…

Poor kids, the argument goes, clearly can’t keep up, so stop talking about their failure…

In Better Schools for B.C.: A Plan for Quality Public Education, the BCTF states that “a child’s performance in school is strongly related to socio-economic status and that a good education is often the only means of breaking the cycle of poverty for poor children.” …

The reality is, no matter who forms government, eliminating poverty and low income levels is a long-term goal that won’t happen overnight. Asking these teens to wait isn’t fair. And, it’s self-defeating to push the problem outside of the schools.

For these teens, their future inability to support a family, build savings, and retire will be largely a legacy of an education system that failed them. With a decline in the number of jobs available in B.C.’s forestry and fishing sectors — where past generations of non-academic kids could earn a good living — preparing students for “knowledge jobs” is now an essential, basic responsibility of public education.

According to Statistics Canada, 35 per cent of B.C.’s 25- to 34-year-olds hold no post-secondary certification at all. No one wins if that’s replicated for another generation.

What we’re most interested in is to spark discourse about the class divide in B.C.’s public education. Are B.C. educators, parents, employers and politicians satisfied that so many teens from lower-income schools are dropping out and failing? Who, locally, can demonstrate a successful strategy for change? And, most importantly, for those students who have left school before graduation, what would have made the difference?

Even within East Van, one school does surprisingly well: Vancouver Technical. With a parental income of just $39,700, it’s one of the poorest in the province. Yet, the students’ provincial exam marks exceed the provincial average (69.3 per cent, up six points over five years ago), the delayed advancement rate is relatively low for the area (23.1 per cent) and the provincial exam failure rate is also low (nine per cent, compared to 19 per cent five years ago). What is Van Tech doing right? And are teachers and administrators at other schools willing to learn from Van Tech?

Dear PAC and DPAC chairs and parents,

As we enter the final chapter of this school year, it is a time when the excitement of students and families grows, as preparation for celebrations of student accomplishments take shape and provide opportunity to reflect and share achievements and successes for the school year.

While plans for most of these celebrations and events have been made long ago, I am sad to share that recent discussions in an alarming number of our schools in this province are not positive ones. Members are reporting that the response to parent offers to volunteer to support their students and school community have been very discouraging, negative and multifaceted. Many events are being cancelled even when parents are stepping forward with time, skills and resources to successfully host the activity. Events (many deep in tradition) planned months in advance are being cancelled and deposits paid being lost due to these cancellations – citing policies, liability, special certifications etc.  as reasons why parents cannot volunteer in the absence of teachers.

As parents, the safety of our child is paramount, and we can all agree that activities must ensure the safety of our students.  BCCPAC has and continues to receive input from parents that indicates many barriers to parent engagement continue to exist in our schools both culturally and through restrictive policies and practises which are not guided by concern for student safety or a children first approach.

While the education system has the time and opportunity to recover from failure, individual students and parents do not have this opportunity. Parents have but one opportunity to raise their child and have an expectation that our school system will support each student fully by providing and allowing  access to all resources available to ensure the best possible opportunities for every student during their educational experience.

The failure to embrace and welcome parent volunteers in our school communities during the ongoing dispute between the BCTF and BCPSEA highlights the lack of progress our system has made in creating a welcoming and inclusive environment and culture where parents feel valued for their ability to contribute to our school communities to support student success and healthy communities.

BCCPAC encourages parent leaders to engage their school communities and create opportunities to participate in informed dialogue on parent volunteerism in your school and district. By asking genuine questions on the issues that matter to your community, by identifying barriers which impede parent involvement while also identifying opportunities for increased parent and community engagement, together, we will create the conditions and learning environment that we desire for our children, for our employees, for our families and for our future society.

We encourage you to keep BCCPAC informed of your discussions as we continue our commitment to advocating for parent involvement in our BC education system.

