School District 33 and early French Immersion

Because we want our little girl to have French immersion in school (she's two now, but in three years) my wife asked me why the Times didn't ask school district 33 candidates about early French immersion. So, I took advantage of the fact that I had all of their email addresses and sent them a message, not as a reporter but as a parent.
I asked all 24 Chilliwack school board candidates this question: "Do you support French immersion starting at Kindergarten and what will you do to make this happen in the Chilliwack school district?"
I received 19 responses, all of which are posted (alphabetically) here. Some responses are quite long, some quite well-thought out, and some . . . not so much:

BASS, Jack Alexander
"Both my children were in french immersion from the first opportunity ( kindergarden ) at public schools.
Jennifer continued in the immersion program until grade 10 - now in RCAF where French will be an asset in her career.
Stephanie went on to complete high school in the immersion program. I don't know if she can use what are still high skill levels as a speech therapist ( student ).
I support the program - as early on as possible.- and you can quote me to whomever ."

BRANDRETH, Kirsten
"Thanks for your email & what a great question. I would support French immersion starting at the Kindergarten level if it was economically viable. What I mean by that is that if there is enough interest and a Kindergarten teacher with the qualifications then yes of course what a great idea. The ideal situation would be to have Schools within our District with adequate class size & teachers to educate French immersion for students throughout K-12.
What I would be concerned with is if we did not have a cohesive plan for our French immersion students with respect to which Schools would host this program and at what grades. I am in favour of offering Schools of choice and specialized programs to better engage our students whether it's for sports (ie. Hockey academy), fine arts &/or french immersion."

BROWN, Tammy
[DID NOT ANSWER]

CONWAY, Karen
"Thanks for you email, because the literacy rate in grade 1-3 is so poor, perhaps French should not be introduced in the early stage of school, However; that is not in stone. Currently, not at all, and that is asham if it is needed. and the demand is there for the families who want French, then the Board should look at the issue. I always say we need to ask the community, parents and teachers, what is the demand? Have you addressed this issue in the past with the current board?
I am disappointed that the current board has not addressed the issue with the students from 10-12 the only French they receive is to go to Sardis Senior. From all my door knocking and talking with families this issue was high, about 15%. The families whom live on the Chilliwack side, many others too, are fumed over the fact that the new Chilliwack High School will not have French, and then they have to pay for busing to get there students, too school.
You are not alone as a parent speaking, You have a very valid point. Both my kids opted not to take French, one is in Spanish and loves the opportunity to get a second language. That's the best I can do in answering your question. "

COULTER, Dan
"I'm in total support of French immersion. I'm currently learning French myself and I see the language and culture as an integral part of Canada. I'll be totally honest here and tell you that I don't know exactly how I can support French immersion other than to say that I will support it. Maybe we can encourage a presentation by stakeholders to the board so that they can tell us what they would like to see in French immersion."

DAVIS, Don
"I was asked a similar question last week. I believe that the School District should consider pursuing more specialty programs to provide our students with more education choices.
Certainly, early french immersion would be on my list. It seems to me that since we already have a late entry french immersion program, the next logical step would be an early entry program.
I know that the wheels of change move slowly and a major decision like this requires much study and review. However, my approach as a trustee will be to challenge the staus quo and if there is enough support for early french immersion, I say "Why Not?""

DYCK, Silvia
"Indeed I support French Immersion and would love to see early French Immersion in our District. We have had more inquires than ever but are short of the numbers it takes to make a class for early French Immersion. Staff has it on its list of work to do to determine the actual numbers to confirm viability. There are issues of class continuity as well so it is not simple but support is there. The strike has moved much work to next year so this will not be quick, but given your daughter's age, there
is hope!"

