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FSLAC Newsletter December 2019
In this issue:
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1. Update: 2020-21Transportation French Immersion/Extended SK-8At the November 12th meeting of the FSLAC, TDSB staff shared new information regarding transportation for French Immersion/Extended (FI/Ext) students from SK-5 (bussing) and grades 6- 8 (TTC tickets). Cuts announced in June 2019 are on hold and transportation will continue, as usual, in 2020-21. This was confirmed at the November 27th meeting of the Trustees.
In the coming months, staff will be reviewing bell times for all schools, including French Immersion/Extended schools and may be making changes. The goal is to optimize bussing to reduce costs while also having reasonable school start times, generally between 8 am and 9 am.
TTC ticket distribution to all FI/Ext secondary students who live over 4.8 km from their FI/Ext school was discontinued in September 2019. However, in cases of financial need, FI/Ext secondary students beyond 4.8 km may request TTC support from their principal.
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2. Update: French Review
The phasing out of the Extended French program and the introduction of JK and Grade 4 as the entry points for French Immersion programs will take place over the next five years. Angela Caccamo, the Centrally Assigned Principal of FSL, Classical & International Languages will oversee the changes. Previously, the FSL position was combined with a variety of portfolios including library and social sciences but these changes to French require additional FSL staff time.
TDSB FSL staff is working with Research and Planning to determine the criteria for a redistribution plan for French Immersion sites. Broad stakeholder consultations on the implementation plan will begin in January 2020.
The application deadline for the last Extended French classes (grade 4, 6 or 7 entry) is in January 2020 for entry in September 2020. Application information can be found here.
In September 2021, Middle French Immersion will begin. In September 2022 only, there will be both JK and SK entry to Early French Immersion. In September 2023, Early French Immersion will start in JK. The process for applying has not yet been announced.
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3. Secondary Program Review, Optional AttendanceOn-line consultation surveys are open. Details about the Secondary Review and the survey are here. The Secondary Review includes French Immersion/Extended programs.
Details about proposed changes to the Optional Attendance Policy (Attendance at Schools Outside of Designated Attendance Area) and the survey are here. Under the current Optional Attendance process, French Immersion/Extended students who wish to transfer to another FI/Ext school may apply to do so if there is space.
Four public consultation meetings took place in November where both the Secondary School Review and the proposed changes to Optional Attendance were discussed.
The stated goal of the Secondary Review is to look at equity of access to secondary schools and specialized programs and improve access for students. The consultation meetings and the surveys are part of the action plan for the Secondary Review.
At the November 12th FSLAC meeting, staff shared that to maximize credits available for students and to effectively use resources, the ideal size of a secondary school is no fewer than 1000 students. Projections show that the TDSB will have 78 000 students in 111 secondary schools. Twenty-five secondary schools are significantly over or under the ideal size. It is important to note that the Ministry of Education has suspended school closures and has not given any indication of when that will change.
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4. Parent Review: French Book AppBoukili is a new app for reading in French for young students. It is provided free of charge from TFO Groupe Media, our Ontario French educational public broadcaster. I installed the app on my Android phone and my iPad. The installation process is easy, but make sure that you use the same account on each device. This way, it will keep track of your progress across different devices.
The app provides six different reading levels tailored to different audiences, with access to a total of 130 books. At each level, there are three learning modes: mode narration, mode solo and mode enregistrement. Under mode narration, one can listen to the book page by page, one can also go back and forth with an easy to use navigation button. Under mode solo, you can read the book page by page on your own. Under mode enregistrement, you can record your reading.
My daughter, age 5, and I had a great time using the app. I have also discovered that the app can be accessed through the chrome web browser here. The only limitation with the browser option is that you cannot use mode enregistrement.
This app is a must because it provides an immersive and interactive guided reading experience. The reading in mode narration was done by a native speaker, it sounds authentic. The only drawback of this app is that it cannot be installed on iPhone, which is a disappointment for some parents.
