Dear parents,

Happy new year!  Sorry, I know I’m a little late with that comment, but somehow, I don’t think you’ve been sitting around and wondering – “why hasn’t the PAC written to me lately?  Was it something I said?  Something I did?  Oh no, I hope they didn’t take that remark I made about the Braemar PAC being cooler seriously.  It was only a throwaway comment!  I was just filling an awkward silence!!! “*

OK – so this Wednesday evening at 7pm is when Jessie Miller will speaking to Ross Road parents.  If you only come to one Ross Road PAC meeting this Wednesday night, come to this one.  Jessie will be speaking about social media in advance of his presentations at the school the next day.  This is a good time to ask questions about Face-gramming and twitter-booking without having your kids laugh at you.  Learn more about Jessie here.  Babysitting is available on request.  Email Tamrah at corbenst@telus.net if you think you need a babysitter.

And while we’re talking about dates…save Feb 24 as well.  Cause that’s when we’re going to be giving out shiny new $200 bills for every parent that comes to the PAC GM.**  Hey, you raised the money, you may as well get it.

And speaking of cash, pat yourselves on the back and put your hands together for Jody and her team for pulling off an amazing Christmas fair in December.  At short notice, Jody put together a great event and a big thanks goes to her for that, along with all of you for baking baked goods, clearing out your house for the Shop ‘n Wrap, volunteering your time and everything else you did.  Together, we raised $7000 which is awesome.

OK, that’s it.  But just to get you excited – in the next email, I’m going to be asking for someone to volunteer to pull together the Spring Carnival.  Just think….that could be you!  Beat the rush and let Tamrah know now if you want this job!

Best

Your PAC executive***

* If you were sitting around and wondering that, then please come to the next PAC meeting.  We’ll show you we’re much cooler then those Braemar muckity-mucks.

**This promise will not be honored.  Like seriously.  It was a joke ok?  Please don’t come along and ask for a shiny new $200 bill, or I might lose my job.  But come anyway and have a cookie.

***We dress better then the Upper Lynn Elementary PAC as well

Sorry, I know you’re getting bombarded by emails about the Christmas Fair.  It’s not quite as bad as hearing Mariah Carey sing “All I Want for Christmas is You” in every damn store you go into, but I get that we’re sailing pretty close to the wind here.

So let’s make this one short.

1.  You rock – since yesterday’s post about signing up for a volunteer spot, a bunch of you hdid so and we’re now at 75%….if just 20 more people sign up, two of my kids will get straight As on their report cards.  So come on….pitter patter!  Here’s the link.
2. Forget about cooking on Friday night.  You can pre-order Subway and it will be waiting for you to pick up.  But….you must order by tomorrow noon!  Click here to go to the Munch a lunch website.
3. Finally, let’s talk about the movie, Love Actually.  You know, the one with Hugh Grant playing a very unconvincing British prime minister?  Some say it’s the Worst. Christmas. Movie. Ever.  Do you agree?  Or Disagree?  Have your say in the poll below.

Dear parents,

We’re getting there!  Sign ups for 30 minute slots at the Christmas Fair are up to 53%!  That’s like a solid D….minus.

But what does that mean, I hear you ask?  Well, it means that while we’ll all be buying baked goods without a problem, (mmmm – baked goods), the Ho Ho Hockey stand will be unattended for a lot of the evening.  That means one little Sydney Crosby wannabe will be monopolizing the whole thing, while dozens of kids look on with longing and unrealised dreams.  You don’t want that do you?

And while we do have first-aid attendants to deal with the inevitable sugar withdrawals and glitter overdoses, there’s going to be no-one making tiny decorations for the miniature living Xmas trees.  They’re tiny decorations!  How hard can it be?

And, here’s the big one.  From 6pm to 6.30pm, there will be NO-ONE passing out the pre-ordered (and pre-made) Subway sandwiches.  NO-ONE!  Have you ever seen what happens when order breaks down in a Subway sandwich place and people start getting all grabby?  I have, and it’s not pretty.  Please….help us avoid this next Friday night.

So do it now….head on over to this website and sign up for a 30 minute shift.

Oh, and while I’m on a roll….we still need more baked goods (mmm – baked good).  You can sign up on the noticeboard in the foyer.  And, we still need more presents for the shop ‘n wrap.  Clean out those closets!  Regifts welcome!  Crappy presents that originally came from the in-laws  encouraged!

Thanks

Dear parents,

So, I was trying to be clever with that last email and I included a link to Rick Astley singing “Never Gonna Give You Up” as a joke – it was the first link purporting to be the PAC minutes.

I’ve had a report that it’s possibly hard to close – so, please don’t click on it.  Sorry if it’s caused problems for anyone.

I did also forget to put one link in…this one’s for real…..it’s the signup sheet for volunteering at the Xmas Fair.  (honestly, this one is real)

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0e4daeab2aa3fd0-ross1

Dear parents,

Congratulations!  You’ve won 10 gajillion dollars in the National Kenyan Lottery.  To claim your cash, please send me $10,000 in unmarked $100 notes.

