CPF – BC & Yukon Chapter Updates Happy (Belated) New Year! I hope everyone had a festive holiday season. I hope the break, and the fresh start of the new year has renewed your energies and motivated you and your chapters for the year ahead. This is the first CRU of 2012, but unfortunately will be my last as Chapter Support & Outreach Officer. As some of you may know I left the office on medical leave in November. I have been back to work since early December, but coming back from the holidays and after much consideration I realize that I need to focus on my health and pursue other opportunities that can facilitate my personal well-being. I would like to thank you for all the well wishes and continued support you have shown me over the last three years; Working with CPF and its members, especially our dedicated chapter parents, who I have the opportunity to meet and learn from, has been extremely rewarding. I cherish the fond memories I have of my time working for the CPF - BC & Yukon branch from my days as Office Assistant until now. I have enjoyed working with you and your chapters to support and promote French-language education in BC & Yukon, a passion for which I will carry well after my last days of employment at CPF. Luckily, our current Office Assistant Alex Hughes will be transitioning into my position over the next few weeks. Please be patient with her as she is learning the ropes of Chapter Support & Outreach, she is a hard worker, and I am confident that she will do what she can to help you and your chapters move forward in 2012. My last day with CPF will be next Friday, I will do my best to respond to the all emails sent to me until that date, however please note that I will be doing some training with Alex and may not be available by phone next week. Nevertheless, if you would like to touch base with me directly before I leave, please contact me before January 19th, 2012. Anything after this date sent items will be forwarded to Alex’s email
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. Again it's been my pleasure to have had the chance to be involved with CPF; I wish you, your chapters and your families all the very best in 2012! Bon chance, bon courage, et à la prochaine! Erika Rosales
Chapter Support & Outreach Officer
Many Thanks to Dimitry & Courtney! After five years with the CPF BC & Yukon Branch Dimitry Morales, Systems & Office Manager, will move-on to pursue new opportunities. Dimitry has made an incredible contribution to the organization over the years helping the office improve our systems and operations and has gone the extra-mile to help support and guide Chapter volunteers and CPF members. CPF BC & Yukon is incredibly grateful for Dimitry’s years of service and wish him all the very best in his future pursuits. Dimitry’s final day in the office is Friday, February 3rd. His replacement will be announced by Monday, January 30th. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Courtney Meegan, whose contract as Communications Officer ends on January 19th. Over the last 5 months Courtney was a wonderful edition to our staff and leaves having improved our social media presence on Twitter and Facebook! All the best Courtney with your future pursuits!
Recreation Foundation of British Columbia Grant program – an opportunity for another source of CPF Chapter funding…
Apply now, deadline for proposal submissions is January 31, 2012 The Recreation Foundation of British Columbia is a registered charity (No. 89232 0441 RR0001) the purpose of which is to advance parks, recreation, arts and culture, and the environment in BC; and to fund the activities of not-for-profit volunteer and educational organizations in the province. The Foundation’s grant program includes some of the following criteria: - Grants are intended for charities whose purpose is consistent with the Foundation’s
- Grants will not exceed 50% of the total project cost, and the maximum grant will be $10,000
- Grants may be used for service expansion or improvements to existing programs, new programs, and research that will enhance the organization’s programs and services, but are not intended for planning or construction purposes
- Compliance with each of the requirements must be demonstrated in the Grant Application
This is a recently discovered grant program at our CPF Branch level, and it could be very good opportunity for your Chapters to tap into additional funding sources to run local social, cultural, and or educational programming. The deadline, unfortunately, is fast approaching – January 31, 2012. Visit their website http://bit.ly/RFBCgrants for more information and apply for one of their grants!
BC Family French Camp Registration – Don’t miss out on the chance of the Summer!
Registration Opens Sunday January 22, 2012 at 9:00am
A timely reminder that the BC Family French Camp (BCFFC) registration opens at 9:00am on Sunday January 22th. CPF members will need their 5 digit CPF membership ID number to register for the camp – your chapter membership lists (which were last sent out post-membership drive) are a great way to obtain this information. If you or someone that contacts you does not know their CPF membership ID number, and they do not appear on your membership list, please have them contact the office directly at 1-800-665-1222. FYI these summer camps fill up in a matter of hours after registration opens!
To register and for more information visit: http://bit.ly/BCfamilyfrenchcamp
French Immersion Celebration Week – How will you celebrate?
