Programs

Curricular Programs

Sun Valley offers a full spectrum curriculum as mandated by Manitoba Education. We strive to provide each student with an opportunity to reach his/her potential by providing an integrated program that encourages academic, social, physical and emotional growth.

Our programming focuses on:

• English
• Language Arts
• Mathematics
• Science
• Social Studies
• Physical Education / Health
• Music
• French Communication and Culture (formerly Basic French), Gr. 4-5
• Art

French Immersion

Sun Valley School offers an early French Immersion Program. Students enter the program at the Kindergarten or Grade 1 level. The instruction in Grades 1 through 5 is 25 percent English and 75 percent French. Kindergarten classes are conducted entirely in French with some use of English at the beginning of the program to establish routines.

The French Immersion Program provides students with an opportunity to learn a second language by using it. Students acquire both a knowledge and functional use of the French language by the end of the Grade 12. This learning is enhanced through a rich variety of activities such as special assemblies, field trips, cross-grade sharing, as well as cultural experiences.

The mixture of academic, social and cultural learning opportunities encourages students to develop a positive attitude toward all cultures. A pamphlet describing the French Immersion Program is available from the school office.

The goal of immersion programs is to enable students whose first language and culture are not French to function effectively in French. Functional use of the language includes:

• enabling students to take further education at the post secondary level with French as the language of instruction (e.g. understanding what is taught to them, researching and writing papers, and participating in class discussions),
• allowing students to accept employment using French as the working language or to live in a Francophone milieu,
• enabling students to participate easily in conversation,
• enabling students to understand and appreciate attitudes and customs other than their own.

It is understood that students who spend more time in the French program tend to be more functionally bilingual. The program follows the curriculum outlined by the Bureau de l'Éducation Française.

Canadian Parents for French (CPF) is a nationwide voluntary association for parents which promotes the French Immersion program in Canadian schools. For more information about this association and the French Immersion program please visit their web site.

Music

The École Sun Valley music program is an inclusive program where all are included, all participate to the best of their abilities and that celebrates all learners and their strengths. The goal of the music program at École Sun Valley School is to develop students' appreciation of music and art through singing, movement, playing instruments, writing, responding, collaborating, sharing, creating, improvising, and listening. At École Sun Valley School, we believe that all children have the inherent ability to make music and share in the artistic expression of the human experience. More information about the music and arts curriculums can be found in this Manitoba Government Arts Programming Brochure.

"Use the talents you possess,
For the woods would be a silent place
if no birds sang except the best."

Physical Education/Health

Sun Valley School has adopted the provincial vision for physical education/health through unified programming. When viewed together, this approach heightens the importance of both subject areas and supports a stronger message to students about making safe and healthy lifestyle choices. The focus is to promote the development of movement and personal management skills for life-long physical activity and fitness. This knowledge helps reduce health risks by developing skills and processes for making health-enhancing decisions for active healthy lifestyles. The integrated curriculum emphasizes knowledge about health and fitness. This includes nutrition, stress management, prevention of health problems, safety and violence prevention, as well as exercise and fitness. At Sun Valley School, an extensive extra-curricular program complements our physical education/health curriculum.