The Grass Roots of the Langley DPAC

October 7, 2014 Community

The Grass Roots of the Langley DPAC

 

 

The Grass Roots of the Langley DPAC…..

In order for the Langley DPAC to be a voice for it’s members, we need to know what is going on with the members. This is a fact.

We do get snippets from the DPAC reps and parents if they speak up at our meetings but we collectively, are wanting more information on what is really happening at a PAC level within each of the District’s many schools.

To achieve this goal, Langley DPAC is hoping to get invitations to attend PAC meetings within the School District.

By doing this, we can see first hand what ‘really’ matters to you at a PAC level as well as providing assistance if you require it from a DPAC level.

We are also hoping to use some of the information we get to monthly showcase a particular school within the District and let others know what dedication and perseverance can really achieve.

Don’t be shy! Send us an invitation.

Behind the scenes of Langley DPAC this week……

October 5, 2014 Behind Closed Doors

Behind closed doors this week at Langley DPAC….

It has been almost one week since the Langley DPAC increased our online presence and started reaching out more to parents and PAC executives within our school district.

We have offered and solicited advice from members as well as transparently sharing stories that we think matter to you, our members.

This past week, we have seen our page views on our FB page increase by 38000% and no that is not a typo. We started off the week with less than 30 people being reached by our posts and we are over 2200 people being reached less than a week later. Page likes have increased by 5400% and that tells all of us that we are on the right path with what we need to do.

On that note, we now will be doing weekly posts updating our members on what is going on right now and what all of you can expect in the upcoming weeks from us at the Langley DPAC.

In no particular order, please note the following:

1. We are planning a public forum where we will be hosting the candidates for the school trustee positions and we will ask them questions. An email will be going out asking you for questions you would like asked and we will do our best to get them all answered if time permits. This is your chance to see and hear what the candidates are all about. More information to follow on this.
2. This week upcoming, we will be sending out the new DPAC membership registration forms to all PAC’s for our records. This information is vital to us being able to contact you in a timely manner. The BCCPAC membership forms will also be sent out if your PAC wants to be a part of BCCPAC. Please note that DPAC pays for the membership fees for your BCCPAC registration.
3. The Langley DPAC is revamping it’s website. We are going to be going from langleydpac.wordpress.com to langleydpac.ca. More details to follow on this.
4. Langley DPAC is also setting up a new email system with processes in place that will prevent the deletion of emails by any of the executive members. All emails sent to any member of the Langley DPAC will soon be sent to EVERY other member of the executive including president, secretary, VP1,VP2 and treasurer. This is being done to ensure total transparency of the executive members as well as ensuring that all correspondence is delivered and dealt with in a timely manner. All emails will also be archived in a central location so we are never in a position with missing correspondence whether intentional or accidental.
5. Langley DPAC is still looking for great photos of kids in our schools or at home for our website. Please take a few moments and send us your pictures. 
6. As stated in an earlier post, information was sent out about the literacy/physical education program with the Langley Rivermen. Important details are with the email as an attachment. If you are interested, please contact me directly at treasurer@langleydpac.ca so that we can figure out a schedule.

Finally, thank you all once again for all of your input and if you’d like a member of DPAC to attend your monthly meetings or you have a question, please contact us directly.

Have a great night!

Beatrice

Total Transparency

Langley Rivermen hockey team and their proposed literacy/phys. ed program in our schools

October 5, 2014 Community Education

Langley Rivermen literacy/physical education program details

PAC presidents and principals:

Please check your inbox as I have just sent out details surrounding the literacy/physical education program being proposed by the Langley Rivermen who are interested in becoming involved in elementary schools within our district schools.

There is a literacy component involved as well as a physical education component.

If you do NOT receive an email invitation, kindly contact me directly at treasurer@langleydpac.ca

Cheers,

Beatrice

Langley students attend the Rivermen season opener

October 5, 2014 Community Education

number oneStudents attend the season opening game of the Langley Rivermen

Lots of fun tonight at the season opening game of the Langley Rivermen. The team lost in the 2nd period of overtime but an amazing game none the less.
The Langley Rivermen are now working with the Langley DPAC in an initiative that encourages our elementary school students to read.  Local players will be arriving at various schools in their hockey bus and in uniform and they will read to and be read by Langley students.

The hockey players will also be playing scrimmage hockey with the kids in school gyms to encourage physical education within the school district of Langley.

