Thursday, September 1, 2016

A Welcome Back Message From Your PAC Chair

Hello Vic West families!

I can't believe another summer is behind us. I hope you all had a great one, and I look forward to seeing new and familiar faces - and marveling at how much all the kids grew over the summer - when we head back next Tuesday!

I thought I would give you a heads-up on some of the things coming up early in the school year.

Firstly, a warm welcome to our new principal, Marla Margetts! We look forward to working as a team for our wonderful school.

Secondly, a HUGE thank-you to the many volunteers who made last year so successful! From Dianne Ewing being our childcare champion so folks can come to the PAC meetings, to Brianna Perry heading up the Scholastic Book Fair to countless others, y’all rock. 

Our first PAC meeting will be September 14. This will be an important one, as we will be doing elections. Vacant positions include secretary, vice-chair, and, yes, chair. This will be my 6th year with the PAC and 4th on the executive and I need to step back and focus on other things – though I am still very committed to following through on the playground project regardless of whether I am on the executive. Do not worry, if you choose to step up, you will be supported immensely. At the least, I am looking for someone to partner with in the chair position. It would be a great way to pass the torch and share knowledge for a smooth transition. We invite your energy and ideas and urge you to join us in any way you can - PAC meetings always include free childcare.

At the meeting, we also plan to have the concept drawings for our back field natural playground and later at the Welcome Back BBQ and in school locations TBA. This project, which was requested by administration, has been two years in the making and we are keen to bring it to fruition. We have been working hard on grant applications this summer and are very hopeful that we will see a lot happening this year with the natural playground. It will be the main focus of my activity personally in my role as one of the 'playground team.'

The Welcome Back BBQ will take place September 15 from 4 to 6 p.m. - we will need volunteers to help make the event a success and will be in touch with details! Save the date!

Again, please consider getting involved in whatever way you can, or contacting me (vicwestpac@gmail.com) if you would like more information regarding the duties of the chair or other executive position. It does not have to be a huge time commitment, but together we can keep offering the school beneficial events like you’ll see in this document - A Year in the Life of the Vic West PAC - which outlines our many activities in 2015/2016.

In the meantime, I look forward to working together to make another successful and memorable school year!

Warm wishes,
Aaren Madden, Your (outgoing) Vic West PAC Chair

Saturday, May 7, 2016

2016 Wild & Wacky Walkathon


Our second annual Wild & Wacky Walkathon was a huge success! Students collected over $10,000 in pledges and walked their hearts out on Friday, May 6th, dressed in their wildest and wackiest outfits.

Fundraising incentive prizes this year included wacky colour-changing water bottles, gift cards for Spiral Cafe, passes for Esquimalt Recreation, market bucks for the Esquimalt Farmers Market, Vic West Elementary t-shirts and movie passes for Cineplex. There was also a grand prize of a 1-year family membership to the Royal BC Museum.

The wackiest class competition, as judged by former Vic West custodian Daryl, was another tie again this year - Mr. Kennedy's class and Ms. Prince's class walked away with the wacky gold trophy to share between their classrooms.

The pizza party lunch prize goes to the class that raised the most money, and this year that prize went to Ms. Gerber's class. They'll be enjoying a lunch from Hot House Pizza in Westside Village.

The student that raised the most money brought in over $600, and it was a touching moment in the walkathon assembly when he stood up proudly as the whole school applauded his achievement.

Congratulations, everyone, and thank you to all our volunteers who helped make this year's walkathon such a huge success!

Here are some fun photos from the event:









Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Family Movie Night - Inside Out


The PAC's next FREE family movie night is Thursday, February 25th at 6 p.m. Come see Inside Out in the school gym with other school families. Parent volunteers will be selling popcorn, juice and other snacks. Come in your jammies if you wish, and bring pillows and a blanket to get comfy. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

See you there!

Friday, January 22, 2016

Parents Come Together for First-Aid Education

 
Parents from Vic West and Macaulay came together for a fun and informative session with Alert First-Aid Thursday night in our school library. The group learned about how to help someone who is choking, how to perform CPR, how to use an EpiPen and more. The session was free for parents to attend and child care was provided in the gym.
 
A big thank you to Macaulay PAC for co-presenting this event with Vic West PAC! It was wonderful to make some new connections in our community.
 
If you have an idea for a future parent education session, please let PAC volunteers know: vicwestpac@gmail.com.