Few parent advisory councils (PACs) will be busier and more stretched this year than Niverville Collegiate Institute’s. With just one school year of experience under their belt, the existing council will be relying on more parent involvement and the hopeful election of more members to their team as they face the reality of a new high school in 2019.
“Two schools [means] two PACs, two sets of needs and expectations,” says Tanya Pomaranski, chairperson of NCI’s PAC. “[There’s] a lot to do in the next couple of years and while a small group of parents can make a large difference, stretching ourselves too thin will leave our focuses unfinished and our success rate feeling lukewarm. Many hands make light work and we will need parents to sign up and stay informed.”
Pomaranski says the new PAC for the upcoming high school will need to be ready to get to work by April 2019. Their goal, just like the middle school PAC, will be to implement fundraising and programming as well as to support the new principal and administration staff by encouraging parent membership, parent education, and volunteer solicitation.
“PAC fundraising and program management can be a huge help to the new school in the infancy stage,” she adds. “Planning events like a Grade Nine welcome night or a grand opening can be on the list right alongside items like signage, greenspace beautification, and outdoor storage.”
But the focus cannot be solely on the new high school if the goal is to maintain a vibrant and active middle school in the existing building.
“While dreams of a new school are fast becoming a reality, the split of our current school enrolment brings with it questions and planning for our middle years school,” Pomaranski says. “The Grade Five to Eight needs and programs are different than those of the senior environment and we need a PAC executive here to maintain and build on those plans as well. Programs like hot lunch and improving existing greenspace for our middle year students are just a couple of key priorities we are planning for.”
Planning for the upcoming PAC year began last May as a collective of parents and PAC members gathered to brainstorm. The same group met again in August to set the stage for Meet the Teacher night on September 4 and the annual organizational and nominations meeting on September 17.
“We have a budget, fundraising, and communications plan underway with a target fundraising goal of $10,000 for this year,” says Pomaranski. “We plan to launch a monthly newsletter for parents to stay informed of our short-term and long-term goals. We will continue to build relationships with parents, teachers, students, administration, the division, and our community. And we will continue to work to meet the needs of our students.”
Pomaranski says parents can get involved in a number of ways. Meeting attendance gives them the opportunity to stay informed and weigh in on decisions, even if they’re not members of the core PAC executive. Meetings will be held at 6:00 p.m. in the school library on the first Monday of each month from October to May.
Parents are also encouraged to sign up at the PAC kiosk on Meet the Teacher night, thus providing the PAC with a list of parents willing to get involved in their child’s education through volunteerism. Many volunteer positions only require a one-time commitment of a few hours, while others require more investment. Still others acts of volunterrism can be done right from the comfort of a person’s home.
“One wish we had tossed around was that of finding a parent representative from each grade,” says Leslie Bardal, PAC communications coordinator. “[It would give us] equal representation and a voice from every grade, [providing] eight adults to work closely with the executive members which would result in a solid, wonderful PAC.”
Subcommittees will also be needed for a variety of initiatives, including a bingo committee, dance committee, hot lunch and snack program committees, and active learning and greenspace committees. Subcommittees can plan to meet on nights that suit their group.
“We realize that when parents see us, it means volunteering,” says Pomaranski. “We want our NCI parents to commit to staying informed and being aware of the activities in our school community. By doing that, you may be presented with a chance to get involved, [but you can choose to do] something that interests you, that you enjoy, and that is not necessarily always a long-term commitment but rather a meaningful contribution in the moment. Small steps are how we get there.”
“A saying that we have is ‘PAC is the magic’ when we discuss how programs and initiatives don’t magically appear or happen,” says Bardal. “They take the time and energy of a dedicated group of people. It is one thing to wish for something, like a hot lunch [program], and another to actually show up and work hard for it.”
Bardal says that volunteers can and should come from beyond the parent collective and can include grandparents, aunts or uncles, neighbours, and community members of all stripes—anyone, she says, who has a vested interest in this growing community and in the welfare of our youth.
“Every little bit helps and we are looking to our community for those spirited, short bursts of volunteerism,” Pomaranski adds. “It may be a half shift at our PAC kiosk to engage other parents, helping with staff appreciation events, helping create posters or social media content, selling cards at our bingo event, reaching out to corporate donors for support, or barbecuing hot dogs at the tri-track canteen.”
Fundraising is the backbone to achieving goals. While selling products or asking for donations is the easy route, these methods are growing tired and overused. NCI’s PAC hopes to include the entire community in the fundraising effort by creating experiences that put the “fun” back into fundraising.
“With a lofty fundraising goal to initially support two schools, PAC is looking to hold two bingo nights,” Pomaranski says. “The first Halloween-themed bingo event in our NCI gymnasium will be on Saturday, October 27. [Assuming] a successful first event, we will schedule another bingo fundraiser [in the spring].”
School dances are a North American institution that the PAC would like to see established at NCI. Securing a venue and planning a safe and controlled event will be part of that committee’s mandate as they strive to adhere to Hanover School Division’s policies on the matter.
“NCI has a long-standing legacy in our community and it has been a privilege to work with the PAC team this past year,” Pomaranski concludes. “We are excited to keep up the momentum and build on the initial stepping stones [established] in 2017–18.”
