October 5th, 2023

Bonjour,

What a pleasant autumn so far-- with crisp mornings, sunny afternoons, and some great trips to enjoy the season, we hope to continue the fun through October.

Bike Trips to Wolfe's Neck have been some of the most successful ever! First graders who arrive with training wheels are unstoppable two wheelers come pick-up time, and experienced big kids have traveled all the way to the State Park to continue explorations! Thank you to all our chaperones and our awesome staff who have helped guide our students during these trips. We look forward to more to come this year!

Showcases for the maternelle classrooms were too cute for words! For the CP/CE1 and CE2/CM1 classrooms, please note the dates and updates for Showcases below! A great chance to step into the classroom for a few minutes, see snippets of your child's daily routine, and have a special peek at some great songs, poems, and other performances they have been practicing to share. Bravo, tout le monde!

Please note some recent changes to our garderie program, outlined below. Charges for emergency/unplanned attendance have changed this year, and we are offering monthly discounted options for enrollment in addition to the full-year option. This is in an effort to better plan for numbers during aftercare. Thank you for your understanding.

This issue of our newsletter shares lots for fall-- a review of recent apple picking adventures, plans for October Vacation Camp, as well as details for the fast-approaching and greatly anticipated Halloween Parade!

As always, please contact the office with any questions at office@frenchschool.me

Merci beaucoup!

Emily and Willy

Upcoming dates to keep in mind

• October 6: Early Release, dismissal 11:30, no lunch
• October 9-13: October Break
• October 9: Indigenous People's Day - No School
• October 17: Grade 3-4 Showcase #1 with Anaelle at 8:45 am 
• October 18: Grade 1 Showcase #1 with Fabien at 8:45 am 
• October 19: Grade 2 Showcase #1 with Fabien at 8:45 am 
• October 20: Bike Trip at Wolfe Neck Farm
• October 24: Grade 2 Showcase #1 with Sarah at 8:45 am 
• October 26: Grade 3-4 Showcase #1 with Sarah at 8:45 am 
• October 31: Halloween Parade at 2 p.m. at School
• November 10: Parent Teacher Conferences - Early Dismissal 11:30 am
• November 10: School Photos at 9:00 am

2023-2024 School Calendar

1st Trimester Events Calendar

Tomorrow, Friday October 6th is an Early Release Day. Dismissal will be at 11:30 am for all students. No need to pack a lunch! Pick-up will take place as usual at the playground gate; however, with no extended window for pick-up as usual, we ask that parents arrive and depart swiftly. Students will be seated by class on the playground and ready to depart as soon as we see you at the gate. Merci!

Families who enrolled have been notified, but we would like to confirm here as well that we will be hosting a small October Break Camp for those who require childcare. Merci!

We could not have asked for better conditions on our recent bike trips at Wolfes Neck Center.

From the perfect, not-too-hot-not-too-cold weather, the fun company of friends, teachers, and chaperones, and some awesome activities in addition to biking around, this year's bike trips have been some of the best ever!

While big kids ventured down the road to explore Wolfe Neck State Park, many first graders who were previously on training wheels or didn't ride at all are now enthusiastic two-wheel pros! We are so proud of our students' courage and efforts and extend a big merci to the teachers and chaperones for helping the entire class with their biking proficiency. Our school mission of enjoying Maine is truly alive on these special days!

So far this school year, the three maternelle classes, Petite, Moyenne, and Grande Section have shared their short "Showcases" for families and visitors. These brief visits into the classrooms at the convenient time of drop-off have been a wonderful way to see learning in action, hear some absolutely adorable songs, and to witness a little bit of the class "regroupment" time where they practice rituals like the calendar and weather.

For families of CP/CE1 and CE2/CM1, we are making a few changes to be able to accommodate as many parents as possible in the classroom comfortably. We are splitting the 1st and 2nd grade groups onto two days and separating English showcases for parents to attend those as well! Be sure to note the days of your students' upcoming showcases!

• October 17: Grade 3-4 Showcase #1 with Anaelle at 8:45 am 
• October 18: Grade 1 Showcase #1 with Fabien at 8:45 am 
• October 19: Grade 2 Showcase #1 with Fabien at 8:45 am 
• October 24: Grade 2 ELA Showcase #1 with Sarah at 8:45 am 
• October 26: Grade 3-4 ELA Showcase #1 with Sarah at 8:45 am 

The Café et Conversation is a regular event at La Maison.

A revolving presence of school staff attends cafés. You are always welcome to participate in any gathering, even if your child is not in the classroom featured on a particular day. Attending other classrooms' cafés is a great way to meet school families and staff and learn how your child's experience will develop throughout the years.

Coming up Next Week:

Wednesday, October 18, 2023, from 8:30 to 9:00

Location: "La Maison" adjacent to the school

Come on over after drop-off; we look forward to seeing you!

Come one and come all for this year's Halloween Parade! Students and families will march alongside teachers and classmates through South Freeport village, fully in costume, collecting some treats along the way! This much beloved traditional event is a great chance to celebrate our community and share in some fun.

This year, the event will take place from 2 pm to 3 pm on Tuesday, October 31st.

Students should come to school dressed as usual on Tuesday, October 31st, with a costume in their bag. There will be a chance to get into their costumes before the parade. Older students in Fabien's and Anaelle's classes will depart the playground precisely at 2 p.m. Students from Alison, Raphael, and Beth's classes will follow with a 2:10 p.m. departure. All parents can feel free to meet their students' class outside on the playground at the designated times.

