Another letter that came home today is from Theresa Campbell-Manager, Safe Schools for the district.
Just wanted to put it up here that they are asking for anyone who wants to volunteer to join a small group to take shifts to walk around the grounds of the school which will hopefully deter youths from even approaching the school.
According to the letter the Surrey School District took close to $700,000 out of it's budget to repair damage done by vandals which I'm assuming took place on Halloween.
You can call 604-599-7461 if you are interested in volunteering.
Does anyone know if our school was hit by vandals on Halloween in recent years?
Thursday, October 28, 2010
POD 300 ABATEMENT WORK COMPLETE
If you didn't get the letter in your child's backpack today, Janet Brine has written a letter stating that the abatement work is now complete and the second phase is to inspect all the beams, wood etc. under there (floor joists) and determine if any of them need replacing.
I for one am glad that this work is over with, I know a few kids who were not attending class during this process and I am one of many that seriously considered pulling my child out during this time frame.
Although the work is not over yet, there are some lessons here that I hope the district learns from.
One that this should have been checked out this summer while the east side of the crawl space was being looked at, only makes sense, because common sense would have suggested that if one side is a mess the other side probably is too. The work could have been completed in the summertime.
Secondly, the parents seemed once again to be the ones monitoring this process to the degree that we could. It was parents who noticed the fans not working, parents who reported it and parents who pushed for answers. Thankfully WorksafeBC was once again needed to be brought into this and has asked for a full report of why the fans failed and that one of the specialists be on board regularly throughout the day to monitor the fans so that the parents didn't have to. To me this would have been an early consideration from the school district and should be an embarrassing point.
This also points out that parents have to continue staying vigilant and reporting anything suspicious, backed up by an email so it is put in writing to Mrs. Brine.
I would also like to point out that since the return of Mrs. Brine to our school she has seemed very quick to respond to all questions and emails that parents have sent her way and I am grateful for that. Thanks Mrs. Brine for your increased level of communication, a HUGE improvement from what we've experienced in the past year.
And the first scheduled healthy school meeting is set for next week, hope you were able to submit your name to be a part of that group.
If there is nothing to report tomorrow, have a great Halloween everyone and I hope the skies hold for all our excited little and not so little trick or treaters!
I for one am glad that this work is over with, I know a few kids who were not attending class during this process and I am one of many that seriously considered pulling my child out during this time frame.
Although the work is not over yet, there are some lessons here that I hope the district learns from.
One that this should have been checked out this summer while the east side of the crawl space was being looked at, only makes sense, because common sense would have suggested that if one side is a mess the other side probably is too. The work could have been completed in the summertime.
Secondly, the parents seemed once again to be the ones monitoring this process to the degree that we could. It was parents who noticed the fans not working, parents who reported it and parents who pushed for answers. Thankfully WorksafeBC was once again needed to be brought into this and has asked for a full report of why the fans failed and that one of the specialists be on board regularly throughout the day to monitor the fans so that the parents didn't have to. To me this would have been an early consideration from the school district and should be an embarrassing point.
This also points out that parents have to continue staying vigilant and reporting anything suspicious, backed up by an email so it is put in writing to Mrs. Brine.
I would also like to point out that since the return of Mrs. Brine to our school she has seemed very quick to respond to all questions and emails that parents have sent her way and I am grateful for that. Thanks Mrs. Brine for your increased level of communication, a HUGE improvement from what we've experienced in the past year.
And the first scheduled healthy school meeting is set for next week, hope you were able to submit your name to be a part of that group.
If there is nothing to report tomorrow, have a great Halloween everyone and I hope the skies hold for all our excited little and not so little trick or treaters!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Hmmm... This Site Might offer more Insight
As I was searching for some answers I came across this website and thought it should be shared.
School Mold Help . (just click on the link to go to the website) I haven't read through it all but am finding it very helpful and interesting.
If you read an article from this site and want to share your thoughts please click on the comment link below and share what you think. Thanks!
School Mold Help . (just click on the link to go to the website) I haven't read through it all but am finding it very helpful and interesting.
If you read an article from this site and want to share your thoughts please click on the comment link below and share what you think. Thanks!
ALL FANS RUNNING? NOT TODAY POD 300
Thank you to some wonderfully caring parents who observed that at least 3 of the negative pressure fans being used under the 300 pod were not working this morning.
Mrs. Brine was asked why, she is going to be calling Steve Greentree at Pacific Environmental.
Could it be that not all the fans are necessary? Are some of them not functioning properly? Will keep you posted on this as soon as we know.
