The Fall Issue of the QFHSA News
Has Arrived!
The clocks have changed, the leaves are falling, and the nights are getting colder. It must be time for the Fall issue of the QFHSA News!
Highlights of this issue:
- Our Upcoming Fall Conference — read all about the 7 interesting Zoom workshops we have planned for you.
- Delightful back-to-school photos of children from across the province.
- Thoughts on Bill 40.
- News from local Home & Schools, and more!
Get a head start on your documentation for 2020-2021
As the 2019-2020 school year is ending and thoughts and preparations turn to the 2020-2021 school year, we’re here to support you! Please take a moment to download the newly posted forms for your Home & School Association’s registration and membership. Click on the FORMS tab in the left side menu. Please contact the office at info@qfhsa.org with any questions. Have a great summer!
What was it like to return to school in the Spring of 2020?
Read about the back-to-school experience at Pierre Elliot Trudeau Elementary in Gatineau, Quebec in this QFHSA News Bulletin.
Fighting Discrimination in Quebec:
Support the Legal Challenge to Law 21
In these turbulent times, when we are struggling with COVID-19 as well as the injustices we see playing out every day in Canada and in our neighbour to the south, we often feel helpless and frustrated.
And we do not have to look far afield to see examples of discrimination in our own backyard. Our Premier acknowledges that there is racism in Quebec, but not “systemic racism.” Does he need a concrete example? Loi 21 is systemic discrimination.
The Comité juridique de la Coalition Inclusion Québec is proceeding with its court challenge to Law 21, which will be heard in November. In the meantime, although the lawyers are all working pro bono, they need help with the court fees. The QFHSA has dedicated some of its funds to this cause as has the NL21 Campaign.
We invite our H&S members to either make individual contributions, or perhaps their H&S Association might like to dedicate some funds toward this court challenge. Donations large and small are welcomed and much appreciated. You can make your donation via Canada Helps by selecting the “No to Law 21 Campaign” option in the section that allows you to apply your donation to a specific fund: https://bit.ly/3e4t7w3.
As the saying goes, “There is no more neutrality in the world. You either have to be part of the solution, or you’re going to be part of the problem.” — Eldridge Cleaver
The QFHSA Back-to-School Survey:
What Our Members Had to Say
In early May 2020, the QFHSA surveyed our members for their opinions on the Quebec Government’s plans to reopen elementary schools later that month. We learned that a very small minority of respondents planned to send their children back to school when it reopened. Therefore, the news on May 14 that the government would not be reopening elementary schools in the Greater Montreal Area until the fall was a relief to many.
In the survey, parents shared their worries and concerns about the back-to-school plans. We also got a glimpse of the distance learning experience in their homes.
Read the summary of our survey findings here.
The Swing into Spring Webinars Are Now Available Online
In May, the QFHSA collaborated with LEARN to offer two very informative workshops led by Family Life Educator Karen Delage. The workshops are full of information and practical suggestions for parents. Follow the links below to learn more about the following topics:
Webinar 1: A Time of Crisis = An Opportunity for Transformation
This workshop explores change – how we react to it, adapt to it, and move forward from it. Learn how you and your family can thrive in challenging times. The webinar is available here.
Webinar 2: Helping Families Navigate School Transitions
Especially useful parents of 10- to 12-year-olds, this workshop provides tips and tools to support a child making that leap into high school. The webinar is available here.
Offered in collaboration with
Challenge to Law 40
Bill 40 An Act to amend mainly the Education Act with regard to school organization and governance, tabled in October 2019, infringes on the constitutional rights of the English-speaking community of Quebec to manage and control our own education institutions.
We urged the Minister of Education to withdraw Bill 40, amend Bill 40, and /or exempt the English school system from its provisions, all to no avail.
Statement on the abolition of the “Ethics and Religious Culture” programme
The QFHSA’s Education, Rights and Resolutions Committee welcomes the opportunity to comment on the following: The abolishment of the Ethics and Religious Culture Course and the Consultation On The Ethics And Religious Culture Program Of Study.
QFHSA Member H&S Associations Interactive Map
Historical Listing of H&S Associations
Quebec Home and Schools may come and go over the years, but their contributions to their schools have not been forgotten. Here is a list of all the historic Home and School Associations. Those in blue ink remain active today. Find your H&S on the list!
NO TO LAW 21 CAMPAIGN
Quebec’s Law 21 is discriminatory and divisive and must be fought on all fronts. The “No to Law 21” campaign, in partnership with Quebec Federation of Home and School Associations, invites Quebecers from all faiths, backgrounds and walks of life to proudly wear a button to demonstrate their opposition to this law.
QFHSA will be helping with the ordering and distribution of the buttons. To make a donation to this campaign, click on the donate button and choose the “No to Law 21” Fund.
Notice: QFHSA Annual Membership Fee Increase
At the 2018 Annual General Meeting, April 28, 2018, Treasurer Leah Trineer submitted a Notice of Motion to the delegates representing the member Home and School Associations. This notice advised the delegates that a motion to increase the QFHSA membership fee from $18 to $20 would be brought to the floor for a vote at the 2019 Annual General Meeting. (The annual membership fee had not been increased since 2012, when it went from $16 to $18.) This would give the member associations time to inform their membership.
On May 4, 2019 at the QFHSA Annual General Meeting, Treasurer Leah Trineer called for a Motion to adopt the new membership fee of $20.00 per family per year, effective September 2019. The motion was adopted unanimously.
All Home and School Association Presidents, Treasurers and Membership Chairs were subsequently advised of this increase.
QUEBEC FEDERATION OF HOME AND SCHOOL ASSOCIATIONS
Where is the community consultation?
May 13, 2019- The Quebec Federation of Home and School Associations, Inc. (QFHSA) defends the right of access to English education in Quebec, be it in small isolated rural schools in the regions, or small urban schools on the Island of Montreal. The QFHSA is, therefore, alarmed at the speed and heavy handedness which the current Minister of Education and Higher Education has used to forgo community consultation in favour of expediency. Only last year, the Ministry was proud to announce its education reform as a plan to give the community more direct say: “More than ever, we believe that schools must belong to their neighbourhoods. The members of a community are the people best equipped to determine the needs of their schools and defend the interests of the students in those schools.” – School Governance plan, CAQ website 2018, p. 4 Now, the process is more one of “informing parents”, not consulting with them, as was indicated in the recent letter sent by Jean-Francois Roberge, Minister of Education and Higher Education, to EMSB Chair Angela Mancini, regarding the unilateral transfer of three EMSB schools: Gerald McShane Elementary School, General Vanier Elementary School and John Paul I High School in the east end of Montreal to Commission scolaire de la Pointe-de-l’Île in Riviere-des-Prairies so soon after the transfer of Riverdale High School to Commission scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys.
What happened to the promise of community consultation?