We will all parade from the playground, down Park St. to the Bernard residence, and onward down the hill toward Brewer's Marina. The final stop will be at the Ellis residence on the return trip back to school. Parents of younger children may plan to park down at the Freeport Wharf and walk up to meet our group on the school playground so those little ones can drive back to school instead of walking back up the big hill.

A small celebratory treat will be waiting for all at each stop, after which we will return as a group for dismissal from the playground as usual. Please only take your child home after confirming dismissal with their teacher, even if you plan to drive back to school from the marina. We extend a special thanks to our hosts- the Brewer, Bernard, and Ellis families- for inviting us to "trick-or-treat" this year!

To better identify our aftercare population and needs, we have updates to share about Garderie enrollment! Please take a look at recent changes, as found on our website:



• MONTHLY: We ask families to enroll in aftercare ahead of time to help us plan our staffing needs. This form is for monthly aftercare enrollment. Please choose the days and times you require to customize your child's aftercare. You must complete this form each month you wish to enroll your child.
• UNPLANNED EMERGENCY CARE: $15/hr or part thereof. The two discounted rates (yearly and monthly) do not replace the hourly emergency option for unplanned care. The $15/hr emergency aftercare is billed monthly and does not require prepayment. We appreciate advance notice when your child requires extended day services, but we know that sometimes the need arises unexpectedly.

We were so pleased with the turnout of families who accompanied us on the Petite and Moyenne Section apple-picking field trip! Hansel's Orchard was the perfect local farm to learn about apple growing, beekeeping, and more. We love this seasonal tradition and thank everyone who shared the experience.

Students in both classes practiced their hand at peeling, cutting, preparing, and, of course tasting their "compotes" with the fruits they picked themselves! What a yummy treat!

Snail-Mail Update! This past spring, our 2nd grade English class conducted an inquiry on letter writing during their unit “We use different means of communication depending on when we are, where we are, and the resources at our disposal” under the Transdisciplinary Theme: How We Express Ourselves.

At the end of their unit, the English Class received a postcard from our PYP Coordinator, Elise Le Bihan writing from Edinburgh, Scotland. The postcard took over a month and a half to arrive, and without delay, our students sent back their well crafted responses (with their own original Maine artwork). 

A month and a half later, Elise received their beautiful responses. It all goes to show that good things come to those who wait!

This week after reading the book "Who's Afraid of What?" in class, CP and CE1 used their acquired knowledge to create a group of “fear boxes”. Without the numerous shoe boxes and egg cartons that families generously brought into class recently, this project would not have been possible! The idea was to make a decorated box in which students hide some strange objects; an opening at the front allows friends to reach in. Deprived of sight... we might get a fright! This was a great opportunity to work on the vocabulary of fear and the 5 senses, while developing motor skills and of course having fun.

The kindergarten class recently organized a scent bingo. By using only the sense of smell, students had to guess at what fruit was in the bowl! The game was super fun!

The Grande Section class also is working on a shadow unit in science. After tracing shadows with chalk outside using the sun, we used flashlights inside to trace the shadows of small objects. A very interesting and hands-on activity!

This week in Petite Section we have been busy making marks with different objects. We have used legos, clipos, forks, and even cars to paint large pieces of paper which we are going to turn into our Livre des Traces. It's been fun working on group paintings and discovering the different marks that certain objects make! 

Club enrollment is now closed for this semester, but we wanted to share some of the fun students and staff have been up to!

Outdoor Exploration Club has discovered some new trails around school, with clipboards in hand and observational skills sharpening. Leather Club learned about the tools they will be using this season, and even tried their hand at creating keychains-- their first project! Cooking Club will begin Monday Oct. 16th and we can't wait to see what they create together.

For those on a waitlist for clubs at this time, you will have priority enrollment next semester. We want all students to be able to learn something new this year in an after school club! Thank you to our teachers for preparing and implementing some truly enriching experiences.

The agency is the keystone of the PYP as it allows students to take learning outside the classroom. Students with agency have the voice, choice, and ownership to take meaningful and intentional action, acknowledging the rights and responsibilities of individuals and supporting the voice, choice, and ownership of everyone in the learning community.

Student-initiated action will be considered a dynamic outcome of agency and an integral part of the learning process that can arise at any time.The Enhanced PYP

Student-initiated action can be as small as changing opinions on a subject after reflection or as large as contacting local authorities about an important issue. The size of the action is far from what is important as what really matters is how action and agency, along with the other elements of the PYP framework work to strengthen students’ confidence in their capacity to make a positive change in the world.

What does Action look like? 

• A change in attitude
• A consideration or plan for action in the future
• A demonstration of responsibility
• A commitment to leading or participating in a youth advocacy group
• An engagement in school decision-making
• An expression of support in community, local, and global decision-making.

Ways to Support Student Action at Home:

• Acknowledging and celebrating the various forms of action that occur
• Guiding students to reflect on their actions and adjust their course of action when necessary
• Planning for inquiry that supports making informed choices
• Providing opportunities for skills development that facilitates action.
• Helping students connect action with personal experiences
• Celebrating student action with others
• Encouraging students to consider the appropriateness and impact of their actions
• Supporting students in establishing and maintaining connections to local and wider communities.
• Engaging students in dialogue around what action is
• Acknowledging the various forms of action with lived/personal experiences
• Analyzing the scope of possibilities for action
• Supporting students in establishing and maintaining connections to local and wider communities by providing service learning opportunities in response to need, such as volunteering.