HAGERMAN, Joey
"Coming from Ontario where we started learning French in Pre-School I can understand your wife’s nervousness when it comes to French being taught in the local school system. To be honest I would like to see more French being used in the early grades which would help students become more familiar with the language. French immersion currently starts in grade six; here is a link for you http://www.sd33.bc.ca/programs/french-immersion/programs, please excuse me if you have already been to the districts web page. Here is another link for you http://verendrye.csf.bc.ca/ it is a school on Lickman road, it was established there in 1996 when CFB Chilliwack closed. As an aside, if I become a trustee there are a few French Immersion teachers that I know in the Abbotsford school district which I will definitely try to recruit to Chilliwack. I hope this helps with some of your questions."

JARVIS, Karen
"Thank you for asking that question. I have my opinion of Early French Immersion posted on my Website. I attended a meeting about French Immersion at the end of September. If you don't mind me driecting you to www.karenjarvis.net. I have shared my thoughts under Hot Topics. I do believe there are many other folks interested in the same thing and that is why I considered it a hot topic. Have a great day and thanks again for the question. I hope that my postion is clear to you based on what I am aware of."

KRAHN, Walt
"Yes, absolutely! I believe that a trustee is responsible to listen to the community and provide programs which fit the needs of the community. We all understand that the very best time to learn a new language is as early as possible in a child's life. I would fully support an early French Immersion Program. I would propose that we conduct an interest survey and determine possible site locations in early 2012 so that the program could be in place in Sept. 2012.
I served as a School Principal of a School of Choice in Langley, prior to transferring to Chilliwack and fully support your interest!"

LAWRASON, Brett
"Both of my daughters attended French immersion school starting in kindergarden. I was part of a parent group that suppported the idea in Campbell River and brought it before the Campbell River School Board. We were successful and they opened the French Immersion school, Ecole de Monde. Prior to this there was some clases of late immersion in a Junior High School and early immersion in an elementary school.
I have mixed feelings about their time in the French Immersion Program. My oldest daughter was in the initial group of students in the school starting in kindergarden and my youngest joined her four years later. She struggled and was asked to leave in Grade 6 due to poor performance and according to her teachers was not "a proper candidate to be in such an elite program". When she was in the regular school we found that she was so far behind her new classmates that it took a tremendous amount of time and patience on the part of her teachers and us to get her caught up. However, my youngest excelled and loved every minute of her time there.
When I was made a Vice-principal in another District, we moved and there was not a French Immersion school avaiable for our youngest to attend,and again it took a lot of time and energy by her teacher and our familiy to get her caught up in her English literacy skills and subject matter.Mind you she was light years ahead of all the students in her school in French. I also realize that if we had not moved or she could have attended another FI school she would have done quite well and none of this would have been a problem.
On the surface the the school was and is still a great success and was so because of the tremendous commitment of the parents of the french immersion students. However there were problems. Parents had to drive their students to the one central school as there was no bussing avaiable if the French Immersion School was not in your catchment area. It was difficult to attain and retain qualified teachers able to offer the academic subjects needed at the secondary level. There were many other issues faced in the district such as the majority of students in the program were the best students in the district, this adversely effected the other schools who lost their top students and their extremely supportive parents. There were many other issues and growing pains and mistakes made. It would be easier to talk to you about them as I am the worlds slowest typer.
I would love to talk to you about my experiences with French Immersiom, good and bad. I also believe that if there is a core of committed parents and students who want the Early French Immersion Program in our District I would have to support them. Having the ability to speak French in Canada opens so many doors and makes us better Canadians. I just wished that I had had the opportunity to attend one when I was a kid and would just love to be bilingual.
Again if there is the need for such a program and significant numbers of students and their parents requesting such a program I would like to see it happen."

MAAHS, Heather
"There was a meeting a while back of parents of immersion students because the district was looking at moving the Sardis Elementary students to Vedder Middle in grade 6 rather than grade 7. However, what happened was interesting because a large number of parents came not because they had children in those schools but because they wanted early immersion. They (being senior admin) discussed the early immersion idea briefly but kind of dismissed it saying it was too hard to find teachers, as demonstrated the last time they looked into it. A lot of preamble, gosh I hate that, but here's my point; if there are enough parents that want this they the board should make a real concerted effort to make it happen. It's a different demographic (teacher wise) now because of dropping enrollment in all other districts but ours and Surrey and for that matter right across Canada enrollment is dropping! I have a feeling that there would be teachers ready willing and able to work if we looked. In fact, there was one at the meeting who didn't have work! So, my very long answer to your question is Yes! Supply and demand, and it would appear we have both. :0)"

