The International and Indigenous Language Elementary (IILE) program offers children an opportunity to learn and/or maintain a language other than French or English and to develop an appreciation and sensitivity to the cultural diversity within Canada.
International and Indigenous Languages Elementary classes provide academic instruction in languages other than English and French.
Classes are for elementary students from Junior Kindergarten (JK) to Grade 8; from beginner learners to proficient language users.
HWDSB STUDENTS, CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE 2025-2026 IILE PROGRAM YEAR AND SELECT YOUR COURSE!
Non-HWDSB students, please see below for registration.
2025-2026 classes start September 2025. Registration is available through January 31, 2026.
Program Information
During the 2025-2026 school year, HWDSB Continuing Education is offering in-person classes at sites across the Hamilton area. The program runs from September 15, 2025 to June 13, 2026. Continuing Education reserves to right to cancel, combine and/or relocate classes.
IILE Classes run on Professional Development days.
IILE Classes do not run on long weekends (Friday through Monday), during Winter Break (December 19, 2025 – January 4, 2026) or March Break (March 14-22, 2026).
Registration for the 2025-2026 program is available through January 31, 2026.
Benefits of learning an additional language:
- Enhanced problem solving skills
- Improved verbal and spatial abilities
- Improved memory function (long & short-term)
- Enhanced creative thinking capacity
- Better memory
- More flexible and creative thinking
- Improved attitude toward the target language and culture*
*courtesy of actfl.org
Classes Available
| ALBANIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES |
| Class Full – Closed to New Registrations – Albanian Class JK – Grade 8 – Saturday 10:00 A.M. to 12:30 p.m. at Hess Street School |
| ARABIC LANGUAGE CLASSES/PROGRAMS |
| Arabic As a Second Language class for Grades JK-8 -Saturday, 10:00 A.M.- 12:30 P.M. at Ancaster Meadow School |
| Arabic – ALL LEVELS – Friday, 5:30 – 8:00 P.M. at Gatestone School |
| Arabic – ALL LEVELS – Tuesday , 5:30 – 8:00 P.M. at Hess Street |
| Arabic – ALL LEVELS – Saturday ,10:00 A.M. – 12:30 P.M. at Hill Park Learning Centre |
| Arabic – ALL LEVELS – Wednesday , 5:30 – 8:00 p.m. at Lake Avenue School |
| Arabic – ALL LEVELS – Thursday , 5:30 – 8:00 P.M. at Lawfield School |
| Arabic – ALL LEVELS – Thursday , 5:30 – 8:00 P.M. at Queen Victoria |
| Arabic ALNOOR School – ALL LEVELS – Saturday, 10:00 A.M. – 12:30 P.M. at RA Riddell – AlNoor |
| Arabic – ALL LEVELS – Wednesday , 5:30 – 8:00 P.M. at Tiffany Hills |
| CHINESE LANGUAGE CLASSES |
| Chinese Simplified Intermediate class for Grade 4 – 8 – Wednesday , 5:30 to 8:00 P.M. at Tiffany Hills |
| FARSI LANGUAGE CLASSES |
| Farsi As a Second Language class – JK to Grade 8 – Saturday, 10:00 A.M. – 12:30 P.M. at Ancaster Meadow |
| GERMAN LANGUAGE CLASSES |
| German Beginner class for Grade 1-3 – Thursday, 5:30 – 8:00 P.M. at Lawfield Elementary – Germania Language School |
| German Intermediate class for Grade 4-8 – Thursday, 5:30 – 8:00 P.M. at Lawfield Elementary – Germania Language School |
| GREEK LANGUAGE CLASSES |
| Greek Beginner class for JK / Kindergarten – Saturday, 10:00 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. at Lawfield – St. Demetrios Greek School |
| Greek Beginner class for Grades 1-2 – Saturday, 10:00 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. at Lawfield – St Demetrios Greek School |
| Greek Intermediate class for Grades 3-5 – Saturday, 10:00 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. at Lawfield – St Demetrios Greek School |
| Greek Intermediate class for Grades 6-8 – Saturday, 10:00 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. at Lawfield – St. Demetrios Greek School |
| GUJARATI LANGUAGE CLASSES |
| Gujarati as a Second Language for JK-Grade 8 – Tuesday, 5:30 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. at Hill Park Learning Centre |
