Hazardous Waste at Sunnyside Park or on Dickens School Playgrounds

Needles

If you find any needles, it is important that you call the Needle Hotline at 604.657.6561

With your valuable help they will:

• swiftly and safely to dispose of it
• do a sweep of the area 
• track the information in a city "heat map" so the city can focus attention in problem areas

More details on the Hotline can be found at http://www.vch.ca/about-us/news/discarded-needle-pickup

The VanConnect App can also be used (click on Garbage and Litter, then Abandoned Garbage, then Discarded Needle) to report a discarded needle. The City will share this information with the Needle Hotline. However, this option may take more time before the needle is picked up. 

Condoms

Condoms can be carefully placed in a garbage bin by an adult.  Alternatively, condoms can be reported on VanConnect as abandoned garbage (click on Garbage and Litter, then Abandoned Garbage, then Garbage/Miscellaneous Junk) on City Property, e.g. Sunnyside Park. You could also call 3-1-1 instead.

If found on the playgrounds during school breaks, the Vancouver School Board (VSB) can be contacted at 604-713-5000.

However, while school is in session, please contact the Dickens School administrative staff at 604-713-4978 if any hazardous items are found on the school playgrounds.

Thank you,
Dickens PAC

Thank You for your Contributions!

Charles Dickens Elementary PAC

Thank You! re: 2020 Holiday Gift Card Drive

On behalf of the beneficiaries of the 2020 Holiday Hampers, we wish to express our heartfelt gratitude for your support of the program.  It was a different year to say the least, and thanks to the generous support of the Charles Dickens School Community, in addition to all of the gift cards that were donated during the gift card drive, we raised more than $5,000! This year’s recipients included Cedar Cottage Neighbourhood House, Aunt Leah’s Place, Baby-Go-Round and other members of our community.

Your participation went a long way toward making the holiday season brighter, easier and a bit more joy-filled for each and every hamper recipient, and we simply couldn’t have done it without your support.

THANK YOU!

Attention Dickens Parents re: Option 4 Students

If you chose OPTION 4 for schooling during the 2020-21 school year, please read the following important notice from parent Kyenta Martins: 

          Hello VSB School PACs,   

On January 20,  we are expecting the COVID funding information and changes to Option 4 updates at the Student Learning and Wellness Committee or Finance Committee meeting. In anticipation of that, we put together some recommendations of what we would like to see from VSB to meet students' needs when there are likely to be disruptions to their in-person education, whether they are in Option 4 or not. We wrote this letter to promote the concept of remote learning for both elementary and secondary schools in Vancouver in the hopes of not losing our places at our schools. Option 4 is the only way the 3,497 Option 4 students in Vancouver can keep ourselves and our families safe during the pandemic and not lose our places at our schools.

In November, when we were first started advocating for a continuation of Option 4 (at that time it was slated to end January 5, 2021), the response from VSB staff and trustees was that they were interested in hearing about our experiences and needs. Superintendent Hoffman stated at a DPAC Executive meeting in November that they were planning on sending out a survey to students and their families to find out more about their experiences. They did send out a secondary survey, however secondary schools don't have Option 4. The survey for elementary was simply "Will you return to school on January 18th?" - so no survey, as was promised, to find out more about Option 4 or what our experiences have been. We emailed to ask her why - and we received no response. 

The responses we are getting now are very different; I've included Carmen Cho's response as a representative of them. They are reminders of what the intention of Option 4 was (a transition program) and that if we wanted to not return to school, we should have chosen VLN. However Option 4 was the only choice that allowed our children to stay at their schools. The only option that didn't force my 9 and 11 year old daughters to choose between my health (I have COPD) or their support networks at school - between their friends or their mom. That is not a choice any child should have to make - and especially not at a time that is already stressful in so many ways. 

This is the link to the letter we are circulating asking people to copy/paste, add to it, and send to education stakeholders (which we have listed at the end of the letter)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1epeScIg5lb5Idwh5h5znb3ccb9Y0qgHEC8NC1tkANeY/edit?usp=sharing

We are asking for your help. If you would be willing to share this message with your school, or at the least with your Option 4 families, we would appreciate it. We are doing everything we can to not be forced out of our schools. 

Thank you for your time and your consideration. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any concerns or questions.

Kyenta Martins

604.671.0504

Founder of Option 4 Families of Vancouver SD#39

Virtual Mentoring for Students

Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver is dedicated to the ongoing support and mentorship of children in our community. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they've continued to provide support to children and youth through mentorship. 

Having an additional caring adult in a child’s life can build their confidence, encourage the growth of peer connections, and help prevent issues like bullying or peer pressure.

Their Site Based programs, typically offered in schools and community spaces, are now virtual and they support male, female, transgender, and non-binary students to meet with a volunteer mentor online from home. 

Their Community Big Brothers program for male-identifying, gender-fluid, and non-binary youth 7-14, is supporting both in-person and virtual meetings.

More info and online applications

For more info and if you are interested in any of their programs, apply online at this link.

Click on Community Big Brothers Program for more info on this specific program.

Game On! is one of a number of programs offered by Big Brothers