Langley DPAC received 1000 FREE hockey tickets to give out to schools in the district to attend the first game of the season. I recognized lots of the kids and PAC members as well.

I am so in love with Frasier, the team mascot. He was very engaging with the kids and was a huge hit with them as well.

More to follow soon on our teaming up with the Langley Rivermen.

Frasier Langley Rivermen

Hope to see you guys at the next game as well.

Beatrice

Snippets from school board meeting Sept 30, 2014

October 4, 2014 Meetings School Board

School board meeting September 30, 2014

I attended the meeting tonight and in no particular order are highlights of what is going on at a board level within the school district.

650 Mac book Pro’s have now been leased and delivered to the school district. The 650 laptops delivered are part of a lease of which 800 were ordered initially. They should be delivered to teachers by the end of next week. Interesting as well to point out that Dell laptops will be provided to teachers as an alternative to those needing a windows based platform instead.

Last year, all wireless was completed in all secondary and middle schools.

This year, the school district will finish the infrastructure requirements and wireless internet access will be available in all elementary schools. All teachers will get their laptops and all classes will get their projectors. It should be noted that projectors might be portable until the district gets around to mounting them from the ceilings in the classrooms. The projectors were purchased instead of being leased and the mounting will take place within the classrooms during the 2014/2015 school year.

Ministry updates included a more personalized approach to learning which is so great to hear. Not every child learns the same way at everything. Teachers will have more flexibility in learning outcomes and core competencies and parents will be informed of their child’s progress more than 3-4 times a year at report card time.

Discussions and motions were passed that dealt with the late start of the school year due to the strike. It was decided that the semester initially set at Sept 2/14-Jan 23/15 would now be changed to Sept 22/14-Feb 6/15.

The second semester initially set for Jan 26/15-Jun 25/15 will now be changed to Feb 10/15-June 25/15. There will not be any layover going into a typical summer vacation from school for the kids.

The changes to the semesters for the year results in 81 teaching days in the first semester and 78 in the second semester.

Finally, enrollments in the choice school appears to be down based on initial numbers which have NOT been firmed up yet. (I will report end of month actual numbers.) It appears that middle and elementary schools have numbers that are about the same as last year as a whole and overall, it appears that total enrollment at this point in time, will be down. There were approximately 100 children whose parents decided to instead enroll them in a private school instead of a public one so far, according to the present numbers which are an initial estimate at best.

I finally do apologize if any of my notes are off by a few numbers. I did keep impeccable handwritten notes and next time, I will bring the laptop instead.

Please do comment on your thoughts on the meeting notes above. Do you find it informative and would you like to see updates such as this?

A quote was cited tonight and I close with it now.

“If we teach students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow.” – John Dewy

Beatrice

Ride for Refuge bikers

Ride for Refuge in Langley

October 4, 2014 Community

‘Ride for Refuge’ which is happening today in Langley and Surrey

One knows that you are crazy when you stop your car on the side of a road to take a picture of a dad with his kids riding bikes for your DPAC website.

Ride for Refuge bikers
The Langley family was riding 50k for ‘Ride for Refuge’ which is happening today in Langley and Surrey.

The ride had hoped to generate $25,000.00 in donations for various agencies but has already raised in excess of $64,000.00. Way to go!

This family was riding to support women in abusive situations within our district.

I love the dad’s costume.

Beatrice

SD35 Notice of Motion: 7200 – Student Harassment

August 19, 2014 Uncategorized

Please be advised that the Langley School District has issued a

Notice of Motion for Policy No. 7200 – Student Harassment

All information on this Policy is provided on the links below.

If the community has any comments regarding this proposed policy amendment they can be sent to the School District care of Laurie Mason at lmason@sd35.bc.ca.

This proposed policy amendment will return to the Board table at the October 28, 2014 Reular Board meeting. Feed back will be received by the School District from community and partner groups until Oct 21, 2014.

SR_Reg_Policy 7200 Student Harassment_2014June17

Reg_Policy 7200 Student Harassment_2014June17

SAMPLE Policy 7200_Copy w edits removed_2014June17

 

June 12 General Meeting

June 11, 2014 Uncategorized

Don’t forget tomorrow night’s meeting will begin at 7pm.

Topics on the agenda include:

Fundraising
PAC Treasury
Update on Strike Situation