- Charles Zhu, FSLAC parent member Ward 11
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5. CPF ResearchIn October 2019, Canadian Parents for French, the national organization which supports and promotes French Second Language(FSL) education, released “The State of FSL Education in Canada 2019: Focus on FSL Programs” . Six leaders in the field of FSL research from McGill, UBC, University of Ottawa and U of T provided overviews of recent research, including trends and commentaries on Core and Immersion French as well as information about the DELF, French proficiency testing.Researchers included the 2018 “TDSB FSL Program Review: Developmental Evaluation” in the recommended reading list.
In the section, “Focus on Core French”, researchers examine improving Core French achievement and retention by doing compact scheduling, where elementary students have 80 minute periods of French as opposed to the 40 minutes/day model.
Data on enrolment in Ontario FSL programs is released annually by the Ministry of Education. The 2017-18 information is now posted here. The annual average rate of growth in French Immersion is 5.7% for the last 13 consecutive years. Of the approximately 2 million Ontario JK-12 students, 2% are in Extended French, 5% are in French First Language Schools, 12% are in French Immersion, 36% are in Core French and 45% are not yet taking French or are no longer taking French at all. French is mandatory from grade 4-9.
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6. Ministry of Education ResourcesDestinationdelf.ca is a brand new resource provided by the Ministry of Education for Ontario students and their parents to help prepare for DELF ( Diplôme D’études En Langue Française) testing. The DELF is an official, international accreditation awarded by the French Ministry of Education which indicates the student’s level of spoken and written proficiency in French. In May 2019, 132 TDSB Grade 12 Core, Extended and Immersion French students completed the DELF exams.
The Ministry of Education is also continuing to add resources to “Transforming FSL”, a publicly accessible website for FSL teachers, principals and administrators. Resources include videos of FSL classrooms, teacher reflection and strategies to support developing French oral skills in kindergarten and guides with writing samples and audio clips to support an Ontario-wide understanding of student proficiency levels in French. “Grammar in Action” shows how to embed grammar within authentic communication activities rather than relying on written grammar exercises and fill-in-the-blank verb desk work. For principals, VPs and administrators, there is an Ed-talk and an eLearning module with practical suggestions to support the inclusion of students with special education needs and English language learners in FSL classrooms.
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7. FSL TDSB Google SitesThis fall, TDSB FSL staff launched a dedicated google site for teachers and administrators to support student achievement in Core, Extended and Immersion French. It is one easy click to find Ministry documents like the curriculum and the FSL Framework, cultural experiences for students, the TDSB Virtual Library with free digital FSL resources and FSL special events like the Canadian Parents for French annual public speaking event, Concours Oratoire. This initiative is in response to the findings of the teacher surveys conducted as part of the 2018 French Review and is included in the Core French Action Plan. New information and updates are being posted on the site almost daily.
Watch for this in early 2020: TDSB FSL staff will be launching a dedicated google site for parents/guardians of Core, Extended and Immersion French students. It will include the vision and goals for FSL teaching and learning, how to support students doing French homework, information on inclusion and differentiation in FSL classrooms and community links to support the continuation of French learning beyond the classroom.
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8. Join Us! .The FSLAC will meet on January 14 and February 11, 2020. Parents, students, trustees, teachers and staff are welcome. Meetings start at 7 pm at the TDSB offices at 5050 Yonge St., ground floor. FSLAC information is posted on the TDSB website here.
The FSLAC is seeking new parent members and alternates. Parents who are interested should email fslactoronto@gmail.com. The Terms of Reference, outlining the mandate and information about the FSLAC is here.
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9. Share this NewsletterHelp us share TDSB French news and parent tips with parents and school councils by forwarding this newsletter. Sign up link is at the bottom of this email, here and on our TDSB webpage. It just takes a minute to get connected to get this once/term newsletter and occasional breaking news.
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