PRINCIPAL, Mark MacLeod VICE-PRINCIPAL, Mike Stewart
BRIDGEWATER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
“providing quality learning opportunities for all our students”
130 York Street
Bridgewater, Nova Scotia
B4V 2M1
Phone: (902) 541-8240 fax: (902) 541-8250
http://www.bes.ednet.ns.ca
GRADE 4 MIDDLE FRENCH IMMERSION PROGRAM
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17th, 2010
Parent / Student Orientation
Agenda
1. Program Overview / Application Mark MacLeod
2. Consultant for French Second Language Yves Rossignol
2. Gr. 4 Program Specifics Ms. Alexandra Camp
3. Student Presentation Bronson Jackman, Emma Wagner,
Brittany Mosher
4. Questions Open (see also FAQ enclosed)
Program Overview
ü Designed for Anglophone students to become bilingual and to gain the educational experience of learning about our French culture and heritage
ü Gr. 4 is the official entry point, known as Middle Immersion (a great place to start!)
ü Gr. 4-6 students are instructed in French for approx. 70%,
(All subjects except: English Language Arts (20%), PE & Music)
ü Gr. 7-9 students receive Language Arts, Social Studies, Math and Science in French
ü Gr. 10-12 students’ may choose courses offered in French such as: Language Arts, Social Studies, etc. (Math and Science credits are typically offered in English only)
ü Students will receive a bilingual certificate when they graduate from BHS if they complete half (9) of their 18 credits in French.
Bridgewater Elementary School
Middle French Immersion - Grade 4
Selection & Placement Policy
For the 2010/2011 school year
(in accordance with South Shore Regional School Board Policy #335)
A. Orientation Program
1. The parent information meeting is being held on Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 at 7:00 pm in the school library for parents and students in Grade 3 who are interested in an enhanced French Immersion program. It is mandatory that parents attend an information meeting prior to having their child accepted into the program and sign a registration sheet. We encourage and welcome students to attend as well.
2. Parents and students who are interested in grade 4 French Immersion must complete all documents and submit them to the school as indicated.
1. The first year of the grade 4 program must have a minimum number of students to warrant a class with a maximum class size of 30 or a maximum size determined by the Department of Education.
2. French Immersion is a program of study intended for students whose first language is not French. It is designed to allow students to acquire the second language through the teaching of subject material in French. The French Immersion program is open to students of all ability levels.
3. Elementary French Immersion students who transfer into the school from other parts of Nova Scotia (or Canada) will be accepted into the program if there are openings. In mostly all cases, a year of English is recommended for those students going into grade 4 who are coming from an early immersion program. These students will be admitted into the French Immersion program the following year. This program is not for students from a Francophone school system – French first language. These students have rights to a separate Francophone system, but these rights do not extend to the French Immersion program.
4. It is not uncommon for students to experience frustration in the early stages of the program. It takes up to three months, and sometimes longer, for students to overcome the initial language barrier. After this period of time, students appear to feel more comfortable in the French Immersion program. It is highly recommended students experience French Immersion for one complete year of study and then make the decision whether to withdraw or not.
5. The general goals of French Immersion programs are the following:
Ø provide students with the opportunity to acquire functional proficiency in oral and written French, which will permit them to communicate on both a personal and professional level.
Ø strive to ensure the normal development of oral and written English communication skills.
Ø strive to ensure the acquisition of necessary skills and knowledge in all subject areas.
Ø promote Francophone culture in Canada and acquire an appreciation for Francophones in a global community. This also includes the development of one’s own personal cultural identity.
The primary eligibility requirements include:
1. The student must be currently enrolled in a grade 3 English program.
2. At least one parent must attend an orientation meeting. This is a major long term commitment for the parent(s) to support the student. Therefore, it is important to understand the program expectations.
3. A full application should be completed and submitted to the homeroom teacher, who will then forward it to Mr. MacLeod, on Thursday, February 18th by 9:00 am. The application consists of a Student/Parent consent form (with signatures).
