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October/31/2022

VCPAC Weekly Announcements

Next Meeting:  November 8 at 7:00 pm on Zoom

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

VCPAC Committee Opportunities

Below you will find a list of internal and external committees needing VCPAC members.  If you, or a member of your PAC, is interested or would like more information, please contact Tracy at president@vcpac.ca

INTERNAL VCPAC COMMITTEES
This list was created by Tracy based on discussions at our previous two meetings.  Implementation is dependent on volunteer support.  She is also looking for suggestions and feedback. 

Governance and Strategic Planning Committee
Broadly this committee would help build some structures that can support VCPAC to be more stable and to spread the work around a bit more evenly. Work to undertake would be Board onboarding processes, committee terms of reference, an annual plan, and other measures as discussed by the committee and brought to VCPAC meetings.

PAC Engagement and Outreach Committee
This committee would focus on outreach to PACs to bring them into more engagement and find out what they need from VCPAC.

District Budget Discussion Committee
This committee would take feedback from the District Budget Advisory Committee representatives, discuss the issues and give feedback for the advisory to the reps to bring back with them.

JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) Committee?
As the District has an equity committee it would make sense for us to have a JEDI committee that operates like the Budget Discussion Committee I'm suggesting above.

Events Committee
This committee would focus on hosting events to benefit PACs and the school community, for example bringing in BCCPAC to present, and possibly reviving the Island Parent Conference.

VCPAC Executive
We currently have 2 of 9 roles filled. If anyone is interested in Vice-Chair, Secretary, or one of 5 Member at Large positions please contact Tracy at president@vcpac.ca

DISTRICT COMMITTEES

Budget Advisory Committee
- 2 representatives - the committee meets once or twice monthly from November to June and it's a pretty big commitment. 

Facilities Plan Committee - 1 Elementary representative, 1 Middle School Rep, and 1 Secondary Rep, meets as needed

French Advisory Committee - 2 representatives, meets 2x per year

School Police Liaison Officer Committee - 2 representatives from equity-seeking groups

George Jay Naming Committee - 1 representative from the school PAC

Climate Action Committee - 1 representative, meets monthly Sep to June


SD61 News

 
Cedar Hill Seismic Replacement Design Plan
KMBR Architects Planners Inc. presented site and floor plans for the new seismic replacement Cedar Hill Middle School. KMBR identified key design drivers that surfaced through consultation with Esquimalt Nation and Songhees Nation, staff, students, feeder school communities, neighbours and the broader community.
 
The site plans include two sports fields, additional parking, an on-site pick-up/drop-off space, and a multi-use pathway off Cedar Hill Road with a raised sidewalk and bike lane for safety.
 
The two-storey floor plans include learning neighbourhoods; groups of classrooms located around a collaboration space which provides students with a smaller learning community within a larger building. The current plan has 21 classrooms in addition to designated areas for exploratories (art, music, drama, food and textile, applied design, skills and technology). The school also has collaborative and breakout learning spaces, counselling and special education spaces, a sensory room, a servery, an expanded gymnasium with all-gender changing rooms, a learning commons and an Indigenous Welcome Space.
 
Colquitz Bus Compound Video Surveillance
The Board approved the installation of four video surveillance cameras inside the bus compound at Colquitz Middle School. The bus compound has been built on the southwest corner of the school property near Burnside Road. It houses six school buses: four new electric and two gas buses. The cameras are intended to deter and/or identify any vandalism to the buses or electrical equipment. The field of view will remain within the compound.
 
Spectrum Community School Artificial Turf
Trustees passed a motion to extend their support in principle to October 2023, for an all-weather turf field project at Spectrum Community School. The school has consulted with the community and continues fundraising efforts to bring the vision to life.
 

Select Standing Committee on Children and Youth

The Select Standing Committee on Children and Youth is conducting a review of the Representative for Children and Youth Act. They are inviting you to fill out an online survey by November 30, 2022 at 3:00 p.m. (Pacific) to provide input on how the Act is working or may be improved.  The survey can be found online.


Metis Nation K12 School Food Survey 

MNBC’s Ministry of Education is excited to invite you to participate in a School Food Survey project.

