parent education

Connecting with each other, with education partners and the ability to gain a deeper understanding of topics within public education are key to engaging parents, PACs and DPACs. Thank you for making our 2017 DPAC Summit another resounding success! We appreciate you taking time away from your family, to join us last weekend. Please share the presentations from the 2017 DPAC summit with your PACs and parents.

Our annual Conference is a great opportunity for parents across the province to gather, connect, discuss and network. Thanks to all who attended for making our 2018 event a resounding success! We appreciate you taking time away from your family, to join us. Please feel free to share these breakout presentations from the Conference with your PACs and parents.

Funding Model Review

Early Learning

Gaming Grants

Student Success

Graduation Program

Rick Hansen School Program

Our DPAC Summit is an opportunity for DPAC leaders from across the province to gather, connect, discuss and network. Thanks to all who attended for making our 2018 event a resounding success! We appreciate you taking time away from your family to join us. We strongly encourage you to share the information you learned at the Summit and these presentations with your PACs and parents.

Our DPAC Summit is an opportunity for DPAC leaders from across the province to gather, connect, discuss and network. Thanks to all who attended for making our 2019 event another resounding success! We appreciate you taking time away from your family to join us. We strongly encourage you to share the information you learned at the Summit and these presentations with your PACs and parents.

Personal Education Number (PEN) - Ministry of Ed

Funding Model Review and Inclusive Education - Ministry of Ed

The Partnership Model: Before/After School Care

Framework for Enhanced Student Learning - Ministry of Ed

Getting Parent Input - Immunization and Your Family - Ministry of Health

Membership is So Valuable it Won't Fit in your Hand - BCCPAC

DPAC PAC Issues with Solutions & Resolutions - The Good, the Bad & the Ugly - BCCPAC

PAC & DPAC Issues and Solutions Table Work - BCCPAC

Our annual parent education Conference is a great opportunity for parents across the province to gather, connect, discuss and network. Thanks to all who attended for making our 2019 event a resounding success! We appreciate you taking time away from your family, to join us. Please feel free to share these breakout presentations from the Conference with your PACs and parents.

Dr Shimi Kang Keynote Address - Raising Happy Healthy Kids

Social Emotional Skills thru Childhood

Funding Model Review Update from Ministry

Ministry Presentation re Learning Supports

My Education BC Portal

We also have three sessions recordedon YouTube that you can view/share: 

PAC A to Z (Presentation slides)

Advocacy in Action (Presentation slides)

Treasurer & Gaming Bootcamp (Presentation slides)

We invited our DPAC Executive teams to join us for our annual DPAC Leadership Summit via Zoom on November 20-21, 2020. More so than ever before, your role as DPAC leaders is essential during this school year for your PAC parent community and your ability to represent them as a district stakeholder. Thanks to all who attended representing 43 school districts and for making our 2020 event another resounding success! Thank you for bringing your passion and commitment and shared their thoughts and ideas which enabled rich and respectful dialogue. We appreciate you taking time away from your family to join us. We strongly encourage you to share the information you learned at the Summit and these presentations with your PACs and parents. 

Pre-Summit Documents

• FESL Policy (Friday - Session 2)
• FESL Order (Friday - Session 2)
• Inclusive Education - Handbook Tips (Friday - Session 3)
• Continuing the Conversation Breakout Topics (Friday - Session 3)
• DPAC Survey Summary

Summit Presentations

• Moving Forward: Our Individual and Collective Learning Journeys with Jo Chrona, FNESC
• Policy for Enhanced Student Learning with Shelaina Postings & Cynthia Drummond, Ministry of Education
• Mental Health in Schools, Anti-Racism and the Inclusive Education Handbook with Jennifer McCrea & Patricia Kovacs, Ministry of Education
• BCCPAC Saturday Presentation Deck (with hyperlinks)
• Main Room Chat Notes (many answers were given verbally)

Other Resources & Links

• Reconciliation Canada (Back Pocket Plan)
• Native Land (territorial acknowledgement)
• First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC)
• Land Acknowledgement Protocol
• Common Myths ebook
• Personal Pledge of Reconciliation
• Tips ebook
• Guide to Terminology ebook
• BCCPAC Advocacy presentation and video recording
• BCCPAC PAC A to Z presentation and video recording
• BCCPAC Treasurer Bootcamp presentation and video recording

We invited our DPAC Executive teams to join us for our annual DPAC Leadership Summit via Zoom on November 19-20, 2021. Thanks to all who attended Friday afternoon and all day Saturday and for making our 2021 event another resounding success! Thank you for bringing your passion and commitment and shared their thoughts and ideas which enabled rich and respectful dialogue. We appreciate you taking time away from your family to join us. We strongly encourage you to share the information you learned at the Summit and these presentations with your PACs and parents. 

