DIXON PAC MEETING MINUTES 

Tuesday February 18, 2025

Present: Jenna Newman, Simi Malhi, Charissa Anderson, Teg Bains, Colleen Reid

Administration: Colleen Orzen, Mike Murrary

Regrets: Nadine Eade

Welcome

Call to Order:

• 6:34 pm called to order 
• Colleen O. gave a Land Acknowledgement to thank the hǝn̓q̓ǝmin̓ǝm̓ speaking peoples on whose land we live (over 16 different groups that travelled along our neighbourhood); this area is important to sturgeon waters and were stewarded by the indigenous people and for this we thank them 
• Review and approval of minutes from last meeting
  • Jenna moves, Colleen seconds
• Approval of agenda
  • Teg moves and Jenna seconds

Treasurer’s Report & Budget

• Jenna provides an update to the budgets
• The gaming account has a balance currently of $9296
• The general fund balance is currently at $59,000
• We haven’t spent too much yet
• There has been very little field trip money spent/claimed
• For the operating budget, are there any other expenses that we are expecting?  Also, is there other ideas that require funding?
• Staff confirmed that we did not apply for/receive an Arts Starts grant, so the $2500 PAC budgeted to support that can be reallocated
• The Beach day busses were budgeted for $2700 but will be closer to $1200 (due to a revised estimate and correction to our balance from last year
• Are there any other ideas/places that need funding? Are there any teacher wishlist items that need fulfilling?
• Are there any technology needs?
  • Some devices will need replacing soon such as the ipads (currently leased)
  • We want to ask teachers which devices are they using more; laptops or ipads?
• The CRA charity return is due at the end of the month

Administrator’s Report

• Colleen O mentions that grade 4 & 7 students will be completing a satisfaction survey on ipads
  • The survey allows for students to submit anonymous information such as:
    • What are they learning
    • What is important to them
    • Decisions are made based off this data provided
• Colleen O also mentions that the enrollment for the 2025/2026 year will be roughly 340 students, which is similar to this year; waiting for kindergarten French immersion numbers to come in
• Colleen O brings up the Toonie talent show as it had started today
  • Today and tomorrow, it will be an online version with videos submitted by students
  • Thursday/Friday, students will perform live in the gym
• Carnival week took place this week starting with an assembly
  • Event was staff planned and organized
  • Maple man did two presentations
  • Event was split into two different afternoons with family teams, six different stations were constructed
  • In the past, this event used to be all in one day
  • This event takes place every other year and is funded by the French Immersion funding from the government
• Mike provides a seismic update
  • Division 13 was sent a notice to notify them that they will not be able to enter/exit through the friendship garden anymore as it will be closed due to construction, these students will have to use the main entrance
  • Grade ½ teacher Ms Berman will move down one classroom
  • Ms Mills will move to a portable, there will be a washroom in there
  • Madame Kaerne will be moving to a portable as well
  • Mr Bradley will be moving to a portable too
  • Mr Lawler will be shifting to a portable too
  • Mr Naylor is shifting to a portable as well
  • This move will take place after spring break
• Administration is asking if PAC could purchase Dixon t-shirts for incoming kindergartens
  • These shirts will be provided in September
  • If these were giving at the Welcome to Kindergarten event, not all students end up attending Dixon in September
• The library phase of the seismic construction would occur closer to September now
  • The library will move to the band room and band room will move to the portable
  • After construction, the library will also occupy the classroom space next to the current library location

