Time for a Pod Update

When we send our children off to school we naturally assume that they are going to be:

• safe
• well educated
• nurtured by their teachers and staff
• fed, usually with a healthy lunch from home
• their physical needs for fresh air and exercise will be met
• be provided with a school that is healthy for them to be in

It is this last point that has brought about so much concern over the last year.  It took parents to expose the truth about the unhealthy conditions that existed within our school, conditions that were making many our of children very sick with unexplained symptoms that only occurred during the school year but mysteriously disappeared during school breaks.  Some of those children went through doctors and testing and it is now known that many of our children are literally allergic to the unhealthy conditions at our school, that our school was making them sick.  This is not acceptable and that is what many parents have been working to have corrected. 
Unfortunately, like almost everything else, the district has a budget and doesn't want to spend money they don't have to (except it seems unless it's for a brand new building for themselves).  Exposing the truth last year didn't seem to be quite enough for the district to act though. 
What also needed to happen was basically an intervention of sorts.  When a larger more powerful entity was approached, they were able to elbow their way into the picture and demand compliance from the district to start cleaning up their act. 
Has the school been compliant?  Sort of.  And very slowly.  In a way that is acceptable to the parents who have worked tirelessly to stay on top of this?  The answer is No. 
The truth is that the district has been ,as one parent beautifully puts it, "dancing" around these issues.  Many people in positions to push the district to do the work they should have done a very long time ago are equally frustrated that the district has taken so long to get any work underway.  Why?  Because it costs money, that's why.  The less investigating they do, the less money they'll need to spend.  The more investigating they do, the more they'll keep finding as is the case here and that costs more money.  Pretty simple really.  Money over kids.  That's no surprise. 
But, what is unacceptable is that the district has not actually come up with real solutions to these very real problems. 
Taking pod 300 as an example we, the parents, were lied to about the investigation even after repeated questions about how, where and when they had done an investigation.  When the truth finally came out the district really had some serious dancing to do.  And they should have been embarrassed by the truth. 
When they decided to dig up the south end of the building many parents in the construction and building industry were shaking their heads and wondering why they were doing what they were doing.  It didn't make much sense.  During the process the fans that were supposed to keep the air safe for the kids weren't all functioning and yet it was once again parents who discovered this and brought it to the attention of the school who then had to bring in the professionals right away to have fixed.  It was a mess.  How much money was spent on that operation?  And guess what, it didn't work.  Many of us aren't surprised.  Instead of resolving issues, the district continues to apply band aid solutions.  That never works.  Not in the long run. 
Now, they are going to dig up the west side of the building because the moisture, mould etc. is still continuing underneath that pod.  This problem won't go away until they get to the root of the problem which they should have done last summer while the kids were off. 

The recent reports regarding pod 400 are still coming out but at some point they are going to be installing a negative air system.  What they haven't told us is whether they are going to use a hepa filter or not.  That question has been posed and has still not been answered.  Ask anyone in the know and they'll tell you that it would be very foolish to not use a hepa filter as that would create all the unhealthy air to be blown out for everyone to breathe in.  That means mould, vermiculite and asbestos will be breathed in by our kids and parents who walk their children to classrooms.  Unacceptable.  Parents are once again pushing to have a hepa filter in place but who knows what they will do. 
Furthermore, if the district was smart about being money efficient they would apply a hepa filter negative air system underneath pod 300 until they resolve the water issues there.  It'll save them bundles in the long run. 
It has been widely discussed by many professionals in the field and reported back to not only the school district but to parents as well that the district has not done all it should have done, that the district is acting far too slowly and that they should be doing much more to ensure the safety and well being of our school for our children and their own staff. 
A building envelope report has been done, nobody has seen it yet but hopefully it gives us more answers and provides more information as to what needs to be done.  Why this report is taking so long to be released is also another question many people, not just parents, are asking. 
We don't want any more band aids, we want solutions and we want them now. 

More Mould? Pod 400 this time

A few parents received an email today from our school (Peace Arch) about the possibility of mould under pod 400.  This finding is due because of the continued pushing from parents to regularly inspect our school.  Here is a portion of that email that directly relates to this new finding. 

Interestingly, I have heard of at least one student in this pod experiencing such strong respitory problems they have had to stay home from school. 

