French-speaking parents living in Melbourne's north were waiting for this for a while: a French program in a neighbourhood school. It's now happening thanks to the efforts of the French Bilingual Association (FBA).
The bilingual program (French and English) will start in 2020 at Fitzroy Primary School. "It's a school that is fulfilling all our criteria," says FBA president Marjorie Thouron to SBS French. "It's a school with enough space to welcome new students, which is very well located for most of the families in our organisations and that is not zoned, which means that students don't need to live right near the school to get in."
To start with, the program will be offered at the prep level. The school should then gradually become bilingual.
"They have already change the foreign language they teach at the school. It has been French since the beginning of the school year," says FBA vice-president Marine Guillou.
Fitzroy Primary School is in charge of the change and the program, but you can keep updated on the next steps by subscribing to the FBA's newsletter.
Marine Guillou et Marjorie Thouron lors de leur visite dans les studios de SBS Source: SBS
L’école du samedi
Between now and the, l’école du samedi is still running. French classes are offered for children between 3 and 6-years-old at Fitzroy Primary School, on Saturday mornings.
The FBA also has a playgroup for children between zero and three-years-old, as well as French classes for parents. "Among our members, our typical family is binational with a French-speaking parent and an Australian, English-speaking parent," explains Guillou. The playgroup and the French classes for children and parents are all happening at the same time to make it easier for families.
The FBA has also organised a play in French, Le petit chaperon rouge, which is showing next Saturday, 4 August. You can buy tickets here or send us a message on Facebook, telling us who you'd go see the play with, to win a pair of tickets.
You can also listen to our interview with Marjorie Thouron and Marine Guillou (in French) to have more details about the new French program:
