The ‘meat’ is in resolutions
P.E.I. Home and School Federation holds AGM
On April 8, 120 delegates and guests attended the 2017 annual general meeting of the P.E.I. Home and School Federation.
Discussions focused on how all partners in education can work together to ensure an equitable education for all Island students. The agenda included presentations on flexible learning, school food and citizen engagement and featured a demonstration of a collaborative workshop facilitated by the Dr. Helen MacDonald Scholars. The results of the workshop have been posted on the website.
The meat of our meeting revolves around resolutions. Resolutions come from members – parents, guardians, teachers, administrators and staff – and have been extensively discussed and debated at the local level, by parents and educators, before being considered provincially.
Resolutions that are approved at annual meetings form our statement of policies and collectively represent the federation’s position on key education policy issues facing the province of Prince Edward Island.
The resolutions are forwarded to the appropriate destinations. Final resolutions are posted online at: http://peihsf.ca/agm/ resolutions.
The AGM provided an excellent opportunity to launch a new school food video highlighting the amazing visit from chef Tony Geraci last fall and his discussions with Islanders about food. Young people play a
starring role- you may see some familiar faces.
The provincial government has announced a school lunch pilot project beginning in September, and the federation will continue to work toward our vision for school food that is presented in our Guiding Principles. As more details are available, they will be posted on the school food webpage: http:// peihsf.ca/topics/universalschool-lunch-program, along with the video and our Guiding Principles.
After their successful debut facilitating a demonstration workshop at the AGM, the Dr. Helen MacDonald scholars are ready to support local associations. They have designed three workshops and local home and school associations are invited to request their help facilitating discussions on the following topics: how to improve school food programs, defining educational priorities and identifying the mission and goals of your local associations.
May and June is a great time for local home and school associations to elect their new executives and deter`mine why they exist. Trained facilitators can help. Contact the federation office.
If you have a favourite school bus driver who goes above and beyond the call of duty, be sure to get a nomination form in before the May 12 deadline. Details and nomination forms for the school bus driver of the year award are at http://peihsf.ca/ bus.
Welcome to kindergarten sessions are being conducted at all elementary schools for families with students entering kindergarten in the autumn. The program provides parents with tools and resources to engage their children in learning. Local associations are encouraged to reach out to new parents at these sessions to welcome them into the home and school community. Download the Welcome to Kindergarten app for more fun and creative learning tips. More details are at http:// www.gov.pe.ca/edu/psb/parents_students/wtk-sessions/.
The 2017-2018 school calendar is available at https://www. princeedwardisland.ca/schoolcalendar.
The PEIHSF office can provide assistance to local associations on any issues related to the endof-year winding down, from meetings to awards, election of new officers and planning for next year. Email peihsf@edu. pe.ca or phone 902-620-3186 or 1-800-916-0664.