Local chapter of Canadian Parents for French annual meeting June 9

June 8, 2010

Parents and students interested in French Immersion are invited to the Annual General Meeting for the Comox Valley chapter of Canadian Parents for French tomorrow.

Local French Immersion enrollment is set to reach more than 1,000 students in the next school year. Chapter co-president Haley Humphrey attributed the group's success to strong relationships with the Valley's French Immersion schools.

"With about 100 kindergarten students entering the French Immersion program each fall since a cap on enrolment was lifted in 2005, it's very clear that parents in the community value French Immersion as an educational option," she said.

Last year the group's Grade 8 and 9 students experienced a week of winter weather in Quebec, including a taste of Carnaval, before the Quebec students traveled to the Valley to experience a Vancouver Island spring. Efforts to support a 2011 trip to Paris and London for Grade 11 and 12 immersion students are ongoing.

Students can attend French Immersion at Ecole Robb Road in Comox and Ecole Puntledge Park in Courtenay. Late Immersion is also available for students going into Grade 6. Next year, Ecole Mark R. Isfeld will see its first French Immersion grads get their "double dogwood" diplomas. The AGM starts at 7 p.m. (Wednesday, June 9) at Ecole Mark R. Isfeld Secondary.

Source: Comox Valley Echo

Hello CPF Golden members,

I would like to invite you all to attend our Annual General Meeting and Family Celebration to be held at Alexander Park Elementary School playground on Thursday, May 20 from 5 – 7 PM.

This is an important meeting, as we will be nominating people to our board and committees (but don’t let that stop you from coming! J ), and giving an update about the External review that the School Board has started on the English and French programming in Golden.

Anyone is invited and welcome to come to the AGM, but only members can make motions, vote, and be elected to the board.

This is also a celebration of our amazing French Immersion program, and as such we would like as many families as possible to attend. We will have some childminding available during the meeting, and some loosely organized activities for the kids. We would also like to have a Pot Luck, so bring something to share OR a little picnic dinner for you and your family. Please bring your own plates, drinks and utensils.

If it rains, we will hold the meeting from 5:30 – 6:30 in the APES library and we will hold the Celebration and Pot Luck at a later date.

The Pot Luck will start at 5 PM and the meeting will be from 5:30 – 6:30.

Please RSVP by May 17 if you will be able to come to the meeting and Pot Luck. Also, if you have any questions that you hope will be addressed at the AGM, please send them to me in advance.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Kind regards,

Laurie Dalzell
President, Canadian Parents for French—Golden Chapter
(cell) 250.439.9345

Mark your calendar! Canadian Parents for French - New Westminster Chapter is preparing for the 5th Annual Marché français/French Marketplace.

Come and experience a bit of French culture at the Marché français. Meet vendors of hard-to-find French resources (books, music, electronics, games and more) and interesting French-themed items. Listen to French and French-Canadian accordion music performed by Chris Messytone (4 pm – 6 pm) while enjoying delicious crêpes and maple treats. 

There will be a children’s activity and craft area as well as a raffle. Free admission. Everyone is welcome!

The Marché français will be held at École Herbert Spencer School Gym (605 Second Street, New Westminster) on Tuesday, March 30, 2010 at 2:45 pm – 8:00 pm. Info: 604-526-6630.

Attachments:

Marche_francais_poster.JPG

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How to help your child succeed in French Immersion Grades 2-4!

A Special presentation of the CPF Vancouver East, North and South Chapters

Date: March 22  
Time: 6:30pm-8:00pm
Location:  L’Ecole Bilingue Elementary  School
(located at 1166 West 14th Avenue one block west of Oak Street).
Cost:  Suggested donation $2 per person 

All parents invited!

Guest Speaker Sallie Boschung - French Immersion Early Literacy entor and teacher will offer advice and guidance for Parents with children in Grade 2, 3 and 4:

• My child is better at French than I am, how can I help?
• What is the best way to help with homework?
• How and when do they learn English?  
• How do I know if  my child is struggling?
• What happens to French when they learn English?
• How do I prioritize if  we speak a third language at home?
• What resources do I need at home?

Childcare: Free for CPF Members and for non CPF Members  $3/child ($2 per additional child same family)  
For childcare RSVP to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it deadline is March 19th and space is limited.
 

