Highlands Parent Advisory Council (HPAC)
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Annual General Meeting (AGM)
Introductions
Molly O'Callaghan (HPAC President)
Approval of Minutes from AGM June 2, 2010
HPAC Executive Reports for 2010-2011
Special Resolution to amend the Bylaws
Election of HPAC Executive for 2011-2012
Many thanks to John Whyte for conducting our elections again!
President's Report May 2011
It's been another eventful year on the HPAC exec. Budgets & meetings, events &
fundraising, volunteering & emails, votes & guest speakers, and...did I mention
meetings? Thank you to the parents who attended the nine HPAC meetings this year –
we appreciate your attentiveness and respect your opinions. To those of you who were
not able to attend the meetings, thank you for reading every word of the HPAC emails.
;)
I wanted to say a brief thank you to a number of our parents – many of whom worked
behind the scenes! Thank you and a *high five* to...
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Karen M, Richard B, and Kathy B. for their work on this year's School Planning
Council (SPC).
Sherry G. & Cindy D. for leading the successful bid for the 4-Way Stop at
Ridgewood/Highlands!
Betty P. & Lisa V. for spearheading another successful Food Days program.
Kate J. for driving the Food Days recycling initiative – a 0% waste goal is no easy
feat!
Carrie B, Dani Mc, & Kate J. for their continued efforts heading up the Green
Team.
Jennie H. for leading the class rep program.
the many parents who coordinated events this year – you know who you are; I
know who you are!
In addition to the annual events & committees, the exec also took on four initiatives this
year, including:
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starting a discussion about changing the volunteer structure at Highlands. There
seems to be a disconnect between the # of volunteers required to run an event,
and the # of volunteers.
splitting the HPAC bank account into two - one for operating expenses & one for
capital expenses.
amending and adding to the existing HPAC Executive structure by way of a
Special Resolution,
holding a vote to spend up to $40,000 of HPAC funds - over 140 parents voted
online (using Surveymonkey), and the winning proposal was to purchase 10 new
SMARTboards for the school.
To those parents who provided the HPAC executive with feedback over the last two
years, I want to personally thank you for taking the time and effort to communicate with
us directly and respectfully.
Every parent volunteers with the best of intentions. A collaborative and supportive
parent community is what makes a good school great. Our great school even better!
My final mention goes out to the 2010/2011 HPAC executive. Dianne, Carol, Nina,
Richard, Lindsay, Meredith, Joanna, and Cynthia...I appreciate all that you have done
this year. It's been a pleasure working with you.
Onward and upward!
Respectfully submitted by
Molly O'Callaghan, HPAC President
PAC Vice President Report 2011
September 22
*spoke to all the grade 7's to get volunteers for PAC meeting sitters *New parents welcome tea/
coffee.: offered ceramic cups with tea/ coffee, baked items 35 cups used *class reps meeting/
PAC executive-attendance: 40 parents first PAC meeting **tea/ coffee, left over cupcakes offered,
babysitting offered for all meetings (4 sitters)
October 20
*budget meeting... 20 parents present
*4 sitters worked well
November
*speaker meeting... Solos spoke to us about "Parenting in a Cyber-age"
It was very informative and plenty of time for questions. Got many great comments. Approximate
40 parents present *4 sitters *parents helped after the meeting to wash cups
February
*speaker meeting... Ted Kuntz spoke to us "Peace With Life"
It was very informative on cognitive- behavioral tools for reducing stress and looking at life more
positively. Got so much great feedback! We allowed him to sell his book after the talk, and
continued to a Pac meeting. Approximate 45 parents present. More than half left after the talk.
March
*3 sitters were enough. Approximate 12 parents present
April
*3 sitters. Presentations of the teacher's wish lists brought 20 parents to the meeting.
