TSAWWASSEN

Last October, students, teachers and families of the
Tsawwassen French School selected a new name for the
school - ’école du Bois-Joli. We are now searching for
a logo to round out our academic identity. This ever-dy-
namic school now enrols 31 students, who are in the proc-
ess of preparing for the PGL dictation. The students also
take music lessons from time to time. At Christmas, fami-
lies were invited to a small celebration. Students will also
be preparing crafts for Valentine’s Day, Easter, and Moth-
er’s Day and Father’s Day. Our children also went on out-
ings to discover skating, the Mining Museum, and the
Orpheum. The parents have also been active. Twice a month,
they prepare hot meals. Parents have also invested in the
4" and 5'*-grade libraries by purchasing some $520-worth
of books. Parents are currently preparing an emergency kit
in anticipation of an emergency preparedness plan.

Bois-Joli School will be holding a garage sale on May
4. If you have any items to donate, or would simply like
to pitch in, call us at 604-943-0543 for more about our
fundraising project. .

Edith Boyer, APE parent

KITSILANO - VANCOUVER ——

Kitsilano high school in Vancouver is thrilled to host the first
annual francophone basketball tournament. This coming
April 4, students from Anne-Hébert, Les Pionniers, Gabrielle-
Roy, La Vérendrye and André-Piolat schools will converge
on Kitsilano for this special event. Good luck to all of the
teams, and, above all, have Fun...in French ! Good news
| The Kitsilano senior basketball team is currently top team
in the province. In other sports news, tenth grader Sacha
Lamontagne won the provincial judo championship in his
weight class. Bravo !

Registrations for 2002-2003 are well underway. There is still
time to register your child for the French-language program.
Kitsilano school offers this program for grades 8 through 12.

Alain Laberge, Director, Francophone Program

KELOWNA

Wow ! It’s been a busy four months in Kelowna.
The parents are energized and everyone’s in-
volved !| Our 56 families have really pitched in— }
designing a huge outdoor mural, hosting a fan-
tastic family Halloween party for roughly 100
people, preparing weekly hot meals, enjoying
monthly discovery meals (with each palate- |
pleasing food more exotic than the next), build-
ing delicious gingerbread houses, and, on De-
cember 21, staging the highly successful mid-
day Reveillon, with tourtiére for all !

On the administrative side, some parents looked
at the transportation issue, while others incor-
porated the elementary school APE (we already have one at the high school). Parents
did not sit around with respect to fundraising either, selling pastries and tourtieres,
Tupperware, pitching the Campbell program, and preparing three applications for fund-
ing. In four months, the parents have already done a ton of homework! | can’t wait to
see what’s in store for the next six months. Onward and upward !

— _ ANNE-HEBERT - VANCOUVER ——

The Christmas bazaar was a resounding success. The magic
show, Santa’s arrival, and the artisans and booksellers that
were on hand ensured record attendance. Profits from the
event enabled us to add library shelving for more than $700-
worth of new books. We also took advantage of the evening
to launch our new 2002 calendar, magnificently illustrated
by the students. Thanks to Louise Misson, Anne-Marie Par-
ent, Renée Popov and the entire volunteer team. We cel-
ebrated the late January snowfall with a snowman-building
contest. To celebrate Francophonie Week, the APE is or-
ganizing a community party for Friday, March 15. Folk danc-
ing and a potluck supper are on the roster. Last year’s theme
was the genealogy of Anne Hébert’s family. Any suggestions
for this year ?

André Lamontagne, APE parent

— ROSE-DES-VENTS - VANCOUVER —

January 24, 2002, was the official date for the long-
anticipated inauguration of the new permanent location
at Rose-des-Vents School. This public school was opened
in 1996, thanks to support from the Federation of Franco-
phone Parents and the French School Board, and through
the efforts of a group of parents committed to providing
quality French-language education for their children in their
own community. Today, the school teaches four classes
(Kindergarten to Grade 4). Next year, the program will expand
to include Grade 5. The permanent classrooms are well
situated and can accommodate a large student population.

Despite its youth, Rose-des-Vents is a dynamic school
that already offers an impressive range of rewarding
programs and services. There was an excellent turnout
for the January 24 opening, including about thirty new
families. Visitors and parents were extremely pleased, and
touched, by the spirit of the new school. Many new students
are already registered to begin in September 2002.

Giséle Verrier, Principal

Nicole Leblanc, APE President

PAGE 14 INFO-PARENTS - FEDERATION DES PARENTS FRANCOPHONES DE COLOMBIE-BRITANNIQUE