By Kristin Dijkstra, President of the APEEE of Brussels IV
Dear Parents,
The APEEE of EEB IV aims to help create a school environment where students can thrive. We promote the interests of the entire school community: from the youngest in our nursery classes to the graduates spreading their wings, from the top students to those who need more support, from the bus driver to the director and, of course, all parents and guardians of our students. Last year our student population grew by over 100 students and the APEEE increased both the number and the diversity of its activities. The APEEE is a volunteer-run organization and we want to thank everyone who helped us this year, while at the same time encouraging everyone to volunteer some of their time next year.
Our work is not confined to EEBIV alone. We work closely together with the parent associations of the other three Brussels schools, and with the entire European School network via Interparents.
As in previous years, the APEEE Community Fund has helped to finance a variety of projects, including KiVa anti-bullying training, playground equipment, Radio Europa equipment, Sensory Path Hallway for Nursery, etc. The APEEE organized information sessions for parents on S5 option choices, the Virages anti-bullying programme, Learning Support, and the Screenagers documentary.
This year’s Somerfesto was a big celebration organized with the school’s support and showcasing activities for students from Nursery all the way through Secondary, including wildly popular discos at the school for P5-S2, S3-S4, and S5-S7.
The APEEE services (canteen, buses, after-school activities) continue to evolve and improve, while facing increasing challenges in terms of capacity and infrastructure. Our dynamic staff seeks solutions to these challenges on a daily basis to provide high quality services for the well-being of our children.
This year for the first time the APEEE organized a Section meeting. The October meeting began with a plenary Q+A session and then broke into language section meetings to (s)elect section representatives. This meeting will be held again at the end of September 2019.
We also organized a Town Hall meeting in April as an opportunity for parents and directors to meet and discuss in an open forum. Additionally, weekly coffee mornings were organized at the school to give parents the chance to chat with a variety of people from the school community. We plan on expanding both of these types of meetings in the coming school year.
The European School environment provides a unique opportunity to create a rich community across cultures and languages, based on shared values and common goals. The APEEE aims to be an integral part of that community.
We congratulate the graduates who will be taking the values and knowledge they’ve gained at EEBIV into the wider world with them this year, and look forward to creating fond memories with the future graduates in the years to come.