...the presence of suspicious substances in the crawlspace of pod 400.‹ The PEC specialist is coming in today to clarify this finding and to confirm whether the substance on the concrete and wood is mould, vermiculite or calcification.‹‹‹ As soon as the PEC specialist completes her work today (including an air sampling of pod 400), Bernadine will finalize the update and it will be sent to you and posted on the website.‹ Thank you for your patience.

Do you have any children in the school having unexplained symptoms? 

We will continue to update any information we have as it comes in. 

Please feel free to leave a comment or ask a question here.  If we stick together as parents we can make this school healthier and safer for all of our kids. 

Letter from Peace Arch to the District - Need Parents to Vote on

This is the letter that parents can vote on to support or not at the PAC meeting next Tuesday. 

If you cannot attend the meeting, please voice your comments, support or not either here (they will be passed along) or the school's PAC directly.  Thank you for your support of this super important issue. 

To: Surrey School District #36

From: Peace Arch Elementary PAC

On behalf of the parents of children currently attending Peace Arch Elementary School,

the Peace Arch Elementary PAC would like to express our disapproval of the new bell

schedule being contemplated at Earl Marriott High School.

Earl Marriott is the high school that both our geographic catchment and French

Immersion programs feed into. As such, decisions made at Earl Marriott Secondary

today impact the futures of our students and families. Indeed, many of the families

currently attending Peace Arch Elementary also have students that attend Earl Marriott

High School.

Today, the Peace Arch and Earl Marriott start and end times are quite complimentary to

each other enabling easy family arrangements. Parents can drop their student at Earl

Marriott and then arrive at Peace Arch when school yard supervision begins. Likewise,

pick-up is similarly complimentary. The new schedule disrupts this significantly. Start

and stop times will change from complimentary to 2 distinctly separate times (greater

than 30 min separation) for most, and for many 3 distinct start times should the family

consist of an elementary, junior and senior aged students. Morning and night, this leads to

2 hours of inefficiency for families that are already starved for time in a busy world.

Of particular note is the impact on our French Immersion program which attracts families

from throughout the area, not just our catchment. These families drive their children to

school as no bussing program exists. The separation of times between the schools is

beyond inefficient, it could stand as a barrier to the opportunity of learning that the

French Immersion program represents.

It is our belief that altering school start times does not address the reality that a building

can only house so many students. In the case of Earl Marriott, that is between 1200 and

1500 students. Staggering start times will do nothing other than cause an overcapacity of

students to be crammed into a school for an extra 80 minutes a day while students arrive

too early for their late start, or leave too late for their early dismissal. The math of this

proposal only works if students are mandated to leave the school when not scheduled in

class, there is no place for them to wait for their sibling. A school is not adequate unless

it can provide a safe learning environment for all of its students for as much time as they

need it.

The core issue that needs to be addressed is the overcrowding of Earl Marriott School

created by the extensive development of new neighbourhoods outside of the Peace Arch

catchment. This issue must be addressed by building the corresponding infrastructure

required to support this development.

Sincerely,

Peace Arch PAC Meeting - Next Tuesday at 7:00pm

Just heard that the Peace Arch PAC meeting next Tuesday, March 15 will centre around the proposed bell schedule for Earl Marriott Secondary.  The principal from the school will be there to talk about it with parents as well as a member of the Surrey Teacher's Association. 

I know these weeknight events are hard to attend with family schedules but this really is an important one.  If you can make it, please do. 

Also on the adgenda is a vote from parents about a letter from our school being sent to Earl Marriott stating our displeasure over the new schedule and that we want and need new schools to be built now.  If you cannot attend the meeting but would like your vote counted regarding this letter please either comment here or visit the school's PAC site and let your thoughts be known there.  Super important! 

Below is the adgenda for Tuesday's meeting at the school. 

