Learning Commons » Late French Immersion

Late French Immersion

What is Late French Immersion?
The goal of Late French Immersion (LFI) is for students to become functionally bilingual by grade 12. Students enrolled in LFI learn the same curriculum as students in our English program; however, they do so by learning the curriculum immersed in a rich French language environment. Students enrolled in LFI also gain from a different cultural awareness extended through the use of French language. English skills of our LFI students end up at par with their English student counterparts at graduation. Learning in a French language rich environment also promotes improvements to critical thinking and problem solving skills as students are tasked with thinking in a different language as well as learning ways to conjugate verbs and find the correct words for different vocabulary. While the Ministry of Education guidelines state Grade 6 as the first grade level for a Late Immersion program, School District No.48 opted to begin local Late French Immersion programs in Grade 5.
 
Who Should Enroll in Late French Immersion?
  • any student who has an interest in learning French - there needs to be intrinsic motivation from the student themselves;
  • any student who likes a challenge and is comfortable taking risks - it takes courage to speak a new language and make mistakes in from of their peers; and,
  • any student who is willing to practice their French vocabulary independently at home daily to reinforce class learning - it does take extra time over and above what is taught in the classroom.
This should be a family decision!
 
The Registration Process
Registration begins when parents complete a webform. This form places students in a virtual line based on their webform time-stamp and prompts parents to make an appointment at their present school to present all of the registration documents. Your spot in line is held for 10 business days - during this time you will need to present your registration documents at your current school. Registration forms and info are available at SD48 website. The webform process opens at 8:00 am on Tuesday, January 17 and continues through January 20, 2023 . After this time period, you can contact the school to register for LFI. All students registered through the webform are waitlisted. Once the budgeting process for the next school year is underway, phone calls are made offering seats in the LFI program for those families that completed the above process, in order of their time stamp from the webform. Seats in the LFI program of choice are not guaranteed for all students as we have limited spaces in the classes.