Alternative Programs

Mandarin Bilingual Language Program

HISTORY

The English-Chinese Bilingual Program at Kildare opened it's first Kindergarten classrroom in 1982 as one of Edmonton Public School Division's first English-Chinese Bilingual classrooms.  A volunteer parent organization called the Edmonton Chinese Kindergarten Association (ESKA) had been offering Kindergarten programming themselves out of Glengarry and Strathearn Schools, modeling it after Edmonton Public's already established Ukrainian and German Bilingual Programs until it was approved by Edmonton Public School Division's Board of Trustees in February 1983.  The program was designed to provide students an opportunity to learn the Chinese language, in addition to the regular curriculum and to experience the richness of both the western and eastern cultures.  Since the program first opened students of Kildare's program have excelled in both their learning of the Chinese culture as well as academics, achieving above provincial average on Grade 6 provincial acheivement exams in all core subjects for most school years.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Students in the Mandarin Bilingual Program learn subject material in Mandarin for 50% of their day with the other 50% is committed to learning in English.  Sometimes this is done under the instruction of Mandarin is the primary language of instruction for the subjects of Chinese language Arts, Mathematics, Health, and Physical Education while they are in Chinese classroom. They learn English Language Arts, Science, social Studies, and Arts with English instruction in English classroom.

GOALS

• Develop language and literacy skills in Chinese (Mandarin) and English, and use both to communicate
• Learn about Chinese culture

BENEFITS

• Proficiency in English and Chinese
• Improved academic achievement
• Improved skills in the student’s first language
• Knowledge and appreciation of different cultures
• International language certification opportunities

ELIGIBILITY

• To register in Kindergarten or Grade 1, no previous knowledge of Chinese (Mandarin) is required.
• Students entering the program after Grade 1 are considered on an individual basis.

ALBERTA CURRICULUM

All Edmonton Public Schools programming is based on curriculum determined by Alberta Education. Students enrolled in Chinese (Mandarin) Bilingual will receive the same high-quality education available in all of our programs.

TRANSPORTATION

• Kindergarten to Grade 6 - Some yellow busing options are available.
• Grade 7 to 12 - Edmonton Transit is the preferred method of transportation.

For more information about busing, contact the school or call Student Transportation at 780-429-8585. 

FSL Program

At Kildare School we offer French as a Second Language (FSL) at the grade four level. In Alberta, French as a Second Language refers to a course sequence in which the French language is taught as a subject. Research has demonstrated that a second language is best taught between 30 to 40 minutes a day over the course of a school year to enable students to develop communication skills, linguistic knowledge, cultural understanding, intercultural competence and language learning strategies.