November 2022
Message from the Chair
Dear Parents, Caregivers and VSB families,
Reflecting on a very busy October, I am most proud of the work our team did with our involvement in the election by putting on the DPAC All VSB Trustee Candidate Forum and we greatly appreciate that all elected Trustees were represented at the Forum and that they also answered 37 questions that we crowdsourced together.
Looking forward to November, our team will be giving a warm welcome to the new VSB Board and we are excited to work with all Trustees and build a great collaborative relationship. Thinking of some of our priorities for the month:
- Feedback into implementation of the Student and Family Affordability Fund
- Discussion on our “Good Air Means Everything” Letter to VSB
- Communication, Transparency, Consultation
Our ongoing work and my passion for aligned housing and school planning was featured earlier this month in the Vancouver Sun: Daphne Bramham: Vancouver's disconnect between densification and school planning.
And finally, we need some help. CBC Reporters have emailed me: "we'd really love to speak with parents at the heart of this issue, so I'm wondering if you are available to connect me with any parents who are travelling outside of their catchment for kindergarten or of parents who are on the waitlist?" Please share the ask, and anyone who has experience in this matter can email me at: chair@vancouverdpac.org or reply to this newsletter.
All the best,
Vik Khanna
2022/23 DPAC Chair
Upcoming DPAC Meetings
DPAC Committees and Working Groups
PACS - we encourage you to promote these committees and groups to your parents in your regular communications.
Active Transportation Safe Routes (ATSR) Working Group
- Are you interested in Active Transportation and Safe Routes to VSB schools? The DPAC has formed an Active Transportation Safe Routes (ATSR) Working Group. If you are interested in being part of the conversation, email Mike Lang and join our Slack Group.
Childcare Committee
- The committee is focused on encouraging increased access and wider options for school-age care. Interested parents please contact committee lead, Alan Patola Moosmann
Facilities Planning Committee
- The committee works on Long Range Facilities Planning, Seismic Planning and shadows the VSB Facilities Planning Committee, providing feedback to the DPAC Executive. Read the year end report for facilities. For more information and to join, contact DPAC Chair Vik Khanna
Anti-Racism Collective and Working Group
- Vancouver DPAC has created and is holding space for Black (of African Descent) and Indigenous Parents to gather and discuss issues pertinent to them that happen within the context of Vancouver Public Schools (VSB). Meetings are scheduled for every first Thursday of the month from 5:30 pm until 7 pm. Parents of Indigenous and African Descent can contact the Black and Indigenous Working Group to learn more.
- DPAC hosts a Slack Group for all who are interested in furthering the work of anti-racism and anti-oppression. Please contact Karen Tsang for an invite to the group.
Music Working Group
- This working group has been struck to focus on ensuring music is a part of every student's school experience. Interested parents please contact working group lead, Robert Ford
Food Framework Working Group
- Vancouver DPAC has a seat on the VSB Food Framework Ad-hoc Committee which will advise the VSB on developing a vision for topics including school food programs, food growing and food education. We are looking for parents interested in providing a broader perspective to inform our feedback to that committee. Contact our rep on the committee, Celena Benndorf.
New Committees / Working Groups
- Vancouver DPAC is expanding the tent! If you are interested in specific work at DPAC, we want to hear from you! This year we are adding the following groups, which will be working groups until structure is in place and a committee is struck:
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Important Dates
2022 - 2032 — International Decade of Indigenous Languages
In February 2022, proclaimed the period between 2022 and 2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, to draw global attention on the critical situation of many Indigenous languages and to mobilize stakeholders and resources for their preservation, revitalization and promotion.
2015 - 2024 -- International Decade for People of African Descent
In December 2014, the UN General Assembly, in its Resolution 68/237, proclaimed the International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024).
Under the theme "Recognition, Justice and Development”, the Decade provides an operational framework to encourage States to eradicate social injustices inherited from history and to fight against racism, prejudice and racial discrimination to which people of African descent are still subjected.
