Show up for gifted education: rally

FROM A PAN PARTNER: The Show Up for Gifted Education! rally will be outside Van Tech at 6:00 pm.  We will set up a mini-educational fair where students from gifted programs will display their work.  If your child would like to take part, that would be wonderful.  There is an event page on facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/events/218537988502232/permalink/219004938455537/

VSB cuts will eliminate many services including gifted education. Currently, 1200 students per year are being serviced through all VSB gifted programs. Although many of these programs are in elementary schools, many of these students move on to mini schools in high schools and the mini schools are losing their support staff.

Challenge Centre: eliminated

Seminar program: eliminated

Mentorship program: eliminated

Part time psychologist: eliminated

Gifted coordinator: eliminated

 If you have parents and students at your school who will be affected and upset by these cuts, please consider forwarding them items 2-6 on this list. Items 1 and 7 are things you can do directly. 

 
1. Write an email to VESTA, detailing your concerns, as they will be advocating for us and students at the upcoming stakeholder consultations.

2. Direct parents and students to Marlene Rodgers. She is the point person for parent mobilization. 

3. Parents can also check out PAGES (Parents Advocating for Gifted Education in Schools) for updates on how to help. It is here: https://www.facebook.com/BCPAGES/

4. Parents and students can write letters to trustees, sharing their stories of what gifted education means to them. Their emails can be found here:https://www.vsb.bc.ca/about-vsb/trustees

5. Parents and students can sign up to speak at the public hearings by going here: https://www.vsb.bc.ca/node/6516

6. Parents and students can simply show up at the hearing with signs and support.

7. Please consider forwarding this to your colleagues (via personal email only), so they can forward to their parents.

 

If these cuts go through, this will be the death of gifted education in the VSB. MACC will not survive without the outreach programs, and soon high school programs will be affected as well.