Author Archives: cmenzies

Motion Passed by U Hill Secondary PAC, Feb. 13, 2008

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In a meeting that reflected the rich multicultural and linguistic diversity of our school, U Hill Secondary PAC passed a strongly worded resolution supporting the renovation of the NRC Building into a new high school and the conversion of the current high school into a new elementary.

The PAC also discussed the importance of communicating our needs to the Trustees and the general public. Notifications in Korean, Chinese, and English are currently being drafted.

Whereas there is a clear and pressing need for rebuilding and expanding the existing schools in the University Hill area, and

Whereas it is the responsibility of the provincial government, though the local governance of the Vancouver Board of Education, to provide capital funding for all educational facilities in the public education system, and

Whereas the University Hill Parents Advisory Council consider the equitable access to quality education in a child’s neighbourhood as the right of all children, and

Whereas the University Hill Parents Advisory Council has been lobbying for more than five years for improved facilities,

Be it resolved that the University Hill Secondary PAC support proceeding immediately, as per the VSB EFR-Phase 1 plan, with the renovation of the NRC Building for completion by September 2009, and the conversion of the current U Hill Secondary into a new elementary school

Moved and carried. February 13, 2008.

亲爱的家长朋友们, 학부모님께,

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亲爱的家长朋友们,

我们的学校正处于危机之中: 校舍拥挤不堪, 设施严重不足. 虽然我们现在拥有优秀的学生和杰出的教师, 可是如果没有新的学校, 很快我们将失去一切.

* U-HILL 中学学生数量已经超出正常状况的60%
* U-HILL小学学生数量已经超出正常状况的20%
* 每天有232位小学生不得不乘校车去本社区以外的多所学校

学校局听到了我们的呼吁并提出了修建新学校的计划, 但学校局的计划必需经由理事会批准. 而如果我们不能让理事们了解我们对新学校的迫切要求, 他们将不批准学校局的计划. 理事会将于3月5号对该计划进行表决.

请在三月以前向学校局理事们打电话, 发电邮(E-MAIL) 及写信发出我们的呼声. 为了您的孩子有良好的学习环境, 请告诉各位理事们: 我们的孩子需要新学校!

请向各位理事表达您的关切!

U HILL 中学家长会

http://rebuilduhill.blogspot.com 有更多详情.

학부모님께,

우리 학교가 지금 중대한 기로에 서있습니다. 학교 건물은 비좁고 불편합니다.
우리 학생들과 선생님들은 정말 우수하지만,
우리가 새로운 학교를 얻지 못하면 사정은 금방 나빠질 수 있습니다.

* U-Hill Secondary 는 학생수가 160% 로 과포화되어 있습니다!
* U-Hill Elementary 는 학생수가 120% 로 과포화되어 있습니다!
* 매일 232 명의 초등학생이 지역 밖의 학교로 통학을 해야 합니다!

교육청 담당자는 우리의 사정을 들었습니다. 그래서 우리 학생을 위한 새하교 건축 계획을 갖고 있습니다.
그러나 우리가 진정으로 원한다는 것을 교육청에 알리지 않는다면, 그 계획이 허가가 나지 않을 수도 있을 것입니다.
교육위원들이 March 5, 2008 에 결정을 하게 될 것입니다.

우리학생들이 새학교가 필요하다는 것을 적극적으로 알리는 것이 정말 중요합니다.
벤쿠버 교육위원들에게 3월의 결정 전에 전화하고 이메일하고 편지 등을 통해서 의사 전달이 필요합니다.

우리의 관심을 교육위원에게 알립시다!

