Grade School

Kendellhurst Academy offers a strong Advanced French Language Program based on activity-based learning opportunities and formal instruction. The purpose of our program is to develop Kindergarten and grades 1 to 8 students’ skills in reading, writing and oral communication in French language. Our Advanced French Language Program (AFLP) is offered from grades 1 to 8, cultivating early French academic and social skills, as well as a marketable second language. Though our Kindergarten program is excellent preparatory for AFLP entrance, we will accept outside grade level students with Core French background who are interested in developing academic and social skills in French language! Though we do not have entrance requirements for our AFLP, we have indicators of success which include a positive attitude toward French language and culture and a desire to learn en Français! Our curriculum and learning plan allow students to slip into a grade 9 applied and academic French programs, desirable for students/families leaving us after grade 8. Please note: Kendellhurst grants a Certificate of Advanced French Language Program after successful completion of our grade school level AFLP for at least 4 consecutive years with a minimum average of B plus or greater per year.

Through guided, independent and group learning situations, students engage French language acquisition as a fun, interactive and enjoyable experience. Our grade 1 to 8 AFLP is developed, fine- tuned and taught by our fluent on-faculty teachers. They are qualified in primary and junior divisions. With expertise and experience, our teachers embrace second language acquisition as a student-centered subject area, evolving curriculum with an intense focus on the needs of our students. Monthly themed activities guide the curriculum and expand on students’ immediate and concrete worlds. Each monthly theme is broken down into weekly units with textbook materials, reading books, cahiers, worksheets, and electronically based media forms/computer technology complementing the curriculum. Our bilingual reading program begins in grade one for students who are ready to engage.

Kendellhurst’s Preschool and Kindergarten programs focus on whole language acquisition while Grades 1to 8 go further into mastering French language with both written and spoken comprehension. Our Preschool and Kindergarten programs consist of daily French language circle activities for twenty to thirty minutes, building a repertoire of songs, vocabulary and simple conversations. Everyday students also do the weather, calendar, and sing O’Canada and many French songs. Each Kindergarten classroom also includes a French language listening centre. For Grades 1 to 8, the daily AFLP curriculum lessons are in-depth including cahier and workbook time with a greater emphasis on oral and pencil-to-paper activities. High frequency items such as numbers, classroom expressions, colours and greetings are incorporated into daily lessons. Through vocabulary, grammatical constructs, literature, dramatic arts and conversations, students engage French as whole language acquisition. Keeping in mind global citizenship, French society and culture are also brought into the spotlight, building a sensitivity and understanding of Francophone societies within Canada and around the world. Kendellhurst even offers a very popular afterschool club called La Cuisine Française!

The aim of the AFLP is to develop students’ French language knowledge/skills in preschool, primary and junior divisions. By the end of our program, students may converse freely on familiar topics, read (with some occasional help of a dictionary, books, magazines and newspapers in French), and function with limited assistance in a French-speaking community! Successful candidates for the Kendellhurst Certificate of Advanced French Language Program must complete at least 4 consecutive years in our AFLP with a minimum grade of B plus or greater per academic year. Kendellhurst also offers a two-week AFLP Summer Academy to assist students with successful candidacy and fluency! It’s a known fact from many studies that second language acquisition improves myelination of the brain! Our AFLP is daily brain work for your child!

Why choose Kendellhurst’s AFLP (45-60 minutes per day) over French Immersion (full day, all subjects) schooling? A question posed by parents deciding on future schooling options.

• If you choose French Immersion schooling, it is highly recommended that at least one member of your home is French speaking. Your child will need help with homework and projects, especially as the years go on and assignments become in-depth. With our AFLP, Kendellhurst teachers assist students daily. We have low teacher to student ratios (1:18).
  
• Parents often turn to tutoring as a band aid solution when their child is struggling in French Immersion. French tutoring is, more often than not, unsuccessful as students require in-class assistance during lessons which is unavailable for students experiencing challenges. Again, with our AFLP, Kendellhurst teachers assist students daily. We have low teacher-to-student ratios.
  
• Some students find French Immersion challenging so it’s imperative you know your child’s strengths and challenges. Students finding French Immersion challenging often fall behind in their learning. Frustrated parents then move their children to Extended French programs or English language programs, but unfortunately their children are years behind in the curriculum. Why not start with success in both languages from the beginning!
  
• • Kendellhurst offers families the best option for French language acquisition. Our program is fun, engaging and daily! AFLP offers a balance of language instruction ensuring students are prepared for grade 9, for both English and French programs.

Kendellhurst offers low ratio classrooms (1:18 grade), attention to your child’s individual needs, full B/A school care programs with homework help, a small school community, structured curriculum (math, language, science, etc.), afterschool clubs run by classroom teachers, exciting and engaging field trips building on curriculum, and a safe and nurturing environment with daily French language! Keep in mind, the best decision will come out of you knowing your child!

Sincerely,
Paula Carrasco-Kendell, Hon. B.A., B. Ed., (OCT), M.A.T., M. Ed., School Director/Owner, Parent