4. If the number of student registrations for the program exceeds the maximum number of 30 students or a maximum number imposed by the Department of Education, a waiting list will be established via a lottery draw to be held on the following Wednesday, February 25th, 2010 at 3:00 pm in the library. This random draw will be used to determine the students in the class and the order of the students on the waiting list. The random draw will be conducted by the principal, SAC Chair and the Consultant for French Second Language for the South Shore District School Board.
5. The following criteria will be used to determine the order of acceptance into the program. Admission to this program is primarily for students residing in the catchment area (town limits of Bridgewater).
1st Students currently enrolled at BES (who intend to remain in the catchment area) who have met the registration deadline and were represented at the orientation/registration meeting. Based on the day and time the application is received (first come, first served idea). Please note that all applications received before or during homeroom time and after busses have arrived will be marked as the same time, 9:00 am. Applications are to be dropped off to the homeroom teacher and will be collected by Mr. MacLeod.
2nd Students planning to attend B.E.S. with a confirmed residence within the town for the 2010/2011 school year who currently reside outside the catchment area (or attend another school), in the order the applications are received. This also includes students from BES who missed the registration deadline or who were not represented at the orientation/registration meeting. In both these situations, the parents are asked to meet with the principal, Immersion teacher and the Consultant for French Second Language to ensure they have an understanding of what the program entails.
3rd Students residing outside the school catchment area, with no confirmed residence within the town for 2010/2011, in the order the applications are received. Decisions on admitting students from outside the catchment area will be made at 4 pm on the 2nd last Wednesday prior to Labor Day (Wednesday, August 25th, 2010).
Transportation to and from BES shall be the responsibility of the parent/guardian of the transferring student. Students will not be permitted to attend schools that do not serve the area in which they live without an approved student transfer. The South Shore Regional School Board may permit student transfers under exceptional circumstances, including the Middle French Immersion program at Bridgewater Elementary, if space is available, according to our BES Selection and Placement policy. An Application for Student Transfer (SSDSB Policy #975), which can be picked up at the school or the board office must be completed and either returned to the school or sent directly to the school board office.
Secondary eligibility criteria include
1. The student should show a high level of motivation and an interest in being placed in the French Immersion program.
2. The student should be willing to speak French in class.
3. The student should be willing to work independently, both at home as well as at school. There is a significant homework component to the program which is ongoing every year.
4. Students may not be admitted to the program after the last day of September in any year, unless they transfer from an existing French Immersion program or other factors such as strong parent support with the French Language, etc. It is typically not in the best interest of a student to enroll after the first month as the students make great strides by that point.
5. Students in other schools have access to French Immersion in their neighborhood schools in Grade 7; therefore BES students are given preference as it is their official “entry” point.
6. Parents of students who may encounter difficulties in the program may be contacted by the Principal or the classroom teacher. All students will be informed in writing of their status with the program by the principal either the day after the receipt of the fully completed application or the day after the possible lottery draw.
D. Selection Process for Middle Immersion
1. The December 2009 and February 2010 newsletters will contain information about the 2010-2011 Middle French Immersion program and the process. The date and time will also be included in all other newsletters. A letter will also go home informing parents of our grade three students about information bullets #2, #3, #4 and #5 below.
2. The current grade 4 Immersion teacher will meet with this year’s grade 3 students during the 2nd week of January, 2010 for a student information session. Prospective students will learn about the nature of the program and be able to ask questions.
3. During the 3rd week of January, 2010, each student intending to enroll in the Middle Immersion program must complete independently, in class, the Student Interest Questionnaire. The completed questionnaire must be submitted to the student’s classroom teacher.
