For this school year, more than 400 Island students will be able to take part in French Immersion programs at West Kent Elementary and Birchwood Intermediate schools.
During the summer, classrooms were prepared and materials ordered and teachers hired to welcome 165 new Early French Immersion students at West Kent Elementary, and 240 new Continuing and Late French Immersion students at Birchwood Intermediate.
$58,000 in new funding was earmarked for reading and literacy materials for the French Immersion programs at West Kent and Birchwood.
More than $40,000 was invested in the new French Immersion program at West Kent to meet the needs of K-6 students who receive 75 to 90 percent of their instruction in French.
More than $16,000 was invested in materials for Birchwood Intermediate which will welcome 100 new Continuing Immersion students, 140 Late Immersion students and nine new French Immersion teachers this fall