French Immersion

“French immersion is a highly successful approach to second language learning — an effective way for students to become functionally fluent in French while achieving all of the objectives of the regular school program. French is the language of instruction for a significant part of the school day; that is, several or all subjects, except Religious Studies and English language arts, are taught in French. This program is designed for students whose first language is not French. The objective is full mastery of the English language, functional fluency in French, as well as an understanding and appreciation of the French culture. ” -read more at Alberta Education website.

To ensure that our students build their skills as bilingual citizens, we spend Kindergarten and Grade 1 establishing routines, developing vocabulary and teaching conversation skills in French. Saint-André students become increasingly fluent in French, becoming better communicators, readers and writers. Following the model of French Immersion schools in Saskatchewan, we begin instruction of the English language upon our return to school after the Christmas holidays in Grade 2. At this point, students’ reading will be assessed using the Fountas and Pinnell benchmark system and they will receive formal English Language Arts instruction.

Alberta Education has also produced a great booklet on how parents can help their children in the French program.