MCKAY, Doug
"Not an easy question. In Lethbridge I was on the Board that implemented early FI. In Red Deer it was already in place when I got there as a teacher.
In order for a K - 12 FI to function in a system our size we need at least 60 students to register for K in year one and 60 every year after.
So where do we put them? In which school? Do we dual track? As the program grows what do we do with the English students? Move them to another school? Once we have have K to 6 FI (7x60 =420 students do we put them in one school or two? And then where don they go for middle school.? Transportation? What do the parents of the displaced students think? And on and on the questions go.
Paul I can go on and on because I have been part of starting a FI program and also taught in one.
In Red Deer I taught in the FI dual track middle school. There were about 600 students in FI in the two elementary schools. In our school there were 300 FI and 400 English. The program lost about 50% of it's students at middle school. At the high school, where my wife worked, only 30 - 50 students were left by grade 12.
I could go on and on about the complexities of implementing a early FI program without even touching on finding and keeping teachers.
On a purely academic and theoretical level I support Early French Immersion. On a practical level there is much work to be done for any district to implement and maintain a functional program. As usual, the solution is not as simple as one might hope."

MITCHELL, Les
"Ihave been a belever that we need to start early to teach our children a new langage it is away more easyer for them to learn, than when they have so much more that they are trying to comprehend"

NEUFELD, Barry
"I am cautiously supportive of French immersion on ideological grounds. First of all, it is a valid choice in Education, and I believe parents need choice if they are to continue to support Public Education. Secondly, I think it is intuitive that the earlier a child learns a language, the more thoroughly they will master it and become fluent to the point that it opens up doors of opportunity in their adult life.
However, that being said, I am concerned that there may be a half hearted attempt to include French Immersion as an option in Chilliwack. It is cost intensive, so in order to save money, there have been awkward attempts to relocate French Immersion programs, such as sending Grade six Students to Vedder Middle School, where they are outnumbered by older students. From a very practical standpoint, I wonder if it is cost effective, especially when one looks at the graduation rates of French Immersion Students. There needs to be better tracking. As they approach Grade 12, there are fewer academic options available to French Immersion students. There are simply not enough French Immersion students to justify French language Grade 12 level courses in Math, and the Sciences. For some students, their social circle is being increasingly restricted as their classmates drop out of the French Immersion Program. Once they drop out, the transition to the core (English) program is difficult for former French Immersion students and some have difficulty in social areas: making new friends and possibly adjusting to a new school. I do not want to see French Immersion as a program that runs into a dead end before the students graduate.
Part of the problem of lack of funds for French Immersion is caused by the trend of the Federal Government to discontinue fund transfers for Public Education. In years gone by, the Federal Canadian Government was more generous in cost sharing of French Immersion Programs in public schools. However, today they have their priorities set on warmongering (oops! Peacemaking!) and propping up countries run by corrupt politicians and fanatical fundamentalists. Rather than give more stimulus and opportunities for our Canadian youth, the Federal Government is waging a very expensive war on crime, by spending Billions of Dollars on expanding an increasingly punitive prison system, and downloading the costs of policing and prosecution to the provinces.
If I am elected, I will work to:
1. Monitor the progress of French Immersion students from Kindergarten to Grade 12.
2. Lobby the Federal Government through our local Member of Parliament to cut back on their obsession with hunting down and destroying terrorists and criminals and start investing in our own children."

PIPER, Louise
"Thank you for your question . . . I responded to a similar question on my facebook page, Louise Piper Education That Fits. I encourage you to check it out. Yes, I support early French Immersion."

