WWW.DSFM.MB.CA DIVISION SCOLAIRE FRANCO-MANITOBAINE 30 YEARS STRONG
DIVISION SCOLAIRE FRANCO-MANITOBAINE AT A GLANCE DIVISION SCOLAIRE FRANCO-MANITOBAINE (DSFM) WHAT: M anitoba’s French-language school division serving over 6,500 students WHERE: Manitoba, Canada WEBSITE: www.dsfm.mb.ca THIRTY YEARS STRONG 1 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 04
E HOW MANITOBA’S FRENCH SCHOOL DIVISION IS BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE For Manitoba’s Division Scolaire FrancoManitobaine (DSFM), providing exemplary education to Francophone students across the province isn’t just a goal—it’s their driving purpose. Superintendent Alain Laberge and Board Chair Bernard Lesage highlight how this vision has transformed education for French-speaking communities throughout Manitoba. 2 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 04
“The mission we have is to make sure we offer the best education possible to all Francophone students in Manitoba,” explains Laberge. This foundation supports their wider vision focusing on student identity, particularly the development of FrancoManitoban heritage.“It’s one of our main visions—we want to broaden this and make sure they understand where they’re from, that we’re in a minority setting, but they’re still Franco-Manitoban.” Now celebrating its 30th anniversary, DSFM has grown from humble beginnings. “We started with 12 or 14 schools, with 4,000 students. Now we’re at 24, 25 schools, and over 6,500 students,” Laberge notes. The significance of this expansion resonates deeply given the historical context: “Before 1970, French couldn’t have their own schools. We couldn’t teach French. It was in the constitution.” The division marked this milestone with a provincewide celebration.The festivities continue throughout the year with individual school celebrations and a traveling museum showcasing DSFM’s journey. “Each of our schools decided to celebrate the 30th anniversary within their own region, so we have 30 celebrations during the year.” NEW SCHOOLS AND FACILITIES With an annual operational budget of approximately $120 million, DSFM continues to grow its physical footprint across Manitoba. The division’s expansion strategy cater to demographic shifts and the increasing demand for Francophone education throughout the province. “The priority for the school board is a new school in Brandon,” Lesage explains. “We have just been granted the approval to begin architectural plans.” This push comes in response to significant community growth.“We know that the community in Brandon is growing expeditiously, and we’ve had a lot of parents showing an interest in Francophone schools. There are a lot of francophones there according to the STAT scan who are entitled to a French education.” While the Brandon project awaits approval, DSFM has a confirmed new facility opening in Winnipeg. The new Sage Creek school, set to open September 1st, already has significant enrollment figures. “145 as of now, expecting the new class of kindergarten. So, we’ll add another 20,” says Laberge.“We opened this school because 15 kilometers away from this one, we had a school which was full, and we couldn’t add a floor or expand, so the ministry allowed us to open this new school in Sage Creek, at a cost of $50 million.” SUMMER CAMPS AND CULTURAL PROGRAMS DSFM also offers cultural and recreational programs that strengthen Francophone identity and community connections throughout Manitoba.“The Francophone summer camps are all in French, and they’re quite 3 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 04 DIVISION SCOLAIRE FRANCO-MANITOBAINE
popular,” Laberge says. “Sometimes with a lack of money, we have to limit ourselves to four summer camps, which is okay. Usually they’re full by April.” These camps maintain linguistic immersion while embracing inclusive practices.“There’s a component of learning French because most of our students learn French, but sometimes we have immersion students that are not in our schools, but they’re welcome because we’re a community school.” The division’s outdoor education center provides another valued cultural resource. “We also rent a piece of land, which is called Moose Lake. Moose Lake Camp is an hour and a half from Winnipeg. Meanwhile, DSFM school facilities themselves function as community hubs.“Our schools are open in the evening for the community, so we have Girl Guides, Boy Scouts, badminton, hockey, things like that,” says Laberge. “If it’s a French event, we’ll probably prioritize it, but most of the time, depending on where they’re located, we’re open to everyone in the community.” The division also brings French-Canadian cultural traditions to life through events like Festival du Voyageur.“In all our schools we have what they call 4 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 04
