7:00 PM  October 14, 2008

Attending: AP, SY, CC, DH, AVR, UD, JM, EK, JM, LG, BB YY, LZ, JF

Welcome and Introductions

Agenda Additions & Approval

• Motion to approve agenda: UD; Second: DH. Carried

Approval of Minutes

• Motion to approve minutes of September 9, 2008: DH; Second: UD. Carried.

 Treasurer’s Report

• Financial statement not presented as there has been no change. A $600 GST rebate has been received and last year’s Big Brother’s cheque also received.

 Student Executive Report

• Student executive is working on some events and fundraisers. They are looking into a double feature movie night at Empire Theatres. Shane will get feedback from students and report back next month; Society offered assistance.
• American Eagle may have a grant available to Inter-A. Students are working on a letter to submit.

Teacher’s Report

• KP Grad commencement date has changed to June 17^th and will be held at Pacific Academy. Dinner/Dance will be June 19^th at the Marriot Pinnacle in Vancouver (during exam week). Inter-A’s Grad dinner will be June 5^th at Morgan Creek.
• October 24^th is a Pro-D Day.
• Inter-A Craft Day will be held Wednesday, December 17^th from around noon to 3 pm. Looking for parents to assist with crafts.
• Winter Activity Day is set for February 4^th and possible activities include skiing, skating, and snowshoeing. KP PAC has granted Inter-A $1200 to use toward activities and transportation.
• School at night will be February 19th
• May Day (themed Inter-A fundraiser) will be held Thursday, April 30^th – Pro-D on May 1^st. A theme has not been selected yet.
• All students participated in the Terry Fox Run to raise funds for the cancer society.
• RB sent thanks to CR and PC for driving students on a recent hiking trip.
• Student RP piece finished in the top ten of the Young Writer’s Conference.
• A recent Facebook incident led to student discussions in large and small groups concerning how one’s actions affect others. Senior students are putting together a social justice project for all students to expand the learning.
• Students Society subsidy required for this year’s retreat was $2500, well within the $4000 budgeted.
• I-Day will no longer be used for students behind in their work as it is not educationally valuable to ‘cram’. Students who receive an Incomplete form will need to work to get caught up.
• Student ND has offered to work on soliciting silent auction items and is working on a letter. Students society will run a silent auction at the May Day Event.

PAC

• PAC will disburse funds twice per year so that all groups seeking funds will have an opportunity to apply. 12 or so groups were granted funds at the October PAC meeting (including Inter-A).
• DPAC is presenting an all-candidates meeting for school trustees on October 22^nd.
• Barry MacDonald will be speaking on ‘How to Talk to Boys and Listen so Boys Will Talk’ at the District Conference Centre November 26^th.

Fundraising

• More than 85 bags were submitted on October 10^th Big Brother’s pickup ($2.50 per bag)
• Gift card and Purdy’s fundraisers are ready to go out with October 29^th report cards. DH will need help to sort and deliver Purdy’s product to school for pickup on November 27^th.

New Business

• None

Adjourned at 8:20 pm

Next meeting: Wednesday November 

Welcome

Agenda Additions & Approval

• Agenda approved as circulated.

Approval of Minutes

• Motion to approve minutes of August 28, 2008: BB; Second: JF. Carried.

Treasurer’s Report

Motion to approve financial statement dated August 31, 2008: BB; Second: UD. Carried. C is coordinating the updated signatories for the bank.

Student Executive Report

• No report

Teacher’s Report

• Beginning of school year has gone smoothly.
• Registration of 151 students which is just right to maintain 6.5 staff.
• Still working with administration to get fair use of gym time; now have better position in the rotation and should have gym two times for each outside P.E. time.
• Physics 11 has field trip to Playland on October 1 to study forces and motion.
• 35 senior students can sign up for the Playhouse series.
• Retreat will be next Tuesday to Thursday; probably 143 students will be attending. Cost to student is $90.00. Motion for Students Society to subsidize the 2008 retreat as needed up to $4,000.00: BB; Second: UD. Carried.
• Welcome back pizza lunch went well. Discussion about offering a different meal. Teaching team likes the welcome back idea but it could even be some smaller token or treat. Will make it an annual event but need to set the date in June for the following September. 