 

Please forward your comments to memberviews@bccpac.bc.ca

In Partnership,

Ann Whiteaker

BCCPAC President

 

Supporting student success through parent involvement

The Fraser Institute released its controversial rankings Monday of B.C. and Yukon secondary schools…

The ratings are based on seven indicators, according to the report: the average exam mark in grade 10-12 courses that include a mandatory provincial exam; percentage of grade 10-12 mandatory provincial examinations failed; the average difference by which the school mark exceeds the exam mark in the above-mentioned courses; differences between male and female students in their exam marks in English 10 and Math 10; graduation rate and delayed advancement rate.

• Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Private+secondary+schools+lead+again+Fraser+Institute+rankings/6540958/story.html#ixzz1tXzMQP3r
• Fraser Institute report – Secondary schools – http://britishcolumbia.compareschoolrankings.org/secondary/SchoolsByRankLocationName.aspx
• Fraser Institute report – Elementary schools – http://britishcolumbia.compareschoolrankings.org/elementary/SchoolsByRankLocationName.aspx

Want to improve your relationship with your children, use discipline effectively and learn appropriate developmental behaviors? Parent Support Services and the Prince George Regional Library are offering free parenting classes for parents of children ages 5-12. Classes start on May 15th in the Keith Gordon Room from 4:30-6:30. The class will run for three weeks from 4:30 to 6:30 each Tuesday (15th, 22nd and 29th) and registration is required.

Phone Jessica Turner or email to register 250-962-0600 or parentnorth@shaw.ca

The 4th Annual Bike to Work and School Week is a challenge that encourages and supports commuter cycling in Prince George and across the Province from May28th – June 3rd There are many events and contests planned throughout the week and beyond to make it fun, visible, safe and successful for everyone – from cycling pros to brand new riders!

The Prince George Brain Injured Group has partnered with the Prince George Cycling Club to provide Bike Rodeos to schools and youth groups across the city. If you are interested in hosting a Bike Rodeo prior to May 28th, 2012, please contact the PG Brain Injured Group to enroll in the Bike to Work and School Week Program.
As part of this program, the $38-$50/hr fee for hosting a Bike Rodeo will be waived if your group registers to participate in the 2012 Bike to Work and School Week challenge.

Book now as spots are filling up quickly:
Julia Koopmans
Julia.koopmans@pgbig.ca
250-564-2447

Bike Rodeo Brochure

BTWW_Grad_Class_Challenge_2012

This year we’ve added an extra challenge to Grade 12 highschool student. The Grad Class with highest proportion of students who cycle to school from May 28th – June 3rd will win $200  towards their Dry Grad celebrations

http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/article/20120428/PRINCEGEORGE0101/304289987/-1/princegeorge/spring-break-broken

School District 57 trustees have approved the 2012-13 school calendar, which includes a two-week spring break.

That does not sit well with parent Melody Link.

She questions the validity of an online poll on the District Parent Advisory Council website, which contributed to the school board’s decision to approve a longer March break, saying the 100 or so respondents to the poll did not offer a true indication of what the majority of parents actually wanted.

“It wasn’t like they sent a piece of paper home with every child, it was just based on whoever visited that website,” said Link “It wasn’t put together well to ask the community what their opinion was. Anyone who is an educator could go on their computer and sign themselves on under an alias and say ‘yes’ to that. I just don’t think it was a fair and equitable way of doing any sort of survey.”

DPAC chair Don Sabo said parents were notified through media sources about the online poll well in advance of Tuesday’s school board meeting and that poll showed a majority of parents wanted the two-week break. He also said DPAC does not have access to include their information on school newsletters to parents. That form of communication is available only to school staff. He said DPAC was not alone in recommending the longer break. [note: DPAC did not formally recommend a longer break]

“DPAC is only one of the stakeholders sitting on the calendar committee,” said Sabo. “Teachers, CUPE [support staff], the principals and vice-principals are all in favour of a two-week spring break. It’s unfortunate, it will impact on some parents, single parents particularly that are working and will have to look at daycare. But over 50 per cent of the school districts in the province have the two-week spring break.”