MITT PROVIDES TRADES EXPLORATION FOR FRENCH STUDENTS THROUGH DSFM PARTNERSHIP MITT is focused on providing access to applied education. That includes giving French-speaking students in Division Scolaire Franco-Manitobaine (DSFM) opportunities to pursue technical training while maintaining their linguistic identity. The partnership with DSFM currently sees over 250 students from 12 different DSFM schools attend MITT once a week for one of three courses – Grade 9 Intro to Metalworking Technology, Grade 10 Intro to Woodwork Technology, and Grade 10 Intro to Electricity/Electronics Technology. The courses teach students theory at their own school, while giving them hands-on experience in modern trades labs at MITT. “These courses give French-speaking students instruction in their first language and provide trades education that their school might not have the specialized resources to offer,” noted Chantal Simard, Director of Intercultural Student Pathways at MITT. “We often hear from students how this programming got them interested in the trades, opened their mind to trades and technology career options, and gave them hands-on practical skills.” The programming is highly valued by DSFM, as shown by the schools that make the trip to MITT, some coming from as far as an hour away to access the hands-on learning. DIVISION SCOLAIRE FRANCO-MANITOBAINE
pancakes and sausages breakfast in the morning, we invite the whole community, English or French,” Laberge notes. “We have singing. We have violin fiddle bands, and we have maple syrup on snow, and it’s very, very, very popular.” EDUCATIONAL EQUITY ACROSS MANITOBA Providing equal educational opportunities to all Franco-Manitoban students, regardless of geographic location, sits at the heart of DSFM’s operational philosophy. The division’s school network covers vast distances across Manitoba, presenting unique challenges that require innovative solutions. “One of our core values is equity,” Laberge emphasizes.“You’re eight hours away from Winnipeg, well, you are still entitled to have the same kind of education, the same kind of afterschool programs as anyone else.” This principle extends to professional development for staff across the division.“We have all our principals gathering together because once every six weeks we need to talk to them and go over a couple of new things that are going on in the province.” Lesage identifies the division’s three foundational pillars that guide their approach.“What’s important for Francophone school divisions in the minority setting are three pillars: academics, community and cultural and identity.” The challenges of operating schools across such vast distances are particularly acute for students in remote areas. “We have little schools all over the rural community. Some are very far from the major centers. We have a school in Thompson, which is like eight hours from Winnipeg,” Lesage notes. “And having the chance to meet with other students in the school division is so important for them.” INVESTMENT IN TECHNOLOGY AND SPECIALIZED LEARNING DSFM’s strategic investments indicate a forwardthinking approach to education, particularly in 6 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 04
addressing the unique challenges faced by students in smaller, geographically dispersed schools. Through innovative technology and specialized learning opportunities, the division creates connections that transcend physical distance. “We put a lot of money into that whole cultural aspect, but for our small schools, we’ve put them together to create what we call a campus of small schools,” Lesage explains.This virtual campus model enables specialized instruction across multiple locations. “Let’s say a teacher from a certain school is going to teach. Well, that teacher is going to be teaching different cohorts of students in different little schools around the province.” The program balances virtual learning with crucial in-person interactions. “That campus also meets as a group every once in a while to have a sense of who they are learning with, who their teacher is,” says Lesage. “That campus was not necessarily a big highlight for parents or students, but today they wouldn’t go without it. They just love it because it brings together the students online, but also in person once in a while during the year.” 7 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 04 DIVISION SCOLAIRE FRANCO-MANITOBAINE
For vocational education, DSFM has developed creative solutions. “Unfortunately, we’re dispersed all over in terms of trades. We don’t necessarily have a trade school, like other school divisions,” Lesage notes.“We rent spaces in Winnipeg and bring students together to have at least the occasion to explore different trades, like carpentry or welding.” Federal funding has enabled additional specialized learning spaces. “In our new school in Sage Creek, we’ll have a STEM room which will offer courses in the evening for parents,” Laberge adds. Similar investments in La Broquerie include “a room for production with a green screen and a 3D printer. Students will go into new courses, but it’s open at night as well for the community.” LIFELONG LEARNING PHILOSOPHY DSFM’s educational approach similarly embraces a culture where continuous growth and development form the cornerstone of both student and staff experiences. This philosophy shapes how classrooms operate and influences professional development throughout the division. “I’m a lifelong learner, so of course, I truly believe in lifelong learning,” Laberge states emphatically.“The first thing we always tell our staff and our seniors is that long gone are the days where the teacher in front knew everything and the rest of the students knew nothing, and they were there just to fill them up like a jar and make sure that they would be ready for the next steps.” This approach recasts the traditional teacherAMBM.CA The AMBM acknowledges the key role of the DSFM and its schools in the development of strong and sustainable bilingual communities in Manitoba. DSFM: a source of vitality and prosperity...in French! 8 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 04