PAC

• No report. D volunteered to attend November meeting and do a short update on Inter-A.

Fundraising

• First Big Brothers pickup Friday October 10^th.
• D will look at doing Purdy’s for the student’s accounts to go out with first report card.
• L will run gift card fundraiser to go out with first report card approx. Oct 29 and again in the first week of December.
• Husky/Mohawk ongoing

New Business

• 9.1 Foodsafe – Who has it? BB and JM both have Foodsafe training and JF and CR will be taking it this year.
• 9.2 Parent Information Night – Very good turnout this evening and many parents had questions about the Society.
• 9.3 Note: CR will be away from October 12^th to November 27^th

Adjourned at 8:45 pm

Next meeting: Tuesday, October 14 at 7:00 pm

Calling Inter-A parents and students!

If you would like to receive program and Society updates by email, please contact the Inter-A Students Society using the Society contact page or by sending an email directly to us: society@inter-a.org. We’ll add you to our mailing list so you’ll have information sent directly to you. Your address will not be shared with anyone else. Thanks!

~ Inter-A Students Society

The main Inter-A site has been repaired and is now available again. As part of a student driven effort, new content will be added over the coming months to make the site more useful and interactive. Also, you will notice that the Inter-A Students Society has posted an updated schedule and the latest meeting minutes. Stay tuned for more after the retreat. ]]> http://inter-a.org/news/2008/09/website-updates/feed/ http://inter-a.org/news/2008/09/welcome-to-inter-a/ http://inter-a.org/news/2008/09/welcome-to-inter-a/#comments Thu, 04 Sep 2008 04:10:27 +0000 Brendan http://inter-a.org/news/?p=43 Its September again and we’re happy to welcome both our new and returning students this year. Please take a look at the August newsletter for a few announcements and important dates (such as the Parent Information Night and our Annual Fall Retreat).

Due to a small technical glitch the main Inter-A website is down, but we hope to have this problem fixed very soon.

Kwantlen Park contact info:

10441 – 132nd Street
Surrey, BC V3T 3V3
(604) 588-6934

You can also call the Inter-A message line at (604) 587-7373.

7:00 PM – August 28, 2008 at Blenz Coffee House

Attending: CC, CR, EK, UD, JM

Welcome

Agenda Additions & Approval

• Agenda approved as circulated.

Approval of Minutes

• Motion to approve minutes of June 10, 2008: JM. Second: UD. Carried.
• Follow Up from June 10^th – Will ask for a list of criteria for all current scholarships so that students will be able to see what to strive for. Will establish an additional fine arts scholarship before June meeting.

Treasurer’s Report

• Report tabled to September meeting.
• C will go to the bank to update authorized signatories.

Student Executive Report

• No report

Teacher’s Report

• No report

PAC

• We will do 3 Inter-A reports during the year at PAC meetings – likely November, March and June.

Fundraising

• Still waiting for Big Brothers cheque; U will check on it. October 10^th first Big Brothers pickup for this year; will do another in spring.
• Will ask L for gift card fund raiser
• Husky/Mohawk ongoing
• Will need to think of something for May Day April 30th

New Business

• 9.1 Welcome Back Lunch – Motion to spend up to $450 for a welcome back pizza lunch: UD. Seconded CC. Carried. U can organize the lunch and C will check with teachers for the best day for it.
• 9.2 Retreat – Tabled to September 9^th meeting
• 9.3 September meeting/Parent information night – We will meet at 6 pm and ask if teachers would like anything from us for the 6:30 parent meeting. J will look after food if necessary. E will bring Society handouts and C will say a few words about the Society.
• 9.4 November meeting date – Since our meeting would be on Remembrance Day, C will check with AP to see if Wednesday November 12^th would be all right.
• 9.5 Family information – We will add a tear-off to the newsletter to have parents give us email addresses and availability to help out at events.
• 9.6 District Advisory Committee – Dates for this year are November 20, February 19, and April 23. All meetings are in the library at 3:30. As C will be away Oct 12 – Nov 27, J and U will attend the November meeting.