Wait, that’s a totally different email I have to write today. Disregard.

The email I wanted to write to you was about the Christmas Fair.  Things are humming along nicely, but here’s what you can do to help.

1.  Donate some gifts to the Holiday Shop ‘n Wrap room.  There’s a box under the stairs near the office.
2. Sign up to bake some goodies.  (or sign up to buy some baked goodies, then pass them off as your own.  We won’t tell)
3. Ask any CEOs, famous people, 1%ers that you know for donations for the raffle basket.  Or, if you don’t know anyone like that-  maybe a local business owner you know might want to donate goods or services?
4. Volunteer!  We’re at 23% of the slots filled.  Ho Ho Hockey needs you!  So does the Guess Jar table, and the Miniature Living Xmas Tree Table.  No, I don’t know what that last one is either, but it involves miniature trees…how hard can it be?  Remember, the last person to sign up has to take home all the unsold crafts.  Don’t be last.

So, don’t make me come over there and sign you up for stuff in person.  Cause I will.  And I’ll bring the PAC executive with me as the muscle.  Trust me, you don’t want to mess with them.  They know karate.

Oh, one more thing.  The minutes from the last PAC GM are on the website. Click this link to read them.

Just kidding – here’s the real link..

Dear parents,

So….you can’t spell volunteer without u.  (Get it? u?  U?  As in you?   C’mon, help me out here!    Yes, I know you can spell “stop bothering me with these damn emails” without u, but let’s not go there right now.

Here’s the deal.  The Christmas Fair IS happening on Friday, December 4 from 5.30 to 7.30pm.  It’s always fun – especially on a rainy night when 500 steamy, damp families rampage the halls of Ross Road, full of the Christmas spirit and high on sugar.  There’s always lots to do, it’s a good way to bring out community together and it raises cash for the PAC to buy cool stuff.

As always, it’s hoped (expected?  anticipated?) that parents will chip in and help out in a couple of ways.  Here’s what you can do….

1.  Donate some gifts to the Holiday Shop ‘n Wrap Room.  We’re talking re-gifts from last year, or new items or even very gently used items (books are good).  The gifts don’t have to be expensive.  The idea here is that the kids get to go into a classroom and buy their very own (affordable) presents for loved ones.  Kids love doing it and it’s amazing what they choose sometimes. Donations accepted from Monday – there’s a box under the stairs.  This is the perfect time to clean out your house of all those little knick knacks you have stuffed in cupboards and don’t know what to do with.
2.  If you run a clean house with no knick knacks to give, can I come live with you?  Cause that sounds like a nice place to be.  No?  OK, then put that clean kitchen to use and bake up a storm.  There’s a baked goods table at the Fair that needs to be stocked groaningly high with delicious treats.  There’ll be a sign up sheet at the school where you can promise you’ll make something awesome (or buy it if you run out of time)
3. Are you ‘connected?’ Maybe you know someone who’d like to donate bigger-ticket items, (or services) to a large raffle basket.  That would help too.
4. Finally, if you’ve got nothing to give, can’t bake and aren’t connected, you’re still awesome as you can donate your time on the night.  (Actually, even if you do do all that stuff, we may still need your help)  All you need to do is put in 30 minutes on the night, and if you get in quick, you can even get first choice at the best gigs.   Here’s the link to sign up.

Thanks!

Have a good weekend.

Hi parents,

1.  Jody Butler rocks!  Jody’s offered to step in to help coordinate the Ross Road Christmas event….woohoo!   But she needs help.  So, let’s play a guessing game.  Do you like baked goods?  (mmmm – cookies)  And do you like presents?  If you answered ‘no’ to either of these questions, I don’t believe you.  But if you answered yes, you’re the perfect person to help Jody out.  She needs two people to coordinate the baked goods table (yes, you can squirrel away the tastiest stuff before anyone else sees it) and two people to coordinate the shop and wrap room (yes, you can make sure your kids don’t buy anything too craptacular).  These are the perfect gigs for a couple of friends to do together.  Get in touch with Jody at Jlabrio@telus.net if you can help.
2. The Safeteen event is next Tuesday, from 7 to 8pm.  Safeteen is a violence prevention program that aims to build assertiveness and notions of healthy relationships while teaching the students how to deal with verbal and physical violence. The workshops will run the next day, Wednesday, November 18, for the grade 6 and 7 students, but ALL Ross Road parents are invited to the parent night.
3. You MUST order your christmas cards by tomorrow if you want to be able to send them out for Christmas.  The PAC gets 25% of the proceeds from this fundraiser, so even if your kids have the artistic talent of a snail, you’re still winning.

Thanks!

Dear parents,

I have a confession to make.  No, I’m not the one who put the fireworks in the boys bathroom (well, not at Ross Road anyway)  And no, contrary to popular gossip, I’m not the one who did a nudie run through the background of the Bella Thorne movie that was shooting down the street.

