Mitchell Elementary School Parent Advisory Council Meeting Minutes
General Meeting ~ Tuesday, February 17, 2015
This meeting was called to order by Hajira Hussain (Chair) at 6:12pm at the Mitchell Elementary Multi-purpose room.
In Attendance:
Jason Higo (Principal), Christine Marin (Vice Principal), Hajira Hussain (Chair), Maria Hui
(Vice Chair), Colleen Cheung (Secretary), Rahim Othman, Noriko Miida, Yaping Lu
Absent With Regrets:
Helen Sangara, Vicky Naidu, Pam Begg, Diana Vasquez
Motion:
Approval of November 18, 2014 Meeting Minutes – moved by Colleen, seconded by
Maria, carried
Motion:
Approval of January 21, 2015 Meeting Minutes – moved by Colleen, seconded by Maria,
carried
1. PAC Report (Hajira)
a.
b.
Committee participation & assistance is greatly needed by all committees for upcoming projects.
Free workshops being held by the Richmond District Parents Association (RDPA).
i.
February 23, 2015 from 7:00pm-8:30pm at MacNeill Secondary School. Theme: Transforming
Learning For Our Children. Learn what is changing in BC’s schools to ensure that our children
st
develop the competencies needed to be successful in the 21 Century. No registration necessary.
ii.
April 14, 2015 at 7:00pm at McNair Secondary School. “Learning and Living WholeheARTedly!” is a
special presentation on the value of the Arts followed by discussions on ways to involve your families in
arts-based activities and learning, and the various career paths available in the arts. Please RSVP by
March 14, 2015 to Kevin Lainchbury (604) 220-1782 or [email protected]
2. Treasurer’s (Hajira for Helen)
a.
Please see attached budgets.
Discussion:
i.
ii.
iii.
Reminder to teachers to submit their receipts for classroom consumables and for field trip costs.
Fun & Fitness Sessions – Following up with Diana Vasquez & Val Azevedo.
Need to reallocate the $500.00 that was assigned for a Spring fair.
3. Committee Reports
a.
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
HOT LUNCH (Maria)
Spaghetti Day: February 5, 2015. 162 hot lunches were served. Donation of all spaghetti lunches by
Bryan & Lory Riego (parents of Mitchell student) of O Taho! take-out restaurant & catering. Total profit of
$641.35.
Next Hot Lunches: Thursday, February 26, 2015 and Thursday, March 12, 2015 will both be Pizza Days.
Parent volunteers will meet at the multipurpose room at 11:50am with set up in the gym at 12:00pm and
serving kindergarten classes at 12:10pm.
Popcorn Day: One more batch of popcorn kernels remaining. Last Popcorn Day will be April or later.
Popcorn machine available for school & PAC functions.
Tim Hortons for Sports Day: Unfortunately, the Community Cruiser program was terminated two weeks
ago. Thank you to Benita Lawrence for researching this and for continuing to liaise with Tim Horton’s
Bridgeport for future PAC event support.
b.
i.
ii.
GENERAL FUNDRAISING no report
Kidsworld Discussion: To be confirmed.
QSP Discussion: Parent inquiries received regarding payment cheques still uncashed and start of arrival of
magazines. Investigating QSP’s record of Mitchell’s magazine orders. More information to follow and
affected families will be contacted.
c.
PLAYGROUND FUNDRAISING (Colleen for Vicky)
Spring Dance-a-thon Fundraiser: Proposed April 2015 date for this family friendly after school event.
Students can dance to their Defy Gravity hip hop lesson class song and other popular dance music. Pledge
a student to dance either by the minute or with a maximum donation amount. All proceeds will go towards a
new playground for Mitchell. More information to follow.
d.
RICHMOND DISTRICT PARENTS ASSOCIATION (RDPA) no report
i.
e.
i.
CANADIAN PARENTS FOR FRENCH (CPF) (Colleen)
CPF French Movie Night: Tuesday, March 10, 2015 at Dixon Elementary (9331 Diamond Road). Time &
movie selection to be confirmed.
4. Old Business
a.
b.
