PfiU'VEl‘lQSE kin" U.t”.'&.-I.

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

On January 29, 1953, twenty~three local Home and School Associations in Prince Edward Island formed a Provincial Federa- tion and became affiliated with the Canadian Home and School and Parent-Teacher Federation.

Under different names, but with the same objectives as present day Home and School associations, various organizations had existed prior to 1953 and had accomplished much valuable work in this province.

History records that the first official Home and School meeting was held at Baddeck, N.S. on December 18, 1895. How- ever, on September 22, 1893 the Association des Inst/tuteurs er Inst/'tutrl'ces Acad/ens de /’//e du Prince Edouard was organized at Charlottetown, P.E.|. At the first regular convention of this association, held at Egmont Bay on July 10 and 11, 1894, a Vice President was elected for each Acadian parish on P.E.|. These Vice-Presidents were charged with the responsibility for calling meetings of teachers and parents in the school districts of each parish. They were required to report at each annual convention of this association on the activities of these Assemb/ées d’Arrond/sse- ments. The minutes of each annual convention have been care- fully preserved and record that these Assemblées d’Arrondisse- ments were always attended by many teachers and parents.

From 1893 to 1915, there was published at Tignish, P.E.l. a weekly newspaper, L'Impartl'al. In its columns appear the reports of many of these Assemb/ées d’Arrond/ssements.

It may be added that these Assemblées d’Arrond/ssements became such interesting experiences and so popular in the Acadian parishes of P.E.|. that the Department of Education granted teachers three free afternoons per year to enable them to attend these meetings.

This account shows that the Acadian parents and teachers of P_E.l. were the first in the Home and School field in this province and indeed in all of Canada.

The first association in this province, under the modern name Home and School was formed at Queen Square School,

Charlottetown, in 1933. It did good work for several years and was reorganized in November 1953.

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