Recording of Friday Sessions

Summit Presentations

RCYBC Session: Dr Jennifer Charlesworth, Representative for Children and Youth

Creating Belonging: Helping Children with Support Needs Thrive

MNBC Session: Lauren Petersen, K-12 Education Manager, Métis Nation British Columbia

Kaykwy wii ooshihtaayen dimayn? Métis culture, history, and perspectives on community Reconciliation

FNESC Session: Mary Mollineaux, K-12 Policy Manager, First Nations Education Steering Committee

The Role of Parent Advisory Councils and Parents in Advancing Truth and Reconciliation

MoE Session: Patricia Kovacs, Executive Director, Ministry of Education

Inclusive Education Information Handbook for Parents, Guardians and Caregivers

Additional Resources

Directions: BC Antiracism Research Final Report (2016)

PACs and DPACs are reminded to apply online for Gaming Grants between April 1 - June 30, 2021 to receive Gaming Grant funding in Fall 2021 for the new school year. PACs and DPACs must apply annually to receive funding each year.

Similarly DPACs and PACs must report on the spending within 90 days of their own fiscal year end. All reports and applications are done online. See all details on the CGG website.

Community Gaming Grants revised and updated the 2021 PAC & DPAC Guidelines & Conditions. One of the biggest changes is that PACs can now use their Gaming funds to pay for their BCCPAC membership. DPACs are reminded that they can only use their Gaming funds to pay for their own individual DPAC membership with BCCPAC.

We partnered with Gaming branch staff to host a live 90 minute session to share the information including a Q&A session. IF you missed the session Thursday April 8 don't worry - its posted below on this page so you can listen to it all. It ran over 30 minutes as there were so many questions to be asked and answered! The presentation covers a program overview, revisions to the DPAC/PAC Guidelines and the Capital Project grant, advice and examples of eligible uses of PAC funding and commonly asked questions. 

Need Help? We strongly encourage you and your whole PAC/DPAC Executive team review these resources, especially the CGG presentation from April 8. It's hugely helpful.

BCCPAC Presentation Deck from April 8

Gaming Branch Presentation Deck from April 8

Recorded Presentation with Live Q&A from April 8 (runs 2hrs)(Q&A begins at 1:13 mark)

Q&A Document from Presentation

Read the Gaming Grants FAQ

Review the Gaming Grants Tutorials

FYI re Gaming Licenses (raffles etc)

All revenues from any gaming license must go into your gaming account. Section 3 on the Gaming Account Summary Report is where this would be reported. Licensing is entirely separate from Community Gaming Grants, however.

Member Feedback on Uses of CGG funding 2020-21

During December 2020, BCCPAC reached out to members for feedback about how they were spending their Gaming funds in the current pandemic influenced environment. The key themes of the member feedback is noted below and was shared by BCCPAC with CGG as a data point for development of the revised 2021 Guidelines. 

We are sharing the themes here as it may be beneficial to members to see what others are doing - lots of creative ideas!

