The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, March 28, 2012 · 12 By Dominik Kurek OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Introducing French as a second language opened its French as a Second Language (FSL) program, thanks to funding from the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration. The program began March 19 and already it has 60 adult students and three classes. "We're thrilled to offer this program here at Thomas Merton," said the centre's principal, John Quinlan. "As a matter of fact, when Subhadra Ramachandran (LINC/ESL/ FSL co-ordinator) and her team conceived this, we had interest from about 17 students. Since that time, we've got upwards of 60 students and we just started it yesterday." The program works much like the adult English as a Second Language (ESL) program at the centre. Eligibility is for people who were born outside of Englishor French- speaking countries. They can be Canadian citizens, permanent residents, conventional refugees or refugee claimants, provincial nominees, or foreign domestic workers. School board Chair Alice Anne LeMay said the FSL program was wonderful news for adult learners, as learning French can help people become better equipped for the job market and better Canadians. "Every opportunity students have -- whether they are children or adult -- to learn another language or to learn another subject that they may not have had available to them during their growing-up years, I think all these experiences make us better people, better citizens." The ministry's Joseph Colonna was also at the celebration. He said FSL is a growing component of the province's adult, non-credit language training program and he's glad to see it grow outside of the Ottawa region. "I want to congratulate those of you who are students, first of all in doing something that is difficult and very brave," he said. There are already plenty of resources for adult newcomers in Canada to learn English. Now, the Halton Catholic District School Board is offering the same services for people to learn Canada's other official language: French. The board's Thomas Merton Centre for Continuing Education in Oakville has just NIKKI WESLEY / OAKVILLE BEAVER / @halton_photog En Francais: Teacher Carol Gottlob conjugates a French verb for her class during the first day of Halton's inaugural FSL (French as a second language) program at the Thomas Merton Centre. "That is going back to school as an adult with a lot of responsibilities, with jobs, with children and with other responsibilities to juggle as well." Provincial funding is based on enrollment, Ramachandran said, so as soon as there are enough students for another class of 20, a new one will open up. The school board is actively trying to open FSL programs at its continuing education centres in Milton and Burlington. Classes are two times per week for three hours each time. People interested in enrolling in the program are asked to contact the Thomas Merton Centre at 905-849-7555. Hate your kitchen? H t kit h ? We have a remodeling option for every budget. Your existing cabinets are valuable. Remodeling them will give you a great new look for a fraction of the cost of comparable new cabinets. Remodeling Options: Renew your cabinets with our unique "Tune-Up" Restores the original wood finish to 90-95% (starting at $900) Save* UP TO Double your RAM event! For F a limited tim me double your RA d AM to t 8GB for free e! ($200 retail val ( alue) w the purcha ase with o any MacBoo ok of orPro our March events fo o iMac!* or 90% 75% ReDoor (a new Do-It-Yourself makeover solution) Reface to get virtually any new look you want Restyle for a new look and improved function Replace with new custom designed cabinets New custom made doors & paint the cabinets (from $1500**) Thousands of door style and finish choices (from $3900**) Reface & add some new cabinets (starting about $4900**) Get the style and function you need for as little as $7900** UP TO 40-60% 20-40% Within budget The Core Advantage · Free 30-day remote technical support · Free loaner on any system purchased with AppleCare · Price Promise (ask for details) *Savings relate to the estimated cost of achieving the same look with comparable new cabinets. **Starting price examples are based on a common 10' X 10' , "L" shaped kitchen cabinet layout. Free consultation and estimate 905.637.3331 3480 Fairview St., Burlington (west of Walkers Line) Mon-Fri 10-5, Sat 11-3 Every Kitchen Tune-Up franchise is locally owned and operated. Visit our showroom SCAN with your Smart Phone Visit us in downtown Oakville at 249 Lakeshore East or call us at 905.849.0737 www.Core 1 .ca KitchenTuneUp.com Downtown Oakville *Event ends April 15, 2012. Design Tool - Free on website