French Immersion
Congratulations! You have taken the first step in providing your child with a bilingual education through the French Immersion program of St. Mary School.
French Immersion, which has been offered in our Board since 1988, is one of the most effective methods known for teaching a second language. Early immersion (beginning in year one) works well because a young child loves mimicry, memorization, and repetition and faces new challenges with enthusiasm and an open mind. For the students, early immersion not only results in more time for learning French, but also in increased self-confidence and ease when speaking it.
The French Immersion program is designed for children whose first language is not French.
The goal of the French Immersion program is to enable students to obtain what is recognized as a "top level" of proficiency, described by the Ministry of Education. Students in French Immersion programs should be able, upon graduation, to function well in a French-speaking community after a short orientation period.
To expect all students to attain the fluency of native speakers is, however, not a realistic aim even for an immersion program.
What the children will achieve is a high level of bilingualism, enabling them to function with ease in both English and French.
If you are interested in enrolling your child in our French Immersion program we encourage you to contact us at 807.274.7756to speak with our administration.
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