YES to Expanding French Immersion to Ancaster

Shirley Glauser, Ancaster school trustee, made a motion which was unanimously supported by all trustees. The approval was ratified on Apr 28, 2008.

APFI Would Like to Thank....

• Superintendent Krys Croxall, for your leadership and vision, which made this possible;
• Gisele Portelance, FI consultant to the board, for you constant advice and guidance;
• Shirley Glauser, Ancaster School Trustee, for being there with us since the inception of this organization and providing support all the way;
• Michele Myles, parent colleague, for your significant effort in the presentation and parent organization
• Mike Pearson and Richard Leitner, Ancaster News, for promptly communicating FI related info and events to the community;
• Kyra Patterson, Waterdown Parents for French Immersion and Sarah McVanel, Dundas parents for FI, for being our inspiration and showing us the way;
• Roz Minaji, Canadian Parents for French, for your support and advice;
• Last but not the least, Ancaster parents, who showed up at the meetings to lend their support and many others who joined our petition.

General Information About Fessenden

Fessenden Elementary JK-6, 168 Huron Avenue Ancaster ON, L9G 1V7 (locate it with maps.google.ca)
Phone:(905)648-4115; Fax:(905)648-4280
Principal: Dave Maddocks; Trustee: Shirley Glauser; Superintendent: Scott Sincerbox

General Info

Fessenden Website

YMCA daycare at Fessenden

FI Registration

The registration has started since Jan 29. It is on first come first serve basis. Out-of-catchment(Ancaster Meadow, or non-Ancaster residents) are welcome.

SK Registration

• The FI registration process is the same as the the regular one, SK enrollment.
• The space is available for 30-40 kids, ideal for one morning and one afternoon class. The space is limited, so please register early.

• IMPORTANT: Gr.1 FI has not been officially approved yet. Parents are still working with the board to resolve some issues. However, the registration for Gr.1 FI is still ongoing, until further notice.
• The registration is also the same as the regular one, elementary school enrollment.
• The Board will inform current SK FI students studying in various Hamilton FI schools for repatriation to Fessenden.
• If your child is not currently in an FI/FI equivalent program, he/she may not be able to register for Gr. 1 FI. Most Gr 1 FI students are expected to have gone through SK FI program, or some sort of exposure to French.
• However, if between now and fall, the child obtains some French knowledge, ie, through Montessori, French class/tutoring/camp, he/she may still have a good chance qualifying for FI Gr. 1 without FI SK. Each student without successfully completing FI SK will be individually assessed.
• The Board is only discouraging kids who has absolutely NO French background to register Gr.1. Beyond that, there are many shades of grey. Since those kids will be individually assessed, you can contact Lisa Robson, HWDSB FI Consultant, 905-304-8722, x 272, lisa.robson@hwdsb.on.ca , for info on the assessment process.
• The space available is 15-20 kids.

FI Information Session

• Fessenden School, Tues, May 20, at 6:30-7:30 pm. 168 Huron Avenue, Ancaster, 905-648-4115

FI Transportation

• Transportation for FI is a different beast...it is NOT the same as the regular bussing system, in catchment or not. The transportation dept will map out an efficient route depending on where the students live, and choose certain bus pickup/dropoff points. You may have to drive to those spots to catch a ride.
• There is no bussing for FI SK. However, you can apply for Courtesy Transportation through the principal, both in or out of catchment. Courtesy Transportation allows you to drop off/pick up your child on an existing bus route/stop for the regular English students, provided there is space on the bus and you get the principal's approval. Please do remember that you only get one-way bussing(if you get it), since your child will either take am or pm class and there is no bussing at lunch time.
• There will be bussing provided for Gr 1 this year, if we manage to get a class. You may also apply for Courtesy Transportation.
• Next year, 2009, when the FI SK become FI Gr. 1, bussing will be provided, with a few pickup/drop points as well.
  
  

  More Transportation Considerations for Ancaster Meadow Students

  
  If you live or have friends/parents in the Ancaster Meadow area, you might need to make a decision soon regarding which FI school to send your kids to, Norwood Park or Fessenden. Please consider the following:
  Transportation Consortium
  • There is a transportation consortium which mandates the Board's transportation dept to combine Catholic and Public school boards by fall, 2008. As a result, no one can tell how the bus routes will be designed, or if the old ones will remain.
  • It is also possible that the bus routes will be added, changed or removed in the following years, depending on many things, such as, student density, catchment re-definition, school closing/opening, etc.
  
  Common to both Norwood Park and Fessenden
  • All FI bus routes are designed depending on where the students live. A few drop-off/pick-up points are chosen along the way and you can use any of them.
  • It's not exactly cross the street from your house, like the regular local route for English schools, nor will it ever be. It's likely to require the parents to drive to those spots.
  • There is no bussing for SK FI students. All SK FI is a 5 half-day program. Bussing will be provided for Gr 1 and up.
  
  Norwood Park: What's different
  • Pickup points in Ancaster to Norwood are, Somerset Park (whose ride takes 50 minutes one way) and Kitty Murray Lane Park( in Meadow land, which takes 40 minutes one way). The ride itself has nothing to do with the distance, but that the bus goes through many Hamilton city roads to pick up as many students on the way.
  • Norwood Park currently has 3 JK classes (~60 kids) and 4 SK classes(~80 kids), whose curriculum is 5 half day program. However, the daycare space is 20 for am and 20 for pm, for Kindercare. The 60 spaces for school Gr 1+ kids get filled up on the first day of registration.
  • There is no room for daycare expansion, due to city zoning limitations.
  
  Fessenden: What's different
  • FI students can apply for curtesy ride on busses for regular students.
  • There is a YMCA daycare at Fessenden. You need to find out more info there. However, it's safe to say that there are far more Ancaster day care providers willing to pick up the kids before/after school from Fessenden than Norwood Park.
  • By staying in an Ancaster school, your kids will be able to play with their local friends/neighbours, thus developing a better sense of community than otherwise.

Continue to Spread the Word

Please print out following posters, and post them at grocery stores, day care centers, and children's activity centers, etc.

• 2008 FI Registration poster
• May 20 Info Night poster
• May 20 Info Night with tabs poster

New FI Consultant

• Gisele Portelance has accepted a job as Vice Principal at Lawfield.
• We welcome our new FI consultant, Lisa Robson. She can be reached at 905-304-8722, x 272, lisa.robson@hwdsb.on.ca

General Information About French Immersion

More info on French Immersion program in HWDSB can be found here.