Everyone benefits from parent-teacher interviews

 Although hot educational topics come and go, parents will always need to know the answer to the question:  How is my child doing in school?

When parents are aware of how a son or daughter is doing in math, science, language arts, parents feel part of a team working with the teacher to help the child succeed.  Improving the communication thread “three-ways” – parents, teachers, students – provides benefit to everyone involved.

March marks the second and last semester of the school year. Attend this week’s parent-teacher interviews to learn about the student’s plan to reach the end of this school year successfully. Know what the expectation is for all subjects.  Know how well he/she is reading; common sense makes it clear that a child who is behind in reading, may also be experiencing difficulty in other subjects.

Learn about test scores. If you don’t understand the scores, ask a teacher or principal to provide an explanation at the next Home and School meeting for all attendees; others may also want this information.

Listen!  It’s important for parents to listen closely and provide opportunities to relay feelings about school successes and disappointments. Attend parent-teacher interviews with a pen and pad in hand to learn more about how well your child is doing and ask how you can help them be successful. Setting goals and outlining a plan to accomplish these goals is important.

PEI’s Olympian gold medalist is a positive role model for setting goals and working hard to achieve those goals!  Congratulations Heather Moyse!

The federation’s 61st annual general meeting will be held April 12th at the Rodd Charlottetown Hotel.  The conference package with resolutions, agenda and registration details has been mailed to member associations. Post the AGM information in school newsletters, on facebook, blogs and twitter.

To prepare for the meeting, discuss and vote on all resolutions, invite all members to attend, designate five as voting delegates and register all who are committed to attending the AGM, both voting and non-voting, by March 24.

Nominate a Home and School member for the Volunteer of the Year Award or for a Life
Membership Award.  These awards will be presented at the annual meeting. Submit names to the federation office by March 14. Find criteria at: https://peihsf.ca/content/awards. Associations may also nominate officers who, in your opinion, have the necessary qualifications to do the work of the P.E.I. Home and School Federation. Submit names to the provincial office by March 31.

The federation attended the public release of the 2012-2013 School Health Action Planning and Evaluation Survey (S.H.A.P.E.S.) results released last month, reported a student health profile for grades 5 to12 on trends in mental fitness, physical activity and health eating. Request a school administrator or department representative to explain these results and hold a discussion to find solutions for improving all areas. View S.H.A.P.E.S. provincial results on a new website, Healthy School Communities at: www.gov.pe.ca/healthyschoolcommunities/index

Judy DesRoche, a teacher assistant at Miscouche Consolidated, and Alanna Gauthier, teacher at Central Queens Elementary School, have received the federation’s 2014 Extra Mile Awards.  Parents, students and teachers collaborated to submit nominations for these individuals who have given much to the learning environment of students in their schools. Their passion for educating children is inspiring for everyone in P.E.I.’s school community.

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Comments on this column can be directed to peihsf@edu.pe.ca.

Pam Montgomery, President
PEI Home and School Federation