The students and staff at Sacred Heart School/École Sacré Coeur spent last week celebrating French culture as part of French as a Second Language Week.
Janique Wilson, who is one of the French immersion teachers at the school, said they had a number of activities that brought together the school’s French immersion students as well as those from the English grades who take core French.
Starting last Monday, the kids created a bulletin board on why they like to learn French, and Wilson was pleased with the responses. Online Zoom video presentations were held with Canadian Parents for French.
Then on Thursday, they held a festival for their peers. Students enjoyed folk dancing in the gymnasium that was led by retired teacher Margo Peloquin. Students also enjoyed French literature in the school’s library with school librarian Michelle Skjonsby, while Nicole Dupuis, who is a retired French immersion teacher, taught the kids how to play the spoons, which are a traditional French musical instrument.
Other activities were held to create more awareness of French cultgure.
The students in the English classrooms do take core French, Wilson said, and they wanted to give everyone a taste of French culture.
Wilson noted the Grade 7 and 8 students French immersion students are going to the Festival du Voyageur in Winnipeg on Feb. 17.
“To tie everything together, we decided to have our own little version of that in the school,” said Wilson.
Students also participated in snowshoeing, since that was a traditional form of transportation for the voyageurs.
“Our kids get to experience some modern snowshoes, as well as the traditional ones, which do look like a racket,” said Wilson. “It’s a little different to move than in the modern ones.”
The school wrapped up the week with a Beard Day, when the children donned fake beards. Wilson noted there is a big beard competition at the festival in Winnipeg.
