Saskatoon Public Schools offers a Kindergarten to Grade 8 elementary French Immersion program. French Immersion students learn French and English and follow provincial curricula.
There are six dual-track elementary schools offering English and French programs for kindergarten to Grade 8: École Alvin Buckwold, École College Park, École Dundonald, École Forest Grove, École Lakeview, École River Heights. The programs run alongside regular English programs and are housed in the same building. One elementary school, École Henry Kelsey, offers a single-track French Immersion program. École Victoria offers French-language programming for kindergarten to Grade 8 and an English-language program for Grades 4-8.
A new kindergarten to Grade 8 French Immersion program at École Silverspring School will accept student for in September 2019, operating alongside the school’s established English program. The French Immersion program will serve the following neighbourhoods: Aspen Ridge, Evergreen, Silverspring and Willowgrove. Students from these neighbourhoods only will receive busing to Silverspring School, unless they live within walking distance of the school. More information is available here.
Students generally enter the program in Kindergarten or Grade 1 and the language of instruction is primarily French in Kindergarten to Grade 2. Utilizing the new provincial curricula for early learners, our French Immersion program maintains a strong focus on student identity and language development while fostering students’ achievement in multiple subjects. The English Language Arts program is not formally introduced until Grade 3.
In Grades 3-8, students apply their literacy and language skills to support and further their learning. Once students have learned to read in French, they apply this skill as they continue to explore the language and build vocabulary, communicate orally with purpose and write to explain their thoughts and learning. The ability to speak, read and write is applied in all subject areas and enables students to continue to learn the French language in the context of curricular subjects.
Boundaries and Student Transportation
Students living in the following areas of the city attend the French Immersion schools listed below. Transportation is provided for students attending French Immersion schools located outside of their neighborhood's English-program attendance area. More information is available on our transportation map, our French Immersion Handbook or from schools.
- West of Idylwyld Drive excluding Dundonald, Hampton Village, Confederation Park, Kensington and Westview — École Henry Kelsey
- Dundonald, Hampton Village, Confederation Park, Kensington and Westview — École Dundonald School
- East of Idylwyld Drive to the river — École River Heights School
- Avalon, Buena Vista, Exhibition, Grosvenor Park, Holliston (north of Taylor Street), Nutana, Queen Elizabeth, Varsity View, The Willows — École Victoria School
- Adelaide/Churchill, Eastview, Holliston (south of Taylor Street), Nutana Park, Stonebridge — École Alvin Buckwold School
- Briarwood, Lakeridge, Lakeview, Lakewood, Rosewood — École Lakeview School
- Brevoort Park, College Park, East College Park, Greystone Heights, Wildwood — École College Park School
- Arbor Creek, Brighton, Erindale, Forest Grove, Sutherland, University Heights — École Forest Grove School
- Aspen Ridge, Evergreen, Silverspring and Willowgrove — École Silverspring School