Mrs. Brine was asked why, she is going to be calling Steve Greentree at Pacific Environmental.
Could it be that not all the fans are necessary? Are some of them not functioning properly? Will keep you posted on this as soon as we know.
HEALTHY SITE GROUP--CALL FROM MRS. BRINE
Happy Monday everyone!
Just to let those of you following along or checking out our site from time to time that a letter came home on Oct. 21 from Mrs. Brine regarding the assembling of a group of parents, herself and Rick Ryan (Assistant Superintendent) to "continue the conversation around the maintenance of a healthy site for our children."
She is asking parents to email her directly at brine_j@sd36.bc.ca if you would like to be a part of this group. It is set to meet during the daytime and if you are interested please send her an email with your request.
Just to let those of you following along or checking out our site from time to time that a letter came home on Oct. 21 from Mrs. Brine regarding the assembling of a group of parents, herself and Rick Ryan (Assistant Superintendent) to "continue the conversation around the maintenance of a healthy site for our children."
She is asking parents to email her directly at brine_j@sd36.bc.ca if you would like to be a part of this group. It is set to meet during the daytime and if you are interested please send her an email with your request.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
What Did You Think?
The Parent Meeting that Occurred this past Tuesday Evening
There was a great turnout of parents and guest speakers which was really great to see.
There seemed to be a small mix of reviews of the meeting and it would be great to see and hear what you thought.
In my opinion the meeting was good on one hand and not so on another. There was not enough time allotted to parents to ask questions and for me that was the purpose of the meeting. Being asked to submit questions ahead of time made me question the integrity of the meeting and most of those questions were never answered by the panel which was disappointing and a let down to parents. The parents were cut off from asking questions after only a few minutes.
Definitely the folks from Pacific Environmental are very knowledgeable, shared their knowledge and carefully explained many procedures.
Larry from WorksafeBC also was very clear about his role and the role of WorksafeBC which was great to hear.
The folks from the school district? Well, I need to be polite I suppose but Nancy Johnston should not be part of this process barely uttered a word of truth and did more verbal damage than good.
In regard to pod 300 I think that the process they are undertaking to keep the pod safe while the abatement work is undertaken should keep everyone safe from harmful chemicals, mould and asbestos but then again, breakdowns do happen. Is there a risk? Yes, small but yes, anything can happen but I did feel better hearing the details of how they were keeping the pod safe for our kids and teachers. I did suggest that while the abatement work was happening that the kids should be taught in another space but I don't see that happening.
One thing for sure that I think more parents who attended became aware of is the fact that the district has done an incredibly terrible job of communicating to parents. Period. And that needs to change. We have a new area superintendent (yeah!) and hopefully he is miles better than the last one.
It was also clear in the meeting that the work that has been done has been done only because WorksafeBC has basically demanded it be done, and within time lines. And WorksafeBC only got involved because of callers from parents and teachers calling out of concern. Otherwise WorksafeBC wouldn't have known about the asbestos or the mould and the work wouldn't have been done. I believe the district has been issued a verbal warning of a pretty hefty fine if they do not follow the instructions of WorksafeBC. Another school in the Lower Mainland was issued a large fine for violating the "recommendations" of WorksafeBC for exactly the same kind of asbestos related issues.
When a small group of parents asked Larry in private after the general meeting was over if we could relax now, stop thinking we have to be vigilant with the school we were told "No". We were told we needed to keep looking out and doing what we have been doing in order to ensure the school district does what it's supposed to do.
Larry also addressed the parents and told them that if they have any concerns they should call anytime to WorksafeBC, either anonymously or not and any concerns will be looking into within a 5 day window.
In the end I still think the district will put their bottom line ahead of the health and safety of our children and teachers but at least the process has been started and they are being held accountable and we do have WorksafeBC and Fraser Health to back us up and be there for all of us. There is comfort in that.
Nothing happens overnight and I think we are moving in the right direction but there is a lot of work still ahead.
I'd personally like to step back, take a breather from this and focus on getting ready for Halloween.
But wait, have you seen the ferns growing on the inside of the ceiling in the library? Hmmm...
Wishing you all a wonderful 3 day weekend with your kids! For more information on WorksafeBC, click on the link here to go directly to their site. WorksafeBC website
There was a great turnout of parents and guest speakers which was really great to see.
There seemed to be a small mix of reviews of the meeting and it would be great to see and hear what you thought.
In my opinion the meeting was good on one hand and not so on another. There was not enough time allotted to parents to ask questions and for me that was the purpose of the meeting. Being asked to submit questions ahead of time made me question the integrity of the meeting and most of those questions were never answered by the panel which was disappointing and a let down to parents. The parents were cut off from asking questions after only a few minutes.
