Choices at 7

The Extended French Immersion Program is designed to develop Grade 7 and 8 students’ skills in reading, writing, listening and oral communication in French. Through this immersion experience, students will communicate and interact in French with growing confidence and fluency. The program implements the Ontario curriculum and provides authentic experiences as well as marketable second language skills. 
The Extended French Immersion Program accepts students who are currently in Grade 6 Core French and who have a desire to learn in French across most of the curriculum areas.   

Extended French Immersion is offered at three sites:

• Harrowsmith Public School
• Module de l'Acadie
• Module Vanier

Apply to the school of your choice. If you wish to be considered for bus transportation, please choose the school that is closest to your home address.  

• Harrowsmith Public School Application 
• Module de L' Acadie Application  
• Module Vanier Application   

My student is in Grade 6 at a LDSB school and has been taking French Immersion: 

An application is not required. Students currently enrolled in a LDSB French Immersion program will be automatically transferred to their immersion site. 

My student is in Grade 6 in another School Board and is interested in joining Immersion/Extended French at LDSB: 

Choose your school and complete the Online Registration Process.

Applications to the Grade 7 Extended French Immersion Programs at Module de l’Acadie, Module Vanier and Harrowsmith Public School are accepted on an ongoing basis. Applications for September 2026 will open in December 2025. 

The ATLAS Program is designed to provide focused, structured learning opportunities for students who are experiencing difficulties with executive functioning skills (including communication and organization). As a result of these difficulties, their academic performance is not reflective of their potential. Through intensive, direct teaching experiences, the use of assistive technology and more hands-on learning, students will have opportunities to develop the knowledge, skills, strategies and attitudes that they will need to be successful in their learning.  
Students in the ATLAS program may or may not be diagnosed with a Learning Disability. The program focus is on developing students’ organizational skills, self-advocacy skills, communication skills, and social skills, as well as enhancing their use of assistive technology to support their learning for today and future pathways.
The ATLAS Program promotes respect, collaboration and inclusiveness. These attributes enable students to develop a sense of their role as citizens within their communities and global society.

ATLAS students come to the program with: 

• Significant learning gaps in reading and/or writing and/or math.
• A lack of confidence/self-esteem in academics. 
• Difficulty expressing their ideas. 
• Difficulties with executive functioning (planning, time management, organization, working memory, adaptable thinking). 
• Gaps between their learning potential and their achievement.
• A willingness to start work independently. 
• A willingness to collaborate as a team.
• A willingness to persevere and take risks.

The ATLAS Program is offered exclusively at Calvin Park Public School.

The Challenge Program is designed to meet the needs of academically motivated and/or formally identified gifted students who are seeking new learning challenges while maintaining a healthy, balanced lifestyle.  The purpose of the program is to engage students in the provincial grade level curriculum through enriched experiences in a fast-paced, dynamic and multi-faceted learning environment. Students will have the opportunity to extend their learning and maximize their potential alongside peers from a variety of schools. 
A Challenge student:

• Is inquisitive and is often found learning new skills on their own. 
• Is open-minded, creative, innovative, and takes risks in their learning.    
• Is determined and aims to persevere when faced with challenges, such as working at an accelerated pace. 
• Is academically skilled/gifted, values and works to collaborate in subject areas.
• Is an engaged citizen and demonstrates awareness and concern for each other, for issues of social justice, the environment, equity, and ways to make a difference in the world. 
• Is a problem-solver, in critical and creative ways; asks questions, looks at multiple perspectives, and evaluates/challenges information. 
• Is motivated, demonstrating ownership of their learning and self-discipline 
• Has the potential to share ideas, listen to others, challenge respectfully and celebrate differences.