Attachments:

Parent Survival Night March 22 2010.pdf

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By Trish Kinsey

This is a guest post by Trish Kinsey, a longtime New West resident, mother of three and member of Canadian Parents for French. CPF is presenting a free screening of two National Film Board films in the auditorium at the New Westminster Public Library (716 6th Avenue) on Tuesday, March 9, 2010 from 7pm to 8:15pm.

I remember being in French class in highschool and not enjoying it. I thought it was such a waste of time since I wasn’t going to use it anyway. Why is my teacher making me make strange linguistic noises? Why are they torturing me? I think I did okay though… a few words did stick like “bonjour” and “merci”.

Fast-forward to my mid-twenties. I just quit my job, got work visas, and was on my way to France with my husband to start a new life. Why France? My husband was fluent in French and I wanted to live and experience a culture that was exciting and different… besides, I had French 10 under my belt and I knew my two French words.

After being in France for 3 weeks, we found out that I was pregnant. I had pretty severe morning sickness (or all-day sickness in my case) which prevented me from going out and socializing. Between keeping my food down and trying to understand what these French people were saying, interacting with people in French was very difficult for me. I remember wishing I knew more French so that I could communicate well and not be so lonely in this foreign country. I started longing for comfort food (read: bland) such as Kraft Dinner. Can you imagine purchasing Kraft Dinner in France? Sacré bleu! Didn’t matter anyway because I couldn’t find any mac n’ cheese in the land of fine cuisine, but I did find microwavable hamburgers there strangely enough.

Ultimately, we went back to Canada after 3 months. I’m pretty sure we’d still be in France if I knew more French.

Now I have a 5 year-old daughter who is in French Immersion. I want to show her the value of learning another language, French in particular. I think it’s working… she likes to insert French words here and there when I least expect them! I think everyone should be exposed to and excited about French. There’s a whole world out there and it’s pretty handy to know at least one other language.

This is where Canadian Parents for French come in. I joined CPF – New West Chapter 6 months ago because they too believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn French and be involved with activities and events in a French-speaking environment.

The next event coming up is the French-Canadian film night on March 9th, 2010 at 7pm to 8:15pm. So, please come out and enjoy an animated short (in English) and a documentary (in French with English subtitles) for FREE. They are family-friendly films – let’s get everyone excited about French!

CPF – New West will present selected National Film Board films in the auditorium at the New Westminster Public Library (716 6th Avenue) on Tuesday, March 9, 2010 from 7pm to 8:15pm – doors open at 6:45pm. There will be popcorn and door prizes! The event is free and everyone is welcome.

For more information about the screening or CPF, call 604-526-6630.

Source: Tenth of the Fraser

Ladies and Gentleman! Boys and Girls! Come one, come all to see the One Woman Circus at the Second Annual Community Carnival at the Sportsplex, Saturday, March 6.

The One Woman Circus, aka, Sand Northrup, will dazzle audiences young and old with her juggling, physical comedy and talents riding the unicycle.

Circus arts come alive in her zany display of gravity defying feats. Audience interaction and participation make the show a real treat.

Northrup is a bilingual performer and educator, so after her performance she will also be conducting a one-hour circus workshop for anyone who would like to learn some new tricks.

She has written and performed in a variety of productions from B.C. to Saskatchewan for young audiences in French and English over the past two decades.

The carnival, which is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., is presented by the Campbell River chapter of the Canadian Parents for French again this year. The event will also feature a concession, lots of fun activity booths, photos with Bonhomme and musical performances by local entertainers.

Admission is free. For more information phone 250-287-4523.

Source: Campbell River Mirror

Event Date and Time:
Friday, January 29, 2010 - 3:15pm

Gordon Elementary School

Late French Immersion students:
Apply by Friday Jan 29th to be added to the draw for the 60 available spaces. There will be a draw for students accepted. Those not successful in the draw will be added to the wait list.

Kindergarten students (born 2005 or later):
Register by Friday Jan 29th.
There will be a draw if there are more registrations than places.
Catchment and siblings registered by Jan 29th are guaranteed a spot.
Any students applying after Jan 29th, including in catchment and siblings, will be added to the waitlist if the places are filled.