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Stittsville parent Jennifer Beveridge says that if Ottawa’s public school board goes ahead with a proposal to make kindergarten classes bilingual, she will take drastic action for her son Kyle.
It’s not right for an English public school board to eliminate the option of English kindergarten, says Beveridge, one of the parents who spoke at the board meeting Tuesday.
Kyle heads to senior kindergarten next year, and she doesn’t think a bilingual class is best for him. Beveridge said she might file a legal challenge against the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, pull Kyle out of school during French instruction, home-school him, or even move out of Ottawa. Her options are limited because the Ottawa Catholic School Board already has bilingual kindergartens.
At deadline Tuesday night, trustees were still debating the controversial changes to kindergarten and early French immersion programs.
Trustees sitting as a committee of the whole voted last week to make all kindergartens bilingual and reduce the amount of French instruction in the early French immersion program. They were to take the final vote Tuesday night.
Board staff said the changes would be better for students, and also benefit the board’s bottom line by $2.7 million a year.
Some parents have spent months passionately lobbying against the changes. They argued that the board has provided no compelling reasons for “watering down” the popular immersion program. Others, like Beveridge, opposed removing the option of attending kindergarten in English.
Bilingual kindergarten will help improve facility in French for all kids, and that is critical in Ottawa, said trustee Lynn Scott, who supported the changes. “We have an opportunity here to get all of our kids off to a better start.”
Children in kindergarten already must take 20 minutes of French each day, she said, and the proposal would simply boost that amount to 50 per cent of instruction time.
Parent Paul Dillman told the board that the issues are complex and need more study. He also said it was distressing that trustees apparently have low regard for the opinions of teachers.
Two board surveys showed the majority of teachers who responded were opposed bilingual kindergartens.
Staff argued the extra French in kindergarten would improve “equity” by nudging more newcomers, students with special needs, boys, and children from lower socio-economic groups to enrol in French immersion.
查看原文...
It’s not right for an English public school board to eliminate the option of English kindergarten, says Beveridge, one of the parents who spoke at the board meeting Tuesday.
Kyle heads to senior kindergarten next year, and she doesn’t think a bilingual class is best for him. Beveridge said she might file a legal challenge against the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, pull Kyle out of school during French instruction, home-school him, or even move out of Ottawa. Her options are limited because the Ottawa Catholic School Board already has bilingual kindergartens.
At deadline Tuesday night, trustees were still debating the controversial changes to kindergarten and early French immersion programs.
Trustees sitting as a committee of the whole voted last week to make all kindergartens bilingual and reduce the amount of French instruction in the early French immersion program. They were to take the final vote Tuesday night.
Board staff said the changes would be better for students, and also benefit the board’s bottom line by $2.7 million a year.
Some parents have spent months passionately lobbying against the changes. They argued that the board has provided no compelling reasons for “watering down” the popular immersion program. Others, like Beveridge, opposed removing the option of attending kindergarten in English.
Bilingual kindergarten will help improve facility in French for all kids, and that is critical in Ottawa, said trustee Lynn Scott, who supported the changes. “We have an opportunity here to get all of our kids off to a better start.”
Children in kindergarten already must take 20 minutes of French each day, she said, and the proposal would simply boost that amount to 50 per cent of instruction time.
Parent Paul Dillman told the board that the issues are complex and need more study. He also said it was distressing that trustees apparently have low regard for the opinions of teachers.
Two board surveys showed the majority of teachers who responded were opposed bilingual kindergartens.
Staff argued the extra French in kindergarten would improve “equity” by nudging more newcomers, students with special needs, boys, and children from lower socio-economic groups to enrol in French immersion.
查看原文...