The Challenge Program is offered at:

• Calvin Park Public School 
• Loughborough Public School 
• Ernestown Intermediate and Secondary School

The Limestone Education Through the Arts Program (LEAP) allows students to learn the Grade 7 and 8 curricula through an integrated, hands-on approach that uses the arts as a foundation. Taught by teachers who are specialists in their field, the purpose of the LEAP Program is to provide students with the opportunity to achieve their personal best through arts-based activities that emphasize teamwork, self-direction, motivation, innovation and creativity. 
LEAP is designed for students who demonstrate a passion for the arts and best demonstrate their learning through creative and artistic activities. Students participate in experiences that develop their skills and interests in movement, drama, visual arts and music.  LEAP allows students to gain an appreciation for all arts disciplines while growing as knowledgeable and responsible citizens.

A LEAP student is:

• Willing to learn and develop in creative ways.
• Passionate about learning through the Arts.
• Willing to participate in all strands of the Arts.
• Self-disciplined to work independently and demonstrate perseverance when encountering challenges. 
• Open-minded and willing to take creative risks in learning.
• A team player who works positively in groups, accepting and inclusive of peers.

The LEAP Program is offered exclusively at Calvin Park Public School.

Step 1: December - January

Applicants and families are strongly encouraged to attend the Choices at 7 Information Night hosted by each program held in early December.

Online applications for the 2026-27 school year for Challenge, LEAP, and ATLAS will open on December 12, 2025, and close on January 12, 2026.

Step 2: January – February

All applicants will receive an email outlining, in detail, the next steps of the application process (i.e., task requirements, how to submit tasks, etc.). Please contact the Choices at 7 Registrar by email if you have not received an email by January 15, 2026.

Application requirements will include:

• ATLAS: A completed application form, February 2026 report card, an in-school team questionnaire and a student advocacy survey (to be completed at the home school)
• Challenge: A completed application form, February 2026 report card, an online task requiring a video response, and a reference questionnaire.
• LEAP: A completed application form, February 2026 report card, an online arts-related task in video format, and a reference questionnaire.

The February 2026 Report Card and the reference questionnaire will be collected in February.

If you require support during the application process please  contact the Choices at 7 Registrar.

Step 3: Late February-March

All applicants who have completed the application requirements will be notified by email on February 27, 2026, if they are accepted, placed on the waiting list, or if they have been declined a place in a program. The deadline for students to accept or decline any offers is Tuesday, March 3, 2026. If places become available after this date, students from the waiting list will be contacted to fill them.

Applications for ATLAS, Challenge, and LEAP will open at 9:00 a.m. on December 12, 2025, and close at 4:00 p.m. on January 12, 2026.  Please note that late applications will not be accepted.

Please refer to the Choices at 7 application process information for each of the Programs in the tabs above. All applicants must complete the online application form by the due date and then complete the application requirements. All Challenge and LEAP applicants will be invited to submit an online task. The tasks are scored together with the report card and the reference questionnaire. The applicants for Challenge and LEAP are then ranked in numerical order, based on their overall scores. The selection of suitable candidates for ATLAS will be made by a Board Committee who will review each on-line application, student report card, IEP (if applicable), the in-school team questionnaire and the student survey. 

Please be aware that transportation to and from Choices at 7 Programs is the responsibility of the Applicant families. You are welcome to apply for Triboard Bus transportation, however, busing is not guaranteed. If transportation is approved, arrival and departure times may impact instructional time since your child may arrive late and leave before the end of the school day to make their bus connections.  Please make transportation decisions that work best for your family.

All the dates are posted within the Choices at 7 application process information. We do not accept late applications, but we will consider applications from military families who have moved into the area following the deadline. We encourage these families to reach out directly to the Choices at 7 Registrar by e-mail.

Please contact the Choices at 7 Registrar by e-mail for assistance. Please note that all requests for technical support must be made no later than 24 hours prior to the submission deadline.   

You may apply to any of the Challenge Program sites, however, you may apply to only one Challenge Program in our Board. Transportation to and from Choices at 7 Programs is the responsibility of the Applicant families.  You are welcome to apply for Triboard Bus transportation, however, busing is not guaranteed. If transportation is approved, arrival and departure times may impact instructional time since your child may arrive late and/or leave before the end of the school day to make bus connections.  Please make transportation decisions that work best for your family.

