A new K-12 French school in the Eastern Kings Region will provide a high quality learning environment for our Francophone students in Kings County, says Education, Early Learning and Culture Minister Hal Perry.
“The current École La-Belle-Cloche building is currently full to capacity, so we were pleased to make this investment in French First Language education in our province,” said Minister Perry. “The provincial government is making a $6.1 million investment in our education infrastructure, along with an additional anticipated investment from the federal government for French community spaces.”
The new French school will be located on the site of the former Rollo Bay School. The existing building will be completely renovated and there will be an expansion to accommodate the needs of today’s K-12 students.
The new school will be designed to hold a K-12 school population of 100-150 students. It will include an integrated space for information technology and trades, a band room, a multi-functional science lab and a project-based learning room.
Government has worked with community members and the Commission scolaire de langue française to design a school to support excellence in French First Language student learning. In addition to the educational component, community spaces will also be available to the public. This will include a multi-purpose room, a cafeteria, gymnasium, an early years program and meeting rooms.
“We are very pleased that the plans to renovate the former Rollo Bay school are confirmed and moving ahead,” said Emile Gallant, president of the Commission scolaire de langue francaise. “We believe this new infrastructure will offer a great opportunity to better meet the learning needs of our students as well as the needs of our Acadian and Francophone community.”
Students from École La-Belle-Cloche are scheduled to move into the new school in 2017.