These are excerpts from an article by Annik Chalifour that was published (in French) in L’Express, a Toronto-based publication.
Following the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, several volunteers from the Ministère de l’Éducation (MEO) and the Ministère de la Formation et des Collèges et Universités created a support group for Haiti, independent from these departments, to raise money to send school supplies through humanitarian aid agencies. The group is now planning to send 16 teachers and 4 other participants to Haiti this summer to offer training to 300 Haitian counterparts in Port-au-Prince and in the town of Les Cayes. Read more…
In 2004, French-language Education in Ontario was visionary by initiating the balanced school calendar (also known as the year-round school calendar) as a pilot project in the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est. This project was focused on the needs of its clientele and adapted to the pace of contemporary life.
École élémentaire catholique Bernard-Grandmaître is the first Francophone school in Ontario to have adopted a balanced school calendar. Although the total number of days off remains the same as in the traditional calendar, summer vacations in the balanced school calendar are shorter, for a period of about 6 weeks. Students, teachers and administrative staff enjoy a week of leave in October, two weeks of holidays at Christmas (like everyone else), two weeks of leave in March (instead of one), and one week of leave in May. The school year ends a week later than in other schools. Read more…
This week, we chose to publish a testimonial by the Meunier family from Timmins. The Meunier family is an exogamous family, which is a two-parent family with children, in which only one of the spouses is Francophone.
In the Meunier family, Lori (the mother) is English-speaking, and Jay (the father) is Francophone. Jay attended French-language schools, which made it possible for Lori and Jay’s son, Owen, to attend a French school. Owen, who is currently in 5th grade, has attended École catholique Anicet-Morin since Grade 1. Owen had unfortunately not been exposed to the French language before school. At home, English is predominantly spoken.
I have submitted a series of questions to the Meuniers on French-language education in Ontario. Here are their answers.
FLE
How did you choose a French-language school?
Jay
We chose a French-language school for our son Owen after many family discussions and after having registered Owen in a school with a francization program in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten (a program which helped Owen integrate the French education system). Lori had some concerns in relation to not being able to help Owen with his homework and not being able to understand or appreciate the school activities. Read more…
The following information will help you understand the structure of Ontario’s public education system and the roles played by schools, school boards, and the Ministry of Education.
In Canada, public education is a provincial responsibility.
The Ontario Ministry of Education
The Ministry of Education is responsible for overseeing all aspects of Ontario’s public education system. Ontario’s Education Act sets out the duties and responsibilities of the Minister of Education, school boards, supervisory officers (superintendents), principals, teachers, parents and students.
The Minister of Education, the Honourable Laurel Broten, is appointed by the Premier of Ontario and is an elected member of the Provincial Parliament (MPP).
In Ontario, the Direction des politiques et programmes d’éducation en langue française ensures that the specific needs of Francophone school boards and colleges, as well as universities offering programs in French, are met. Read more…
