Photo of girl student

Learning in French

Ruru La Chouette, our French bilingual class, opened at the start of the 2019 school year. The class has grown, and in 2020 there are 2 teachers for this class.

Who can enroll in this class?

Children aged from 5 - 12 years who speak French fluently.
Children aged 5 - 7 years who speak some French and will supported by French speaking family members (at least one parent who is a French speaker)

Note: Children who do not come from French speaking families may be accepted into the class on a case by case basis, depending on the level of support that their family can provide for them.

Draft criteria for acceptance into the French Class.

Promotional flyer
Ridgway School Enrolment form (PDF)

FRENZ

FRENZ is a parent-led association which supports New Zealand schools with French bilingual classes by supplying resources, arranging for French teacher aides or "stagieaires" (French speaking volunteers) and providing a network for bilingual families to belong to. It is a requirement of enrollment into Ruru La Chouette that families join FRENZ and make the financial contribution sought which allows the organisation to carry out its work.

FRENZ membership application form (PDF)

Introducing Nicolas Delaire - Lead Teacher in Ruru La Chouette

Kia Ora, Bonjour

Je m'appelle Nicolas Delaire, de père français et mère chilienne, ayant grandi en France et au Chili, je proviens donc d'une famille et d'un milieu biculturel.

Titulaire d'une licence en Histoire et en Éducation à l'Université de Valparaiso au Chili et d'un master en Histoire à l'EHESS, j'ai enseigné le Français, l'Histoire et la Géographie depuis la rentrée 2010 au lycée français Antoine de Saint-Exupéry à Santiago du Chili principalement dans le secondaire.

La salle de classe est un espace civique, ludique, plaisant où les élèves sont les acteurs essentiels de leur propre apprentissage. L'école de Ridgway offre, dans ce sens, un cadre privilégié pour la concrétion de ce nouveau projet (dessein) pédagogique.

Hors classe, j'aime partager mon temps libre avec ma femme et ma fille, le camping, le surf et bien sur le rugby.

Ka kite ano, A bientôt.

Kia Ora, Bonjour

My name is Nicolas Delaire. My father is French and my mother is Chilean, and I grew up in both France and Chile, so I come from a bicultural background.

I have a degree in History and Education from the University of Valparaiso in Chile and a master's degree in History from EHESS (The School of Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences in Paris). I have been teaching French, History and Geography since the beginning of the 2010 academic year at the French school Antoine de Saint-Exupéry in Santiago de Chile.

Outside of class, I like to share my free time with my wife and daughter, camping, surfing and, of course, rugby.

Ka kite ano, See you soon.