| HINDI LANGUAGE CLASSES |
| Hindi Beginner class for JK-Grade 3 – Saturday, 10:00 A.M – 12:30 P.M. at Ancaster Meadow |
| Hindi as a Second Language Class for General Audience – Thursday, 5:30 – 8:00 P.M. P.M. at Lawfield |
| KOREAN LANGUAGE CLASSES |
| Korean Beginner class for JK / Kindergarten – Saturday, 10:00 A.M. – 12:30 P.M at Ancaster Meadow |
| Korean Beginner class for Grades 1-3 Saturday, 10:00 A.M. – 12:30 P.M at Ancaster Meadow |
| Korean Beginner class for Grades 4-8 Saturday, 10:00 A.M. – 12:30 P.M at Ancaster Meadow |
| Korean Intermediate class for Grades 4-8 Saturday, 10:00 A.M. – 12:30 P.M at Ancaster Meadow |
| Korean Advanced class for Grades 4-8 Saturday, 10:00 A.M. – 12:30 P.M at Ancaster Meadow |
| Korean Beginner class for Grades 4-8 Wednesday, 5:30 P.M. – 8:00 P.M at Tiffany Hills |
| NEPALI LANGUAGE CLASSES |
| Class Full – Closed to New Registrations – Nepali As a Second Language Class for Grades JK-8 – Saturday, 10:00 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. at Hill Park Learning Centre |
| POLISH LANGUAGE CLASSES |
| Polish Beginner class for JK – Saturday, 9:30 A.M. to NOON at Hill Park – Polska Szkoła ZPwK |
| Polish Beginner class for SK -Saturday, 9:30 A.M. to NOON at Hill Park Polska Szkoła ZPwK |
| Polish Beginner class for Grades 1-2 – Saturday, 9:30 A.M. to NOON at Hill Park – Polska Szkoła ZPwK |
| Polish As a Second Language for Grades 2- 6 Saturday, 9:30 A.M. to NOON at Hill Park – Polska Szkoła ZPwK |
| Polish Intermediate class for Grades 3-4 – Saturday, 9:30 A.M. to NOON at Hill Park – Polska Szkoła ZPwK |
| Polish Intermediate class for Grades 5-6 -Saturday, 9:30 A.M. to NOON at Hill Park – Polska Szkoła ZPwK |
| Polish Advanced class for Grades 7-8 – Saturday, 9:30 A.M. to NOON at Hill Park – Polska Szkoła ZPwK |
| Polish Beginner class for JK – Saturday, 10:00 A.M. – 12;30 P.M. at Lawfield – Szkoła Polonii im. Jana Pawła II w Hamilton |
| Polish Beginner class for SK – Saturday, 10:00 A.M. – 12;30 P.M. at Lawfield – Szkoła Polonii im. Jana Pawła II w Hamilton |
| Polish Beginner class for Grades 1-2 – Saturday, 10:00 A.M. – 12;30 P.M. at Lawfield – Szkoła Polonii im. Jana Pawła II w Hamilton |
| Polish Beginner/Intermediate class for Grades 3-4 – Saturday, 10:00 A.M. – 12;30 P.M. at Lawfield – Szkoła Polonii im. Jana Pawła II w Hamilton |
| Polish Intermediate class for Grades 5-6 – Saturday, 10:00 A.M. – 12;30 P.M. at Lawfield – Szkoła Polonii im. Jana Pawła II w Hamilton |
| Polish Advanced class for Grades 7-8 – Saturday, 10:00 A.M. – 12:30 P.M. – at Lawfield – Szkoła Polonii im. Jana Pawła II w Hamilton |
| PORTUGUESE LANGUAGE CLASSES |
| Portuguese As a Second Language for JK – Grade 8 – Tuesday, 5:30 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. at Hill Park Learning Centre |
| Class Full – Closed to New Registrations – Portuguese As a Second Language for JK – Grade 8 – Saturday, 10:00 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. at Hill Park Learning Centre |
| Portuguese As a Second Language for JK – Grade 8 – Wednesday, 5:30 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. at Tiffany Hills |
| PUNJABI LANGUAGE CLASSES |
| Punjabi As a Second Language for JK – Grade 8 – Saturday, 10:00 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. at Hill Park Learning Centre |
| Punjabi As a Second Language for JK – Grade 8 – Wednesday, 5:30 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. at Tiffany Hills |
| SERBIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES |
| Class Full – Closed to New Registrations – Serbian As a Second Language for JK- Grade 3 Friday, 5:30 to 8:00 P.M. at Gatestone Elementary |
| Class Full – Closed to New Registrations – Serbian As a Second Language for Grade 4-8 – Friday, 5:30 to 8:00 P.M. at Gatestone Elementary |
| Class Full – Closed to New Registrations – Serbian As a Second Language for JK- Grade 3 Wednesday, 5:30 to 8:00 P.M. at Lake Avenue School |
