A group of Squamish parents is pushing for French immersion in local schools, starting in kindergarten.
Currently, non-French-speaking students can first enrol in French language programming in Grade 5. But some Squamish residents want the option available from the get-go. As a result, parents have set up a local chapter of Canadian Parents for French (CPF), a national lobby group dedicated to the promotion of French second language learning opportunities.
Many parents here wish our children had the option of learning a second language earlier; the program has been very successful in other municipalities, the Squamish group's organizer Kate O'Connor said in a statement.
West Vancouver started its program in the '70s. In 2004, the school district opened École Cedardale to accommodate the huge demand for the program, the school district's spokesperson Carolyn Warner wrote in an email to The Chief.
There are 637 elementary students at the district's two French schools, she noted. More kindergarten spaces are slated to open in September 2013, as there's currently a waitlist.
In January, Sea to Sky School District officials stated they were examining whether local facilities have the capacity to handle changes to accommodate an expanded immersion program. At a Board of Trustees meeting on Jan. 16, superintendent Lisa McCullough said that before seeking the board's blessing to discuss the program's future with parents, she wanted to have a clearer picture of where any expanded programs might be housed, and how any expansion might affect other programs.
Squamish Elementary School, where Squamish's Grade 5, 6 and 7 French immersion students are now, is at its capacity, McCullough noted. If the program continues to expand, an option noted was to move Grade 7 French immersion to Don Ross Secondary School.
The district's Board of Trustees is aware of parents' interest in early French immersion, assistant superintendent Ian Kent told The Chief on Monday (May 13). The district plans to initiate public consultation to find out how widespread it runs, he said.
There is lots of work to be done, Kent said.
Officials will have to look at staffing, facilities and work out long-term strategies, he said.
It is more complex than initially thought, Kent added.
Public consultation is scheduled for fall, with a draft plan to be etched out before Christmas.
CPF Squamish is hosting its founding meeting on Thursday, May 23, at 6:30 p.m. at Sky High Lifestyles on Cleveland Avenue. Parents interested in early French immersion are welcome to attend. The organization will create a list of interested parents over the summer through its website www.seatoskyfrench.com. The group will make a presentation to the school board in early fall.
