July 18, 2023

District Parents Advisory Council

First, here are some abbreviations and what they stand for:

PAC: Parents Advisory Council

DPAC: District Parents Advisory Council (email)

BCCPAC: BC Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils

DPAC Purpose and Tasks

(from BCCPAC Leadership Manual for School & District Parent Advisory Councils Section 2):

The purpose or role of a DPAC reflects the purposes of its member PACs, namely:

To promote the interests of public education by fostering Co-operation and communication among parents, students, educators, and school district representatives
To advise the school board on parental views about the school district’s programs and policies
To communicate with parents about school district policies, programs and activities
To assist parents and PACs in accessing the system
To assist its members in obtaining information about school, district, and provincial programs and policies and in communicating with district representatives
To liaise with the partner groups and community organizations
To promote a positive image of the public school system within the district

DPAC Annual Tasks

Most of the Annual Tasks of the DPAC are similar to those of the PACS and may be briefly summarized as follows (please see the BCCPAC Leadership Manual for School & District Parent Advisory Councils Section 1 for details):

AGM and annual election of the executive (preferably at the beginning of the new school year in order to include any new families)
Annual review of the (D)PAC Constitution and by-laws
Annual planning and prioritizing of goals for upcoming school year, to include a review of existing practices, especially as they may pertain to the inclusion of and communication with the parents of the children attending the school: possible issues for review and/or questions to ask – how are parents new to the school made to feel welcome, and are all parents invited and encouraged to attend meetings? Are meeting dates and times planned and announced in advance? Is energy given to imagining creative and/or alternative ways in which individuals might be able to participate? Parents do not need to be involved in their school PAC, but they should be welcome and know that the resource is available to them.
Annual year-end review of plan and goals

Gulf Islands District Parent Advisory Council

(As per the Gulf Islands DPAC constitution currently under review):

The aims and objectives of the Gulf Islands District Parent Advisory Council shall be:

to provide a link between parents, educators, administrators, the Board of Trustees, the Ministry of Education and community organizations with an interest in education
to have a voice in the development of new and revised educational programs within School District # 64
to provide leadership in developing and understanding the rights and responsibilities of parents within the educational system
to help parents become more familiar with the facilities and services of School District # 64 thereby ensuring their children’s maximum usage of the school system
to provide leadership in initiating, maintaining, encouraging, and further developing Parent Advisory Councils at the individual school level within School District No. 64

The DPAC generally meets the third Monday of the Month 6:30 - 8:30 pm via zoom.

District Parent Advisory Contact Information

To contact your DPAC representative, please call the school (listed below) and leave a message or send an email to DPAC.

Fernwood: 250-537-9332
Fulford: 250-653-9223
Galiano: 250-539-2261
GISS: 250-537-9944
Mayne: 250-539-2371
Pender: 250-629-3711
Phoenix: 250-537-1156
SSE: 250-537-9928
Saturna: 250-539-2472