Dufferin-Peel board to hold information meetings for French Immersion

October 24, 2014 · 0 Comments

It’s time to think about French Immersion.
The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board will hold a series of public information meetings in Mississauga and Brampton for parents and guardians interested in enrolling their children in the board’s French Immersion program for the 2015-2016 school year.
The sessions are intended to provide an overview of the program, the criteria for admittance, and changes that can be expected from the regular program.
The one Brampton session will be at Our Lady of Providence Elementary School at 35 Black Oak Dr. Nov. 25 at 7 p.m.
Other sessions will be Nov. 26 at St. Gertrude Elementary School at 815 Ceremonial Dr in Mississauga and Nov. 27 at St. Margaret of Scotland Elementary School at 2266 Council Ring Rd. in Mississauga. Both meetings will start at 7 p.m.
Online registration will begin following the sessions with the deadline for submissions to be announced. Should the number of applications exceed the number of spaces available, a centralized, computer-generated lottery will be held following the deadline.
The board offers French Immersion starting in Grade 1 at eight schools. Students registered in the program will spend 90 per cent of their day learning in French. All subjects and activities in the French Immersion classroom, except for religion and family life, will be delivered in French.
In Grades 2 and 3, 70 per cent of the instruction will be in French, with the proportion of English increasing to 50 per cent in later years.
Students in French Immersion usually attain a mid-range level of competency in the language. This means that after at least 3,800 hours of French instruction during his/her school career, the student should be able to read newspapers and books, with the occasional help of a dictionary, as well as watch and understand radio and television news and other programs.
The student should also be able to participate adequately in conversation, demonstrate knowledge of the culture, society, customs, economy, government, institutions of a French-speaking community and, after a few months residence, and function quite well in a French-speaking community.
For more information, visit www.dpcdsb.org or call 905-890-0708 ext. 24307.