PEACE ARCH ELEMENTARY PAC MEETING AGENDA	Tuesday, March 15, 2011 School Library
Attendees:
Agenda Items
Introductions		7:00 – 7:05	All
Adoption of Minutes from Previous Meeting		7:05 – 7:10	All
Treasurer’s Report		7:10 – 7:20	Karen Castelli
Principal’s Report		7:20 – 7:30	Janet Brine
Spring Festival Planning		7:30 – 7:40	Karen Castelli
Earl Marriott Secondary Proposed Bell Schedule		7:40 – 7:50	Peter Johnson Principal EMS
Earl Marriott Secondary Proposed Bell Schedule		7:50 – 8:00	Denise Moffatt Surrey Teacher’s Association
Q&A		8:00 – 8:15	All
Vote on PAC support of Letter to EMS		8:15 – 8:25	David Brown
Other Business		8:25 – 8:30	Karen Castelli

Rally This Sunday A Must Attend Event for All South Surrey Parents!

This just in...

Good morning,

As some of you may have heard by now through word of mouth, there is a rally planned this Sunday at Holland Park to draw further attention to Surrey’s need for new schools. We feel this will be a nice continuation of the publicity generated over the last couple of weeks by the student walkouts at Earl Marriott and Lord Tweedsmuir, protesting the extended days that have been forced upon those schools by the severe overcrowding. A press release is being sent out today, and all of our local politicians are being invited. We will have postcards at the rally for parents to sign and mail right away – we’re going to see about making a march to the mailbox part of the rally. The rally is being organized by SFU student Paul Hillsdon, and scheduled to speak are STA President Denise Moffatt, DPAC Co-President Bob Holmes, and one or two students.

There is a Facebook page for the event:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=116453575096967

And here are the details from that page:

Time

13 March · 13:00 - 14:00

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Location

Holland Park near the fountains

13428 Old Yale Road

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Created by:

Paul Hillsdon

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More info

Join Surrey students, teachers, parents, and concerned citizens this Sunday to take a stand for quality education and demand Christy Clark's government build 8 new schools now! 1pm on Sunday!

With over 800 new residents a month, Surrey is one of the few districts in the province with increasing enrollment. Despite repeated requests, the provincial government has refused to provide Surrey with new capital funding since 2005. With ...numerous schools operating well above capacity, there are currently 232 portables across the district, meaning over 7000 students will learn in a portable this year.

The Board of Education, seeking other temporary solutions to overcrowding, has recently pursued controversial extended day schedules, as well encouraged students to take classes online. The Board estimates that 8 new schools are needed today to deal with overcrowding - an estimate that doesn’t even consider growth in the coming years.

NOTE: The event begins at 1PM! Don't forget to switch your clocks forward the night before.

We feel it’s extremely important to get as many people out to this rally as possible to keep the pressure on our government. Please pass the word along to your PACs and other Surrey parents, or anyone who has an interest in Surrey being able to provide our kids with an education in a safe, comfortable environment that meets all of their educational needs.

As mentioned on the Facebook page, keep in mind that the clocks go forward on Saturday night.

We are also looking for help with a couple of items. We are in need of a portable gazebo-style shelter, and a PA set-up for our speakers. If anyone has access to either of these items, please email me back as soon as possible. They will of course be used outside in whatever weather we get this Sunday.

We hope to see many of you and your friends, and their friends, and their friends, this Sunday afternoon, rain or shine.

Thanks,

Surrey DPAC

This Just In...

I was recently emailed about some updated changes to take effect at Earl Marriott Highschool as a direct result of the changing schedules for the kids next year.  Because of going onto dual bell schedules with a difference of about 1 1/2 hours in start and finish times for the students, the following changes are to take place:

1. There will be no honours math offered to grade 8 students...the reason...because of the new schedule it can't be worked in...heard this from two parents after their kids were trying to do course selection....
2. For Morgan/Rosemary Heights students the first bus will pick the kids up at 6:55AM...these kids are going to be zombies plus standing out in the dark for most of the year waiting for the bus...this is 25 minutes earlier than the current schedule....big impact for familiesI think this is only the tip of the iceberg...

What other changes good or bad are we going to see in the near future? 

Answers to Some of the Questions Being Raised at EMS

I was wondering how families with children in two different grades would be able to accomodate drop offs and pick up times.  Here is the school's answer. 

17. Q. As a family, we have two or more children at EMS who are on different

schedules. Can we still drop-off and pick-up our children at the same time? Or

do we have to make multiple trips to the school for drop-off or pick-up?

A. No, you do not have to make multiple drop-off or pick-up trips to EMS.

Supervision will be provided for your child through the entire school day.

