The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, June 28, 2000 - Al5 FRENCH IMMERSION GRADUATES Kare Mitchell Kasel Yamashita Mark Rose Gareth Earl Khalie Eyas sors: Matthew Bruneau Einar Hanson Brent Tromblay Chelsea Bulleid ray eae ee cos Jeanine Rutherford French immersion Works! French immersion works. Immersion takes advantage of a child’s ability to learn languages easily. It builds on children’s openness to new situations and experiences. Best of all, Immersion does this without interfering with or harming the development of skills in the first language. | Danielle Richey eligible for French Immersion. Prior knowledge of French is not a closely as possible. requirement. Second language learning is not dependent on a high IQ level. |! is not a program for “bright” children only. 1, WHAT IS FRENCH IMMERSION? French Immersion is a program where sludents receive all or most of the classroom instruction in French. This program is designed specifically for children whose first language is not French and enable 8. 1S THERE BUSSING FOR IMMERSION STUDENTS? Immersion students at the present time may utilize the existing school these children to become fluently bilingual as is possible in predominantly English speaking cammunities. 2. WHAT IS EARLY IMMERSION? Early Immersion begins in kindergarten This program is designed specifically for children whose first language is not French... (yeor one primary] or grade 1 (primary 2) with 100% of the instruction in French. English instruction is then introduced, usually in grades 3 or 4, By grade 6, approximately 30-40% of teaching time is 4. WHO TEACHES FRENCH IMMERSION? Certified teachers who are bilingually fluent in French, are hired by the local school district. 3, DOES IT MATTER IF NO ONE AT HOME SPEAKS FRENCH? No. This program was designed for children of non-French speaking families. Teachers are aware of this when they send home notices or assign homework. Reporting is in English. 6, WILL A CHILDS ENGLISH SUFFER IN IMMERSION? Because English is not taught until grades 3 or 4, children will lag behind their English counterparts for a time, but once English is introduced, Immersion children usually catch up quickly, By the end of grades 5 or 4, Immersion children often perform better when tested than their counterparis in English programs. bus services as well as the public bus service. However, transportation is not guaranteed for Immersion programs. As you have chosen to put your child in a program outside of your school area, the responsibility for transportation lies with the parents. 9. WHAT IF WE ARE TRANSFERRED TO ANOTHER DISTRICT OR PROVINCE? French Immersion is available in most urban centres of Canada. CPF has lists of programs throughout the country. Children transferring out of Immersion very early before English language arts have been introduced may experience a brief fag. Consultation with the new teacher and some work at home usually overcome this problem very quickly. 10. WHAT SCHOOLS WILL MY CHILD ATTEND IN TERRACE? Kili K’/Shan primary for Kindergarten to grade 3, Cassie Hall Elementary for grade 4-7, Skeena Jr. Secondary for grade 8-10 and Caledonia Sr. Secondary for grade 11 & 12. ; ing in English. in French with the rest being in English 7. WILL MY CHILD LEARN THE SAME THINGS AS STUDENTS IN ENGLISH? . WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR FRENCH IMMERSION? 3 s Yes. The French Immersion program follows the English curriculum as Any child normally eligible for English Kindergarten or grade 1 is Knowing A Second Language Can: * increase your child’s personal pleasures such as the enjoyment of litera- ture, art, music, theatre, travel and personal relationships; So why should you . incense your cic understanding of and respect for other peoples and study F rench? * help your child to understand more about himself, his country and his fel: Pr. David Elder, from Edith Cowan University in Australia, compiled this list. (lt was published in CPF British Columbia News, March 1998.) aa 1. French is not limited on one or two continents. 2. French is spoken in two of the G7 countries. ; 3. France is the world’s major tourist destination (60 million tourists a year). 4, France is Europe’s foremost investor abroad. . 5. French is the official language of the International Red Cross. 6. French is the official language of post offices across the world. 7. French is one of the two official languages at the Olympic Games. 8. French is the most widely taught second language after English. 9. French is one of the official languages of the United Nations, 10. French is a major language of high tech and business in the world. 11. Over 20,000 English words have their origins in French. 12. In terms of number of words, French is the second largest language after English. 13. Montreal is the second largest French speaking city in the world. 14, in 1994 the United States did business/trade with the following countries in order of importance: 1, French speaking countries; 2. Japan; 3. Spanish speaking countries. 15. For those with the appropriate skills, there are possibilities for work in: international business, international agencies, the tourism and hospitality agencies, the diplomatic service, as a teacher, as a translator or an interpreter, 16. And don’t forget the other 43 or so good reasons: French is spoken in over 43 countries in the world, The French Immersion program is open to ALL students entering Kindergarten & grade 1. This program is FREE! If you have any questions about the FRENCH IMMERSION program call: Kiti K’Shan Primary School 635-3115 Karen Westby 635-0135 Or Kim Gellatly 635-4005 low Canadians; ® give your child access to a larger pool of information and to more educa- tional and career opportunities; * give your child a competitive edge in the job market anywhere in Canada and in many other countries. oe Feedback “French Immersion allows for many opportunities to become realities thal would otherwise stay fantasies. In particular, travelling, working and meeting new people are all easy fo do due to my french speaking capabilities.” - Kasel Yamashita “Being in this program, | have had many fun experiences like when we went to Coquitlam for the BC French hames and also New Brunswick for the Ist national French games. | have me! mony peaple my age around Canada because of this.” - Jeanine Rutherford “In the French Immersion program | have made many good friends. We experienced many things together, and all have many opportunities fo travel and meet new people. | feel that it was a great experience to be involved in this program.“ - Danielle Richey “Learning a second language Is a valuable asset to anyone, .as it develops vocabulary, leaches grammar, and opens doors - the effects are even felt in one's molher tongue. | draw upon French daily; whether I’m just thinking of the right word, looking for information online, or even having chats with people ‘en francais’, Although learning french was tough al first, the resulls have far outweighed any expensel Enrolling me in French Immersion was one of the best decisions my parents madel” - Mark Rose