The Languages Department

The NWSS Languages Department offers a variety of second language studies, including multiple entry points for some courses. These include:

• French (French Honours and French International Baccalaureate)
• French Immersion (Éducation physique, français langue, sciences humaines, science naturelles, International Baccalaureate)
• Japanese
• Mandarin (International Baccalaureate Ab Initio)
• Punjabi
• Spanish

The goals of the NWSS Languages Department is to provide students with the ability to:

• communicate effectively with purpose and confidence in other languages;
• appreciate the richness, uniqueness and interconnectedness of different languages and cultures;
• deepen their understanding of their first language and of their own cultural identity;
• develop life-long learning skills and abilities for careers and world exploration;
• understand the educational, travel and career opportunities that learning additional languages offers; and
• have fun while acquiring an additional language

Upon entering NWSS, students are free to choose one or more languages to study between grades 9 through 12. Course offerings and availability are subject to student request and enrolment. The Languages Department is in the process of updating resources and content material to align with the revised curriculum for all languages offered.

It should be noted that the second language courses offered at NWSS are designed for students who are non-native speakers. Students who have significant expertise in a world language (other than English) may opt for additional credit as per the BC Ministry of Education website by means of completing an external Language Challenge Exam at the grade 11 or 12 level. Information regarding this Language Challenge Exam is shared in the fall each year. Families are encouraged to discuss these options with the appropriate guidance counsellor.

Department members:

Department Head:

Mr. Rome Lavrencic rlavrenc@sd40.bc.ca

Department Faculty:

Ms. Mackenzie Ballance mballance@sd40.bc.ca
Ms. Rosa Becerril rbecerril@sd40.bc.ca
Ms. Tamara Hansen thansen@sd40.bc.ca
Ms. Golasa Khastoo gkhastoo@sd40.bc.ca
Mr. Daniel Mills dmills@sd40.bc.ca
Mr. Dominic Pistor dpistor@sd40.bc.ca
Mr. Jacques Poirier jpoirier@sd40.bc.ca
Ms. Natasha Rivera nrivera@sd40.bc.ca
Mr. Satnam Sangra ssangra@sd40.bc.ca
Mr. Gary Sures gsures@sd40.bc.ca
Ms. Michelle Zhang mzhang@sd40.bc.ca