Yes – you may apply to more than one Choices at 7 Program, however, you can only apply to one Challenge Program site. Applicants will be asked to indicate their first choice of program and if they are a successful applicant, they will be offered a place in that program and their name will immediately be removed from other program lists. Please note that transportation is the responsibility of the Applicant families. It is recommended that families consider this when applying to Choices at 7 programs and be prepared to make their own transportation arrangements. Families are welcome to apply to TriBoard but transportation is not guaranteed. If transportation is approved, arrival and departure times may impact instructional time since your child may arrive late and/or have to leave before the end of the school day to make their bus connections.

If your student attends a school within the Limestone District School Board, we will access their report card electronically and no action is required on your part. If your student attends a school outside of our Board, you will be asked to scan/email a copy of their February 2026 report card to the Choices at 7 Registrar .

Yes. The process is the same as Grade 7. Please note that there are only limited vacancies in the Grade 8 programs, because most of our students continue in the program from Grade 7.

Challenge and LEAP applicants are ranked based on their cumulative score from the task, the report card (Learning Skills and Grades), and the reference questionnaire. The first 23 places in each program are accepted from the rank-ordered list based on quotas for each Family-of-Schools. The second round of acceptances is based on the overall assessment score of each applicant until the cut-off threshold is reached.

If you are a Grade 6 LDSB student, currently in a French Immersion program, you do not need to apply. Your current school will automatically transfer your child’s information to the nearest site. If you require transportation, you will need to complete a Tri-Board Student Transportation application.

If you are in a Grade 6 French Immersion program in another school board, you are required to complete a LDSB Student Registration Form and submit it to Vanier, Acadie or Harrowsmith (based on the location of your home). Please contact the school for support and additional information.

As the applicant numbers vary significantly each year, we are not able to provide a specific answer, however, the number of applications each year significantly exceeds the number of places available in each program. There are a total of 97 places available in Grade 7 Challenge across the three sites, 56 spaces in Grade 7 LEAP at Calvin Park PS and 20 spaces in the Grade 7 ATLAS Program at Calvin Park PS. There may be limited places available in the Grade 8 programs.  In Extended French Immersion, the number of classes is determined by the number of applicants, which varies each year.  

Yes, a short waiting list is established for all programs, and it is kept active until the end of September. Vacancies are created if a student declines an offer, changes their mind, or is unable to attend. That vacancy will be offered to the next person on the waiting list.

Yes. All applicants are notified by email on the notification date, whether they are accepted, placed on the waiting list, or are not being offered a place.

We are not able to accept late applications to the ATLAS, Challenge and LEAP Programs, but we will consider applications from military families who have moved into the area following the deadline. We encourage these families to reach out directly to the Choices at 7 Registrars by email.   If they are interested, students may apply the following year for the Grade 8 programs, as places may become available.  Applications for the Extended French Immersion programs are accepted on an on-going basis.

You will receive a confirmation screen when you submit your application form for ATLAS, LEAP or Challenge and it is recommended that you screenshot this confirmation for future reference.  On the application form, you will be asked to provide only one email address for all future communications – please ensure that it is typed correctly before submitting your form. You should also check your clutter/junk mailbox as emails will sometimes be directed there. If you do not received an email on January 14, 2026, from Choices at 7, please email the Choices at 7 Registrar.  Applicants to Extended French Immersion will receive communication directly from their school, so please reach out to the school if you do not hear from them.

Each site will be hosting an Information Night and applicants are strongly encouraged to attend.

ATLAS, Challenge, LEAP and CORE Choices at 7 Program Information Night, Calvin Park Public School

• Tuesday, December 9, 2025, at 6:00 p.m.

Loughborough Public School Choices at 7 Challenge Program Information Night

• Wednesday, December 10, 2025, at 6:00 p.m.

Ernestown Intermediate and Secondary School Grade 7/8 Challenge Program Information Night

• Thursday, December 11, 2025, at 6:00 p.m.

The Extended French Information Night dates will be confirmed.  Please check back for exact dates and times.

Core French is taught in the ATLAS, Challenge, and LEAP Programs. French Immersion programming is not available in these programs.