Time to discuss 2019 resolutions. Annual meeting, convention set for April 13 at the Rodd Charlottetown Hotel

Planning is underway for the Prince Edward Island Home and School Federation’s 66th Annual Meeting & Convention. The meeting will take place on Saturday, April 13, 2019 at the Rodd Charlottetown hotel. This year’s theme is Stop. Collaborate & Listen.

Every school is encouraged to send representatives. Parents, guardians, educators and students are welcome. The registration package was mailed to home and school presidents and is available online at: https://peihsf.ca/agm. One registered delegate will win a night’s stay at the Rodd Charlottetown Hotel. Register your school’s delegates by Friday, March 29.

One of the most important activities that local home and school associations go through each year is the discussion of proposed provincial policy resolutions. Once passed, these resolutions allow the Home and School Federation to speak with a collective voice.

Home and Schools are asked to review the proposed 2019 resolutions at a local association meeting. Vote on each one and pass the voting results on to your voting delegates so they will vote on behalf of the local home and school on April 13. Resolutions are online at: https://peihsf.ca/agm/resolutions

This year, resolution topics include requests for school renovation and construction recommended guidelines and establishing a working group to research homework policy for PEI’s school system.

The annual meeting is a chance for members and partners in education 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.

The federation supports the province of Prince Edward Island’s recent announcement to place automatic external defibrillators in Island schools.This investment will benefit students, staff, teachers, and the entire community. At the 2016 AGM a resolution, put forward by Queen Elizabeth Elementary Home and School, was passed asking departments of education and health to provide funds to place and maintain automated external defibrillators in all PEI schools. We commend the department of education, early learning and culture for investing in the safety of island school children and community members.

Each year at the Annual Meeting & Convention, Home and School volunteers are recognized for their volunteer efforts in their association and at their local school. Home and Schools may submit nominations for the Steve McQuaid Volunteer of the Year and Life Membership awards by: March 15, 2019. Find criteria online at: https://peihsf.ca/content/awards

The Extra Mile Awards were presented during Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week. Congratulations to Donna MacNeill, administrative assistant, Lucy Maud Montgomery elementary school, Cathy Cameron, Vice Principal, West Royalty elementary school and Tracy Arsenault, classroom teacher, Ellerslie elementary school.

For further 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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Cory Thomas, president of the P.E.I. Home and School Federation, lives in Summerside with his wife and two children, who both attend Elm Street Elementary School. His column appears in The Guardian during the school year on the first Thursday of the month. He welcomes comments from readers and information for the column. He can be reached at peihsf.ca or 902-620-3186