The Extended French Immersion Program is designed to develop Grade 7 and 8 students’ skills in reading, writing, listening and oral communication in French. Through this experience, students will communicate and interact in French with growing confidence and fluency. The program implements the Ontario curriculum and provides stimulating experiences as well as marketable second language skills. 

The Extended French Immersion Program accepts students with a Core French background who have demonstrated the prerequisite linguistic skills, who have a strong desire to complete extra academic activities and have the desire to learn French across most of the curriculum areas. A good foundation in mathematics and language skills in English is also important. 

Extended French/Late French Immersion is offered at three sites:

• Harrowsmith Public School (northern region)

• Module de l'Acadie (western region)

• Module Vanier (Kingston region)

Families are asked, where possible, to submit the application form (which includes the parent/guardian checklist), a copy of the most recent report card, and a copy of the Individualized Education Plan, or IEP, if applicable, by Friday, April 23, 2021. 

Students who are currently enrolled in French Immersion and will be attending Module Vanier or Module de l’Acadie for Grade 7 are not required to complete an application form as you will be transferred to your immersion site automatically. 

Extended French Immersion Registration Form

The Challenge Program is designed to meet the needs of academically motivated and/or formally identified gifted students who are seeking new learning challenges while maintaining a healthy, balanced lifestyle.  The purpose of the program is to engage students in the provincial grade level curriculum through enriched experiences in a fast-paced, dynamic and multi-faceted learning environment. Students will have the opportunity to extend their learning and maximize their potential alongside peers from a variety of schools. 

To experience success in the Challenge Program students should be well-organized, self-directed problem solver who regularly engage and participate. The Challenge Program promotes respect, collaboration and inclusiveness, allowing student to develop a sense of their role as leaders within their communities and citizens of a global society.

• Calvin Park Public School (Kingston region)

• Loughborough Public School (Northern region)

• Odessa Public School (Western region)

Step 1: January 11-22, 2021

All online applications for Challenge, LEAP and ATLAS are due Friday, January 22, 2021 by 4 p.m. Late applications will NOT be accepted. Applications are now closed.

Upon receipt of your online application form, you will receive an automatic reply confirming your submission. Please retain this email for future reference.

If you are applying to more than one program (ATLAS, Challenge, LEAP), you must submit an application for each program separately. Please note that you can only apply to one Challenge Program site (see chart embedded in the application to select your Challenge Program site). 

Please note that all requests for technical support related to the application form must be made no later than 24 hours prior to the submission deadline.

Step 2: February 1- March 12, 2021

If you completed and submitted the online application by 4 p.m. on Friday, January 22, 2021 and you received an automatic reply confirming your submission, you will receive a second email the week of February 1, 2021. This email will outline the remaining requirements of the application process. In general, it will let you know the following:

• that you have been registered in a MindsOnline Learning classroom (i.e., “LEAP Application Class”, “ATLAS Application Class”, “Challenge Calvin Park Application Class”, “Challenge Loughborough Application Class”, “Challenge Odessa Application Class”).
• how to access this learning classroom to receive information from the Registrar regarding application requirements, assignments, and due dates.
• how to upload your application assignments.

Application requirements will include:

ATLAS: November 2020 Progress Report (for Learning Skills), a video to introduce yourself, an in-school team questionnaire and a student advocacy card (to be completed at the home school)

Challenge: November 2020 Progress Report (for Learning Skills), a video to introduce yourself, a math challenge, a literacy challenge

LEAP: November 2020 Progress Report (for Learning Skills), a video to introduce yourself, an arts-related task

The tasks for ATLAS, Challenge and LEAP will all be completed at school, during school time. Educators will provide the technology and space required to complete these tasks.

Clear instructions and due dates will all be shared through the Minds Online Learning classroom. All applicants must be available for the month of February and first two weeks of March, during school hours, as application requirements cannot be completed outside of this timeline.

Due to the restrictions imposed, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, there will not be in-person visits nor in-person information sessions. Please review the Frequently Asked Questions section. Please take time to read through the questions and answers before beginning your application.

Candidates for Challenge, LEAP and ATLAS programs will be contacted (by email) regarding the status of their application on Thursday, April 1, 2021 after 3 p.m.

How do we apply for LEAP, Challenge and ATLAS?
All applications are completed online.

What do I do if I cannot upload/submit my application form?

Please contact the LDSB Service Desk at 613-544-6925 ext 395 for assistance. All requests for technical support must be made no later than 24 hours prior to the submission deadline. 

I have completed and submitted my child’s application but have not received any emails from the Choices at Seven Registrar?

The application form will require that you provide only one email address for all future communications. Please double check that the email you provide is correct before submitting your form. Ensure that you have clicked the submission button at the end of your completed application. You should also check your clutter/junk mailbox as emails will sometimes end up there. If you have any concerns or questions please email the Choices at Seven Registrar. You will know that your application has been received if you receive an automatic reply confirming your submission. You should retain this email for future reference.

