New Entente to be Signed for Teaching of Italian

The Centro Scuola Dante Alighieri di Montreal (CESDA) and the English Montreal School Board (EMSB) will continue to act as official partners in the development, conservation and teaching of the Italian language in schools. On Tuesday, June 5 (11:30 am) the Consul General of Italy Marco Riccardo Rusconi will preside over a "signing" ceremony at the Leonardo Da Vinci Centre (8370 Boulevard Lacordaire) in St. Léonard for a new entente.

The EMSB offers the PELO Program, (Programme d’Enseignement des Langues d’Origine), teaching Italian in several schools in which a consistent group of students request it, and is interested in continuing to provide this service. The school board recognizes the importance of the heritage language and culture and that the learning of Italian is essential for the students’ social and cognitive training. “We believe that learning a third language helps to improve the learning of the two other languages taught in the school,” said EMSB Chairman Angela Mancini.

Ms. Mancini expressed her appreciation to CESDA President Carmine D’Argenio who played an important role in obtaining the necessary funds from the Italian Government to continue this partnership.

CESDA is committed to preserving, disseminating, providing continuity to the Italian immigrant community and teaching the Italian language and culture in Quebec. The Italian language represents an undisputed cultural enrichment for whoever has the opportunity to learn it.

The EMSB has committed to ensuring the continuation of Italian courses already integrated into the regular programs at East Hill, Dante, Pierre de Coubertin and General Vanier elementary schools. It will continue to explore the possibility of offering an increased amount of integrated Italian programs and extra-curricular courses at the following EMSB schools: Cedarcrest, Dalkeith, Dunrae Gardens, Edinburgh, Edward Murphy, Gardenview, Gerald McShane, Honore Mercier, John Paul, Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Nesbitt, Our Lady of Pompei, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, and St. Dorothy.