Welcome to all prospective families! We love our early French immersion school and the nurturing and healthy environment a small Kindergarten to Grade 3 Annex can offer.
Questions about French Immersion in general? See Vancouver School Board’s French Immersion FAQs.
Q: How do I register my child at Queen Elizabeth Annex?
A: Entering Grade 1 – Students already attending Kindergarten at another school and entering Grade 1 next year can register for Grade 1 at QEA by contacting mcormack@vsb.bc.ca. You do not need to already be in French Immersion, you can start French Immersion in Grade 1 at QEA.
A: Entering Kindergarten – Students entering Kindergarten can register via VSB’s 2-step process:
1. Register at your neighbourhood catchment school – November 1st to the last weekday of January
2. Apply for Kindergarten Choice Programs (Early French Immersion) – January 11th, 2021 – February 3rd, 2021
Q: What’s special about Queen Elizabeth Annex?
A: We are a small early French immersion school currently with 1 class per grade, for Kindergarten to Grade 3, and around 70 students total. We are 1 of only 2 schools in Vancouver that offer both French Immersion and a K-3 Annex experience.
For the size of our school, we have a relatively large outdoor area. QEA has a small forest on its grounds for play and learning and a large playing field. The school grounds abut Pacific Spirit Park and Chaldecott Park, and many classes go for weekly walks to the nearby Camosun Bog.
Students have a great opportunity to ease into the school experience with only small children in a small school before continuing their education at the larger sister school Jules Quesnel.
QEA is also home to a well established, cross-classroom garden program. Throughout the year, students of all grades are welcome to participate in a weekly, lunchtime garden club. Annual harvests and school wide garden parties, where students eat and share a nutritious meal of garden produce, are also highlights of this program.
Q: How is QEA different or similar to Jules Quesnel?
Queen Elizabeth Annex has 60-80 students for primary years only, Kindergarten to Grade 3. In Grade 4, QEA students move onto Jules Quesnel and join their Grade 4 cohort. The smaller group environment at QEA gives children a nurturing and healthy community to develop relationships between grades and gives parents an opportunity to be involved with their children’s classroom learning and development.
Q: How long is the waitlist for Queen Elizabeth Annex?
A: The wait list grows and shrinks, depending on the time of year. In general, students who pick QEA as their #1 choice receive a spot, and in 2020/2021 virtually all students who applied to QEA were offered a spot.
Did you know that students can start early French immersion in Grade 1? If your child was unable to get a spot for Kindergarten, Grade 1 class sizes can be larger than K classes and have more spaces available.
Q: What after school care options are there for QEA students?
A: There are three options currently available for QEA students, and we are always advocating for more:
After school care
Two after-school care facilities currently pick up from QEA:
Queen Elizabeth Daycare (Dunbar-Queen Elizabeth After School Care)
Location: Queen Elizabeth Elementary – 4102 West 16th Avenue
Phone: 604-224-1125
After school care 3:00-6:00 PM, 5 days a week, plus Pro-D Days and holidays available.
Serves Queen Elizabeth Annex, Ecole Jules Quesnel and Queen Elizabeth Elementary.
Phone or visit them in person to get on their waitlist and learn more.
Third Eye Martial Arts Click on link for details
Parents
We created a new Facebook group where parents can get in touch with each other to organize after school care, play dates, carpooling and more. Join the group and connect with other parents.
Q: Is QEA closing?
A: There are no plans to close Queen Elizabeth Annex.
The current Draft Long Range Facilities Plan for the Vancouver School Board (VSB) does not recommend the closure of any schools in Vancouver. In Fall 2019, the VSB recommended consideration of closing QEA to lease the land to another school board for a new school, but the Vancouver Board of Education Trustees voted not to proceed with the consideration. If the closure had proceeded, QEA would have been absorbed into Jules Quesnel.
Still have a question we haven’t answered? Get in touch: qea.parents@gmail.com