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new immigrant in Montreal

Discussion in 'Indians in Canada' started by anitagdelhi, Apr 25, 2010.

  1. anitagdelhi

    anitagdelhi New IL'ite

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    Hi friends,

    I m coming to Montreal next month, my husband is already working there, he is in IT profession, I will be living in Brunswick area, I m looking for new friends. I have 2 kids, 4yrs and 2 yrs., what is the position of schools there
    let me know if anybody can help
     
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  2. Grace3

    Grace3 Silver IL'ite

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    Hi Anita,

    I was living in Montreal last year and the schooling is all done in French. Unless you or your husband are Canadian citizens, you cannot opt for English mainstream education. As immigrants if you want only English medium, it would be very very expensive. As your husband is there, he may be knowing this already.

    You have to take an appointment with 'Commission Scolaire de Montreal' -- be prepared to wait for a long time [ we had to wait over 3 hrs.]. Once they register your kid , they will then send you within 2 weeks thro' post, the school which they've selected [ most probably it is the school closest to your residence]. They will admit the child in what is called the 'Accueil' kindergarden class or 'Welcome' class & not the regular kindergarden classes. But language of instruction & syllabus, will be the same in both, French, so needn't worry. The only difference will be the classmates will be multi-cultural [Chinese, Mexican, Indians] in the 'Accueil' class while the regular class will have the local Canadians.

    Almost all the teachers will also speak to you/answer ONLY in French, even if they know English. All correspondence in the kid's agenda [school diary] & the different notices they send home will also be in French only. A French-English dictionary was what I had to heavily rely on those days.
    If you know French, then no problems at all :)

    There is an option that once the child completes 2 years of schooling in French curriculum, he can be transferred to regular Bi-lingual [ with english medium], but i'm not sure if they will test the child or whether some other conditions are there. My kid's classmate did this transfer because they felt learning Math, Science etc. in French was too much as they too didn't know the language to help him with his lessons at home which would be more difficult in the higher classes.

    I've written what I've experienced & remembered. Hope it helps you.
    If you need any more info. I can find out & reply.

    Good Luck !
     
    Last edited: Apr 30, 2010
  3. bluesakura

    bluesakura New IL'ite

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    I am so happy to find information about registering children for school. Which neighborhood and neighborhood school do you recommend for families with children entering secondary school in Montreal? We are planning to move to Montreal from NY this summer and we have twin boys who will enter 7th grade in the fall. Also, do you have any recommendations for programs that might help with acclimating to Montreal. Thank you for providing very helpful information!
     
  4. neha1

    neha1 Silver IL'ite

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    bluesakura,

    Did you move to Montreal? I'm wondering if you know how 'bilingual' or 'unilingual' the community in montreal is, especially in an office environment. I understand that basic daily communications may have to be done in French, but wat is it like in offices?
     
  5. kmanoj32

    kmanoj32 New IL'ite

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    Hi Bluesakura, please let me know if your plan to move to Montreal went through. I would like to get some info about that from you :)
     
  6. kmanoj32

    kmanoj32 New IL'ite

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    Hi Grace, please let me know if you would be able to answer some questions that i have - since you are a frequent poster, i hope you will see my message
     

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