U Hill Secondary 학부모 운영위원회
자세한 소식은 홈페이지를 통해 보실 수 있습니다 : http://rebuilduhill.blogspot.com Allen Blakey Phone: 604-433-6844 allen.blakey@vsb.bc.ca
Ken Denike Phone: 604-889-0564 ken.denike@vsb.bc.ca /
Carol Gibson (Vice-chair) Phone 604-734-6610 carol.gibson@vsb.bc.ca
Eleanor Gregory Phone: 604-737-1980 eleanor.gregory@vsb.bc.ca
Sharon Gregson Phone: 604-505-5725 (cell) sharon.gregson@vsb.bc.ca
Clarence Hansen (Chairperson) Phone: 778-239-9602 clarence.hansen@vsb.bc.ca
Don Lee Phone: 604-325-9474 don.lee@vsb.bc.ca
Allan Wong Phone: 604-437-6074 allan.wong@vsb.bc.ca
Shirley Wong Phone: 604-897-8389 (cell) shirley.wong@vsb.bc.ca

Please copy your email to: rebuild.uhill@gmail.com

University Neighbourhoods Association Suports Rebuilding Area Schools

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Members of the University Neighbourhoods Board of Directors passed a strongly worded motion February 12, 2008 in support of rebuilding schools west of Blanca in the University areas. Strongly supported by resident directors Mike Feeley and Sharon Wu, the Board voted 5 to 1 to urge the Vancouver School Board to get on with it and build the schools that neighbourhoods children deserve.

Read the UNA’s letter to the VSB.

A Message from the University Hill Secondary PAC Executive

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Parent Advisory Council Meeting

The Vancouver School Board (“VSB”) is currently engaged in a public consultation process regarding their proposal for changes to schools in our area. Discussion of the proposal will be on the agenda for the next general U Hill Secondary PAC meeting:

All U Hill Secondary Parents are invited.

Time: 7:00 pm
Date: Wednesday, February 13
Where: U Hill Secondary School Library

VSB Proposal: Background

VSB’s plan includes the renovation of the former NRC building into a new secondary school for 675 students, and the rebuilding of the current U Hill Secondary School on Acadia Road into a new elementary school. If this plan is approved, the UBC area will have two needed elementary schools and an expanded and renewed secondary school for our children. However, there is no guarantee that we will get these new schools. The approval of these new schools depends upon the approval of the entire proposal by the elected school trustees at a public meeting on March 11, 2008.

The VSB does not have the money to pay for the conversion of the NRC building into a high school. A UBC plan for financing the renovations was rejected by the provincial government. In order for the VSB to fund the building costs of a new secondary and elementary school they are proposing to close the Queen Elizabeth Annex and sell its property, and downsize Queen Mary Elementary School.

Understandably there is significant concern being expressed by parents from Queen Elizabeth Annex. We understand how they feel about closing their small school located on the eastern edge of Pacific Spirit Park. Nonetheless, we strongly encourage parents with children in the University Hill area to become involved in the process of rebuilding our neighbourhood schools.

The U Hill PAC executive considers that most of the proposal (given the overall political and fiscal context), represents a very effective use of educational resources.

Let the VSB hear your VOICE!

We encourage you to consider the proposal and to complete the online feedback form that can be found at: VSB Feedback Form

Our school team will be making presentations to the VSB on February 7 and February 11 (in advance of our general PAC meeting on February 13), and we will provide any final feedback to the VSB on February 15. Please feel free to contact the parents on the school team if you wish your views to be considered in these presentations: Birgit Eder: eder.warren@shaw.ca Charles Menzies: cmenzies@interchange.ubc.ca Jonathan Vogt: jvogt@cle.bc.ca.

Additional Information

For more information on the VSB’s proposal, please see the VSB’s Educational Facilities Review webpage.

Also, some of our students have organized a facebook group in support of the rebuilding effort. Rebuild U Hill We encourage you to join and to pass the information along to your family and friends.

Presentations to the Trustees Feb 11, 12

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It was a full house Monday at the Vancouver School Board offices.

Twenty presentations were made to the board among which were myself (Charles Menzies), Birgit Eder and others from the U Hill Secondary PAC, Mankee Mah from U Hill Elem PAC, Catalin Ristea(U Hill Parent), and Mike Feeley (UNA and parent) and a group of U Hill Secondary students who spoke and showed a video. Other speakers included several parents from Dunbar area preschools, a team from Queen Elizabeth PAC and also a group of Queen Elizabeth students. The remaining speakers, aside from an advocate for a Mandarin Immersion program, were from QEA and spoke in varying degrees of passion about the importance of the annex.

The trustees asked very few questions.