November is:
- Tuesday, November 1 – Musqueam Day
- Tuesday, November 1 — VSB's kindergarten registration opens
- Thursday, November 3, 7 pm — DPAC Special Meeting: Treasury 101
- Sunday, Nov 6 – 12 – National Pain Awareness Week
- Monday, November 7, 7pm – Inaugural Board Meeting
- Tuesday, November 8 - Indigenous Veterans Day
- Thursday, November 10, 7pm — DPAC November Executive Meeting
- Friday, November 11 – Remembrance Day
- November 20 - 26 International Restorative Justice Week
- Tuesday, November 15 – International PEN Day of the Imprisoned Writer
- Wednesday, November 16, 5pm – VSB Policy and Governance Committee Meeting (cancelled)
- Wednesday, November 16, 6:30pm – VSB Finance Committee
- Saturday, November 19 – World Day for Prevention of Abuse and Violence against Children
- Sunday, November 20 – Trans Day of Visibility
- Sunday, November 20 – 26 – National Addictions Awareness Week (NAAW)
- Monday, November 21, 5pm – VSB Public Delegation Board Meeting, How to Register to Speak
- Thursday, November 24, 7pm — DPAC November General Meeting
- Thursday, November 24 – International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women
- Friday, November 25 – Indigenous Focus Non-instructional Day (no school)
- Friday, November 25 – International Buy Nothing Day
- Monday, November 28, 7pm – VSB Board Meeting, Question Submission Form (live on day of meeting)
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News and Information
In this Issue:
Welcome New Trustees
Treasury 101
Student Inclusion
Neurodiversity, Disability and Diverse Needs
SOGI
Expand Your Indigenous Understanding
School Renaming Process
Active Transportation
Sustainability
COVID
Opportunities for Youth
Kindergarten Registration
VSB Registration for Choice and Cross Boundary Programs
Speak Up: How to be a Delegation at VSB and DPAC
Reporting Student Learning, Proficiency Scale Explained
Student Learning Survey
Preparing for Graduation
Welcome New Trustees
- One hundred and fifty eight new school trustees will be joining boards of education across B.C., according to an analysis of preliminary election results by the B.C School Trustees Association (BCSTA). Some of the noteworthy changes included the election of B.C.’s first openly transgender school trustee and several young trustees. Two hundred and fifty-two trustees were re-elected, with 118 trustees acclaimed. There are a total of 412 trustees in BC.
- Vancouver DPAC congratulates nine trustees who have been elected to serve on the Vancouver School Board. We are looking forward to working alongside new and returning trustees Alfred Chen, Christopher Richardson, Janet Fraser, Jennifer Reddy, Josh Zhang, Lois Chan-Pedley, Preeti Faridkot, Susie Mah, and Victoria Jung.
Treasury 101
Student Inclusion
- At our October general meeting, parents again raised concerns about students requiring learning supports being sent home from school because resource teachers and support staff were either unavailable or filling other roles at that school or another in the district. BCEdAccess has a tracking tool for recording these incidents, and you can access a summary of their findings and recommendations they have submitted for change over the past two years.
- Vancouver DPAC is now forming a committee to be populated by families whose children's specific needs (including physical disabilities, learning difficulties and neurodivergence) are not being met as they seek an education at VSB,. Please contact Sandra Bell or Karen Tsang to participate. Please note, DPAC understands that having a child who has special needs limits peoples' time, and that participation in this committee will fluctuate because of this. Your voice is needed, regardless of the amount of time you can offer. Note also that different students have different specific needs and, as such, this committee will likely have smaller working groups under this umbrella.
Neurodiversity, Disability and Diverse Needs
- ADDitude (Inside the ADD Mind) is an online ADD resource magazine that explores all things ADD for adults and kids. They hold several workshops / talks each month. For November, watch for:
- Join this CADDAC Webinar, Disability – Right to Claim, on November 1 at 7:30 EST on Zoom
This webinar focuses on the process of applying for the Disability Tax Credit. Also on the agenda is an exploration of how the CRA measures, and how to be successful in the application process and an overall assessment of medical expenses versus DTC.
- FamilySmart presents the November In the Know Series: It’s Never Too Late: Healing Parent-Child Relational Stress Using Emotion Focused Family Therapy (EFFT). Come together with other families to watch this video presentation and stay for a facilitated discussion by a FamilySmart Parent Peer Support Worker, dates are November 3, 7, 15, 23 or 29. Check website for times.
SOGI
- A new French language SOGI-Inclusive Education French Resource Guide has been launched by the Ministry of Education and Child Care, ARC Foundation, and the K-12 SOGI Collaborative. The French and English Resource Guides are both available on the SOGI123 website and include promising practises for educators to use in schools and classrooms as supports for SOGI-inclusive education.
- The Vancouver Transgender Day of Remembrance ceremony will be an evening of remembering from 5:30 to 8pm on Tuesday, November 20 at 6138 Student Union Boulevard, UBC. Guest speakers, historical documentary footage of TDOR taken by Shelley Provost, a community open mic to remember murdered victims with stories,reading of names, lighting of candles, and flag raising ceremonies. Sexual Assault Support Centre support staff will be present, and a Trans Tea Time’s meeting will follow the event. Light refreshments will be served at 5:30 pm.
- GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) offers information about Trans Day of Remembrance and other resources for Trans People and their loved ones.
- Battered Women's Support Services (BWSS) has a list of resources for Trans People and their loved ones.
- Minister’s, K-12 education partners’ statement on support for SOGI.
Expand your Indigenous Understanding
- Indigenous People celebrate Veteran's Day on Tuesday, November 8. This day was first set aside for ceremonies in Manitoba in 1994, and eventually became recognized across Canada. Previously, Indigenous Veterans and their families endured decades of exclusion, including being denied the right to lay wreaths for their deceased during Remembrance Day ceremonies. In Vancouver, an annual procession takes place down Hastings Street, ending at the Cenotaph at Victory Square.
- The War Museum is hosting a screening and discussion of the film, Homecoming Song, which is the story of the ancient Kwakach’kook song that Angela Sidney sang for her son, Pete, when he returned home to the Yukon six years after leaving to serve in the Second World War. Following the screening, John Moses, Director of Repatriation and Indigenous Relations at the Canadian Museum of History, will share recollections of his own experiences in the Canadian Armed Forces during the Cold War, and the military service of past generations in his family. Register for this event, which will be hosted on Zoom.
- Spirit Aligned Leadership Program was founded to ensure that powerful Indigenous Women Leaders and Elders are supported and nurtured in their work by a sisterhood of leaders.
School Renaming Process
Active Transportation
- The deadline for School Streets and the School Bike Grant is fast approaching!! Apply now to access funds to promote active travel or create a safe street right next to your school. The deadline to apply is Friday, November 4th.
Sustainability
- For Our Kids is a network of parents, guardians, grandparents, and allies, living on unceded Indigenous territories across Canada with a vision of a green, equitable, and just world where children grow up safe and healthy. Find the Vancouver Chapter of For Our Kids here, and check out the Current Actions page for recent actions.
- VSB Sustainability Grants are available for student, teacher, or school-led projects that have a sustainability focus. Grants of up to $500 are available for elementary school projects, up to $1000 is available for secondary school projects. Previously, the 2021-22 Sustainability Grant Program funded 49 projects at schools throughout the District. Here is the summary report of those projects. More information about the VSB's sustainability program is found on their website.
- Prince Georgee-Mackenzie MLA, Mike Morris takes a CBC reporter on a tour of a clear cut the size of a big city, and explains his concerns about forest mismanagement, and how deforestation of this scale is dangerous. Visit a clearcut the size of a city in B.C.'s Interior — CBC News
- Join the Sierra Club BC and scientific illustrator, Dr. Julius Csotonyi, in this free online session where you will learn how to draw black bear families and their forest home. The lesson will share both Western and Indigenous perspectives through conversations with x̱a’nalas (Dakota Smith) and bear biologist Helen Davis. Helen has been working as a biologist and bear researcher for 30 years and has much to share with us. Thursday, November 10 from 1 - 2pm, and is open all ages, including teachers. students, parents and learners. Tools required are paper, pencils, an eraser and pencil crayons.
COVID Information and Resources
- COVID-19: BC reports highest weekly death count in months - North Shore News.
- Emails show Dr. Bonnie Henry knew of concerns over COVID-19 data and school exposures while publicly downplaying them — Burnaby Beacon and Capitol Daily. Here is a brief (30 minutes) discussion with the journalists about the investigation that happened prior to writing this story.
- Masks4EastVan is a group of grassroots organizers who have been providing quality masks for people in East Vancouver who need but can't afford them. Based upon a culture of community care, they redistribute masks, RAT tests and hand sanitizer at events and sometimes to folks' doors.
- As COVID continues to infect kids and adults alike, some people are left with residual illnesses known as Long COVID including PIMS, POTS, ME/CFS, and heart issues, as well as neurological problems and anxiety (brain swelling is sometimes the culprit). COVID is spread through the air but is a vascular disease. Learn more about kids and long COVID or find support at Long Covid Kids. Here is a twitter thread by Internal Medicine Doctor, Neeja Bakshi about treating people who are experiencing long COVID. According to Nature.com, the medical community is a ways off from knowing how to treat Long COVID, despite what some COVID minimizers attached to public health authorities including VCH are saying. Meanwhile, the Washington Post is reflecting a different reality from both the States (Mount Sinai Health Systems) and the UK (study released from the University of Glasgow).
- The Problem With Our Boost-Boost-Boost COVID Strategy — The Atlantic
- Island teachers, parents report high absences, illnesses amid lack of public health data — Capitol Daily
- Vancouver DPAC is hearing anecdotes of individual classrooms incorporating clean-air strategies initiated by parents, but to date a uniform, equitable solution to ensuring that all kids have access to clean air is elusive. Here are the ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) protocols for clean indoor air to combat airborne illnesses and the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions' Sharing of practical information about indoor air quality with community spaces. Both entities provide information to help lessen transmission of COVID and other airborne illnesses.
