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KitsPAC
Meeting Tuesday January 22, 7:15pm at the Library
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The next
PAC meeting will be on Tuesday January 22 at 7:15 in the library. Here is the
agenda:
7:15 - 7:30pm: Coffee and refreshments. Come meet other parents. The
new DialADeEmon will be available for purchase ($1).
7:30pm: PAC Meeting starts
Vote:
- Nomination of James Burton for position of KitsPAC Chair
- Nomination of Jacqueline Stoeckler as DPAC representative
- Motion for additional funding to purchase LCD projector for Socials
Department
- Motion to support a full time Athletics position at VSB (see specific
article below)
Teachers Report
Principal's Report
The School Renewal Committee will report on activities, goals and
issues arising in the VSB proces to upgrade the school's building.
If you would like to suggest a topic or raise an issue for dicussion at
the meeting, please email us at kitspac@hotmail.com
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Athletics
position with VSB
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At the next PAC meeting on Tuesday January 22, we will
vote on a motion in support of a full time Athletics position with VSB. We
would like to encourage parents to also sign a letter of support for this
position and send it to VSB.
Below you will find a form letter you can use.
The Trustees of the Vancouver School Board
1580 West Broadway
Vancouver, B.C.
V6J 5K8
Dear Trustees:
Re: The Need for a Full-Time District Athletic Coordinator and Assistant
At the upcoming budget meetings for the 2008/09 school year, the Vancouver
Secondary and Elementary Schools Athletic Associations' (VSSAA and VEPAA)
will be making a submission for funding for a District Students Athletic
Coordinator (in addition to maintaining existing funding for the current
"Assistant"). They will also be requesting a budget for development
work to significantly increase participation opportunities for Vancouver
students. The total requested will be approximately $115,000. I am writing
this on behalf of my school's PAC. Our PAC supports the VSSAA and VEPAA
application.
We appreciate you will be receiving many submissions for funding for many
different worthy programs. It is our submission, however, that funding for
the creation of a full-time Athletics Coordinator position, supported by an
Assistant is especially critical and deserving of funding. A huge percentage
of students will benefit: existing programs and participation opportunities
can be maintained (that is not a given with the current funding level), and a
great number of new participation opportunities can be created. Critically,
both the provincial and federal governments are making strong statements
these days about the importance of physical activity for youth - school
competitive and fun sports can provide the moderate to vigorous activity
necessary. Critically also, participation in school sports has been shown to
decrease the chances of students adopting unhealthy lifestyles. Specifically,
it is well documented that sports and physical recreation opportunities are a
very important way for children to make friends, to feel better about
themselves, and to start developing valuable life skills.
Currently, to coordinate, maintain and provide administrative support for all
high school and elementary sports teams and leagues the VSB has only one
position. It is described as an "assistant" position (the position
that it originally "assisted" was eliminated in 1990) and is funded
for just 35 hours a week. The current level of participation, however, (at
just the high school level more than 8,000 students participate on almost 700
teams) only exists because the current "assistant" regularly works
in excess of 50 hours a week and does all the coordinating work. That is not
sustainable. The creation of a full-time coordinator position, with an
assistant, is necessary to simply maintain the level of participation
achieved thus far. It (plus a small development budget) is also vital if
there is to be a significant increase in school sport participation
opportunities (for example, through more sport teams (including development
teams), expanded and formalized intra-mural programs, and greater
administrative support and training for volunteer coaches).
In summary: The VSSAA and VEPAA are asking for funding of approximately
$100,000 from your discretionary budget which I understand is in the region
of $10 million. Please make this investment in our children. The monetary
amount is relatively small against the potential for immediate and huge
returns. There will also be a lifetime legacy of activity, health and social
and life skills.
Thank you very much for your consideration. Your support and funding will be
greatly appreciated.
Yours truly,
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Healthy
Foods Legislation
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The regulations
for food and beverage sales in schools will come into effect January 2008 for
elementary schools and September 2008 for middle and secondary schools.
The Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales in BC Schools are a set of minimum
standards that school districts are required to implement in their respective
schools, as part of the government's directive to remove junk food from
school food sales; however, unlike the Tobacco Control Act, the Guidelines
are not legislation and therefore don't involve regulations and enforcement
per se. Each school district will be overseeing the integration of the
Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales for their respective schools, and is
required to report back to the Ministry through their Achievement Contracts. Questions
and concerns about implementation of the Guidelines within a particular
school district should be directed to the district office.
The Guidelines only apply to food and beverage items that are
"sold" to students. They do not apply to food that students bring
from home.
Schools can share information about healthy lunches/snacks with students and
parents, but teachers should not be removing food items from student lunch
boxes on the basis that they do not meet the Guideline requirements.
The Guidelines apply to any food or beverages sold to students as well as
non-students within the school grounds and at school-organized events off the
school grounds (e.g., track meets), regardless of the organizing group.
The new regulations can be found at: www.bced.gov.bc.ca/health/guidelines_sales07.pdf
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New email
addresses added
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We have
added a number of email addresses to the email list of the KitsPAC enews.
While we hope you welcome the opportunity to receive information about the
school and the parents activities, we understand some people may not want to
receive these emails. If you would like to be removed form this list.,
please contact us at kitspac@hotmail.com
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