Kindergarten registration will open for the French immersion program at Roosevelt Elementary School on Feb. 1, and Vice Principal Mike McDowall wants to dispel some myths parents might have about the program.
The program aims to make students proficient in French by the time they graduate Grade 12, which McDowall said has plenty of benefits for students.
“We want to stop that myth that the program is only for kids that have some kind of French background,” McDowall said.
McDowall said that even if students do not use French frequently in the future, they build the foundation to learn other languages as well. He also believes it improves students’ learning experience, giving students a big boost in confidence.
“It makes learning a little bit deeper,” he said.
Having a small cohort while going through elementary, middle and high school is another plus for immersion, said McDowall.
A product of the French immersion program himself when he went to school on Vancouver Island, McDowall said having French skills comes in handy when looking for a job. While he and his family had no French roots, both he and his sister, who now works for the federal government, were able to reap the benefits of being bilingual when they entered the job market.
Two information sessions at Roosevelt for the elementary program will be held for interested parents — one on Tuesday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m., and another on Jan. 24 at the same time.
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