• Allow PACS to use gaming to cover costs of BCCPAC membership, parent education, childcare for meetings, costs of running a PAC -photocopying etc.
• Our school cohorts are color coded with designated areas for play during lunch and recess. We have just purchased color coded outdoor equipment for each cohort. There won’t be any confusion on who’s is who’s. They will have more choices for play since not everyone is on the playground at the same time.
• Perhaps not quite in line with the purpose of the input, but apparently there is an appetite at both the MoE and Gaming (it would require the participation of both) to add/amend language that would offer brand new PACs an opportunity to not have to suffer the 1 year 'penalty' of waiting to apply for gaming funds. PACs are established by school Boards (they must be upon application under the School Act) and whereas other groups may have to establish some sense of history and/or longevity or the ability to maintain, PACs are by nature and legislation, 'permanent' and already 'established'. Gaming and the MoE would have to work together to make those revisions happen. I had started this conversation with them both some months ago, and then like many other things fell by the wayside.
• So far we have purchased grade 6 hoodies for their grad year, school wide gingerbread houses and supplies for a competition and a school treat at Xmas.
• We are having a mural painted in recognition of last years grade 7 class to beautify one of our school walls.
• We are looking at possible virtual STEAM learning activities or even some school yard enhancements...nothing yet.
• We are purchasing a gaga ball pit as our intermediate students(4/5) are only allowed on the field and where the basket ball hoops are so they have nothing to do.
• We are purchasing a GagaBall pit at one school and a walking track at the other. Trying to spruce up outdoor spaces that will help during and after the pandemic.
• We are purchasing concrete tables for outside at the middle school. Enough for a whole class.
• We are purchasing inclusive playground equipment to upgrade one of our playgrounds so it is inclusive to children with various disabilities. We decided on this before the pandemic and will use next years funds to complete.
• We are using funds to enhance our outdoor space use (concrete tables, recess play equipment).
• We are using some for a local Indigenous artist to come to the school and work with the children for artwork that will greet all visitors to the school.
• We brought small pumpkins to the children (no field trips to the patch). Big hit, so now we are getting small lemon cypress trees. We also used grant fund for bringing a speaker (on zoom) for workshop for the children and our librarian is looking into author visit (online). Will also use the fund for adding graphic novels/comics. magazines orders (among other books) to the library as these are popular among students and pricey.
• We have not utilized our gaming funds beyond bursaries and agendas this year however this thread has been extremely helpful and will be referenced at our meeting this week. Thank you
• We ordered all students and staff a school t-shirt.
• We purchased some new sports jerseys at the end of last school season but won’t be seeing them used for a while yet. Put some money towards a bin of sports equipment for each class to use during recess. We usually use it for transportation for field trips but that is not required this year. We do find the rules for spending the money restrictive
• We updated our first aid/emergency supplies
• We usually budget most of our gaming funds for busses on field trips. This year we moved some of the things we normally pay out of general funds to gaming; presentations (virtual this year) being the main one.
• Amounts are allocated for club supplies and equipment, tournaments and competitions, athletic equipment, workshops, awards, prizes, scholarships, food. We're still fundraising (via Purdys) mainly for our annual staff appreciation lunch.  At last count, we have 140 staff and with COVID restrictions, our previous home-cooked meals (ie last year's Butter Chicken lunch cooked by a few PAC Execs) most likely will be replaced by individual meals which will cost a lot more. Currently we're saving on the coffee/tea & treats offered at each meeting and the occasional desserts/appetizers mini buffet offered at special events (first/last meetings and the occasional holiday themed meetings).
• And I am a bit concerned now about the budgeting decision we made at the outset, which was largely mirrored on past years' practices.  We have planned to spend $2,500 on an all-school field trip (or else in-school cohort fun days, if the typical end of year off-site fun day isn't possible).  We have planned a further $2,000 for classroom / cohort field trips, and $500 for some kind of grade 5 grad celebration.  So far, for the classroom / cohort field trips envelope, one of the presentations where the nature society was going to come to the school was cancelled and no more are being scheduled right now.  We have a fairly unique and specific challenge at our school in that it has a very tiny footprint of land that actually belongs to the school district.  Our playground is on school property.  We badly need a new bike lock up, and a scooter lock up, but there's virtually nowhere to make permanent or semi-permanent installations like that on our own property.  Trying to work with the city to get amenities for the school community / community centre is fairly painful and slow, and it seems we can't pay for things that would be on city property.  Our swings were taken down three months ago due to a safety concern with the supporting structure and still haven't been fixed.  So some of the things a PAC might be able to just do using gaming grant money or our own fundraising amounts seem to be a bit more limited at our school.
• "In terms of this school year, we have voted on spending our gaming money on the following projects / activities: In terms of this school year, we have voted on spending our gaming money on the following projects / activities:
  • Athletics (registrations & equipment, etc)
  • Seaquaria Aquarium (kept in our science department & enjoyed by all students who (for some) stop by daily to check out the tank)
  • Earthquake supplies (food & water replenishment as it will expire at the end of this school year)
  • Performing Arts department awards & engraving of annual as well as new awards
  • Forgotten Lunch program (lunches & snacks provided to students who didn't bring anything for the day)
  • Breakfast Club program (breakfast supplied to students 2 days a week, delivered in a covid-friendly manner)
  • Student Book Club
  • Poetry / writing workshops
  • Waterloo Math Contests"
• This year has been challenging as to how we are able to spend it. We often spend gaming on educational presentations for students, Field trips for students, teachers clubs etc. Due to COVID these are not possible. We are looking at options for virtual presentations. Each year we put aside funds for playground improvements or purchases and hope to do the same this year. In January we hope to start a virtual coding club where we can help purchase whatever technology is required. Grade 7’s have faced the same challenges we’ve had raising funds so if needed we hope to assist them in their goal to make this graduating year a great one We also have a school name change and logo and will require new sports jerseys and if allowable will help the school pay for those. We also plan to help beautify the school with educational and inspirational sayings. We also use funds for our helping hands program for those kids that come to school with no meals or snacks. We’ll be sure that whatever we decide for this crazy year falls within the gaming grant eligible items.
• This is what we have decided to spend our funding on (student clubs, student athletic teams and supplies, guest speakers, outdoor education).  Every year we host a gaming presentation evening where staff can present requests for funding, this year we had them present via email and we followed up with questions to the staff as well as asked for clarification form gaming to make sure that the expense we weren't positive on were in fact eligible.

