Keating Parents' Advisory Council

KEATING PARENTS' ADVISORY COUNCIL 

Follow us on Facebook for all the latest PAC News!

https://www.facebook.com/KeatingPAC/

** contact us any time at keating.pac@gmail.com **

Please find a copy of our constitution here:

Keating PAC Preamble, Constitution and Bylaws

Welcome

On behalf of the Keating Parents’ Advisory Council (K-PAC), we would like to welcome all 2020-21 students and their families to what is likely to be a unique school year. As a parent/guardian of a child at École Keating School, you are automatically a Member of our PAC.

YOU ARE INVITED TO COME OUT AND PARTICIPATE IN THE KEATING PARENTS’ ADVISORY COUNCIL!

What is the Keating Parents’ Advisory Council?

In short, K-PAC is here to make the students' school experience better - more enriching, more fun, more exciting and more educational. Parent volunteers work tirelessly to:

○      Promote cooperation between parents and the school in providing for the education of our children

○      Promote the free exchange of ideas among parents, school administrators, staff, students and the School Board with respect to school programs and policies, and evaluation of their effectiveness

○      Provide the Principal and staff with the opportunity to consult those affected by their decisions

○      Enable parents to examine educational and school philosophy and policy, and to suggest alternatives

○      Organize and coordinate programs of interest and social functions including fundraising.

It’s also a great way to meet new people and socialize with other parents!

We hope you will join us at our first meeting on September 22, 2020. Get regular updates and stay connected with the happenings at Keating by pressing “like” on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/KeatingPAC) or follow us on Instagram (www.instagram.com/keating_parent_advisory)

How can you participate or contribute?

Your participation and support of PAC will help our school and the community, and enrich your life and that of your child. Being active in your school pays back in so many ways! You can help a lot or a little or whenever you have time. You can help in many ways:

●      Attend monthly meetings (see https://keating.sd63.bc.ca/course/view.php?id=69#section-3
for meeting info)

●      Become an executive on the K-PAC or coordinate a committee, attend meetings and volunteer regularly

●      Help with distributing hot lunches, organize / help out with a fundraiser, help with a book fair, decorate the school, etc. Please see the attached volunteer descriptions or go to Sign Up Genius to find a spot that suits you:

https://tinyurl.com/y3utka9b

We invite you to contact us anytime at keating.pac@gmail.com if you have questions, feedback or would like information.

** contact us any time at keating.pac@gmail.com **

2020/2021 Executive and Committee Members

2020-2021 Dates: 

- September: Tuesday 22nd

- October: Wednesday 21st

- November: Thursday 19th

- December: Tuesday 15th Cancelled

- January: Wednesday 20th

- February: Thursday 18th

- March: No meeting

- April: Tuesday 20th (inc. Budget presentation)

- May: Wednesday 19th (inc. AGM)

- June: Thursday 17th

Note:  All meetings are 6:30pm-8:30pm on Z00M. 

Join us on Z00M

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcIdpx2SXp

Please find our Welcome Package attached (below)

Parent Involvement (Policy 1100) 

COPACS - Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils Saanich

BCCPAC - BC Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils

CPF - Canadian Parents for French

Head lice:  http://www.headlice.org

26 Weeks to Family Emergency Preparedness

Common Sense Media - A good resource for parents and teachers to rate movies, books, games etc for age specific suitability. 

At Home Alone - Keeping your children safe

Please email keating_attendance@saanichschools.ca before 8:40 a.m if your child is going to be absent.

The Safe Arrival Program needs your help! To volunteer (as little as one hour per month!) please email keating.pac@gmail.com. 

Keating Hot Lunch Parent Info 2020-2021

The hot lunch dates for this school year are planned for:

The Hot lunch program is an online program and all ordering can be done through

keating.hotlunches.net

Please see the attachment for all other hot lunch details 

Why do we fundraise?

All of the Keating PAC fundraising efforts go toward enriching the experience of Keating kids. Currently our fundraising priority is for a new play space for the students.

Each year Keating PAC financially supports field trips, library materials, artist-in-residence, emergency preparedness, classroom supplies, playground equipment and repairs, and much more.

Request for Contribution:

The Keating PAC has considered many options, but in the end, feels that the parents at Keating are asked to give so much for their time already, and believes the easiest and most convenient way to raise the needed money is to lay it at the parents feet and ask. The Keating PAC is asking if each family could contribute $20 per child over the course of the next month via keating.hotlunches.net or by dropping off a cheque to the school office payable to Keating PAC. If each family can contribute $20 per child, Keating PAC will be able to focus on a few, value added and fun fundraisers this year and lessen the burden on all of us. Thank you for your consideration and contributions!  