May
Final meeting on the Exec., voting in new members
*3 sitters
This report only lists a report from the Vice President's official duties. I really felt that serving on
the Pac Executive was much more than sticking to specific duties, rather for me it was about
diving in and being present around the school at most functions. I am grateful for the opportunity
to have been a part of the Pac Executive.
Thanks for trusting me to be the Vice President for 2 years.
Dianne Speranza
HPAC 2010-2011 Fundraising Report
This was our first year running events in the new school, without construction
hindering us in any area, and we have used the benefits of a new building and
sprawling field to enhance our fundraising events!
We continued to run all of our popular community building & fundraising events
as we have in the past, in part due to the results of last years survey which
suggested families liked all the activities but were open to some change.
We are proud to say that we have again, raised more than the previous year and
exceeded the budgeted amount resulting in a successful another fundraising
year!
Over the past two years of my term, we have tried to be proactive in our
approach to raising funds by adopting the philosophy of asking our parents to
“work smarter not harder”. It has again been challenging to tap into volunteers for
all our events, which is why we continued the Parent Social, a one night event
raising $12 000 with a relatively small volunteer requirement. This was also part
of the reason for changing up our Pumpkin event to utilize our new field and keep
our overhead low by using resources for a drive-in supplied by a parent in the
school. We fought hard to change the volunteer structure to make it easier to tap
into a collective group of volunteers for each event however, it was not
successful this year.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported our fundraising events
throughout the year both by donation and time. There is no doubt that if this
school is looking for anything to enhance our children’s educational experience,
our community will come together to make it happen! Highlands is the great
school it is because of the caring parent community supporting our children.
Lindsay Lal
WELCOME BACK BBQ & CAKE WALK $1502
This event just gets better each year! Carrie Riley & Janet Renshaw, continued
the traditional BBQ & Cakewalk format. M&M Meatshops again provided hotdogs
& hamburgers while chips & drinks were purchased from Costco. The food line is
always long when 400 people come at pretty much the same time but our Dad’s
in the BBQ team were able to entertain & get everyone through quite efficiently!
The cakewalk produced 100 outstanding prizes to take home! There were so
many this year that as the sun was going down it was decided to start having
multiple winners per round! Using the front portion of the building worked well as
it was a nice night and it was easier to maintain crowd control vs having the
cakewalk on the field or in the gym. Additional signage and a sound system for
the music and microphone added to the success this year!
PARENT SOCIAL $11 874
The 2nd Annual Parent Social and Auction was moved to February this year, as
our fall events seem to run heavy, and this worked well. We raised $4000 over
last year by increasing the auction portion of the event, making this the second
largest fundraiser of the year! There is no reason why this could not exceed that
in years to come as the parent community embraces this type of fundraising. This
could easily be our number one fundraiser of the year occurring in a single night
event!
Hosted at Mosquito Creek again, this was a good choice as it’s central and they
are well rehearsed at these types of events. If the auction continues to expand it
may be worth looking into another venue though as it can be quite tight with the
amount of space they allot.
Donations were easily acquired through our class reps and community. We
added the popular ceramic painting pieces which was embraced by our teachers
and parent helpers adding a nice contribution to the night from the kids, which is
what the night is all about!
Chris & Nikki Brown have stepped up to head this event next year and it would
be great to see us reach the $15 000 mark!
GINGERBREAD HOUSES $1427
Lead by Caroline Hanson & Carmen Farrell for the 2nd year this event was again
a success! Again in our attempt to “work smarter, not harder”, they sourced out
someone who could cut the houses out of a recyclable plastic product. This cut
the amount of time required to collect cardboard and cut out houses significantly
thus reducing the amount of stress at this already busy time of year.
It was noted that there was a significant increase in the cost of candy, but
expenses settled and this event was still able to exceed our budgeted figure.
Green team has offered suggestions on how to make this a zero waste event
such as having the kids decorate gingerbread cookies or changing the structure
in some other ways.