Ministry of Education

Aboriginal Education Enhancements Branch

2003

Aboriginal Education within British Columbia has undergone policy, legislative, and conceptual changes over the last several decades. Aboriginal communities are exercising increasing influence over the formal education of their children.1 Aboriginal Education Enhancement Agreements, also referred to as Enhancement Agreements (EAs), provide a framework to ensure that the needs of Aboriginal communities are reflected within schools. The EA process involves communication and the building of collaborative relationships. This process improves shared decision-making practices, and benefits all Aboriginal children by providing highly relevant education, focussed on their needs.   This resource guide is intended for use by school districts and Aboriginal communities that are interested in establishing a formal agreement to improve educational experiences for Aboriginal students attending public schools. The guide includes a framework for successful collaboration and outlines steps and best practices for implementation of EAs in British Columbia school districts.

Easy Separation Dealing with the first days of school The video was produced by the UBC Anxiety Research Project and AnxietyBC.  We developed it to help parents with easy separation during the transition to kindergarten

SOGI Inclusive Education Report

SOGI FAQ for Parents with Resolutions and References

List of SOGI Resources

On October 17, 2018, cannabis will become legal. Teen Mental Health has created resources you can use to help educate yourself and youth. The adolescent years are crucial for brain growth and development and cannabis use can affect how our brains develop. This means it is critical to provide information on the potential side effects and help answer any questions. 

These evidence-based resources were developed by Dr. Stan Kutcher in partnership with Dr. Selene Etches (IWK Health Centre), Dr. Phil Tibbo (Nova Scotia Health Authority/Dalhousie University) and Dr. Rob Milin (University of Ottawa). Feel free to use and distribute these resources with whomever you feel will benefit.

For Students

For Parents/Guardians

Learn all you need to know about the revised curriculum K-12 including: core competencies, provincial assessments, graduation program, parent's guide and more. Since November 2019, Gr 10 students are required to complete the new Gr 10 Graduation Literacy Assessment and Numeracy Assessments and the Gr 12 Literacy Assessments as requirements for graduation.

Graduation Information on Ministry website 

Graduation Program Policy Guide

Graduation Program Implementation Guide

Gr 11-12 Curriculum Changes

This document is a conceptual framework. Its purpose is to:

• assist the school system in  meeting its obligations under the Constitution Act, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the  BC Human Rights Code, the  Multiculturalism Act, the  Official Languages Act, the  Employment Equity Act, and the  School Act; and
• assist the  school system in  its ongoing efforts to create and maintain learning and working environments that are responsive to the  diverse social  and cultural needs of the  communities it serves.

This framework document describes key concepts, references guiding legislation and includes important implications for policies, strategies and initiatives in the school system related to:

• honouring diversity and promoting human rights
• preventing discrimination, harassment and violence
• responding to incidents of discrimination, harassment or violence when they occur

It is designed to assist in:

• reviewing existing policies and practices to ensure they are consistent with legislation
• enhancing existing policies and practices to ensure that they address diversity
• developing or implementing new  policies and practices to directly address the  diverse needs of the  people served by the  school system