Background on how the board makes decisions on the school calendar, and DPAC’s role in the process, can be found here:
http://sd57dpac.ca/2012/01/spring-break-in-2013/

The calendar committee did not meet again after January, but DPAC did report to the school district what the results were of both our request for comments and the Prince George Citizen poll were – to summarize:

• of those who commented, the majority were in favour of a two week break,
• there were a number of comments not in favour
• our request for comments and the Citizen poll would not have reached all parents.

http://www.newsroom.gov.bc.ca/2012/04/more-choice-flexibility-for-bcs-education-system.html

VICTORIA – Amendments to the School Act introduced today will support BC’s Education Plan by removing barriers to personalized learning and allowing greater flexibility and choice in terms of where, when and how students learn.
Bill 36, the School Amendment Act 2012, gives students and families increased choice in educational programs by extending the ability to take a mix of online and traditional school courses to students in kindergarten through Grade 9. Currently, only students in grades 10 to 12 have this option.

Other changes to the School Act will eliminate the Standard School Calendar to enable boards of education and education authorities to offer more creative scheduling options that better meet the needs of their students. The Ministry of Education will continue to set a minimum number of instructional hours.

Other revisions to the act will clarify that boards may charge fees relating to the direct costs of providing an international baccalaureate program if they exceed the costs of providing a standard education program. Any such fees are subject to financial hardship provisions. The School Act grants boards of education a limited capacity to charge fees so they may provide programs that reflect the unique needs of their communities.

Under BC’s Education Plan, government is committed to building an education system that is more flexible, dynamic and adaptable to better prepare students for a successful future. Personalized learning is an approach to education that puts every student at the centre of their own learning and makes them more accountable for their success.

Bringing more flexibility to the system will help to recognize that each student is unique and our education system can support each student’s interests, passions and individual ways of learning.

For PACs who are not sending a delegate to the BCCPAC AGM, DPAC will act as your proxy in order to cast your vote. In exchange, DPAC will pay your PAC 50% of the BCCPAC registration of $75.

DPAC provides this funding to give our school district, and the North, a larger voice at the  BCCPAC AGM.

DPAC is sending three delegates to the AGM: Sarah Holland, Gillian Burnett, and Darlene Campbell. Please enter two of these three names on the form - it’s not important which names you enter.

Once you have filled out the proxy form, it will need to be sent to both BCCPAC and DPAC. The form asks you to send it to BCCPAC only, but it is important that DPAC knows in order to followup with your repayment of your member dues.

Please either scan/email the form to info@bccpac.bc.ca and info@sd57dpac.ca, or fax it to 604-687-4488 and 250-614-1316 (attention Sarah Holland).

This document is the proxy form:

http://www.bccpac.bc.ca/UserFiles/File/2012AGM-Spring/Authorized%20Proxy%20Vote%20Form.pdf

This document gives instructions on how to fill out the proxy forms:

http://www.bccpac.bc.ca/UserFiles/File/2012AGM-Spring/AGM_Voting_Info_Proxy_Form.pdf

This document allows your PAC to give direction to your proxy holder on how to vote:

http://www.bccpac.bc.ca/UserFiles/File/2012AGM-Spring/2012_Resolution_Voting_Instructions.pdf

The following PACs are members of BCCPAC in SD57:

• Aboriginal Choice School
• Beaverly Elementary School
• Buckhorn Elementary
• College Heights Elementary
• College Heights Secondary
• D P Todd Secondary
• Ecole Lac des Bois
• Edgewood Elementary
• Giscome Elementary School
• Hart Highlands Elementary
• Heather Park Elementary
• Heritage Elementary
• Highglen Montessori Elementary
• Nukko Lake Elementary
• Pineview Elementary
• Prince George Secondary
• Spruceland Traditional Elementary
• Valemount Elementary
• Van Bien Elementary
• Vanway Elementary School