FOOD DAYS
The food day program continued to be our biggest fundraiser of the year. Thank
you Betty Parrett for taking the torch and running with this event! Online ordering
continues to be a productive way to keep things organized and our food days this
year added a sandwich option to our repertoire of pizza, pasta, McDonalds, & hot
dog. Corporate partners again included Dairyland, Saputo Food, McDonalds,
Booster Juice, Verdiccio’s & Djj’s pizza.
The Green Team is working hard with Betty and corporate partners to reduce the
amount of waste from these events and have made some hugely successful
efforts this year. Kate Jadue no longer has to collect and recycle containers out
of her garage and we have the kids used to bringing in their own cutlery.
Congratulations!
FAMILY PHOTO $1660
This was Kathleen Whyte’s last year organizing this for us. She has dedicated
many hours to this cause over the past 5 years and we thank her for her
outstanding service! MJM came again and again it proved popular, filling up
quickly! Proceeds exceeded last years funds raised by $400 partially due to
increased sitting fees but also due to the demand. As of yet we do not have a
coordinator for next year.
PUMPKIN DRIVE-IN $3646
For the first time in 10 years we needed a new team to head this popular fall
event as the Tucker Family passed the torch. Lindsay Lal & Richard Berg took it
on and brought there own new twist to it by taking advantage of the huge field
and Richards expertise. They added a Drive-In portion while still keeping some of
the popular fairway style games and adding a pizza/popcorn concession. In spite
of the unruly weather and some uncertainty about the new event changes, those
who attended had a great time!
This event comes up very quickly in the year and requires a large amount of
parent volunteers. We cut the 80 plus requirement in half proving to work a bit
“smarter” however, it was still a push to fill the spots. These events always have
a large overhead so we lessoned that and came our double our budgeted
amount of $1500.
Whatever style this event takes shape as in years to come, it would be great to
have the process start much earlier than September as it is a major event that
requires a fair amount of time to plan or change. Some other thoughts for future
years consideration were to have a farmer’s market or hoe down however these
things need to be arranged & booked much before the end of the previous school
year.
SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR $1411
Lisa Torreggiani and Allison Adshade ran another successful book fair settling
into our new location in the hallway this year with more ease. They have already
exceeded numbers for the 1st one and will have the spring fair in June again. The
Green team also did a successful book drive and sale encouraging our kids to
recycle for a good cause. Thank you Dani McDonald, Carrie Berg & Kate Jadue.
ICE CREAM TALENT SHOW
This is the first year to charge a $2 admission, which will go strictly toward
covering the cost of a stage, lighting & equipment. Carol Patrickson will again
organize the popular ice cream portion of this event taking place on May 26 th.
HPAC - School Planning Council Representative
Year End Report
May 12, 2011
2011/2012 School Plan
The Highlands School Planning Council (SPC), consisting of three parents and
two administrators, met periodically throughout the winter and spring to
develop the 2011/2012 school plan. The SPC presented the plan to parents at
the April HPAC meeting.
The goals set out in the Highlands Annual School Plan for the 2011-2012
school year are:
1.
To improve the reading proficiency of identified primary students
2.
To improve the mathematical proficiency of students in Grades 1 - 7
3.
To improve the level of responsibility and independence
demonstrated by students in Grades K - 7
The 2011/2012 Highlands Annual School Plan (draft) has been submitted to the
District for approval and will be available to view online on the school website at the
end of the year.
Submitted by Richard Berg
SPC Representative
DPAC Representative Report
May 12, 2011
The DPAC now has only 4 general meetings and 3 workshops during the school year.
Unfortunately, 2 workshops were cancelled this year due to low enrollment.
It was discovered that the DPAC C&B had not been filed correctly and the previous
C&B was outdated. A committee was formed to review and make changes to the
C&B. On May 12, 2011, DPAC representatives voted on the Special Resolution. The
vote was unanimous and the new C&B will come into effect in September 2011.
Early this year the DPAC held a workshop on Constitution and Bylaws. DPAC
encouraged all PACs to review their Constitutions and Bylaws.
