more on the current COVID-19 protocol specifics regarding the duration of quarantine (with exemptions), testing requirements, and further information at the bottom of this newsletter.
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Upcoming dates to keep in mind
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January 17: No School - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
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January 18: Week 2 of Pooled Testing for participants
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January 21: Ice Arena Friday noon-2pm for any interested school community participants
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January 31: Date Limite Bourses Scolaires AEFE du Consulat de Boston
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February 4: Ice Arena Friday noon-2pm for any interested school community participants
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Pooled Testing Clarifications and Consent Link |
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Our next day of Pooled Testing will be this Tuesday, January 18th. Testing will take place every Tuesday through the remainder of the school year.
Any students/staff with a recent known COVID-19 positive case are automatically exempt from participating in the pooled testing, even if they consented and plan to take part. The medical support staff from Concentric will confirm who can and cannot be tested based on recent positive cases/exposure information. This will limit any lingering potentially positive case within a pool.
In the event a pooled sample comes back positive, there will be NO requirement of quarantining from school for individuals participating within that pool. Pool participants will be notified, and instead of staying home, a required follow-up antigen test will be provided to each member of that pool. The only time an individual will be asked to isolate at home would be if their follow-up antigen test shows a positive result. Participating in pooled testing is a way to limit quarantine requirements for the not yet eligible unvaccinated. We hope if you have not already consented to participate, you will consider doing so.
Please sign the online consent request below and read the attached overview from Concentric by Gingko (website here) to answer some questions you may have:
This process should take no more than 5 minutes to complete using a computer or a smartphone.
- First, click here (https://testcenter.concentricbyginkgo.com/minor-consent).
- Then, enter this access code: EFDMTEST2022
- Finally, enter your child’s information, and you’re done!
Note: If you need to provide consent for more than one child, please complete the process once for each child.
Only students with completed consent forms can participate in testing. If you do not want your family to participate, your student will not be included in the testing program. Though, we hope you do!
Current percentages of participants in pooled testing, staff and students, are as follows. "Recent COVID+" refers to anyone who tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 90 days.
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Reminder: NO SCHOOL Monday Jan. 17, MLK Day |
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We thank all parents who have recently shared teaching resources on supporting children through confusing and controversial moments in history. We are continuously impressed by the children, their resilience, curiosity, frankness, and pure kindness of spirit.
We encourage you to continue to take the time in having conversations around racial justice, maybe even listen to the famous "I Have a Dream" speech at home this long weekend, and talk about how we can continue to do more for others in the footsteps of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. |
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2022 Sugarloaf Trip Success! |
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What a great day for Sugarloafers last Friday! A fresh fall of snow, an EFDM-only student group lesson, and plenty of memories to last another year!
Thank you to all who made our Sugarloaf trip possible with their enrollment, chaperoning, and safety efforts. We hope to continue this tradition for those who enjoy the experience, with hopefully more trips per year in the coming ski seasons.
For the remainder of this winter, Ice Arena Fridays will continue for a bit more Friday winter fun closer to home!
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Seeking environmental harmony: Portland’s Peter Dugas
lives a life filled with music, climate action
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"When he's not advocating for climate change policy, which he's been doing for 20 years, Dugas might be found teaching at L'Ecole Francaise du Maine and the Maine College of Art & Design. Or maybe on stage with his organ trio, Micromassé. The multi-faceted nature of his interests and expertise is what keeps Dugas going. The overarching prospect of climate change can become daunting at times, and the music becomes his relief, whether it's playing or teaching."
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Ice Arena Friday is also on for this Friday (despite the threat of weather! Yes, even if there is a snow day, you may still brave the storm and go skating.) You can still sign-up for future Fridays too!
Two more chances remain to spend Friday afternoons at the rink:
January 21st
February 4th
The ice at Troubh Arena in Portland will be just ours from Noon to -2:00pm on the above Fridays. Rental skates are available for anyone who may need them. If you are interested in attending, you will need to pick up your student(s) from school around 11:30 am to head to the rink. A packed car lunch before hitting the ice and an afternoon of fun to follow!
COVID protocols at the arena are as paramount as at school: masks at all times on and off the ice, a screening waiver, and proper hand hygiene will be expected from all attendees. In addition, the arena thoroughly cleans rentals and spaces between every use.
Please sign up with your interest in attending this event here, and/or email Emily ASAP with any questions at office@frenchschool.me
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Freeport Climate Action Now initiative |
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News from our Freeport community at large:
A group of Freeport residents recently came together to explore the collective actions we can take in our community.
The group is called FreeportCAN, Climate Action Now. Our first event, a climate action forum, will be held on January 20, at 7 pm. It will be an entirely virtual webinar event. A link to the event as well as a list of topics and speakers can be found at our new website, Freeportcan.org
and here:
Though the climate crisis is in the deadly serious category, FCAN hopes people will feel a sense of hope and even joy as neighbors come together to learn about what it takes to live in a post-fossil fuel world. Please share this email with your friends and neighbors!
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Shaina's Strings Winter Solstice |
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We didn't want too much time to pass by before congratulating all of our violin students within Shaina's Strings Studio on their outstanding pre-holiday Winter Solstice Concert performance. Bravo!
