Retirees honoured for their service

This month will see the retirement of many employees that Home and School members have had in their daily lives for many years: 43 teachers, 10 cleaners and custodians, 9 bus drivers, 9 educational assistants and youth service workers, 7 administrative assistants, and 2 board office staff from the English Language School Board.  All were honoured with a dinner in late May hosted by the board. 

Home and School associations are encouraged to ask their school administrators for the names of staff retiring from their school and to recognize these retirements locally. Recognition at graduation or school closing events, a card and gift, or a collection of notes of appreciation from students are among the ways to recognize retiring staff. 

All teachers, administrators and staff are members of the Home and School community, and this recognition serves as a tip of the hat to retiring home and school members as well as to highlight the tremendous passion and dedication over a career that these professionals have brought to their roles in the education system. 

June is also the end of the school year for students; parents and guardians are reminded that it’s often possible to make arrangements with school administrators and teachers to help ease the transition to the next school year, especially when a move to a new school will take place.

Teachers can recommend summer reading and other activities that will supplement next year’s curriculum, and administrators can facilitate school visits, meetings with appropriate teaching and resource staff, and other activities that will ensure a smooth start to the next school year. Now is the time to ask!

This has been a tremendous year for the home and school movement in Prince Edward Island: in schools across the province, parents, guardians, teachers, administrators and staff have gathered for parent leadership projects, fundraising projects, home and school meetings, parent-teacher conferences, breakfast and lunch programs, arts, technology, sports and music extra-curricular activities; provincially, at the Semi-Annual Meeting in the fall, the brainstorming workshops over the winter, and the Annual General Meeting in April. There has been vigorous discussion of public education, and many new initiatives have resulted.

People are urged to take a moment to thank the executive of your local Home and School association. They are volunteers, working hard to ensure that parents, guardians, teachers, administrators and staff in the school have a venue for collaboration. They give generously of their time, with the goal of the total well-being of every child in their sights. It’s a tradition that stretches back generations on Prince Edward Island, and one all members should be proud of.

The PEIHSF office will be open daily until the end of June, and can provide assistance to local associations on any issues related to the end-of-year winding down, from meetings to awards to planning for next year; email office@peihsf.ca or phone 902-620-3186 or 1-800-916-0664. Over the summer the office can be reached by email.