Important! By-Election for VSB Trustees –  Please vote! 

The Vancouver by-election to elect a new 9-member Board of Education will be held on Sat, October 14th. 
(Advance voting will be held at City Hall on October 4th and 10th.)

The city has published information  on all the 19 candidates who are running for the VSB Board.   Their profile and contact information is available on the City of Vancouver   website.  

Alternatively, if you are able to attend one of the All Candidates Forums, the dates and locations are below:

By-Election All Candidates Forums
 
Forum - Oct 2
The Institute for Public Education is hosting an  all Candidates Forum on Monday October 2, 2017, from 7:30-9:30pm at the Trout Lake Community Center in Vancouver. Candidates will be available for a question and answer session about their vision for the future of Vancouver schools.

Forum - Oct 3
Vancouver DPAC is holding an  all Candidates Forum on Tuesday October 3, 2017, from 6:30-9:30pm at John Oliver Secondary School in Vancouver with Tracy Sherlock as moderator. This event is open to the public, but DPAC especially invites parents/guardians in the school district to attend. Admission is free.
 
PAN Questions for VSB Trustee Candidates 
PAN is a Parent Advocacy Network for Public Education -   www.panvancouver.ca
To help parents make an informed choice, PAN has asked all candidates the same   6 questions  and  will post their answers – which are due by October 1 – (or their lack of response) on the  PAN   website by October 4th to help voters make an informed choice.

Thursday felt like the last day of summer ... what a great evening to have a Welcome Back BBQ and Meet the Teachers. Thank you to the teachers who stayed late to chat with parents and to the Grade 6 parents for hosting the BBQ (for Quebec trips). And thanks to all who supported the event by purchasing food.

For interests sake, here are the results from the recent survey about the new school development permit.
Survey Results 
Thanks to Veronica for sharing the results with the city's team.

No doubt you will be rushing from work on Thursday for Tennyson's Meet the Teacher Night so plan to grab dinner outside at the BBQ. Grade 6 parents are hosting the BBQ to fundraise for the 2019 Quebec trip.

There will be all-beef hotdogs, salads, and fruit. The weather is supposed to be beautiful so join us in front of the school for dinner! The food should be ready by 4:30pm.

And here are the details from  the school about the schedule for Thursday night.

You are invited to attend the VSB Trustee Candidate Forum

When: Tuesday, October 3, 2017 from 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM
VSB Trustee Candidate Debate will be taking place on October 03, 2017. 
Doors open at 6 p.m. 

Admission: Registration is free but required to help us plan adequately. Registration closes October 2 at midnight.  Register through Eventbrite

Where: John Oliver Secondary School
530 East 41st Ave
Vancouver, BC V5W 1P3

The next Cross Country Mini Meet is Tue, October 10, 3:30pm at Balaclava Park.
Please follow this link to the online sign up  for the mini meet..

​The details for the District Meet will be coming soon.

Please also indicate whether you have filled out a VSB Driver form and have obtained Mme Alain's signature and if you need a lift or can offer a lift to the event.  This information will be used at Event check in (2:55 pm on mini-meet day) to facilitate last minute carpooling.  To the extent possible, please make your own carpool arrangements ahead of time.

​Questions can be directed to Radha Reddy.

Dear Parents and Guardians
The library program has some exciting opportunities in store for your child this year:

• Our curriculum will be promoting the very best of children’s literature to your child with activities designed to help student’s enjoy the stories even more.
• We are doing our very best to get (or keep) your children “hooked on reading” by recommending specific reading materials to each individual.
• At each grade level, students will be learning research and computer skills specifically suited to their developmental needs.
• We have special events being planned, including author visits (still in planning phases), reading program (Livromanie) and more.
• If you would like to volunteer to help in the library, please let me know. We’d love to have you.
• Parents/guardians are most welcome to borrow books from the library. Your child’s name will be used to register the material.
• Note the library opening hours: Monday-Tuesday- Thursday-Friday from 8:45 am- 3:00 pm.           

 
Looking forward to meeting you, meanwhile enjoy spending time reading with your child.
Lyse Cote
Teacher-Librarian @  Tennyson
lcote@vsb.bc.ca

BC  Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils (BCCPAC) strongly believes that every child deserves equitable access to a full day of education. Since the spring, we have been actively advocating regarding the problems faced by families of children with special needs who are unable to attend school full time.

BCCPAC is conducting a three-minute parent survey to confirm how widespread this issue is across BC public schools:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BCCPACFullDaySchool.

The survey will close on  October 6, 2017.

BCCPAC will be taking survey results directly to the Ministry of Education with the expectation that changes will be made to end discrimination against children with complex learning needs.

Please forward this email and survey link to your PAC or DPAC members as well as other parents that would be interested in participating in the survey.

We would like to thank you for your cooperation and support, as we collectively speak up and advocate for real change.

The BCCPAC Board of Directors

Contact BCCPAC: 
info@bccpac.bc.ca

Unit C, 2288 Elgin Avenue
Port Coquitlam, BC  V3C 2B2
(604) 474-0524