Early in 2010, the District Education Council for School District 8 will be hosting a series of Education Town Halls.
The purpose is to gather feedback from the various stakeholder groups regarding past successes, areas requiring some attention and direction for District 8 to consider moving forward. This would include hearing from PSSCs, the business community, advocacy groups, elected officials, parents and interested community members.
The first scheduled meeting will be held at the River Valley Middle School on January 14th at 7:00 p.m. in the Theatre.
School District 8 officials will send home busing arrangements prior to the start of the 2009-10 school year for the following grade levels: Kindergarten, three, six and nine. The remainder of the students will have the same busing arrangements as the previous year unless otherwise notified through a letter from School District 8..
City Transit student bus passes will be available at their school commencing the first day of classes, September 8. Such passes are not available at the District Office. Students must sign for a City Transit bus pass and assume responsibility for it.
Students should be at their bus stop five minutes before the scheduled time. It is normal for bus schedules and bus stops to be adjusted during the first few days of operation. Your patience in this regard is requested and very much appreciated.
Best wishes to all our students and staff for a happy, safe and productive school year.
Susan Tipper,
Superintendent
FRENCH SECOND LANGUAGE PROGRAMMING CONSISTS OF THE FOLLOWING ELEMENTS, WHICH WILL BE IMPLENTED OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS:
Effective September 2008, there will be:
All children will learn together in English and will be introduced to French culture and language through a series of learning modules integrated into the curriculum (introduced in Grade 1 in January 2009; to kindergarten and Grade 2 in the fall of 2009).
- Intensive French (Grade 5):
Intensive French is a second language model in which French is taught intensively in grade five for at least 70% of the day over a five-month period for about 270 hours. The Intensive French semester is preceded or followed by about 45 hours of French instruction, preferably offered in blocks of time through the week. The two semesters result in approximately 315 hours of second language instruction during the grade 5 Intensive French year.
During the five-month Intensive French semester some subjects are not taught to allow for 270 hours of Intensive French. Mathematics is taught in English throughout grade 5 and generally so is music and physical education. During the semester before or after the Intensive French term, all subjects are taught according to the recommended time allocations.
Effective September 2010, there will be:
- A choice of grade 3 immersion or English prime (where numbers warrant), as follows:
- Grade 3 immersion Option:
An optional French Immersion will be available. The program is built on an early immersion methodology with the majority of instruction in French.
- English Prime Option:
- Non-immersion programs for students in grades 3 through 5.
- Pre-Intensive French: A component of Grade 4 in the English Prime program in which students will have 150 minutes per week of French in blocks of 50 to 60 minutes.
- Intensive French: A component of Grade 5 in the English Prime program in which students will learn French through a literacy-based approach for about 70 per cent of their day over half the school year; the other half of the year will be conducted in English, with an accelerated curriculum and French instruction in concentrated blocks.
- After completing grade 5, there will be a choice between the continued English Prime program with Post-Intensive French, or grade 6 immersion (where numbers warrant), as follows:
- Grade 6 Immersion Option:
A program beginning in Grade 6 and built on the late immersion methodology with the majority of instruction in French.
- English Prime with Post-Intensive French Option :
The non-immersion program for students in grades 6 through 10 in which students take 200 minutes of French in two or three concentrated blocks each week in grades 6 through 8, and students will take one course per year in grades 9 and 10.
The three programs (Grade 3 immersion, Grade 6 immersion and English Prime) will conclude at the end of Grade 10 with an oral proficiency test in French; students who score intermediate or higher will be eligible to take French Second Language (FSL) courses in grades 11 and 12, depending on availability. Students who do not attain intermediate proficiency at Grade 10 will have course options to improve their French and can be retested.
Intensive
French Program
School
District 8 is proud to announce that 7 schools now have
Partners Assisting Local Schools ( P.A.L.S.) .
Through
this program, companies in the Saint John area are paired
with schools and provide support in the way of volunteers
or financial assistance. For more information on this program,
please see the brochure
Schools participating in this program in 2007-2008 are Centennial
School, Hazen White-St. Francis, St. Patrick’s School,
Glen Falls, Lorne Middle, Prince Charles and St. John the
Baptist- King Edward
