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Saskatoon Public Schools
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who can apply? 
Any student enrolled in a Saskatoon Public Schools German-language class (offered at Aden Bowman and Walter Murray) is eligible to participate in an exchange. If German is not offered at a student's collegiate, the student can take the class through the Online Learning Centre.

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Two exchanges are offered:
  • The six-week exchange begins with Canadian students going to live with their host partners/families from about mid-June to the end of July. Their German partners come to Canada in late August, approximately one week before school resumes, and remain until the end of September.

  • The three-month exchange begins with the German students living in Canada (about end of August to end of November) and ends with Canadian students living in Germany from about April 1 to June 30.
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Typically, students apply in Grade 10 and the exchange occurs in Grade 11. Students in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme can also apply for the six-weeks exchange in fall of their Grade 11 year. IB Diploma Programme students wishing to go on the three-month exchange should apply in Grade 9, so they can do the exchange in Grade 10, before the IB Programme begins. 

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Yes, it is a reciprocal exchange. You are matched with someone from Germany who has similar interests (as much as possible). You host them in your home and they host you in their homes. 

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Yes, it is part of the experience of daily life. However, the schoolwork you do there does not directly show up in your Saskatchewan marks.

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The main cost is airfare. It varies between $1,450 and $1,650 per student. There is a chaperone fee of $250 to pay for the chaperone’s flight and expenses, while they visit you during the first week of your stay. The three-month exchange has a four-day weekend in Berlin with the other exchange students, which adds about $300 to expenses. Families host a German teenager, so expenses such as groceries will reflect an additional family member. Students will require spending money. 

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We have seven partner schools, all in the northern-most state of Schleswig-Holstein. Two are in the city of Kiel, one in each of the following: LĂŒbeck, Eckernförde, Ratzeburg, Halstenbek and Flensburg. 

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Students need an overall average of at least 75 per cent. Students must be supported by their teachers and demonstrate respect, openness, responsibility and maturity. 

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No. The interest from German students who want to come to Canada is greater, so we can accommodate as many Saskatoon students as qualified. 

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The three-month exchange was established in 1979. The six-week exchange began in 2018. 

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Here's what students have to say about their exchange experience:
  • "Lina fit in great with my family and did her part to help out. It didn’t take long to adjust to her being there. It just became normal. We went to many family events and suppers, so she was able to meet a lot of my family. My cousin suddenly wanted to have more sleepovers with us." – Katie Turnbull, 2016

  • "I remember filling out my application for this exchange more than a year and a half ago, wondering if it was the right thing to do. Now that I look back on it, I am incredibly thankful I pressed send; the experiences I have lived through thanks to this exchange were simply incredible (I still can’t believe all that has happened), and if I could go through it again, I wouldn’t hesitate for a second!" – Marie Hardouin, 2016
     
  • "My exchange was a great experience, I discovered so much about the European culture, and I really enjoyed myself. With this exchange I met lots of people, Canadians and Germans. I made so many new friends. This has been a great experience." – Jean-Paul Chateigner, 2016

  • "Ich habe so eine einmalige, tolle Erfahrung gemacht und ich habe versucht jede Sekunde zu genießen. Ich glaube die besten Erinnerungen, sind durch die spontanen Sachen gekommen, egal ob es war laufen mit Isabel durch die Stadt oder Berlin zu besichtigen mit den anderen Kanadiern, es war das Abenteuer-GefĂŒhl, die ich liebe." –Marie Hardouin, 2016