Prince George District Parent Advisory Council
311 Wilson Crescent V2L 4P8 Prince George, BC, Canada

Important information for parents and families about the new masking mandates announced by the Ministry today - please read!!

If you haven't already mark your calendar - tonight @ 6:30 is our monthly DPAC public meeting via Zoom!! The meeting times and login details can be found on our website, along with the Agenda, Chair and committee reports, and minutes from last months meeting: http://sd57dpac.ca Additionally we will have SD57 representatives from Senior Administration, Board of Trustees, CUPE, PGDTA and PGPVPA in attendance to discuss questions related to Distributed Learning, transitional programs and the Center for Learning Alternatives (CLA - https://www.sd57.bc.ca/school/cla/Pages/default.aspx#/=). We look forward to seeing parents tonight!

Some parents are looking for information on the safety of our school environments and data concerning how Covid-19 effects school aged children. Please review the information and links from BCCPAC below as well as these releases from SD57. SD57 Nov 20: https://www.sd57.bc.ca//2020.12.14%20Northern%20Health%20- SD57 Dec 14: https://www.sd57.bc.ca//2020.12.14%20Northern%20Health%20-

Good morning parents :) for those who were not able to attend last night's SD57 Public Board meeting online it can be viewed on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/NH4dCEPyefk and this is the presentation DPAC gave to the Board at the meeting: Good evening trustees, and to all Rights & Stakeholders,...Continue reading

We are aware that our website is offline as of Jan 5. We are working hard to correct the issue. You can still reach us at [email protected]. Here is the Agenda for our Monthly Meeting on Monday Dec 11.

DPAC Communications - https://mailchi.mp/1339b5a88c6d/communications Please read this important update about DPAC communications and decisions following January's meeting.

Don't forget about our monthly DPAC meeting tonight @ 6:30 via Zoom!!! To join the Zoom meeting: https://ca01web.zoom.us/j/65674887171 Meeting ID: 656 7488 7171... Passcode: Kd5t*1cv One tap mobile +15873281099,,65674887171#,,,,*70622910# Canada +16473744685,,65674887171#,,,,*70622910# Canada We are aware that there are still ongoing issues with our website and are actively working to get them resolved. In the meantime, please reach out to us via email or Facebook and we will get back to you. The agenda and other reports have been posted on our Facebook page and emailed out but will also be shared at the meeting tonight if anyone has been unable to find or access them. We look forward to seeing you all tonight!

Welcome back! Our next DPAC Meeting is Monday January 11 at 6:30pm on Zoom. http://sd57dpac.ca/2021/01/happy-new-year-2021/

Review the December Minutes here including a link to the presentation about Curriculum and Innovation for parents. http://sd57dpac.ca/2020/12/dpac-meeting-minutes-dec-2020/

Elementary PAC Executives please share with parents

DYK our website has HUNDREDS of resources and information to support you and your family's mental health and well-being? Visit our website today to discover more! keltymentalhealth.ca

Never dismiss poor handwriting and dysgraphia. I’m personally learning this lesson right now. The #dysgraphia struggle is real and the child will need support. Writing, like reading, must be taught explicitly. Period! #DyslexiaRevolution

The Framework for Enhancing Student Learning Policy and Reporting Order. This policy and ministerial order, which came into effect September 1, 2020, will hold ...boards of education more accountable and ensure student outcomes are the focus of their strategic and operational plans. This policy and order come as a result of the hard work and many discussions with the Ministry of Education and the education partners. BCCPAC was an active participant throughout. We encourage parents/guardians to read both documents. https://bccpac.bc.ca//21-advocacy/922-fesl-policy-and-order Improve educational outcomes for all students Boards of education will set, create and maintain a strategic plan, annually report on student outcomes and put systems in place to continuously improve the educational outcomes for all students and improve equity for Indigenous students, children and youth in care, and students with disabilities or diverse abilities. Focus on The Educated Citizen The preamble to the School Act and the Statement of Education Policy Order (Mandate for the School System) states, the purpose of the British Columbia school system is to enable all learners to become literate, to develop their individual potential and to acquire the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to contribute to a healthy, democratic and pluralistic society and a prosperous and sustainable economy. To achieve this purpose, we have a collective mandate to develop the Educated Citizen defined as the intellectual, human and social and career development of every student. Enable through capacity building, strategic planning, coordinated implementation and reporting In order to ensure a system-wide focus on continuously improving educational outcomes for all students, this policy specifies the responsibilities for the Ministry and boards of education with respect to strategic planning and reporting of educational outcomes. The policy also identifies ways that the Ministry, boards, Indigenous peoples and other education partners can contribute to improving educational outcomes in the K-12 education system.

