Elementary students in South Windsor who wish to remain in French Immersion programs when they finish the eighth grade will be able to do so if they go to Holy Names Catholic High School in September of 2020.
“We’re very pleased to announce that we’ll be launching a new French Immersion program here next year,” said Holy Names Principal Pat Hickson. “This will really fill a need in this community for students who want to become fluent in both of Canada’s official languages.”
The board is currently in the process of developing French Immersion courses that will be offered depending on enrolment numbers, while recruiting qualified teachers to deliver the program, said Emelda Byrne, Executive Superintendent of Education.
“We are committed to ensuring that we have only the best available French Immersion teachers to be in front of our students next September,” Byrne said. “French Immersion has so many benefits for students and we want to make sure this is the best possible experience for them.”
Offering the program now makes perfect sense given that the first cohort of French Immersion students from nearby Christ the King Catholic Elementary School will graduate from Grade 8 in 2021, said Terry Lyons, Director of Education.
“We’ll be more than ready to welcome those students and any others who want to continue their secondary education in a top quality French Immersion program,” he said.
Board Chair Fulvio Valentinis, the Trustee who represents Holy Names, said he was delighted by the news that the program would be offered.
“I’ve heard from so many parents who have said they wanted to see this program made available at Holy Names, so it was a huge priority for us,” he said. “I’m very excited by the fact that we will be able to fulfill the wishes of our students and their families.”
The school will host a Spirit Day on Dec. 4 for any students currently not enrolled in a WECDSB school, as well as an Open House night on Dec. 5 for Grade 8 students and their families to learn more about all of the great programs Holy Names has to offer. For more information on both events, call the school at 519-966-2504.