Late French Immersion Program
To apply for Late French Immersion, please complete the 2026/2027 Late French Immersion Gr. 6 Commitment Form or use the QR code:
K̓wsaltktnéws ne Secwepemcúl’ecw School District 83 (SD83) offers a program called Late French Immersion. This program offers students an opportunity to enter French Immersion at a later age. The District’s program is housed at Shuswap Middle School and is going into its 21st year. Late French Immersion represents a joyful, transformational learning opportunity open to all Grade 6 students in SD83. Late French Immersion (LFI) allows Grade 6 students the chance to learn to speak, read, and write French in just one short year. Students do not need to be able to speak or know any French, nor do their parents for that matter. LFI students are motivated, hard-working and determined learners. All subjects are taught in French in Grade 6 and English is reintroduced in Grade 8. LFI students then go on to J.L. Jackson and integrate seamlessly with students from Early French Immersion.
LFI is more than just your average language experience. It is a type of learning experience that supercedes the “norm.” Where do you get the chance as a learner to be absorbed into a close-knit community where everyone has chosen to come together for the same goal: learn French, speak French, dream in French? The happiness that emanates from the room in LFI is contagious. They’re a team and a family and they work hard to achieve their goal. That doesn’t mean that they don’t have tough days, because they do. Taking a risk is hard. But in the end, it is always rewarding. Students feel like they have been on this journey together resulting in this beautiful, bilingual landscape that they would have missed out on if they hadn’t taken the challenge. LFI is a life-changing program. Few educational programs do what LFI does for students. LFI empowers students in believing that they can do anything and be anything that they choose in life. The best kind of learning is that which transforms the learner. LFI does just that.
Rita Tedesco is the District French Programs Coordinator for SD 83.
For more programming details, read the Late French Immersion Brochure.