Thursday, October 29th, 2020
Dear Families of L'Ecole Française du Maine,
Students were delighted Monday morning to walk into our Halloween hallway! Our traditional decorations were displayed from the ceiling and make for a spooky scene, with ghosts and spiders galore. We are so excited for tomorrow's afternoon parade, despite the frigid cold (and maybe even snowy morning!) forecasted. Our protocols and plan for the parade can be found below.
Thank you to our parent representative nominees-- please be on the lookout for an email including an invitation to our online ballot coming early next week: it would be great if each parent submitted a vote! Voting will close by the end of the day Tuesday, November 3rd, so please be sure to complete the survey as soon as possible.
Some calendar updates and reminders are included in this newsletter as we face November and a series of traditional events that will need to be put on hold to ensure our community's safety. Thank you for taking a look and planning accordingly.
As always, if you have any questions regarding any of the following included in this newsletter, please email Emily at office@frenchschool.me
Merci!
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Halloween (Socially distanced) Parade
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Halloween, like most events in 2020, will be celebrated differently in this unprecedented year. In light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, L'Ecole Française du Maine will take extra safety precautions in continuing this wonderful tradition.
As in years past, we will plan to have all students participate in a walking parade around South Freeport village, fully in costume! This event will take place from 2 PM to 3 PM on Friday, October 30th, as listed on the academic calendar. We ask that ALL student Halloween costumes include their face mask. Students should NOT wear any additional costume masks on top of their protective masks. Any parents who would like to join us for our walkthrough of South Freeport Village will be required to wear a mask as well. Teachers, with the help of parents, will be separating their class groups with an extra distance between bodies.
Parents of younger children will be asked to park down at the Freeport Wharf and walk up to meet our group on the school playground. Together, we will parade from the playground, down Park St. and down the hill toward Brewer's Marina.
A small celebratory treat will be waiting for all, after which parents can either take their child home from the wharf parking lot or walk back up the hill to school with the group for dismissal as usual. Map of the Parade
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| Updates from the Classrooms |
Pumpkins were painted, and walks were taken! Our PS class is thoroughly enjoying l'automne!
Our MS/GS friends take turns reading a story to their class that all have come to know so well... "La course à la pomme".
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| | Alouette - Forest Music Concert |
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| | Twinkle, Twinkle- Forest Concert |
Elodie's CP/CE1 students are back at their forest music creations, this time with multiple imaginary instruments making for an orchestra and a lovely repertoire of classics. Bravo les enfants!
GS/CP students have been working hard lately on their own artistic and geometric designs-- covering their classroom and the hallways with spooky Halloween creatures! Cats, bats, and some monsters too strange to name!
CE2, CM1, and CM2 students continue to balance hard work with bursts of creativity. Merci les grands!
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| Parent Representative Election- Next Tuesday |
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Parent representatives in 2017
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We will be hosting an election for Parent Representatives to our School Council next week! The School Council is a group of staff, administration, and parents who meet a few times a year to discuss student life and connect. Meetings for the foreseeable future will occur over zoom or in the parlor of La Maison, schedules, and availability pending.
Voting will take place Tues. November 3rd via an online anonymous ballot survey sent directly to parents. Please complete the short vote as soon as possible!
Merci!
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Be sure to check out and place your orders for school pictures from Oct. 8th-- now available for your review! The photographs from Picture Retake day will be available shortly as Danielle makes her final edits.
Please follow this link from photographer Danielle Peterson to peruse the gallery for your students' photos. No password is required. Prints are available to purchase directly from Danielle's website.
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| Calendar Updates & Reminders: November |
Calendar Updates from November:
Nov. 10th: Thanksgiving Community Meal at 12:00 pm: POSTPONED
Nov. 11th: Veterans Day - NO SCHOOL
Nov. 13th: Early Dismissal, 11:30 am: Parent-Teacher Conferences (details to follow)
Nov. 23rd-24th: Suzuki Concerts: POSTPONED
Nov. 25th-27th: Thanksgiving Holiday: NO SCHOOL |
Parent-Teacher Conferences reminder:
For the remainder of the afternoon of the Early Release day, Nov. 13th, teachers will be hosting virtual parent-teacher conferences. A link to sign-up for your preferred afternoon time on zoom will be shared in next week's newsletter.
Progress Reports will be sent home earlier that week to ensure parent review before the conferences. We hope the virtual quality of the sessions will provide some flexibility for working parents to attend! |
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
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This is a book about belonging. It tackles what it's like when you feel like you belong to a group or family or team and what it's like when you don't. It addresses what it feels like when you don't fit in, or when others don't want you around. This book teaches kids how to belong to themselves and how that helps them belong anywhere.
Kevin Carroll is an author and creative catalyst who brings a playful curiosity, an avid intellect, a keen understanding of human nature, and a lifelong love of competition to all of his creative endeavors. He sees humanistic potential and possibilities everywhere.
This fall, the School has undertaken a reflection on the topic of diversity, equity, and inclusion. L'Ecole Française du Maine will encourage its community members to reflect on important topics such as bias, stereotypes, diversity, equity, and inclusion. The pedagogical team is also reviewing the French National Curriculum to make sure crucial North American issues such as the history of racism and tolerance are taught age-appropriately to each child, starting in preschool. ... more to come .....
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Important Flu Shot Information during COVID-19
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It seems as though it's never been easier to get access to a flu shot. Most pharmacies have a shot available, or you can schedule a visit with your healthcare provider. Find more information about the latest flu statistics on the Maine flu website.Keeping yourself and those around you safe from the flu includes what we're already doing to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Please continue to practice social distancing, wear a mask, and stay on top of hand hygiene!
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Thanks to all for providing a great supply of special cleaning products to kick off our school year! We have paper towels and hand sanitizer to enter the winter season but could use more of the following wishlist products if you happen to come across any while doing your weekly shopping:
- Hand soap (larger refill bottles welcome!)
- Disinfectant wipes, any brand!
Merci beaucoup for keeping these items in mind and for your generous donations!
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Reopening Plans and Covid-19 Protocols 08/03/2020 version
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Thank you for continuing to perform the daily check before coming to school.
Communication with the school is paramount; if you have any uncertainties regarding the checklist questions or anything that cannot be answered negatively, you must call or email the school office as soon as possible.
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| Implementing Maine CDC Protocols Safely |
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Everyone gets their temperature taken at the start of the day- Even Emily!
Frequent hand-washing throughout the day
Learning outside whenever possible
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| Window to the past ... just for fun |
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June 2005, L'Ecole Française du Maine starts renovating the 1955-Soule School Building.
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