Parents to have say about future of French immersion in Guelph schools at open house
CBC News | Posted: February 16, 2016 3:40 PM | Last Updated: February 16, 2016
UGDSB French immersion program under review
Parents and caregivers who want their children to attend French immersion at Upper Grand District School Board schools will have the chance to give their thoughts during four open houses.
Demand for French immersion has been so high, the school board has done a review of the program to see how to best serve students.
Enrolment in some areas of the district is much higher than other areas, but overall has been steadily increasing at an average rate of 200 students per year.
Between 2006 and 2014, the total number of elementary students enrolled in French immersion has gone from 9.8 per cent to 17.7 per cent.
"With this success, however, comes pressure to manage the sustainability of the program," a release from the school board said.
Board may limit enrolment
There has been talk of potentially limiting the number of students who can enrol in French immersion. This could include offering the program through a lottery system or on a first-come, first-served basis.
In January, the school board was presented with a review of how French is taught in schools. The review offered several recommendations, including capping enrolment and exploring the option of starting core French in Grade 1 because research has shown the earlier children are exposed to a new language, the better. This could potentially decrease the number of children being enrolled in the French immersion program.
Schools are obligated to provide 600 hours of core French between Grade 4 and Grade 8. The board does not have to offer French immersion, but can if there is enough interest in the area.
The school board offers French immersion in "dual-track" schools, meaning the school offers both French immersion and English classes with core French. There are also five French immersion centres, where only French immersion is taught, with plans for a sixth one to be opened in 2017. All of the centres are in Guelph.
Guelph open house March 30
Before the school board makes a decision, it will host four public information sessions to hear feedback.
Board trustee Linda Busuttil, who represents part of Guelph, said the open houses will give parents and families a chance to discuss the report with school board staff and trustees.
"The two items that are contentious are the capping and the reduction in the number of minutes of French instruction. And so those are the two areas that parents really want to talk about," Busuttil said.
For those who do not want to speak at the open houses, there will also be feedback forms, she said.
The public information session for those with children in Guelph schools will be held March 30 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Centennial Collegiate Vocational Institute.
Other public information sessions will be held at Centre Wellington District High School in Fergus on Feb. 24, Wellington Heights Secondary School in Mount Forest on March 3 and Westside Secondary School in Orangeville on March 10.