Leadership
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| KEY MESSAGES FROM DPAC |
- An atmosphere that ‘makes parents feel welcome’ is the key ingredient to greater involvement in PAC/DPAC. Whatever you can do to make parents feel welcome - whether it be by encouraging them to attend a meeting, thanking them for coming to the meeting, asking how they enjoyed the meeting, or putting them touch with someone who can answer the questions they may have – will pay huge dividends in having an involved and enthusiastic PAC/DPAC. (Source BCCPAC Leadership Manual 2001, Section 1).
- Communication and inclusion are extremely important ingredients for an effective, and smooth running PAC. Distribute regular PAC newsletters to parents, or incorporate a PAC section into the school’s newsletter. Use a PAC bulletin board at the school to provide PAC information and update it regularly. Set up a sandwich board on the road to announce PAC meeting nights. Update the PAC page on the school web site, and include minutes of past PAC meetings if possible. Make sure parents know when PAC meetings are held, and give them advance notice of important decisions being made by the PAC such as PAC financial spending, or school related initiatives. Always strive to create an atmosphere of respect, inclusiveness, and openness at your PAC meetings.
- BCCPAC (The British Columbia Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils) is the provincial parent member organization for PAC's and DPAC's. The BCCPAC annual membership is coordinated by the DPAC chair each September for the PAC's and DPAC. The DPAC chair requests the membership forms from the PAC chairs, and DPAC pays each PAC's annual memberships from its annual Direct Access gaming revenue grant. BCCPAC membership benefits include up-to-date information from the Education Ministry, a reduced rate at BCCPAC Provincial parent conferences, the right to bring member resolutions to the BCCPAC AGM, and the right to vote on resolutions at the AGM. More information about BCCPAC can be found on their web site: www.bccpac.bc.ca .
- The BCCPAC Provincial Advocacy Project helps parents and students around the province who want to solve a problem that they are having in their public schools. The toll-free advocacy line is 1-888-351-9834, and is available 24 hours a day. More information about the Advocacy Project can be found on the BCCPAC web site: www.bccpac.bc.ca.
- In addition to the BCCPAC Provincial Advocacy Project, a multitude of resources are available to PAC's and DPAC to help run their organizations. As a member of BCCPAC, each PAC in the district received an updated (2004) copy of the “BCCPAC Leadership Manual”. The BCCPAC Provincial Advocacy Project booklet, “Speaking Up! A parent guide to advocating for students in public schools” is another resource PAC's have been given. Also, a booklet entitled “Support Student Success – Working Together in BC Public Schools” has been made available to PAC's and administrators. Each of these resources is also available on the BCCPAC web site: www.bccpac.bc.ca . Finally, each individual PAC (and DPAC) in the district has its own “Constitution and Bylaws” which guide its activities.
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