A call for interest for openings on National Board Committees was circulated in mid-November.

The CPF National Board met in October to confirm the direction / mandate of the National Board Committees for 2018-2019. These are the confirmed Chairs for each committee going forward:

Nominating Committee – Nancy McKeraghan, Chair
Bylaws and Policies Committee – Nancy McKeraghan, Chair
Network Strategic Plan Committee – Richard Slevinsky and Derrek Bentley, Co-Chairs
Network Communications Coordination Committee – Wendy Carr and Derrek Bentley, Co-Chairs
Public Policy Coordination Committee – Valerie Pike and Richard Slevinsky, Co-Chairs

The following vacant positions have been identified at this time and we are requesting interest from CPF members to serve on these committees in 2018-2019:

Nominating Committee 

-       Branch President or Designate

Network Strategic Plan Committee (New) 

-       Branch President or Designate

-       Branch Executive Director

-       CPF Member or Chapter Leader

Network Communications Coordination Committee (New) 

-       CPF Member or Chapter Leader (up to 2 openings - ideally 1 representing the East)

Public Policy Coordination Committee 

-       CPF Member or Chapter Leader

Committee positions are voluntary. We seek to ensure balance in terms of geography, Branch representation, gender, experience, and diversity. Committee work involves a commitment of 3 to 5 web-based 2-hour meetings over the calendar year with hands-on writing, development and review work to be completed between meetings. Details for the terms of reference for each committee are shared with members at its first meeting.

Expressions of interest should be emailed along with a paragraph of rationale and personal contact information by Monday December 3, to Janik Bastide at jbastide@cpf.ca.

The Mary Joyce Booth Endowment facilitates youth projects and additional learning opportunities through the CPF Network.

Branches submit a request to receive the $1,000 grant from CPF National any time after April 1st each year. 

Branches are asked to submit their MJB Activity Report by January 31st of the following year. Guiding questions are provided to help in the reporting process and gather testimonials of the impact on youth involved.

The results are collated into our CPF Network Case for Support – a document we can share with potential donors to demonstrate the impact of their donations on creating a bilingual Canada! 

ACTION: Promote that CPF is a registered charity! CPF Volunteers and Staff can donate back to CPF when submitting their expense claims, a regular practice that can accumulate over the year. Donations in support of Canadian Parents for French are invested into the MJB Endowment to support youth opportunities.

CPF Charitable Organization Number is: 11883 5131 RR0001.

The holidays are an important time of year for most of us. We plan, we shop, we spend, and all with the intention of making an impact with the gifts we’re giving. In that spirit of giving, we’ve added fundraising programs to the Canadian Parents for French member benefits so you can make the most out of your shopping.

FundScrip is a program that lets you earn cash rebates for our group based on things you buy everyday like groceries, gas and gifts on your Christmas list. By paying for your purchase using your FundScrip gift card at participating retailers, a percentage of every gift card purchased is contributed to our group’s fundraising efforts. With a small fee of .85 for shipping, ordering FundScrip gifts cards allows you to earn money for our organization while enjoying the joys of shopping. 

We’ve provided you with a simple, straight-forward guide on how to order your gift cards and start earning money to help us continue giving every Canadian the opportunity to learn French.

Similarly, we are offering FlipGive as another member benefit. By shopping through the portal which gives you store options like Amazon, Costco, Indigo, Starbucks, you will be making a donation to help support CPF and its mission.

Spread the spirit of giving and encourage your friends and family to participate in our fundraisers. Donations in support of Canadian Parents for French are invested into the MJB Endowment to support youth opportunities.

Do you have any questions? Please contact Cheri Nixon at cnixon@cpf.ca

We invite CPF Chapters to complete the 2018 Chapter Feedback Survey.

Completing the survey should take 10 to 15 minutes. The Survey will stay open until Monday, December 10, 2018.

Reviews of several CPF governance support documents have been completed. Thanks to Gail Lecky, CPF PEI Executive Director and Karen Pozniak, CPF SK Executive Director for serving on the committee and for their contributions!

The CPF Network Board Orientation Manual has been formatted and posted on the CPF National website.

The CPF Network Acronym / Initialism List has been updated and posted on the CPF National website.

The CPF Network FSL Glossary of Terms has been updated and posted on the CPF National website.

For CPF, volunteer recruitment is critical and finding the right volunteers can make all the difference. As we work with the vulnerable sector, including youth, it is important to comply with all legal and insurance obligations to ensure the safety of our volunteers, staff and our clients participating in CPF activities, events and contests.

We are requesting that ALL CPF volunteers complete a profile application form to create a CPF Network Volunteer Registry.

BRANCH ACTION: Inform all volunteers to complete the CPF Volunteer Profile Application Form throughout the 2018-2019 school year to normalize the practice before mandatory implementation. The goal of enforcing mandatory registration is set for Fall 2019, as per our insurance obligations

To better understand the scope and impact of CPF’s work, we are requesting that ALL CPF Chapter leaders and/or volunteers complete the online activity report form for each activity as it is completed.

To help encourage completion, a FAQ flyer has been developed to share with Chapter leaders or volunteers. 

BRANCH ACTION: Inform all volunteers to complete the CPF Chapter Reporting Online Form throughout the 2018-2019 school year to normalize the practice before mandatory implementation. The goal of enforcing mandatory use is set for Fall 2019.

As shared during the conference, we have worked to collate materials presented during the plenaries and workshop sessions. We have posted these materials on our CPF National Website Conference 2018 page. We will continue to update as new material is made available, so please check back often.

The executive summary of the State of FSL Education in Canada Report 2018 is now available.

We ask all workshop presenters to share your materials with Janik Bastide at jbastide@cpf.ca so that she may continue to update the website page.

Present in all parts of Canada is the linguistic insecurity that all age groups and demographics face. The creation of a national strategy for linguistic security proposes a series of initiatives and actions that can be put in place by different sectors based on their available resources. La Fédération de la jeunesse Canadienne-Française sought out the public’s help through a short survey to find out what their issues, perspectives and ideas are on the matter. They are currently inviting the public to create a conversation group to discuss the issue, and will follow up with a report by January 31, 2019. This will help them move forward on their mission of creating a linguistically secure Canadian society.

Canadian Geographic has released the Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada, a ground-breaking new educational resources. The IPAC Educational Resources will provide the necessary tools for teachers to educate about Indigenous histories, nations, territories and Identities. It has the purpose of building multicultural understanding, encourage dialogue and foster mutual respect between all Canadians. It will help Canada forge stronger relationships with Indigenous People. It is also offered in French.

CMEC has created a video series and accompanying guide combining relevant research and authentic examples from classrooms across Canada to illustrate numerous practices that educators have found to be effective in increasing engagement in French second-language education. This unique professional resource helps increase student and stakeholder engagement in French second-language education!

A reminder that over the holiday period, the CPF National office will be closed on Friday, December 21, 2018 and re-open on Wednesday January 2nd, 2019.