French immersion programs in Milton or Holliston Public schools? (credit, camp)

[tripmama]

Hi, Mother_of_Two (and original post),

My kids are all in the French immersion program in Milton and I'm very happy with it. Milton is a small, suburban town of about 26,000. No malls, no restaurants (yet), but we do have two liquor stores and a lovely wine shop, so no, we're not totally dry!

As far as the French goes, there is no lottery. If you choose immersion for your child, it begins in first grade. Unfortunately, you can not enter the program after first grade unless your child can prove they are competent enough in the language to keep up with their classmates at this point. The only sticking point is that the program can often "fill up" at one school, in which case your child may have to attend another school, perhaps a bit further from your home. But this is unusual.

The program is 20 years old, and not without its share of controversy. There are some both real and percieved inequities between the children in the immersion program and the English-only (or "traditional") classes. To date, however, there have been no real organized movements to dismantle the immersion program, as it has been shown to cost the same (or even less, by some counts) than the traditional program.

After fifth grade, immersion ends, though the immersion students continue to take French language/culture courses throughout middle school. By 9th grade, they can choose another language to study, or continue with advanced French courses.

I hope this answers you questions. My biggest fear was that my children would lag behind their peers in reading and writing in English. And while their spelling is terrible and many parents to report a bit of a lag, by third grade, it all seems to even out. And this has also been my experience. Good luck!

[skipperstuffs109]

I've lived in Milton throughout most of my life and attended the public schools from K-9. Throughout this time I was enrolled in the French immersion program. I cannot say enough wonderful things about the program -- I always tell my parents that it was one of the best decisions they ever made for me. This year I am graduating from a small private school in Quincy and attending Tulane University in the fall.

As the name suggests, Milton's program is truly all in French. On the first day of first grade, the student walks into school and immediately the teacher begins to speak to him or her in french. This may seem daunting, and to some kids it will be, but the language barrier gets broken down very quickly. In the first few weeks, I was able to understand almost everything my teacher was saying. The teachers are all wonderful and are available to help any student who is struggling. First and second grade are taught entirely in french. The only exceptions are art and gym (which are simply not in french because they are taught by different teachers). Instead being taught basic arithmetic in English, I was taught how to add and subtract all in french. I also learned how to tell the time and dates and how to describe the weather. I'm sure the curriculum has changed since 1996, but I recall reading a book about Piere and Sophie and their petit chien. While reading little stories aloud, we also answered comprehension questions and began writing sentences. I learned how to conjugate the present tenses of many common verbs in first grade. By second grade I was writing reports in French and learning more complex grammar on par to that of my English counterparts. I had wonderful teachers through both these years, one of which was a native of Quebec, another of Senegal.

After second grade, the program is split. From third to fifth grade, I spent half the day learning in English and half the day learning in French. By fifth grade the concentration was on English in order to better prepare for the transition into middle school.

Middle school was a less than enjoyable experience for me in many ways, but I will always be grateful for the linguistic skills that became an indispensible part of my education in those three years. French immersion students are separated from new French students, taking two classes instead of just one. Through the three years every "accelerated" french student takes a class in French, geared toward literature and grammar. In sixth grade, students take what is essentially history for everyone else, just in French. In seventh grade the class merges culture and history. In eigth grade the class is primarily cultural, called "French Humanities." This was one of my favorite classes I every took. We learned about music from all over the world, including France. I can still sing "La Vie en Rose" and "Ne me quitte pas" verbatim. That class in particular helps integrate an element of global education into what might otherwise be a dry, simply American education.

I left the public schools after ninth grade, but my counterparts who are graduating from MHS this year seem to have all continued having the wonderful experience I had. Unfortunately, I could not continue my French education as thouroughly as them. I took the highest French class offered in my school during 10th grade, and independent studies the last two years. I began taking Latin which I picked up quite easily because of my French.

I would also like to mention that the success rate of French immersion students seems to be higher than their English peers. Of course there are exceptions, but in my experience the French immersion students are more eager to learn and thus expand their educational horizons. They also tend to be more culturally aware.

I hope this helps. I am happy to answer any other questions anyone might have. In case you haven't noticed, I think the program is a fantastic idea. DEFINETLY enroll your kids if you can.

[Taylorh3]

I'm a little late but... I live in Holliston, I'm a senior and I've been in the french immersion program since kindergarten and I love it. I would definitely go through it again. I'm planning to major in french and I'm interning next semester at the elementary schools. I think very highly of the program and the woman who runs it. She is unbelievable, the smartest woman i have ever met.

[mjgandthree]

Don't know about those schools but you can do a search on immersion schools in the country here.

[chenault33]

Are your children fluent, is the program 50/50? I am moving from Montreal next year and would like for my children to be able to continue in a bilingual program. Is this school public or private?

[hummingbird52002]

I am originally from Canada (Quebec) and I am fluent in French. I went to french private school for 13 years. I also used it continuously up until 2007 when I moved to MA. If anyone needs help with their kids' programs, let me know.

Thanks!
Mara

[hummingbird52002]

chenault33-what part of Montreal? You speak French?

[mcm08]

i live in milton. its a great town with good education offered by all the schools. i dont know much about the french programs except they are offered at most of the elementary schools. it is of course and optional program for students to start in first grade and continue with through i believe its fifth or sixth grade. when in junior high or high school students take language courses that meet like any other class would once a day. their day to day classes would be in english and their opportunity to learn more in french goes throughout high school based on their skill level. And some one had mentioned that milton is a dry town, meaning no alcohol is sold there. not true, there are i believe two liquor stores and a small but very nice grocery store in the east milton square area that sells wine at cheap prices.

[gouldmanj]

I live in Quincy, just over the Milton line, by East Milton Square and we go to church on Adams Street, in Milton. This part of Milton is safe and I think more affordable than other sections of Milton. If the children that go to our church are any indication of how great Milton schools are, it would be a good choice for you.

[chaluchar]

Taylorh3-What is the name of the school that has french immersion program that you attended since kindergarten? I live in ashland and would love my daughter to go to french school starting that early.