A group of parents at South Park Family Elementary School in downtown Victoria are furious in response to School District 61B次元官网网址檚 decision this week to remove late entry French immersion from Central Middle School.
The district confirmed the decision with the public on Friday after sharing the decision with schools and teachers on Thursday.
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Central Middle School has long been a dual track school for English and French immersion students and was one of three schools to offer late entry French immersion to Grade 6 students. ItB次元官网网址檚 also been B次元官网网址渂ursting at the seams for years,B次元官网网址� said SD61 spokesperson Lisa McPhail, explaining the change.
B次元官网网址淐entral has reached its buildingB次元官网网址檚 capacity for student enrolment and will do so again next year with the incoming catchment Grade 6 students,B次元官网网址� said a district letter shared by McPhail on Friday. B次元官网网址淎s a result, the availability of a late French immersion at Central would restrict access for next yearB次元官网网址檚 catchment students.B次元官网网址�
McPhail added that Central has enough English track students in its catchment that it canB次元官网网址檛 take on another class of late French immersion. The students who are currently in CentralB次元官网网址檚 late French immersion program will see the program through at Central.
Instead, late French immersion for Grade 6 students will continue to be offered at Arbutus and Lansdowne middle schools in 2019-2o while the Central offering will be relocated to Shoreline Middle School in View Royal. The districtB次元官网网址檚 annual parent information meeting for late French immersion is on Monday, Jan. 14, 6:30 p.m. at Richmond Elementary.
For some parents, the move from Central to Shoreline kills a plan thatB次元官网网址檚 been in the works for years. Jeremy Caradonna, a parent with children in Grades 2 and 4 at South Park, said many of the parents whose children attend South Park, and who do actually live in the Central catchment, have long planned to enrol their kids in the late French immersion.
B次元官网网址淎 lot of our families have planned our future several years in advance, based on where we live, you canB次元官网网址檛 change this at the last minute, this is totally unfair to us,B次元官网网址� Caradonna said. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 super upset about it, my assumption is this isnB次元官网网址檛 a done deal, and IB次元官网网址檒l be voicing my concerns.B次元官网网址�
The Caradonna family originally chose South Park B次元官网网址� an English only school of choice with a district-wide catchment B次元官网网址� for its nature kindergarten (which is no longer offered) rather than attending their catchment school, George Jay Elementary B次元官网网址� with the long term understanding their daughters would start French in Grade 6 at Central.
In the meantime, Central will continue to offer dual track, as those currently enrolled in French immersion at their catchment school of Sir James Douglas will have the ability to transfer to Central Middle School. The same will go for George Jay Elementary, which is in its fourth year of French immersion (meaning its first cohort of French immersion students are two-and-a-half years away from attending Central) and is part of the Central and Vic High family of schools.
Jenn Turnbull-Aherne is also a parent of South Park students. Her oldest daughter went through South Park and is in Grade 7 at Central, her second year of late French immersion at Central. Turnbull-Aherne also has a daughter in Grade 2 at South Park and a son set to begin at South Park in 2020.
B次元官网网址淭his certainly changes things for my family,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚 wanted the youngest two in the same school, but if late French isnB次元官网网址檛 an option, should I just put my youngest into French immersion at his catchment school, or have him in the same school as his sister [at South Park] for the only two years theyB次元官网网址檇 be together, which we also wanted. ItB次元官网网址檚 a lot to ponder.B次元官网网址�
Even for catchment parents, getting into CentralB次元官网网址檚 late French program had no guarantees at its a program of choice, meaning it is open to students district-wide.
SD61 has the highest provincial participation rate in French immersion, it said.
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