• Mabel’s Labels make durable labels for families. Their line of 100%-guaranteed laundry-, dishwasher- and microwave-safe products features baby-bottle labels, allergy and medical alert products, sports and household labels, and seasonal items. You can order year-round; they make great gifts for Christmas and birthdays. Tell your friends and family! Visit mabelslabels.ca/fundraising/support/ and search for: Keating PAC
• Colibri makes reusable snack bags, straws, washcloths and totes in fun patterns. Perfect for food, stationary or make up. And they make great gifts! Purchase items between September 15^th to 28^th and a portion of the purchase price of each item will go to our PAC. Instructions on how to order will be sent out on Sept. 15th.
  
• The people at Mom’s Pantry are fundraising angels! They use everyday high-quality baking and food products to help folks like us raise money… and drool! With tasty treats including croissants, pie and tart shells, soups, spreads, snack bars, and many more, we can’t wait to launch a fundraiser with them in October. Check out their products at momspantry.ca and stay tuned for more details.
  
• Last-minute meal solutions are the best. Especially when they’re delicious and healthy. Epicure offers exquisite meal solutions that use real, whole ingredients that are simply delectable. Check them out at epicure.com. We’ll be fundraising with Epicure during the first 3 weeks of November (think seasonal gifts!) More details to follow.
  

Minutes from various sub committees

Thank you to all the 2019 Spring Fair Donors! 

Our PAC depends on volunteers: the more volunteers we get, the easier it is to run the PAC to support parents, students and the school community. Your participation helps to keep you informed and gives you a voice. Key volunteer opportunities are outlined below. Please contact us at keating.pac@gmail.com for more information.

BC Fruit and Vegetable Program: Coordinator, VACANT. The BC Fruit and Vegetable Program requires a coordinator with FOODSAFE Level 1 (certification fee paid by the PAC) to receive local produce. Additional volunteers prepare and distribute food to the classrooms.

Call Back / Safe Arrival: Coordinator, Julie DeMaere. Volunteers remain at the school for up to 1 hour to contact homes of students who have not arrived and not contacted Safe Arrival (250.652.9261; keating_attendance@saanichschools.ca). Preschool siblings can join you on your shift.

Canadian Parents for French: Representative, Catherine Kay. The Canadian Parents for French (CPF) Representative position on the Keating PAC is coordinated through CPF-Saanich. Additional volunteers may be needed during the school year for activities such as magazine drives and special events.

Emergency Preparedness: Coordinator, Farrah Simpson. Volunteers assist the coordinator to ensure the school’s earthquake kits are complete, up-to-date and in good order. Additional programs include family education and activities for Emergency Preparedness Week in May.

Fundraising: Coordinator, VACANT. Support fundraising by coordinating volunteers and events. This position does not mean you have to run every fundraiser yourself. The role of the coordinator includes: directing volunteers to lead and assist fundraising programs; coordinate events with the school; support grant submissions; contribute fundraising ideas.

Grade 5 Farewell: Coordinator, VACANT. Work with Grade 5 teachers and administration to create a memorable farewell activity for Grade 5 students and their school-wide recognition program.

Greening Committee: Coordinator, Marianne Fish / Megan Misovic. Assist with special gardening, tree planting, and other environmental initiatives.

Healthy Schools: Coordinator, VACANT. Support student health at school. Initiatives include: supporting cooking classes; Activities Bingo; connecting with Stelly’s Climbing Academy; and collaborating with the Greening Committee.

Hot Lunch Program: Coordinators Michelle Philpott & Jane Bassett. Many volunteers are required to assist the coordinators to manage Hot Lunch payments and orders, and to prepare and distribute meals on each Hot Lunch Day.

Events: Coordinator, VACANT. Help our coordinator to organize events. The Spring Fair, due to run this year (albeit reformatted due to COVID), is the PAC’s biggest fundraiser. Other events include the Family Dance, Bingo Nights and Movie Nights.

Keating Clothing: Coordinator, VACANT. Ordering and tracking Keating clothing sales; explore new ideas with School Administration and PAC Executive.

Please visit our sign-up page and volunteer for one (or more) of the positions that suit your interests, skills and abilities: https://tinyurl.com/y3utka9b