Kitsilano PAC | January 2023 Newsletter

Happy New Year!

Our January PAC meeting is on Tuesday, Jan. 24 in-person in the Kits Secondary Theatre.

This is a chance to kick-off the new year with a face to face gathering and a welcome by our Kitsilano Jazz Band. The February meeting will be held on-line.

Each December, PAC shows our appreciation for the efforts of the teachers, staff, and administrators with a Cookie Bash. Sheila K., PAC Secretary, coordinated the event this year and, thanks to so many of you, there was a wonderful abundance of cookies and treats (see pictures below) to show our gratitude to the teachers and staff of Kits Secondary. Thank you Sheila and the team of bakers for all the work!

The December Pub Night was a great success. Thank you to Philip C. and team for your great organization! It was wonderful to meet some new families and have a chance to hear the Kits Jazz Band play. Thank you to members of the Jazz Band for their resourcefulness in working with the Ellis, arranging to be our entertainment for the evening. And a big thank you to the Ellis for hosting us!!

PAC will be at Arts Night! Come by and see us at the PAC table. We would love to meet you!

The What's Next Committee has a number of events coming up for parents and families who are interested in exploring the options after high school. See more details below.

All parents are welcome and encouraged to come to PAC meetings. You will learn more about what is happening at the school and hear from :

·      invited speakers on topics of interest to parents

·      updates from the Principal, Ms Kwon

·      updates from teacher representatives and student council 

Agendas for the upcoming meeting are posted on the PAC website at PAC Meetings - Meeting Dates. The minutes from previous PAC meetings are posted at PAC Meetings - Minutes.

We look forward to you joining us at the next meeting and finding your way to get involved!

Please visit our PAC website for more information.

Tuesday, January 24

7:00 to 9:00 PM

Kits Secondary Theatre

PAC Meeting

In-person!

The January PAC meeting will be held at the school in-person in the school Theatre. We look forward to you joining us.

Full agenda will be on the PAC website HERE.

Tuesday, January 31

7:00 to 9:00 PM

What's Next

Vancouver Community College

What's Next invites you to an online information session with

Danielle Gannon, Supervisor of Student Recruitment and Student Services.

See What's Next section for link or click HERE

Tuesday, February 7

7:00 to 9:00 PM

What's Next

British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT)

What's Next is pleased to host an online information session with

BCIT's Program Advisor Maninder Dhesi

See What's Next section for link or click HERE

March 1, 2023

Information on how to register will be available

closer to the date

Building Bridges

Workshop with SACY

Want to have more fun & strengthen your connection with your teen or pre-teen?

Maybe explore new strategies for boundaries as your teen matures?

How can we encourage responsible and capable youth?

Join SACY presenters for an interactive evening reviewing some of the science behind teen behaviour.

More information about SACY can be found HERE.

January 31st at 7 pm

What's Next invites you to an online information session with

Danielle Gannon, Supervisor of Student Recruitment and Student Services at

Vancouver Community College

Whether your interests are leading you towards automotive repair, business administration, counselling, dance, drafting, or many other options further into the alphabet, VCC offers a wide variety of certificate, diploma, apprenticeship and bachelor's degree programs as well as university transfer courses.

Join us to learn about VCC's programs, application processes and student services.

Check out the viewbook at https://www.vcc.ca/viewbook/

The link to register is HERE

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February 7th at 7 pm

What's Next is pleased to host an online information session with

BCIT's Program Advisor Maninder Dhesi.

BCIT offers practical career credentials designed for the workplace, from diplomas and certificates to bachelor’s and master’s degrees. BCIT covers subjects as diverse as applied and natural sciences, business and media, computing and IT, engineering, health sciences and trades. Different than a college or university, the British Columbia Institute of Technology offers practical, flexible, applied education with instructors who have direct, hands-on experience in their field.

The link to register is HERE

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PAC has a dedicated webpage to past presentations from various post-secondary schools and other resources, including our most recent session with EducationPlanner BC on September 21. The link to that recording expires May 23, so check it out soon! 

