Innovative programs and services
French-language education helps shape bilingual, open-minded citizens. It encourages a sense of belonging to the Francophone community in Ontario, Canada, and across the world.
It is with this goal in mind that French-language Catholic and public school boards, colleges of applied arts and technology, bilingual and French-language universities offer many well-known programs and services in French, in partnership with various organizations:
- early-childhood programs and services;
- extracurricular activities and summer camps;
- support services for students and families;
- special support program for newcomers;
- francization programs and international language courses;
- professional and international internships;
- assistance programs for success in education and choosing a career;
- cultural and community engagement activities.
List of innovative programs and services
A number of students attending French-language schools speak a language other than French at home. The Actualisation linguistique en français (ALF) program was developed to meet the needs of students who must improve their French. Based on individual assessments of the student’s proficiency, this program enables participants to improve language skills and encourages academic success.
Curriculum
Every year, many students from abroad settle in Ontario and enrich the linguistic and cultural diversity of French-language schools. Some have received a very different education than is offered here. The Programme d’appui aux nouveaux arrivants (PANA) helps these students become more familiar with their new environment, integrate into Canadian society, and catch up on delays in oral communication, reading and writing as needed. Their academic success as well as personal growth and social, academic and community integration depend on this strategy. All newcomers, including permanent residents, Canadian citizens, and refugee claimants have access to the various services this program offers:
- discover their new community;
- find housing, a job, or childcare services;
- enroll their children in school;
- have access to other programs, such as official language learning programs, employment support services, skills development, and an educational credential assessment for diplomas obtained abroad;
- get information on services offered by the federal and provincial government, such as health and social services;
- complete forms and applications for government programs and services;
- benefit from interpretation services or translation of documents.
Thanks to Eurêka!, students from grades 1 to 12 in French-language schools in Ontario can get help in all subjects, get specialized support in French in all subjects and in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) in addition to having access to skill-building exercises, enabling them to enhance their knowledge.
Students can ask questions by phone, text, email and chat as well as over social media.
The Eurêka! Team is made up of qualified teachers. Questions in English from parents who do not speak French but whose child are enrolled in a French-language school are also answered.
French-language education enables students to live in French. Activities and cultural initiatives are woven into learning and academic life. This cultural entertainment enables students to get to know and appreciate their cultural heritage, as well as the wonderful diversity of the Francophone community in Ontario. Additionally, cultural experiences from French-language school enables them to develop:
- a cultural identity;
- a sense of belonging to Ontario, Canadian and global Francophone communities;
- leadership skills needed to engage with their community and contribute to the vibrance of a dynamic Francophone community.
Some activities are planned and offered in every school, whereas others are on regional, provincial and national scale. Among others, students attending French-language schools enjoy participation in the following activities:
- Music and singing festivals, visual arts, theatre, shows;
- Semaine nationale de la francophonie [National Francophonie Week];
- Jeux franco-ontariens [Franco-Ontarian Games];
- Parlement jeunesse francophone de l’Ontario [Francophone Youth Parliament of Ontario].
Cooperative Education enables students to earn high school credits while completing a work internship in the community. In doing so, students can prepare for the next stage of their lives, whether college or university studies, on-the-job training, the workforce, or a community integration program.
These programs are approved by the Ontario Ministry of Education and enable students to pursue high school studies while attending college or professional courses that count towards their Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) and towards a certificate, diploma or postsecondary degree, or a training certificate. The goal of these is to help high school students get their high school diploma in Ontario and ensure their transition towards college and professional training programs.
They are primarily intended for students who have the ability to succeed, but who are at risk of not graduating from high school as well as those who have left their studies before graduation. They are also intended for students enrolled in Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) as well as the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) or in level 1 training programs offered by colleges.
The Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) is a specialized program that enables grade 11 and 12 students to concentrate on their studies in a specific industry while meeting Ontario secondary school diploma requirements. It prepares students for the transition from high school and internship training to the workforce or university.
Throughout this program, students complete a series of eight to ten courses in a specific field at training centres and in school, acquiring important workplace skills and industry-recognized certifications, including first aid and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation.
Website – Ontario Ministry of Education: Specialist High Skills Major
The provincial E-Learning Ontario strategy is a program offered by the Ontario Ministry of Education that enables participating school boards to offer online courses, opportunities for teaching staff to enhance their skills and participate in knowledge exchange within professional training communities and for students to progress academically with the help of thousands of digital educational resources for all years of study and learning styles, as well as access to the Ontario Educational Resource Bank (OERB).
Destination Réussite is an initiative unique to French-Language education and aims to support school boards and their post-secondary partners in order to offer diverse, high quality training opportunities in a French-language environment. Its aim is to promote success in obtaining a secondary school diploma and to ease the transition towards post-secondary studies and the workplace.