May 20, 2009
Valerie Overgaard
Associate
Superintendent, Learning Services
1580 West Broadway
Dear Ms. Overgaard,
At the Canadian
Parents for French (CPF) Vancouver North meeting March 5, 2009 there
was a resolution
to write the VSB to express support for the Kitsilano Parent Advisory
Committee’s concerns regarding the lack of support resources for
classes taught
in French. Those concerns were expressed in a letter to the VSB from
the
Kitsilano Parent Advisory Committee (PAC). Their letter, which CPF
Vancouver
North supports, follows here:
Kitsilano had a part
time French immersion teacher (Ecology and Planning) who recently
left, in
part due to the heavy demands on a teacher’s time to provide
supplementary
French resources. An example is the new grade 10 science text (there
are both
English and French versions) which has supplementary resources
available in
English, but not yet in French.
PAC appreciates that
the VSB approved money this summer to pay Kitsilano French Immersion
teachers
to develop grade 10 science support materials that could be used by our
school
and by others in the district. This was very helpful.
At the Kitsilano
Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) meeting January 14, 2009, there was
discussion
about this matter.
There was a sense
that efforts to address this problem had not received enough support
from the
BC Ministry of Education.
There was a
resolution at this PAC meeting that the Kitsilano PAC Executive write
the VSB
to express the PAC’s concern regarding the lack of support resources
for
classes taught in French.
This PAC resolution
emphasizes that it is important for the VSB to work with teachers
and the
Ministry of Education to ensure support resources in French for the
benefit of
our students.
From the PAC’s
perspective, this sort of support should not have to be requested on a
piece by
piece basis and should not be a responsibility shared only by the
school and
the district. The BC Ministry of Education should be providing this
support at
least to the same level as is available for English course materials.
PAC has noted that
the Federal French Funding Guide for 2008-9, online at:
http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/frenchprograms/fed_funding.htm
has information
about Federal financial support for matters like support resources in
French.
Sincerely,
Kate Gregory
CPF
cpfvannorth@gmail.com
Copy:
Lesley Wright,
Kitsilano CPF Representative
Wendy Massing, CPF
VSB Modern Language Advisory Committee (MLAC)
Representative
Stefanie Gajdecki,
CPF
Susan Ankenman, CPF
Vancouver South Chapter President
The Honourable
Shirley Bond, BC Minister of Education