Definitely the folks from Pacific Environmental are very knowledgeable, shared their knowledge and carefully explained many procedures.
Larry from WorksafeBC also was very clear about his role and the role of WorksafeBC which was great to hear.
The folks from the school district? Well, I need to be polite I suppose but Nancy Johnston should not be part of this process barely uttered a word of truth and did more verbal damage than good.
In regard to pod 300 I think that the process they are undertaking to keep the pod safe while the abatement work is undertaken should keep everyone safe from harmful chemicals, mould and asbestos but then again, breakdowns do happen. Is there a risk? Yes, small but yes, anything can happen but I did feel better hearing the details of how they were keeping the pod safe for our kids and teachers. I did suggest that while the abatement work was happening that the kids should be taught in another space but I don't see that happening.
One thing for sure that I think more parents who attended became aware of is the fact that the district has done an incredibly terrible job of communicating to parents. Period. And that needs to change. We have a new area superintendent (yeah!) and hopefully he is miles better than the last one.
It was also clear in the meeting that the work that has been done has been done only because WorksafeBC has basically demanded it be done, and within time lines. And WorksafeBC only got involved because of callers from parents and teachers calling out of concern. Otherwise WorksafeBC wouldn't have known about the asbestos or the mould and the work wouldn't have been done. I believe the district has been issued a verbal warning of a pretty hefty fine if they do not follow the instructions of WorksafeBC. Another school in the Lower Mainland was issued a large fine for violating the "recommendations" of WorksafeBC for exactly the same kind of asbestos related issues.
When a small group of parents asked Larry in private after the general meeting was over if we could relax now, stop thinking we have to be vigilant with the school we were told "No". We were told we needed to keep looking out and doing what we have been doing in order to ensure the school district does what it's supposed to do.
Larry also addressed the parents and told them that if they have any concerns they should call anytime to WorksafeBC, either anonymously or not and any concerns will be looking into within a 5 day window.
In the end I still think the district will put their bottom line ahead of the health and safety of our children and teachers but at least the process has been started and they are being held accountable and we do have WorksafeBC and Fraser Health to back us up and be there for all of us. There is comfort in that.
Nothing happens overnight and I think we are moving in the right direction but there is a lot of work still ahead.
I'd personally like to step back, take a breather from this and focus on getting ready for Halloween.
But wait, have you seen the ferns growing on the inside of the ceiling in the library? Hmmm...
Wishing you all a wonderful 3 day weekend with your kids! For more information on WorksafeBC, click on the link here to go directly to their site. WorksafeBC website
Monday, October 18, 2010
Meeting is Tomorrow Evening at 7:00pm
Please attend the meeting tomorrow at 7:00pm at the school. Bring your questions and hear what the folks from Pacific Environmental and WorksafeBC have to say. This should be a very interesting and informative meeting and hopefully clear up a lot of concerns.
If you can't make the meeting but want to make sure your question is asked please leave it in the comment form below.
One more thought for the day: There seems to be two schools (no pun intended) of thought about the level of concern over the mould and asbestos issues within our children's school. In the end though I think we can all agree that what we all want is a safe, healthy environment for all our kids when they go to school every day. And that, in the end, is what this meeting tomorrow night is all about. Please be there, our kids deserve this kind of support. Thank you.
If you can't make the meeting but want to make sure your question is asked please leave it in the comment form below.
One more thought for the day: There seems to be two schools (no pun intended) of thought about the level of concern over the mould and asbestos issues within our children's school. In the end though I think we can all agree that what we all want is a safe, healthy environment for all our kids when they go to school every day. And that, in the end, is what this meeting tomorrow night is all about. Please be there, our kids deserve this kind of support. Thank you.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
300 POD MOULD AND ASBESTOS LEAKAGES
Did you receive the letter about the mould and asbestos leakages occurring in the crawlspace in the 300 pod?
Is your child in one of the classrooms there?
Why wasn't the work done this summer when they were doing the work for the same reasons on the east side of the pod and the workers told some parents that the whole pod was in the same condition?
Are they guaranteeing in writing that our kids will be 100% safe while the initial remediation work is being conducted?
How often are they conducting safety tests?
If you haven't seen the report in full, please click here to go directly to the report from Pacific Environmental on our school's website. There are several attached photos of the mould and asbestos all over the crawlspace directly underneath our children's classrooms.
How safe do you feel our kids are in this pod?
Is your child in one of the classrooms there?
