After months of discussion and consultation with area parents and local stakeholders, the Prairie Rose School Division Board of Trustees has decided to expand the Division's French Immersion Programming into the southern portion of the district, or Region A. Currently, French Immersion is only offered in the northern part of PRSD.

Superintendent, Terry Osiowy, says the Board had been discussing this possible expansion for some time when parents began expressing a high-level interest in the programming this past fall.

"When we got the interest from the parents to look at it, our Education Committee decided to take a good look at it. So we held an information evening in October and we also did surveys, and we found there was enough interest."

The program will run out of Carman Elementary School and include students from the Elm Creek, Carman, Roland, and Miami school catchments. It will start at the Kindergarten level in September 2018 and grades will be added each year as the students move forward.

Osiowy doesn't think the move will require much change in staffing.

"The Board is prepared to do an investment if it has to in order to start the Kindergarten program. But as the program grows it's going to be more of a shifting of staffing, so rather than having three Grade 1 English-track classrooms we'll maybe have two with one French Immersion."

Meantime, he added the Board is committed to not having this added programming impact other Kindergarten class sizes at Carman Elementary.

Registrations are currently being accepted for the coming school year. Osiowy says once those numbers are in, officials will begin the teacher hiring process.