April NVPAC Meeting Summary

Meeting Minutes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LF2Rqxw_Nnd-kbQjPStHJY6mT4Z825U79AthxDDkUpY/edit?usp=sharing

Foods That Fit Workshop - May 8TH:

Vivienne Megas, NVPAC Program Facilitator, reported that the Foods That Fit workshop will be held on Wednesday May 8th in the Mountainview Room on the 5th Floor. Helen Yeung, of Vancouver Coastal Health is the facilitator. There will be food sampling provided by local school lunch vendors from5:30 – 6:30 pm. Speakers, including experts on food safety and recycling will follow. The evening will conclude with an opportunity for participants to share successes and challenges. About 50 registrations have been received to date, but there is room for more. Please RSVP to viviennemegas@northvanpac.org. This workshop will be of particular interest to school lunch coordinators, but interested parents are welcome to attend as well.

Ed Camp For Parents – Technology in the Classroom:

David Whitehead reported that a group of teachers is ready to present an Ed Camp for parents to show the various types of technology they use in the classroom.

The camp will be held June 4th from 6-7:30 and will be open to 2 representatives from each school.

The camp will feature six stations with teachers demonstrating what they are doing in their classrooms through the lens of technology supported programs.

If this Ed Camp is successful it is likely more will be offered next year.

June PAC 101 Event Options:

Members of NVPAC Executive have noted that there is a great variation between PACs as to how much information is passed on from outgoing to incoming PAC Executive. NVPAC would like to offer a “PAC 101” session in early June to help incoming PAC Chairs and other PAC Executive to learn what they need to know, and what they should do during the summer to prepare for taking up their duties in September. Suggestions for the format and content of the event include:

-Transfer experience
-Brainstorm ideas for various PAC Executive roles
-Advise regarding establishing a good working relationship with the principal, and the politics which may be encountered
-BCCPAC has numerous on-line resources, including the BCCPAC Leadership Manual, as well as separate PAC 101 and Treasurer 101 sections

-It was noted that not all PAC Executive changeovers take place over the summer. It was suggested that there be a session in June with a follow-up in October or November as refresher.

We are currently seeking volunteers to organize and lead the sessions. If you are interested contact chair@northvanpac.org. 

North Van PAC Recruitment for next year:

David Whitehead reported that a couple of volunteers have come forward following his recent email. NVPAC has presented some great Parent Ed events this year, but we will need help in order for this to continue. Minimum time commitment is one Executive meeting and one General Membership meeting (each about 2 hours long) each month, as well as District committee meetings. We need several Members at Large so that NVPAC can be represented at District committee meetings. These meetings are held either in the afternoon or evening several times each year. Meetings are usually about 90 minutes to two hours long. NVPAC requests that representatives attending the District Standing Committee meetings provide a written report for the blog.

Initiatives for next year which might interest potential candidates include:

-District budget initiatives
-BC Ed Plan is being rolled out including changes to curriculum and assessment

NVPAC requests that DPAC Reps and PAC Chairs look for parents who have an interest in District-wide matters such as Grade 7 parents or retiring PAC Executive that would like a new role through which to contribute to the school system. Interested parents should contact David Whitehead at chair@northvanpac.org.

BCCPAC AGM Resolutions and Proxy Voting:

The BCCPAC Spring Conference and Annual General meeting will be held May 3 – 5 in Richmond. Cleveland PAC has submitted a resolution re additional funding for literacy centres. It is important for all PACs to submit their votes regarding BCCPAC resolutions as many votes will get the attention of the government and the ministry.

In order to be able to submit a proxy vote, a PAC must be a paid-up BCCPAC member as of December 15, 2012. Qualified member PACs will by now have received the 2013 Nominations and Resolutions Booklet. All PACs wishing to vote at the AGM must complete and submit the proxy form whether or not they are sending their own representative. We encourages all PACs to send a representative to the AGM, but if you are not able to Debra Dennehy is willing to carry a proxy for any PAC. The proxy form is located near the back of the resolutions booklet; follow the instructions there to submit the proxy form to BCCPAC; send a copy of the proxy to Debra at debradennehy@telus.net. Check the BCCPAC website for further details and to register.

Date for May General Meeting and AGM:

It was noted that the date originally scheduled for our May General Meeting and AGM, May 16th, is the day before a professional day for some schools, as well as immediately prior to the Victoria Day long weekend. It was agreed that the meeting will be put forward one week to Thursday, May 23rd, 2013.

Next Meeting: Annual General Meeting
7:00 pm, 23rd May, 2013
Venue: Mountainview Rm, Education Services Centre, 2121 Lonsdale Avenue

Finance and Facilities Standing Committee - 9 April 2013

Mark Thompson, Capital Projects Manager provided an update on the Queen Mary and Argyle projects.  At Queen Mary, there were some complications due to problems with concrete, but these have now been resolved.  The structural and seismic restoration work is compete, and new construction has begun.  The heritage windows have been restored and are being re-installed.  The new gym will be larger than a standard elementary gym, but this will likely increase its attractiveness in terms of its rental potential.

