January 2026 Newsletter
Chairperson’s report
The PAC is looking for volunteers to help put on this June’s teachers’ appreciation lunch on June 24.
A brand new WhatsApp group is being formed to discuss the school’s traffic and safety issues. Please look for a WhatsApp invitation.
DPAC report
A recent guest speaker invited to address vaping was well-received. Another speaker/topic that is in the works will address concussions. It may be a speaker presented during a DPAC meeting or at a separate meeting.
Treasurer’s report
Roughly $31,000 has now been allocated to the various extracurricular groups that have requested money. About $9,000 worth of cheques have been issued. There is $9,600 left over for the second round of requests in February. Note that we have a new website: https://erichamberpac.ca.
Principal’s report
Mr. Lauzon thanked Jackie Lee, chairperson of the PAC, for getting the city’s attention on the school’s ongoing traffic problem. Many drivers are not abiding by the 30km/hr speed limit. Students are not being dropped off where they should be. He notes the monkey tree on the corner of 33rd and Oak was planted to memorialize a student who was killed there in the ‘60s, so it’s a problem that has never gone away. He believes a left hand turning bay is needed for westbound traffic on 33rd.
A four-day basketball tournament hosted by the school, attended by schools across the Lower Mainland, was very successful.
The first day of the new semester was smoother than the first day of school in September. The school is at capacity, so the schedules and classes are very full, which makes changing classes very challenging.
This coming week, Mr. Lauzon will be addressing teachers and the issues of cell phones in classrooms. He will be insisting that all classrooms will be device-free - meaning they should be turned off and put away, out of sight. He is also stressing to parents that homes could also adopt this policy, so students get used to putting their devices away when appropriate even at home. He knows all of the teachers are struggling, even those who usually have good command of the classroom. Right now, there is so much device-use in school, it would be impossible to “send all 1700 students to the principal’s office.” Devices, he says, should not even be used during free/down time in the classroom.
Other business
PAC is still in need of a secretary. The secretary takes notes during PAC meetings and during the occasional PAC executive meeting. It’s an excellent way to get familiar with teachers, the administration and generally how the school functions. It’s not a heavy commitment - just a couple of hours of a week, maximum.
The mayor and city traffic engineers have agreed to look at the traffic issues at the school. Ken Sim might even visit. Some of the issues include: drivers not able to make a left turn onto 33rd from Oak, drivers not pulling over to the side of 33rd to drop their kids off due to the lack of paving or curbs, people going too fast on 33rd and parents parking in the child-care parking area.
Fortunately, a left turn lane is being installed westbound on 33rd to enter the parking lot, and it should be complete by the end of the school year. A new crosswalk is being proposed right in front of the school’s main entrance. See map below. In the meantime, parents need to complain to the city and the Vancouver School Board and perhaps even collect crash and other data to bolster the cause.
