BCCPAC Conference Report

Julie Dunsterville, a parent at Ross Road Elementary, attended the BCCPAC Fall Conference in Kelowna in November, and has kindly provided the following report:

BCCPAC Conference 2013 Summaries

 

1. Communicating with the principal with Shelley Green, president of BC Principals and Vice Principals Association

• Offered a framework for communication: Basic School info (newsletter), student progress (face to face), Emergent issues (phone calls) and PAC, coaching or volunteering (technology)
• How to communicate: different levels ranging from social media to texting/phone to face to face
• Need to evaluate how your communication choices fit the situation and/or emotions
• The 5 skills of effective communication: 1.put your thoughts together and then speak 2. Listen to what the other person is saying and why 3. Get to the point of what you want to say 4. Tell the person why this conversation is important 5. Ask questions
• offered questions to ask oneself before communicating with person: i.e. What time of day? Will you arrange ahead of time or spur of the moment? Where will you have conservation? How will you arrange seating? What if you get emotions, how will you calm down? What if the other person gets emotional?
• Encouraged us to be “strong” and not avoid communication

2. Parents in the district hiring

Keven Elder, the former Saanich superintendent who is now with the B.C. Public School Employers' Association, gave a presentation on parent participation in school district hiring. He said a majority of districts have parents involved in some way in the hiring of  non-union employees, especially principals and vice-principals. He noted that the B.C. School Act sets the framework for parent involvement, and some school districts have their own policies as well. Ideally, parent involvement at its best should allow them to be a part of the hiring of key leaders in the school district.

3. Gaming Grants

Ursula  Cowland, executive director of licensing and grants in B.C., answered questions about gaming grants for PACs and DPACs.  One key message is that although the deadline for applications has passed, the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch will continue to accept applications for this school year until Christmas. She also went over the different types of licences and went over specifically raffle basket protocol. (i.e. children should be accompanied by adult when putting in raffle tickets and should not be allowed to purchase them. She also reminded us the money raised through gaming activities should be deposited into a separate gaming account (same as gaming grant $). Another key point: be honest and correct any mistakes by calling Ursula- sooner or later every school will be audited.