December 13, 2016, Norquay PAC Meeting Minutes
In attendance:Chair: Charis Broadbent. PAC Members: Janisha Haywood, Amy O’Brian, Barbara Lee, David Kmiotek, Val Kao, Alvin Chong, Lisa Chong, Mohamed Najumi, Christie Chua, Shauna Cook. Admin: Margaret Jorgensen, Sharon Vieira.
Welcome and Introductions
• 6:11p.m. meeting called to order by Charis. Not enough people for quorum.
• Discussion of upcoming pancake breakfast.
• Everything donated by Save-On Foods. How do we thank them?
• Elaine and Sammy Lee of Save-On Foods were instrumental in donation.
Approval of minutes and agenda (enough people have arrived for quorum)
MOVED by Charis:Approval of November minutes
SECONDED by Janisha:
MOTION CARRIED
MOVED by Charis: Approval of December agenda
SECONDED by Janisha
MOTION CARRIED
Administration’s message (Margaret):
• School budget. Allocations came in mid-November. Per student allocation and also program allocation and we also have carry forward funds.
• What was approved last year was that school budgets would be cut 20 to 25 per cent and a freeze on carry forward funds. Whatever remained unspent would be held. And released in July 2017.
• We have a flexible purchasing budget and target it at certain areas. Have allocation for professional development, Mandarin, ReadySetLearn, international students and things like French. These are all under the umbrella of flexible purchasing — those things that were unspent as of June 2016 are frozen.
• There were a lot of things that went through after July 1 and the money had to come from somewhere so they had to come from this year’s budget.
• 2015/16 budget was almost $49,000, not including Mandarin money. This year it is $36,000 not including Mandarin money. It’s a $12,000 to $13,000 difference
• We will receive the $17,000 for Mandarin to support program in its 6th year. But taking back what was spent and billed after July 1.
• $13,381 – we’re starting with that this year. Money will reappear next summer
• Next year will look like $17,000 plus money that’s put back from hold over.
• We also have a library amount allocated separately. That was cut 20 percent.
• We are required to allocate funds to sub accounts
• Everything was cut 20 per cent except Mandarin and professional development.
• Have to figure out how to allocate. Field trips coverage. Special education. We have to allocate those funds. District tells us to allocate minimum amount for some areas.
•Special education programs have 20 per cent less
• I would normally put $100 per teacher into accounts, family worker . . . but we do not have that money
• Putting everything into operating budgets. No money from school into class accounts. It won’t be ayear where we’re buying additional tech resources.
• A lot of the priorities teachers set last year have shifted. Asking PAC for support to revisit wish list from teachers.
-Comment from Barb: The Mandarin program – funding goes to grade 7 and then after grade 7 no more. Or reduction. Need to build up Mandarin library. Resources. Books.
• Margaret: Yes, the Mandarin numbers look rich in comparison. But those resources are used only for Mandarin learning resources. Only.
• This year we focus on 6 and 7 and again next year. Teachers target where they need to plump up learning resources. Right number of textbooks, language learning resources.
•One last thing: Want to thank you for really great start up and the support and engagement you provide for the kids. Want to wish you a happy holiday. And say thank you. Margaret and Sharon distribute small gifts to PAC executive.
Treasurer’s report (Shirley):
• Regular business. Two accounts. General account as of Dec. 12 is $ 6,915.
•Playground fund in deficit — and I think that’s because we paid some labour out of gaming account. Might have to fundraise to cover the deficit.
• Margaret has tried to get invoices split into labour and parts, very difficult.
If we fundraise we can cover the deficit. Also if we have money left over
• In gaming account we have quite a bit more. $35,300.00
• Want to get together with admin and PAC and come up with three-year plan regarding how to spend this.
•Climbing boulder? Picnic tables and buddy benches. We never decided. Thinking three picnic tables and six buddy benches.
• Every year we get about $12,000 from gaming.
• A few things put forward last meeting. $500 for kiln. We have money in miscellaneous – about $1,000. Could use that.
• We were going to move $1,000 from miscellaneous up to teachers
• Fundraising is at 38 per cent. Pizza and carnival. Not including gift certificates, Purdy’s. Barb thinks we won’t get to 50 per cent.
• Charis: We still have Subway days
• Charis: I say we motion to approve the kiln and I would say each teacher should get the $100.
• Shirley: I’ve revised the budget.
• Cooking program came out of garden fund. We do have money in the garden fund.
• The noon hour clubs we’ve already allocated $1,000 from gaming account.
• Val: We had talked about getting families to bring in games. We’ll put it out there.