Where can I get more information about the programs and the admission requirements?

Information about the admission requirements and important dates are available at Choices at 7.

Challenge is offered at three sites. Can we apply for whichever one we prefer? 
No. There are geographical boundaries for each site. Visit the list of Challenge Program selection sites for more information. Particular elementary schools feed into each site (i.e., northern schools into Loughborough PS, western area schools into Odessa PS, and the others into Calvin Park PS. Please note that you can only apply to one Challenge site.

Can we apply to more than one program, for instance LEAP and Challenge?
Certainly. Several students apply to both programs every year.

How do you decide who gets accepted?                                                                            

Applicants are assessed on their November 2020 Progress Report Learning Skills and then on a series of on-line tasks as follows: Challenge: video submission, math challenge, literacy challenge; LEAP: video submission, arts challenge; and ATLAS: a video submission (and a review of each applicant’s IEP, in-school questionnaire and student advocacy card which will be completed at the school).

When and where do I complete the submission tasks?
The submission videos and any other required tasks will be completed over the month of February and first two weeks of March at your student’s school (or with a remote learning teacher if you are doing remote learning).

How do you obtain a copy of my child's report card?
If your student attends a school within the Limestone District School Board, we access the report card electronically. If your student attends a school outside our Board, or is home schooled, you will be asked to deliver or mail a hard copy of the most recent report card to the Limestone District School Board Education Centre, 220 Portsmouth Ave., Kingston ON K7L 4X4, or scan and email.

Can my student apply for a Grade 8 placement in LEAP, Challenge or ATLAS?
Yes. The process is the same as Grade 7. Please note that there are only limited vacancies in the Grade 8 programs, because most of our students continue on in the program from Grade 7.

How many applicants apply and how many are accepted into each program?
ATLAS: About 60 applicants - 20 accepted
LEAP: About 150 applicants - 56 accepted (2 classes of 28)
Challenge at Loughborough PS: About 60 applicants - 28 accepted
Challenge at Odessa PS: About 40 applicants - 28 accepted
Challenge at Calvin Park PS: About 150 applicants -- 56 accepted (2 classes of 28)

Is there a waiting list?                                                 
Yes, a short waiting list is established for all programs, and it is kept active until the end of September. Vacancies are created, for instance, if a student is accepted into both LEAP and Challenge, so has to accept one offer and decline the other. That vacancy will be offered right away to the next person on the waiting list.

If my student doesn’t get in, will we be notified?      
Yes. All applicants are notified by email if they are accepted, placed on the waiting list, or if they are not being offered a space, on the notification date. Please see the list of notification dates.

What is the deadline for applications?
All of the dates are posted at Choices at 7. We do not accept late applications.

What is the process for applying for LEAP, Challenge and ATLAS?
All applicants must complete the online application form by the due date (January 22, 2021, 4 p.m). After February 1, 2021 each student will be enrolled in a Minds Online classroom (for each program) and will be asked to submit tasks by a deadline. All subsequent tasks will be completed at school.

Due to the restrictions imposed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, there will not be in-person visits nor in-person information sessions. Please read through the information posted on the Choices at 7 webpages. 

Is transportation provided?
Transportation is not guaranteed but we attempt to accommodate requests. If your student is accepted into a program, at the time of registration at the school, you will have to complete an application for transportation through Tri-Board Student Transportation.If Tri-Board Transportation can find a space on a bus which is near where you live, and it is going to the site your student would be attending, they will try to accommodate the request. However, this accommodation may result in your student arriving a bit late and leaving a bit early every day, which may affect their progress.

What is the selection process for Challenge and LEAP?
For Challenge and LEAP, applicants are rank-ordered based on their overall score.

First Round: equity of opportunity. The first 23 places in each program are accepted from the rank-ordered list based on quotas for each Family-of-Schools

Second Round: based on the overall assessment score of each applicant until the cut off point of acceptance.

What is the selection process for ATLAS?
The selection of suitable candidates for ATLAS will be made by a Board committee who will review each online application, submission video, the student’s progress report learning skills, the student’s IEP (if applicable), the in-school team questionnaire and the student advocacy card. 

I missed the application deadline. How do I apply now?We do not accept late applications. Please visit Choices at 7 for a list of dates.

My student is currently in a Grade 6 French Immersion program. Do I need to apply to Vanier or Acadie?
If you are a LDSB student, currently in a French Immersion program, you do not need to apply. Your current school will transfer your child’s information to Vanier (Rideau PS, Polson Park PS, Sir John A. Macdonald PS) and to Acadie (J.R. Henderson PS, Amherstview PS). You should, however, complete a Tri-Board Student Transportation application. If you are in a Grade 6 French Immersion program in another school board, you are required to complete a LDSB registration form and submit it to Vanier or Acadie (based on the location of your home).