The goal of this project is to understand, within the school food environment, what tools and resources are needed to support food and wellness for Métis families. Participants are invited to enter in a draw for exciting prizes. Survey closes December 23, 2022

EVENTS

FamiySmarts Events

(1) FamilySmart Fall Monthly Online Events for Parents, Caregivers & Service Providers:  Every month, we host events for parents & caregivers who are parenting a child or youth with a mental health and/ or substance use challenge called “in the know.” All Online events are facilitated by FamilySmart Parent Peer Support Workers.

Fall Line Up: (5 event dates per month)
November - It’s Never Too Late: Healing Parent-Child Relational Stress Using Emotion-Focused Family Therapy Speaker: Dr. Adele Lafrance 

December - ADHD - The Real Deal Speaker: Dr. Don Duncan Join us to watch a video and talk with other families about what helps. 

Register & Dates: familysmart.ca/events  

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(2) We continue to offer the Help For The Hard Times Workshops: These run every month for parents and caregivers whose children have been at the ER or have had a hospital stay for mental health or substance use issues.


 Details for 1-hour Workshops:

Session 1: How to support a safety plan at home (Part 1)

Session 2: How to support a safety plan at home (Part 2) 
Session 3: How to take care of yourself and your family after a crisis 
Session 4: How to find the resources you need

Dates & Times:
November 7, 9, 14, 16, 2022 from 12-1pm

December 12 & 14, 2022 5-7pm

For more information and registration please visit:www.familysmart.ca/workshops 

PAC Resources

Understanding PACs from A-Z and Why they are Important for Families

 
On February 10, 2022, we held a 90minute live webinar session with Q&A entitled "Understanding PACs from A-Z and Why they are Important for Families" for parents/guardians/caregivers in the province.
 
View the Recording (Q&A begins at about 60min mark. All Qs were answered live)
 
View Presentation Deck 
 
Whether you are involved with your school PAC or your district PAC (DPAC), whether you are part of a small or large school or large or small PAC, whether you have children about to enter public school or have children already enrolled in K-12 public school, this session will help you better understand the parent advisory council structure (PAC, per the School Act) by which ALL public school parents are represented - at the school level by their PAC, at the district level by their DPAC and at the provincial level by BCCPAC.

During this session, President Sinclair provided an overview of the key elements such as the importance of the PAC/DPAC and their role within the school and the district; why communication and transparency with your school community are important and can be done easily; why an updated Constitution and Bylaws is critical; the benefit to your school of being involved at the DPAC level; parent engagement and succession planning, and a few general tips and tricks.
 
Please share in your school PAC communities.

BCCPAC

BCCPAC Board Vacancies

We are still accepting nominations for vacant Board Positions. Contact our office to request nomination forms if you are interested in volunteering.

Deadline to submit nomination forms is Oct 31st.
 

BCCPAC Committees

Much of the work that happens at BCCPAC is through our committees.  Involvement in these committees is vital to our success.  You do not need to be an expert in any of these areas. Bring a willingness to share your experiences and to learn from others. The recommendations these committees bring to the Board are what drive our organization, support our Resolutions, improve our governance, and provide frameworks for advocacy.

Thank you to all of you who have already put your name forward for a committee. Committee positions are open to any and all parents and guardians of our Member PACs and DPACs.  If you are interested in being on one of our 2022-23 Committees, please fill out the Volunteer Registration Form. Below is a list of current committees:

  • Area Standards
  • Awards
  • Communications
  • Conference
  • Constitution & Bylaws
  • Finance
  • Inclusive Education
  • Indigenous Education
  • Leadership Manual
  • Member Minutes Approval (BCCPAC AGM)
  • Nominations Committee
  • Policy
  • Resolutions
  • Sexual Health Education

PAC EMAIL MAILING LISTS

VCPAC has a mailing list service, free of charge, available to all PACs. If your PAC would like to have a subscription-based email list, which parents can automatically opt in and out of, contact info@vcpac.ca

CONTACT AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

Article ideas and submissions can be sent via e-mail to info@vcpac.ca . Submissions should be sent to us no later than Friday, 9 PM prior to the day of distribution. Communications retains the right to edit all submissions for clarity.

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