For parents looking to commemorate the beautiful event, photographs are available on Grant Reid's website, linked here. Be sure to look at the unique perspective of your student's solo! |
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Guidelines for positive COVID-19 case and quarantine after exposure to a person with COVID-19 (Updated Jan. 6, 2021)
1. For students/staff who test positive, the case must be reported to the school as soon as possible. The school will notify the entire school community and identify close contacts. Isolation of 5 days will be required regardless of vaccination for the positive case; a return to school is possible after 5 days from positive test result IF asymptomatic or symptoms have improved significantly or are gone (no fever or fever-reducing medications for more than 24 hours). When returned, individuals need to wear a well-fitting mask at all times— a K-N95 or surgical mask is recommended. The individual should isolate within their household as much as possible. The school recommends following up with healthcare providers to report the positive case and for further medical support.
2. Exposure to COVID is defined as having close (within 6 feet) contact with a COVID-positive person for a period of at least 15 minutes in a 24 hour period during which they would be considered contagious. For purposes of school, we will consider all members of a classroom to be close contacts in the event of a case within that classroom. We will refer to before/aftercare attendance to identify other potential close contacts.
3. Quarantine Requirements for Close Contacts
For an unvaccinated individual of the school community exposed to a person with COVID-19: the individual must quarantine for 5 days from school after initial exposure to the positive case. They are required to wear a well-fitting, preferably surgical or KN95 mask around others after their return to school. Testing for COVID (PCR recommended, antigen test accepted) 5 days from exposure will be required before the unvaccinated individual can return to school.
Exceptions from quarantining for close contacts are as follows:
- The close contact (staff or student) is boosted; or
- The close contact (staff or student) is not eligible for a booster but is fully vaccinated; or
- The close contact (staff or student) completed their second mRNA dose within 6 months (or completed their J&J vaccine within two months); or
- The close contact (staff or student) participates in school pooled testing
Close contacts who fall under the above exemptions do not need to quarantine from school but are required to mask around others for 10 days and should test after 5 days since the initial exposure.
4. Testing Requirements
A PCR confirmation of a positive antigen test will not be required for individuals with known exposure to a positive case.
PCR tests are recommended, but antigen and at-home test results will be accepted for vaccinated/unvaccinated close contacts required to test 5 days from exposure.
5. Household exposure
Fully vaccinated (including eligible boosters) close contacts with ongoing exposure to a positive individual (within the same household) will not be required to quarantine from school, but they must get tested 5 days after their first exposure AND again 5 days after the end of the isolation period for the COVID-19 positive family member. A person with COVID-19 is considered infectious starting 2 days before they develop symptoms or 2 days before the date of their positive test if they do not have symptoms. They must wear a mask throughout the infected person's isolation period, it is recommended to do so at home and within the community. They must immediately isolate if symptoms develop or they test positive.
An unvaccinated close contact with ongoing (household) exposure must quarantine 5 days past the end of the contagious period for the sick household member. That MAY be 5 days, plus 5 days if the sick family member's symptoms have improved and no fever for 24 hrs. It may be longer if the sick family member remains symptomatic at 5 days of illness.
6. Unvaccinated eligible individuals (those who meet the age requirements for vaccination but are not yet vaccinated) who also choose not to participate in pooled testing will be required to follow the above quarantine restrictions for COVID-positive exposures whenever there is a positive case identified at school, regardless of the classroom of initial exposure.
The school is extremely grateful to the following parents, who are medical professionals, for sharing their time, expertise and for helping us write clear protocols.
At l'Ecole Française du Maine:
Dr. James Gallea, MD, Emergency Medicine Specialist
Dr. Lisa Lucas, DO, Primary Care Physician
At the French American School of Tampa Bay:
Dr. Gaetane Michaud, MD, Pulmonary Critical Care, Tampa General Hospital and USF Tampa
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Bourses Scolaires AEFE 2022-2023 |
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Les familles disposant de faibles revenus peuvent demander une aide à la scolarité sous forme de bourses scolaires (de la petite section de maternelle à la classe de terminale) pour leurs enfants inscrits dans les établissements relevant de l’ AEFE (Agence pour l’enseignement français à l’étranger)
Les enfants de nationalité française âgés d’au moins 3 ans, inscrits avec leur famille au registre des Français établis hors de France (plus communément appelée inscription consulaire) et scolarisés ou en voie de scolarisation à l’Ecole française du Maine, homologuée par le ministère de l’Education nationale peuvent prétendre à l’attribution d’une bourse sous conditions de ressources :
Dans tous les cas, les demandes de bourses scolaires doivent être renouvelées chaque année pour chaque enfant concerné. La date limite de dépôt d’un dossier de bourse est fixée au 31 janvier 2022
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Window to the past ... just for fun |
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Circa October 2005: Chef Moses Sabina serves lunch to the students of L'Ecole Française du Maine, which for one year was located at First Parish Church Congregational, UCC on Main Street Freeport, now the home of Arts & Cultural Alliance of Freeport. Since 2005, Sabina Moses has run" Hot Suppa", a very successful restaurant on Congress Street in Portland, Maine.
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