Rooms, Study Facilities, Laundry, Housework  The host-family will provide a bed with linen (changed weekly), towels and facecloths and suitable study facilities (desk with lighting, chair). Families are not required to do the student's personal laundry. It is not always possible to do your laundry at the home of your host family but there is a laundromat in Trois-Pistoles. Students will make their beds each morning, keep their rooms clean and tidy, clean the bathtub or shower after use, avoid wasting utilities, open only screened windows in their room, and generally look after the furnishings. Students are not required to help with the dishes.

Meals  Host-families agree to provide three substantial and well-balanced meals per day. They are not obligated to offer snacks or refrigerator privileges as well, but may if so inclined and if permission is requested. On request, with appropriate notice, they will provide a good bag lunch for an excursion. Students with special diet requirements must inform the School on the application form (before registration). NOTE: It is not possible to guarantee that students will have both room and board with the same family.

Student-Host Rapport  Within reason, students will have access  to the house where they are staying. When returning at a late hour, they will close the doors and turn out the lights. The host family may give permission for the students to invite a guest on the condition that no one is inconvenienced by the visit. The hosts will encourage the exclusive use of French by the students in the home. The student and the host family should show an interest in promoting an agreeable relationship.

The students and the host family should respect the rights and property of the others in the household, showing common consideration and courtesy towards one another. If any questions, complaints or problems do arise, despite everyone's goodwill, they should be discussed immediately with the homestay coordinator and/or the counsellor appointed by the School.

Correspondence  Please have your mail addressed as follows: Your Name, C.P. 7070, Trois-Pistoles (Québec) G0L 4K0
Mail can be picked up at the school library. Students will be notified upon arrival. If mail arrives after the session, it will be forwarded to the return address on the letter. Mail that arrives after the session without a return address will be forwarded by the School to the student. There will be an administrative fee to cover the cost of postage and this fee will be removed from your $50.00 deposit refund.
The School's telephone number in Trois-Pistoles is 418-851-1752. Please leave this number with a family member in case of an emergency.

Speak FRENCH at all times  You have made a commitment to yourself: to learn French or improve your French while learning about Québécois life and culture. Those of you who have accepted an Explore Bursary from the Federal Government have also made a commitment to this country. Learning or improving a second language is not easy. It requires hard and steady work, but the results are well worthwhile. Research has shown that the most successful learning occurs when you use the language as much as possible as a medium of communication. For this to occur as naturally and successfully as possible, the School requires that you show your commitment by signing a pledge to speak French at all times, and then honouring your pledge throughout the five-week session. As all our staff and the people in Trois-Pistoles have pledged to enforce this rule, you should not be upset with anyone who asks you to speak French. He or she is honouring a commitment. It must also be understood that IF YOU INSIST ON SPEAKING A LANGUAGE OTHER THAN FRENCH, YOU WILL BE EXPELLED FROM THE SCHOOL. Students must speak French at all times, and respect the regulations imposed by the institution.

Making the effort to speak French for the duration of the program will improve not only your language skills, but those of your fellow students. Please keep in mind that there will be 250 other students in Trois-Pistoles with you, all trying to learn or improve their French. By honouring your commitment to speaking French at all times, you will help foster an environment conducive to learning French.

This rule does not mean that beginning students must never open their mouths. Occasional use of English words in a French sentence, through lapses of attention, lack of vocabulary or language comparison is acceptable. However, you are expected to speak in French using isolated English words or expressions only when no French synonym or explanation available to you will do. Conversations in English are prohibited so please do not waste valuable time!

The rule applies not only to the classrooms and other areas of the School, but also to the homes of the families where you live, the town itself and the places outside of Trois-Pistoles visited on excursions.

Expulsions  Students who persistently violate the rules of the Trois-Pistoles French Immersion School (including but not limited to the rule regarding speaking only French) and/or those of The University of Western Ontario, and have been warned that their conduct is not acceptable, may be asked to leave the program and/or barred from taking the final examination.

All Faculty, Workshop Supervisors, Administrative Staff and Host Families of the School are responsible for encouraging students to speak French at all times for the duration of the program. They are required to report persistent violators of this rule to the Coordinator of Socio-cultural Activities. Students who persistently contravene the French only rule will be given three warnings (avertissements) that they must improve their behaviour. The first warning will be a verbal warning given by the Coordinator. The second warning will be given in writing by the Coordinator. The third and final warning will be given, in writing, by the Director of the School. Students who persist in violating the French only rule after their third warning will be expelled from the School. Students expelled from the School may be subject to academic and financial penalties as outlined in the Trois-Pistoles calendar and the Academic Calendar of The University of Western Ontario.

Students whose behaviour in their host families' home is intolerable to their host family and/or to the students staying in the same house, may be expelled from the program immediately. Students in violation of the academic policies of The University of Western Ontario (including but not limited to plagiarism) may be expelled from the program immediately. Students expelled from the program for any reason will not receive any refund of their deposit, tuition fees or of the immersion and enrichment fee.

A SPECIAL WORD FOR BEGINNERS 

The challenge of learning French in an immersion setting is particularly formidable for those beginning the study of the language. While we believe that beginners can make phenomenal progress in learning French through the Trois-Pistoles experience, we recognize that such students may require special treatment.

For beginner students attending either of our two five-week programs in Trois-Pistoles, you can get a head start by registering in one of our PREPARATORY WEEKS IN TROIS-PISTOLES. These one-week programs, held prior to each session, have been designed to help beginners become familiar with the town and feel more comfortable with the French language. On completing one of our PREPARATORY WEEKS, you will be ready to start the five-week session with confidence! For more information on this program, please refer to our brochure.

CONCLUSION  L'École de langue française de Trois-Pistoles provides an extremely rich, high quality and well organized program, combining academic and socio-cultural, formal and informal exposure to Québécois and French language and culture. You may find your time at Trois-Pistoles demanding but the rewards will be many, and it will be an experience you will long remember and cherish.