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La voix des parents de Colombie-Britannique

Behind Every Successful School,
There Are Involved Parents!

Parents are their children’s first
a educators and many wish to

continue to play a role in their
children's education once they begin
school. Research shows that the children
whose parents play an active role in their
education tend to be more successful.
Moreover, through this involvement par-
ents can foster communication and feel
more like they belong to the school com-
munity. There are many ways a parent
can get involved in their child's educa-
tion. Participating in the school's parents’
association (APE or PAC) is one of them.

Role of the APE

The role of the school's parents’ as-
sociation is to represent and promote
parents’ interests. It must operate within
set parameters, such as the Education
Act, the CSF’s (the Francophone edu-
cation authority's) policies, and the vari-
ous collective agreements. It can make
recommendations to the CSF. fhe school
administration and the teaching staff on
any school-related topic, with the excep-
tion of those related to the school’s Part-
ners’ Committee. The APE is also a source
of information for education authorities
regarding parents’ concerns and the
school’s needs.

In partnership with
the school’s Partners’
Committee members,
the APE helps to imple-
ment the School Plan
(projet éducatif). The
association promotes
school policies and
supports efforts aiming
to develop activities
designed to enrich the
educational — experi-
ence. The APE has a

mandate to consult with
parents on relevant issues and fo dis-
seminate information.

The APE liaises with the FPFCB (BC
Federation of Francophone Parents) and
the CSF. If seeks consistency between
the parents’ vision and fhe work of the
school’s Partners’ Committee.

The APE appoints:

a parent representatives to the
Partners’ Committee;

a the parent representative to the
school’s administrators’ selection
committee;

a bothrepresentatives to the FPFCB
annual conference and annual
general meeting.

The APE may, at its discretion:
a organize cultural activities;
a offer family “francization” programs;

= conduct fundraising activities
(funding campaigns);

= operate a nursery school or
daycare service;

= organize/provide community
services or activities;

= organize recruiting drives.

How can non-French-speaking par-
ents participate in a Francophone
school's parents’ association? There are
two basic points that need to be estab-
lished from the outset:

a all parties agree to respect and pre-
serve the French-speaking nature of
the institutional sohere, and

a non-French-speaking parents are
welcomed as full participants in their
children’s education.

Here are few ideas that some

APEs are putting into practice in

order to include all parents*:

= Create a “buddy system” fo bring
Francophone and exogamous fam-
ilies together for social and academic
functions.

a Strike committees to hanale specific
issues in English (e.g., transportation,
playground, certain fundraising pro-
jects).

a Distribute background information on
issues well before meetings, so that
non-French-speaking parents can
discuss them with their francophone
spouses.

a Use graphics whenever possible dur-
ing meetings and in written communi-
cations fo illustrate issues.

a Organize English-language presenta-
tions on topics of special interest to
non-francophone parents, such as
reading and bilingualism.

a Organize conversational French
courses for non-French-speaking
parents, and tailor the courses so
that participants are better able to
function in the day-to-day life of the
school. ©

*Souce: Taylor, Glen, 2004, “I’m With You! Exogamous Families’
Guide to the World of Francophone Education”, p. 86-87.