November 2025 Newsletter
Chairperson’s report
The chairperson is urging parents to sign up for the PAC’s WhatsApp group to get the latest news and updates. You can email Jackie Lee at EricHamberPAC@gmail.com. Plus the executive is still looking for a secretary.
Traffic in front of the school continues to be a problem. There have been a number of suggestions forwarded to the city, including speed bumps, adding a left hand turn lane on 33rd and adding a pedestrian crossing.
DPAC report
In light of the police incident involving graffiti on a bathroom stall, it was discussed at the DPAC if the district can look into installing cameras in schools. DPAC would look into this proposition if it could see if other districts have cameras, how cameras would affect students with special needs and what response there was from the DPAC trustee liaison.
Also, our rep brought up the bad traffic situation at the school. The DPAC would need parents to lead the cause and work with the DPAC on traffic and pedestrian safety. Please contact Jackie Lee at EricHamberPAC@gmail.com and he will put you in contact with the DPAC rep, Deborah Stern Silver.
Treasurer’s report
The PAC has received 39 requests adding up to $60,000 from athletics and other clubs for funding. The PAC has $40,000 to be dispersed, and all of it has been allocated. Because the money comes from the province’s Gaming Grants, there are many criteria for what can actually be funded. For example, a club can’t use the money for cash prizes. It can’t be used for anything curriculum-based. And criteria can change. Last year, field trips were not allowed to be funded, while this year they are, if they take place in the province.
The biggest request has come from Athletics, for $13,000. The PAC will grant $7,500. This allotment will benefit 600 students. Another big ask was for the Library Learning Commons, at $10,000. Last year, they only requested $1,600, so the same amount was granted this year.
Any unspent money goes into the pot for next year.
Teacher’s report
Duncan Mcdonald is an electronics teacher, but his presentation was on the effects of screen time on teenagers.
He went over studies that stress that kids under 2 shouldn’t have any screen time. The average teen in 2021 spent 8 hours a day on a screen for recreational purposes. The amount of anxiety has risen at the same rate as screen time, but because it’s a correlation, the cause is not certain. The reports of “non-fatal-harm” among teens has risen 300% since 2010.
At the same time, teens are spending less time interacting with friends face-to-face. Kids should volunteer, play sports and board games to increase their social time. Delay giving your child a phone, and then only give them a dumb phone.. Keep screens out of bedrooms. Establish a “digital diet.”
Schools, he says, should also be phone free.
There is no clinical diagnosis yet for “social media addiction” but there is lots of evidence that kids are highly dependent on the devices that are designed to keep their attention.
The good news is that young brains are resilient.
Mr. Mcdonald, who is a parent himself, highly recommends the books Anxious Generation and Shimi Kang’s The Tech Solution.
Principal’s report
Mr. Lauzon agrees phones have had a huge impact on learning. 17 years ago when he began his career as principal, only 30% of kids had phones. Now kids are using them to cheat. While parents tend to protect their kids when it comes to general safety, he says parents “underprotect” when it comes to online behavior and access.
He reiterated the school district policies on phones: they must be put away during instruction, unless requested by the teacher.
Parent-teacher conferences are being held this week. He stresses that while the time slots to see a teacher face-to-face are limited, parents should reach out to teachers to have a discussion about their child’s progress.
He says there are lots of sports and clubs at Hamber, so students should take that opportunity to form bonds and social connections.
Student council is very active, raising money for the food bank and planning to stage a holiday market.
Parking and traffic continue to be problems. Please don’t expect to be able to drop your child off at the front doors. Drop your child off a block away.
Next PAC meeting will be January 20,2026