A Parent’s Choice for French

Making French pathway decisions Among the seemingly endless number of decisions parents must make during their child’s education, one of them involves choosing the right French pathway. It can be a complicated decision which is reviewed several times throughout a child’s educational journey — from choosing the right school to deciding which French courses to take in high school. The best way to know that you are making the right decisions is to stay informed. Understanding your community school’s offerings is the first step. The OCSB’s early French immersion program in kindergarten can benefit a child’s ability to excel in other subject areas, such as reading comprehension and math. This becomes useful during Grades

1 to 3, when they are given the opportunity to focus on building strong literacy skills in English, while still working on their proficiency in French. Talking often with your child about their experience and confidence in French can help you make you make an informed decision about their French pathway after Grade 3. Take some time to examine your child’s strengths, while balancing your aspirations for their future. Choosing a Core French or French Immersion pathway for your child can open so many doors for today’s graduates. If bilingualism is a high priority, you can have confidence in the OCSB’s focus to equip students with the ability to use French effectively in their daily lives.

Choosing the best OCSB French pathway for your child

Kindergarten

Five strengths of the OCSB French program 1. All of our schools have the same French pathway options for all students, so there is no need to ever transfer schools. 2. French teachers are highly qualified and genuinely invested in giving students tools and strategies needed to learn French. 3. The French pathways allow students to develop a love of French, while giving them time to develop strong English literacy and numeracy skills. 4. Blended learning (grouping students of Core and Immersion pathways together) improves student engagement and collaboration. 5. All pathways lead to success, and every student is recognized for their French language proficiency, opening doors to new opportunities.

Kindergarten offers play-based learning in equal amounts of English and French

Grades 1 to 3 Grades 1 to 3 focus on a strong foundation in English while still building French skills

50% French

25% French

Subjects taught in French: Social Studies and French Language Arts

DECISION POINT Grade 4

This is when parents choose the French pathway that their child will take until graduation

Over 2,700 families will make this important decision this year at the OCSB

EXTENDED/CORE FRENCH

Grades 4 to 6

25% French 1 of 8 subjects in French during Grades 7 & 8

FRENCH IMMERSION

Grades 4 to 6

50% Frenchto 6 Grades 4

Year after year, Ottawa Catholic School Board students win competitive national and provincial French public speaking competitions and video contests, some of which offer University scholarships

4 courses in French during Grades 9 to 12 CORE FRENCH CERTIFICATE

All pathways lead to success for OCSB students

5 of 8 subjects in French during Grades 7 & 8 10 courses in French during Grades 9 to 12

FRENCH IMMERSION CERTIFICATE 763 grads received one last year

212 grads received one last year

The Ontario Ministry of Education stipulates that only one French course is required after Grade 8 in order to earn a high school diploma Data provided by the Ottawa Catholic School Board (OCSB) based on 2016-2017 student enrolment and graduation statistics

Learn more at ocsb.ca/frenchchoice

Math is taught in English in all Grades