4. The French teacher of students preparing to enter the Middle Immersion program, the current grade 4 Immersion teacher and the current grade 3 classroom teachers will review the student questionnaires and inform the principal and French Language Consultant of students who may be at risk of not achieving success if placed in the Middle Immersion program. The Consultant for French Second Language, in consultation with the school principal, will contact the parents/guardians of the students identified as being at risk to discuss the concerns. This process will be completed prior to the parent orientation/registration meeting.
5. A parent orientation/registration meeting will be held on the 3rd Wednesday of February (February 17th, 2010). Information will be provided by current students and the Grade 4 Immersion teacher, the principal and the South Shore District School Board’s Consultant for French Second Language. Topics to be discussed will include program descriptions and registration procedures. Should a parent/guardian not be able to attend this meeting, they are asked to contact the school prior to the meeting to inform the principal they are appointing an alternate individual to represent them at the meeting.
Frequently Asked Questions about BES Middle Immersion
What if the parents don’t speak French?
French Immersion is designed for Anglophone students to become bilingual and to gain the educational experience of learning about our French culture and heritage (which gives meaning and purpose to the actual language learning).
What are the benefits to starting in grade four?
Middle Immersion is an excellent place to begin because:
“...Children who required more time to reach target proficiency levels were either younger than 8 or older than 12. Younger learners seem to require more time because they have had little or no schooling and, therefore, has less experience of school language to transfer to the new language.”
And Then There Were Two, Children and Second Language Learning
Pages 24-25, by Terry Piper, Pippin Publishing, 2001
How does Middle Immersion reflect our culture?
It provides an opportunity to reflect on our own culture and develop a further appreciation and respect for French culture. It is a rich educational experience because it includes learning about a new culture through language, which is an exciting challenge for some students. This in turn provides insights into our own culture.
Will my son or daughter get the same curriculum as the English gr. 4?
The students will be just beginning to learn in another language, so the curriculum is not the same, especially in the first term. Some parts are not covered in the same way, or at all. This is necessary because immersion follows a process where students must first learn to understand and speak the language before they can read and write it. This emphasis on listening and speaking involves taking learning “risks” with French language - so our program is structured to facilitate this risk taking. Therefore, it is not the same as the gr. 4 English program; we do strive to cover the gr. 4 math outcomes.
I can drop out if I don’t like it, right?
Students typically find the immersion experience frustrating at first, as they are at a cognitive level which is vastly superior to their linguistic level. Within a few months they begin to get comfortable understanding French and usually are happy to be in the program. Please consider the expectations of the program; such as extra homework for several years in order to “catch up” to grade level. When students reflect on their commitment to the program, the idea of dropping out is usually dismissed. It is recommended students experience French Immersion for one complete year of study and then make the decision whether to withdraw or not.
Is the English program also a good choice?
Of course, we have great staff in both the French Immersion and the English programs, so either choice is excellent!
How do I know if it is right for my child?
Students who experience success in French Immersion typically have:
· A strong interest in French
· Independent work habits
· Commitment to complete the extra homework
· A positive and enthusiastic attitude about the effort required
· The willingness to take “safe learning risks” - like speaking French
How do I know if it is right for my family at this time?
Parents provide important support to students in their efforts, are you?
Will my child get behind in English?
The students are learning another language, so they might loose a little English in the short term, catching up takes some time. In the long term, their English skills will be enhanced from their knowledge of how another language functions.
How does having the same kids together for so many years work out?
This is the same situation as students in a small school face. It may cause some problems socially for a period of time, because they know each other so well! By the end of junior high they become very close and supportive of each other, almost like a family.
Will my child be able to study math or science at an English university?
Absolutely, the high school program in math and science is offered in English. The transition back to English language from French in math and science usually takes just a few weeks.
What if my child does not want to take the program?
If you to try to force your child to take French Immersion, everyone will be unhappy going through that process, and you may experience a great deal of blame and grief in the junior high years. The student will likely be reluctant to do the homework required, which will make the program difficult. There is a lot expected of the students in order to “catch up” in their French skills, so it is best that both the parent(s) and student have the interest and commitment to French Immersion.