We hope you had fun with your families and friends and maybe even a little well deserved rest this holiday season. The branch office is once again open, and back in business after the holidays. Our new floor (which had to be installed after the old one was damaged by water in the fire) is in and the office is looking good. We hope to see some of you in the coming months, feel free to drop by and check out our new space!

This Chapter Representative Update is sent to all active CPF Chapter Volunteers. We are also sending all active CPF BC & Yukon members a special "All Member" email. We do this three times a year (Jan, May, Sept) and if anything important comes up. Please feel free to forward this CRU email to your local members, teachers, principals, and or partners.

In many communities across BC and in Yukon chapters are working with local francophone associations to promote events and host socio-cultural activities. It is one of the strategic goals of CPF BC & Yukon Branch to foster closer partnerships with our friends in the francophone community. Together we can add a lot to the vitality and strength of French language and culture here in BC & Yukon. We would love to hear of the work that your chapter does in partnering with your local francophone groups. Here is an example of CPF Surrey and the BC/Yukon Branch supporting l'Association francophone de Surrey on their 25 year anniversary!

Getting the word out about local CPF activities is one of the most
effective ways to connect with local parents, to recruit new volunteers,
and to promote the benefits of membership. CPF Tri-Cities has a "CPF
Table" in the main entrance area of their French immersion schools which
school reps keep up-to-date. Just another excellent example of ways to
help your chapter get the word out and create visibility in your local
school communities. If the schools in your district are open to it, keep some membership and other CPF infomational brochures by the office.

If you need more brochures, posters or other types of promotional matierals please contact Kirsty Peterson at: outreach@cpf.bc.ca

In many districts January/February are the months that begin Kindergarten Registration in French Immersion. Now is a great time to host a Parent Information Night about French Immersion, Canadian Parents for French and the ways that your local chapter supports parents and students in your district. If your school is hosting information sessions, see if you can have a few minutes to talk to parents, or host a session yourself! This is also a great time to talk to your principal and see if the school is willing to hand out pamphlets to new FI families when they register. Do you remember what it felt like when your child was about to go to Kindergarten for the first time? Maybe organize a meet and greet for families so they can connect other French Immersion families before school starts. It really helps those first weekk jitters (for both students and parents!!) to see a friendly and familiar face in the schoolyard on the first day of school in September.

Here is more information on how to organize a Parent Information Session: 

Tips on Hosting a Parent Information Night (Some things to remember)

FAQs from Parents at an Information Night (Hand these out to attendees!)

What is CPF? (Hand these out to attendees)

Parents and their children pose for a group photo during the Crêpes Breakfast for French Immersion hosted by the CPF Pacific Rim Chapter at the Tofino Community Hall on Sunday. Approximately 100 people attended the fun event! (Photo by Sean White)

Thank you to everyone who participated in our CPF Pacific Rim Crêpes Breakfast for French Immersion on Sunday morning at the Tofino Community Hall. We had a great turnout. Approximately 100 people attended the breakfast!

The kids enjoyed fun French games, songs, and dancing, as well as French-themed colouring and work sheets. Everyone listened to entertaining French music and three inspiring guest speakers, and we all ate plenty of delicious crepes!

Thanks to Tofino councillors Duncan McMaster and Cathy Thicke for attending our breakfast, it is great to see such community support.

A special thank you goes out to all the volunteers who made the crepes, washed the dishes, helped set-up, take photos, shared your stories, and helped clean up the hall. Also, thank you to Green Soul Organics, the Tofino Co-op Grocery Store, Tofino Water Taxi, and Tofino Urban Farm Co. for all your donations to make the breakfast a success – much appreciated!

CPF Pacific Rim

http://www.cpfpacificrim.com/

Encourage your local library to apply for money from the provincial government to support French public library resources.

Since 2010, eight public library systems – Coquitlam Public Library, Greater Victoria Public Library, Nelson Municipal Library, Vancouver Island Regional Library, Vancouver Public Library, Kitimat Public Library, Fraser Valley Regional Library and Chetwynd Public Library – have received more than $58,000 through the Canada-British Columbia Agreement on Official Languages to increase accessibility to French resources at their facilities. 

Quick Facts:
Each municipality that received a grant for the purchase of French library items committed to matching the grant, allowing them to double their buying power.
There are more than 290,000 French-speaking citizens and more than 40 francophone associations in B.C.

The Francophone Affairs Program was established in 2001 by the government of B.C. The program supports objectives and priorities relevant to the province’s French- speaking community, focusing on priority areas such as health, social services, justice and arts and culture.

The 2009-2011 and 2011-2013 Canada-British Columbia Agreements on Official Languages allow the federal and provincial government to work together to serve the country’s francophone community.
Learn More:

For more information on the Francophone Affairs Program of the government of British Columbia visit: http://www.gov.bc.ca/igrs/francophones/