 Hello my name is Christopher Peacock. I'd like to welcome you to our series supporting administrators in French Immersion programs and topic number 8, resources. Topic 8 provides administrators with information about accessing the different kinds of resources that are available to support French Immersion programs within the academics via Alberta Education, within the cultural component via the community, and to further professional development for teachers. For more information, consult the Handbook for French Immersion administrators 2010, pages 93 to 100, chapter 10, support agencies and what they offer, and chapter 11, textual and multimedia resources. The Handbook is also available online at educationalberta.ca. With over 40 years of experience, French Immersion is no longer an experimental program. Today, it is not necessary for teachers to translate materials or create their own materials for the program. Many resources are available for administrators, teachers, parents and students. Alberta Education French Language Services include curriculum and support documents in French for each subject from kindergarten to grade 12. Learning Resources Center, LRC, carries authorized student basic and support resources and teacher resources. And to learn.ca has a site dedicated to learning and teaching in French. For pedagogical resources, EATLI provides an online educational resource. It was developed by the Ontario Ministry of Education to support elementary school teachers. Teachers must register to have access to demonstration videos. The bilingual site also has a section for parents. TFO Education produces and distributes French TV programs and multimedia with cultural and educational content. The site has a section for French Immersion teachers, parents and students. Teachers will appreciate the wide range of classroom materials available from kindergarten to grade 12. Please note, to have unlimited access to all materials, schools need to pay a user fee. Information is available on the site. Administrators should consult the current funding manual for school authorities, part 4.2, to know the funding available for alternative French language programs, including French Immersion. This funding includes the basic education grant as well as urban transportation funding. Funding is available for students in the following areas. Explore is the second language summer bursary program available to those who wish to study French during the spring and summer. For more information on this program, follow the link provided. Administrators are encouraged to share this information with their secondary students as soon as it is distributed to schools. As well, this program may be used to enhance a French Immersion program where numbers do not permit the range of courses offered in larger urban schools. The French Student Language Development Exchange program is sponsored by Alberta Education and is a three month exchange for high school students. You can click on the link provided for more information. With regards to teacher funding, the teacher bursary program is a bursary for professional training available to French language educators. The program is funded by Canadian Heritage and administered by Alberta Education. You can refer to the Alberta Education website for more details. Principles are encouraged to share this information with all staff members working directly with students in their French Immersion program and encourage these staff members to apply for these funds for their own individual and professional development. For language assistance, the Odyssey program is administered by CMAC and is intended for language assistance. More information can be found on the link provided. Administrators of French Immersion programs are encouraged to request that a language assistant be placed in their school at no cost to the school. For project support, federal financial assistance is available to school jurisdictions to defray up to 50% of the additional costs of the French language programs and projects. Many resources can also be found in French bookstores. Librarie le Carrefour University Bookstore is based in Edmonton and offers a variety of services in French. Livre la Coste Books, with a website currently under construction, is a Spanish, French bookstore and language tutoring service based in Calgary. They offer reading materials, teaching materials, CDs and DVDs and language tutoring for students of all ages and levels, also in private or in small groups for French, Spanish, Italian and German. Lookfors in a French Immersion classroom is a tool developed by MIRFIP for French Immersion administrators. Areas of focus are outlined in checklist format allowing for quick recording. This tool can be used in multiple ways. Click on Resource Crayer. Scroll down to the bottom of the page. Click on Lookfors. This is a two-page PDF file. The first page is the checklist. The next page, possibilities for how to make the most of this tool. Supporting parents in your French Immersion program is crucial. There are two indispensable resources for parents, both of which are available online in PDF format. Number one, Yes You Can Help is a resource produced by Alberta Education and Canadian Parents for French, Alberta Branch. This guide provides over 140 pages of information, advice, resources and inspiration for parents of French Immersion from kindergarten through grade 12. Some schools provide parents with a copy of Yes You Can Help when their child enters kindergarten. Second, French Immersion curriculum handbook for parents is available for all grade levels, kindergarten through grade 12. Immersing students in the French culture is a goal of the French Immersion program. Administrators and school leaders can encourage French Immersion students to participate in a wide range of cultural activities both in and out of school. Here are a few resources to let you know what French cultural activities and events are taking place in your community. AXON is a directory of resources and activities in French for your schools. It is sent to schools with French Immersion programs in the fall and is also available online in both French and English. Frank Alta. The Frank Alta website is an online calendar of French cultural events taking place in various localities in Alberta. Le Franco is the only weekly French newspaper in Alberta. It also lists events and activities in French communities throughout Alberta. Consider subscribing to this newspaper to keep your French Immersion staff current. Alliance Francaise is an international non-profit organization dedicated to spreading the French language and culture around the world. There are offices in Calgary and Edmonton, which both offer French courses and organized events for children and adults. Alberta has a vibrant French community that is eager to share its culture. Theater, dance, music, visual arts, books are all part of the cultural experience. Here are some sources that are available in French. Cine Club of Edmonton presents one French film on a monthly basis from October to May. Cinémagine. The Cinémagine Society is a non-for-profit organization responsible for promoting French films to Francophones and Francophiles in Alberta. La Girondelle Dance Association is committed to promoting the Francophone culture through dance and folklore. The association currently offers a wide variety of dance classes and training programs year-round. You can visit the website to see what is being offered. Conseil de développement économique de l'alberta. CDEA has developed a French website that presents a variety of information on tourism in Alberta. The Heritage Community Foundation has created Alberta's Francophone Heritage website in the Alberta Online Encyclopedia. You can explore the website in French or in English. Go to click to browse all sites. Le Regroupement artistique francophone de l'Alberta provides a French performing arts directory with up-to-date information on art mediums such as visual, musical, theatrical, etc. La Société Francophone des arts visuels de l'Alberta endeavors to promote the importance of visual arts through demonstrations, workshops, exhibitions, and touring. Saba offers workshops for students from kindergarten to grade 12. You can visit their site and order a catalogue. L'Unité à Artre has a website in French only but they also welcome inquiries in English. They present five French plays on an annual basis at the Theatre de la Cité Francophone in Edmonton. They also offer summer camp workshops, drama courses, and workshops for adults and children. Provincial and national associations also exist as excellent resources. Le Conseil Français offers an annual conference, professional development opportunities, bursaries, and awards as well as a newsletter Le Coffre au Trésor. The Canadian Association of Immersion Teachers or CATE hosts annual national conferences for teachers and administrators. Casalt, the Canadian Association of Second Language Teachers, and OEC Ontario Institute for Studies and Education are also excellent resources. Post-secondary institutions offering courses and degrees include but are not exclusive to Campus Saint-Jean, Simon Fraser, University of Regina, Collège Universitaire Saint-Boniface, Université de Moncton, and OEC. And a CPF is a national organization that supports French second language learning. The CPF website is an invaluable resource to French Immersion educators, teachers, parents, and students. Be sure to check out the national site as well as CPF Alberta. Check to see if your area has a local CPF chapter. This PowerPoint has presented you to topic 8 with insights on resources that can support your French Immersion Program. This topic is one of eight in the series Support for Administrators of French Immersion Programs. For further information on resources to support your French Immersion Program, consult the Alberta Education's Handbook for French Immersion Administrators 2010 version from pages 93 to 100. More specifically, chapter 10, support agencies and what they offer, and chapter 11, textual and multimedia resources.