With regard to the Argyle Seismic Upgrade, the Seismic Project Identification Report has been submitted to the Ministry.  The estimated cost of the seismic upgrade alone is $30.9 million, while the estimated cost of a full replacement is $44.8 million.  The Ministry has strongly indicated that there will be no funding forthcoming other than for the seismic upgrade.  The options are now to decide whether to submit a Minstry-funded Project Identification Report, or a NVSD-funded Project Identification Report.

Secretary-Treasurer Georgia Allison reviewed the Ministry of Education Preliminary Grant announcement.  Operating grants will be maintained at current levels for the 2013/14 school year.  Ms Allison reviewed the District's 3-year forecast.  It is expected that the surplus remaining at the end of the current school year will be $3.56 million. The surplus remaining at the end of the 2013/14  and 2014/15 school years will be $1.94 million and $.06 million, respectively.  The forecast shows that by the end of the 2015/16 school year, the surplus will be in a negative position of $2.03 million.  Although a concern, this "negative surplus" is far less that the more than $5 million previously expected.

Ms Allison presented a document which listed the programs and services outside of the core K - 12 mandate which currently receive subsidization from NVSD.  These include Summer School, Continuing Education, Band and Strings, North Vancouver Outdoor School and Strong Start.  The District will be examining each of these programs and services to identify areas where efficiencies and savings can be made.

Please consider volunteering with North Van PAC

Our upcoming NVPAC meeting, Thursday April 18, 7pm at ESC (2121 Lonsdale), would be a good meeting to attend for parents interested in contributing to North Van PAC next year to get an idea of who we are and what we do. 

Only two of the current executive are able to return next year and I will be stepping down as Chair. Without new volunteers, next years NVPAC will consist of a Past-Chair (myself) and a Treasurer (Jane) and this is not enough for the organization to to fulfill our role: to support PACs, to provide parent perspective to District committees, to inform parents of District activities and opportunities or to support parent education. 

Our need for additional team members is urgent. We need a new chairperson, vice-chair, secretary, program co-ordinator and committee representatives.

NVPAC are your School District representatives and we are here to support PACs but we cannot do this without your help to identify and help recruit parent volunteers. 

Parents that are interested in the funding of education, education policies, available school programs, graduation requirements, parent education and other factors that determine how education is delivered to all children across the District would find NorthVanPAC a good place to get involved. There is a lot of opportunity to get involved and any help would be appreciated. 

We need people to put on events, to represent parents at School District committees, to report on district activity and to communicate with parents. We have an ongoing need for parent representatives to the various committees across the school board, representatives that help ensure the parent perspective is understood when School District decisions are being made. 

 
We are asking any parents interested in having a voice at the District level to join us. If you are interested we would be glad to talk with you, talk about the commitment we need, what interests you have and invite you to see what we do.

Please contact me at chair@northvanpac.org if your are interested or talk to any other member of our team. We're always happy to discuss what NVPAC does and how parents can help.

David Whitehead
North Van PAC Chair 2012/13

April 18th General Meeting Agenda

The following is the proposed agenda for the April 18th North Van PAC general meeting. We hope to see as many PACs as possible there to discuss options for an ed camp, a PAC 101 session and an opportunity to share with each other recent successes.

North Van PAC General Meeting
April 18th, 7pm to 9pm
Bill Reid Rm (ground floor) - Education Services Centre - 2121 Lonsdale ave

Agenda
----------
7:00 NVPAC business
7:05 Foods that Fit workshop (May 8th)
7:10 Ed Camp for Parents - Technology in the classroom
7:25 June "PAC 101" event options
7:40 North Van PAC recruitment
7:55 BCCPAC AGM resolutions & proxy voting
8:10  Parent survey update
8:15 PAC roundtable "recent successes"
9:00 Adjourn

Foods that Fit Workshop - May 8th, 5:30pm

Event Update: Due to high parent interest the event has been moved to the ESC, 5th floor Mountainview rm. 



The Vancouver Coastal Health and the North Vancouver Parent Advisory Council will be hosting the Foods That Fit workshop on May 8, 2013. The interactive workshop will be facilitated by Helen Yeung, Community Dietitian with Vancouver Coastal Health on the North Shore. The speakers will discuss guidelines for food and beverages sales in BC schools; food safety and waste reduction; and fundraising with healthy foods in school lunch programs. All current and future school lunch coordinators and parents who are interested in learning more about healthy eating habits and choices are encouraged to attend. Seating is limited. Please register for this event at viviennemegas@northvanpac.org to reserve your spot.


The Foods That Fit Workshop

Date: May 8, 2013, Wednesday, 5:30-9 PM (Food sampling: 5:30-6:30 PM, Presentation: 6:30-8:30 PM)

Location: The Education Service Centre, the Mountainview Room, 2121 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver BC