The South East Cornerstone Public School Division is trying to gage whether there is enough interest to implement French Immersion programs at two of its schools.
According to a letter posted on its Facebook page earlier this week, the program in Estevan would be hosted at Pleasantdale School and possibly commence in September 2020. In Weyburn the program would be hosted at Assiniboia Park Elementary School and commence in September 2021.
“We have received informal requests as to whether delivering a program would be a consideration,” Cornerstone stated in the letter. “The board of education commits to explore this option and determine its viability.
“SECPSD is contemplating offering a Kindergarten to Grade 8 elementary French Immersion program in Estevan as the 9-12 is presently offered at ECS and a Kindergarten to Grade 12 program in Weyburn.”
The first step is to determine if there is sufficient interest in a public French Immersion program to both initiate and sustain the program. We anticipate that if there is sufficient interest, we would begin with a K -2 classroom and grow by a grade level each subsequent year. Students generally enter the program in either Kindergarten or Grade 1.
French Immersion in Estevan is currently offered at Sacred Heart School/Ecole Sacre Coeur, which is part of the Holy Family Roman Catholic Separate School Division.
Parents do not need to speak French in order to enroll their children in French Immersion.
The survey is intended for all public school families with students transitioning into Kindergarten to Grade 2 in the Estevan and Weyburn attendance areas. The intent of the survey is to determine the level of interest for a French Immersion program to identify the number of students who would attend.
Should the programs be initiated, SECPSD is obligated to provide transportation.
The deadline to fill out the survey is May 4. The survey can be found on Cornerstone’s Facebook page.
The next edition of the Mercury will have more on this story.