Opportunities for Youth
- TiE Young Entrepreneurs (TYE) is a global program with over 20 chapters worldwide that foster future generations of entrepreneurs through teaching high school students the rewards and challenges of entrepreneurship. The Academy guides students through mentoring to utilize skills and tools to build a business concept using customer feedback, iteration, and lightweight business models.
Enrolment for Vancouver students in Grades 10 through 12 is now open, until Nov 15th. The program takes place over 13 bi-weekly sessions in which participants learn from experienced entrepreneurs, and compete globally for a cash prize and awards for their entrepreneurial spirit and business idea at an event held in a different city each year. Students from Vancouver have won three such prizes in the past 11 years. The program is fully sponsored, with students paying a nominal $50 commitment fee. Hardship considerations are available.
Kindergarten Registration
- Kindergarten Registration for September 2023 opens today for for children born in 2018. The "priority registration period" is from November 1 to January 31, and a draw in schools without capacity for their neighbourhood population will hold a draw for available spaces, if oversubscribed, in February of 2023. Please let friends, family and community members know they can find more information about registration via the VSB website. If you plan to apply for a space in a kindergarten district choice program, you must still complete this two-step process first and further apply for the choice program through a separate process that runs from January 9 to February 3, 2023. Families who wish to apply for their child to attend a cross boundary school must complete the cross boundary process, which runs from February 1 - 28.
- For families with pre-K students, VSB offers free Strong Start drop-in programs available un various locations. Find a location via this StrongStart Flyer map. A registration package to complete and further instructions can be found on at the website, where you will also find the "Preparing for Kindergarten" flyer translated into several languages.
- Ready, Set, Learn is a VSB program designed to prepare children for entering into Kindergarten. Contact your local neighbourhood school for event dates.
VSB Registration for Choice and Cross Boundary Programs
- You will find information and deadlines for various Cross Boundary and Choice Programs offered in VSB on their website.
- Check out elementary school district choice programs, including Fine Arts, Indigenous Focus, International Baccalaureate (IB), Mandarin and French programs, Montessori. Dates for information sessions, when decided upon, can be found on this site.
- Here is a list of the high school district choice programs, including Mini Schools (information nights happening now), French and Mandarin, International Baccalaureate (IB), Career and Alternative School options. Advanced Placement Exams, for students who are "self-studying" for them where there were once AP classes available, can be found in this list.
- Note that Vancouver Learning Network, Vancouver's online learning program, is also listed as an option for both elementary and high school students. Parents should note that VLN's success rate for students remains extremely low, statistically speaking, and Vancouver DPAC advocates for better funding and upgrades to this option to ensure it is a viable option for students to find success.
Speak Up: How to be a Delegation at VSB and DPAC
- To the VSB
- The Board of Education has been changing the way that people are able to speak to trustees (and stakeholders) in an official, "on the record" capacity. Meetings to hear delegations once happened at committee meetings, where stakeholders were present and could ask questions. However, VSB has been shifting this process and now hears delegations at a "Public Delegation Board Meeting", which takes place once a month (exceptions are December, March and if there are no speakers registered). You can apply by emailing the Office of the Treasurer, following their procedures.
- To a DPAC Executive or General Meeting
Reporting Student Learning: Proficiency Scale
- Surrey vice principal, Tim Cavey, wrote an article, We Are All Developing Learners, to clarify the proficiency scales currently being used in education in BC.
Student Learning Survey
- Student Learning Survey (SLS) results are in and the:public records have been updated with the 2021/2022 SLS data. You will find the information on the Data BC Catalogue.
Preparing for Graduation
- Here are a couple of tools student and their families can use as they prepare for graduation:
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BCCPAC
Events and Deadlines
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VSB
News
Updates from September Committee & Board Meetings
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Ministry of Education
News
News from other Ministries
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Resources
Check out our website website resources page for presentation slide decks, and our Family Resources document for the various ways students and their families can find support during the years they are in schools. Topics include Indigenous Family Support and TRC information, antiracism materials, SOGI resources, further education (including college, university and scholarship links) info, youth mental health resources and community-supported free-of-charge tutoring services.
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Photo credit: Karen Tsang, Trout Lake
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RT @dpac_michael: A Nonprofit is conducting a Walking School Bus pilot project and is looking for three PACs to participate. Please s… https://t.co/BdIO8bWfGX