student dynamic into a more collaborative learning environment. “For us, you can learn so much from your peers, from your students as well, even if you teach in kindergarten,” Laberge continues. “As such, we’re all lifelong learners, our staff are too, but they understand that whatever position you have, you have a critical role to play, and you still need to continue to learn.” Lesage reinforces this vision by highlighting how the division’s strategic planning process reimagined school roles. “When we first started developing our strategic plan, we often talked about instead of talking about students as students and teachers as teachers, we started to say that everybody was a learner.” For Lesage, education transcends academic subjects to encompass broader life skills.“Education is much larger than just learning math and physics. It’s all about participating in society,” he explains.“If I think back to the first day I became trustee to today and how much I’ve learned about education, it all shows how important education is to bring the whole of society to where we can live side by side, even though we are so different in many ways.” FUTURE PRIORITIES AND CHALLENGES Looking ahead, DSFM leadership has identified clear priorities to strengthen Francophone education throughout Manitoba, with infrastructure expansion and staffing needs topping their agenda for the coming years. “The first one would be to be able to get more schools,” Laberge states directly. This focus on physical infrastructure connects to deeper communitybuilding goals.“By building more schools we would have more neighborhood schools, which means we wouldn’t have students being on the bus one hour in the morning to go to school, one hour to come back at night.” Laberge envisions how these additional schools could transform student experiences beyond just education. “To be able to bike to school, to walk to school and have your friends, when you finish school at 3:30, that are in your neighborhood, that would be a way to not only enhance Francophone education, but more importantly to enhance the Francophone communities, which is really important to me.” Staffing remains an equally pressing concern for the division.“The second challenge we have is we need to have more teachers and more specialists,” Laberge explains. The competitive recruitment landscape presents unique challenges for Francophone schools. “We are in times where we are always looking to find staff. And it’s especially more difficult for Francophones because most of our Francophone teachers are EAs. They all speak good English. They 9 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 04 DIVISION SCOLAIRE FRANCO-MANITOBAINE
PREFERRED VENDOR/PARTNER n Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology,(MITT) www.mitt.ca MITT is a post-secondary institution offering industry-driven, student-focused education in the areas of applied business, design and manufacturing technologies, health care, human services, information and communication technology, and skilled trades. We provide affordable, timely, skills-based education for learners seeking career entry or in-demand competencies at any point in life. n Association of Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities www.ambm.ca The AMBM serves as the voice of bilingual municipal governments in Manitoba. Our members include 16 bilingual municipalities throughout the province. Together, they represent Manitoba’s bilingual municipal leadership. We work to shape the provincial and national agendas, and deliver tools and solutions that empower bilingual municipal governments to tackle today’s local challenges and achieve concrete results for our Francophone and bilingual communities. As DSFM celebrates its 30-year milestone, these twin priorities of infrastructure growth and talent acquisition will shape the division’s next chapter, ensuring the vibrant Franco-Manitoban educational tradition continues to flourish throughout the province for generations to come. were born here, so they have the choice to go to a private school, to an immersion school, to an English school, or a DSFM school to work.” This situation creates a hiring imbalance that requires proactive recruitment efforts. “English speaking teachers cannot come to our school, so we lose teachers sometimes,” Laberge notes. “We need to constantly be alert to go to virtual fairs, to go to any kind of fairs. Just recently, I sent people to Moncton for a recruiting fair.” 10 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 04
WWW.DSFM.MB.CA WWW.BUSINESSVIEWMAGAZINE.COM AS FEATURED IN BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE Division Scolaire Franco-Manitobaine
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