French Immersion
The french immersion program at St. Joseph school accounts for 66% of the student population. French is 100% in Senior Kindergarden and 50% in Grades 1 through 8. The subjects taught in French are:
- The Arts
- Social Studies
- French Language
The French Immersion program, which starts in Senior Kindergarten and continues until Grade 8, provides children with many benefits, both tangible and intangible. These include:
- A greater number of career opportunities.
- A lifelong ability to communicate with French-speakers, here in Canada and around the globe.
- Enriched travel experiences, especially to the 30 countries where French is spoken.
- A facility for learning other languages.
- A deeper understanding of their own and other cultures.
I don't speak French -- how will I be able to help my children with the school work?
Immersion programs were designed for children whose parents have little or no facility in French. The numbers prove that the belief in the value of second-lanugage education has no boundaries. Hundreds of thousands of young Canadians enrolled in French Immersion programs come from all social and economic backgrounds.
How will French Immersion affect my child's progress in English?
Research has consistently shown that the English-language skills of French immersion students meet or exceed those children in regular or English-language programs. Academic ability is not related to performance in French lanuagage skills. A child experiencing reading, writing or other classroom difficulties will exhibit that problem regardless of the language of instruction. Such problems should not normally be a barrier to a bilingual education.
French Immersion teachers are highly attuned to children who may be experiencing learning problems.
We live outside of the area, how will my child get to school?
The Catholic School Board provides bussing for children in French Immersion. The bus picks the children up and drops them off at the "feeder school", which is the Catholic school in your neighbourhood where your child would otherwise have gone to school. A COMPLETE LIST OF FEEDER SCHOOL TO BE POSTED.