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Huron Expositor, 2014-04-09, Page 5letters to the editor Local group wants To the Editor; Attention parents of children who go to GPS, Brookside, Hullett, or Clinton who are interested in French Immersion education for their children. I am part of a group called Huron County Parents for French Immersion and we are trying to gather names of interested parents. The Catholic School Board has offered it to their families for years, yet those who are not Cath- olic have no such opportunity. What is French Immersion? It provides more time to work in second language learning situa- tions where children will learn the language in other curriculum areas rather than learning about language in isolation. The children work towards the same academic goals regardless of the language of instruction. French Immersion is offered by the Avon District School Board in Perth County as a 50% program Wednesday, April 9, 2014 • Huron Expositor 5 more opportunities for children to learn French Immersion beginning in Grade 2. Math is taught in English, and the language block is split equally between English and French. All other subjects are taught in French in a gradual style so that children understand terms in both English and French. Do parents need to know French? The program is designed for children who normally speak English at home. It is not expected that parents speak French and reporting is done in English. Most parents who send their children to French Immersion in Stratford do not know French. It is important to read to your child in English and support them when they have regularly have chal- lenges, regardless of language. Your child can benefit by becom- ing fluent in Canada's two official languages. The research is pretty clear: there is no downside to being in French immersion," says Fred Genesee, a psychology professor at McGill University who has extensively researched French immersion programs. "Even if kids struggle or are not intellectu- ally gifted, they do just as well as the same types ofkids in an Eng- lish -only program." Immersion education can help to increase your child's thinking skill, as your child learns to proc- ess in two languages, rather than one. Studies show that bilingual children outperform monolingual children on Math and English tests. As well, it increases mental flexibility, listening, concentra- tion skills and problem solving skills. French is spoken coast to coast and, as the second most learned foreign language in the world after English, French is a well-po- sitioned international language. It is the official language of more than 33 countries and is the only language other than English to be spoken on five continents. Whitney South Huron Expositor Top honours at Optimist Spelling Bee Grade 5 students from Seaforth and Clinton districts tried participated in the annual Optimist Spelling Bee on April 3, the top five going on to compete in Kirkton Woodham later this month. Winners were Sydney Nash, first place, Clinton Public School; Liam Wilson, second place, from Seaforth Public School; Sara Cowman, third, Clinton Public School; Jared Ducharme, fourth, St. Boniface; Jenna McClure, fifth, Seaforth Public School. Seaforth and Clinton district winners (left to right), Liam Wilson, Sydney McNash, Sara Cowman, Jenna McClure, caller Betty Small and Jared Ducharme Exposing children to immersion programs enables them to be more comfortable learning about other cultures and languages, not to mention assists during travel across Canada and internationally. Knowing more than one lan- guage is becoming increasingly important. The Association for Canadian Studies found that workers who speak both French and English earn almost 10 per cent more than those who speak English alone. "In the increasingly global world, kids who speak only Eng- lish are going to be competing with kids who speak three or four or five languages," says Genesee. If you are interested, please contact me through Huron County Parents for French Immersion on Facebook or call me at 519-612-1207. Thank you, Sydney Elder Goderich www.seaforthhuronexpositorcom Have an opinion? The Huron Expositor welcomes letters to the editor. They must be signed and accompanied by a phone number for information clarification. It is important to note, letters will not be able to be printed without the author's name attached. All letters are subject to editing due to possible space restriction. Letters can be dropped off at the office, mailed or emailed: The Huron Expositor 8 Main St. P.O. Box 69, Seaforth, Ont. NOK seaforth.news@sunmedia.ca International Day of Pink coming to St. Anne's St. Anne's school news Claire Gordon Minister of Public Relations This was the first week of the God Squad's' Stuff That Bus' campaign. The idea of the campaign is to raise canned goods and non-perishable food items for our local food banks. This year, we are asking the grade nines to bring in food for breakfast, the grade tens to bring food for lunch, the grade elevens to bring in food for dinner and the grade twelve's to bring in snack foods and toiletries. The campaign will run from now until May 7, and the senior class and junior class with the most food items will win a mystery prize. Our Specialist High Skills Major stu- dents had CPR training on Monday and Tuesday this past week. Then on Wednesday, our Concert Band partici- pated in 'Banding Together' with the Correction band from St. Michael's Catholic Sec- ondary School in Stratford. Thursday the staff and students watched a video about reconciliation and the power of forgiving. Everyone was then encouraged to participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the season of Lent. Thursday was also the first day of the Junior Boys' Rugby sea- son. The boys had a great start and we wish them luck with their upcoming season! The week ended off with the students versus staff volleyball game. The game took place during fourth period and was a buy-out for staff and students to watch. This upcoming Wednesday, we par- ticipate in the International Day of Pink, an anti -bullying campaign that began in Eastern Canada. Our Agents of Change are meeting to discuss their $35,000 Ministry of Education grants for healthy eating and physical activity. We also take an extra special day to recog- nize our Educational Assistants for all that they do to help us. An article printed in the April 2 edition of the Huron Expositor regarding an art auction at Hensall Town Hall contained outdated information. Tickets are continuing to be sold at a cost of $35 and are not available the evening of the event. Also, the event has now receieved enough donations and no more are needed. The Expositor apologizes for the error and any inconvenience it may have caused.