REDEKOP, Nicki
"As a candidate for School Trustee, with a French background myself, I will answer this question to the best of my ability. I don't know the policies in place at this time to implement French Immersion into Kindergarten, but I support French Immersion as I believe biligualism is important for the best of our country. Just as if you chose to send your children to private school, I think that specialized schools need to be made available to families. I have a personal experience that I would like to share. I have a friend of the family whose children went to French Immersion, and now struggle with English. I believe there needs to be a balance to help prevent
children from struggling, but that is my personal answer. If you choose to have your children speak fluent French and only French, that is your choice, which is part of our freedom in this country.
When I am elected, I will speak to the board about working towards a K-12 French Immersion, as I have already stated, specialized schooling is important to give families choices."

RUSSELL, David J.
[DID NOT ANSWER]

SCHMIDT, Harold
"Yes, and please read on. Several weeks ago I attended the district information/inquiry session at Vedder Middle School regarding
the move of the grade 6 French immersion from Sardis Elementary to Vedder Middle. There quite a number of parents in attendance, along with several (old) board members and senior administration including Ruth Wiebe and Michael Audet. If I read the mood of the meeting correctly, most parents were opposed to moving the grade 6 French Immersion to Vedder. I disagree with the district's motive for the move based solely on accomodating student numbers. Some parents indicated that there was room (3 classrooms) at
Unsworth Elementary, others wondered why such a move would be good for grade 6 French Immersion students but not the rest of the grade 6 student population, others were worried about transportation and walking safety, others were worried about the younger students being thrust in with older middle school students (ie gr. 9), and still others wondered if the grade 6 students (who were the 'senior' students at the elementary school) would miss out on some experiences. Of course on the other hand, attending at a middle school would offer a wider variety of courses and perhaps teachers.
Having said all that ...... a second question arose, and that was the question you have asked - a French immersion program beginning at kindergarten. The senior administrators at that meeting indicated that such a program would depend upon potential student numbers and parent support. I'm not certain if a minimum number of 30 students or perhaps a minimum of two classes was required for the district to entertain such a move. At the meeting, a parent interest group for kindergarten French immersion was formed. Unfortunately I do not have a contact, however, Ruth Wiebe at the district office [604-792-1321] would have that information. When it becomes viable, then the board should move ahead with the program. Ultimately a kindergarten class (whether in English or French) must be accomodated, and as those students move through the system they are still part of the district's responsiblity for educating those students. If the classroom size and composition is consistant with the other class sizes and composition, it should not be a major problem. Once the early French immersion program is started, I would be in favor of keeping the program at one site. I don't think there would be enough to have a French immersion program at every elementary school.
On a personal note, we have a grandson living in Alymer, Quebec. He and his parents plan to move back to Chilliwack (?) in the near future. He has picked up both the English and French language quite readily. I strongly think that if a French immersin kindergarten program was available, our grandson would be one of those students. [but being grandparents, we have to leave that decision to the parents].
Having taught in Chilliwack SD #33 since 1976, I have had the pleasure of working alongside two good colleagues, Janet Crawford and Dorthea Rath, who have been the late French immersion teachers at Chilliwack Middle."

STOLLINGS, Audrey
[DID NOT ANSWER]

TOMPKE, Vern
[DID NOT ANSWER]

WAHLSTROM, Darlene
[DID NOT ANSWER]

WHITLEY, Neil Robert
"I would support French Immersion starting from grade 4. In order for this to happen it has to be part of the sd33 stategic plan."

WIENS, Martha
"Thank you for your letter and question regarding French emersion program in SD33.
First of all I will tell you tht I hawe grand daughter in French emersion at Chillwack Middle. Also a (great) grand son in Strathcona French emersion program. We are interested in what is presented in our District. This is a often talked about subject among parents in Chilliwack. I do not have all the answers, I will share with you what seems to be the main topic on this issue. I believe there is a genuine interest to expand this program. Concerns are, will we have enough children to form a class. Will we get the qualified French teachers to teach the classes. While many questions remain to be answered, I truly believe if there is enough interest and enough students, the French program would be offered. There are more parents that are very interested, if you could meet them , you would play leading role in supporting them. This is not a complete answer, but at this time it is the only information I have. Time will give us more information, I like you will wait for that and support the desire of having full French education in place."