The board will have two years in which to provide information and recommendations to parents about French immersion as an option for their child. The other program modification being proposed is to reduce the amount of time students spend learning in French. We now provide more French instruction than is required by the ministry. Parents will be informed of the proposed change in the program through letters sent home from their school. Mississauga A report about the proposed changes will be presented at the board's Instructional Programs Committee meeting on Jan. 16 at 6 p.m.
All meetings are open to the public.
The board will set up a Making a Successful Transition working group, comprised of French immersion parents and teachers, to develop strategies to help students make a successful transition from kindergarten to French immersion. This is part of the board's objective of reducing the attrition rate and making sure students who enter the program are successful. Right now, we have a significant number of students who, for any number of reasons, leave the French immersion in the first three years. We want to make sure that students who start in French immersion are going to be successful and that we do everything we can to make it a positive experience for them. With the involvement of parents and teachers, we know we can help make the transition to French immersion easier and more enjoyable for children.