P.E.L.O.

For many years now our School Board has offered Heritage Language courses (Programme de l'enseignement des langues d'origine), in cooperation with the Ministry of Education.

The P.E.L.O. program aims to improve the students knowledge of their heritage language and gives greater depth to the students' understanding of human experience by fostering an appreciation of the customs and achievements of people within their communities.

The content of the existing Heritage Language programs and the financing of P.E.L.O. classes are the responsibility of the Ministry of Education.

This program offers the following advantages :

  • its objectives conform to the Ministry of Education norms
  • it provides quality teaching
  • the program is integrated into the educational project of the school;
  • there is now growing appreciation of the role that multilingual individuals can play in a increasingly diverse society, and there is also greater understanding of the academic and cognitive benefits that may accrue from learning their heritage language;
  • knowledge of a third language can give our students a competitive advantage in the workforce by opening up additional job opportunities;
  • promoting the students' language and culture within a formal course recognizes alternative ways of expression and the value of the childís culture;
  • students will have the ability to communicate with more people, read more literature, and benefit more fully from travel to their country of origin.

These courses are offered after school. These classes encourage mutual respect among cultures and are one of the best ways to achieve harmony in diversity. They are usually offered to students in Grades 1 to 6 only. These courses are offered in Hebrew, Greek, Italian, Chinese, Arabic or other.

  • A minimum of 14 students from the language of origin is required to open a class
  • These students should come from a maximum of two consecutive academic grade levels.
  • There must be an official program available at the Ministry.

Once these conditions have been met, the school principal, in cooperation with the Governing Board, will take the necessary steps to organize such a class.