At Gerald Mc Shane, students follow a French Immersion curriculum model. Students receive instruction entirely in French from Pre-Kindergarten through to Cycle 1 (grade 1 and 2) followed by a 50/50 English-French program in Cycles 2 and 3 (grade 3 to 6).
Extra-Curricular programs and activities are an extension to the basic school curriculum. Schools will offer a different variety of educational programs and activities depending on the community, location and volunteers and funding.
The Programme d'enseignement des langues d'origine (PELO), is a special project completely financed by the government. The purpose of the program is to allow each child to broaden and better appreciate his/her language and culture of origin. In our case, due to the number of pupils who are of Italian origin, the language taught is Italian.
The program is nevertheless open to all pupils in the school and at all cycles. Many pupils who are not of Italian origin avail themselves of the opportunity to learn a new language and better appreciate the culture of their friends, and as such, register for the program.
At present, the course is integrated into the pupil’s regular timetable for a total of 90 minutes per week.
Students are introduced to music recording software and music composition.
CanSkate is a dynamic learn-to-skate program that focuses on fun, participation and basic skill development. Based on Sport Canada’s long term athlete development (LTAD) principles, CanSkate centers on physical literacy and the fundamental skills needed to take part in any ice sport or to skate as a recreational activity.
Gerald McShane School partners with Québec-en-Forme to offer a wellness education program that teaches active living and healthy eating, essential to the full development of Québec's youth.
The Greater Montreal Athletic Association is a school sports organization devoted to the promotion of athletics in the English schools of the greater Montreal region. Gerald McShane participates in various sports events organized by the GMAA for elementary schools.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the English Montreal School Board has begun making a list of general educational activities available to parents and students via two websites: www.emsb.qc.ca/emsb/community/education and https://ecoleouverte.ca/en. The latter emanates from the provincial government. These activities are optional and will not be graded nor count for marks.
