Il n’est jamais trop tard (it’s never too late) to start learning French, and École Van Belleghem’s new late immersion program is helping more kids start the adventure of language learning.

The school’s new program allows Grade 6 students to begin in French immersion for the first time, creating greater opportunity and more choice for students and their families as they determine the best learning journey for them.

Students in the program form a close‑knit cohort through Grades 6, 7, and 8, and then integrate into the regular French‑immersion stream in Grade 9, joining peers who started earlier in French immersion.

The program is designed to welcome students with no prior French while giving them a solid foundation for high school.

Evelyn Tugby, a teacher leading the initiative at École Van Belleghem, said the program is tailored to the needs of its participants.

“We’re not teaching them the same way we would beginners in younger grades,” she said. “They’re coming in with certain life experiences and problem‑solving skills, and we build on that.”

Students enter with little or no French and quickly move toward using the language for most or all of their school day, including core subjects, classroom discussion, and hallway chatter. While they are still working to catch up their language skills to students who started in the French Immersion stream earlier, Tugby said the transformation from zero to conversational French has been impressive.

And with all students in the class beginning from the same point, students find themselves in a supportive environment where they can learn together at the pace that works best for them. English instruction is gradually phased out in the early months to maximize exposure.

Tugby observed that her late immersion learners have been highly motivated.

“Families often speak very clearly about the value of multilingualism and the opportunities it can open,” she said. “Because students have often chosen this path, they’re more willing to take risks and participate.”

The late immersion program is part of the division’s ongoing effort to make French immersion more accessible to students at different stages of their school journey. The first cohort includes 25 students—the program’s cap—demonstrating strong interest from families. Offering an entry point in Grade 6 means that students who did not choose immersion at a younger age, or who did not have the opportunity to join, including many newcomers, now have a chance to immerse themselves in la joie du français!