Understanding Parent Stakeholders in Public Education During the last six months, due to the pandemic, our staff and board have provided increased guidance, cla...rity, information and answers to DPACs, PACs and individual parents via email, phone and social media channels. As a result, we have noticed, across the 60 school districts, there are many individuals who are unaware of the role of parents as stakeholders within the K-12 system, how it works, how to get more involved etc. Today is the first of three posts in a series we hope that parents/guardians/caregivers will find informative and useful. Watch this page on Wednesday for the next installment regarding district PACs. Installment 1 - Parent Advisory Council (PAC) The School Act (https://www2.gov.bc.ca//legislation-p/manual-of-school-law) This is the starting place. The School Act requires that every PAC has Bylaws that specify how meetings are run, how the business is conducted, how dissolution is to be handled, and how executive reps are elected. They exist to ensure YOUR voice is heard and represented. There are also Regulations and Orders in Council related to School Act https://www2.gov.bc.ca//manu/school-act-ministerial-orders and https://www2.gov.bc.ca//school-act-related-regulations-and The School Act lists the most important rights and responsibilities of parents and students, both individual and collective. Parents should read and understand the relevant sections. Parents Rights - The right to be informed of their child’s attendance, behaviour, and progress in school; On request, to receive a copy of the school plan for the school; To belong to the Parent Advisory Council (PAC) in their school; To consult with the teacher, principal, viceprincipal, or director of instruction with respect to their child’s educational program. Conversely, parents are required, if requested, to consult with the teacher, principal, viceprincipal, or director of instruction on their child’s educational program Rights of students with special needs are covered under the Special Needs Students Order of the Minister of Education Parent Advisory Council (PAC) PAC is the collective voice of parents in school community who has the legislative right to advise school administration on any matter relating to public education and whose role is to supports parents. All parents/guardians/caregivers with children registered in the school are members of the PAC. The PAC executive are those individuals, per the PAC Bylaws, who have been elected by their peers to represent them and to conduct business on their behalf. PAC meetings (now virtual this school year) are for parents of children at that school. School administrators and staff representatives should be welcomed to attend PAC meetings as regular invited guests (they cannot vote). Similarly PAC Executives should be meeting regularly with their admin teams AND request to present to staff meetings as needed to share information, inform etc. Recognized in the School Act, Section 8, PACs are required to have Bylaws under which they operate (self-governing) and are composed of, run and managed by parents. PACs can advise school staff/board of education respecting any matter relating to the school or provincial education. They can advise the school principal & staff on parents’ views and feedback about school programs, policies, plans and activities. They can organize PAC activities and events and endeavour to provide parent education. They encourage parent involvement in the school, and to support programs that promote parent involvement. And they communicate with parents, and to promote co-operation between the home and the school in providing support for the education of children. PACs also assist parents in accessing the system (could mean connecting to DPAC) and to advocate on behalf of parents and students, provide financial support for the goals of the PAC, as determined by its membership and will advise and participate in the activities of the DPAC. Communication with Parent Community Through their elected executives from parents in the school, PACs communicate with their parent community gathering and discussing issues of importance regarding their school in order to adequately advise those that influence their school. In addition to PAC meetings communication may also be done through, newsletters, telephone, email, and websites so that all parents have the opportunity for input. PACs can only communicate with parents once parents have provided their contact information or opted in to receive information. Schools cannot provide email or other contact information to PACs even though parents have provided it to the school; due to data privacy the data cannot be shared. It is common for schools to send out information on behalf of the PAC to their school families. But there is a need for the PAC to communicate directly with its parent community and for that, parents need to provide contact details to their PAC. This means, if individuals don’t provide email or other contact information to their PACs, the PAC is unable to communicate directly with you. PACs fall under the Personal Information and Privacy Act (PIPA); they do not fall under FIOPPA. Fundraising PACs are NOT required or obligated to raise funds but this practice started many years ago and most continue to do some fundraising. There exists haves and have nots and inequity at schools so not all PACs have the same ability to raise funds. There are many things a PAC can do that isn't connected to fundraising. During this particular school year, parents will be relying on their PAC to keep them informed and updated; they are a bridge between admin and parents and have the ability to push and pull information, bring forward issues, ensure parents have all the information they need. Check back to this page on Wednesday October 21 for the next installment regarding district PACs.

A reminder to join us at 2pm EST today for our free webinar Supporting Reading At Home. For parents and caregivers of children with dyslexia, our speakers will help you navigate the world of appropriate and accessible content. #Dyslexia #OneInFive https://www.dyslexiacanada.org/webinars

If your child attends PGSS, understand what an exposure event means on the Northern Health website here: https://www.northernhealth.ca//public-exposures-and-outbre If your child has not been contacted by Public Heath, or show symptoms indicated on the Daily Health Check, they should continue to go to school.