APE News SUMMERLAND a———_—_——— By KrisTEN JOHNSON, PARENT It’s been great to see all the smiling faces, both familiar and new, at Ecole Elémentaire Trout Creek. We are very pleased to have Dominique Joyal as our full time Principal and Nicole Pelletier as our very own Secretary! Welcome to you both! Last spring the students enjoyed a day of cultural education when we visited the Sugar Shack. The day included a video on Maple Syrup production, dancing, and the ever-popular tasting of Maple Syrup poured on snow. What a wonderful way for all the children to spend the day speaking French. We are very proud of all the students that participated in the PGL spelling contest. Two of our students excelled in the dictation portion of the event. Catherine Beau-Martin placed Port ALBERNI a————_———— By HELENE DuFouR, PARENT ———————= Twenty-five years already! The Port Alberni franco- phone program celebrated the beginning of the 2003-2004 school year with a heart-warming community breakfast. Parents, students, and school staff got acquainted over a wonderful potluck meal. Without a doubt, after such a successful inaugural event, our 14 students, from Kindergarten through Grade 6, are brimming with unparalleled enthusiasm. Stop in and help us celebrate the 25" anniversary of the francophone program! second in the province for Grade 6 and Cierra Williams placed third in the province for Grade 5. Congratulations! Thanks to the support of Nelson Girard, we had an amazing turn out for the Track and Field sports day in June. Hopefully we can keep up the numbers, as it’s great to see our students out in the community participating in these events. As I read the Tsawwassen School article about volunteers (in the February issue), I found myself agreeing whole- heartedly. The volunteers make many of the dinners, field trips, fundraising and hot lunches (among other things) possible. Thanks to all of you who devote your time and energy so willingly. PRINCE GEORGE »——— By Denis Genpron, APE Interim PResipENT ————a At the close of the last school year, our school was renamed, Franco-Nord. We continue to grow, with slightly more than 100 students, and we now have a Grade 8 class. We are currently running a competition among the students and school community to select a school mascot and emblem. Last year, the school instituted a daily hot lunch program. The program was extremely successful and will continue this year. There’s still lots of work to do, but we are confident that we can complete all of the tasks that we’ve set for ourselves. ECOLE SECONDAIRE KITSILANO ’ VANCOUVER a— By C.aire Guiporp, APE PResIDENT The coming school year promises to a very interesting one for our high school students. Just a few weeks after classes got underway, parents were invited to a ‘walkabout,’ which gave them an opportunity to spend about ten minutes in each classroom and get to know a bit more about the student’s daily routine. The following week, the Grade 12 students (with help from the parents) hosted a BBQ for the Grade 8 class. This activity was designed to help introduce the younger students to the high school community. A few of the Grade 10 students belong to the Kitsilano Secondary junior volleyball team. One of these students accompanied the team to the Spruce Grove, Alberta, tournament during the September 27-28 weekend. The team 1 4 Iufo-Parents managed to hold on to third place. Members returned to BC with smiles on their faces, and bronze medals around their necks. Bravo! In November, we are planning a musical show in collaboration with the Centre culturel francophone. It promises to be a great evening. In the meanwhile, APE Kits activities will get underway. We held the AGM in early September, with the election of new officers. APE Kits will work closely with its parent members, as well as with the Kits PAC (the anglophone parents’ association) to combine activities that benefit both groups (for example, the auction that was such an outstanding success last year). APE News continues on page 18