French Immersion at St. Michael’s
Program Details
Meet the Teachers
Gr.1 and 2 French Immersion Teacher: Dominique Plouffe-Chandler (aka “Dominique”)
Bonjour ! Hello!
Merci for your interest in French Immersion! It would be my great pleasure to meet with you to discuss this exciting opportunity for your child(ren)!
A little about myself…
*Teaching Experience: 35 years teaching French at St.Michael’s School to young children.
*Education: Bachelor of Education, McGill; Master of Education, U of Lethbridge
*Born: Îles de-la Madeleine, Quebec
*Family: Live on an acreage with my husband, daughter, mother, horses, cats and dog
*Interests: Outdoors, travel, Spanish and violin
*Best Part about Teaching: Seeing the growth in learning of my young learners; Connections with former students
*Advice for Parents in French Immersion: You are not alone! Lots of support exists; Happy to help along this exciting and rewarding, learning journey 🙂
*Contact:plouffed@holyspirit.ab.ca or (403) 627-8591
Gr.3 and 4 French Immersion Teacher: Angie Safranka (aka “Mme Angie”)
Bonjour ! Hello!
Merci for your interest in French Immersion! It would be my great pleasure to meet with you to discuss this exciting opportunity for your child(ren)!
A little about myself…
*Teaching Experience: 25 years teaching in the French Immersion and the English programs at St.Michael’s School from Kindergarten to grade four.
*Education: Bachelor of Education in French from the Faculté St. Jean (which is now called Campus St. Jean, U of Alberta)
*Born: Edmonton, Alberta
*Family: Live on an acreage with my husband, my sons Seth and Ardyn and my step children Axel and Avery, two horses, two dogs, four barn cats and 11 laying hens
*Interests: hiking, kayaking, travelling, snow shoeing, cross country skiing, water skiing and downhill skiing
*Best Part about Teaching: being able to connect with students and guide them on their journey, seeing growth in Language Learners and students
*Advice for Parents in French Immersion: I went to a public school and learned French as a second language, completed an exchange to Chicoutimi, Quebec and I was able to do my degree in French. Anything is possible if we try our best!
*Contact: safrankaa@holyspirit.ab.ca
Gr.5 and 6 French Immersion Teacher: Celia Clinton (aka “Mme Clinton”)
Bonjour!
A little about myself…
*Teaching Experience: 16 years teaching in the French Immersion and the English programs at St. Michael’s School from Kindergarten to Grade 8.
*Education: Bachelor of Education from the University of Lethbridge
*Born: Kitchener, ON
*Family: I live in Pincher Creek with my husband, son, and daughter. I also have a daughter and son-in-law who live in Lethbridge.
*Interests: Travelling, hiking, curling up with a good book, watching movies
*Best Part about Teaching: Every day is different; it never gets boring. I enjoy bonding with students, and watching them grow and learn. Those “aha moments” get me every time.
*Advice for Parents in French Immersion: Be positive and supportive. Let them teach you what they know, and learn alongside them.
*Contact: clintonc@holyspirit.ab.ca (403) 627-3488
Gr.1-6F French Immersion Monitor: Vicky Lessard (aka “Mme Vicky”).
Bonjour! Hello!
Merci for your interest in French Immersion! It would be my great pleasure to meet with you to discuss this exciting opportunity for your child(ren)!
A little about myself :
Born: I was born in Pincher Creek, and lived in Cowley. I went to St. Michael’s till grade 4 then moved to Livingstone and graduated from Livingstone.
Family: I am married with two kids. Gibson, who is now in college and Zoelle, who is in grade 12 and will be at U of R next year. Both did french immersion at St. Michael’s.
Interests: Hiking, kayaking, fishing, hunting, and archery. We love to camp and go shed hunting.
Best thing about working with kids: Being able to work with students and seeing growth in language and students. Love seeing the change in students from September to June.
Advice for Parents in French Immersion: I was in your shoes and though it would be a lot of work but with all the help and support out there, it is worth it for your children. Both of my children have used French at their jobs in high school.
*Contact: lessardv@holyspirit.ab.ca (403) 627-3488
Program Brochure
French Corner
Music to our Ears!
The 2024–2025 school year has been a wonderful opportunity to showcase the incredible talent of our French Immersion students, who performed as a choir for the very first time—participating in both the Community Carol Festival and the 2025 Crowsnest Pass Music Festival.
In December 2024, the children delighted audiences at the Carol Festival with three French Christmas songs, capturing hearts with their joyful performance. Most recently, our French Immersion students at St. Michael’s School earned high praise for their outstanding performance at the Crowsnest Pass Music Festival. They received enthusiastic and encouraging feedback from the adjudicator, Mr. Kirk Muspratt.
Mr. Muspratt, who grew up in the Crowsnest Pass and now resides in Chicago, is recognized as one of the leading conductors of the 21st century. It was a true honor to perform for him and to receive such commendation.
The choir presented a diverse repertoire: a medieval piece in Old French (“Je viroie liement” by Guillaume de Machaut), a Romantic-era lullaby by Johannes Brahms, and a lively French sea shanty by The Dreadnoughts, “Pique la baleine.”
Over the past three months (January–March), the children embraced the joy of singing together and rose to the challenge of learning new French songs, performing each one with enthusiasm, energy, and skill.
We hope you enjoy the videos of their recent performance at the Crowsnest Pass Music Festival (below)!
Other Resources