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Fantastic turn out at Monday's PAC meeting to discuss the Grade 7 Quebec trip

2/27/2020

3 Comments

 
Picture
More than 40 parents attended Monday's PAC meeting for a presentation  on last year's Grade 7 Quebec trip and a discussion about the trip going forward. It was exciting to see so many parents there and from the conversation  it's clear that the trip means a lot to the school community.

We want to give a big thank you to Tennyson alum, Rachel, who gave a great presentation and answer lots of questions about her exchange experience. Thank you too to  her mum, Karen Davies, who is currently co-chair of the Quebec 2021 team. Karen shared  her thoughts on the fundraising for the trip and on hosting an exchange student. Rachel and Karen  kindly offered to record their presentation for parents who couldn't make it to the meeting; we'll post it on the website when we get it. In the meantime,  here is the Quebec 2021 Parent Presentation  which is packed with useful information about the Quebec trip and the Quebec Futures Fund and Quebec Trip Document page which has all you need to know about  planning and implementing the exchange.

The key take-aways from the discussion that followed are:
  • Many parents are passionate about the exchange and believe its an invaluable opportunity for cementing language skills, building friendships and personal growth. These are great things we want to foster in our children.
  • Most parents were reassured that the  fundraising events for the for the trip are highlights of the Tennyson experience anyway (hot lunches, BBQs and Winterfest) so it's not too onerous.
  • Some parents were surprised to learn that the exchange is an opt-in trip, not driven by the school, rather put together in partnership with administration and staff.  As well,  because we apply for a grant to fund part of the trip the school we are assigned changes every year.
  • Some parents expressed concern that an exchange will be  a stressful experiences for their child and that their child may be put in  situations where their safety and/or well-being is compromised.  For some this was based on previous Tennyson Quebec Exchanges.
  • Some parents asked if the same benefits (cementing language skills, building friendships and personal growth) could be achieved from a trip rather than an exchange. Other parents asked if it was possible to forgo the grants and be paired with the same school each year instead.

Although no conclusions were drawn,  it was good to have a conversation about something that is so important for all our children. Please feel free to post comments here to share you opinion. All voices are welcome.

3 Comments
Françoise
3/2/2020 06:54:04 am

I was unfortunately unable to attend the meeting, as I was accompanying the Grade 7s from General Gordon (where I teach Gr 6) on their own Quebec exchange. I agree that the exchange is a great opportunity for our kids. I strongly feel that a “trip” without the home stay experience would not be the same. I understand the huge amount of work that goes into organizing the trip, and I wanted to share one thing that seems to have helped Gordon secure the grant more easily in the past few years. We have found a school in Quebec that wants to partner with us every year, and it seems as though this may make the grant more likely to come through. By writing on their applications that they would happily partner up again, both the Quebec school and Gordon make the job of organizing the trip a little easier for all involved, and since doing so the grant has not been denied. I don’t know if this is an option for Tennyson as well, but I thought it was worth sharing.

Reply
Orla
3/2/2020 09:48:02 am

Thank you so much for your comment Francoise. I appreciate you getting the conversation started here and I value your expertise.

I think a paired school would be fantastic for building long lasting relationships between two communities. I would feel more comfortable sending my children to a community I knew. If having aa paired school helps get the grant, that's an added bonus.

It would be great to explore this idea if many parents are interested.

Reply
Anonymous
3/2/2020 09:49:51 am

I was at the meeting on Monday and some parents brought up that this dialogue is an opportunity for each family to consider the individual goals and needs of their child and family in relation to the goals and needs of the larger school community. In particular, an opportunity for families to address inclusion and safety for all participating and non-participating children.

(This comment was send via email to the blog).

Reply



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