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NETWORK FOR ADMINISTRATORS OF B.C. FRENCH IMMERSION SCHOOLs

Simon Fraser University’s Office of Francophone and Francophile Affairs (OFFA) would like to invite you to join its Network for Administrators of B.C. French Immersion Schools. This network is FREE and open to all administrators who lead a French Immersion school or program in British Columbia.

OBJECTIVES OF THE NETWORK

Support administrators of French Immersion schools (dual track and single track) to retain French immersion teachers and students.
Understand and respond to the unique needs of the French Immersion program and its teachers who are French as an additional language lifelong learners or Francophones from all over Canada and the Francophone world.

Since 2023, OFFA has worked with a lead group of Principals and Vice-Principals who have collaborated to create a plan to support administrators in their region and/or districts across the province.

WHAT DOES THE NETWORK OFFER YOU?

Professional development opportunities – stay tuned for news about upcoming webinars!

Presentations for you to read and provide starting points for learning from our French Immersion Administrator’s Network Conference (February 2024):

Bilingualism and Biliteracy: A Superpower Within Reach of All Learners by Dr. Caroline Erdos
New Administrator’s Zone by ACPI’s Kara Bowles

Answers to your questions regarding French Immersion! Check out the Association canadienne des professionnel·les d’immersion (ACPI)’s FREE What’s on your desk French Immersion Administrator Zone website. This is a new website and still under construction.

Access to an upcoming guide for BC French Immersion administrators (available in June 2024) written by Dr. Monica Tang and Dr. Sarah Fedoration to support the French Immersion teacher and learner bi·plurilingual identities.

Did you know that you can access bursaries to attend ACPI’s national conference offered by the BC Ministry of Education? Every year, they have workshops that are designed for FI Admin in both English and French. Apply for a bursary here.

Be connected to a regional administrator who has committed to supporting your needs, whether you are an experienced or a new administrator of a French Immersion school – contact educ_offa@sfu.ca to find out who can support you!

If you are interested in being a part of our mailing list to learn about upcoming events and learning opportunities for this network, please contact educ_offa@sfu.ca.

Feel free to read the questions and suggestions shared by French Immersion Administrators on this Padlet. You might find an answer to a question you have about leading in French Immersion there! Also, please we invite you to add to the content and share your own experiences.

Past Events

Workshop series presented by Dr. Caroline Erdos

About Dr. Caroline Erdos

Dr. Caroline Erdos (PhD) is the coordinator of Speech-Language Pathology at Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board and S-LP advisor for Speech-Language and Audiology Canada. Previously, she was the Advancing Learning in Differentiation & Inclusion coordinator for the 10 English school boards in Quebec, where she supported resource teachers through various professional development initiatives. With over 20 years of experience as a pediatric S-LP in a university health centre, her areas of expertise include bi/multilingualism, reading and language disorder, learning disability, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, and craniofacial differences in children aged 0 to 18 years. Caroline has lectured at several Canadian universities. She has also been invited to present at numerous conferences across North America and has written and collaborated on several publications.

Screening, Assessment, Diagnosis & Intervention in French Immersion - June 20, 2024

During this workshop, Dr. Caroline Erdos will discuss best practices of screening, assessment, diagnostic, and intervention that are aligned with research evidence, within the context of French Immersion.

Topics that will be addressed during this interactive workshop :

Recap of what research evidence says about diverse learners in the context of multilingualism
Multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) and response to intervention (RtI)
Recognizing and addressing potential sources of difficulty in the classroom
Timely and evidence-based identification and response to student needs (Early screening that levels the playing field, Disentangling language or reading disorder from incomplete second/additional language acquisition, Best practices for intervention in bilingual contexts)
Advice for parents

READ THE WORKSHOP DOCUMENT

Working Through Challenging Cases in French Immersion - June 13, 2024

During this discussion, Dr. Caroline Erdos will work through questions and case studies presented by the administrator participants of French Immersion schools. The objective of this forum is to discuss complex cases and provide the opportunity for administrators to share their questions and barriers in order to work through them together and learn from the expertise of Dr. Erdos. Discussion may also include high-leverage points to consider when working towards systemic change.

Supporting Diverse Learner Profiles in French Immersion - May 28, 2024

During this workshop, Dr. Caroline Erdos will present evidence-based research to understand profiles of learning disability and other neurodevelopmental disorders and how best to support students with these profiles in French immersion.

Topics that will be addressed during the workshop :

Understanding Developmental Language Disorder, ADHD, Dyslexia, Dysorthographia, Dyscalculia, Developmental Coordination Disorder, and Syndromes
Simulation of hearing impairment, visual impairment, and lexical access issues
Review of classroom adaptations specifically aligned with diverse profiles of difficulty

Read the workshop documents

Bilingualism & Biliteracy: A Superpower Within Reach of All Learners - May 27, 2024

During this workshop, Dr. Caroline Erdos will present evidence-based research and recommend practical strategies that educators can use to support the French immersion program. She will share practices to best reach all French Immersion learners so that students remain in the program from kindergarten to grade 12 and graduate with a double dogwood diploma as a bi·plurilingual person.

The following questions will be answered:

French immersion more than 55 years later – what do we know?
What does research evidence tell us about bilingualism and biliteracy in the context of diverse education needs?
How can we best support bilingualism and biliteracy for all in educational contexts?

Read the workshop documents

ADMINISTRATORS' NETWORK CONFERENCE - February 15, 2024

This conference is a day to learn about and explore ways to respond to the unique needs of the French Immersion program. The day will be dedicated to giving the time for French Immersion administrators to connect and learn from experts in the field in order to best support their practice to retain French immersion teachers and students, and to build an inclusive and strong French Immersion program in their schools. Each administrator will leave the conference with evidence-based strategies to support their program, and be connected to a smaller regional group to build community and support amongst French Immersion administrator colleagues. All the activities will be held in English.

For more information

This network is made possible with the participation of Canadian Heritage and the Ministry of Education and Childcare of British Columbia.