St. Charles Catholic Elementary School

Ma Francophonie, j’y tiens!

We are proud of our Francophone heritage.

On September 25th, 2022, Sudbury Catholic Schools celebrated Franco-Ontarian Day! This celebration is an annual opportunity to learn about Franco-Ontarian culture and history in real life and bring awareness to this wonderful community on an occasion that combines education, fun, language, and history. As the number of FSL students and families continues to grow, it is important for Sudbury Catholic to infuse French Culture into the classrooms.

In our video that highlights our Franco-Ontarian celebrations, we use the phrase, “Ma Francophonie, j’y tiens!”, which translated from French means, “We are proud of our Francophone heritage!” 

In addition to annual celebrations, FSL teaching and learning is being further supported in our community through our FSL Plan. One of the most important goals of Sudbury Catholic School’s three-year FSL Plan is improving student confidence and proficiency. We’re committed to providing french language learners with the support they need, and to continue to offer programming that is evidence-based and engaging.

“With what we currently know about how kids learn to read, our Board has committed to shifting from a balanced to a structured literacy approach. Structured literacy provides explicit instruction of the key components of literacy so that students develop excellent pre-reading and reading skills. This approach also guarantees early identification of students at-risk through assessment. The best interventions can then be used to support and move students along. With purposeful reading instruction and interventions, students will demonstrate increased achievement in the FSL program. Literacy leads to proficiency, confidence, and an enthusiasm for life-long learning. And that’s the best gift of all” – Camille Heaton, FSL Consultant. 

Students and Staff Embrace Franco-Fun Day

a collage of students wearing white and green.

Staff and students took part in Franco- Fun Day: a day dedicated to celebrating French language and Franco-Ontarian culture! Here are just a few ways our schools joined in on the fun:

  • St. Charles College students were treated to a live concert by Steph Paquette!
A man plays a song on-screen.
  • Holy Trinity Catholic Elementary School staff and students got into the spirit by wearing white and green in honour of the Franco-Ontarian flag.
a collage of students and staff wearing white and green.
  • Immaculate Conception Catholic School students participated in a workshop by Ariko. They loved learning how to play the spoons and learning the dance steps. They listened to the song Mon beau drapeau and discussed the meaning of the Franco-Ontarian flag. The students then drew their own flag while listening to les chansons à répondre!

Canadian Parents for French Offering Programs This Spring

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Canadian Parents for French Ontario is offering free French virtual programs for students from Grade 1 to 12 funded by the Ministry of Education from May to August to support French as a Second Language students.

Click the link below for more information about this exciting opportunity!

Free French Virtual Programs

French Immersion students are Proud to be Francophone

On September 25th, students from the French immersion program at St. Charles Catholic Elementary School took to the streets of Chelmsford to share in their Franco-Ontarian pride. September 25th is celebrated across Ontario by many Francophones to show pride and support for their language and to honour the contributions of French speaking Ontarians to society. It is known as ‘La journée du drapeau Franco-Ontarien’ because on this date in 1975, the official Franco-Ontarian flag was raised for the first time to show that the French language is still very alive in this province. The students from grade 2-8 walked throughout their neighbourhood and visited local businesses along the way. They had previously contacted these businesses to inquire as to how many Francophone employees each one employed so that they could present them with necklaces with the words “’Je parle Français” on them – allowing them to let their customers be aware that they speak French. As well as the necklaces, the students also gifted flags to the different businesses. The students plan to also deliver the necklaces and flags to businesses in the neighbouring communities of Azilda, Dowling, Onaping and Levack. Along their route, the students could be heard singing and cheering French songs. According to the Grade 7 and 8 French Immersion teacher, Francois Viau, the goal of this campaign is to help French language learners feel comfortable speaking French in their community. “As the classroom teacher, I am extremely proud of the way the students embraced the opportunity to spread their message,” Viau stated. “Each one of my students has been learning French for 9 or 10 years. They are by all accounts bilingual. I thought it was important for them to spread the word that they too are part of the Franco-Ontarien community. This title is not only reserved for students in French-only schools. Most of my students have at least one parent with French-Canadian roots. This campaign allows them to express themselves and have fun with their second language.”

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