School trustees for the Grand Erie District School Board have passed a tentative motion on Nov 9/15 that will eliminate JK and SK from a very successful and growing French Immersion (FI) program in Brantford/Brant county.
Paradoxically, the cut is part of "growth accommodation" proposal.
Should the decision be finalized, there will be many issues to surface: Enrolment will undoubtedly decline causing a boomerang, as parents will be resistant to uprooting their child after two years at their home school... The future of the FI kindergarten teachers has not been discussed... Hard earned tax dollars invested in 6 kindergarten classes being built as part of the current redevelopment project at Coronation school will be wasted... We have just celebrated the success of implementing full day kindergarten, to now be faced with the possibility of it being eliminated altogether... Families with more than one child will see their older children separated from their kindergarten-aged siblings... Logistics will be complex and stressful for parents, with juggling pickup/drop off times and getting to children at multiple locations during inclement weather & emergency situations... And a large body of research supports second language immersion to be introduced as early as possible... Yet, the solution being tabled is moving toward the contrary.
Collectively, these issues will deeply impact every child's second language acquisition and every family's overall school experience.
The GEDSB will be making its final decision for the recommendation on November 23, 2015 - Please help in voicing our opinion that the FI program in Brantford/Brant county is growing exponentially for good reason. It is our intention to send a message to our elected body of trustees regarding how important the proliferation of FI is to our community, as well as for the future generations of our bilingual country.
Don't cut the heart out of a thriving program, vote to save JK/SK French immersion for Brantford/Brant county. Put our children first.
Details: http://www.granderie.ca/programsandservices/French...
Send comments to the board: [email protected]
Updates
November 14, 2015
The momentum behind this petition highlights the widespread concern regarding the future of our French Immersion program. This level of engagement reinforces the necessity of our request and encourages me to continue pressing the board for a more thoughtful resolution.
Reached 100 supporters
November 14, 2015
62 Comments
Please keep our JK and SK FI open. Our daughter who is in JK has learned so much already. We don't know what we will do for her younger brother but uprooting him after 2 years elsewhere would be difficult. Would like to be an active part of just one school family, as well!
We live in a bilingual country and our children/grandchildren should not be excluded from the opportunity to learn French. Growing up in England we did not have the same opportunity due to shortsighted educators I plead with the trustees in Brantford to not make the same mistake.
My daughter is in grade 1 at Fairview. JK and SK taught her the fundamentals of french which paved the way for her to learn more advanced things this year in grade 1. If she was starting from scratch this year she wouldn't be learning even close to the level she is now. Scrapping JK and SK French Immersion shouldn't even be a consideration.
As an FI kindergarten teacher, I've personally seen the benefits of early french immersion, especially in the full day kindergarten environment. Please don't jeapordize the success of the french immersion program by delaying entry until grade 1.
I have two children in Dufferin and the third was to begin kindergarten in 2016. I know how important the early exposure to second language is for continued success in the elementary grades and am dismayed that my youngest won't have the same opportunity.
Obvious lack of insight with regards to growing this program. Disappointing!
It is important that the children not be uprooted from school. I know from experience after having to change schools over 30 times in 14 years of school. Let these children learn and thrive without the stress of having to change schools.
Sign Petition
We never post to your account. Social sign-in is used only to verify your signature.
Add a comment?
Your signature will be added via . Tell others why you're signing — it's optional.
By signing, you accept iPetitions Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Share Petition
Don't stop at signing, share the petition link with friends to multiply our impact
Copy link or share directly
School trustees for the Grand Erie District School Board have passed a tentative motion on Nov 9/15 that will eliminate JK and SK from a very successful and growing French Immersion (FI) program in Brantford/Brant county.
Paradoxically, the cut is part of "growth accommodation" proposal.
Should the decision be finalized, there will be many issues to surface: Enrolment will undoubtedly decline causing a boomerang, as parents will be resistant to uprooting their child after two years at their home school... The future of the FI kindergarten teachers has not been discussed... Hard earned tax dollars invested in 6 kindergarten classes being built as part of the current redevelopment project at Coronation school will be wasted... We have just celebrated the success of implementing full day kindergarten, to now be faced with the possibility of it being eliminated altogether... Families with more than one child will see their older children separated from their kindergarten-aged siblings... Logistics will be complex and stressful for parents, with juggling pickup/drop off times and getting to children at multiple locations during inclement weather & emergency situations... And a large body of research supports second language immersion to be introduced as early as possible... Yet, the solution being tabled is moving toward the contrary.
Collectively, these issues will deeply impact every child's second language acquisition and every family's overall school experience.
The GEDSB will be making its final decision for the recommendation on November 23, 2015 - Please help in voicing our opinion that the FI program in Brantford/Brant county is growing exponentially for good reason. It is our intention to send a message to our elected body of trustees regarding how important the proliferation of FI is to our community, as well as for the future generations of our bilingual country.
Don't cut the heart out of a thriving program, vote to save JK/SK French immersion for Brantford/Brant county. Put our children first.
Details: http://www.granderie.ca/programsandservices/French...
Send comments to the board: [email protected]
Updates
November 14, 2015
The momentum behind this petition highlights the widespread concern regarding the future of our French Immersion program. This level of engagement reinforces the necessity of our request and encourages me to continue pressing the board for a more thoughtful resolution.
Reached 100 supporters
November 14, 2015
62 Comments
I work in a french immersion school, most of my time is spent in kindergarten. Kids with English parents who didn't know what "oui" and "non" were on day 1 in September are speaking full French sentences now, mid November. Early immersion in any new language is important if you want success. Gardez le français dans votre école!
Please keep our JK and SK FI open. Our daughter who is in JK has learned so much already. We don't know what we will do for her younger brother but uprooting him after 2 years elsewhere would be difficult. Would like to be an active part of just one school family, as well!
We live in a bilingual country and our children/grandchildren should not be excluded from the opportunity to learn French. Growing up in England we did not have the same opportunity due to shortsighted educators I plead with the trustees in Brantford to not make the same mistake.
My daughter is in grade 1 at Fairview. JK and SK taught her the fundamentals of french which paved the way for her to learn more advanced things this year in grade 1. If she was starting from scratch this year she wouldn't be learning even close to the level she is now. Scrapping JK and SK French Immersion shouldn't even be a consideration.
As an FI kindergarten teacher, I've personally seen the benefits of early french immersion, especially in the full day kindergarten environment. Please don't jeapordize the success of the french immersion program by delaying entry until grade 1.
I have two children in Dufferin and the third was to begin kindergarten in 2016. I know how important the early exposure to second language is for continued success in the elementary grades and am dismayed that my youngest won't have the same opportunity.
Obvious lack of insight with regards to growing this program. Disappointing!
It is important that the children not be uprooted from school. I know from experience after having to change schools over 30 times in 14 years of school. Let these children learn and thrive without the stress of having to change schools.
Help this petition grow
Share it with friends to help reach 250 signatures.
Sign Petition
We never post to your account. Social sign-in is used only to verify your signature.
Add a comment?
Your signature will be added via .
Tell others why you're signing — it's optional.
Signing with Google or Facebook verifies your signature instantly — no email needed.
By signing, you accept iPetitions Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Share Petition
Don't stop at signing, share the petition link with friends to multiply our impact
Petitions like this
Other petitions you might want to support
Scan to share
Anyone who scans this can sign the petition.
I work in a french immersion school, most of my time is spent in kindergarten. Kids with English parents who didn't know what "oui" and "non" were on day 1 in September are speaking full French sentences now, mid November. Early immersion in any new language is important if you want success. Gardez le français dans votre école!