The French as a Second Language Community Advisory Committee will be meeting on March 19, April 16, May 14 and June 11, 2024, from 7- 9 pm. The meetings are in person at the TDSB head office at 5050 Yonge St. and are conducted in English. For those unable to attend in person, a Zoom link is available. Parents/caregivers and community members are welcome. Meeting details are posted here.  

Are you interested in supporting French programs at the TDSB? New parent members/alternates are needed for the FSL Committee to provide input into the procedures, policies, and activities that support growth and excellence in French programs. Volunteering on this committee is a great opportunity to get to know parents/caregivers from across the TDSB and the staff who support our kids.

Interested? Please email us at fslactoronto@gmail.com ! 

The annual Salon du Livre – French book fair – is taking place at Toronto’s new French university, Université de l'Ontario français at 9 Lower Jarvis Street. Doors open at 9 am on Saturday, March 2 with interactive story telling for children starting at 10 am. Details here.  

The Toronto Public Library is offering FREE events in French for children ages 3-12 during March break. There is magic, music, science, theatre and workshops at branches across Toronto. Check here for details.

Join a FREE virtual Sports Tour of Montréal on Wednesday, March 13 at 6 pm for French learners age 10+.  Virtually visit the old Forum, the Atwater Market and the Olympic Stadium. This event is co-sponsored by Canadian Parents for French (Quebec and Nunavut) and The Coasters Association. Information is here.

Keep up with the kids! Join an information session at 2 pm on March 5 to learn about this 6 week level 1 French course. The course runs from March 11-April 15, 2024. Learners go at their own pace with content and a new video each week and 2 live sessions. The course is $65 and is being offered by Canadian Parents for French (Alberta). Information about the course is here. 

Looking for family screen fun in French? Reel Canada offers a curated list of Canadian films in French and/or English and downloadable activity books for children and youth here.  Films are available through a variety of streaming services. 

JK-grade 12 teachers can access ideas for screenings and teaching resources for Canadian films in French and/or English here. 

The French for the Future National Ambassador Youth Forum (FNJA) will take place in Edmonton from August 18-23, 2024. This annual program is free and is open to Core, Extended and Immersion French grade 10 and 11 students. The selected student ambassadors’ mission is to promote the French language and official bilingualism in their schools and communities throughout the year following the FNJA. Applications are open soon. Information here.   

ÉchosPro (Gr 4-6), Mon réseau, ma vie (Gr 7-8), Points de connexion (Gr 9) and Jusqu’au bout (Gr 9-12) are new digital resources for our Core French classes. Students can access them through the “Pearson” button under “Lire” in the TDSB Virtual Library here.

These resources support culturally relevant and responsive teaching to meet student needs. This will help address concerns that were identified by students in the 2018 French Review. The resources follow the Ontario Core French curriculum with emphasis on authentic communication and the development of proficiency in French using the benchmarks of the Common European Framework of Reference. More information from Pearson is here.  

More than 90,000 students at the TDSB are taking Core French in grades 4-12. The program is mandatory from grade 4-8 for all students not in French immersion/extended programs. A minimum of one secondary credit is required to graduate with the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD). Students who complete the Core French program to Grade 12 receive a “Certificate of Bilingual Studies – Core French” at their graduation ceremony. 

Toronto Area French Day Camps
Camp Tournesol 
Alliance Française

FREE TDSB Summer Elementary French Programs and Secondary French Credits
Information coming soon here.

Québec Overnight French Camps
MWS Camp at McGill University 
Camp Mère Clarac 
Camp Trois-Saumons

And many more on the list at French Street.ca 

Watch this inspiring video about Sandhya’s journey as a policy maker, a STEAM + French guru, a volunteer with Canadian Parents for French and as a French language learner in Core French and summer immersion in Quebec. Click here. 

The Honourable Mahmud Jamal shares his passion and commitment in learning French from his start in school in England, through high school in Alberta, into university in Montreal and now, in Ontario at the Supreme Court of Canada. Click here.  

 

Have a great March break - cordialement,

Lynne Leblanc

FSLAC Parent Co-chair