Mountain Meadows PAC Minutes

7:00 PM Thursday November 7th, 2013

Mountain Meadows Library

Present: Robin Funk, Rhonda MacLean, Michelle Callander, Corinne Klyne, Twyla Yu, Andi Aizer, Zoe Furby, Cecilia Juarez, Allison Mailer, Leah Pires, Justin Todd, Shawnna Auramenko, Bridgit Martin, Heather Robins, Victoria Paikin, Jen Mackie, Karen Firth, Mark Robins

Staff: John Andrews

1. Call to Order

2. Approval of Agenda

Motion to approve and adopt the agenda by Corinne Klyne, seconded by Rhonda MacLean

3. Approval of Minutes from October 2013

Motion to adopt the minutes by Twyla Yu, seconded by Heather Robins

4. Principal's report to PAC- John Andrews

Facilities Update: The majority of the school carpets have been replace with linoleum flooring. The second phase is to include Mr. Chase's room, Ms. Billy's room, and the Library. The process to have the carpets changed out can be a bit of a longer due to the District's budget and how they prioritize each school's needs.

Mr. Andrews brought in a leaf blower to help remove some of the leaf debris. The District is sending in a crew on November 8th, 2013 to remove the remaining debris. They will clear the school grounds, including pathways and stairways leading to the school. Due to the pollution of both noise and fumes, it can take time to have something like this arranged.

The school is renting out space to a company called Math Potential. They are using the space for an advanced Math campus, for grade levels 5,6,7, and 8.

Monthly Assemblies: There will be monthly assemblies held to highlight up and coming events, monthly birthdays, recognize both staff and students for their accomplishments and to focus on the school's self regulation goals. Mr. Andrews asked for feedback from anyone that attended this month's assembly. The general sense was that it was a good way to build community and recognize staff and students. However, a number of people felt that there wasn't enough notice or advertisement to invite parents/families. Mr. Andrews will ensure that the information is posted on the school's website and a communication email be sent via the class liaisons. The concern of other religions was brought up, regarding singing/celebrating birthdays (ie: Jehovah Witnesses), but Mr. Andrews assured the PAC that this was not a concern at our school at this time.

School Goal: The goal this year will be Self Regulation. The SPC had their first meeting and did up an agenda, looking at both a school improvement plan and a school growth plan. The interim report cards have been revised to come in line with the school and self regulation goals. If parents have any questions, or pressing concerns with their child's progress, they should start the conversation with their child's teacher sooner rather than later.

Wish Lists: The teachers are very grateful and thankful for all the items the PAC has contributed to. The hope this year is to have a copy of How Full is Your Bucket, for each classroom and additional copies in the Library. The teachers would love to see more field trips happen, either on or off site (for example going to the Aquarium or having the Aqua bus come to the school) and for the trips to be subsidized by the PAC. The Library could use additional book caddy's. The first request is for the Miller Group Deluxe Book tower ($1570 before tax), and the Copernicus reading resource station ($280 before tax). As well as a request for 3 desktops computers. There is a request for two Smartboards, one for the EAL room and the other for the Music room.

Elementary School Emergency Release: May 8, 2014

The District wants all schools to test their Emergency Release Program. Children will need to be picked up by a parent, or the named person(s) on the Emergency Release form. The test will start early afternoon and it will be an early dismissal day.

Treasurer Report: Heather Robins

The casino money has been deposited, leaving us a balance of $4,115.77. The General account has a total of $12,592.77, and that is after all outstanding cheques have been cashed. Barb, our contact from Lice 911 has advised that the cheque mailed to them has still not been received. Angela will follow up with Barb from Lice 911, and Heather will follow up with BMO to see if the cheque has been cashed.

DPAC- Leah Pires

The DPAC had the wrong contact information for our school, but Leah has now corrected that with them. School District 43 is facilitating a community engagement process for Learning, Land and Neighbourhoods to deal with our communities growing population. The board is reviewing District properties to ensure we are getting the best value for students of today and the future. The community engagement process will help identify solutions and inform the board's actions and decisions. Please see the Mountain Meadows Website, under Publications for more detailed information.

Kevin Cameron will be returning to speak to parents/community members about "Parenting Our Kids in the 21st Century". The dates are: February 4th (Coquitlam Alliance Church) and May 15th (Charles Best) from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

A number of school PACs are reaching out to other PACs in the community to share ideas, talk about fundraising events, and what has or has not been working for them. It was agreed that this was something our PAC should look into as well.

Survey Results

There is great excitement over the number of people who took the time to respond to the survey and the valuable feedback that was given. To view the survey results in detail please go to the Mountain Meadows website, click on Parents, PAC and then survey results.

Committee/Volunteer Reports

Hot Lunch- Brenda and Cecilia are looking at planning another 3 dates for January and February. It was discussed to watch dates and not plan a hot lunch date around holidays. For example, the day after Halloween and Valentine's Day. There was also talk of holding the next PAC meeting after a hot lunch , to accommodate parents that are not free in the evening.

Emergency Preparedness- The bunker is currently being worked on and the leak will be fixed this week. Ryan McMurray will then look at filling it with our school's needs.

Campbell Soup Labels- Cecilia has discussed with IGA setting up a bin for our schools collection.

