Toll Free: 1-877-482-0722
Our French Immersion program is designed to provide non-francophone students with a high degree of proficiency in the French language. The goal is to develop the student’s level of proficiency in French, while supporting their continued growth in English. French Immersion provides students with the opportunity to achieve a high level of functional bilingualism, which strengthens their ability to communicate and participate effectively in the workplace and global community.
This program begins in Grade 1 and is available at select elementary schools across our region.
Welcome to the Grade 1 French Immersion Program
You are also encouraged to visit your French Immersion school's website to learn more about the school, calendar of events, how to volunteer, parent council and more. Look for the presentation under School News.
For questions, please to your school's administration or email Academic Services Consultant for French as a Second Language or call us at 905-576-6150 ext. 22237 .
How do I register my child for French Immersion?
Grade 1 French Immersion registration closed on January 15, 2021 for the 2021-2022 school year.
The online registration for Grade 1 French Immersion for September 2021 is now complete. Some limited spots may be still available in selected schools. Please contact your local DCDSB French Immersion school
to register your child for the upcoming 2021-2022 school year. Late registrations will be processed on a first come, first serve basis while space is available.
A list of Frequently Asked Questions relating to the French Immersion Program and registration process can be found below. For additional questions, please email FrenchPrograms@dcdsb.ca.
Locations for French Immersion Program
Our French Immersion program is offered at the following elementary and secondary schools. Note: Program availability at all sites will be subject to sufficient student registration.
| Ajax |
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| Oshawa |
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| Pickering |
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| Uxbridge |
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| Whitby |
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Frequently Asked Questions
| How do I register my child online for Grade 1 French Immersion? |
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Grade 1 French Immersion online registration opened on Monday, December 7, 2020 and closed on January 15, 2021. The online registration for Grade 1 French Immersion for September 2021 is now complete. Some limited spots may be still available in selected schools. Please contact your local DCDSB French |
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How will pupil places be assigned? |
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After the close of the online registration period, places will be assigned to all students that have registered (provided that the number of students registered meets the minimum threshold for establishing a class). At schools where demand exceeds capacity, students will be placed in accordance with the following criteria:
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| When will parents/guardians be notified of acceptance and placement? |
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Parents/guardians who have registered using the online process will receive an automatic email notification of their registration. An acceptance and placement email will be sent on or before February 1, 2021. Upon receipt of this second email, parents/guardians will be requested to confirm their registration no later than February 12, 2021. Students who are not currently enrolled in the Durham Catholic District School Board will have to complete the process in person at the designated French Program School and produce the required documentation for registration at that time. NOTE: If the school does not receive confirmation of enrollment from the parent by the expected due date, the child’s name will be removed from the list, and the application will be considered withdrawn. |
| Will students with siblings already enrolled be given priority at the designated school? |
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All students who apply during the online registration process will be offered a position in the French Immersion Program (except in the case where the minimum number of students enrolled does not meet the threshold to establish a class). Where space permits and after “in boundary” students and students with childcare in area have been accommodated, consideration will be given to cross boundary approvals for families requesting a particular school where siblings are in attendance. |
| Why is the Board making families have their children attend two different schools? |
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We recognize that families who have experienced the convenience of having all children attend the same school may be concerned by potentially having to have siblings attend different locations. It is important to note that French Immersion is an optional program and parents have the right to exercise their choice as to whether or not their child will attend. |
| As an English Language Learner in the French Immersion program, what supports will my child receive? |
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For English Language Learners in the French Immersion program, the instructional model of 90% of daily instruction in French remains the same. While in Grades 1 to 3, all students will receive 10% of their daily instruction in English. This allows for approximately 30 minutes per day for students to have exposure to English language instruction. This occurs during the Religion and Family Life block. Should an English Language Learner require the support of an ESL teacher, it will be during this time. In Grades 4 to 8, instructional time in English increases to 50%.