Adjourned at 8:45 pm

Next meeting: Tuesday, September 9^th at 6:00 pm in classroom

We welcome all our returning and new students to the Inter-A Program for the 2008-2009 school year! We, the teaching team, hope you and your family have enjoyed the summer and are looking forward to an exciting year.

Important Dates:

• September 2 School Starts at 10:00 am for all Inter-A Students: Please come to the B-wing at 10:00 am on Tuesday, September 2. Homeroom lists will be posted at each Inter-A classroom, B110-112, B116-118 and B117-119. Please find your name on the list and go to that homeroom. Introductions and important information will be given out. Students should expect to stay at school until 12:00 noon.
• September 9 Inter-A Parent Information Night 6:30 pm: Topics include philosophy of the program, student expectations, retreat, provincial graduation requirements. Everyone is welcome to attend!
• September 16-18 Inter-A Program Retreat: Every year, the whole program moves location to the Sunshine Coast for three days of cooperative, team building activities. We stay at Camp Sunrise, in Langdale, where students work together to build their skills and get to know each other in a fun, collaborative environment. Detailed forms will be sent home in the first week of school. The cost will be approximately $90 and includes all meals, cabin rental and transportation. We thank the Inter-A Society for their generous support of the retreat.

Inter-A Program School Year Calendar

The Inter-A Program year is divided into six units of approximately six weeks length each.

Students will receive a schedule at the beginning of each unit which will show their classes and teachers for that unit. At the end of every unit, students will receive a report card for each class they had in that unit. For students in grades 7-10, Humanities and Science emphasis will alternate each unit. Mathematics, PE, Art and French classes run all year long.

The table below lists Inter-A unit end and Report Card dates. Please keep it for future reference. Six reports are sent home during the year. Any changes will be posted on the Inter-A website.

* semester one end ** semester two end

Fees

• As a program of choice in the Surrey School District, the Inter-A program has fees to support our students’ activities of $40 per year. Cheques for this fee are payable to Kwantlen Park Secondary.
• Inter-A Student Society Membership Fees: $10 (per family). The Inter-A Program is strongly supported by the parents of our students through the Inter-A Student Society, a registered, non-profit society. Parent volunteers work throughout the year to support all student activities. Cheques for membership are payable to the Inter-A Student Society.

School Supplies

Recommended supplies will help students stay organized:

• 3-ring Binders (three or four) Pencils and erasers Glue sticks
• Lined paper, three hole punched Pencil crayons Scissors
• Pens – blue or black preferable Scientific calculator Pencil case
• Back pack 
• Ruler (15 or 30 cm)

Textbooks

Students will be assigned textbooks throughout the school year. Please ensure your child has written his or her name neatly on the inside cover of the text as soon as it is assigned. This will greatly help students in keeping track of their texts so that they can return their assigned books at year end.

PE Strip

All students in Inter-A are enrolled in Physical Education. All students must bring appropriate PE strip to school and store it in their locker. PE strip is worn only during PE class. Please wash PE strip weekly. Strip should include: shorts, t-shirt, runners, socks, deodorant (NOT strongly scented body sprays) and sweatshirt and/or sweatpants for colder days. Students must be prepared for the occasional rainy day and bring appropriate clothing (rain jacket, hat, etc.) if their PE class is outside.

Lockers

Students will be assigned lockers with locks based on availability. Students in selected grades will have to share lockers with another student. Only locks provided by the school are allowed. Students need to take ALL their supplies and books for their morning or afternoon classes with them. There are no locker visits between Inter-A classes, except for obtaining PE strip.

