School board hosting French immersion info sessions this month

Sessions are for parents, guardians of students wanting to enter Grade 1 French immersion in next school year

The Simcoe County District School Board building in Midhurst is shown in this file photo. | Miriam King/Village Media

NEWS RELEASE
SIMCOE COUNTY DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
*************************
The Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB) offers French immersion (FI) at select schools throughout Simcoe County beginning in Grade 1.

The goal of the FI program is to enable students to communicate in French with a high level of proficiency, allowing them to function with ease in both English and French.

Information sessions for families who are considering entry into Grade 1 FI for the 2024-25 school year will take place in November as outlined below. All information sessions begin at 6 p.m.

School	Date
Cameron Street Public School 575 Cameron St., Collingwood	Monday, Nov. 20
Ernest Cumberland Elementary School 160 Eighth Ave., Alliston	Monday, Nov. 20
Ferndale Woods Elementary School 170 Ferndale Dr. S., Barrie	Tuesday, Nov. 14
Forest Hill Public School 20 Doran Rd., Midhurst	Tuesday, Nov. 21
Goodfellow Public School 827 9th Line, Innisfil	Tuesday, Nov. 21
Harriett Todd Public School 11 George St., Orillia	Tuesday, Nov. 14
Harvest Hills Public School 400 Crosslands Blvd., Bradford	Tuesday, Nov. 14
Hillcrest Public School 184 Toronto St., Barrie	Tuesday, Nov. 21
Mundy’s Bay Public School 340 Sixth St., Midland	Tuesday, Nov. 21
Oakley Park Public School 22 Davidson St., Barrie	Monday, Nov. 20
W.H. Day Elementary School 410 Maplegrove Ave., Bradford	Tuesday, Nov. 21
Warnica Public School 211 Warnica Rd., Barrie	Tuesday, Nov. 14
Worsley Elementary School 31 40th St. S., Wasaga Beach	Monday, Nov. 20

To determine your designated FI school location, use the home school locator on our website.

Entry into the FI program is determined through a digitally randomized lottery system. A link to access the Grade 1 FI online application form will be available starting at 9 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 1 until 4 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 15. Once available, you will find the application link on the SCDSB website.

Enrolment into the FI program in Grade 1 is limited to a maximum of 40 students per designated FI site. While every effort is made to accommodate all FI applications, available space and staffing will determine how many students can be registered. Parent(s)/guardian(s) can contact their school in advance if they do not have internet access at home or require assistance accessing the online application.

Transportation is available to students enrolled in FI programs within their designated French site where the student resides outside the walk zone for that school. Centralized community bus stops will be established to provide access for students to attend the specialized program. It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to transport the student to and from the centralized stops at designated times for pickup and drop-off. For more information, please refer to Policy 2410 — Transportation of Students and Administrative Procedures Memorandum A1225 — Transportation of Students — Courtesy Riders on Commuter and Program Transportation.

Please note that the designated sites for FI may change during the program, which may also include splitting the program between two different sites.

*************************