As parents, you will determine the needs for your family.

Read more questions from a recently published report about the new bell schedule being proposed at EMS.

EMS Makes the News Again!

Earl Marriot made the newspaper again this week expressing grave concern over the crisis looming in the future of the students and their families. 
How do we get the message to our new premier so that she will actually do something that makes a positive change for the entire Surrey school district in a timely fashion, and by this I mean NOW! 
Would she send her son to EMS under the proposed conditions? 

What Do You Suggest? How to Deal with an Overcrowded High School

So what do you think?  What do you want to see when your children attend high school?  Or maybe you have a child there already.  What do you want to see happen?  Click on the comment button below and share your ideas and thoughts about how to make this situation better for the kids. 

New Website Address for the School

A notice went home with our children indicating a new website address for Peace Arch Elementary.
The link on the right side of this website has been updated, just click on it or cut and paste it from this posting.

http://www.sd36.bc.ca/peacea/

Have a great day everyone!

Peace Arch Newspaper article

An article about the school crisis, in particular our local high school crisis was published in the Peace Arch News.  To view the article click here. 

Letter from an EMS parent

Below is a letter written from a parent of two children, one attending EMS at the present time and one who will need to enter EMS soon. 

Even if your child is only in grade 1 or 2 this concerns you.  This is a concern for all parents because what they institute now will likely be the way of the school by the time mine and your younger children are ready to attend high school. 

Thank you Michael for this information. 

Alternate Bell Schedule at EMS

This Email is intended for parents with a child(ren) presently at EMS or parents with a child(ren) who will be at EMS in September 2011.

Please email this to any current EMS Parent

or future EMS parent.

There is a lot of misinformation regarding the planned alternate bell schedule at EMS.  The following is intended to provide accurate information on this subject.

Fact:       There was no parent consultation regarding this plan.

Fact:       The projected enrollment for EMS in September 2011 is 67 more students than 2010.  (However, if this alternate bell schedule occurs, there will likely be a decrease in enrollment.)

Fact: There are six secondary schools in Surrey with more portables than EMS.

Fraser Heights 16

Panorama Ridge 12

Kwantlen Park 11

Clayton Heights 10

Guildford Park 9

Semiahmoo 9

Fact:       There is projected to be a surplus of approximately 20 portables in Surrey in September. The cost of moving a portable is between $5,000 and $6,000.

Fact:       This alternate bell schedule is not being implemented because it will improve student learning, only because it might save money.

Fact: No other Surrey high school is going to go on a schedule like this where students will only take four out of five blocks.

Fact:       With hundreds of students not in a class each block supervision and student safety will be compromised.

Fact:  School clubs will not be able to have students in grade 8 -12.

Fact:       School sports teams will not be on the same after school schedule as other local high schools.

Fact:       Intramurals will not be able to run as they have in the past because there will be students in classes during both lunches.

Fact:       Many out of catchment students have been enrolled at EMS over the past few years and two elementary school’s catchment areas were moved from Semi to EMS to increase enrollment to support a case for building a new school.

Fact:       The majority of EMS teachers are not in favour of the alternate bell schedule.

Fact:       If EMS goes ahead with this bell schedule and the School Board was to open the boundaries at Semi and Elgin Park, hundreds of students would move to these schools.

Fact:       Semi and Elgin can take more students than they currently are projected for.

Fact: Parents have not been provided with good answers to any of their questions.

THIS IS NOT A DONE DEAL YET.

 PARENTS NEED TO ACT NOW!

November 2011 is a civic election year.  Contact the trustees below and let them know that you are not in favour of the alternate bell schedule for EMS.

Trustees

Ms. Laurae McNally              604 531-1091

McNally_L@sd36.bc.ca

Mr. Shaun Wilson              604 583-0833

Wilson_S@sd36.bc.ca

Terry Allen                     604 580-0341

Allen_T@sd36.bc.ca

Ijaz Chatha                     604 597-9619

Chatha_I@sd36.bc.ca

Pam Glass                     604 536-1305

Glass_P@sd36.bc.ca

Laurie Larson                     604 594-4317

Larson_L@sd36.bc.ca

Reni Masi                            604 599-5944

Masi_R@sd36.bc.ca