Provincial teachers are engaged in a struggle against the neo-liberal directions of the provincial government, a government that has been shown in court to be bargaining in bad faith and with the intent to provoke.  The struggle the teachers are waging is one that we too face in our own workplace.

Join in a show of support at the University Hill Secondary School this Friday, June 6th at 10 am for a solidarity picket.  We will gather at the south east corner of the round-a-bout at East Mall and 16th Avenue.

U Hill Secondary Parents Advisory Council

Late breaking news – VSB will defer passing capital funding by-law for rebuilding university hill schools by direction of high level Ministry of Education staff.

We need to let our MLA and premier know that we need our schools and we need them now!

We have set up an automatic email form for you to use. Please consider sending an email right now!

You can find the automatic email page here http://faculty.arts.ubc.ca/menzies/email

U Hill Secondary Parents Advisory Council

Important PAC meeting- Thursday, January 8, 2009. 7:30 pm U Hill Secondary School.

Vancouver School Board has announced a new plan to rebuild and expand school facilities and programs in the University Hill area. Full details of the proposed plans are posted on the U Hill Secondary web page.

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Here is a copy of the proposed plan prepared by VSB staff.Download file

I look forward to hearing back from Trustees with their answer to the following question. Trustee candidates are invited to respond using the comment feature or by sending me an email directly cmenzies[at]interchange.ubc.ca. This issue and the apparent lack of action that has been demonstrated over almost ten year is one of the central reasons that has led me to run for the position of Director on the Metro Vancouver Board for Electoral Area A. Community members living outside of Vancouver proper on the UBC/UNA/UEL areas receive various levels of service and have different levels of access to real political processes. The school issue has reflected the problem inherent in many dealings that residents have with agencies, institutions, and government offices; that is, we don’t have the real power to affect control over critical issues and furthermore, that people outside of our community seem to have more control over what happens in our community then we do. From Park issues to Schools, it would seem that non-resident interests take priority.

So to our Vancouver Board of Education trustee hopefuls please share your answer to the following question:

You have obviously been following the need for schools west of Blanca and the plan that the VSB put together to try and solve the problem. Almost five or six years ago U Hill Secondary was approved for a renovation that would have had the current building expanded by a couple hundred students and able to accommodate them now. Yet here we sit with schools still years away and many parents doubting that we will in fact really see a school.

Aside from lobbying the provincial government, what will you do (or have you done) to make certain that our children living west of Blanca have the same access to community-based public schools that other children in the VSD have?

Posting from: Rebuild U Hill

Dear Fellow Parents, Guardians and UBC/UEL Residents,
We are facing a crisis in our schools and need your continued support. Our local schools need to be rebuilt and expanded!

We need you to e-mail the VSB school trustees and provincial government to let them know action is needed NOW. Let them know that students, parents, guardians, and area residents have waited too many years for the same school facilities that exist in Vancouver. We all pay through our taxes for public schools. Our children have a right to publicly funded schools.

A critical decision on the future of our schools will be made June 19, and the decision-makers need to hear from as many of us as possible before that date. They need to be reminded that hundreds of families in the UBC/UEL
area are affected and concerned, and that we insist on fair treatment.

Go to our webpage http://www.rebuilduhill.ca and send your message in one easy step.

Rebuild U Hill: An Urgent Message!!! June 10th and 11th Public Meeting

An Urgent Message from the University Hill Secondary and Elementary PAC Executives, the University Neighbourhoods Association Schools Action Committee,

Dear Fellow Parents, Guardians and UBC/UEL Residents,

The Vancouver School Board (“VSB”) has heard from many parents about the shockingly inadequate school facilities in the UBC area. We thank you for your support to date.

But, please, we need to keep up the pressure. We ask that you e-mail the VSB school trustees and key representatives from the provincial government and let them know that action is needed NOW to resolve the growing crisis. Let them know that students, parents, guardians, and area residents have waited too many years for school facilities equal to others across the district. Public schools are paid for through our taxes and our children have the same rights to publicly funded schools as other Vancouver children do.

Go to rebuilduhill.blogspot.com to see what you can do!
Send a message in support of rebuilding the schools -click here for email form.

Stop BC School Closures

Schools are being closed all over British Columbia due in part to declining enrollment and rigid Ministry of Education guidelines, called Functional Capacity. . . .

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

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.