St. John 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

Celebrating Franco-Fun days at St. John School

At St. John Catholic Elementary School, their activities for Franco-Fun day were spread over a three day period. On March 19th, their French Immersion FDK program created beautiful Franco-Ontarian flags and proudly waved them to show how lucky they are to learn a second language!
On March 20th, the school started off our morning announcements with music from the Franco-Ontarian group SWING followed by a few fun and interesting facts about the French language and culture across the world. The grade 1 & 2 French Immersion, grade 1 English and grade 5/6 English classes then had the opportunity to go out snowshoeing, led by Bradley Blackwell from the Killarney Centre’s outreach program. Through this activity, the younger students were able to learn about animals and their habitat. The older students were able to better understand the purpose of snowshoes and how important is was for French Settlers to build and maintain a friendship with the First Nation’s people if they were to survive when they arrived to this new land we now call Canada. Students were also encouraged to greet each other in the hallway in French throughout the day. Quelle belle journée!
On March 21st, all students at St. John School were given a button or tattoo that allowed them to show their support for French learning within the school community. They also attended a magic show in the gym with one of their own supply teachers, The Amazing René! The children and staff alike enjoyed the bilingual presentation and actively took part in the show. Vive la francophonie!

Franco-Fun Day at St. John

On March 20th, French Immersion students at St. John’s school participated in a myriad of fun activities to celebrate Franco Fun Day along with millions of other French speaking people from around the world. Students and teachers alike had a wonderful morning while the Grade 3/4, 5/6 and 7/8 FI students visited the Dépatie Maple Sugar Farm. A Franco Fun time was had by all!

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