Advance polls for the election for School Commissioners of the English Montreal School Board will take place on Sunday October 27th (noon – 8pm) at Willingdon Senior Campus (4850 Avenue Coronation).
Election day is Sunday November 3 (10am – 8pm), at St. Monica’s School (6440 Rue de Terrebonne).
You will have the opportunity to vote for two different positions. One ballot is for the Commissioner in Ward 5. The other ballot is for the Chair.
As a parent with a child in a EMSB school, you are already registered to vote. You will receive a registration notice in the mail in the coming weeks, confirming dates, times and polling stations.
Why Should I Care?
School boards are the last body of governance that belongs to the English community. Together, we must ensure that they remain vibrant and representative for the benefit of the next generation of English-speaking Quebecers. The school system faces significant challenges both inside and outside the classroom, and this is an opportunity for the community to make its voice heard and help define priorities.
Our Ward 5 commissioner was instrumental in helping to secure the $6,729,000 investment needed for the Willingdon Junior Campus Renovations, which took place over the last 2 years (school yard, floor replacement, electrical and next summer’s interior paining).
In recent years, the EMSB has played a prominent role in legal battles against the Legault government on issues ranging from a ban on religious symbols for new teachers to regulations on the language that board officials are allowed to use in communication. The EMSB has been one of the only entities standing up to protect our rights, by fighting against Law 21, and Bills 40 and 96!
French School Boards have already been dismantled, and we’re fighting to maintain the English School Boards.
A strong voter turnout is needed on November 3 to show the Government how important our school boards are to us.
Highlights from the Annual Willingdon Corn Roast – September 11, 2024
We couldn’t have buttered ourselves up with better weather for this year’s Corn Roast! With the help of a small but ear-nest army of volunteers, (who we cannot thank enough) we shucked, boiled, and served a corn-tastic 1,000 ears of corn. Families enjoyed a fun-filled evening with classic games like the Corn-Sack races and a tug-of-war that really pulled the crowd in, while parents got the chance to meet new faces and reconnect with old friends.
A special thank you goes out to:
Kristin & Jay
Nicholas
Nicolina
Robin
Heidi
Shaun
Sophia
Nadine
Ken and Violet
Caretaker Richard
It’s events like these that truly kernel our community spirit and create lasting memories for our kids. Keep your eyes peeled for more community-building events — after all, it takes all of us to make these moments a-maize-ing!
Photo Disclaimer
We’re delighted to have Dave Handelman, a Willingdon parent, capture our memories. During school events that Home and School supports, such as Halloween, Dave photographs children whose parents signed media release form. For Home and School events outside regular school hours, Dave freely photographs. However, if you would like to have a photo of your child/family removed from the website, please contact Home and School and we’ll be happy to oblige.
We would like to warmly invite you to stop by and see us in the Draper side cafeteria after dropping your child off for their first morning. We will have croissants, fruit, coffee, tea and tissues!
Come have a chat with parents reaching the same milestone tomorrow, commiserate or celebrate, whatever you are feeling. Some Home and School volunteers will be on hand to answer your questions and let you know about upcoming events.
That’s the word that keeps coming to mind when we think back to Friday night’s Grand Finale. Unprecedented turnout despite the rain. Unprecedented resilience from our volunteers. Unprecedented patience from our parents as we adapted to the weather. And unprecedented funds raised setting us up for a good start in the new school year. We’ll share more details on that front at the Annual General Meeting planned for June 26 online. You’re welcome to attend.
And as we scrambled, pivoted and even despaired (ahem, Daniela), we were reassured that all was not lost by the waves of laughter from the dunk tank crowd, the energy of the kids messing around, the fact that running out of food meant people were eating and the palpable happiness in the air. And the rainbows! What a fortuitous sign. We were stubbornly optimistic when we made the call earlier in the afternoon to push ahead. We said “either way, it’s going to be memorable” and that it was.
A genuine heartfelt thank you to all our volunteers. You went above and beyond, sticking it out in the downpour and staying on at your posts past your committed time. Thank you to our parents for showing up and taking part – rain be d$#**ed. And thank you to Carmen, Peter, Eugenia, Rosie, and Elena for your enthusiastic support pre, during and post event. Friday was a testament to Willingdon’s community and we couldn’t be prouder.
Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week (TSAW) was a great success!
A huge thank you to the wonderful members of our community who generously supplied plants, coffee & dolci, and new bags for the teachers and staff!
Our most heartfelt appreciation to every single teacher, staff member, and Willingdon’s admin team for everything you do — big and small — for our kids day in and day out.
