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1. French Elementary Summer SchoolThe TDSB is offering free French summer school for elementary students from July 4-27 at the following schools: Casandra PS, grade 1-6 French Immersion; Emily Carr PS, grade 4-8 Extended French; Milne Valley MS, grade 7-8 Extended French. Program information here.
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2. E-learning and Regular Secondary Summer School
E-Summer School offers free TDSB high school credits online. June 19th at 4:30 is the close of registration for the July session (July 3-30). Courses include grade 11 and grade 12 core French (University prep). Registration for the August session (July 31-Aug 28) ends July 11th at 4:30. Courses include grade 11 and 12 core French (University prep), Civics – Extended and French Immersion and Career Studies – Extended and French Immersion.
Regular summer school offers Grade 9 Core French (academic and applied) at Agincourt CI, CW Jefferys CI, Cedarbrae CI, L’Amoureaux CI and Woburn CI from July 3-July 27. Registration closes on June 27th.
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3. June 23-24 Franco-FêteHarbourfront Centre is hosting cultural performances, music, activities and fun in French for everyone on Saturday June 23rd and Sunday June 24th! La Franco-Fête de Toronto is the festival that gives Francophones, Francophiles and Anglophones a place to gather and celebrate the diversity of francophone culture. On Sunday, June 24th in the morning, it will be family time with JOJO, À la ferme de Jojo, le Père Garneau, one of the most popular storytellers in the Ontario Francophonie and Daniel Richer, a captivating Indigenous storyteller.
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4. Summer at the LibraryOnce again, Toronto Public Library is putting on FREE French programming for kids in branches across the city. From Coding with Scratch to African Travels to Le Voyage de Monsieur Philippe – loads of fun while learning French! Details here. The TD Summer Reading Club 2018 will be posted here soon: Parents’ Corner, Top Reads and Meet our Artist and Author in both Official Languages. Just hit the ‘Français’ button to find the French book suggestions. If you are travelling this summer, check it out in 2000 public libraries across Canada.
This national bilingual summer reading program for kids is developed by Toronto Public Library in partnership with Library and Archives Canada. Sponsorship is generously provided by TD Bank Group.
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5. Camps in FrenchAlliance Française offers summer French immersion day camps all summer in several locations including downtown Toronto, North York, Mississauga, Oakville and Markham. Information here. French Visual Art Day Camp! (July 9-13 or July 23-27) Let your kids exercise their imaginations and creativity in French this summer! Canadian Parents for French, Toronto Midtown West Chapter, is proud to offer 3 weeks of French Visual Arts Camp for children ages 6 to 12. Students learn about different artists and create an array of art with Camp Director- Michel Bouchard. Central location near Bathurst & College. Click here for registration details.
Camp Tournesol offers both day and overnight summer camps in French across Toronto and the GTA for ages 4-14. Learning in French in a fun environment with arts and crafts, sports and games. Information here.
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6. Free Summer Music
Harbourfront Centre is hosting FREE music events as part of Summer Music in the Garden. These are the events with French flavour:
July 12, 7:00 pm: Toronto debut of La Croisée d'Antan, a thrilling trio of young traditional Québécois musicians
July 29, 4:00 pm: Moskitto Bar: From Baghdad to Brittany. Toronto-based Moskitto Bar will take you on a musical journey from the Middle-East desert to the Celtic plains of France, via the Carpathian Mountains of the Balkans.
August 23, 7:00 pm: The Montreal duo InTabula performs intimate, intricate instrumental versions of late medieval love songs.
August 26, 4:00 pm: Chamber music and dance from the French Baroque, featuring Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière and soprano Emma Hannan.
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7. Find More Summer Fun in FrenchFinding places to go and events to attend over the summer has never been easier. FrenchStreet.ca is the go-to site for finding French summer camps, events, museums, programs and all kinds of opportunities for kids to use their French outside of the classroom. This internet database allows you to search by region, by age group and MORE. Click here for great opportunities in our city and beyond.