Tables: School District Purchasing Department buys commercial grade tables from Costco. 8 tables
ordered at a cost of $49.00 + tax each. Lighter weight, slightly shorter and slightly less wide than existing
tables. Tables will be used for hot lunch days and for future PAC events.
Movie Licence: The ACF movie license was budgeted at 50 cents per student but will cost more. The least
expensive option is a 12 month license for $350.00 plus tax and includes one pre-release movie. Colleen
will look into the details and maybe conduct a survey to find out if parents would be willing to pay an entry
fee for the movie night.
5. New Business
None
6. Administration Report
Jason Higo & Christine Marin


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
Kudos to Mitchell Students: Students have had the opportunity to meet & work with outside agencies
(such as Difference Makers and the Rick Hansen Foundation) and to participate in out-of-school travel
experiences. Lots of positive feedback has been received that the students are great, very polite, respectful
and welcoming. Students are representing themselves and Mitchell school well at events such as basketball
tournaments and at the auberge of the Quebec French Immersion trip. The school will continue giving kids
more of such opportunities.
Outdoor Education: Camp Jubilee (just 45 minutes north of North Vancouver) is booked September 21-23
for next school year’s grade 6/7 students. They will get to know each other in teambuilding activities in this
new environment, as well as, get to experience being away from home. There will be 5 organized activities
such as archery, beach studies, fire making, etc. (No water activities.) Cost will be approximately $215.00
per student which includes meals, lodging (in cabins) and transportation. Notices were just sent home to
current grade 5/6 students and parent feedback is needed with regard to setting up a parent information
night. There are two school fundraising activities planned. (1) Fruits & Vegetables Campaign with 40% of
proceeds going back to students. (2) QSP Chocolate Sales Campaign coming soon. PAC will be
discussing providing some funding for the Outdoor Education Program at the next PAC meeting on April 21,
2015.
Gardening: Will continue for 2015-2016 school year.
Basketball: All teams are doing well in this short season with two upcoming tournaments at Cambie &
McNeill.



FSA: Many grade 4 and grade 7 parents opted out of FSA (Foundational Skills Assessment) test. This
impacts the data and its authenticity. Students are highly encouraged to write the FSA as it is a valid test
and can be used in improving student learning and modifying teaching methods. Many disagree with how
some organizations like the Fraser Institute use it to rate schools. The FSA will be changing with the new
curriculum.
Staffing Changes: School Head Secretary, Lisa Cheeseman, will be greatly missed. Thank you for
everything that you have done for the Mitchell families and for supporting the PAC in the last 3 ½ years.
,
We look forward to meeting Ms. Glenda Ginn who will be in the office on March 2 2015. Ms. Amy Lang will
begin her maternity leave earlier than expected. Ms. Jade Song will be the new teacher for Division 2. Ms.
Lang will begin her maternity leave at the beginning of March. Ms. Tahirgil who is on medical leave will have
Mr. Sala continuing Mitchell’s music and band program. Ms. Bansal (Resource/ELL) has begun her
maternity leave. Mr. Hall will take on her role and welcoming Ms. Alblas into his role.
Quebec Trip: Mitchell & McNeely grade 6/7 French Immersion students have returned from their week in
Quebec. This was a huge success with lots of learning and growth opportunities. Mitchell’s Carnaval
th
celebration for French Immersion classes will be on Thursday, February 26 .
7. Final Question/New Issues/Suggestions
a.
b.
Colleen Cheung: Parking lot safety concerns & congestion issues. Mr. Higo and Mme Marin will increase
parking lot monitoring to ensure that safety of the students. Upcoming parking lot safety awareness
campaign. Increased presence of our RCMP School Liaison. Flash Towing is offering Safety Seminars and
for a tow truck to visit our school for students to experience. (This is a parent of a grade 3 student.)
Rahim Othman: Kids Bowl Free Program. Kids receive 2 free games daily all summer long. Shoe rentals
are at an extra cost. Available at The Zone Bowling Centre in Richmond and other bowling centers in the
lower mainland. For more information and to register, please visit; www.kidsbowlfree.com
Next Meeting: Tuesday, April 21, 2015 at 6:00pm – General Meeting
Meeting was adjourned at 7:17pm.
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