No, my confession is that I misled you. I misled you through words, and for that I’m truly sorry.  In the last email, I said we had a christmas coordinator.  And we did.  But now we don’t.  For reasons outside of her control, the parent who’d stepped up is no longer able to do it.  Bummer.  Sad face.

But, it’s all about the silver linings right??  Ross Road’s loss is your gain.  You know how you were all ready to jump up and volunteer?    But then someone else put their hand up first?  And how you were all like, “darn it – I really wanted to do it, next time I’ll have to volunteer faster?’

Well, now’s your chance.  Christmas needs saving again!  (re-saving?)  Will you please (please) get in touch with Tamrah (corbenst@telus.net) if you think you can help.  Better yet, get together with a couple of other parents and make this a group thing.  The ball’s already started to roll, and people had started to do things – we need someone to pull it all together.

Thanks!

PS – did you know that the Bella Thorne movie that was shooting down the road also starred Patrick Schwarzenegger?  As in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s son?  All that excitement in little old Lynn Valley.

Dear parents,

Remember that post from last Friday about the Argyle rebuild process?  You don’t?  Really?  Big weekend huh?  That’s ok….we’ve all been there.

Basically, the future of Argyle is being determined as we speak.  The school board’s plans for a comprehensive rebuild of Argyle rely on the proceeds from the sale of surplus land near Braemar.  Without these funds, the board will either need to scale down the design plans (ie cut back on some much needed and desired aspects of the new school) OR find funding from another source to make up the shortfall.  The latter is not going to be easy, and the former is definitely not desirable.  If this concerns you, then please follow this link and sign the petition.  And do it quickly, (please) because the District of North Vancouver Council is meeting imminently to make their zoning decision around Argyle.  If you’re in favor of the petition, send the link to friends and family and ask them to sign as well.

There is a Facebook page set up by concerned Lynn Valley parents as well –  with other ways to make a difference and stay on top of the latest developments.

Thanks

Hey you!  Yes, you – the Ross Road parent!  You’re looking great!  Did you get a haircut?  New glasses?  Whatever it is, it’s totally working for you.

There are two very important things to discuss today (well, three actually – but I’m no longer allowed mention olive stuffing in PAC posts)

1. Is high school important to you and your kids? (ps:  the correct answer to that question is “yes” – even if your child wants to run away and join the circus.  Even clowns need calculus)   If so, then please, please, please get up to speed on the current discussion around the seismic upgrade/total rebuild situation at Argyle High School.  We’re at a critical point in a multi-year process and the powers that be are about to decide what Argyle will look like for the next 50 years and what facilities it will contain.  There is much community discussion around the sale of a parcel of land near Braemar and it’s impact on an Argyle rebuild and you owe it to your family to understand what’s going on as it WILL have a direct impact on you if you’re planning on sending your kids to Argyle. So, here’s some information for you….
   1. This PDF is from School District 44 gives some background.
   2. This is the school district’s blog page. The latest entry includes the full presentation given by John Lewis, Superintendent of Schools, including an overview of the history of the Argyle Capital Project; funding the “gap”; building and site enhancements; timelines; and the next steps.
   3. This is the Facebook site set up by concerned Lynn Valley parents to show their support for a full rebuild of Argyle.

I’ve asked Jessica Stanley, who is a school trustee and a parent at Ross Road about the confusion around the issue, and this is what she said.

The key source of alternative interpretations is the information about the Braemar land development and whether or not the Argyle rebuild is dependent on development of that land. The full rebuild of Argyle is not dependent on the sale of that land parcel but that is our current funding plan for the enhanced design. We could seek alternative funding sources (which wouldn’t be the easy option) and/or we could choose to scale down the design (e.g., change the theatre).

2.  On a more fluffier issue – I saw a movie once where a bunch of kids banded together to save Christmas.  Not sure why Christmas needed saving, or what they did to save it, but I remember it had a young Keanu Reeves in it and it was awesome.  Unfortunately, Keanu isn’t a parent at Ross Road, which is sad for so many reasons, not least of which is that Christmas at Ross Road needs saving!

Every year, we have an event that brings in thousands of dollars in fundraising.  But more importantly, it’s a ton of community fun (literally, we weighed it last year and that’s how much fun it was).  We need someone, or a group of someones to step up and organise Christmas at Ross Road this year.  It doesn’t have to be a fair….it could be something completely different (a concert perhaps?)   It’s also the sort of thing that a few people could take on as a group.

Here’s the direct appeal –  will YOU (yes, you….) please consider helping out the school and taking charge of a Christmas event. Say yes and here’s my solemn promise to you.  Do this, and you can ignore every single other volunteer appeal for the rest of the year.  (unless, of course, you love volunteering…in which case, we should totally talk).

Please get in touch with Tamrah (corbenst@telus.net) if you are prepared to be Ross Road’s Keanu Reeves.

Thanks and have a good weekend.