Work Experience

All grade 10 and 11 students will be participating in a 2 or 3 week work experience at the beginning of unit 3, December 1-12 or 1-19. Inter-A values the education that students receive through first hand experience working in an area of their own personal or career related interest.

We look forward to seeing everyone on September 2!

Inter-A Teaching Team: Alyssa Poynter, Roger Blenman, Chris Wakelin, Kathy Richardson, Anthony Jay, Melanie Skelin, Pauline Veto

Attending: CC, JF, PV, CR, BB, AC, DH, LL, RP, EK, AO, UD

Welcome

Agenda Additions & Approval

• Agenda approved as circulated.

Approval of Minutes

• Motion to approve minutes of May 13, 2008: EK. Second: BB. Carried.

Treasurer’s Report

• L presented the financial statement dated June 10, 2008.
• Discussion of Telus Employees scholarship donation of $1040 resulted in following motion: “Using the donation received, the Inter-A Society will offer four Telus Employees scholarships of $260 each based on academic and athletic achievement, one to be awarded in 2008, two in 2009, and one in 2010.” Motion by BB, seconded by DH. Carried.
• Motion by JF: “The Inter-A Students Society will provide funds to support a $250 Alumni Scholarship, selection criteria to be determined by Inter-A alumni, to be presented by alumni to a 2008 graduate.” Seconded by LL. Carried.
• Motion by BB: “The Society will provide $600 to be disbursed in two 2008 scholarships called the Harper/Vollrath and the Vollrath/Harper scholarships, criteria as described by the Inter-A teaching team.” Seconded by JF. Carried.
• Note: Take time in September to establish a scholarship checklist that is addressed before the June meeting; discuss possibility of adding a scholarship that focuses on something other than academics, i.e. Fine arts.

Student Executive Report

• R reported the student executive had no plans for events at this time.
• Two students are organizing a coin drive to raise funds for China’s earthquake and hurricane relief.
• Faces of the World balloon is complete and will be inflated once there are a few days of good weather. Inter-A was well represented on the project.

Teacher’s Report

• Currently tidying up for year end and coordinating with KP administration.
• I-Day will be the 18th (school is in session) along with two provincial exams and the year-end barbeque and apple awards. (BBQ: E to pick up/return BBQ; U & C pick up food; be at school at 10:00 AM, serving at 11:30. Helpers: B, A, E, C, U, C)
• Composite exams taking place June 12, 13, and 16th with presentations on the 17th.
• Teaching team will be busy readying student marks to be submitted by the deadline of June 20th

PAC

• PAC has decided to space out the distribution of gaming funds. Applications for funds will be accepted once in the fall and once after the winter break. Draft forms available.
• School planning committee will report to PAC on occasion. 85% of students report being bullied and this will be the focus of the committee.
• PAC is starting a parent library to be housed in the school library and works on an honour system. They are looking for library donations.
• A brought information on healthy food guidelines for schools that will filter to other public buildings, recreation centres, etc. All will apply only if you are selling food.

Fundraising

• Tabled to September.

New Business

• 9.1 District Review Report – This is now a public document. P will ask for a copy in WORD so that it can be published on the Inter-A web site. We will provide copies at AGM and C will speak for a few minutes about the report. Some of the recommendations are good ones but some will be difficult to implement. Teachers will attend a meeting on the 26th to discuss implementation.
• 9.2 AGM – We will meet at 5:00 pm to help set up gym and the food tables. (Fruit – E; Veggies – A, A; Cakes, plates, etc – C from Costco; Cookies – D). AGM to start at 6:30 and J will run the elections. CC has accepted the nomination as Treasurer and E will check with other directors to see who will stand again.

Note: For August/September meeting discuss membership forms going out to families to get email/contact information for Inter-A mailing list and volunteers.

Adjourned at 9:00 pm

Next meeting: August 28 at 7:00 PM, Blenz at Central