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8. Volunteer Opportunities for Teens in French Many Canadian Parents for French Chapters in Ontario organize French Summer Day Camps and welcome secondary student volunteers who want to complete their community hours using their French language skills. Click here for a list of CPF Camps.
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9. Learning with TechnologyKeep the kids learning over the summer holidays with educational apps tested and evaluated by EduLulu, the first public evaluation service for educational apps available in Canada, brought to you by Groupe Média TFO, our Ontario French language educational broadcaster. EduLulu is the Canadian reference for educational apps in French and English for ages 2 to 17. Click here to see their listings.
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10. Annual French Enrolment ReportThe Trustees received the 2018-19 Annual Enrolment in Immersion/Extended French Programs and 2017-18 Core French Programs report at the Program and School Services Committee (PSSC) meeting on June 6th. Three new grade 4 entry extended French program sites will be opening in September at Charles H Best, Maple Leaf and Ryerson Community. Thank you TDSB FSL, Planning and local staff for all the work to create these opportunities for students! SK French immersion, grade 4 and grade 7 entry extended French are all showing small increases in enrolment at entry points over 2017-18. Core French is showing a small increase in overall enrolment (grade 4-12) from 2016-17. Overall enrolment (SK-grade 12) in immersion and extended is showing an increase of about 800 students from 2016-17. The number of grade 1-5 immersion and extended students on a bus in 2017-18 dropped by 271 from the previous year. Full report here.
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11. French Review UpdateParents, members of the public, community advisory committees, trustees, students and staff participated in the French Review at consultation meetings and via e-survey through May and into June. As of June 12, survey responses have been received from more than 1800 parents, 1300 staff and 6500 students from grades 6-12. TDSB Research and FSL staff will be working on the report on the consultation findings over the summer. The report is also expected to include relevant data and academic research and will be given to trustees and made public in the fall. The review process was intended to be an environmental scan of core, extended and immersion French and as such, the report will not include recommendations.
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12. FSL Teacher UpdateDecision makers at school boards, at ministries of education, at faculties of education across Canada and at the department of Canadian Heritage are working to solve the challenges of the tight labour market for French Second Language(FSL) teachers. Action is being taken at all levels of government to improve the situation in support of the growing number of students learning French.
The federal government announced $31 million in funding to support initiatives in this area in their spring spending announcements. The Ontario Ministry of Education is now tracking data related to FSL teacher supply and it convened a stakeholders meeting, including representatives from Canadian Parents for French Ontario, in the early spring. The Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development approved and is funding a three-year Labour Market Partnership Project by the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA).
Trustee Laskin who represents the TDSB on OPSBA, shared the first report of Labour Market Partnership Project “Meeting Labour Market Needs for FSL Instruction in Ontario” at the June French as a Second Language Advisory Committee (FSLAC) meeting. One of the key elements in projects of this kind is to include all decision makers to both develop and implement recommendations. This project includes both public and Catholic principals, superintendents, directors, teacher federations as well as Deans of Education, the Ministry of Education, the Ontario College of Teachers and researchers.
Key recommendations from the OPSBA report include expanding proficiency assessment tools for secondary FSL students, supporting teacher French proficiency and professional learning, highlighting employment opportunities for FSL teachers in Ontario, developing recruitment strategies for FSL teacher education programs and improving recruitment practices of school boards.
At the May FSLAC meeting, TDSB FSL staff shared their experiences visiting universities in Quebec for recruiting. Quebec Bachelor of Education students are reported to have little awareness of the teaching opportunities in Toronto and the TDSB is now building these important relationships.
Read the OPSBA report here. Follow the great work of TDSB FSL students and staff on twitter @TDSB_fsl
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13. Save the DatesThe FSLAC will be meeting on September 13, October 9 and November 13, 2018. 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.
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14. Share this Newsletter!Help us share TDSB French news and parent tips with parents and school councils by forwarding this newsletter. Sign up link is at the end of this email, here and on the FSLAC webpage. It just takes a minute to get connected to the TDSB French Second Language community to get this once/term newsletter and occasional breaking news.
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