22 April 2003 PAC Minutes This is a DRAFT copy LORD BYNG PAC MEETING MINUTES Date: April 22, 2003 Location: Lord Byng Library, 3939 West 16^th Avenue The meeting was called to order at 7:20 p.m, with approximately 20 members in attendance. 1. Student Council Report The representative was unavailable to present a report. 2. Approval of Minutes of March 25 PAC Meeting Approved. 3. Treasurer?s Report ? John Robertson Received. Draft Statement of Operations provided for information. 4. Nominations ? Ken Cameron/Susan Balfour-Hunt There are several positions on the executive available for the coming year, as a result of members? children graduating out of Byng and bylaw limitations on term of office. Members are elected at large to the Executive at the May meeting, and then the Executive chooses the officers and assigns other responsibilities. People interested in nominating some one or serving themselves should get in touch with Susan or Ken. 5. Grocery Certificates ? Joan Savoie The program raised $1050.25 last month; $7,845.27 so far this year. People should consider ordering quantities for the summer months, when the certificates will not be available from the school but will still be usable and provide funding for school programs. 6. Swyng with Byng ? Jeff Rice on behalf of DeAnne Eisch The event is on Friday, May 2, 2003. Silent auction is being organized; contributions welcome. Volunteers needed; contact DeAnne at 604 261 6581. 7. Flower Basket Sales ? Cris Gefaell Sales are going well ? about 15 left to be sold. 8. Byng Staff Luncheon ? Susan Balfour-Hunt Luncheon is scheduled for June 26 in the cafeteria at 11:30 a.m. This event is highly appreciated by the staff. Volunteers are needed for setup as well as preparation of food. 9. Chair Fundraising Committee ? Kathie Road Have raised $18,000 so far. Are now approaching Byng?s 5,000 alumni. 72 chairs sold. Contributions are 100% tax deductible. 10. BCCPAC Annual General Meeting ? John Robertson Meeting will be held in May. A meeting of DPAC will be held on April 25 to consider province-wide resolutions. Issues John wishes to raise include earthquake-proofing of schools and non-funding by the Province of the teachers? contract. A member suggested that under-funding of special needs education also be raised. 11. School Planning Council ? Joan Savoie The last meeting was held on April 15. The meeting analysed the data available on the school from VSB and provincial sources. The previous accreditation process established three goals: v Academic achievement v Meeting diverse needs of learners v Social responsibility The meeting assessed what the data says about each goal. There are some gaps in the available data. On the first goal, there is generally good progress, but more could be done. The needs of second-generation ESL learners will be examined. On the second goal, the council noted that there are many and diverse resources being offered at Byng ? more than at other schools of comparable size. The School Planning Council would like to track the progress of recent Byng grads to see how they do. On the third goal, there is a code of conduct and there are workshops on social responsibility. The School Planning Council would like to integrate environmental responsibility into programs focused on this goal. The School Planning Council is interested in teacher motivation/satisfaction, the apparent drop in reading by students and other issues. The next meeting of the Council is on May 20 and a further progress report will be provided at the May PAC meeting. Susan Balfour-Hunt expressed the PAC?s appreciation to the parent representatives who had been able to participate in the April 15 meeting, which had been a very intensive working session. 12. Principal?s Report ? Darlene Braeder The meet-the-teacher evening went very well. The PD day in April will focus on school culture and school planning, reviewing a number of the issues identified by the School Planning Council. The next school dance will be held on April 24, 2003; more than 300 tickets have been sold. May is a very busy month, with drama and musical programs as well as a federal survey. Budget discussions with the VSB are looming. There are potential cuts in administration time, which could impact athletics, computer support, the Byng Arts minischool, examinations and other support. Kevin Milsip is the VSB liaison trustee for Byng. Work on the outside space is under way to provide a pathway and a basketball practice court that can also serve as an outdoor performance area. An update on the renovation schedule will be available soon. 13. PAC Topic: Presentation on Student Career Programs and Summer Work Opportunities by Wendy Gilmour and Aniz Alani Wendy Gilmour, Career Preparation Coordinator at Byng, outlined the resources available for career planning from the VSB website (www.vsb.bc.ca.//programs <http://www.vsb.bc.ca.//programs> ? look for ?students and families?) This is an excellent source of information on volunteer and paid work to meet graduation requirements and build resumes. Career preparation is an optional program that is available at Byng for Grades 10 through 12. Wendy can be reached at 604 713 8247 or at wgilmour@vsb.b.c.ca <mailto:wgilmour@vsb.b.c.ca>. In response to questions, Wendy provided the following: v Special needs children can access work experience in various ways, depending on their course work. v Grade 8 students can participate in work experience programs, accessing them primarily through the website. v Parents with businesses have opportunities to gain access to new young labour by signing up with the career preparation program. Aniz Alani, Media Relations Officer, Human Resource Centre for Students, summarized the 10 reasons for youth to contact the Hire A Student centre. These are: v Students helping students. v Connections to available jobs. v One-on-one assistance with applications, resumes, etc. v Chance to practice job interviews. v Access to employment standards, safety regulations and other information. v Access to temporary or casual work opportunities. v Information on career planning and post-secondary education. v Work experiences with income. v Access to computers, internet, copiers and fax machines. v One-stop shopping for summer employment. The centre will be open at 1668 West Broadway on May 1, 2003. The telephone number is 604 666 1250 and the website is www.bc.hrdc.gc.ca/hireastudent <http://www.bc.hrdc.gc.ca/hireastudent>. 14. Other Business Members were requested to notify Kathie Road at 604 266 0390 if they have suggestions for speakers for the fall. Susan Balfour-Hunt expressed the PAC?s appreciation for the stimulating and relevant lineup of speakers she arranged for this year. The meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m. The next meeting will be on May 27, 2003. ________________ Ken Cameron, Recorder