Chair Report

• Colleen provides a chair report and mentions that it’s been quiet year this year so far with no issues/drama occurring
• We are working on constructing a classroom liaison
  • We are wanting to get input from parents in the classrooms
  • There will be a letter created to ask parents if they feel that their division is being represented and regarding the need for more volunteers as we want the different PAC committees to feel supported
  • Meetings have been well attended recently, and we received great feedback from the online PAC meeting that took place
  • Often, it’s the same faces that we’re noticing in terms of volunteers, we want to get more parents involved
• The RDPA role that Matthew has stepped up for, there has been no follow up from him
  • Colleen mentions that she’s been to the meetings before and there is great information that comes out from there
  • Next year, we could make this an exec level position as having a representative in this role is important; this role will be advertised along with the other exec positions with filling in these roles
• Colleen mentions that she worked on mailchimp’s distribution list and emails will be sent out to a wider audience going forward as it has been hard to keep everyone informed over WhatsApp
• Currently, there are no volunteers signed up for the hot lunch this Thursday and we need more volunteers
  • Are we able to use the gym for this Thursday?
  • Jenna mentions that she will discuss the situation with Taylor and Maggie
  • Mike mentions that admin will try to help out as well
  • We are going to try to get kids to come to the gym for the Taco Luis lunch
• We will get maps of classroom locations from the school office as there might be new parents volunteering and there has been movement in classrooms

Fundraising Update

• Charissa mentioned that we have heard back from the City of Richmond neighbourhood celebration grant; it has been rejected as it doesn’t involve the whole community, and they were asking questions that we didn’t have answers to
  • Maybe we can host an event of the neighbourhood to come view the new school once construction has been completed
• The most recent movie night that took place, the pizza order was completely lost
  • Freshslice owner has changed, causing an increase in prices by $3 per pizza
  • Pizza was supposed to come from the Seafair location, instead showed up from the Bridgeport location, which is owned by the same individual, causing the food to arrive forty minutes late
  • Charissa has informed the Hot lunch team about the price increase
  • Movie had to be started late because of the pizza arrival time; will not be using Freshslice for the next movie night
• The next movie night will occur on March 7^th and Moana 2 will be played
  • Hoping to get volunteers to sell pizza and attend to the front desk
• Charissa asks if the hot lunch team can grab items from Costco for movie night as well?
• Charissa will ask Salina if she can lend one of her vacuums for the movie night for people to physically test out
• Colleen provides a spirit wear update
  • Orders were closed on February 7^th and are currently being printed; printing takes about two weeks and items should be ready for February 21^st
  • We will have a distribution station and have people come to the desk for their items; distribution details are currently being worked on
  • All orders are non-refundable
  • Mike asks if there is a sizing guide available where students can try on the items, he mentions that at Tomsett there were shirts that students could come into the office and try on
    • Colleen mentions that not this time and there was a sizing guide on the website
    • Mike inquires if kids who can’t pay for these items, if they were notified
      • Colleen O mentions that we have informed them, but no one has contacted us
      • Colleen will follow up with Aniela for people purchasing gently used spirit wear and maybe people can swap or buy by donation
      • Mike asks if students can place another other prior to the track meet; he mentions that at Tomsett they would have spirit wear days where all students would wear their gear
        • Spirit wear will come in handy for the track meets as students can wear them instead of jerseys as jerseys can be hard to keep track of and expensive to replace
        • Maybe we can open another ordering session in April for parents to order prior to the track meet in May at Minoru
      • The movie night in May will feature either Dogman or Sonic 3
      • Do we want a sizing guide for the next round of spirit wear?
        • We can get by without them but would be nice to have

Lunch Days Update

• Colleen asks a question on behalf of the hot lunch team; if admin has received any feedback from staff whether it’s interrupting or taking too much time
  • Colleen O mentions that because students eat their lunch first, there has been no interruption to instructional time
  • Teachers are more than happy for parents to come in before lunch to drop off food
  • If it’s before 11:50am, some teachers will walk down the kids to the gym to help them
  • Classroom delivery is helpful even if 11:30-11:50am
    • If there is an issue with the lunch order, students can go back to the gym to sort it out
    • Older kids can also come to collect the bins for their classrooms

Questions & Discussions

• Purdy’s has provided two 10% off cards to the PAC to be used by March 1 at their in-store locations

Adjourned 7:47pm