The same show repeated itself on Tuesday evening with an overwhelming number of presentations from QEA parents. Lutz Lampe (UBC/UEL area parent) and Nancy Mahoney (representing the UNA Schools Committee) addressed concerns of Vancouver residents living west of Blanca.

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UHill Elementary PAC report on the Presentations to the Trustees Feb 11, 12 UHill Elementary PAC
Delegate Presentations Feb 12 UHill Elementary PAC

1000 hits since January 10th

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1000 hits and over 2500 individual page views since the Vancouver School Board released its Educational Facilities Review-Phase 1 Report. This is the highest period of view on the site since the the provincial teacher’s strike in 2005. Visits to this site have steadying increased each day peaking between the period of January 29th and February 7th,

The Schools We Need Blog

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Deputy’s newsletter – The Schools We Need Forums

Thanks to Charles Menzies, updates I came across this newsletter from the new Deputy Minister of Education, James Gorman.

His focus is on the new District Literacy Plan. He itemizes a few things that came out of a “Provincial District Literacy Planning Forum.” Who knew? Anyway, they came up with a list of “main themes that emerged through the day.” None of which leave me with any hope at all of anything concrete coming out of this, but one in particular resonated within my brain, being,

“Developing relationships takes time and patience.”

Time to Rebuild Our Schools – Letter to the Media

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In the educational facilities review discussion ongoing in Vancouver it’s a shame that the discussion is being turned from educational needs of our children to a focus on UBC’s role as developer. UBC is cast as in someway being negligent by creating much needed and relatively affordable places for people to live. In other parts of the city such actions are lauded. But not west of Blanca. UBC has developed housing that reduces commuting, ‘eco-densifies’ the neighbourhood, and provides important social amenities to community members (our community is rich and diverse. We are students, families, new immigrants, UBC employees, and many other people who find living in a sustainable environment a plus). As with any large institution there are lots of things to complain about -however, in terms of working toward schools west of Blanca, UBC has been doing as much or more than any other developer in the lower mainland. We might productively ask why developers are not obliged to do more and pay for the social impacts that their developments cause, but to place all of that responsibility upon UBC is to allow the VSB and the provincial government to evade their responsibilities.

Last year the VSB submitted a proposal, developed by UBC Properties Trust, to the provincial government. Apparently the plan involved UBCPT financing the renovation and construction costs for a rebuilt high school west of Blanca. The lease agreement between UBC and VSB would have allowed VSB to pay back these costs amortized over 25 or 30 years. The provincial government is said to have rejected that arrangement.

It’s too bad that our provincial government refused to accept an arrangement that would have solved our school needs over a year ago. If they’d picked up the ball we wouldn’t be in the current crisis.

The situation for the 1,500 school aged and 680 preschool children living west of Blanca is serious. The two neighbourhood schools can only take in about 1100 of the children living here. Is it the fault of these children that the adults haven’t done anything for close to ten years? Should these children be made to pay the price of the inaction of adults? While adults bicker and call for moratoriums on the rebuilding of our schools hundreds of children -who are part of the Vancouver School District- are being deprived of their neighbourhood school.

The VSB plan is not perfect, but it is a plan that will put children into schools in their community. It will disrupt a few dozen children whose school is to be closed. This is never a happy thing to do. With care and good will any disruption can be minimized. We can always hope and pray for a miracle that will meet the needs of the many and the desires of the few. But, in the meantime it is time that we stopped blaming and started building.

Our kids deserve that.

Deputy Minister of Education -Report on Education (new series)

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James Gorman, Emery Dosdall’s replacement, has finally released his first Report on Education. Following Mr. Dosdall’s last report we wondered if the new ND would follow in his footsteps. Well the answer is yes, but no. The first newsletter comes out with the announcement that it will now be a monthly affair. One thing that must be said about Mr. Dosdall (whether one agreed with his a approach or not) was that he was first and foremost an educator. Mr. Gorman falls more firmly within the career technocrat mold. He has held several posts more akin to chief financial officer then chief educator and, at least in this newsletter, it seems to show. Read it here.

Read past issues of the former DM’s newsletters here.