MOVED by Charis:Approval of $557 to be reimbursed to teacher for kiln
SECONDED by Janisha:
MOTION CARRIED
MOVED by Charis: Approval for $100 each for teachers. $3,500 total
SECONDED by Janisha:
MOTION CARRIED
• Fundraiser total. We’re at about 38 per cent. $3,597.47 so far.
MOVED by Charis: Approval of budget
SECONDED by Janisha
MOTION CARRIED
Garden Update (Val)
• See report
Fundraising/ Volunteer update
• Pancake breakfast Friday. Thanks to Save-On Foods for donating everything and Alvin for donating warming trays.
•Subway forms are going out in new year. Pizza has wrapped up. We’ve pushed direct drive to February.
• Question: When is carnival? Charis: We’ve talked about it. Haven’t decided. September Carnival. It’s a lot. A lot of spending right at beginning of the year. We talked about doing summer something. Barbeque. And starting carnival again next June (2018).
EMB update (Shauna): Need to have meeting with Barb. Want to do call out for EMB parents. Resource corner. Ask them to share resources. List of tutors. So we can share and network as parents.
Communications update (Janisha): Wanting to check that people are getting emails from blog posts. Switched to new server. Mandarin corner on the blog.
Traffic update – attached to agenda. See report
Discussion/ Questions:
• Margaret – responding to EMB question. Because of situation with current trustee. She can’t possible attend all those, so committees have been collapsed. They won’t be meeting. Nancy Brennan, assoc. superintendent will be bringing update to committee 3 in January. Report is being compiled. Nancy Brennan writing report over holidays.
• Looking at late entry and secondary school in next while.
• Regarding late entry – communication has been problematic because of senior management team and board – all gone.
• Margaret advocating for late entry for September – want to try it with a few on trial basis. Pilot. But we don’t want to be in with choice programs. Maybe for 2018.
Sibling priority. Possibility.
• Criteria for Jamieson would be different – there, they don’t need to have any Mandarin. Here, they need some. Kids would have had to be in some kind of Mandarin program if they were entering Grade 4.
• Margaret – discussion also been around student’s report card. Entry requirement. Part of application process.
Janisha: I want to recognize Lauren Wood. Has been helping a lot with tech stuff. Blog.
Barb: Parents concerned it’s a modification. Secondary transition.
Charis: A lot of primary parents just happy to have kids with second language.
Barb: Parents sick of kids being guinea pigs. Some parents want to merge with Jamieson. Tired of being the first ones. Guinea pigs.
Margaret: No clear vision for secondary. I agree. But I do think there is a commitment.
Janisha: Possible do EMB for 30 minutes before PAC meeting in January.
Mrs. Chong: What can we do? What should we do? Write letters?
Margaret: Yes. Write letters to Brennan. The trustee.
Charis: Would be good for new parents to hear about where it came from. What it took to start the program. Have a meeting in Jan/Feb and have report and talk about program. With EMB parents.
Charis: Let’s have a meeting amongst ourselves re: EMB.
Meeting adjourned at 7:15 p.m.
Dec 13/16 PAC Meeting Garden Report
●Requesting small kitchen compost containers or ice cream buckets with lids to be donated for classrooms to put raw vegetables and fruit peels for our 3-bin compost. Please give any containers to Ms. Ivy Chang.
●Building of the 6 additional 4x8’ raised planters will be on Tues Feb 28 (with 10 leader students building 1 box) and Thurs Mar 2 (with 20+ other students building the remaining 5 boxes). Ms. De Jardin’s grade 6/7 class will be doing the build with Mr. Russ Evans.
●VSB Maintenance will be installing a new water tap outside of the portable classroom closer to the garden.
We can use your help to grow our garden! Please contact Val at if you would like to volunteer with the Garden Committee.
Dec 13/16 PAC Meeting Transportation Report
● We have decided to use the map that we received from VSB in two ways:
○ The hard copies will be posted in three places around the school, so that students can get familiar with it
○We will include the electronic copy in a communication bulletin around safety
●Communication bulletin. We decided to do a special bulletin focused on safety around transportation to school, either it is walking, biking, using transit or driving. We will include some safety tips for each mode of transportation and encourage people to review the map and ensure they are taking the best route and safest to school. In this bulletin we will also call for parent volunteers to help out one week in January and one in February (dates to be determined) to enforce the parking/no parking regulations around school.
●Sandwich boards. We will be doing a few sandwich boards to help the patrol and the volunteer parents communicate the message of where parents can´t park and the areas that should remain clear. This ones will be in English and Chinese.
●The city doesn’t have yet a timeline as to when the new signage will be put in place, but we have decided to start educating parents to respect the spaces that will be later on (hopefully in 2017) marked as no parking or drop off.