To show Parenthèse readers how parents from across the province contribute to their school community, we’re publishing “portraits” of parents who commit themselves in various ways to the community.

My name is Laura Grefford and I have two children:  Alexandre (7) and Chloée (6), who attend l’école des Voyageurs.

What I do for the school community: I’m the new President of l’Association des Parents Francophones de Langley (APFL), which serves as the parents’ association (APÉ) of l’école des Voyageurs.

Up until now I have been quite involved in our preschool centre, Les Petits Voyageurs, which is also managed by the APFL.  I took care of the fundraisers and promotion of the program.

As part of that, I contacted the Fort Langley National Historic Site so that we could participate in their annual French-Canadian festival, Vive les voyageurs. Three years in a row, we’ve had a booth at the festival to promote our program and to raise awareness about it.

Having an interest in helping the educator of the program, I obtained “Responsible Adult” training and then an Early Childhood Educator Assistant (ECEA) certificate.  One of my fondest memories as a parent of a preschooler was to have felt welcomed by other parents and staff; I wanted new families who join us to feel the same way.

The APFL is now in transition. We have parents who are very dedicated to the APFL who have participated on the board for years. However, their time at our elementary school is drawing to a close, now that their children will soon be in high school.

So now it’s time to pass the torch. This year I accepted the role of President of the APFL.  I consider myself really lucky to continue to have the support of the former President, Natalie Fulton, who is still active as Vice President this year so that the transition can go smoothly.  I can’t wait to make some new contributions to our team!

Why I decided to get involved: I have a French friend who invited my children and me to join her in the Franc Départ program at l’école des Pionniers-de-Maillardville. There, I got to know about the CSF, and learned about the option to register my children for a Francophone education. Being a Langley resident, the Franc Départ educator informed me that the APÉ at l’école des Voyageurs had just started a preschool program, Les Petits Voyageurs.  I registered my son, and right away I felt a connection with the school community and the idea of offering a Francophone education to my children.

I began to want to play a greater role in the support and advancement of Francophone education in my community. I had just made the decision to pause my 15-year career, and was excited to make this change and be able to get involved in the community. After doing volunteer work in the preschool program, I accepted the role of co-director of Les Petits Voyageurs. After that, I got involved in the APÉ as Vice President, and this year, as President.

What I love the most about our Francophone school and preschool:  I love the sense of community at our school! Our school is small, so families really have an opportunity to get to know each other. Also, the children, no matter what grade they’re in, know each other well. It warms my heart when I see the older children interacting with the younger ones, and vice versa. It always makes me happy when I see my children meet the older students outside of school, and that they feel so comfortable to see them and say hello! It’s really something special to see friendships at the school which know no age limit.

A dream that I hold for my children: That one day they’ll also exercise their right to a Francophone education for their children.

A proud achievement: When I became a parent of a child attending Les Petits Voyageurs, the preschool didn’t have a website.  I was really enthusiastic to promote the program and attract new families, so I built a website for the first time, using wix.com... You can visit it at this address:   www.petitsvoyageurs.com