The Grandview area will soon host an early French Immersion program at another elementary school, following the Surrey Board of Education's approval of an additional site at the Dec. 8 public board meeting.
In a follow-up from last month's board meeting, the board unanimously voted in favour of implementing an early French Immersion program at Pacific Heights Elementary that would start in September 2022. A final location for the program will be determined prior to the anticipated opening of Ta'talu Elementary in September 2024, with the program then residing at either Pacific Heights or Ta'talu.
"This is pretty exciting for this board and certainly for those in the French Immersion community," said Surrey Board of Education trustee Gary Tymoschuk, highlighting the availability of new seats to accommodate the program's expansion. "The demand is certainly there but also the capacity side, which is where we've struggled over the last few years."
"There's a ton of growth coming, which is why I appreciate we're able to get ahead of this and not wait to see where it has to land," echoed trustee Bob Holmes. "To get it open now, we know we have the space and will have the space in the future."
In an online survey, more than 100 parents expressed interest in enrolling their child in early French Immersion, with considerable response from families in the Morgan, Pacific Heights and Sunnyside elementary catchment areas.
The program will start with a maximum of four divisions across kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 2, with a view to grow by one new division each year. Interested families will need to apply through the district lottery for programs of choice, which opens Jan. 24.
Once the lottery is complete, families will be contacted with the offer of a space and the school will determine the configuration of the new program. Class organization may include combined classroom configurations.
As with all programs of choice, priority is not given to the hosting school community. It should also be noted that transportation is not provided to the program at any grade. Board policy on French Immersion can be found in Policy #8450 and Regulation #8450.1.
Students in the new French Immersion program would continue in Grade 8 to Earl Marriott Secondary.
By Jacob Zinn
