Prince Edward Island Home and School Federation

Featured Stories

"Home and School and You", September 2010
Written by Owen Parkhouse, President

"Plenty to look forward to in a new school year"

September is upon us already and with it comes the shift in gears from summer holidays to the return to school.

This can be a time of mixed emotions for parents/guardians and their school children. If parents/guardians are excited and positive about the first day, your enthusiasm will likely be passed on to your children.

Parents can help your child overcome any fears of the first day by talking about it and passing on some of their back to school experiences when you were young. The night before the big day, make sure your child gets plenty of sleep. In the morning and after a good breakfast remind them about what they have to look forward to at school.

The Prince Edward Island Home and School Federation (PEIHSF) looks forward to working together to achieve the best possible education for children and youth on PEI and I encourage you to find out more about the local associations.

Home and School is a volunteer, non-profit organization made up of individuals like you and me. It is an advocacy group working on behalf of school-age children both provincially and nationally. Curriculum content, class size, bullying, school bus safety, and health and addiction education – these are just a few of the current ideas being raised with the government.

As you can see, the more members Home and School has, the stronger voice it has. If your child is in the school system then this is a great way to get involved in your child’s education.

These years only come by once in a lifetime so don’t miss this wonderful opportunity! Visit our website at www.edu.pe.ca/peihsf/ and contact the office at (902) 620-3186 for any queries, issues or to offer ideas.

I would like to welcome Kindergarten children into the schools and let their parents know that there are many resources on the Internet to get them started. I would recommend that parents/guardians have a look at the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development website at http://www.gov.pe.ca/eecd/index.php3?number=1029911. This is an exciting time for your little ones and we wish them all the best!

Last June, the Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Doug Currie hosted the Minister’s Summit on Learning.It was an incredible event filled with optimism and great ideas for the future of education on the Island. We look forward to seeing the report on all of the issues that were raised and we also look forward to the follow-up sessions promised by the Minister.

While I am on the topic of politics, the Progressive Conservative Party of PEI is in the midst of a leadership race and one of the candidate forums will concern education on PEI. This will be held on Tuesday, September 14 at 7PM at Holy Redeemer Hall in Charlottetown. The public is invited to attend and ask questions to any of the candidates. I encourage you to attend.

I would like to remind drivers across the Island to slow down in school zones and to remember that the big yellow buses will soon be on the roads once again. Please obey the law, be courteous and remember that safety is everyone’s responsibility.

I wish all the students a happy and productive school year. Make the most of this year, embrace the opportunity to learn and remember to have fun while you are being taught by some of the best teachers in the country.

An old Chinese proverb goes like this: “Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself."

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