Welcome Back to School: A Letter From Your Parent Advisory Council (PAC)

Dear DLG Families,

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The start of the 2021/2022 school year is here! The DLG PAC would like to welcome our new and returning families.​

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What does the PAC do and how can parents get involved?

For those who are not yet aware, all DLG parents/guardians are eligible voting members of the PAC. We meet monthly to organize activities that encourage a sense of community at our school, though this will look quite different for the time being. The PAC fundraises for playground equipment, awards/certificates, extracurricular activities, graduation ceremonies, and more. There are several things we would like to encourage our families to participate in:

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1. PAC Facebook Group (‘David Lloyd George Elementary Parent/Guardian Community 2021/2022’): This group is for parents/guardians of children enrolled at DLG. There are a number of old DLG PAC pages on Facebook that we cannot access to remove, so please use the following link: www.facebook.com/groups/DLGPAC/

2. Monthly PAC Meetings: On the first Tuesday of every month (with the exception of September), we will be hosting our PAC meeting in the school library at 6 PM.

3. Sensory Room Sub-Committee: We are currently seeking sub-committee members to help us design and build the Sensory Room in the new school. Please visit the Sensory Room page for more information.

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Inclusive Education / Students with Diverse Abilities:

We understand that COVID-19 has brought particular concerns to families who care for children with diverse abilities. As a PAC, we are reaching out to our school community to see where we can help. We have a very open and understanding group of teachers/staff and we encourage you to reach out to them first. If you feel that you are in need of further support or information, please send us an email. We would like to continue to promote an inclusive learning environment and understand that there may be students who struggle to adjust for various reasons. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help support your child’s unique needs at this time.

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PAC Statement on Racism in Schools:

DLG is an ethnically and culturally diverse school and as a PAC we believe in working together to create an environment in which all students can thrive. We would like to take a moment to recognize that individual and systemic racism continues to impact those in our community. We are aware that the increased media coverage of race-related violence and discrimination might be stirring up mixed emotions for those with lived experiences of racism. Our schools believe that any occurrences of racism, discrimination, hate speech, violence, or bullying require a ‘restorative justice’ approach that promotes mutual respect and accountability through the encouragement of communication and reconciliation as opposed to punishment. It is important that we all stand committed to protecting our students, families, school staff, and local community members and we encourage families in need of support or intervention to reach out to us if necessary.

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National Truth & Reconciliation Day / Orange Shirt Day 2021:

This year, our school will be closed on September 30th for the new federal holiday "National Truth and Reconciliation Day". Orange Shirt Day – a day to honour and remember the Indigenous children who were taken from their families and sent to residential schools – will take place on September 29th, 2021 for students. Please send your child in an orange shirt to show your support and love to our Indigenous friends, family, and neighbors. We encourage everyone to take a moment to learn more about the story of Phyllis Webstad and the significance of the orange shirt (https://www.orangeshirtday.org/).

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June 2021 Statement Regarding the 215 Children Found at Tk'emlups te Secwepemc Residential School:

The discovery of the remains of 215 Indigenous children on the grounds of the former Kamloops Residential School and the ongoing discoveries at sites across the country has devastated many of our staff, students, families, and community members. In June, the PAC created a Reconciliation Garden in the front of our school - this had to be temporarily removed due to construction but will be rebuilt in the near future. This garden is meant to honour the more than 150,000 Indigenous children who were forcibly removed from their homes and sent to these horrific institutions and remember the thousands who never got to go home to their families again. We stand in solidarity with the Indigenous community and would like to offer our support wherever it is needed.

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Sincerely,
The DLG PAC