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The French Speaking Association of the North Shore. Established in 1998, a fast growing community wanting to maintain French as a mother tongue while being fully integrated in the Australian society. French on the North Shore: What’s on offer?.
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The French Speaking Association of the North Shore Established in 1998, a fast growing community wanting to maintain French as a mother tongue while being fully integrated in the Australian society
French on the North Shore: What’s on offer? • The Bilingual Program at Killarney Heights Primary School (KHPS) – 10th year in 2008! • Three French-speaking playgroups (2 in Lane Cove, 1 in Killarney Heights), most children on list for the bilingual program • A local community of more than 155 families meeting regularly.
KHPS Bilingual Program Objectives • Create a bilingual class within a quality Primary Public School on the North Shore • Teach French as a mother tongue, rather than as a foreign language. Teach in French • Fully integrate children in the Australian school system (not as ‘outcasts’), following the full school curriculum • To give non French-speaking children the opportunity to learn French at school and encourage in all children the respect for other cultures and multiculturalism
KHPS Bilingual Program: Our Approach • Method : • Native speakers have one hour of intensive French/day • All children in the bilingual classes: “team-teaching” • Expected benefits for all : • Linguistic – French for life • Cultural – exposure to other cultures • Improved learning capacity
KHPS Bilingual Program • Give children the possibility to: • Follow the bilingual approach all the way to HSC (Killarney Heights High School) • Reintegrate any school in a French-speaking country • Or stay in the Australian school system (public or private) • Challenges: • Recruitment • Funding • Manage individual expectations in a privately funded program
Why Killarney Heights Public School? • Open to language teaching • Commitment to quality teaching • Parents’ criteria • A great partnership with the school’s principal!
The Bilingual Program in 2008 • 132 children in the intensive french, 30% more than 2007 • 300 « anglophones » in the 18 bilingual classes.
Official Support • NSW Dept of Education: 1 full time teacher since 2005. Building and resources, training • French authorities: FLAM since 2000 but minimal amount received since 2005. • Other bilingual schools: exchange of information and cultural activities • …. sponsors!?