February 5-11, 2012 CPF – BC & Yukon has received confirmation, from both the British Columbia and Yukon governments to proclaim French Immersion Celebration week, February 5th to 11th. We will be circulating a media release and encourage all our chapters to recognize the event in their communities! To commemorate this week, the Branch is happy to offer a $100 FI Celebration Week Volunteer appreciation grant to celebrate your volunteers! The volunteer appreciation event/initiative/gifts cannot include alcohol beverages/tobacco or travel. Also your volunteer initiative must occur between February 1st and February 29th. Submit your receipts and receive reimbursements for up to $100 per chapter. Please send these to the Branch office (Attn: Volunteer Appreciation) with a description or story of your event by Feb.29, 2011. Pictures are always welcomed and stories may appear in the newsletter.
Concours d’art oratoire – Help your School Participate!
Registration for the provincial Concours will open February 28, 2012 and close April 18, 2012. Please help your school districts to meet this deadline. There are a number of eligible schools that, unfortunately, do not participate in the Concours d’art oratoire due to a lack of awareness. Please feel free to highlight this annual local, provincial, and national competition to your teachers and school principals. Furthermore, with current teacher job action affecting certain school activities, your chapter may need to take a more active role in organizing Concours events at a school/district level. Concours is one of the Branch’s signature events, so we encourage you to contact your school district representatives and make sure the 2012 school and district Concours competitions are a success! For questions about Concours and about up to date announcements, please refer to our website: http://bit.ly/CPF2012Concours
Parent Information Nights & CPF Over the few weeks and months school districts will be hosting information sessions for families entering the public school system. This is great opportunity for CPF Chapter representatives to attend, reach out to new parents, promote early French Immersion, encourage membership in Canadian Parents for French and highlight volunteer opportunities in your local chapter. If you have not already done so, please feel free to touch base with your principals and/or school district to coordinate your “Parent Information Night” efforts.
A Trio of Trustees!
Congratulations in order for another newly elected CPF member! Following the municipal elections last November, we announced congratulations to newly elected School Trustees, whom were elected in their communities across BC. Since then our office has been informed of an oversight, which we would like to remedy. We would like to extend our congratulations to another long-standing CPF member in Quesnel, Charlotte Kurta, who was elected in her community on November 19th! Kurta joins CPF chapter volunteers Sheila Boehm of Williams Lake and Charlene Dobie of Surrey as new school board Trustees. Again, we wish them the best of luck as they strive to make a difference in their communities in the new year!
Membership Drive 2011 Winners! The 2011 Membership Drive is now over. Thank you so much for your hard work and initiatives to expand our membership and our community. Remember, 80% of your memberships' fees comes right back to your local Chapter. Thanks to YOU, this means more fun events in schools, more resources for parents, teachers and students, and more extra-curricular activities in French for our kids! For a full list of winners, and to see if someone from you chapter won a prize, visit: http://bit.ly/2011MembershipDrive
Getting to Know You – What is Going On In Your Chapter? I would like to encourage all chapters to let us know if any exciting news or events are taking place in their chapter communities! Not only does this help CPF-BC & Yukon informed of issues and trends so that the Branch and the National offices can advocate effectively on your behalf, but there are sections on the Branch website where I can post the information you provide to me, and share your Chapter News and Events online. That said please feel free to email me links or newspaper clippings about the chapter or FSL issues in your area, chapter newsletters, event notices or flyers. This new year CPF BC & Yukon Branch will be continuing to raise our social media profile. In this case, it would also be great to be able to make a social networking connection between our chapters and the Branch, so please let me know if your chapter has a Facebook or Twitter account!
If you wish to add or remove your name from the CRU distribution list, or send comments, questions or submissions, contact:
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January Important Notes & Activities
Free Rosetta Stone French-language courses available through CIDES Are you a parent who would like to improve your knowledge and understanding of French? For adults who would like to take an introductory French-language course, the Central Interior Distance Education School (CIDES) offers FREE Rosetta Stone online learning courses. From their website: "Use Rosetta Stone™ online to learn a language in the privacy of your home or office. Rosetta is a fun, interactive and proven way to learn. At CIDES, we partner with Rosetta Stone to offer BC Ministry of Education language courses for credit. And best of all, it’s FREE to adults living in British Columbia." Please visit the CIDES website http://bit.ly/CIDESRosetta for more information. To learn more about Rosetta Stone™ visit http://www.rosettastone.com/
Shoot a Movie (en français) at GIFTS! The Gulf Islands Film and Television School (GIFTS) on Galiano Island is entering its second year of offering youth the opportunity to write-act-direct-edit short films mentored by French filmmakers in French! GIFTS has a number of school classes coming again this Spring and have added a Spring Break Immersion focus. Check out this unique extra-curricular opportunity at http://bit.ly/GIFTSfilmmaking.
Visit our website for other regularly updated news and information: www.cpf.bc.ca
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