Thrifty Foods Smile Card- Cecilia has sent in the application form to Thrifty's, she was asked to provide more details as to what we are fundraising for. Cecilia will follow up with them and provide the details they are looking for. (Art Cards) The smile cards are loaded up like gift cards, and any amount spent the school will get back 5%.

Canadian Tire Money- Currently we have $10.70, and we are saving for air horns and Bear repellant. Heather suggested that there be a class competition to see who could bring in the most Canadian Tire money. Rhonda added that the prize could be ice cream sandwiches.

Scholastic Book Orders- The current order is due November 13th and if anyone wants these as a Christmas gift, and to be kept quiet, they should bring that to Corrine's attention. It was suggested that we have the information posted on the school's web-site or an email sent out via the class liaisons; Mr. Andrews to follow up. Corrine also mentioned that she will need someone to shadow her next year to learn the ropes, as she only has two years left at the school.

Neufeld Farms- The order is due November 15th and the delivery date is November 25th. Bridgit will follow up with Clarr about sending an email out to the class liaisons as a reminder.

Lice/Lice 911- Robin inquired about the protocol and steps that need to be taken when a case of lice is detected. Unfortunately, there was a case of lice in a classroom and a notice was not sent home. Mr. Andrews will follow up with the staff to ensure that any and all cases are reported, so the proper notification can be made. The next lice check will be sometime in January; dates to be announced. Angela will follow up with Barb from Lice 911 to look at booking a parent session before our students are checked. The hope is to prevent and minimize any potential outbreaks. If parents know what to look for, they can check and treat their own children before Lice 911 comes in. It was agreed upon that the parent session should be booked for an evening, so more families have a chance to attend. Currently, there is a booking for December 11th, but it will be changed as that is the same day as the holiday market.

Holiday Market- Rhonda has started the collections for the market. Anyone wishing to donate items can leave them labeled in the PAC kitchen. The goal this year is to focus on more homemade/crafted items. All items should be in by December 1st.

Gingerbread Houses- We were looking at December 19th as a possible date for the houses to be done.

Panago- Brenda will send out the order notice for the week of November 19th and the order will only run for one week.

Spirit Wear- The order forms went out on November 7th. Thanks to the supplier that Angela recommended, Zoe was able to reduce some of the prices. The umbrella's are new to the order this time, but a minimum purchase of 6 is needed. The orders are due back by November 20th. Zoe has made arrangements for families that are purchasing as gifts, by including her email address.

Children of the Street (internet safety/sexual exploitation)- The max size of the group would be 75, so it was agreed upon that the session should be kept to our school only. The parents will be given an information session first, to prepare for any questions their children may have. The honorarium, based on what other schools have paid, should be $350. The Grade 4/5 teachers have agreed that Thursday afternoons would be best. The possible dates we are looking at are May 21 (parent session) and May 22 (student session).

Halloween Costume Exchange- A number of costumes came in and they will be saved for next year. Everyone agreed that it's a great idea, but there was short notice to get it moving this year.

Readers for Teachers- The Book Fair raised approximately $1100 for the school's purchase. Mr. Andrews spoke to the students and teachers and then placed an order based on the feedback he received. The new items have arrived.

Bear Bins- Heather is following up with Gaming contact to see if the casino money can be used to purchase the bear bins that are needed. She has left two unreturned messages at this time. Mr. Andrews noted that a proposal will be going to the city, to have one donated. There have been fewer bears reported, since the two cans at the front of the school have been removed and replaced with Rubbermaid ones that the Janitors bring in at night.

Grade Five Free Active Pass- The passes are available though the local community centers. Grade five students would have access to free swimming and skating. Parents just need to apply with the community center, have a signed letter from their child's school, provide a birth certificate and show proof of residency.

New and Upcoming Events

Art Cards- The students will decorate an 11x17 piece of paper that will then be made into an all occasion card that families can order. The staff love the idea and can work with the dates needed to have the cards back in by November 22nd. The cards would be delivered by December 10th. The PAC will cover the $200 needed for the program. Motioned by Twyla Yu and Seconded by Zoe Furby

Art in the classroom- Teachers gave input to Mr. Andrews that they would like to see some type of cultural event happen. We're looking into Art Starts for Jazz, Jive and Wail. The approximate fee would be $700. This has been tabled until the next meeting.

Chef Fun with Victoria- A menu has been decided upon and the cost will be between $20 to $25 dollars for the 3 cooking classes. The potential dates are February 3rd,10th and 17th. A maximum number of students has been set at 12. Victoria will look into having menu items donated by Thrifty Foods/IGA to keep cost minimal. A motion was brought forward by Victoria for the PAC to cover the cost of the menu items up to $100 and was seconded by Michelle.

Family Reading Night- Mr. Andrews is taking suggestions on how the family night should go. For example bring in your favorite book, author or even dress up as your favorite character. Mr. Andrews will organize the event and it will be held sometime in January.

Coat and Boot Donations- Gently used coats and boots will be collected and given to families in need at our school, the left over items will be donated to charity.

The next PAC meeting will be held in the Library on December 13th at 12:15, following the Hot Lunch Program. We would like to be able to vote on some critical spending items (ie: smart boards, cultural program).