Joining CPS in Grade 3 Without French: Eleanor's Story

When our family moved across town after buying our home, we found ourselves in the Camberwell Primary School zone. CPS seemed like a wonderful school, but we were apprehensive about the French bilingual program. Our daughter, Eleanor, would be joining in Grade 3 without any French experience, and we worried about whether she would be able to catch up and manage learning in a new language.

We are an English-speaking family and do not speak French at home. Eleanor had learnt a small amount of Italian at her previous school, but she had no real experience of learning in another language. We attended a school tour and met Janet, who was so welcoming and reassuring that we immediately felt CPS was the right school for our family.

To help Eleanor settle into the French program, we arranged some one-on-one tutoring during her transition. The first few months were challenging. Eleanor was managing all the usual emotions and difficulties of joining a new school, while also taking on the additional mental effort of learning in French. It took about six months for her to feel comfortable and catch up with the language.

Now, three years later, moving to CPS is one of the best decisions we have made. We are amazed by Eleanor's confidence and fluency in French, particularly knowing that she started in Grade 3 with no French background at all. For families considering CPS but feeling worried about the French program, our advice is simple: take a school tour and speak with Janet. A child joining later without French experience can find their place, succeed and gain something truly valuable from the experience.