PIC Meeting and Concerns

 I’ve copied an email below which was circulated from the Board over the weekend re: a Parent Involvement Committee meeting.  My email, to Superintendent, Yaw Obeng is also below, in red. I’m curious if any of you received Yaw’s email – it actually came via Jacki Oxley.   My frustration, on behalf of Halton Council is simple… the HDSB had a series of meetings last year – with little accomplished – parents have been waiting for an update and now… apparently decisions we (parents) thought we’d have input about have been made.   Your comments please.    

I’d like to know if your principals actually actively seek a parent to send as an official representative of the school for the “PIC list”.  

Finally, have your schools received PIC funds for this year?  Was the amount the same as last year or less? 

PLEASE post your comments.   This is VERY important.  We (parents) spend a lot of time demanding to be heard and PIC, in theory, offers us that so we need to be on top of the process!!

 Maureen   

   Sent on Behalf of Yaw Obeng, Superintendent – Parent/ Community Engagement

Greetings, With the new year upon us we are excited  to commence the activities of the HDSB – Parent Involvement Committee (PIC). In 2005 the Ministry of Education developed a parent engagement policy which directed school boards to develop a board-wide parent group to network, consult and give input on school matters. This year we intend involving all parents in events and activities addressing current topics that impact on parents and students. The attached flyer highlights our first event which has a Technology theme.  These events will rotate to the different geographical areas of our Board.  These events will have a formal component where future business of the Parent Involvement Committee will be conducted.  Please share this attached flyer to all interested parties.

Prinicipals are asked to send one parent representative per school for the official PIC list. Schools are more than welcome to have more than one person attend the PIC meeting but we will require at least one name to attend and represent a school.Looking forward to seeing you there. Please send any questions to obengy@hdsb.caThank YouYaw  Yaw, As President of the Halton Council of Home and School Associations, I have some questions re: the flyer and email sent out yesterday regarding PIC. Though the presentation scheduled for February 28/ re: Facebook certainly is current and of interest to parents… can you please clarify how the HDSB Parent Involvement Committee is sponsoring this, when we do not have a committee?  How is this being funded?   The email states each school is to send a named parent to this meeting.  Are these parents then the committee?  What role will they play?  Will they be “voting” members of the committee?  How will the executive be chosen?  Who will make up the executive?   Despite a series of meetings last year, which for the most part were well attend and certainly promoted parent involvement and comment, parents in Halton were left without a PIC as such.  It now seems that the look of PIC has been determined without final input from parents.  Can you please confirm?   Thanking you in advance for your attention to these questions.  Maureen SmithersPresident, Halton Council of Home and School Associations