French Immersion FAQs

What are the goals of French Immersion? 

As per Manitoba Education and Early Childhood Learning, the goal of the French Immersion Program is to develop proud, confident, engaged, plurilingual global citizens.

It enables students to interact spontaneously, autonomously, and confidently in French with pride and ease. They seek opportunities to engage in the Francophone community. Their identity as Canadian citizens, competent in both French and English, creates lifelong opportunities and fosters openness to other languages and cultures.

Why should I choose French Immersion for my child? 

French Immersion provides your child the opportunity to:

• learn an additional language while achieving the same learning outcomes as those of the English program
• develop enhanced academic, personal, social and career skills
• develop creative, analytical and critical thinking skills
• navigate between cultures and languages
• learn more about the world and become a global citizen

If kindergarten is “100% French” do the children have to speak French all the time? 
After an initial transition period, the teacher speaks French most of the time and the students speak English. Once they learn the sounds and some words and phrases, most children start imitating their teacher and speak simple French. We don’t expect that they will start speaking French without going through the development stages similar to those of learning their home language.

Will my child succeed in French Immersion? 
All children learn at different rates and in their own individual way. Most children will learn as well in French Immersion as they would in the English program.

How will my child get to school? 
If French Immersion is not offered in your neighbourhood school, free busing is provided for children from kindergarten to grade 6 who live more than 1.6 km away from their designated school. Pembina Trails is responsible for providing this service.