This years gaming grant was 25% higher than expected, an additional $625.00 was
received.
North Vancouver PAC continues to offer three types of grants:
1. $200.00 Family of Schools Grants
2. Ten, $150.00 Speaker Grants
3. Twenty, $50.00 Food Safe Grants
I have included minutes from the BCCPAC spring conference. Note, the acceptance
of the BCCPAC C&B was defeated.
BCCPAC - Annual General Meeting April 30th, 2011
BCCPAC is pleased to report that elections were held for the 2011/2012 Board
The following were elected to the BCCPAC Board of Directors:
First Vice-President (2 years) Second Vice-President (1 year) Treasurer (2 years) Director (2 years)
Director (1 year)
Director (2 years)
Hollie Tarasewich Jennifer King Susan Wilson John Puddifoot Cathy Jewett Terry Berting
School School School School School School
District # 68, Nanaimo-Ladysmith District # 68, Nanaimo-Ladysmith District # 08, Kootenay Lake
District # 39, Vancouver
District # 48, Sea to Sky District # 41, Burnaby
______________________________________________________________________________
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The Annual General Meeting of members of BCCPAC was held at the Hilton Vancouver Airport,
in
Richmond BC, April 30th chaired by Ann Whiteaker, President of the Board of Directors.
Membership accepted the 2010 financial statements and a budget for 2011, as circulated and
presented.
The following Awards were announced:
George Matthews Award for Excellence in Parent Leadership Brenda Stupich, SD68, NanaimoLadysmith
Bev Hosker Motivational Award for a Newly Involved Parent Leader Linda Bontron, SD60, Peace
River North
BCCPAC Educational Award to Mariah Williamson, SD73, South Kamloops Secondary
Life Membership awarded to Catherine Abraham
The unofficial Annual General Meeting voting results are:
1
Special Resolution re: BCCPAC Constitution
Note - required 75% in favour to pass
CARRIED
Count – 205 in favor (76.8%) 62 opposed (28.2%)
2
Special Resolution re: BCCPAC Bylaws
Note – required 75% in favour to pass
DEFEATED
Final Count – 194 in favor (73.5%) 70 opposed (26.5%)
3
Wi-Fi in classrooms
REFER TO SAFETY COMMITTEE
4
Teaching Reading
CARRIED AS AMENDED5
Special Education Training as Part of Teacher Certification
CARRIED
6
Develop an Early Care and Learning Strategy
CARRIED
7
Lower Full Day Kindergarten Class Size Limits
TABLED INDEFINITELY
8
Lunch period routine
CARRIED AS AMENDED
9
Adequate Funding and Staffing for School Library Programs
CARRIED
10
Updating Financial Reporting Policies
CARRIED
11
Updating Audit Committee Policies
CARRIED
12
DPAC Funding
CARRIED AS AMENDED
The membership and Board also said good-bye and thank you to the following board members
for their time and dedication to our organization:
Director Steve Baker of Vancouver, Director Deborah Garrity of Burnaby, Secretary Dana Arthurs
of Cowichan Bay
We wish them well and every success in their future endeavours. Meeting adjourned at 6:10
PM.
The 2011/2012 BCCPAC Board of Directors are: President, Ann Whiteaker First Vice-President,
Hollie Tarasewich Second Vice-President, Jennifer King
Treasurer, Susan Wilson Director Liz Therres Director John Puddifoot Director Cathy Jewett
Director Terry Berting
School District 61, Victoria School District 68, Nanaimo-Ladysmith School District 68, NanaimoLadysmith School District 08, Kootenay Lake School District 23, Central Okanagan School District
41, Vancouver School District 48, Sea to Sky School District 41, Burnaby
The official minutes from the AGM are expected to be available at the beginning of August 2011
on the BCCPAC website www.bccpac.bc.ca
Joanna Woronchak
DPAC Rep. 2010/2011