The link is HERE

Arts Night – January 18^th – 5:00 – 7:00 pm

The Film, Music, Theatre and Visual Arts Departments at Kitsilano cordially invite parents, students and the community to our Annual Arts Night. As part of a greater Arts Week, we will have a special evening of displays, live art, music, movies, and theatre.



We will also have Grade 7 – 11 Course Planning Sessions.

5:00 – 5:45 PM Grade 7 Parent Information Night

6:00 – 6:45 PM Gr. 8-10 Program Planning Info. Session

7:00 – 7:45 PM Gr. 11-12 Program Planning Info. Session

Everyone is welcome. We’d love to see some future students too!

Kitsilano Secondary PAC is now on FlipGive!

FlipGive is School Funding Made Easy. FlipGive is a free school & team funding app.

Kits PAC earns cash back when you buy gift cards to pay for the things you already need at places like Starbucks, Home Hardware, Walmart and many more. We get paid when you shop online, dine out, book hotels or activities. SIGN UP TODAY, make a purchase and earn a $5 bonus to our account.

Everyone is welcome, so please invite your friends and family.

If you are already a FlipGive expert we'd love to share your tips and tricks. Contact kitspac@hotmail.com to help out.

Instagram has updates on all the sports at Kits Secondary, follow @kitsathletics

For all the updates on the Kits Senior Boys Hockey Team,

follow @kitsilanohockeyassociation

#fillthebarn

Link to the Vancouver DPAC Newsletter January 2023 can be found

on the DPAC website HERE

This includes information on the DPAC Committees and Working Groups, which are open to parents who would like to join them. The newsletter also contains a multitude of helpful resources for parents, guardians and caregivers. It's definitely worth checking out!

A huge thank you to everyone who took time out of their busy holiday season to join us at our first pub night of the current school year! On Dec 13th, parents and students enjoyed a fun evening of mingling, games and live music at The Ellis Restaurant, all while raising money for the PAC's ongoing expenses, including web page hosting and accounting.

A major highlight was the Kitsilano jazz band, providing us with a really great atmosphere by performing a collection of jazzy Christmas songs. Parents and a few students had the chance to catch up with old friends and make some new ones by playing an entertaining game of KINGO, a BINGO style game that tested everyone's knowledge of Kitsilano Highs past and present. It was a fun-filled evening.

Stay tuned for more events hosted by the PAC in 2023!

The Kitsilano PAC has a great tradition of showing appreciation to all our hard working Kitsilano teachers, office staff, janitorial staff and administrators before the Winter Break with the Cookie Bash. 

Kits school spirit was out in full force this year...

Sheila Kirby, PAC Secretary and organizer of this initiative had this to report: We had 75 families register to bring in cookies, which works out to 300+ treat packages, or 1800+ individual treats!

The teachers and staff were excited as they peeked into the office. Parents expressed appreciation at the opportunity to demonstrate their thanks to the teachers and staff. One parent said how nice it was to spend time baking with their high schooler. 

Thank you to Adriana Canedo and Stephanie Ali, two grade 8 parents, who helped receive the cookies in the morning!

Kitsilano Neighbourhood House

• The in-person Youth Drop-in is back. It happens every Friday from 4:30-7:00 pm.
• This is a program for the youth, aged 13-17, to have a space to socialize with peers within the community and have fun on Friday afternoons. Snacks and games are provided and it is completely free. We will also host different monthly events (previous events included holiday celebrations, cooking classes, movies night, and workshops). 
• The monthly Movie Night will be on Friday, January 27th, from 5:00 pm-8:00 pm. This will be a free event and snacks will be provided.  In addition, we will also provide pizza for a $5 fee, please pay cash at the door. Subsidies for the cost of pizza are available if you need one.
• G&F Financial Group will be hosting another financial workshop for all ages on Saturday, February 18th. The location will be G&F West Broadway Branch. The workshop will be about different registered savings plans and how you can use them to Power your possible and shape your financial future. Please see the poster below for more detail. 
• Please sign up for the movie night and workshops by sending an email to chrisy@kitshouse.org. Space is limited.
• Follow our Instagram @ kitshouse.org/youth-drop-in
• Subscribe to the Kits Neighbourhood House Youth Program Newsletter.

Alliance Francaise

• French classes for teens. Various cultural events. Link is here.