The local school board is holding an information session about enrolling kindergarten children in the French Immersion program.
Across the board’s region, early French Immersion is offered in Parry Sound Public School, Mattawa District Public School, Alliance Public School and Sunset Park Public School.
Stephanie Underwood, the board’s Elementary program coordinator says the session will showcase some of the benefits of the program.
“The virtual session will essentially give families an overview of the early French immersion program at NNDSB. It’ll explain what parents can expect from the French immersion program and explore ways to support their child’s learning of a second language,” she says.
Laurie Forth, the regional K-12 Student Achievement and Well-Being Principal, says some non-french speaking parents can be apprehensive when considering the program, something she says is addressed by the board.
“We support our parents in the sense that we provide all communication for home in English, so everything that pertains to the student is done in English” she says. Forth says examples of those communications are report cards being always in English.
The virtual session will take place Wednesday, March 23rd at 6 p.m. and will delve into the benefits of French as a second language.
The board says those benefits can range from increasing mental flexibility to improving problem-solving skills as well as expanding career opportunities.
To learn more about the benefits of French as a second language you can check out these resources offered by the Near North District School Board.
- Families can register for the session here.
- More information about the benefits of French as a second language can be found in this framework document; frameworkfls
- Families can learn more about French as a Second Language in NNDSB schools by downloading this brochure; NNDSB-FSL-Brochure-Feb-2020