Students need your help to advocate for their education
Dear Jamieson Families,
Jamieson experienced a year of unprecedented change and an unsettled administrative environment which adversely impacted our school last year, particularly for the Mandarin and Strings programs. Please see Jamieson PAC’s letter to the Vancouver School Board for the background and our appeal to VSB for support, parent engagement and funding for these outstanding programs.
Unfortunately PAC’s letter alone and the letters from Jamieson families last year will not be enough. Our students need your help to continue to advocate for Mandarin and Strings, and to safeguard the future of these programs. The future of your children’s education. Without your support, Mandarin and Strings are at risk of diminishing and disappearing if left unchecked.
VSB’s Strategic Plan 2021 states its vision to “inspire student success by providing an innovative, caring and responsive learning environment”. These ideals are embodied by Jamieson’s Mandarin and Strings programs. Do not allow these programs to be eroded.
We urge all families to raise your voices.
What can you do?
- Write to VSB – express your concerns. Have your child tell VSB about why these programs matter. Jamieson alumni students and adults are encouraged to write too!
- Sign the petition – ask VSB to restore Elementary Band and Strings to its pre-2016 cut levels.
www.change.org/p/vancouver-school-board-trustees-restore-the-vancouver-school-board-elementary-band-and-strings-program - Share the news – help spread the word and ask others to participate.
Who should you write to:
- Janet Fraser, Chairperson, VSB Board of Education, janet.fraser@vsb.bc.ca
- Lois Chan-Pedley, Trustee, VSB Board of Education, lois.chan-pedley@vsb.bc.ca
CC your email or letter to:
- Scott MacDonald, Deputy Minister of Education, DM.Education@gov.bc.ca
- Superintendent Suzanne Hoffman, Vancouver School Board, shoffman@vsb.bc.ca
- Natasha Miladinovic, Principal, Dr Annie B Jamieson Elementary, nmiladinov@vsb.bc.ca
- Jamieson PAC, info@jamiesonpac.com
Feel free to use the letter templates below or write your own letter, before the end of February.
(Letters with Mandarin translations are for the convenience of Mandarin speaking families. Please do not send the Mandarin versions to VSB.)
Mandarin Program letter template – English version or Mandarin version
Strings Program letter template – English version or Mandarin version
You can copy and paste these email addresses directly to your email message:
janet.fraser@vsb.bc.ca, lois.chan-pedley@vsb.bc.ca, DM.Education@gov.bc.ca, shoffman@vsb.bc.ca, nmiladinov@vsb.bc.ca
Please consider sharing your letters to Jamieson PAC info@jamiesonpac.com and allowing us to publicly share your concerns to help others understand the issues.
Let’s make our voices heard.
Thank you,
Grace Chan
Jamieson PAC