| Class Full – Closed to New Registrations – Serbian As a Second Language for Grade 4-8 – Wednesday, 5:30 to 8:00 P.M. at Lake Avenue School |
| SPANISH LANGUAGE CLASSES |
| Class Full – Closed to New Registrations –Spanish Beginner for Grade (1-2) – Saturday, 10:00 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. at Hess Street |
| Spanish Intermediate class for Grade 3-4 – Thursday, 5:30 – 8:00 P.M. at Queen Victoria |
| Spanish As a second Language class for Grade 5 – 8 – Thursday, 5:30 – 8:00 P.M. at Queen Victoria |
| SUDANESE (SUDANESE/ARABIC DUAL LANGUAGE) LANGUAGE CLASSES |
| Sudanese/Arabic – ALL LEVELS – Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at Hess Street – Dual Language Class |
| TAMIL LANGUAGE CLASSES |
| Tamil Beginner class for JK-Grade 3 – Saturday, 10:00 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. at Ancaster Meadow |
| Tamil Intermediate class for Grades 4-8 – Saturday, 10:00 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. at Ancaster Meadow |
| Tamil Beginner class for JK-Grade 3 -Friday, 5:30 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. at Gatestone Elementary |
| URDU LANGUAGE CLASSES |
| Class Full – Closed to New Registrations Urdu As a Second language class for JK-Grade 8 – Saturday, 10:00 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. at Ancaster Meadow |
| VIETNAMESE LANGUAGE CLASSES |
| Vietnamese As a Second language class for JK-Grade 8 – Thursday, 5:30 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. at Lawfield Elementary |
| Vietnamese As a Second language class for JK-Grade 8 – Thursday, 5:30 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. at Queen Victoria |
Registration - HWDSB Students
Classes are for students from Junior Kindergarten (JK) to Grade 8.
If your student is currently enrolled as an HWDSB student:
CLICK HERE to register for the 2025-2026 IILE program year and select your course!
2025-2026 classes start September 2025. Registration is available through January 31, 2026.
Registration - NON-HWDSB Students
If your student is not a current HWDSB student:
STEP 1: CLICK HERE to register as a student with Continuing Education.
STEP 2: CLICK HERE to register for the 2025-2026 IILE program year and select your course!
2025-2026 classes start September 2025. Registration is available through January 31, 2026.
Program Calendar
This program runs on PD Days.
This program does not run on long holiday weekends, through Winter Break or March Break.
Fees and Exceptions
Students are eligible to attend one class per week in any language AT NO COST, except for a materials fee. Additionally, they can enroll in a second language program in a different language, ALSO AT NO COST, with only the materials fee applying to each class. For example, a student could attend Arabic classes on Mondays and Simplified Chinese on Tuesdays—all without additional tuition charges. Please note that a materials fee is required for each class.
A materials fee applies for each student in each class (up to $35 per student per class). The materials fee is collected to purchase consumable items (such as workbooks) for the program. Fees are payable using our online payment system SchoolCash. The SchoolCash link is included in the registration confirmation email.
If you wish to enroll your student in more than one class in the same language, a fee of $200 per student per additional course is applicable. For example, if a student wants attend Arabic class on Monday and a second Arabic class on Saturday, Monday’s class is free and Saturday’s class is $200.
VISA Students are eligible to attend IILE classes for a fee of $200 per course.
Fees are payable using our online payment system SchoolCash. The SchoolCash link is included in the registration confirmation email.
Having issues with your username or password? Complete this form and we’ll get back to you within a business day!
For more information, please contact the Continuing Education Main Office by calling 905-561-2190 or email us at [email protected]
Updated on Wednesday, October 01, 2025.