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| What if a parent/guardian wishes to register their child in a French Program after the online registration process has been closed? |
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The online registration process closes on January 15, 2021. In order to allow time to process the online applicants and determine class formations, no further registrations will be accepted until March 22, 2021. At that time, any parent/guardian who wishes to enroll their child will be required to contact the appropriate French Immersion school to request an application. Late registrations will be processed on a first come, first serve basis, while space is available. If no space is available, the child will be placed on a waiting list. |
| Why can’t the Board add more classroom spaces at overcrowded French Immersion Schools? |
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Class size is regulated and funded according to Ministry directives and varies by division. The Board must therefore do its best to maximize classroom organization. Numbers will continue to be monitored by the Principal, Family of Schools Superintendent and Superintendent of Academic Services. When/where a threshold of 15 students is met; consideration will be given to the formation of an additional class at an appropriate location. |
| How do other Boards manage increasing demand for French Immersion? |
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Many boards offer limited French Immersion programming; cap the number of students who can register; or offer no French Immersion at all. Our Board offers French Immersion to every family that requests it for their Grade 1 child(ren) through the online process; and we provide school busing where it is warranted. Program location may not be guaranteed. |
| I am registering my child in the Grade 1 French Immersion Program and have another child who is in Kindergarten. Can he/she be accepted into the French Program Site? |
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Due to enrollment pressure at some of our elementary schools, out of area applications for Kindergarten students will not be accepted at the following sites:
Where families have younger siblings who are not yet eligible for French Immersion, they may apply for “cross boundary” approval at French Immersion schools not listed above. To do so, a parent/guardian must first enroll their JK son/daughter at their home school (the school associated with their home address) and then complete an Exception for School Boundary application, which must be approved by the Home School and French Program School Principals. Approval will be contingent upon space availability. A waitlist will be established at these schools as required and parents and guardians will be directed to register at their child’s home school for Kindergarten. Transportation for Kindergarten siblings who are accepted at an out-of-area French Immersion school with their older sibling(s) will be provided transportation for Kindergarten. Continued transportation will be provided granted that they enter into the Grade One French Immersion program. |
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What level of French proficiency can be achieved by the end of Grade 8 in the French Immersion Program? How does this compare to the Core French Program? |
| The Ministry of Education requires a minimum of 3800 hours of instruction in French in a French Immersion program at the elementary level. In the Durham Catholic District School Board, we provide a total of 4680 hours of French instruction which helps to support a strong level of proficiency before entering into the secondary program. Students’ level of language proficiency will vary due to a variety of factors however; most students will be able to communicate effectively with native French speakers. Students in the Core French program by contrast will receive a total of 600 hours of instruction in French by the end of Grade 8. |
| Is there an option for French Immersion students to participate in the program in the Virtual Elementary School? |
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During the 2020-21 school year, French Immersion programming was available to both elementary and secondary students. Given the current situation regarding COVID-19, we are unable to provide information on the Virtual Elementary School in future years at this time. |
| In Grade 1 as students are beginning to learn to read, will this be taught in English or in French? Do parents need to teach their child to read in English? |
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All subject areas in Grades 1-3 French Immersion are taught in French except for the Religion and Family Life programs. Reading instruction will be provided in French only. Skills in this area that are taught at school can be supported by parents/guardians at home as you explore reading together in English or your home language. This will help to support the transfer of skills from one language to the other. Parents/guardians are encouraged to provide a literacy rich environment at home to help build strong reading and writing skills for children. |
| Can you please explain more about the transfer process into the English track should our child experience difficulty? |
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A transfer from the French Immersion program into the English program requires teachers, school staff and parent/guardians to follow Board policy and procedures. When a child is experiencing challenges in their French Immersion program, as with any program, educators will communicate with parents/guardians and will provide appropriate supports to help support learning. An emphasis on retention of the student is of primary importance. Parents/guardians will be provided with an action plan to support their child in their continued learning in French. Should the child continue to experience difficulty after all measures have been put in place over a period of time to support the child in the French Immersion program, a decision may be made to transfer the child. Parents/guardians would be involved in the Board procedure process to transfer their child out of the program and will be required to provide informed written consent. |
| Are there any recommendations to prepare our child for Grade 1 French Immersion? |
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Parents/guardians can help to support a smooth transition into the Grade 1 French Immersion program by promoting a positive approach to learning and sharing excitement about the French Immersion program. A variety of recommendations for parents/guardians can be found in this resource from the Ontario Ministry of Education: Supporting Your Child's Success in French Immersion. |
| For the online registration, where can I find information relating to my child’s Home School English, Home School French and his/her OEN (Ontario Education Number)? |
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To determine which school is the Home School English or French for your child, please visit www.dcdsb.ca and search under the School link. There you will find the “Find My Local Catholic School” portal. A form to find your appropriate schools is provided. Parents/guardians can also call 905-576-6150 ext. 22211 or 1-877-482-0722 or email our Planning and Admissions Department to obtain this information prior to registration.
Your child’s OEN is listed on their Kindergarten Communication of Learning shared by the school. |
| Can I still register after January 15, 2021? |
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Registrations will be closed from January 15, 2021 to March 22, 2021, which means that no registrations will be accepted during this time. After March 22, 2021, late registrations will have to be made at the French Immersion school, and will be pending available space. Late registrations are not guaranteed. |
French Immersion Programming and the Ontario Curriculum
In order to develop the skills necessary to become confident and proficient lifelong language learners, students will be given multiple opportunities to:
- listen and respond to texts and others
- speak and interact with others
- read, view and respond to a variety of texts
- write a variety of texts for many different purposes and audiences.
Our daily instruction in the French Immersion Program is as follows:
| Grades 1 - 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Grades 4 - 8 | ||||||||||||||||||
Note: In Grades 4-8, subjects taught in English include English Language, Mathematics and Religious Education and Family Life. |
Supporting your Child when you Don't Speak French?
- Talk regularly to your child. Create opportunities to speak with your child about new experiences, what they are learning and thinking. Help your child to organize thoughts and ideas and to develop a broad vocabulary in your home language.
- Read aloud with your child and have them read aloud to you. Reading in any language with your child is beneficial. Have your child tell you about the characters, events, type of text, words used or the pictures they see. Expose your child to English and French reading materials as often as possible. Use a variety of genres in your daily reading (i.e. newspapers, comic books, fiction and non-fiction).
- Provide time and encouragement. Learning a new language may be frustrating at times. Most often if your child is experiencing difficulty in a particular subject area, the confusion may lie with the concept, not the language. Discuss and explain the concept in your home language. Be sure to speak with your child’s teacher if they continue to experience difficulty.
- Help your child to use French outside of the classroom by watching French programs, borrowing French books from the library and listening to French music. You may also wish to enrol your child in sports and summer camps provided in French through various community partners.