December 2017 Update from the DPAC

Below is an update from the Vancouver District Parent Advisory Committee.

 Great to see so many of you last month at our Executive and General meetings. If you were not able to make it, draft minutes are available on our website:  http://vancouverdpac.org/2017-2018-school-year/ and we hope you can join us soon.

Note: all DPAC meetings are open to parents and guardians of VSB students. Though only DPAC executives can vote at Executive meetings, and only official DPAC representatives (either PAC chair/co-chair or DPAC representative - PACs to self determine) can vote at General meetings, all parents and guardians of VSB students  can participate.

Important Dates:

• Wednesday, Dec 6, 6pm – VSB Committee III – Education and Student Services Meeting, Room 180, VSB Board Education Centre 1580 W. Broadway
  
• Wednesday, Dec 13, 5pm – VSB Committee II – Planning and Facilities Meeting, in Room 180, VSB Board Education Centre
• Thursday, Dec 14, 7pm – DPAC Executive Meeting,  Room 180, VSB Board Office.
  
• Monday, Dec 18, 7pm – VSB Board Meeting  at the VSB Board Education Centre
  
• Monday, Dec 25 – Friday, Jan 6 – SCHOOLS CLOSED FOR WINTER BREAK.
  

PAC to PAC notices:
Henry Hudson Elementary PAC's Seismic Upgrade Committee is supporting a petition started by a Hudson parent calling upon the new provincial government to follow up on its stated objective of accelerating seismic upgrades for the remaining high-risk schools throughout the province.  We would welcome  participation from all other PACs in Vancouver - please help us increase the number of signatures by sharing the link  throughout your  communities! 
 https://www.change.org/p/the-honourable-rob-fleming-bc-minister-of-education-accelerate-seismic-upgrades-for-high-risk-bc-schools
 Together we can demonstrate to the government (while it is  preparing the budget for the coming year) that this concern remains high among parents across the province.  If you have any questions or feedback please contact Laura MacDougall, committee chair, through  hudsonpac@gmail.com.

DPAC News:

• Seismic Motion: On November 23rd at our General Meeting, PACs voted and unanimously passed a seismic motion asking VSB, City of Vancouver, and the Ministry of Education to expedite the seismic mitigation program to get all VSB students in seismically safe buildings by 2025. Yesterday we emailed it to them  (link to letter to VSB, CoV, and MoE)
  
• REMINDER: An electronic ballot to ratify the nomination for a new DPAC executive was sent to every PAC's general email account (PAC chair's email for PACs with no general account). Please ensure your PAC responds by Wednesday, December 13th.
  
• CALL OUT out for more executives. Currently we have four openings in our executive for Members-at-large. Members-at-large vote at executive meetings as well as being PAC liaisons and helping with events. If you are interested in joining our executive, please ask your PAC to nominate you and submit your application (link).
  

Updates at VSB:

• Trustees:
  • The new Trustees wrote a letter to parents and guardians.
    
  • Trustees have now been assigned to all the schools. Find out who yours is (link) and invite them to your next PAC meeting.
    
• Senior Staff:
  • Jody Langlois will start Jan 1 as Associate Superintendent (taking over for Julie Pearce who is retiring).
    
  • Suzanne Hoffman will start Jan 8 as Superintendent (taking over for interim Superintendent John Lewis)
    
• Capital/Facilities:
  • VSB is leasing out Sir Wilfrid Laurier Annex to Conseil scolarie francophone de la Colombie-Britannique (CSF) starting in January through the 2022-23 school year.