Why wasn't the work done this summer when they were doing the work for the same reasons on the east side of the pod and the workers told some parents that the whole pod was in the same condition?
Are they guaranteeing in writing that our kids will be 100% safe while the initial remediation work is being conducted?
How often are they conducting safety tests?
If you haven't seen the report in full, please click here to go directly to the report from Pacific Environmental on our school's website. There are several attached photos of the mould and asbestos all over the crawlspace directly underneath our children's classrooms.
How safe do you feel our kids are in this pod?
Monday, October 4, 2010
PARENT QUESTION FORUM
OK, we have a date for our parent meeting to discuss the health of our school.
Please mark your calendars for Tuesday, October 19.
The parent meeting will be held right after the PAC meeting is over. The PAC meeting begins at 7:00pm and it is scheduled to be a very brief meeting so that our parent meeting can get underway.
We are expecting that representatives from WorksafeBC and Pacific Environmental will be there to answer all our questions.
Mrs. Brine has asked in a letter she sent home today if parents could email questions to her.
Questions can also be posted here and if you cannot make the meeting we will make sure all questions posted here are asked at the meeting.
Can you make it? What do you want to know?
Please read Tamsin's note below regarding the evening's schedule. So, 7:00 is the time to arrive!
Tamsin, do we know where the meeting will take place? Library or gym?
To clarify - the information session will be the only item on the agenda for the Oct 19th meeting. Any other PAC business can be tabled until the November meeting so the questions surrounding the school environment can be addressed.
Thanks!
Tamsin
Please mark your calendars for Tuesday, October 19.
The parent meeting will be held right after the PAC meeting is over. The PAC meeting begins at 7:00pm and it is scheduled to be a very brief meeting so that our parent meeting can get underway.
We are expecting that representatives from WorksafeBC and Pacific Environmental will be there to answer all our questions.
Mrs. Brine has asked in a letter she sent home today if parents could email questions to her.
Questions can also be posted here and if you cannot make the meeting we will make sure all questions posted here are asked at the meeting.
Can you make it? What do you want to know?
Please read Tamsin's note below regarding the evening's schedule. So, 7:00 is the time to arrive!
Tamsin, do we know where the meeting will take place? Library or gym?
To clarify - the information session will be the only item on the agenda for the Oct 19th meeting. Any other PAC business can be tabled until the November meeting so the questions surrounding the school environment can be addressed.
Thanks!
Tamsin
Parent Information Session
Please check your child's notices that came home today. Janet Brine has sent home a letter and the parent meeting regarding the health of our school is scheduled for October 19th at 7:00pm.
My understanding is that the PAC meeting will occur first and be brief. Then, the parent information meeting will commence.
Mrs. Brine is asking for questions to be emailed to her in advance which I believe will be forwarded to the district in advance of the meeting however we have been trying to confirm today that all parents will be able to ask any questions in an open question forum at the meeting and although we do not have a definate answer on this we are hopeful.
My understanding is that the PAC meeting will occur first and be brief. Then, the parent information meeting will commence.
Mrs. Brine is asking for questions to be emailed to her in advance which I believe will be forwarded to the district in advance of the meeting however we have been trying to confirm today that all parents will be able to ask any questions in an open question forum at the meeting and although we do not have a definate answer on this we are hopeful.
Friday, October 1, 2010
No Firm Date for Parent Meeting Yet...
There isn't a firm date yet for the parent meeting but it may follow a PAC meeting possibly next month which would mean a Tuesday evening.
The date will be posted here as soon as we know.
In the meantime, if the meeting takes place on a Tuesday evening following a PAC meeting and you can't make it please list your questions here and we'll make sure they are asked. And then we can also post answers here too.
Many questions are being circulated which is great, it's getting us thinking and I think this is going to be a very positive meeting where we can finally get answers where we don't have them now.
Question away! I don't think you even need to leave you name on the comment box if you don't want to, but the more questions, the more answers and the better we'll all feel about the health of our school. Thanks everyone,
hope you all have a great weekend!
The date will be posted here as soon as we know.
In the meantime, if the meeting takes place on a Tuesday evening following a PAC meeting and you can't make it please list your questions here and we'll make sure they are asked. And then we can also post answers here too.
Many questions are being circulated which is great, it's getting us thinking and I think this is going to be a very positive meeting where we can finally get answers where we don't have them now.
Question away! I don't think you even need to leave you name on the comment box if you don't want to, but the more questions, the more answers and the better we'll all feel about the health of our school. Thanks everyone,
hope you all have a great weekend!
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