Discussion before decision-making
Local discussion of proposed provincial policy resolutions is one of the most important activities that home and school associations go through each year. These resolutions on issues of broad provincial importance are the way that the parents, guardians, teachers, administrators and staff of home and school can speak with a collective voice and have a direct impact on education policy.
Resolutions will be voted on by delegates from each school at the P.E.I. Home and School Federation annual meeting on April 8. Before that can happen, however, the resolutions must be discussed at home and school meetings in each school and a local vote taken on each one to guide the school’s delegates in their voting.
This year there will be seven resolutions to discuss, including requests for improved access to counseling services, increased support for school libraries and teacher-librarians, and shortened time frame for class periods. Four of the seven resolutions are related to healthy eating in schools. They present a set of guiding principles for school food programs, address allowance for “eating time” for lunch and snacks and request support for cafeterias to be owned and operated by school communities. The full text of all resolutions is available online at https://peihsf.ca/agm/resolutions.
Your school community members – parents, guardians, principals, teachers, administrators and staff, district advisory council representatives – are invited to register for the meeting. While each member school is limited to five voting delegates, there is no limit to the number of attendees otherwise from each school. The greater the attendance, the richer the discussions. The meeting is a chance for members from across the province to gather in discussion on issues in education, to celebrate successes, examine challenges, and to learn from each other about how to best carry out the Home and School mission and influence educational policy from the bottom up. Be sure to announce the opportunity to attend the AGM at your Home & School meetings, post it in your school’s newsletter, Facebook, Twitter, blog and website.
The theme for the meeting is: How can equity be addressed in Island Schools? Presenters will discuss different ways of addressing equity in schools, including food programs (Rachel Schofield Martin), flexible learning (Mitch Murphy), and citizen engagement in decision making (Bill Whelan). Roundtable discussions in the afternoon will be led by newly certified collaborative leaders from across the Island and will focus on the meaning of equity and the possibilities that are available to ensure an equitable education for each child.
The P.E.I. Home and School Federation presented two very deserving individuals with Extra Mile Awards during Teacher Staff Appreciation week this year. Cathy Cairns from Englewood School and Gail Finniss from Greenfield Elementary School were nominated by their local Home and Schools and recognized for going above and beyond the call of duty to improve the total well-being of their students.
For information about the Annual General Meeting, about resolutions, or about any aspect of Home and School, contact the Federation office at peihsf@edu.pe.ca or by telephone at (902) 620-3186 or toll-free 1-800-916-0664.
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Written by Lisa MacDougall, President, PEI Home and School Federation
March 2017